Why You Should Work With an Agent to Sell Your Home

You’re trying to make as much as possible on your home sale, and that means saving wherever you can. So, you’re considering selling your home on your own, without paying for a realtor's help. 

While you can take the for sale by owner (FSBO) path, it may not be the one of least resistance. It might not even save you funds in the end. Working with an agent—an industry professional who knows the market and can ensure your property gains attention from potential buyers—is often a smoother, more profitable route. 

Here are six reasons you should work with an agent to sell your home and how these perks help you sell your home faster, more securely, and for top dollar.

1. You can earn more in the long run

Looking up real estate commissions might scare you off from working with an agent. When low, this fee can be around 1.5 percent, and when high, closer to 5 or 6. As a seller, you’ll generally split this fee with the buyer, so you won’t be responsible for the entire commission. But these percentages still work out to quite a bit of money. A 3-percent commission on a $500,000 home is $15,000. Split in half with a buyer, you’d still pay $7,500 out of your sale earnings. 

However, a commission may be a small price to pay, all factors considered. When you work with a realtor, you can sell your home for more. These professionals are excellent resources for insights into the local market, and they suggest upgrades and renovations that appeal to home buyers and increase the property’s value. If you work with an agent affiliated with Titus, you can even score a closing line of credit (CLoC)—a unique financing option that helps cover repairs and requires no up-front payments. 

What’s more, realtors are expert negotiators. This means that when it comes to making the most possible on your home, you have a professional fighting for you. It helps to have a third party in your corner when you’re trying to close so that you don’t end up settling for a lower sale price. 

2. Agents keep things professional 

Being a professional agent doesn’t just mean possessing realty know-how. It means treating the process with professionalism. Agents don’t have an emotional stake in your home or the next one you’re hoping to buy. Not only does this lack of emotion help them negotiate a tougher close, but it also allows the agent to support you better throughout the process. An agent’s professionalism can keep you from pricing your house too low, going to market at the wrong time (or before your home is in the best possible shape to sell), and making poor, snap decisions on a sale or over/under-pricing. 

3. Realtors are vats of information 

Realtors don’t just market and show your home. They provide useful information that helps you make the best decisions possible during the sale process. These professionals are excellent advisers in the following key areas: 

• Market trends: Realtors have their fingers on the pulse of the housing market and know what buyers want. They can recommend price-driving renovations (like repainting or staging your home to make it more attractive) and keep you from potentially disastrous upgrades, like doing an expensive remodel in an aesthetic that doesn’t resonate with the current market.

• Legal issues: Home-sale paperwork can be a headache or worse—inciting legal trouble if you don’t perform it correctly. You wouldn’t want to be accused of negligence or fraud by doing these documents erroneously or omitting key pieces, like sellers’ disclosures. Let an agent take on this responsibility. Agents are insured, which helps mitigate damage if they make a mistake. 

• Service providers: You’ll want to have your home inspected and appraised before putting it on the market. An inspection helps you identify unseen issues (like faulty wiring) to fix before offering your property. And an appraisal allows you to set the right asking price. You can get a reliable recommendation for both of these services through your real estate agent. An agent will also be able to provide contractor referrals for repairs and renovations. 

• A buyer’s qualifications: Agents are experienced at determining potential buyers’ legitimacy and interest level. Realtors can filter out untenable or unserious buyers and prevent you from getting to the closing stage with someone who’ll back out or whose offer will fall through. 

4. Agents have more time than you do

Chances are that selling your home isn’t your full-time job. But it is your agent’s. This means that while you’re renovating, packing, or keeping up with the demands of daily life, your agent is marketing your home, meeting with buyers, and setting up open houses. They’re also fielding emails and phone calls—answering questions on your property and gauging interest in it. Plus, when it comes time to do time-consuming paperwork for a sale, they take the reins. 

5. Realtors have a vast network

Realtors don’t stop at listing your home on websites and with the multiple listing service (MLS). They work their connections, getting your property in front of clients who trust them and other agencies and agents. When you work with a realtor, you ensure that your listing reaches the widest audience possible. Doing so can help you generate interest faster and connect with the right buyer sooner. Plus, having lots of interest gives you options: You can earn top dollar on your home instead of taking a lower offer just to push a sale.  

6. Agents are motivated

Agents don’t make money off of their clients until making a sale. What better motivation to enthusiastically push your property than knowing that the effort the agent puts in will result in a lucrative payday? In the long run, you get a lot for money you don’t have to provide until you successfully sell your home. An agent guides you through the sale process, markets your home, sets up open houses, and does tedious paperwork without asking you to pay anything for these specific tasks; they’re all part of an end-to-end strategy in which all parties win. 

Working with an agent opens doors

Teaming up with a real estate professional puts your property in front of a large audience and increases your chances of a timely, profitable sale. But agents open other doors, too, like the one to financing. When you work with a Titus-affiliate agent to sell your home, you gain access to closing lines of credit (CLoCs).

You can use a CLoC to make the value-boosting renovations a realtor suggests, selling your home for even more and making no upfront, out-of-pocket investment. Plus, when you work with a Titus agent, you’re teaming up with one of the best. Titus only partners with agents with above-average stats. Learn more here.