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3 Best Tips to Sell Your Property Without an Agent

By: Gary Sherman When most people are thinking about selling their house, they make their first and only port of call to their local estate agent. This is because they believe that estate agents are best placed to do this job and in return earn a commission.

This of course does not involve situations where seller had to sell the property fast
or had financial worries or, worst, had repossession looming . In other words, he was to sell the property through normal sale channels, and could afford to wait for a couple of months.

The only problem is that estate agents can charge £5000 (or more) for very little work, if any at all that most people are capable of doing themselves. Most agents charge in the region of 3% plus govt taxes.

How did they manage to get away from that? Because they ‘knew’ some thing that rest of us did not. But with modern technology and free flow of information, these ‘secrets’ are now readily available on various sources, including Internet.

Many people believe that agents are trained to handle the buyer better. They know how to find the buyer to start with, then handle them well to get to the desired conclusion of selling the property and getting you the cash.

I do not think that agents are far more superior than the rest of us in their dealings. Are you good with people? If yes then that advantage should be taken care of. People buy from people. In fact some estate agents can be quite difficult to deal with too.

Agents hardy know any thing about your property. In my experience they almost never take the time to learn about your property. All they want is property on their books – that is all. How are they going to persuade the buyer that your property is better than the one next door – the basis of merit? In our experience, majority do not work hard enough to earn their thousands. Period!

Here is one true story. I know because it happened to some one I know personally. An agent visited his house for valuation. Owner decided to go with this agent. The agent promptly took a For Sale board out of his car and erected it on outside the house.

While walking in the street, a potential buyer saw the board and called the agent. Agent promptly called the seller, asked for a suitable time for the buyer to come to take a look. At appointed time, buyer went to view the house, without the agent. Sell did all the ‘charm’ bit. Then buyer went to see the house twice again, after calling the buyer direct. During these visits he discussed the offer, which was accepted. The house was sold soon after.

All this happened without the agent leaving his office. Buyer never saw the agent. Seller saw him only once. But agent still pocketed many thousands. Not bad for turning up to see a potential client to value the house. Seller was not looking to sell the property fast but that is what he got, without trying.

This story is not a unique story. I can assure you that many of us work harder, much harder, to earn their living.

So,do not think for one second that agents know soe thing that you do not. They have a perceived advantage because buyers often make them their first port of call. However increasingly the buyers also know that some one will be paying agents fees, and ultimately it will be them. If they can avoid the agents then they can make savings.

The ground rules to sell your property privately are as follows. Remember that a bit of trouble may cost you some money but is a fraction of what estate agents will charge you. And they will not give you guarantee that they will be able to sell the house.
- Advertise property in local papers

- Advertise your property on property websites. They may include the sites where agents themselves advertise. Advertising there will cost you a fraction than what agents charge.

- Search for a private buyer. They are easier to find then you think.

- Look for a cash buyer cash buyer.

If you are looking for a buyer then look around and see where they hang around. They are often looking in the ‘Property for Sale’ section of your local paper. They also search Internet and go to forums to discuss merits of buying property in your area, and so on.

Go make a contact with them. You will be surprised how many will call you. Tell them that you are willing to sell the house at its true market value, and will split the savings you would have paid to an estate agent as long as buyer can make a quick decision.