Hiring a trained professional to sell your home can seem obsolete. There are a lot of people that believe it is smart to exclude the middleman and just do the entire thing directly. While this may seem like a good idea (and in some cases it is), there are situations that can arise that are not easy to handle. The biggest motivation for avoiding trained real-estate professionals is to save money on commission and that is a valid point, but in some cases people end up losing more money without the middleman involved.  This happens because sellers take the whole project rather lightly. The vocation of a real-estate agent wouldn't be around if people could do the job themselves.

Not everyone has the necessary skills or personality to deal with the complicated situation of negotiating, putting together a contract and that’s why, if you feel that you have bitten more than you can swallow at any point during the whole process, you should immediately consult a professional.  It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially in situations where there are a lot of things at stake and selling your home is never a thing to be trifled with.

Time and accessibility

Selling a house or an apartment can become a very complicated thing if you have a job (and we hope you do), since the amount of time you can spend showing your place to potential buyers is limited. Of course you can do this on your days off but this will unnecessarily prolong the whole process and you might lose a lot of potential buyers. This may also lead to you running from work back home to show it to someone. They may end up waiting for you (or leaving) or never showing up at all. This will certainly annoy you and you may end up not being polite to the next one that comes along, thus pushing them away.

On the other hand, a professional will always be available and he or she will present your home in the best light possible. He or she will always be polite and deal with all potential buyers for you – schedule and arrange everything.

The professional approach

Direct contact between the buyer and the seller can sometimes become complicated due to the fact that they are both biased (they both want the best deal possible). This can sometimes lead to unnecessary hostility between the two sides. It is not uncommon to run into people that just simply irritate you. This can be a major problem.

A good real-estate agent will always be polite, professional, helpful and will also keep your interest in mind. He or she will not get personal and will treat everyone like a potential business partner.  There are techniques that agents use to in order to pull more potential customers and keep the buyers happy.  They will, for example, give away free promotional products since gifts always make customers happy. They can give away key chains since they are appropriate for the business in question, or something fun like stress balls.

Negotiation and the contract

Real-estate agents are basically salesmen. This means they have a lot of experience with bargaining and negotiating. When the seller and the buyer negotiate, this sometimes turns into a shouting match. A professional can decline an offer without offending the buyer and thus keep the game going. They are also perfectly capable of making or reviewing a contract for you. This is very important since it is not an uncommon occurrence to sign a contract where you get robbed (metaphorically speaking).

Final thoughts

Selling your house is a serious matter and you should take it seriously. If you want to do it alone, you should be prepared for everything that might come your way and do your research diligently. By doing  a poor job as salesman you can create a lot of problem for yourself and lose money. I’m not saying you shouldn’t even try but, as soon as you hit a bump on the road, seek professional advice. A mistake here can cost you a great deal of money.