I get it. I totally understand wanting to try and sell your home on your own and save some money.

I do some things on my own and don't hire a professional (when I can), in order to save some money. Sometimes I do it as good or better than someone I could've hired. Sometimes I struggle and get it done OK enough. And sometimes, I get into the middle of it and end up hiring someone anyway.

In the course of trying to sell your home on your own, you'll find many agents will try and convince you that you can't possibly succeed or that you're going to make costly mistakes. Or otherwise, try and scare you. Or trick you into working with them.

I want to help you give selling on your own the best try possible.

And, if you give it your best shot, and you still don't have any luck, sure, I hope it leads to doing business with you. But, I want to have earned that opportunity and give you a preview that I really know my trade.

But for now, I wish you luck on selling your home on your own! And I truly hope this gives you some in-between-the-lines insight you're not going to find anywhere else.

Also, if you have any questions during the course of trying to sell your house on your own, or about the information in this entry, please feel free to reach out to me! You can find all my contact information above and below.

OK, onto the 10 tips...

1. Networking - It's everything. The old ways are sometimes the best ways. Spread the word early can help build interest in your upcoming listing. Do not have a silent listing.

2. Staging - This is critical in this HGTV/Pinterest world we now live in. Some real estate agents will claim that spending the time to stage a home is a waste of resources and time. Our data at BRIX Real Estate reveals that the opposite to be true. On average, a well-staged home will sell for at least 3% more while simultaneously reducing its days on market by over 30%.

3. Professional Photos - Photography is the face of your listing. Good photography will increase the number of showings, which ultimately effects the final sale price.

4. Zillow Coming Soon - Not only does adding your home to Zillow Coming soon help build up interest in your listing, it's also a wonderful place to test how higher price points would be received by the market.

5. Be a true FSBO - If you know anything about real estate, you're probably aware that you can now get on the local "MLS" even if you're selling on your own.

This wasn't always the case. That privilege used to be only available to licensed real estate agents who were hired to sell a client's house.

However, now there are companies, essentially licensed agents, who will list your home on the local MLS for a much smaller "flat fee," lower than the percentage commission would be. It varies, but let's say it'll cost you a few hundred dollars to do so.

That might sound super appealing to a homeowner. All that exposure at a lower cost.

But there are problems with doing this that many homeowners don't think about before they do so.

Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't list your home on the MLS when you're selling your home on your own.

You're going to have to offer a buyer's agent a commission. While legally there is no "normal" or expected commission percentage, you need to know what other listings are offering to buyer's agents. And, it would make sense to be competitive. So, find out what that would be in your area. You will likely find it to be somewhere between 2.5% to 3%. You're going to have to be willing to deal with buyers who are working with a buyer's agent. Regardless of how smart you are, or how good of a negotiator you are, you're putting yourself in the position of having to deal with someone who knows a lot about selling real estate. This could cost you, without you ever even realizing it. It's essentially like walking into court and representing yourself when your opponent has a skilled attorney. Your house will have a digital record. As soon as you list on the MLS, your house will be recorded as having been on the market. It will show how long it was on the market. It will show how many times that you list it and relist it. Doesn't sound that bad maybe, but buyers and agents look at this information, and it affects how buyers and agents perceive your home.

If you're truly trying to sell your house on your own, then you should really consider staying away from the MLS.

So, yes, it’s appealing to list their home on the MLS for one of those reduced fees, limited-service listings.

But the minute you do that, you're getting entirely away from the whole concept of selling on their own...to save as much money and make as much money as possible.

And, there are plenty of people who will get in your ear trying to convince you that you should list your house on the MLS. Maybe you should? At some point. But not while you are for sale by owner.

Stay true to your intentions. Give it the best effort and try all you can. And if it doesn’t work out in a reasonable amount of time, sure, then list it on the MLS. When and if you do (list on the MLS) list it with a real estate agent who will truly represent you and your interests. Not someone who’s basically a floating salesperson in a mall trying to peddle some wares. Rather, an agent who’s more like the head of security in your store, making sure nobody takes anything they shouldn’t from you.

There shouldn’t be any middle ground. Sell your house on your own, and keep agents out of it entirely by staying away from the MLS. Or, get yourself into the store within the mall, and hire someone to protect your interests. Otherwise, you’re just asking to lose something of value along the way.

6. Auxiliary Marketing - While the MLS is still the primary driver of home discovery, buyers can be targeted through additional auxiliary marketplaces, including Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, Homespotter, and others. Don't underestimate these options.

7. Open House - As I said above, the old ways are sometimes the best way. Hosting an Open House is still a tried and true method. In fact, the data shows that 10% of all sales can be traced back to an open house.

8. Lifestyle Videos - Telling the story of your home can be a compelling and unique way to generate interest in your home. While it's not right for every property, it's a nice tool to have at ready.

9. Don't overprice. ... get it right. A home will usually sell within a plus or minus five percent range of an appropriately evaluated home (see “What is My Home Worth?”, pg. 17 of Smart Home Seller). This we call the “Market Value Range,” as not every buyer will be willing to pay the exact same price. Usually a majority of them will be close to the asking price. Surpassing the market value range when pricing your home will usually cause a multitude of problems. Such as:

1. Buyers look at your home’s location and the square footage. They think it is overpriced and decide against seeing the house.

2. The lower showing activity means the home will spend more time on the market in comparison to other homes.

3. The additional days on market have buyers wonder what is wrong with it.

4. The more time on market you spend, even if you followed our advice on “timing the market”, pg. 22 of Smart Home Seller), the more The Dangers of Overpricing likely it is that you may end up passing those best times of opportunity.

You got it: all of that adds up to you receiving less for your listing. Maybe you’re thinking you’ll try the higher price for a little bit and then drop it back down, just to see what happens.

Here’s the problem: once buyers think there is something wrong with the house (due to the high days on market), they will pay even less for it than one that was priced correctly at the beginning. If you want to play with pricing, try “pre listing” either on the MLS or other sites that offer that option. The best time to do this is while you are getting your home market-ready (see “What is Market Ready”, pg. 26 of Smart Home Seller). This will let you see what potential interest there is in your home without the pressure of showings or accumulating days on market.

10. Be completely honest in your disclosures - It doesn't matter how you sell a home. Be honest or risk legal ramifications for not sharing the full truth.

If you would like a copy of my free guide, The Ultimate Guide To Selling Your Home On Your Own ...while avoiding all the common pitfalls...please simply send me an email or text so I can send you a copy. No strings attached. I just need your email so I can get a copy to you.

To search for a new home or find out the price of your current home, come check out my main website at www.iheartmplshomes.com