It pays to go with a pro agent when selling. Here’s a story that shows why.

A lot of people are intrigued by the discount prices offered by flat-fee brokers. Unfortunately, you usually get what you pay for, and here’s a quick story that illustrates why. 

A colleague recently reached out to me to get a referral for someone they knew. The person in question was trying to sell their home but not having any luck, so they wanted to find an agent who could help them out. 

"The moral of the story is that it pays to hire a professional."

I had a conversation with the seller and found out they’d interviewed a bunch of different agents but ended up going with a flat-fee company. They started their price out around $480,000, but they ended up lowering it by about $5,000. I went to take a look at the property and realized that the home was actually undervalued—they could make more than what they were asking for. I thought it could be positioned more effectively by taking better photos, highlighting the home’s great features, and even using some aerial drone shots. 

Well, we ended up having more showings in the first 24 hours than the flat-fee company had in the first 90 days. We also got a full-price offer, and even with my slightly higher commission, they’re going to net thousands of dollars more than they would have otherwise. Needless to say, the seller and their family were thrilled. They got thousands more than they expected, got nearly instant offers, and finally sold their home.  

The moral of the story is that it pays to hire a professional. The key is to focus on your net gain instead of what it will cost you to hire a pro. When the dust settles, you’ll almost always come out ahead of where you’d be with a discount agent. 

If you have any questions or are thinking about selling your home, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you with any and all of your real estate needs.