A lot of people will tell you that you need to hire a real estate agent or Realtor in order to sell your house but the truth is that you don’t. In fact, selling your Long Island house without a real estate agent or Realtor could end up saving you a lot of money. It’s been said that the average home seller pays $15,000 to $20,000 in costs, commissions, and fees just to sell their house on the open market. One of the biggest costs involved is the commission fee that a Realtor or real estate agent will take for their services.
Do you want to cut costs out of the process when selling your house on Long Island? Then the best way to do that is to sell it as-is for cash to a real estate investor like Leave The Key Homebuyer. There are other alternatives as well, such as selling the by yourself (For Sale By Owner) but that still requires you to list your house on the market and give the buyer’s agent a commission fee.
Selling directly to a cash buyer means you don’t have to make any repairs, you don’t have to clean anything up, and you don’t have to work with any Realtors. You cut out all the middlemen like banks and real estate agents and get paid cash for your Long Island house fast. But if you’d rather take your chances on the open market, here are some tips to consider when selling a house without a Realtor on Long Island.
How To Sell Your House Without A Realtor On Long Island
Figure Out Your Long Island House’s Value
Selling a house on Long Island without a Realtor means that you are responsible for handling all of the aspects of a home sale on your own. So the more you’re able to identify potential problems beforehand, the better off you’ll be down the road at avoiding headaches. One of the most important things you need to understand is the market value of your Long Island house. That is going to help you to price your house accordingly, which can make or break the entire sale and could be the difference between your house being on the market for a couple of months to a year or more. If you start with a price that’s too high, you’re going to end up sitting on the market for way longer than you’d hoped, which will cost you more money. If you price too low, you’ll end up with less profit than you could have made, which also costs you money.
The easiest way to go about figuring out your true market value is by looking at online real estate sites with listings in your area. You’ll want to look at what’s for sale in your neighborhood and area, specifically the houses that are similar to yours. How much are they listed for and how long have they been on the market? Have they changed the price? Also, look at recent sales and look at the difference between that house’s initial listing price and the final sale price. This will give you a good sense of the difference between what you perceive to be your house’s value and what the market dictates it’s true value to be. That’s an important distinction to make.
You could also reach out to a Long Island Realtor or real estate agent and ask them for competitive market analysis reports. Of course, they’re not going to do this out of the kindness of their heart. While they might offer this for free, they are doing it with the hope of listing your home, so expect to get a sales pitch to go with it as well.
The best way to get a sense of your Long Island house’s true value is also the most expensive. Hire a licensed appraiser and they will give you an accurate estimate of your home’s value. The report will probably cost between $300 and $500 but it’s coming from a reliable source who understands the housing market. Do keep in mind that the buyer’s mortgage company will still want their own appraisal, so don’t think you’ll be able to get away without having another one later on.
Get Your Long Island House Sale-Ready
You might be ready to sell your house without a Realtor but is the house ready? If you’re going to sell on the market, you’re going to find it hard to find a buyer if you sell as-is. So you’ll need to get the house in order so you can compete with all the other houses for sale in the region. It’s all about creating a wow factor and making a good first impression.
Establish a list of things you need to repair and then decide what’s worth it to fix. Every problem in your house will be magnified on the open market, so it’s important to consider what to do. The more repairs you make, the more likely you’ll be able to sell your house faster, though it still may not be enough to keep the price where you want it.
Consider Curb Appeal
If you’re going to list your Long Island house on the open market, it’s not just about making the interior look good, you also want to make sure the outside catches people’s attention, too. You want someone who drives past your house to have no choice but to stop and take a closer look. If that’s not the case right now, consider what you can do to upgrade things.
Add some new paint to the house and powerwash any walls that need it. Do some decluttering, clean out the garage or carport, and make sure you mow the lawn regularly. If you can afford it, consider some landscaping and staging to make things really pop.
Market Your Long Island Home
Curb appeal and online listings are important, but you’re going to need to do more than that to sell your Long Island house without a Realtor, especially if you want to sell fast. Your real estate agent would usually handle marketing but since you’re selling on your own, it’s up to you to make sure your house is marketed well. Put up a yards sign, invest in fliers to post them all over town, create brochures that you place in the house, advertise on popular real estate sites, and more. And of course, you’ll want to figure out how to set up an open house or two, which is a tricky task but the best way to get people to see your house.
Invest in yard signs and make sure they’re in high-profile spots on your property and in the neighborhood. You can create brochures that you place inside the house as well as out in the community. Advertise the house online via popular real estate sites and places like Craigslist and Facebook. And, of course, you’ll have to plan and market open houses. Since you’re selling without a Realtor, it’s up to you to handle all the details.
Sell Your Long Island House As-Is for Cash
As you can see, selling a Long Island house without a Realtor or real estate agent is an overwhelming and time-consuming process. Even if you feel comfortable making repairs, marketing, and listing the house, there are plenty of other issues and problems that can pop up. And even if you do everything right, there are no guarantees that buyers won’t back out or walk away. And the longer your house sits on the market, the more money it costs you.
Want to sell your house without a Realtor fast but don’t want to deal with the marketplace? Sell your house as-is to a real estate investor like Leave The Key Homebuyers. It’s so simple and you get cash fast for your house instead of waiting a long time to get anything. Plus, there are no commission fees, no repairs needed, and no middlemen to deal with. You contact us, we make you a fair cash offer, and if you accept we can close the deal in days. It’s that simple!