1. Time
   When you decide to FSBO be prepared to sacrifice a lot of time. From staging the property and taking perfect pictures to getting the description and marketing right. You’ll also spend time showing the property, entertaining lookie-loo’s and door-kickers, and talking with agents who won’t take you seriously.
2. Costs
   When you sell by owner you may think you’re saving money but in reality you’re often spending a lot of money up front with no guarantee of any return. Listing agents spend a calculated amount of money up front to make sure a listing sells and ultimately pays both you and them both fairly.
3. Saving On Commission
   Choosing to FSBO doesn’t really save you money. On average, homes sold by agents get $230k compared to $180k for FSBO. When you find the right agent they will price your property to get the most money in the shortest time, a combination that can mean 10-30% more net profit. When you are considering saving 1.5-3% on a listing commission you should take that into consideration.
4. No Money Up Front
   Listing agents do not charge anything upfront to sell your home. If they spend thousands and can’t sell it for the price you want, they are out those thousands, not you! This is perhaps one of the greatest things about using an agent. There is an extremely low risk and cost to doing so!
5. Perception
   The perception of FSBO sellers is that they are not serious about selling their properties and are often just testing the market or seeing if they can get some far fetched price or perfect buyer that isn’t realistic. They are often not taken seriously in the real estate community because they don’t see the value in representation by an agent or broker.
6. Marketing
   You might be ready to post your home on Facebook and Craigslist a few times, but you don’t have the ultimate home selling tool – the MLS. The multiple listing service can be accessed by licensed real estate agents, and is the way to get your home listed on sites like Realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia. A large majority of home buyers begin their search on sites like these, and you want your home to be seen by as many buyers as possible to get the best price. It’s no surprise that homes sold via FSBO have seen a steady decline as online real estate has become the norm.
7. Liability
   When you sell your home without an agent, any mistakes you make can cost you greatly. Agents have something called E&O (Errors & Omissions) Insurance. This protects them when mistakes are made in contracts. When you sell on your own, others can make sure to exploit every little mistake you make.
8. Agent Boycott/Sabotage
   When you decide to sell your home yourself you are telling other agents that you don’t understand their value in a multi-billion dollar industry. Agents often see FSBO sellers as easy marks to negotiate against because they have the upper hand. They control the buyer/offer and can negotiate their own commission. They can also pick your property and price apart because they have the expertise to do so. They don’t need to worry about treating you unfairly because the chance of them dealing with you again is slim to none. More often than not they will simply ignore your listing altogether to avoid the hassle.
9. Pricing Incorrectly
   Pricing your home incorrectly when you list it can be the worst mistake, and can greatly affect days on market and final sales price. Pricing too high will mean fewer people see it, resulting in fewer offers. Price it too low and you’re conveying that something is wrong with the property or that you are desperate to sell. More days on market will also signal to buyers that something is wrong and can ultimately mean less money upon final sale. Learn more about setting the price right here.
10. Low Ballers
    When you FSBO you attract investors and low-ballers who see your inexperience and ignorance as a prime opportunity. What may seem like a lot to you may be a steal to them. An experienced agent will understand this and negotiate the most money possible for you.

The above was sourced from UpNest.

For the past several months I have been hearing from my colleagues, consumers, and “talking heads” on the business channels on cable, that there is a coming “correction”, “downturn”, and even the dreaded “R” word; Recession.  Bollocks! I say.  Has there been a relenting of the continued pressure to increase prices? Yes, there has.  However, that does not mean that prices are in decline, or will be any time soon.

Recall the basic laws of economics; Supply and Demand.  We still have a tight supply and demand is very strong.  In many parts of the country, and especially in most of New England, there is much less than six months of supply.  (Six months of supply is considered to be “Balanced.”)

The reason that the pressure to push prices higher has relented a bit is that inventory has increased slightly.  So if the level of inventory went from 3.5 months to 4.4 months, there are more houses for buyers.  However, we are still far from a “Balanced Market”.

How do we know that this Demand will continue if the Fed raises interest rates? The reason that higher interest rates will not be detrimental to the real estate market is that REAL wages are increasing and new job creation is outpacing forecasts.

There were 230,000 new jobs created in September versus a Wall Street forecast of 180,000.  Additionally, demographics support continued strength in the housing market.  The number of millennials in the “Purchasing Pocket” ( most people buy their first home between 30-34 years of age) has been and will continue to increase.

This sustained demand and the continued increase in wages bodes well for the housing market. If the housing market is healthy that will create a thriving economy at-large because many more people will see increases in their income.  Every time a new house is sold $60,000-$75,000 of income is injected into the local economy.  That will help legions of small businesses.

Coming real estate “Bust”?…I think not.  The data doesn’t support that claim.

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Source: https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%3D%3D“>RI Living shares tips for moving

Tips to get ready to move

The Fall home selling season will soon be upon us. If you’ve been thinking about moving – perhaps you want to move to a larger home, downsize, or even sell a vacation home – now is a great time to start getting ready. Joe Luca, President of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, will provide some tips to help you get your home, and yourself, ready to move this fall.

John Dolbec will get you Pre-approved for a mortgage.  401-266-4413

Gentry Moving will move your belongings. 401-785-1600

Source: RI Living shares tips for moving

Tips For Moving