Published on : 26 April 20195 min reading time

According to these new real estate agents who charge their services at reduced fixed costs, selling their house without commission would inevitably lead to substantial savings. Proof of this is that an online simulator to assess potential savings is usually proposed. Compared with an average fee rate of 5% applied by agencies, the demonstration is clear and clear! For good measure, a counter showing the millions of euros they would have already allegedly saved their customers supports their argument! Beyond such a commercial argument, one can legitimately ask the following questions:

  • The non-use of an agency and consequently the absence of fees automatically make the good offered for sale a much cheaper?
  • If there is economy, for whom is it: the buyer and / or the seller?
  • Is the use of a professional only for costs? Or can it be conceived that it can also be a source of financial gain for a seller and / or a buyer?

Sell ​​your house without an agency and without Fees: Who are the Economies?

To understand how the price of a property is set and at what price it is likely to “go”, one must refer to the notion of market value.

In broad outline, here is what the market value refers to: a good finds its price according to the laws of the market. That is, according to the supply and demand for a given type of good, on a given sector, and at a moment “T”. It is this balance between supply and demand that determines the price of a good.

Selling Your House at the Best Price is First Finding the Right Buyer

We indicated above that the price of a good is essentially established through a balance between supply and demand. Which means indirectly that to sell at the most expensive, you have to give yourself the means to find the right buyer? That is, find the one who will be able to offer the best price for a given property!

However, it is a fact: a professional worthy of the name has in principle means greater than those of an individual to ensure the dissemination of advertising property:

  • Existing client file;
  • Internet real estate portals only open to professionals and having a large audience;
  • Gait operations.

We also know that a significant proportion of buyers prefer to go through a professional. Some studies announce up to 35 to 40% of buyers. These are all less opportunities for a seller from individual to particular find the good buyer likely to “put the price” for his good.

As for “low cost” solutions for transaction assistance, they clearly commit less financial resources and “man-hours” to the files processed. As the saying goes, you always get what you pay for…

In conclusion: whether or not assisted by a low-cost solution to help the transaction, an individual will generally find it more difficult to value his property at the right price. That is to say at the market price. Simply, because it will commit less resources and / or it will not have the expertise of the professional to find the right buyer.

Is an individual able to sell a good?

Behind this deliberately provocative title is a real question. Such an operation is of a considerable importance for both a seller and an acquirer.

An owner, even if he has already made several sales in his life, will never be as experienced as a professional who makes several a month. Being supported by a specialized transaction and / or notary support service may also be insufficient.

Certainly, everyone makes mistakes, including a professional. Except that the latter has insurance called CPR (Professional Civil Liability) mandatory! Such insurance simply makes it possible to compensate an owner and / or a purchaser for the consequences of an error or “oblivion”.

Real Estate Transaction: An Expertise More and More Pointed and Framed

A professional transactional trader is required to hold a professional card, the delivery of which is subject to certain obligations: continuous training of the negotiators, possession of a CPR insurance (for “Professional Civil Insurance”), obligation to be affiliated to an accredited mediator to whom the private individual will be able to make free use of litigation, etc.

The files are more and more technical from every point of view: legal, heritage, diagnostics, town planning, etc. To cope with this complexity and technicality, forcing professionals to train regularly is in itself an excellent thing.

On the other hand, on the sidelines of this, to let homeowners believe that they can sell their property without specific skills or protections is totally incoherent. Either the real estate transaction requires a high technicality that must be acquired to practice. Either it is limited to 3 snapshots, to an announcement and to some visits within the reach of all.