It Pays (Literally) to Work With a Professional

Everyone’s heard the old saying, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” While this is true in many circumstances, it might not be the best practice to follow when selling a home. Handling complex legal issues, offering security when dealing with strangers in a home, properly staging a house for sale and effectively marketing the property are all tasks best executed by a knowledgeable real estate professional who has the expertise, and more importantly, the time to do these things well.Using a professional real estate sales associate can bring big rewards. According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), the median “for sale by owner” (FSBO) selling price of a home was 20 percent lower in 2006 than the median sales associate-assisted selling price.When it is time to sell your home, let a Coldwell Banker Rel Estate Services real estate sales associate handle the details and give you the best opportunity to get the right price for your home.

Sidebar Chart
NAR charts the most difficult tasks encountered by individuals selling their homes on their own:

Task	%facing difficulty with task
Understanding paperwork	20%
Preparing / fixing up home for sale	16%
Selling within the length of time planned	15%
Attracting potential buyers	11%
Getting the right price	10%
Having enough time to devote to all aspects of the sale	9%
Helping buyer obtain financing	4%
Other	15%