Selling a house without an Estate Agent
Estate Agents can charge as much as 2% commission – so getting one to sell your house could leave you with a bill for four or five thousand euro. The more expensive the house – the bigger the fee (usually).
Do you really need an estate agent to sell a house?
Legally – no. The perception seems to be that you must employ the services of an estate agent to sell a house. Most people do it – and everyone just does the same. Once a buyer has been found – all the important technical legal work is taken care of by solicitors or conveyancers. The estate agent’s job is to find buyers – but in today’s world of online property websites is the old fashioned estate agent really needed?
If you want to reduce a bit of the hassle of selling a house and get someone else to take a few pictures and write some nice things about your house – and pay them at least €3000 euro – then by all means use an estate agent. But it is not beyond most people with a computer , a digital camera and a few hours to put their house up for sale in Ireland. Even when you use an agent – they are still (hopefully) going to be calling you to pass on offers etc and arrange viewings. You could easily do that yourself.
The internet is a powerful tool for house buyers – so being online is vital for anyone trying to sell a house. In larger towns and cities – there will be people looking around for properties for sale – and the usual “For Sale” signs will be another major source of attracting buyers.
There are a few websites in Ireland that cater for “For Sale By Owners”.
The biggest one I could find that deals exclusively with owners selling themselves is SellitYourSelf.ie . For just €195 Euro you can get your property listed online on their site and they also provide quality “For Sale” boards for you to put up outside. The feee of €195 is the only fee you pay – and the listing and photos remain on the site until the house is sold. You can also use their telephone helpline. See more details and register here
Daft.ie is probably the busiest property website in Ireland that allows owners to sell their own house. The majority of houses on the site are put on by estate agents – and there are thousands. For €195 euro you can join them.
Myhome.ie dont seem to take listings from individuals as far as I can see.
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