If you’ve decided that now’s the time to sell your home in Grand Lake, CO, you may be tempted to navigate the sale on your own in an attempt to save money. If you decide to go that route, you’ll find selling a home can be an extremely stressful and time-consuming process—even in a popular market with low inventory. Much of the frustration of independently selling a home comes from the realization that the money you “save” by not hiring a realtor is offset by the lower sale (and more emotionally difficult negotiations) associated with doing the process without the support of an experienced professional.
By hiring a knowledgeable and patient professional realtor, you’ll eliminate many of the stressors, while also learning more about the selling process itself, and maximizing the sales price of your real estate. Higher speed, higher offers, and lower stress are well worth the realtor’s fee—and below are a few additional reminders of why working with a professional makes sense.
A real estate agent will negotiate for you
The primary reason owners choose to sell without a realtor is to save the agent’s commission for themselves. In fact, according to USA Today, 63% of For Sale by Owner (FSBO) home sales happen because the seller doesn’t want to pay a commission. Although this might initially seem appealing, the reality is that for buyers, it’s often significantly more difficult to negotiate directly with an owner, who may have assigned an inflated emotional and financial value to their investment.
Sellers often struggle with negotiation on their own behalf, in large part due to a lack of market knowledge or transactional experience with buyers and agents. Without the support of an experienced advocate in their corner, it’s common for Grand Lake home sellers to leave two to four percent on the table during the negotiation process.
You'll get more bang for your buck
A real estate agent will ensure that you get the most value out of your house by maintaining a greater level of emotional objectivity, while also negotiating aggressively for you as a seller. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, FSBO homes typically sell for less than their competition within the local market. Getting a real estate agent that you trust is the surest way to maximize your return when selling a property.
Getting your house under contract with a buyer is just the first step, and having a realtor to walk you through the rest of the process makes a world of difference. Repair negotiations, monitoring the loan process to contact the buyer’s lender, and an accurate, timely appraisal are all services that a realtor can offer. Finally, Colorado home buyers often encounter survey or title issues, which can require another layer of negotiation.
At the end of your sale, a real estate agent’s contribution to your sale price is usually greater than the sum of their fee. All of this comes together to give you what you’re looking for: a higher return on your investment.
Marketing for your home is easier with professional help
Marketing your Colorado home doesn’t begin and end with the listing. When your house doesn’t sell immediately, it becomes an ongoing and extremely challenging process and is one of the strategic parts of selling that benefits greatly from the help of an experienced real estate agent. When it comes to selling your Grand Lake home, it’s essential for your real estate agent to be familiar with both on and offline marketing techniques, and to track them closely. The best real estate agents will have a variety of marketing resources at their disposal, to ensure that your house gets the best marketing available and that you as the seller have trackable metrics to reference if the sale doesn’t happen quickly.
Digitally showcasing your home is a crucial component of marketing it for sale, as most Grand Lake buyers will do the majority of their home search online. Marketing your home online is best done with the use of high-quality, professional photos and video. Good imagery will highlight all the best features of your home, whether it’s the sweeping Rocky Mountain views or restored hardwood floors. Panoramic, wide-angle, and well-lit photos will capture the best details of your home’s interior and exterior and will give potential buyers a more enticing view of your living space. Digitally documenting your home also provides a way for interested buyers to visit and revisit the property online, all while remaining trackable by you and your realtor.
Your real estate agent has ample experience
Navigating the real estate market requires an in-depth understanding of all facets of homeownership, the selling process, and real estate law. By yourself, this is a massive undertaking, but when you work with a Grand Lake real estate agent like Brenda Freeman, you’ll have her wealth of experience by your side. She sells homes all day every day, and with over 750 successful transactions on her record, you can rest assured that her expertise can guide you smoothly through your selling process, no matter which obstacles you face along the way. It’s her job to protect you throughout the journey, and she delights in the opportunity to guide you.
An experienced agent will exceed your highest expectations
If you decide to hire a professional agent to assist in your home sale, don’t feel like you have to settle for the first realtor you meet with. Interview as many as you need, and ask friends and family for recommendations. Ultimately, you should find a realtor that you like and communicate well with—and who has a track record and a strategy in place to seek exactly what you want from selling your home. Throughout the process, a good real estate team will communicate with you and advocate for your interests in every negotiation. Selling a house can be one of the largest financial events of your life, and you should feel confident that you’re learning (and earning) the most out of the transaction as possible.
Selling a home in Grand Lake?
If you’re ready to list your Grand Lake home for sale, contact Brenda Freeman. As one of the top Grand Lake realtors and a local expert in Grand County, Colorado, Brenda is ready to help make your sales process stress-free, educational, and profitable. Whether you’re just selling—or buying and selling simultaneously—Brenda will help you navigate the process from start to finish.
