This is a huge question and probably the most commonly asked among homeowners. According to  Realty Times, the percentage of homes sold by owner has decreased over the last few years. Only 11% of homes sold in 2005 were by unrepresented sellers, better know as FSBO’s as compared to 15% in 1995. Why are FSBO’S on the decline in an age of do-it-yourself everything else?  Likely because the real estate transaction has become more and more complicated each year. The following are just a few things to consider when deciding  whether or not to go it alone;

Exposure

Although some sellers have had success with selling their home by owner, National statistics show that they are in the minority. Most homes that are for sale by owner end up listing their home with a Broker within 3 weeks. Why so soon? Most likely, because 3 weeks gives a seller a taste of home selling woes and enough disappointment to turn to the professionals. Most unrepresented sellers start with putting a sign in their yard and buying a 2 – 3 week newspaper ad to advertise their home. But, since over 80% of home buyers start their home search on the internet, the little calls they do get from their signs and local ads are predominately from real estate agents that are prospecting by calling on homes that are for sale by owner. There are literally thousands of agents within a 5 mile radius of most suburbia homes that are looking for their next home seller to represent. Your advertisement is screaming out to real estate agents, because as statistics show, you likely will soon need a real estate professional to take over your home selling efforts. Although there are some websites to help unrepresented sellers advertise their homes, they are not as main stream as the real estate websites such as Realtor.com and Homes.com. These types of websites get their data from the various Multiple Listing services or MLS’s to provide the most comprehensive inventory of homes. Many of the for sale by owner sites are not updated frequently and have a very small inventory of homes in comparison and therefore do not keep the public coming back.

Time

We pay someone to cut our grass because we have better things to do with our time. We pay someone to clean our home, because we hardly have time to straighten up for the cleaning lady much less clean for ourselves. We grab pizza and fast food for dinners because we barely have time to eat. So why do you think you suddenly have time to be available to show your home at the drop of a hat as most buyers expect?

Properly marketing your home for sale requires your availability. I once listed a home that was up for sale by owner for about 5 weeks. At our appointment, she shared with me that she worked days and most weekends. She had received a few calls on her home but was reluctant to let any men come to see her home especially at night as she was a single woman residing alone. 2 out of the three calls she received were from men with whom she did not set the appointments. She finally came to the realization that she would likely never sell her home if she would not be available for showings. Buyers want to look at property when it is convenient to them. A home that is hard to show is a home that is hard to sell.

Price

Most homeowners list their homes for sale by owner in order to save money on commission costs. While this is understandable, it can be ineffective. National statistics show that listed homes sell for higher prices than unrepresented homes. When there is no agent involved often times buyers feel the savings on commission should benefit them as apposed to the seller. Another disadvantage to the seller is in trying to price their home correctly.Typically an experienced Realtor will be taking more into account than what your neighbor just sold his or her home for. They are exposed to more homes in the market place and will have a better idea of how your home measures up in comparison to other homes that are competing for those buyers in your market.

No Middle Man – There is no doubt that buying and selling a home is an emotionally charged event. Often times real estate deals fall through for the very reason of emotions getting in the way of "business". An agent or 3rd party is a definite must when tension rises and there is a need for a calm in the storm. A good agent will try to put things into perspective and try to keep their client from making a decision based on emotion rather than the big picture outcome.

Exposure, pricing, availability, professional guidance, and 3rd party intervention is just the tip of the iceberg of this question. These are just a few of the reasons that listing your home with a Realtor may be more beneficial than going at it alone.