the Cost of Seller's Real Estate Agents

The real estate agent that we selected was a seasoned veteran. She had been selling homes for over twenty years. Our first meeting with her lasted about two hours. She brought her laptop with her and presented her ideas as well as the services that she would be offering. Within twenty-four hours of our meeting, she had placed our house on the internet (MLS listing). The add was also placed on the realtor's home page as a virtual tour home. She had placed a sign in our yard 2 days after our meeting. She had professional looking brochures made up for other agents in the area as well as for potential buyers viewing our home. She held an open house one month after listing our home. Her services cost us six percent of our home's selling price. Our home sold in 35 days for $109,000 (our asking price had been $114,900). Our realtor made $6540.00

Our realtor was fast and efficient. She started advertising our home almost immediately after meeting with us. She started spreading the word around town and we had over 20 viewings of our home within the first month (not to mention the weather had been terrible). We feel she earned her 6% cut.

Some realtors will negotiate their take on your home. Our realtor told us up front that she would collect 6% of our home's selling price. We know other agents who request 7%. If you have to lower your home's asking price several times due to the market, you can also request that your realtor take a decrease in earnings. Before choosing an agent, look at other homes in you area that are for sale. Know what your market is and have a good idea of what your home is worth. Make sure your agent does a cost market analysis. You will then know what other homes in your area are selling for and how long that sat on the market. Price your house right and it will sell quickly.