Over the past 34+ years I have asssited many homeowners who tried to sell their home without a realtor. (FISBO For Sale By Owner) While some people may be able to sell the home on their own, in my experience, most have problems.
A realtor offers many advantages. 1) They know their market and can help to set a reasonable asking price. Many FSBOs place the house on the market at an unrealistic price. When a prospective buyer investigates a home for sale, they look to see how long it has been marketed. The longer on the market, the lower the bids. 2) People who cannot afford a traditional mortgage will try to "work a deal" with you to but your house. These deals are usually bad. 3) The realtor assists with arranging a home inspection for the buyer, assisiting the seller to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy (when required) and many times negotiating what repairs will be performed by the seller based on the inspection report. 4) The realtor many times has clients that are looking for a particular house, in a particular area. This can result in a quick deal. 5) The realtor can flush out persons who cannot afford the house. You never want to take the house off market while a struggling buyer attempts to obtain a mortgage that will never happen. 6) The realtor will render advice on what should be done to prepare the house for sale. Many FISBOs do things they think are needed for a sale and don't do what will help sell the house.
You will also have to pay an attorney extra to prepare the contract that the realtor normally prepares.
