How to sell without an agent – A Complete guide in 2021

LIST MY HOME ON THE MLS FOR FREE

Can I sell a home without a realtor?

Today — more than ever before — there are tools available to assist you in selling your home. These tools make it possible for you to perform all the services a real estate agent would provide to you, but on your own terms.

You’ll have complete control of the home selling experience from start to finish. What’s even better is that you will be able to keep the average six percent of the selling price that the real estate agent usually charges for their services. 

What for sale by owner tools are available to sell without an agent?

The concept of a homeowner selling their own home is not new. With the exponential growth of the internet, neither is the availability of tools online to assist you in doing so. 

Websites like Forsalebyowner and Fizber have long offered homeowners the option of selling their home without having to use a real estate agent. Unfortunately, along with this freedom comes a complex system of charges that takes a process that should be simple and straightforward and makes it more complicated. 

How to sell without an agent using these types of sites? For example, these sites advertise free listings which entices home sellers to visit them to learn more. The reality is that these free listings are only on the sites themselves — not on the MLS. The MLS is where your home needs to be listed so it is seen by the people who are most liking to purchase a home. 

The sites mentioned above then attempt to upsell packages that include those invaluable MLS listings. These fees range from just under $300 up to nearly $900. 

Richr, on the other hand, is a completely free tool that provides you with access to the MLS. You can include the maximum number of photos of your home that the MLS allows. It is this free sellers service that is the heart of Richr and just one way the site sets itself apart from the others out there. 

LIST MY HOME ON THE MLS FOR FREE

What are the steps to sell a house by Owner and not with an agent?

The first step is to get your home listed on the MLS that serves your area. There are over 800 of these in the US, so there will be one in your area too. These are private networks of realtors sharing listing information with one another in the hopes of making a match between the listing and a buyer. The MLS syndicates the listing information to consumer sites like Zillow, Realtor, Movoto and Estately so that individual home buyers can find properties themselves to view rather than be reliant on an agent’s choice of properties.

How to sell without an agent, well you’re going to need to include lots of photos to help highlight your home’s unique characteristics and professional photos make a huge difference, so don’t skimp on the $100-$150 it takes to hire a pro, it really is the best money you will spend when selling your home. We know this from our client’s experiences so it really is important! When you use Richr, there is no limit on the number of photos you can upload to your listing. You’ll be able to post the maximum number allowed by the MLS for free.

What paperwork do you need to sell a house without an agent and where can I get it?

Because the MLS requires listing agreements for each listing put on the MLS, you will need to sign a listing agreement with the company providing your MLS listing and they will supply this. This is normal and if you are not asked to sign one, then don’t list with that company as something is awry. With Richr, all listing agreements are free and you can cancel yours at anytime with a cancel anytime clause. 

When a buyer wants to make an offer, they will normally supply the purchase agreement, which in Florida will be a FAR/BAR agreement if the buyer has an agent who is a realtor. There are 2 types of FAR/BAR agreements, a standard and an AS IS agreement. Typically buyers will submit an AS IS one, which is actually more beneficial to a seller as it has less remediation requirements regarding defects found at the inspection. Depending on your circumstances, an affidavit or rider might also be required. An affidavit, for example, might state that you don’t have any liens on the home. A rider could provide an amendment to the sales agreement that allows you to live in the home until a certain date. Again, buyers would normally supply these.

Whether you use a realtor or not to sell your home, they will recommend you hire an attorney or have a closing agent process the transaction to ensure all the paperwork is in order. They will order searches to ensure the title is clear and there are no violations pending against the property etc. They will verify the deed etc and deal with loan documentation to ensure an existing loan is paid off at closing. In order to transfer ownership of the home from you to the buyer, the closing agent will need to file a new deed along with other legal paperwork.

Should I sell my house without an agent or use a realtor?

The choice is yours. After all, you’re the owner of your home so you should make your decision based on what’s best for you and your circumstances. 

Keep in mind, though, that a for sale by owner site like Richr offers you exceptional tools that you can use for free. By doing so, you’ll be able to take advantage of all the services a realtor offers, without paying a penny for them, saving up to 6% equity on the sale of your home. Even Elon Musk sold his home as a For Sale By Owner.

You also have complete control of the process from the beginning to the end. You get to decide how much to sell your home for, the conditions you want to place on the sale, the pictures that are used to accentuate it and much more.

As an added bonus, you’ll be able to save thousands of dollars that would normally go into the real estate agent’s pocket. Use this money to make help make a down payment on a new home, put it in savings or whatever you want to do with it. It’s yours to keep! 

Everything you need to sell your home on your own is located right on the Richr website. You can access it all for free and save thousands of dollars in realtor fees in the process.