In a tough market, you might do better selling your home yourself

In a tough market, you might do better selling your home yourself.
If you are selling property in a market bedeviled by huge inventories of homes and a credit crunch, you could do better if you dumped your real estate agent. With a wide range of flat-fee and Internet-based services, you may fare well on your own, yet it"s still important to know your options. For years, homeowners have relied on real estate agents or brokers, who charge commissions of 5 to 7 percent. These middlemen include your home in the Multiple Listing Service and do marketing, advertising, and negotiating. What if you listed and sold the property yourself? According to a recent study, people who used a 'for sale by owner' website, also known as FSBO, got at least as much for their homes as those who went through a conventional broker. In many cases, considering the website charged only a flat fee, the vendors obtained a higher net selling price than through broker contracts.


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