Do Discount Brokers Equal More Profit To Your Bottom Line On Your Home Sale?

Many of us wouldn’t even consider putting a “discount” set of tires on our car, or making a “cheap” fix to our upstairs bathroom plumbing; yet, when it comes to considering the sale of our largest, most valuable asset, the thought crosses our mind: Why not use a discount broker and save a percent or two?

There are many reasons why we should not do this. Not the least of which is that, in the end, it really doesn’t save money or add profit to the bottom line—but more on that in minute. First we need to understand the value of a trusted professional real estate agent operating under a reputable brokerage.

I’m sure you have a great career, and you have gained expertise over the years with education, experience, and success. Let’s assume then, that it would not be worth it to you to provide your expertise, service, and positive outcome for your consumer while taking a 30-50% salary cut. Am I right? The value of a professional agent simply far outweighs what a “discount” service provider can possibly offer. Let’s look at some real-world examples below!

Here are some scenarios I have seen from discount brokers in the market:

• Submitting a bare-bones listing, sticking a small sign in the yard, and walking away to let the house sell itself. You would probably do just as well selling it yourself.

• Not using the marketing avenues available to market your home properly. These include digital, social, print, and personal networking avenues, and you, the seller, deserve that marketing from a real estate agent.

• Writing very bland and hollow descriptions that lack the ability to pull in buyers and buyers agents. You deserve a professionally written home description that performs for you.

• Taking messy, non-professional photos and using them in the listing itself. Professional photos are essential to getting buyers out to view your home.

• Lowering the price of a seller’s home because it has been on the market too long due to lack of proper marketing by the agent. There goes that “percent or two” more profit to your bottom line!

• Cutting buyer side commission, leaving no incentive for buyers agents to actively pursue clients to show the home to. This just hurts traffic to the home, and ultimately you, the seller.

• Not having the expertise to a) properly write and negotiate contracts, leaving the seller vulnerable to legal issues, or b) properly price a home in the marketplace, leading to an unnecessarily lengthy time on market.

• Lack of branding and brand awareness. This equals a lack of visibility, reach, network, and trust that you get from a strong, household brand, like Century 21 Breeden Realtors!