Do you need a Realtor to sell your house in Michigan? It might seem like you do but the truth is that you don’t and selling your Michigan house without a real estate agent could save you a lot of money. Did you know the average homeowner will pay between $15,000 and $20,000 in order to sell their house on the open market? A big chunk of that amount goes to the Realtor or real estate agent commission.
If you’re looking to cut costs but still sell your house in Michigan, you can sell it as-is for cash to a real estate investor or you can do a For Sale By Owner transaction. If you decide to take your home to the open market by yourself, here are six tips for selling a house without a Realtor in Michigan.
Learn To Sell A House Without A Realtor In Michigan
Figure Out Your Michigan House’s Value
Selling a house in Michigan without a Realtor means you’re going to have to handle a lot of different aspects of the process yourself. The fewer problems and headaches you can create upfront, the better off you’ll be long term. So it’s absolutely critical that you price the house correctly when you first list it. If you start with a price that’s too high, you’re going to end up sitting on the market for way longer than you’d hoped, which will cost you more money. If you price too low, you’ll end up with less profit than you could have made, which also costs you money.
There are a couple of different ways to do this. First, you can use online sites that contain local real estate values to show you what local sale prices have been recent. Use their price estimates to get in the right range and then see how similar homes in your neighborhood have sold for. You’ll get a good sense of actual value vs. perceived value, which is an important distinction.
You could also reach out to a Michigan Realtor or real estate agent to get a competitive market analysis. They will likely do this for free but know that they are doing it with the hope of listing your home, so expect to get a sales pitch as well.
If you can afford it, hire a licensed appraiser to give you an accurate estimate of your property’s value. An appraiser’s report is helpful when it’s time to negotiate with a buyer. The report will probably cost between $300 and $500. Also, keep in mind that the buyer’s mortgage company will want their own appraisal, so you’ll have to get another one if you sell the house no matter what.
Get Your Michigan House Sale-Ready
You might be ready to sell your house without a Realtor but is your house ready to be sold? Is this home in prime condition for someone else to look at it and decide they want to live here? Have you created a first impression that will make someone decide they have to make an offer before someone else?
Every issue and repair problem inside and around your house is going to be magnified in the sales process, so it’s important to fix it or deal with it. The more work you do at this stage, the less likely you’ll have to lower the price during negotiations or to please the buyer through concessions.
Make any and all repairs you can yourself. Whether it’s a leaky faucet, sticky window, or electric outlet that isn’t working. If you can do it yourself, do it. A broken dishwasher or garage door opener that doesn’t always work might be okay with you, but buyers on the open market are going to take tiny problems like that to mean there are larger problems within the house.
Consider The Curb Appeal
If you’re going to list your Michigan house on the open market, you’re going to want to consider how curb appeal will affect your ability to sell the house. If someone were to drive past your house right now, would it look enticing enough to make them stop and take a closer look? If not, you’ve got a lot of work to do and money to spend.
Consider adding a fresh coat of paint to the house and toning down any loud colors with something more neutral. Don’t skimp on the decluttering and don’t just throw everything in a closet and hope for the best. Get in the attic, basement, and garage and give them all a good clean.
Market Your Michigan Home
Curb appeal and online listings are important, but you’re going to need to do more than that to sell your Michigan house without a Realtor. The real estate agent would usually handle the marketing process but since you’re selling on your own, it’s up to you to make sure your house is marketed well.
Invest in yard signs and make sure they’re in high-profile spots on your property and in the neighborhood. You can create brochures that you place inside the house as well as out in the community. Advertise the house online via popular real estate sites and places like Craigslist and Facebook. And, of course, you’ll have to plan and market open houses. Since you’re selling without a Realtor, it’s up to you to handle all the details.
Negotiation & Closing
A Realtor or real estate agent would normally be the person to handle negotiations if you’re selling on the open market. But because you are selling your Michigan house yourself to buyers, that’s your job.
The buyer or their agent will probably come to you at a lower price than what you are asking, so you need to be comfortable with negotiating. There will be a give-and-take that needs to happen on both sides to close the deal and make sure everyone is happy with the final price. You also have to be firm enough to be able to walk away if the buyer isn’t willing to meet you at your minimum price.
Once negotiations are complete, you have to make the offer to buy the house a legal transaction. The closing contract will spell out all of the details and specifics that are a part of the deal. That includes purchase price, contingencies (inspections, lender approval), buyer and seller concessions, the closing date, and the location of the closing.
Sell Your Michigan House As-Is for Cash
Selling a Michigan house without a Realtor or real estate agent can be a daunting and overwhelming process. Even if you feel comfortable handling negotiations and listing the house, there are plenty of other issues and problems that can pop up and cause you headaches. You can only prepare so much and even if you do everything right your house may stay on the market for months or even years. That’s going to cost you a lot of money.
If you’d like to sell your house without a Realtor but don’t want to deal with the marketplace, you can sell your house as-is to a real estate investor like 810 Home Buyers. It’s so simple and you get cash fast for your house instead of waiting months. Plus, there are no commission fees.
It’s simple to sell your house in Michigan without a Realtor. Just submit your information to us. We’ll take a look and follow up with any questions. We may want to walk the property to get a sense of how to make the best offer possible. We’ll present you with a fair cash offer for your Michigan house. If you accept, you decide how soon we close on the sale. Then, you get cash in your hand and we’ll handle the house from here. No need for Realtors. No need for real estate agents. No need for commissions or fees.