Compare Your Options

Thinking Of Selling Your Atlanta House Yourself Or Going With A Limited Service Agent?

At Townsend Realty Group, we think it’s best to compare your options when it comes to selling your home in Cherokee County. Which way will best help you achieve your real estate goals? Selling a house is complicated and we want you to get educated before deciding on selling your house. Dive in and compare the differences between hiring Townsend Realty Group, selling your house yourself, or using a cut-rate limited service agent.

		For Sale By Owner	Cut Rate Agents
Time To Sell:	Lower average days on market (under 50)	Studies show selling yourself adds on average 20+ days to the time to sell the house**	Depends on how comprehensive the service is to help market and negotiate the home
Typical Sales Price:	Houses sell for 13% higher prices* when working w/ a broker vs. FSBO	13% less* than an experienced agent is able to negotiate	Depends on if their service includes full negotiation services or not
Marketing Costs:	$0 – We pay for all marketing and do all of the marketing work	$500 – $2,000+ in ads, yard sign, and more.	$500 – $2,000+ in ads, yard sign, and more.
Types Of Marketing Included:	MLS listings, professional yard signs, our team of buyers agents, featured online listings, open house if necessary, and more!	None. You’ll need to purchase all of your marketing separately.	MLS, other marketing usually extra
Time Commitment From You:	Very little. We want this to be as hands-off as possible for you so you can enjoy the process.	3-5+ hours per week including showing the house, open houses, marketing, putting out signs, etc.	3-5+ hours per week including showing the house, open houses, marketing, putting out signs, etc.
Fees / Commissions:	Competitive commission structure. But we save you time, headaches, and stats show we can help you sell for a higher price vs. FSBO	$100-$1,000 for materials and FSBO website listings.	Flat fee or reduced commission for reduced services and assistance.
Legal / Contract / Advice:	100% included. We handle all of the contracts, and documents, setting up escrow and closing, and more! We worry about the details so you can relax.	You are responsible for all contracts, escrow, and legal details to ensure the closing happens correctly and legally.	Not always included, when it is it may be limited. Ask the agent what they include and will not include.

The FSBO Real Estate Candidate Quiz

SHOWING PROCEDURES

Are you…

Able to be available on a daily basis to show your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
Comfortable holding Open Houses and inviting strangers to view your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
Willing to allow buyers who may not be “qualified to buy” view your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
Aware of the necessity of having a system for:
1. Setting appointments with strangers to protect your safety? (YES___ | NO___ )
2. Obtaining identification before letting a stranger into your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
3. Showing to strangers when children are present? (YES___ | NO___ )
4. Registering everyone who visits your house? (YES___ | NO___ )

MARKETING PROCEDURES

Are you…

Aware that 80% of what causes a house to sell, in any type of market, is “how it is priced” (value) and “how it appears” (condition) to the buyer? (YES___ | NO___ )
Knowledgeable of how to determine the best price for the current market? (YES___ | NO___ )
Informed of best ways to make your house show to its maximum advantage? (YES___ | NO___ )
Able to determine which improvements give the best return for dollars spent? (YES___ | NO___ )
Willing to prepare an outside flyer box containing flyers with the kind of professional quality photos that make a buyer eager to see your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
Prepared to provide a homebuyer packet for visitors with area information about schools, shopping, religious institutions, hospitals, recreational amenities etc.? (YES___ | NO___ )
Equipped with a web presence that will reach all buyers, not just FSBO buyers? (YES___ | NO___)

LEGAL PROCEDURES

Are you…

Informed regarding full disclosure? (YES___ | NO___ )
Aware of all the disclosures you will need to make? (YES___ | NO___ )
Prepared to disclose all defects, both current and previously repaired? (YES___ | NO___ )
Able to accept and legally hold earnest money? (YES___ | NO___ )
In possession of a correct legal description for your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
Ready with a copy of a contract should a buyer want to make an offer? (YES___ | NO___ )
Knowledgeable enough to respond in both a timely and constructive manner to complicated legal contracts, or have legal counsel available to do this. (YES___ | NO___ )
Confident that you have sufficient knowledge to evaluate and respond to contingencies in the contract and protect your interest without jeopardizing your contract? (YES___ | NO___ )

NEGOTIATING PROCEDURES

Are you…

Able to accept and evaluate contract offers unemotionally? (YES___ | NO___ )
Mindful that you and the FSBO buyer have the same primary goal – to save the commission? Your goal is to receive the market price without paying a commission. The FSBO Buyer’s goal is to reduce your market price by the amount of the commission. (YES___ | NO___)
Knowledgeable of how to protect your interest and avoid giving away valuable negotiating points while showing your house? (YES___ | NO___ )
Aware of your negotiating parameters and how to negotiate a win/win situation? (YES___ | NO___ )

