5 Benefits of Selling Your House Without a Realtor (And 5 Huge Risks)

Homeowners always hope to sell their property at the highest possible price. After all, your house is likely your largest asset, which makes it important to squeeze the most value out of the sale.

If you hire a real estate agent, they will get a cut of the profits, lowering your haul. Selling without a real estate agent might net you some extra cash. But you could face more hassles, and the financial upside might not be as great as you hoped.

Here are some pros and cons of selling your home without a real estate agent. Reading through this list can help you discover whether skipping the agent is one of the smart homeowner moves — or a foolish mistake.

The main appeal of selling your home without a real estate agent is that you might save money. When you work with an agent, they will take a cut of the sale transaction.

Although the cost varies, homeowners can expect to pay thousands of dollars to their real estate agent at the end of the sale process.

If you sell the house without any help, you could save money.

If the goal of selling a home on your own is to save money, beware: It's possible you could actually lose money in the process.

Real estate agents have specialized knowledge about the housing market that the average homeowner might not possess. Your ignorance of the finer points when selling a home could lead to a lower sales price.

For example, suggesting the most appropriate list price and showcasing your home in the best possible light are two of the special skills a competent real estate agent brings to the table.

If you price your home too low or fail to entice buyers because you highlighted the wrong features, you could be leaving money on the table.

If you prefer to stay in complete control of the home sale process, skipping the agent allows you to do so.

Homeowners comfortable diving into stacks of paperwork and scheduling showings with potential buyers might enjoy planning and executing the process from start to finish.

When you commit to selling your home without a real estate agent, be prepared to devote a significant amount of time to the effort.

For starters, you will need to get familiar with the real estate market and practices in your area. Additionally, you must find potential buyers and show the home to them.

When a buyer makes an offer, you will need to handle everything right up to the final sale. All of these tasks can take a lot of time.

If you want to attract buyers quickly, you could opt to price your home a bit lower. Although a real estate agent might caution against pricing the home too low, it could lead to a quick sale if that's your top priority.

Also, you might be more comfortable pricing your home a bit lower if you know you won't have to pay fees to a real estate agent.

Many prospective homebuyers choose to work with a buyer's agent. Some real estate professionals view "for sale by owner" (FSBO) listings as a difficult prospect, which means they might choose to show their clients other homes and avoid working with you.

If buyer's agents are reluctant to work with you, you could have trouble finding the right buyer for your house. Not only will this snag potentially slow the process down, but it might force you to lower the sales price to attract a buyer.

If you happen to be a good negotiator, you can potentially lock in a higher sales price than a real estate agent would.

As the seller and the homeowner, you have firsthand knowledge about the details and value of the home. You can use this background to potentially persuade a buyer to pay more.

For buyers who lack negotiation skills, outsourcing this critical part of the process might be the right move.

A real estate transaction can be complex. Remember, this is a legal transaction with a lengthy list of rules to follow and documentation to comb through.

If you aren't familiar with real estate laws, it's possible that you could get in over your head quickly.

Even if you make it through the transaction, you could leave yourself open to future litigation if you don't follow all of the rules. 

For example, if your state requires you to disclose a previous roof leak and you forget to file that document, the buyer could sue if it becomes an issue in the future.

A competent real estate agent can help you avoid these potentially thorny issues.

If you want a speedy sale, it's often possible to finalize the transaction sooner without a real estate agent. That is especially true if you choose to sell to a cash buyer for a below-market price.

If you can afford to wait for a higher price, this might not be much of an advantage to you, however.

Before selecting the list price for your home, a real estate agent will almost certainly look at the prices of similar properties in the area, sometimes called "comps."

If you opt to go without a real estate agent, you might not have complete access to the value of comps in your area. Without this critical information, you could end up overpricing or underpricing your home.

When selling your home, opting to move forward without a real estate agent might seem like a simple way to eliminate money stress in the form of paying fees to the agent. But this is not a simple decision to make.

Weigh the pros and cons of going without an agent before you determine which course of action is best for your unique situation.