You should select the real estate agent who says he/she can get the highest price for your home.

All I really have to do to sell my home is put a FOR SALE sign in my yard and an ad in the newspaper.

Pricing a home is a function of what you have invested in it or what you need to get out of it in order to move.

Brokers who "discount" commissions can save me a lot of money.

Truth: It is critically important which agent you select to represent you in the sale of your home.

There are two major reasons why your selection of a real estate agent is so important to your getting your house sold and getting the highest price at the least inconvenience to you.

First, the real estate market is highly competitive with many other sellers competing for a finite group of available, qualified buyers. Statistically one out of three homes that come on the market fail to sell.

Secondly, it's important to have an agent with the education, experience, and know-how to anticipate problems, avoid them and be able to handle them quickly and in a professional manner should they occur. Many contracts written never close. Problems arise (and there are numerous things that could go wrong) and sellers who think they are moving find out the sale collapsed leaving them in a terrible predicament. If your home is picture perfect, you've priced it below market value and the market is strong and you're very lucky, you can probably list with anyone...but, why would you do that anyway? If a problem does arise you want to be able to have someone who knows how to get it solved and get you moving. That's what you're paying for! Our agents are individually trained to handle contracts and procedures working to get the home closed.

Myth 2: You should select the real estate agent who says he/she can get the highest price for your home.

Truth: Big Mistake...you should always select an agent on his/her credentials. Market value is a separate issue..

Overpricing a home to get the listing happens too many times in real estate. The agent or his/her company get all the buyer calls on your listing and then sell them another property that is better priced. You should insist on a written, well-researched computerized market analysis to determine the realistic amount your home will bear in today's market and price it accordingly. First, select your real estate agent based on his/her credentials. Then decide on price. Never select an agent based solely on the price they recommended.

Myth 3: All I really have to do to sell my home is put a FOR SALE sign in my yard and an ad in the newspaper.

Truth: A yard sign and newspaper ad, while effective, actually account for a very small percentage of "qualified" buyer activity.

Only seven percent of qualified buyers come from yard signs and only eight percent from newspaper ads. That is one of the reasons the failure rate for "For Sale By Owner" is so high. Most qualified buyers are generated by real estate agents through referrals, past customers and clients, and various proactive marketing activities. In other words, most buyers are generated from a pool of buyers who have been professionally nurtured and developed over time.

That's why it is so important to engage the services of a real estate agent who has developed a substantial and successful business. You can greatly improve your chances of getting the highest price from the most qualified buyers by working with a successful agent.

Myth 4: Pricing a home is a function of what you have invested in it or what you need to get out of it in order to move.

Truth: Buyer's drive the market. Your home will sell for whatever the market will bear...Market Value.

Your home will sell within a range of what similar homes are selling for. And because every home is unique, your home will probably sell in either the high or low end of that range depending on its condition. You should have your agent do a market analysis and provide you the raw market data and considerable expertise in analyzing the data to help you decide where the price needs to be to sell the house for the most money. If you over price the house, even by a few thousand dollars, your home may remain on the market longer and as a result will sell for less money than if the home was priced correctly at the outset.

Myth 5: Brokers who "discount" commissions can save me a lot of money.

Truth: You get what you pay for! Some agents have nothing else to offer you than a discounted fee.

Your home is in competition with all of the other homes on the market for the best and most qualified buyers. There are generally more homes on the market than there are buyers. That's why statistically a third of the homes that go on the market don?t sell. You need an aggressive, proactive real estate agent to get your home sold and for the highest net price to you.

Promotional costs such as photos, color fact sheets, magazine and newspaper ads, internet advertising, MLS fees, printing, direct mail, signage, etc.., are vital to getting the results you want, but they are all expensive. Typically a discount broker won't offer a complete marketing campaign. Most importantly, you want to make sure the discount broker has a successful track record of selling homes for close to the asking price? You may be losing more than you save!