FROM CONTRACT TO CLOSING PROCEDURES

Are you…

Aware that the greatest challenge in selling your house is not finding a buyer and getting a contract, but getting to the closing table? (YES___ | NO___ )
Comfortable you can overcome the inevitable “buyer’s remorse” syndrome? (YES___ | NO___ )
Prepared to deal with any buyer’s loan challenges required for final loan approval? (YES___ | NO___ )
Willing to deal with and overcome inspection issues? (YES___ | NO___ )
Knowledgeable of how to deal with low appraisals? (YES___ | NO___ )
Able to effectively deal with emotional closing issues? (YES___ | NO___ )

If these questions are over whelming to you, don’t panic. I can help you through the whole process from listing to closing and beyond in the shortest time, with the least hassle, for the best value. Contact me today to learn more.

FSBO Quiz Scoring:

Give yourself 3 points for every YES, and 0 points for every NO. Add 1 point to the total.

94 – 100 Points: Excellent. Very impressive! You are clearly in a class by yourself and could easily sell your home yourself. Chances are you could be a real estate agent yourself. The only question left to ask yourself is: Do you really want to do all the work yourself?
85 – 91 Points: Good. Nice work. You have much of the knowledge, skills and ability needed to sell your home yourself, but would likely be better served by working with a real estate agent. There are probably a few key things you could learn from your agent, things which could prove critical to the quick, and successful sale of your home.
76 – 82 Points: Fair. If you score in this range or below I would not recommend attempting to sell your home yourself. It’s not at all worth the risk. There is likely much that you still have to learn and will profit significantly from working with a professional agent.
67 – 73 Points: Poor. If you’re in this range you should definitely consider finding an agent to work with.
64 Points or Below: Danger. If you’re in this range, it could end up costing you a lot of money to sell your home yourself.

How Much Time And Energy Will It Cost You?

At the end of the day, we always advise our clients to put a value on their time and energy that it will take to sell a Atlanta house themselves. If it takes you 30 hours of your time (at minimum) and you value your time, that alone is thousands of dollars in real value! Plus, add up how a full-service, experienced agent in Atlanta can help sell your house on average 20 days faster and for 13% more! That’s why 89% of home sellers work with a local real estate broker like Townsend Realty Group.

Since 2002, we’ve served 1,500+ clients in the Greater Atlanta Market Area. We live in the area, volunteer in the community, and try to give back to the neighborhoods we work in. We are very grateful to all of our clients for trusting us to handle their real estate needs. Do you want to work with an experienced, caring Realtor who can save you time and money? Give us a call at 770-280-4560 or connect with us on our Contact Page.

How To Sell Your House In Cherokee County With Less Hassle & Put More Money In Your Pocket

When you compare what it takes to sell your Atlanta house, make your decision on what’s right for you based on these 3 important factors.

The true costs: Oftentimes people look at the commissions for an agent as a necessary evil to sell your home. But, when you partner with the right Atlanta real estate agents, that agent is the expert in your corner to protect your best interests. If a property takes longer to sell, a buyer backs out, or there’s a mistake in the contract … all add up to the true cost of selling your house in Cherokee County.
Your time commitment: Do you want to be (and have the time to be) heavily involved in all aspects of selling your house? Are you willing to market your home, take calls from buyers, show the house, hold open houses, set up the escrow, and more? All so you can save 2 or 3% on the sale. Just calculate what your time and energy are worth. If you’d rather not hassle with the details of your house sale, work with a trusted agent like Townsend Realty Group.
The “experience factor”: There are hangups that can throw your closing off or cost you thousands. We help you avoid those situations. We have 20+ years of experience and we’ve heard it all, done it all, and seen it all! Rarely do we run up against something we can’t find a solution for. We are driven by maximizing value for our clients.

When you compare your options, what is best for you? If you’d like to work with the best real estate agents in Cherokee County, the best real estate agents in Canton, GA, the best real estate agents in Woodstock, GA, the best real estate agents in Bridgemill…reach out to us! We’ve got you covered.

Now That You’ve Been Able To Compare, Are You Ready To Get The Process Started With Townsend Realty Group?

Give Us A Call At 770-280-4560 Or Get A FREE Home Valuation Report!

Sources:

* 2023 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, National Association of REALTORS®)

** Both the Northwestern and the Stanford studies mentioned in the Money section confirm just that: “The use of a broker does lead to an accelerated sale. In that respect, brokers appear to add value,” the Stanford researchers declared. The Northwestern study found that it takes on average 20 days longer to sell a house on a FSBO site versus the MLS or an agent.