Do-It-Yourself, Sell Your Dream Home Yourself !

If you are like most people, you have thought, “How hard could it be to sell my house? Let’s just do it ourselves.”

It is a legitimate thought; the average seller has access to most every avenue that the agent does.

You have signs, websites, Craigslist, Kijiji and plenty of other places to advertise. The problem is, the average seller thinks that the only thing they pay a real estate agent for is the advertising and the “getting it under contract part.” While that is a large part of what we do, it isn’t our expertise.


We are trained both in the classroom and in the real world on getting your house under contract and keeping it that way until you have gone to closing and had it recorded under the buyer’s name. That is where an agent earns their commission.

  Especially in a buyer’s market, sellers can get beat up pretty badly if they aren’t well represented, or if they just do not know any different. Buyers are expecting to get great deals, and for that seller need to keep  their home in top-notch condition. 

Again if something unexpected discovered during home inspection, then buyer can further press you. So what typically happens is a buyer comes in and negotiates with you to get you to your bottom dollar, then asks for so many repairs that you net less than you expecting, but you are too scared to say no to the repairs because of fear of losing that oh-so-precious buyer. 

The road from getting your house under contract all the way to the closing table is long and slippery. You have to be able to pull yourself out of the situation emotionally and work through every obstacle from a third party’s perspective. It is not easy, but it can be done.

If you are considering selling on your own, let me give you some tips that will help guide you in the right direction. 

First, make sure that you are being safe. Do not schedule showings if you are going to be home alone if at all possible. Better yet, have each potential buyer email you a pre-approval letter, which will qualify them pretty quickly, and keep you from wasting your time with those people who just want to see what kind of carpet you have. 

Second, read up on what information you are required to tell the buyer. In all situations you are better off to disclose than to keep any information hidden, especially when it comes to defects or material facts. A material fact is anything that would affect the buying decision. Is it something that you would want to know? If so, tell it.

Next, consult the advice of professionals; do not write up a contract on a napkin. Have an attorney do it, talk to your accountant, make sure that you are making good decisions. 

Finally, know your rights as a seller. Yes, most things are negotiable, but you do have the right to say no. Sometimes it is worth losing the buyer.