Survey: Sellers Fare Better With Agents

Daily Real Estate News | February 24, 2011

Survey: Sellers Fare Better With Agents 

Sellers have a better chance at getting their house sold by using a REALTOR® than opting for the do-it-yourself approach, according to a survey of 1,000 home owners by HomeGain.com, an online real estate resource. Nearly 60 percent of home owners who used a REALTOR® to sell their home were successful compared to 39 percent of FSBOs, the survey found.

In the survey, 83 percent of home owners said they used a REALTOR® to sell their home, whereas 17 percent said they tried to sell it themselves. This corresponds to results from NAR's 2010 Profile of Buyers & Sellers, which found 88 percent of sellers were assisted by a real estate agent. (Additionally, 83 percent of buyers bought their home through an agent.)

“It is especially striking that home owners fare significantly better in selling their homes using a REALTOR® than selling on their own,” says Louis Cammarosano, general manager at HomeGain. “Due to that relative success, the level of satisfaction in the home selling process is also higher for home sellers utilizing the services of a REALTOR® than those who try to sell their homes on their own.”

Among the findings in its For Sale by Owner vs. REALTOR® survey:

• 88 percent of home owners who sold their homes using a REALTOR® said they would use a REALTOR® again.
• 24 percent of FSBOs eventually contacted a REALTOR® to help sell their home.

Source: “HomeGain Survey Finds Home Sellers Fare 50% Better in Getting Their Homes Sold Using a REALTOR® Than Selling on Their Own,” HomeGain.com (Feb. 24, 2011)

Recent Feedback from One of my Sellers

I just wanted to share with you all some recent feedback from one of my sellers:

"The experience was professional, impressive, and you were very helpful throughout the entire process. Your IT background really shined in your use of various media's to advertise our condo."

-- Sean C., Oak Lawn, IL

Need help selling your home? Give me a call at 708-307-9616 or email me at sales@ashleywydra.com!

- Ashley

Article in the Wall Street Journal Online

Hey Everyone, So I was perusing through the Internet and reading stories about real estate when this one in particular caught my attention. The headline read "Redfin: Less Than Half of All Home-Sale Attempts Successful in ‘09". That's less than a 50% success rate! No wonder sellers are so hesitant to list their home in this economy! "A survey of seven major housing markets found that less than half of all attempts to sell a home in 2009 had, as of last Wednesday, resulted in a sale." (http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/08/16/redfin-less-than-half-of-all-home-sale-attempts-successful-in-09/). When buyers see all these properties sitting on the market for so long without selling, they definitely should see opportunities for great deals. Not that they should take advantage of these desperate sellers, but many sellers are settling for lower offers just to get rid of their houses so they can move on. The good news for these distraught sellers is that they will luckily make up for some of that loss in their next purchase! Interest rates are so low right now so not only will they get a low interest rate on their mortgage, but they will also get a good deal on their purchase of a home. It really does all even out in the end. Here is data from Cook County: County Name Listings Activated in 2009 # 2009 Listings Sold % 2009 Listings Sold # Still Active % Still Active Cook County, IL 134,710 44,789 33.3% 7,893 5.9% Here's the link to the entire article: http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/08/16/redfin-less-than-half-of-all-home-sale-attempts-successful-in-09/ - Ashley

New Affiliate Staging Company: Elle M Staging

Hey There!

I'm super excited to announce my new partnership with a local staging company servicing the Chicagoland area. They are called Elle M Staging and here is a word from them:

In today’s real estate market home staging is critical. A house on the market for too long not only loses dollar value but loses buyer interest. Don’t neglect the opportunity to get the most out of your largest investment!

Elle M Staging will set your house apart from comparable homes in your area and help avoid costly price reductions. 

In our initial consultation, we tour your house and present ideas and solutions to your most challenging spaces.

Through furniture placement, wall color, accessorizing, and more we will neutralize and bring alive your house.

Create that winning first impression so buyers can envision themselves living there!

Elle M Staging is now offering professional home staging in the Chicago land area.

Take advantage of our affordable services by contacting us today at:

708.805.6886 or ellemstaging@gmail.com

View us on the web at ellemstaging.com

I hope you'll take a minute to visit their website!

- Ashley

How Can You Sell Your Home Quickly?

In this economy, sellers think that there is no way their home will sell quickly and brace themselves for months on the market. I will share with you some common, but frequently forgotten, tips to help your home sell.

