NAR – For sale by owner – "FEAR TACTICS"
Don’t sell your FSBO house – you’ll be robbed, raped, or God forbid – worse. The NAR has been promoting this fear for years. Here is a direct quote from a “Realtor” Ezine article (note that the author refers to himself as an “experienced real estate broker”) titled “NAR (r) Broker Will Swear It – Real Pro ‘ Agents Share It – FSBO “Truth” – and quote – “Sometimes the” Truth “hurts. However, being scammed, raped, or even worse, hurts so much more. Ask any police officer if home sellers should open their doors wide to strangers. “Are you serious? So is that why we paid a 6% sales commission to sell a house? Security / background check? Now it all makes sense. Value – give me a break! There may have been a time when real estate agents actually “checked” clients before taking them home – that said, I strongly believe it was done to determine what they could afford and the weather or not wasting the realtor’s precious time. I guarantee that I can schedule an appointment – through a real estate agent to view a house within the next hour – they will take my first name – PERIOD!
Our friend, the “seasoned realtor” must be from the “old” school. NAR’s New Scare Tactic (Which Recognizes Real Estate Agents Don’t “Screen” Their Clients) Now Claims FSBO Homes Sell For Up To 15% Less Than Existing Agent-Assisted Home Sales estate. They have developed a clever little “medium” formula that demonstrates this, and of course the realtors who make up their association believe the hype and diligently and naively spread it to prospective FSBO homeowners. The problem with their calculations is that they use a flawed formula to back up their argument: they use a MEDIUM price instead of an AVERAGE price. The median is a “middle number” in a series of numbers; the average is a sum of all the numbers divided by the total number. Have you ever looked at the “average” mark on a test and has it had any meaning to you?
The true “TRUTH,” as this author so eloquently puts it, is that real estate agents are absolutely scared at the prospect of FSBO reducing their income stream. The fact that the Internet is eliminating them as a real estate sourcing tool manifests this fear to the point that they have to revive “old wives tales.” miserable 6% – not me either. With that said, I’d love to see the face of the realtor asked to confirm that all prospective clients have undergone a background check before viewing your property. Real estate agents “used” to ask for identification, they don’t even do it anymore.
Also according to this author – “Every year, dozens of real estate agents are kidnapped, robbed, raped and murdered” – My God, they should be paid for dangerousness. I cannot think of ANY other profession that is subject to such crime and potential danger at work. Did you say “dozens”? Another question: why would someone “kidnap” a real estate agent? Please excuse my ironic response to this article: I find it strange that this tactic continues to be used, or worse, has been “reborn.” On a more serious note – my mother is a 35 year old real estate agent – she has NEVER had a “bad” experience with a client. However, her home was robbed two days after a city real estate agent showed her home to two gentlemen in a white van (you can say “red flag”). When the police investigated, the real estate agent did not even have their names, now that is well checked.
The reality of selling your own home comes down to this, and this only. If you can put together a decent marketing plan, properly price your home, and be semi-personal without being overbearing, you can sell your own home and save a lot of money. Should you be careful around the people you let into your home? Of course. Is there risk? Yes, there is always risk. Is there of course a significant reward? The trick is to mitigate risk by being careful and using your instincts and, as always, be careful who you are letting in through your front door.