Has anyone used Help-U-Sell or Assist-2-Sell to SELL their home? What did you think? How much money do you think you saved? Is is better to go with a "real" realtor?
When I was still married my then husband and I used Assist-2-sell to sell our home. I thought they did a very good job. Took a lot of pictures that were posted on their website and also listed in the MLS. Our home sold in less than 2 months if memory serves me correctly. We paid 3.25% which I thought was very good. Most realtor's charge 5 - 6%.
Good luck!
I've never used the self-sell products, but I can tell you that a realtor has the knowledge of rules and regulations as well as laws, ect. They have to take continuing training every couple of years, so they keep up with everything as it changes. The know what things the sellers have to disclose and all that type of stuff.
Of course, I may be biaed as my dad is a realtor.
The problem with the discount seller option is that other Realtors tend to avoid showing these kinds of listings. They know that they will end up doing more work and maybe for less money. The advantage of having a "real" Realtor is that they can offer a lot more advice on unusual things than the discount places. They are also bound by law to work for your best interest. They have a legal responsibility to give you enough information to protect yourself from harm. If something goes wrong with a contract or if the agent helping the buyer doesn't qualify them it can be a nightmare to work through. On the other hand, if nothing goes wrong, it seems like a lot of money that you could have pocketed. The trouble with that scenario is that sometimes buyers know that you are not paying the usual rate and offer less accordingly.
I have held real estate licenses in two states. I am more knowledgeable than the average homeowner and have bought or sold 7 different houses. If I needed to sell again, I would still hire a Realtor.
We just sold our house with Home Avenue (similar to Help-U-Sell and Assist-2-Sell) and would do it again. We met with them and they gave us the papers to fill out, etc. We did photos of the house and sent them to them, they put all the info on the MLS. I received all phone calls from realtors to schedule showings. It was pretty easy. We paid about $700 and saved about $7000 ($6300 actual savings). We were on the market for 5 weeks and did about 20-25 showings. My brother is a real estate attorney so he is helping w/ closing, otherwise we'd probably hire someone for that. It isn't a requirement, however. BEST WISHES to you - selling a home with little ones (and dogs too!) is quite a job!
