Most people who sell their home by themselves, are perfectly capable of doing so if they are so inclined, but while you're thinking about that great savings you're pocketing on the real estate commission, you could be putting you and your family at risk, by allowing strangers into your home without even knowing if they can afford to buy a pack of gum!
Too many FSBOs can open their doors needlessly to people who simply have no business being there because they can't afford the property to begin with! I hate to have my time wasted, and I'll bet you do too!
Even worse, unfortunately it's a different world out there today, and when you have just anyone showing up at your doorstep, presumably to consider buying your home, you also leave you, your family, your property and possessions at risk, because unscrupulous people could also be casing your place who are up to no good.
Here's the solution, partner in a win-win situation with a Loan Officer or Mortgage Consultant. For example, I am affiliated with a Mortgage Banker in 41 states, and I help FSBOs pre-approve any potential buyer to make sure they can qualify to buy the property (no more wasted time), and in the pre-approval process, I get a lot of information on the person?social security number, driver's license, their address and phone number, places of employment, etc. So we now know something about this person, and by having them go through the process we know they are for real.
Wouldn't you feel better only letting pre-approved buyers who are not a security risk into your home? I thought so!
Best of all, I, and other loan people like myself, are happy to provide such a service to you at absolutely no cost! You get people who you know are for real to deal with, and your loan partner gets some potential customers for loan business. Win-win.
Sometimes you can even get additional free services from your loan partner. For example, I always let FSBOs who agree to partner with me, use some of the sophisticated technology I use in my business to help market their properties at absolutely no cost. This includes tools usually only available to professionals such as a 24/7 toll-free recorded line with call capture technology that pages and e-mails me whenever someone listens to the recording, and a web page for each individual property!
So if you're selling FSBO, that's fine, but do it safely and efficiently for your security and to make the best use of your time.
