What do real estate agents really do? When you’re selling your home, doing a sale by owner might sound like a better option. At first glance, it may seem that in the end you will save money if you do it yourself. Many people choose every day to sell their homes for themselves for this reason, but do you really know the cost of selling your home?

Before you decide to hire a real estate agent or sell your home yourself, you should ask yourself a few questions. What will your costs be to do it yourself? The National Association of Realtors says the cost of selling your home without a realtor is 9-16% of the sale price. Consider this even if you cut costs and did as little work as possible, probably the lowest cost you’ll incur will be 7% of your sales price, and the average commission you pay a real estate agent is only 6%. So by hiring a real estate agent, you will most likely save money in the end and make more profit.

A real estate agent will be able to keep their costs down because they sell property for a living. They have connections in the business. Most good real estate agents have people they go to whenever they are involved in a transaction, such as a lender, appraiser, inspector, attorney, and many more that people don’t think of. The real estate agent brings business to these people on a regular basis. They know and trust them. This will not only save you money, but it will also save you the hassle of finding trustworthy people and possibly working with people who are not.

Hiring the right real estate agent will save you not only money, but valuable time as well. Many people do not understand what real estate agents do because clients are not being informed correctly. A good agent will spend a lot of time marketing his property. They are going to advertise your home in more places than you might think. They also have many professional relationships with other real estate agents who can meet the right buyers for your home. A professional will also be able to list your home right the first time, which translates to fewer days on the market. Fewer days on the market ultimately leads to more money you will walk away with.

So before you decide to market your home for sale by owner, consider your options. The decision to sell your home is an important one and you should take some time to decide what would be your best option. See the full picture! Your real estate agent must be there to be in your best interest. Be sure that your choice will benefit you!