Why sell to an off market buyer?

[Alex Tobias]

(Not enough characters in title)

My real question is:

Why would a seller want to sell directly to a buyer than through a listing broker?

It's not like I don't have a clue about this, but I'm curious for others opinions. I mainly mean what benefit is the buyer bringing the seller? Cheers everyone!

[Nathan Gesner]

@Alex Tobias the primary reason they want to sell it on their own is to save the Broker fees. Others have had a bad experience with a REALTOR so they lump all of us in a box and refuse to work with any. Still others think they are smarter than the average bear and can sell their house better than anyone else.

Does it work? Sometimes. Most private sellers aren't familiar enough with the market to price the home correctly so they could be losing out. Most of them have no clue how to write contracts or protect themselves in a transaction. They don't know how to market it properly. You also have to keep in mind that the people buying FSBO are generally looking for a deal because they expect the Seller won't be as savvy as a REALTOR. You will get a lot of attention from unqualified buyers, people trying to take advantage of you, etc.

I hope that answered your question.