Expert: Jessica Bryan - 4/4/2006

Question
what is the best web site for this? do you reccommend this route?

Answer
Dear Joe;
One of the most popular web sites is www.forsalebyowner.com.  Another is www.fsbo.com.  Both get lots of hits and offer about the same service.  There are many other sites that people visit so you can do a google search and find those as well, but these (above)always come up first.  As for your question on whether I recommend this route when selling your home (I assume you are asking about selling vs. buying)...I would not be worth the paper my real estate license is printed on if I answered a "Yes" to your question.  I choose to be a real estate agent becasue I think that there is value in what I do.  I would equate this to other services...if you research and study enough so that you are proficient in it, you can do it yourself but it takes time and lots of know how to avoid mistakes.  For example, you can hire a licensed contractor to do a room addition or you can do it yourself and save money.  Along the way, you will probably make mistakes, spend more than you planned and take too much time doing it.  You will have to research all of the resources for supplies, find out about code, deal with building inspectors, and do the myriad things required in the process without the benefit of knowing how.  The same is true of real estate transactions.  Since this is the probably the highest expenditure you make (a home's value is usually the most you spend during your lifetime on one item)I would think that you would want to be cautious about protecting your investment.  A professional is someone who can help with this.  Finding someone who is experienced and who communicates well is very important.  We, REALTORS, receive our licenses after taking hours upon hours (weeks and weeks) of intensive training and then testing.  Once licensed we take many more classes and then are required to take update classes every year.  As a broker, I take classes every month.  I sit in on panels, seminars, and lectures to keep current with all of the new ideas, changes in laws, tax benefits and ramifications of buying and selling, meet with lenders, meet with inspectors, learn the newest things that are happening in the industry, the latest things to watch out for and how to help my clients more efficiently.  I watch the news, attend city and county planning meetings so I know what is happening with roads, subdivisions, lakes, waste management and everything else that might effect my client and their neighborhood where they want to buy or sell.  I watch buying trends, costs, and values.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  I work, study and live real estate over 60 hours a week.  This gives me an edge over someone who has another place to go and job to do.  As a non-professional, you might be lucky and find out enough to do an adequate job selling or buying your home yourself. You might even save some money.  It often depends on your market area.  Some people are quite succesful at this.  Others end up calling a Realtor after they have no luck on their own. So....it is difficult to say where your priorities may be.  For some it is worth it not to hassle with appointments and worry, to turn everything over to a professional.  For others, they think that it is just fine to be "do-it-yourselfer's". That is your choice.

Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,
Jessica Bryan
Managing Broker
House to Home Realty Services