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Selling your home privately with ComFree has many advantages. Quickly completing the sale of your house without paying enormous commissions is an obvious benefit. But a lesser known fact is that the absence of a real estate agent during inspections can actually make your home more secure.
Security of household goods is a major concern for vendors when open house inspections take place. Recently, media reports suggested criminals were targeting open homes and regarded them as soft targets.
According to the media report, criminals target open house inspections run by real estate agents who, in many cases, allow people to wander through homes unattended.
Chances are a real estate agent will not be watching to make sure that everything that belongs in the house is kept in the house.
People who sell their homes privately may be in a better position to keep their household valuables such jewellery when they open their doors to both genuine and phoney buyers.
ComFree is a commission-free real estate company for people who want to sell their home privately. It provides a service for a $899 one off cost, which includes services such as information on legal requirements, training, ongoing support and the provision of advertising materials. Under the ComFree model vendors manage their own inspection tours.
The head of ComFree NSW, Mark Farrugia, says that despite the fact real estate agents receive training the best person to guide potential buyers through a house was the owner.
"A real estate agents fee is based on commission and the commission is based on how many services the agent provides, one of which is guiding people through your home," he said.
"It's in real estate agent's interest to guide as many people through a home as possible no matter who they are and in many cases people just simply walk in off the street.
"No real estate agent can guarantee security to your home which is why they will often write a security clause into their contracts which absolves them from all legal action if your property is lost or stolen.
"By conducting your own house tours, you're not only avoiding the needless cost of a real estate agent fee, you will also be able to give people a more intimate account of the house and its benefits.
"But more importantly, you are able to control the number of people who come in and out of your house so that you can keep a close eye on potential buyers, and their behaviour"
Belrose resident Cheryl Judge said that she was considering selling her house privately but decided to use an agent because she thought it would be safer.
"Originally we wanted to sell privately because we wanted to save a commission on our sales; I felt that agents get paid too much for what they do," Mrs Judge said.
"In the end though, we decided to go with an agent because my husband wasn't comfortable with me showing people through the house myself.
"But knowing what I know now, I think from a security point of view it's probably safer to sell privately, and I am considering it in the future."
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