When youre selling your home, should you try to sell it yourself or should you use an agent? What about doing something in between? Most people should hire a full commissioned real estate agent. But if you think you can handle the work on your own, you might want to try out a discount broker service that charges between one and four percent. Some of these are
erealty.com and
ziprealty.com. Foxtons, which operates in the North East, is charging as little as two percent. These services are getting so popular that traditional real estate brokers have had to lower their commissions to compete. Commission levels are falling to around five percent in some areas, and agents are not happy. In Texas, the real estate industry tried to make it a crime to use a discount broker. It didnt work, and Clark is happy about that. People should be able to decide what level of service they want. So, how do you decide? If you are thinking of selling a house on your own, you must know that its not as easy as sticking a sign in your yard and letting the house sell. You have to figure out how to price the house, how to negotiate, and you must have a thick skin. You need to give it at least 12 week, and when its time to get professional services. If you want an agent for certain a la carte services, you will pay depending on what you want.