Greg O wrote:

My cousin tried to sell a house a few years back on his own, got a few
bites, but nothing near what he was asking for it. He finally gave in and
hired a realtor to sell the home. The Realtor appraised the house at almost
1-1/2 times his original asking price. My cousin figured he was crazy, but
they went ahead on the deal. Two days later he got a call from the realtor
with an offer within a couple grand of the "new" asking price! Even after
paying the fees he was way money ahead!

1) a few years ago. Prices have gone up since then.

2) Realtor - while some people don't like them, a good one is
very valuable. They know the prices of what sold in the area, what
condition
they might have been in, know people looking for a house and can guide
you thru all of the paperwork. Our Realtor was
a joy to work worth and she deserved her 7%. She was scrubbing our
floors with my wife an hour before the realty tour! That was amazing.
She brought
in bids about 20 - 30% higher than asking. Wow!

3) Do-it-yourself homes are not listed on MLS. A lot of people use
the MLS online to guide them to homes.

MJ Wallace