Going it alone and selling your property without an agent might seem like a great idea \u2013 their average commission is around $12,000, after all.<\/strong><\/p>\n But there are good reasons to having one on board.\u00a0Here are some of the key advantages of using an agent.<\/p>\n An agent does the heavy lifting for you when selling your property. Picture: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What\u2019s your time worth?\u00a0Consider that to sell a property effectively, someone needs to set up a marketing campaign, research and price the property, meet buyers at open for inspections, follow those buyers up, and then go through the process of actually selling it.<\/p>\n Clearly, you\u2019re looking at a significant time investment. An agent does that heavy lifting for you.<\/p>\n They say you can\u2019t buy experience, but in actual fact you can: your agent\u2019s.<\/p>\n Buyer\u2019s advocate and former agent Luke Assigal, from Parley Property Advisory,\u00a0says that as a vendor you\u2019re paying for an agent\u2019s expertise and intimate knowledge of their local property market.<\/p>\n \u201cYou use an agent purely because they\u2019re experienced and have knowledge in the area. A good agent will sit down with you and tell you how your property should be presented and advise on the best marketing campaign,\u201d Assigal says, adding that every sale or negotiation is different, and an agent can guide you through the pitfalls.<\/p>\n All agents agree that first impressions matter when selling.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Assigal says one of the biggest advantages of using an agent is that it\u2019s their job to be available at the times most buyers want, which is almost certain to be more often than you are. Your lack of availability is likely to turn some buyers off, as well as ensuring you\u2019ll have less people through the property than if you let an agent handle it.<\/p>\n \u201cI went through a property on the weekend. When I looked at it online, straight away I could see there was no vendor or agent on it, so I actually had to call the number on the screen, which went to a pre-recorded message,\u201d Assigal says.<\/p>\n \u201cI put the property ID in there and then they released to me the vendor\u2019s direct number. I called the vendor direct and couldn\u2019t get through the property for a week. So it was very restrictive, and if you want to sell the property you need to show as many people through as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n If selling your home<\/a> yourself \u2013<\/span>\u00a0your lack of availability is likely to turn some buyers off. Picture: Getting Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There\u2019s no point in saving $10,000 in agent commissions but lose five to 10 times that amount because you don\u2019t know the true value of your own home.<\/p>\n Assigal says vendors who sell their property themselves are often caught short.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re trying to save some money, so they\u2019ll save the commission but they\u2019ll lose $50,000 in the process,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cPricing properties is an art. Price it too low and you\u2019ll get too many buyers and they\u2019ll be annoyed. Price it too high and you\u2019ll get no buyers, so you need to price it effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n Vendors who sell their property themselves are often caught short. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How do you sort out the genuine buyers from the time wasters? Agents know the telltale signs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get a buyer through, there\u2019s a list of questions and a process you\u2019ll go through with that buyer to see if they\u2019re interested in the property. One: are they financed \u2013<\/span>\u00a0are they actually worth talking to? Two: what are they interested in and what do they like about the property,\u201d Assigal says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe agent gives that information back to the vendor, so the vendor can take that on board.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n How do you sort out the genuine buyers from the time wasters? Agents know the telltale signs. Picture: THINKSTOCK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Don\u2019t underestimate the power of marketing in real estate<\/a>. A well presented and well promoted property has considerably more chance of achieving a great price than a home that\u2019s relying on buyers stumbling across it.<\/p>\n \u201cAgents give you access to their network. An active agent will have a network of buyers they can potentially put in the property,\u201d Assigal says.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t underestimate the power of marketing in real estate. Picture: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cBecause the market is going silly at the moment, if you can access a pool of 2000 more buyers by marketing it effectively, that might give you two more buyers at auction, who might pay 15 per cent more, and hey, you\u2019ve just gone over the reserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n <\/p><\/div>\n Realestate au <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"why](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/25131621\/why-use-real-estate-agent_2000x1500-1024x768.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nThey save you time and hassle<\/h2>\n
Experience matters<\/h2>\n
They\u2019re available<\/h2>\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/16160046\/phone-body-1024x768.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nThey know property values<\/h2>\n
![\"58](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/22000122\/capi_0a08b3855428903c2633f49a180924df_c7b174ec9167b5daaaec8e609e8ae9f1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nThey know how to deal with buyers<\/h2>\n
![\"Real](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/24050030\/capi_28025d28d74ca6b5ab2e99c5df1c3f96_67579fdc06a52d327734238a7b220338-1024x768.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nMarketing matters<\/h2>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/23164450\/how-to-sell-your-property_2000x1500-1024x768.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n