For Sale By Owner? Think Again!

Real estate agents are people who are specially trained in the art of buying and selling real estate. If you are going to venture into this field on your own, beware. It's dangerous territory. You would be much better off with an experienced guide to get you through the process.

The first step is to choose a real estate agent and list your home. Ask people you know if they have a recommendation. Word of mouth is one way to find someone who is really going to make you happy. Once you have chosen an agent, sit down with him or her and be very open about what you want to get out of the experience. Talk about the house you are selling, how you want it marketed, and how much money you hope to get for it. Listen to the suggestions you are given about how to present your house in the best way possible. Fill out all the paperwork requested and sign the listing agreement.

Real estate agents specialize in marketing your house to potential buyers. Follow their advice about when and how to hold an open house, and how exactly to prepare your house for it. Keep things tidy all the time, and keep the yard neat - your real estate agent is working hard to show off your house in its best light, and you never know when they will drive by with a client who is shopping for a house.

While your real estate agent is marketing your house, they are doing the same with many others - so get on the receiving end, too. Go on regular trips with your agent, shopping for your new home. Make sure your agent knows exactly what you are looking for, so you don't waste any time - and take their advice on what to look at.

When it's time to make an offer on a house, or when one has been made on yours, trust in the expertise of your real estate agent to guide you through that process, too. A good real estate agent knows just when to make, accept, reject, or adjust an offer, and can recognize a great deal when he or she sees it. And once the deal is made, trust their recommendation for an escrow agent, for a smooth closing to the process.

Trying to go it alone for this complicated process may be harder than you think. Sure, you save lots of commission dollars, but a good real estate agent really earns it.