When buying, selling or renting a residential property, the decision to either hire a property agent or DIY (do-it-yourself) is often the first hurdle of many big life decisions you’ll have to make when crossing the threshold of home ownership.
So, how exactly do you go about making this decision?
1. DIY
The real estate scene has evolved from what it once was due to the internet’s advancements, where it has now changed the way homes are bought, sold and leased out. Consumers such as yourself are able to use the internet as a tool to search for available listings that can be filtered to your specifications on various home property websites like Ohmyhome. You’re also now able to directly list and market your property on those platforms and communicate personally with potential buyers and tenants beforehand to clarify any questions before a physical viewing. So, deciding to DIY your property journey won’t be too hard, even if it’s your first time.
However, by deciding to DIY you now have several more responsibilities on top of the usual property fix ups that are expected of sellers and landlords, such as getting the plumbing to work right, servicing the air conditioners and giving the property a paint job. Now that you’re also your own realtor, you’ll have to take photos of your property’s exterior and interior and upload them to the property website. You then have to fill in the details of the property, such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the size of the lot, among other things. Schedule viewings will also fall onto you, as well as conducting said viewings to potential buyers and tenants. This could be an overwhelming endeavour for those with busy lifestyles.
2. Property Agent
Hiring a professional property agent will be an extra expense, but doing so will surely save your sanity and allow you to enjoy the experience instead. Though buying, selling, and leasing out your property can be done by yourself and still have efficient and effective results, an agent is well-versed in property transactions to help the process go smoothly.
All those responsibilities of an agent no longer fall on you, now you are able to concentrate on what needs to get done to get the property sold and focus the rest of your energy on life. Sit back and don’t stress as you wait for your property agent to call you with good news.
Ask Yourself This
You’ve got to ask yourself at this point in the decision-making process if you truly understand the task and responsibilities that you will be taking on if you decide to DIY. Perhaps you’d be better off relinquishing some form of control to your property agent so that you won’t get worked up over having to reply to potential buyers and tenants on time or organise the viewing schedule.
You need to be honest with yourself and ask if you do have enough time in a day to allocate to these responsibilities. Will you be able to handle the responsibilities and tasks to execute them fast and efficiently? Are you going to be able to be hands-on and answer questions from potential buyers and tenants about your property?
If those questions are starting to make you feel as though you were applying for a job, that’s because becoming your own realtor is a job. If you answered no to any of those questions you should seriously consider hiring a property agent. If you answered yes, then consider joining our community of savvy DIY users.
What Are Your Property Needs?
Buying and selling a property will require different amounts of energy and time due to the variance in requirements and tasks. The same can be said for leasing out a property and renting one. This is why one answer to the question of DIY or hire a realtor won’t work for everyone.
You might be able to make time to lease out your property as there are few things to do in comparison to selling it. By understanding your property needs you’ll be able to answer those questions asked earlier on and come to a decision.
Whatever you decide, be it DIY or engaging an agent or both, you can be confident that you’ve thought the whole decision through and that you can always count on Ohmyhome to meet your property needs.
With Ohmyhome’s trusted agent services, we are able to help you buy, sell, rent and lease out properties according to your needs and requirements. As part of the Ohmyhome ecosystem, not only would you have the support of an individual agent, but the company as a whole.
