If none of the above has dampened your resolve to go the FSBO route, another thing to consider is the security concerns of going it alone. Craigslist can be an effective sales tool, but you must be oh-so- careful about the scammers, criminals, and dangerous people you could be potentially letting into your home. Real estate agents have more secure resources on which to market your property than you have access to, including highly qualified sites such as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Zillow, or Realtor.com. Zillow no longer allows FSBOs to post listings directly to their site. A licensed agent has to post the listing in their MLS, then let the system syndicate to Zillow. As an FSBO, you’ll have to work within the confines of your accessibility on unknown or unqualified sites. This can be expensive and even confusing and scary. If you’re acting as your own sales agent, how will you determine who is a credible buyer and who is just browsing? Shoppers who cruise the FSBO section of your local newspaper are usually the type of shoppers who are looking for a deal at rock-bottom prices. A seller’s agent has been trained to ask the right questions about the qualification of the inquiry in order to save time showing to “looky-loos” who aren’t really serious or financially equipped to buy a house. Let’s imagine that you do manage to find your perfect buyer on your own. Now, you’re in water so deep that you might be in over your head. This is where you need help from an experienced professional, who will attend to every detail, mandatory disclosures, inspection reports, title searches, etc. At the very least, you have to engage a real estate attorney to satisfy all legal requirements. Real estate agents take care of it all, and you can relax, knowing that you aren’t going to face any potentially serious legal repercussions.
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