Is it possible to sell a property privately? Of course.
Is it possible to sell it without running into any particular problems? Yes.
Is it possible to make a good sale without a real strategy? Of course it is.
So why do most owners still decide to sell with the help of an estate agent?
I will answer this legitimate question starting from a few considerations about how the market really works.
A famous saying comes to mind:
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Starting from this aphorism, we can see that it is possible not only to sell a home privately, but also to organise a holiday in Tibet on your own, at the risk of freezing in the Himalayas; to follow a weight-loss diet and shed the extra pounds, perhaps endangering your health and risking putting twice as much back on; to repair your roof yourself; to fill in your tax return without the help of an accountant, or to take on a legal dispute without turning to a lawyer.
Each of these actions is physically possible, but involves a level of risk that not everyone is willing to take on.
The point, in fact, is not whether it is possible to sell a home without a professional.
The real question is whether it is possible to sell it well, achieving the best financial result, avoiding problems and reaching the deed of sale smoothly.
It is all a question of perspective. I try to look at the sale from the right one, analysing the typical problems an owner may encounter when deciding to put their home on the market on their own.
1. “STRANGERS”: ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE LETTING INTO YOUR HOME?
Not everyone who asks to view a home is really ready to buy it.
Some potential buyers would like to buy, but have not yet checked whether they can get a mortgage and, as a result, are not in a position to make a real commitment.
Others must first sell another home to obtain the funds needed for the new purchase.
Others still are thinking of buying in one, two or even three years’ time and, in the meantime, view properties while daydreaming about their future life.
All of these people could walk into your home. But would you be able to tell them apart from a buyer who is truly ready and motivated?
A professional estate agent should identify, interview and pre-qualify every interested party, checking their real needs, their timeframe, whether they need a mortgage and whether they have another property to sell.
The aim is not to stop people from viewing the home, but to avoid opening the door to just anyone and to devote time above all to those who have a concrete plan to buy.
2. WHEN THE BUYER DEALING WITH A PRIVATE SELLER THINKS THEY HAVE THE UPPER HAND IN THE NEGOTIATION
A potential buyer who views the home directly with the owner often does so not just because they do not want to pay a commission.
In many cases they believe that, without an intermediary, they will be able to negotiate the price more freely and aggressively.
The owner thinks they are saving on the commission, while the buyer thinks that the same saving should be passed on, at least in part, in the price of the home.
The risk, then, is that the financial advantage the owner imagined simply turns into a bigger discount demanded by the buyer.
Moreover, in a direct negotiation it can be difficult to maintain the necessary emotional detachment.
For the owner, that home often represents years of life, sacrifices, memories and investment. For the buyer, however, it is a property to be assessed also in terms of its flaws, the work required and the alternatives available on the market.
A remark about the kitchen, the bathroom or the general condition of the home may therefore be perceived by the owner as personal criticism, hardening the negotiation and making it more difficult to reach an agreement.
A professional intermediary also serves to keep the discussion on an economic and objective level, preventing emotions, misunderstandings or entrenched positions from jeopardising a possible sale.
3. YOUR HOME BECOMES A BENCHMARK FOR BUYING ANOTHER ONE
There are two main categories of potential buyers you may never see again.
The first is made up of people who will keep looking for a home forever, unable to make a decision for financial or personal reasons, or simply because they are not yet ready to buy.
The second, more interesting from a commercial point of view, is made up of people who are truly ready, but who will buy another property.
In this case, your home may simply have served as a benchmark.
By viewing your property, the potential buyer will have gained a better understanding of what they want, what compromises they are willing to accept and how much they are really prepared to spend.
They might then view another home handled by an intermediary who knows how to showcase it and compare it effectively with yours.
Your home could therefore increase the perceived value of the competing property and help the buyer choose that one.
It is not always the objectively best home that gets bought.
Very often, the one that gets bought is the one whose value has been presented, explained and perceived most effectively.
4. A POTENTIAL BUYER DEALING WITH A PRIVATE SELLER THINKS THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE INTERESTED AND FEELS NO SENSE OF URGENCY
When owners sell on their own, they generally arrange viewings one at a time, according to the availability of each interested party.
One person views the home today, another the following week and yet another several days later.
In this way, each potential buyer may feel that they are the only one genuinely interested in the property and, as a result, may take their time.
They will keep viewing other homes, put off the decision and, as the days go by, even their initial interest may fade.
An owner will rarely manage to concentrate all the viewings within a specific time window, coordinating the marketing, the screening of interested parties and the handling of offers.
An estate agent working with a precise strategy, on the other hand, can create the conditions for healthy competition among buyers and lead them to submit their best offer without pointless delays.
With my Open House method, I concentrate the marketing within a defined period, pre-screen interested parties and organise the viewings within a single time window.
This allows buyers to realise that they are not the only ones who have noticed the property and can create a natural sense of urgency.
The aim is not to put pressure on people, but to ensure that those who are genuinely interested make an informed decision at the right time.
In about 30% of the sales I have handled with my Open House method, competition among interested parties has allowed me to achieve a price higher than the one originally advertised.
5. LOSING A GENUINELY INTERESTED BUYER BECAUSE YOU LACK THE SALES SKILLS TO CLOSE THE DEAL
One of the most common mistakes made by owners selling on their own is believing that showing a home is enough to receive an offer.
In reality, when a buyer shows genuine interest, you need to be able to understand their doubts, respond to their objections, provide the necessary information and guide them towards a decision.
An owner might not recognise the signs of real interest or, on the contrary, might overestimate someone who is very enthusiastic during the viewing but not yet ready to make an offer.
Questions may also arise about the documentation, the systems, the condominium, the timing, the mortgage or any critical issues with the property.
Every doubt left unanswered can become a reason to postpone the decision or turn to another home.
A professional estate agent trains every day in handling objections and conducting negotiations.
This does not mean persuading someone to buy a home they do not want.
It means understanding what is stopping a genuinely interested buyer from making a decision, giving clear answers and removing the uncertainties that could hold up the deal.
Preparing the purchase offer, therefore, does not begin after the viewing, but long before it.
It begins with qualifying the buyer, knowing the property inside out, checking the documentation and preparing answers to the questions that may come up.
Is it really worth selling your home yourself?
The issues we have looked at are not all the problems a private property sale can bring, but only some of the most frequent.
Owners often decide to sell on their own thinking they will save money, time and commission.
However, they may end up spending months handling phone calls and viewings, accepting a bigger discount than expected, losing genuinely interested buyers or discovering documentation and contractual problems too late.
Selling your home yourself is certainly possible. But the fact that you managed to sell it does not automatically prove that you sold it well.
To understand whether a sale was really worthwhile, you need to assess the price achieved, the time taken, the costs incurred, the difficulties faced and how securely you reached the deed of sale.
An estate agent’s work should not be limited to publishing the listing and opening the door during viewings.
It should include a proper valuation of the property, checking the documentation, the marketing strategy, screening buyers, handling objections, negotiating and providing assistance right up to the signing of the notarial deed.
Before deciding whether to sell on your own or rely on a professional, don’t just ask yourself how much the agency might cost you.
Also ask yourself:
“How much could a badly handled sale cost me?”
Because the goal should not simply be to sell your home.
The goal should be to sell it on the best possible terms, defending the price and reaching the deed of sale without any surprises.