1. PRICING, PRICING, PRICING! - I can't stress enough how important pricing is! Selling your beloved home is undoubtedly a very emotional experience, but it's very important to be realistic as well. I think many people are in denial of the market downturn affecting their home's value. A common mindset is that "it affected my neighbors' homes, but certainly not mine". Additionally, if a home is priced too high, you can spend as much time and effort and money as you want marketing it through every avenue available, but it isn't going to sell! REALTORS® do not set the price of your home, BUYERS do! Your home is only worth what someone is willing to spend to buy it.

2. Hire A Qualified REALTOR® - Simply putting a sign in your front yard that your home is for sale isn't enough! The only people who will actually know that your home is for sale are those people who happen to drive by and see the sign. When you list your home with a REALTOR®, your home is entered into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) which is where many people begin their home search. At Century 21 Pride, we take advantage of every available technology to feed your listing into other popular and heavily-searched home sites such as Realtor.com, Zillow.com, and many more. We give your listing exposure to millions of potential buyers, which is not only helpful, but incredibly necessary if you want your home to sell quickly. REALTORS® also know how to sell a home and are most likely good at it! Remember, we have experience selling all kinds of homes and this isn't our first time! Before you decide to try and sell your home yourself, just weigh the options of using a REALTOR® and getting access to all of our valuable resources and knowledge.

3. Stage Your Home - Staging your home isn't as difficult or expensive as many people might believe. We're not necessarily talking about going to the extremes of emulating the homes on HGTV or hiring someone to stage your home. There are many actions you can take yourself to make your home appear more appealing to potential buyers. First off, clean up ALL clutter and put items in storage if necessary. Potential buyers do not want to see clutter and it makes your home appear smaller to them. Having only the bare minimum furniture and decor in a room makes it appear larger and gives it that "model home" feel. I will share with you a success story, from the Wall Street Journal, about a couple selling their home and using staging techniques:

"Want to know the big secret to selling a home quickly?



Make it look pretty.


Patrick McAllister and his wife Lisa Cox had an edge in that regard. Their 1917 Craftsman house was beautifully renovated with hardwood floors and bright, airy rooms. Carefully chosen artwork hangs on the walls. In the master bedroom a balcony overlooks the Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford.


The couple put their home on the market on a Friday in January, just one month before they planned to relocate to Bangkok where Mr. McAllister is starting a new job as director of housing finance for Habitat for Humanity International.


Two days later the 3,040-square-foot home had three offers and sold for $753,000—$3,000 more than the asking price.


The buyer's real-estate agent says that the couple could have gotten more. "I think if they would have priced it a little higher, they might have gotten fewer offers, but it would have sold," says Mary Durkan of Windermere Real Estate/Northwest.


Ms. Cox was just gratified they sold quickly. "I think any money we might have lost was just made up in peace of mind," she says.

That's the other part of the secret: Price the home to move. This may seem glaringly obvious, but it is increasingly important at a time when foreclosed properties dominate the market. Nationwide, "distressed property," including foreclosures and homes at risk of foreclosure, accounted for 32% of fourth quarter transactions, according to a report out Thursday from the National Association of Realtors." - The Wall Street Journal Online (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703630404575053232969697708.html?mod=WSJ_HomeBuyingSelling_LeftTopHeadLines)

You, too, can share in this couple's success by hiring a qualified REALTOR® and following his or her advice on pricing and staging techniques!

I will be sharing more selling tips in the weeks to come! Thinking of putting your home on the market? Maybe you are looking to downsize? Looking for a larger home for your growing family? Please contact me today! I'd love to meet with you and discuss your needs and provide you with an in-depth analysis of your home and how I would market it. Each home is unique and different and I like to take a very targeted approach to each home that I sell. Additionally, I'd love to not only list your home for sale, but also help you look for a new home. You can search through the entire MLS of available properties on my website at http://www.ashleywydra.com/. I'm always more than happy to set up appointments to visit your favorites with you. With me, you can enjoy a very low-pressure, stress-free home showing, as I do not believe it is my job to "sell" you anything, but rather to help you find the home that is right for you and your family. I do not like to put pressure on my clients to buy a home that may not be the "right" home for them!

I really look forward to working with you! You can call me anytime at 708-307-9616, visit my website at http://www.ashleywydra.com/, and email me at sales@ashleywydra.com.

- Ashley