06-01-2016, 08:25 AM
I’m not a real estate agent, don’t have any in the family or as more than acquaintances, but I think it’s important to get a real estate agent, especially if it’s an area you are unfamiliar with. I have dealt with for-sale-by-owners in the past, and it hasn’t always been pleasant: in most of the cases, they seemed to price the property too high without much thought to comparables, and were very sticky on the price because of their emotional attachment to the property. My sample is small, and I’m sure not all of them act that way, but I believe you’re right about them taking a while to sell because of unrealistic listing prices.
Most of the sellers who post on Com Free or even just put up a sign are willing to pay a commission to a buyer’s representative. Ultimately you’ll be paying that, but I think it might be worth it for the knowledge that a (good) agent would have. No doubt it’s entirely possible to close a deal with a good real estate lawyer and save a lot of money. Since you’re still thinking about which neighbourhoods might suit you, and aren’t as familiar with the area, I’d say it would be prudent to find an agent.
Most of the sellers who post on Com Free or even just put up a sign are willing to pay a commission to a buyer’s representative. Ultimately you’ll be paying that, but I think it might be worth it for the knowledge that a (good) agent would have. No doubt it’s entirely possible to close a deal with a good real estate lawyer and save a lot of money. Since you’re still thinking about which neighbourhoods might suit you, and aren’t as familiar with the area, I’d say it would be prudent to find an agent.