Often I get the inspiration to write from conversations with my clients.  Currently I have listed this beautiful 2/1 on 2111 Forest Circle , and the owner Bob is apparently impressed enough with what I have done so far to share my name with a friend of his who is considering putting his home up for sale.  Thank you Bob!
Anyway, I haven't had an opportunity to speak with this friend of Bob's (which I would welcome), but it looks like he is going the "For Sale By Owner" (FSBO) route. I think this is a big mistake particularly in a buyer's market like we have now.

2111 Forest Circle Orlando 32803

I can think of only a couple of legitimate reasons why someone might choose to "go it alone"their to sell their house.  One would be  and would be if the property was being donated as charity and the other would be a transfer of a home from one member of a family to another who are on friendly terms with each other!  Other than that, I cannot for the life of me think of any other reason why someone would  choose not to use a full time real estate professional- particularly one who doesn't get paid a cent until the property is sold.  

Here are the top rationals  I have heard from FSBO sellers through the years, and my thoughts on each one.

The Living Room- Forest Circle.

•   "I can get more money for my home by selling without a Realtor involved". 

This is simply not so. The typical FSBO home sold for $153,000, the typical salesperson-assisted sold for $211,000 (NAR report, 2010). The difference on average will more than pay for commissions paid to agents used for the sale.  Enough said.

• "Really all I want to do is put a sign in my yard and throw a high number out there to see if I can get it"

 Well it is a whole new world out there.  In the old days, if a seller and buyer both agreed to a price on a property then the banks had a better track record of loan approval regardless of the cost of the home. (part of the reason we are in the mess we are in today).  Even if a FSBO convinces a buyer to put an offer in at a higher price than the house is worth, if the sale is contingent upon loan approval- the house will not appraise and chances are there will be no sale.  A knowledgeable  Realtor has a better chance than a seller of convincing an appraiser of the value of a home based on the "facts".  Also, if an appraisal comes in short, a Realtor will have a better chance of negotiating the shortfall between buyer and seller to try to make the sale move forward.
Besides, buyers are getting wiser.  They are not going to spend money out of their pockets on home inspections, loan applications etc. without knowing that the price of the home was well thought out.  A Realtor can demonstrate to a potential buyer or buyer's agent that the listing price was not pulled out of thin air.

•  "With "discount" fee based brokers I can get my home on the MLS....I don't need a full service real estate company."

 Well this may be true, but getting it on the MLS is no longer the "end all".  For one thing, there are a multitude of websites in which buyers are searching the internet on their own.... places that have nothing to do with the MLS such as Trulia.com, Realtor.com, Zillow.com etc.  Here in our Coldwell Banker office we have a list of hundreds of "web partners" in which a home that I list gets automatically uploaded to many of these sites.....many with "enhanced" listings which would cost an extra fee for a FSBO.   Will a For Sale By Owner spend their time and money to advertise prominently on these websites? Doubtful.  Thus, the pool of potential buyers for their property is greatly diminished. Many fee based brokers get paid up front.  If I list your home, nothing gets paid to my broker until the home sells.

•  "Are you kidding me!  My home is worth WAY MORE than you are telling me! You just want a quick sale."

•  "I don't need a buffer between the buyer and myself....the buyer would prefer to deal directly with me without having real estate agents involved on both sides."

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