To hire a real estate agent or not hire a real estate agent: that is the question. When it comes down to it, the choice is really a matter of whether or not you are looking for convenience, or saving a lot of money. Real estate agents are without a doubt a big help when you are trying to sell your house, but depending on how much your house could sell for, they just might not be worth it. On average, selling your Atlanta home without a real estate agent saves the seller about 6% of the sale that would have gone to the real estate agent's commission. For a $300,000 home, you're talking right around $20,000. That's a lot of money that can be saved, and it's all a matter of doing it yourself or getting someone else to do the work for you.
Nowadays with the internet and social media it is much easier to get your information out into the world. It isn't like back in the old days where communication wasn't instant. Instead of real estate agents having all of the resources that you need, all of those resources are now at your fingertips. It is much easier to get your information out in the big wide world of real estate, and it is completely possible on your own.
Real estate agents can't do everything. There are some things that need to be handled by professionals with different credentials, and it is simply a fact of life. When you hire a real estate agent, they can refer you in the direction of the people whose services you need, and if you give them a big enough check they might even do it for you. But cutting out the middle man can save you thousands of dollars. Although real estate agents might have more knowledge of the housing market than the Average Joe, they do not have the credentials that say an appraiser or a real estate lawyer would have. In some states both of these are necessary when it comes time to buy and/or sell a home.
You are capable of doing everything that a real estate agent can do. They can get their license in under two weeks, and after those two weeks they can help you sell one of your most precious items. Who better to sell your home than you? You know the ins and outs of it, you know what works and what doesn't work, and you know it more than anyone else. A real estate agent will come in and facilitate the selling of your home and tell you what needs to be hidden when you have potential buyers coming to see the house, but why pay thousands for a middle man? In a time where everything in the world is at your fingertips, it might be worth the time and effort to sell your house on your own. Not to mention that extra commission going straight into your pocket isn't such a bad thing either.