Why should I use any Realtor at all to sell my home and why use me?

Excellent question. Not a simple answer. First, I thought my own life experience might shed some light on this.

Before becoming a Realtor I thought I did not need an agent to help me buy or sell a home. Here is my story of ignorance:

When we lived in the quaint downtown neighborhood of College Park in Orlando we decided that commuting to Cincinnati was just too difficult; even though I could travel at no cost, it took a minimum of 4 hours from the time I left my home until check in. Thinking we knew the market, and deciding on what we needed to get out of our home; we set a price. While I was away flying, my wife put a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard. While she was putting the sign out a Realtor drove by and saw her. After looking at the home the agent made a full-price, cash offer immediately! We gladly accepted and thought we were pretty smart.

Fast forward about 5 years. We thought we could do it again. After finding our “dream home” we needed to sell our existing home. Having written the contract to purchase contingent upon selling our existing home, we went to work trying to sell it. With little interest and who knows what kind of people my wife had to let in our house we quickly saw that For Sale By Owner was not working and might not be safe either. It certainly was not convenient for one of us to rush home every time someone wanted to see it. Contacting a Realtor who seemed to sell a lot of properties in our area I also learned that our home was in no condition to sell. Buyers have a hard time seeing past clutter and we had to rent a storage building before our home was presentable. I also started to do the math and could see that every month I paid in mortgage in a house I wanted to be out of quickly added up to more than the commission I had to pay. Especially, since the majority of my mortgage payment was going toward interest. Long story short; the Realtor sold my house in a timely manner and we moved on.

Now the moral and answer which is multi-fold:

1. Pricing. If you don’t know your market, how will you know how to price your home? Chances are the other FSBOs  in your subdivision are just as ignorant as you are. Our market does not look like the markets in many high profile areas that have lost value. Each neighborhood is different. Some are increasing in value at a faster pace than others. Some are, in fact, stagnant, and others have shown a decline.  Days-on-market  are higher for over-priced homes..
2. Safety. Even a Realtor cannot always ensure every client has the best intentions. However, we do try to determine the character of our clients and the seriousness of their desires. Every occupied home listed in the Greenville MLS area gets an electronic lock box which only allows access by agents with a computerized SUPRA key. Every time the box is opened a record of the Realtor’s name and the date and time of entry is recorded.
3. Convenience. Because of the electronic lock box and the fact that a showing agent must get permission to show the home based on the seller’s criteria, the seller is free to go about their business as usual and let the approximately 2000 Realtors in our area sell their home.
4. Exposure. Obviously, the MLS gets your home out there so buyers know it exists. Furthermore, Internet Data Exchange or IDX allows Realtors who have their own web sites to post it for maximum dissemination. Print advertising in local publications is also used. For Homes exceeding $500,000 I also will post it in the DuPont Registry, A Buyer's Gallery of Fine Homes.I have a complete package for homes in this luxury category.
   

What Should You Expect?

1. Comparative Market Analysis including one year sales history of relevant properties
2. Explanation of Current Market Activity
3. Guidance in home preparation. I recommend a professional stager named Natasha Little. 
4. Pricing you choose once you are satisfied you know the market
5. Excellent Photography including  virtual tour as practical video tour for luxury homes
6. Excellent Copy or advertising commentary.
7. Strategy designed to bring out the buyers and buyers agents
8. Guidance for improving activity if listing appears to be exceeding expected "Day On Market" (sales time)
9. Guidance for handling offers and countering
10. Guidance for handling requested repairs
11. What to expect at closing
12. After the closing if you will need a new place to live. I do a tremendous amount of work acting on behalf of buyers. Since it costs you nothing and I can prove that with my search capability I can do in minutes what could take you days. I think you will be very impressed. Hopefully, you will want to start that process early so that you might be able to close on your new home the same day.