This may spark some lightning on Active Rain and other site where this blog appears....and if it gets the gray matter swirling....that is what it is designed to do. Realtors are all familiar with the term Fizzbo...For Sale by Owner...and there are a variety of ways that licensed realtors seek to convert these entrepreneurial sellers to sellers of their own...with success stories...offering them flags, websites, signs, ads...other inducements to show them eventually what all realtors hold as "truth to be self evident" ....that listing, showing, marketing, securing a buyer and successfully closing a real estate transaction is more complicated than it appears to be. If it were as easy as throwing a sign on the lawn and a listing in _____________(name that source)....why bother getting licensed, paying commission....having an MLS....it's easy, fun and you can do it at home....in your spare time.
There are lots of liabilities...many of which can get the entrepreneurial seller in deep legal and financial trouble for years to come. From the Know what you don't know....If the government says...you need a license to - sell real estate, teach children, inspect homes....there is a reason. The consequences to doing what you have not taken the time to learn, the experience you don't have, the liabilities you don't know, can be hazardous not just to your emotional and financial well being but to those you involve in the transaction as well.
You wouldn't get married without one..living together may be an alternative but not with the same legal protections....You wouldn't drive a car without one...and you hope the person in the next lane isn't driving without one either....You wouldn't see a doctor...lawyer...a beautician....veterinarian...nail technician, home inspector...think about all the people in your life that have taken the time, spent the money, learned the trade, profession, etc. to do the job that the government says requires a license.
Our motto - If you need a license....don't experiment with other people's lives...don't sell, teach, fix, inspect...practice what the government preaches...leave it to a licensed professional...it will save more than the money you believed you saved by not hiring the person best qualified for the position.
Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS
I am of the belief that a home owner has the absolute right to do with their real property that which they wish to do. It is their property.
The question is, is trying to manage the sale of your real property wise????
I sell For Sale By Owners. Most just want to save a few bucks. Many have had bad relationships with agents in the past.
Few succeed at selling their own home.
For sale by owner type companies are popping up at an alarming rate. The seller does have the right to sell their own home, but then they are liable for not having all their t's crossed and i's dotted
Exactly Lenn.....Is it wise ? Are the liabilities understood ? The success rate ...you are correct, is dismal...and in the meantime, taxes that may be more...utillities that are probably higher...maintenance continues on a house that th sellers wish to vacate....You bet Al...they do have the right...it's that handwriting thing that may get in the way of right...
Sally and David, I agree with Lenn. They can sell it themselves, owners can attempt major repairs themselves, etc, etc. But, it normally costs them more in the end.
Sally and David, what a lot of For Sale By Owner's don't realize is they are required to provide the same disclosures as a licensed agent. Go with a licensed professional for a smooth transaction.
You got it Gabe...this can be a very expensive experiment....and yes Michael...that little matter of disclosure...if you are looking to hide...this is definetly in the "not sooo much" category !
I'm sorry but I don't see Virginia in there!
No one needs a license in Virginia Jay....do they ?
Only for concealed weapons.
Out here in the beautiful but rainy state of California, one does not need a license to be a home inspector, just enough money to print some business cards and marketing brochures, and mail them out!