Page 21 - Ultimate guide to selling you home on your own
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13. AGENT HAS A BUYER
FOR YOUR PROPERTY
“I might have a buyer for your house…” some are just plain loyal and won’t
is the real estate agent’s equivalent to a go see your house if their agent can’t
cheesy pick-up line at a bar. But it’s be involved.
meant to break the ice with a “FSBO." 3. If you do agree to allow this, have your
As mentioned earlier, the key word in conversations and hammer out your
that sentence is “might.” If the agent agreement with the buyer’s agent as to
“might” have a buyer, you should compensation and what they will and
probably chalk that up to “doesn't.” won’t handle during the process before
they show the house. And do it in
On the other hand, you may hear from writing.
agents who sincerely do have a buyer 4. Think about whether a “bird in hand” is
that wants to see your house. better than waiting for an unrepresented
So, should you agree to work with an buyer to come along. Is it worth the
agent who has a buyer for your house, amount you have to pay the agent to get
or not? a good buyer under contract right now?
5. Be cautious. Now you are dealing with a
That’s your call. Here are a few professional on the other end. Are you
thoughts to help you figure it out:
knowledgeable and skilled enough to
1. You can’t have your cake and eat it represent yourself? Maybe you should
too. If you want the buyer to see hire your own agent to assist you, if this
your house, you can’t say, “But I’m is the route you’re going.
not going to pay you a commission.”
It doesn’t work that way. You will If you are going this route, would it maybe
most likely need to agree to pay the make sense to hire an agent to represent
buyer’s agent a commission. That you and put you on the formal real estate
amount is negotiable, but do be market and open it up to all buyers
sensitive to what they are expecting represented by buyer’s agents? Perhaps
to earn when they sell this client any being on the open market will bring you
other house on the market. more qualified buyers than just this one.
2. You could just say no and hope the All just food for thought. There is no
buyer comes to you directly. But, “right” or “wrong” answer. But, you
some buyers are extremely should give it more thought than just
uncomfortable buying a home saying an outright “take a hike,” or “Real
without the help of their agent. And estate markets
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