Sell house without agent
Logo3 small


Selling a home is no easy feat, yet those who plan to DIY the sale are thinking primarily about the big bucks they could save in the process. But do the savings measure up when compared to the extra work you’ll have to put in?

Today, we’re looking at the tempting proposition of selling your home without an agent and if it can indeed work for you.

Benefits of Selling Your Own Home


1. You can save money

The potential savings you retrieve from the sale is no doubt a major motivator but just how much are we talking? Well, in Malaysia the going rate for agency commission is 2% to 3% of the home’s sale price which can be a really big number if your home has a fat price tag – what’s 3% of RM500, 000 again? That’s right, RM15, 000!

Plus, if your agent is liable to pay the GST (unless independent, most agents are) then you can go ahead and tack on 6% of the total commission payable. Now if you sold the home yourself, these expenses would become your savings.


2. You can wait for a better offer

Depending on your personal circumstances, it may not cost you anything to hold the sale, but to agents that are less dedicated to your needs; a quick commission may be all that matters before they move on to the next sale. Some may have targets to meet and thus the prospect of incurring more time, effort and money to service your sale becomes less attractive with each passing day. The owner however, may have the luxury of holding out for a better buyer.

Note that even if you hire an agent, it is still your prerogative to wait on a sale!


3. You can offer valuable property insight

A potential buyer may pose one hundred-and-one questions about the home and while you have probably debriefed your agent about its condition, it’s unlikely you have covered all areas.

As the owner, you are better equipped to advice and perhaps even convince the buyer to make the purchase. In addition, you could also help provide ancillary information regarding neighbours, safety and the like.


The Downsides of Selling Your Home without an Agent


1. It is time-consuming

It might actually be just as time-consuming as a full-time job, and you can bet that most real estate agents will attest that it actually is a full-time job! Of course most agents manage more than one property for sale or rent at a time but still, if you work 9-to-5 or are a homemaker, pay heed to the extra hours you will no doubt expend.

Moreover, depending on your job, the ability to show your house to potential buyers at their convenience may not be amenable to you if flexibility is an issue. This could lead to you missing out on meeting with qualified buyers.


2. You have to deal with buyers appropriately

People skills are also important; if you’ve house-hunted before and went through an agent, it’s quite likely that the experience of dealing one-on-one mattered somewhat to your decision.

Did the agent appear trustworthy and hardworking or would you have to do all the chasing? Well, you can expect that potential buyers will put you through similar scrutiny and it might affect their decision to purchase if you aren’t so much a “people-person”.


3. You could miss out on an agent’s resources

While it may seem like an easy job, being a good real estate agent is anything but. You’ll need to be familiar with appropriate property knowledge, the selling process and be conscious of locational factors. On the flipside, a lack of experience and resources could see you fall prey to scammers and unqualified buyers that lead to time wasted and perhaps even money lost.

Furthermore, if you need to sell your home urgently, remember that ‘veteran’ agents will most likely have a good pool of clients and leads. Whereas you may take a little more time to find potential buyers.


Now that you have an idea of what an independent sale will entail, check out these tips to help you get started:


1. Research surrounding property prices
and do not deduct the supposed agency commission. Some make the mistake of pricing their home a little lower to account for this perceived expense but it isn’t necessary as the sale price indicates what buyers are willing to pay, not how much the seller will profit.

You can also have your house professionally valued to account for approved renovations or specific conditions of your home. Note that the Scale of Fees for valuation is prescribed by the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents of Malaysia.


2. Advertise and spread the word. There are a number of avenues and you don’t have to settle for just one option, mix and match these suggestions to get maximum marketing value.

Place a signboard or two in the vicinity of the property Ask friends and relatives to help you (word of mouth) Use social media pages Take out a newspaper ad Post on online marketplaces or property portals

Important note: Practice caution when meeting with potential buyers who are also strangers. Do request identification prior to your scheduled viewing and avoid showing the property alone; if you must, do inform your immediate neighbours.


3. Get a lawyer because while you can play agent, a legal eagle is an indispensable part of the equation. Some lawyers are real estate specialists that can advise you beyond standard issues of contracts and processes to that of taxes and titles; they could even help conduct research on your potential buyer.


4. Set a cut-off date and determine the next course of action if after a reasonable amount of time (on average three to six months), you find yourself without decent offers being made. You can either continue to hold out if you are in no rush to make the sale, or look for a really good agent to takeover.

It goes without saying that the person you choose for the job needs to be the best of the best. Check out our property agents’ page now to get familiar with some of the most hardworking guys (and gals) in the biz. Moreover, our agents are privy to the large number of realty queries that PropSocial receives every day. These queries generate strong leads for the agents signed up with us and this means that your home has an even better chance of getting sold quickly.


It’s obvious that while it seems like a good idea to sell your own home and reap the ‘commissions’ for yourself, it is not a realistic option to all. Especially if you require your home to be sold urgently or simply do not have the time and energy needed to take on such responsibility.

Nevertheless, your potential savings can be immense and that alone makes this endeavour one worthy of serious consideration!


(Written by: Desiree Nair, 24 February 2016)

SHARE THIS TOPIC

Chinese ad 4621 326x150 01

V  9b59b6 small

If you sell the property on your own and do the viewing yourself, you may face the risk of being robbed or kidnapped.

It may also be very time consuming as a buyer may want to view the property a few times before making a decision. To coordinate a mutually suitable viewing time is not so straight forward though.

Kate chew small

@vince2602, I totally agree with you. That is why until today owners still prefer to appoint agent so that they don't have to deal with all these hassle. And they don't mind paying commission to take that hassle away. 

But there are also owners who perhaps are very free (such as retiree) and don't really want to pay commission to agent, would rather do it themselves. But only minority owners are like that, I guess.

Mtxx 20220221174543 mr1650848230340 small

in market there are very little of such owner who don't want to appoint an agent and do these all by themself. At last it will have to take the risk their own and i experienced it from a case of my owner at last she seek for help when the deal going half way...

Kith   kin   freeman woo   kith and kin   photo by all is amazing small

Pay abit professional fee but save you a lot of time. Depend which you think more important.

P  2c3e50 small

If u have a lot of time and have the required knowledge, then u can sell it yourself

L  27ae60 small

Don't forget the role of Agent as a stakeholder..

James bond craig junio2006 small

I can't be bothered posting up ads, taking people around to view my house and the risk of getting rob. It's quite time consuming too. I rather pay a fee to agents to get all these done.

K  2c3e50 small

there are good agents and there are lousy agents. The good ones, you are more than happy to pay, maybe even with bonus for great job done. The louusy ones, you really want to scratch their car kaw kaw for wasting your time, poor service, and not knowing what to do. Appoint an agent, for sure, but make sure it's a reputable agency and quality agent.

Pic small

Nowadays, there are buyers that just enjoy joy ridding on viewing one property after another. 

I have instances whereby I had showed more than 3 property in different location to this young couple buyer, and yet they are telling you "let me think about it, but do you have more listing on your hand to show me" 

For my situation and case... I just told them straight off, "until you make up your mind on what is your requirement, I do have other more important appointment to attend to, thank-you so much for your time and wishes you a nice day ahead" 

Then walk slowly and nicely into my car then drive off. 

K  2c3e50 small

true. Many times, buyers do not know what they are looking for or what price range they may be comfortable with or even qualify for in terms of loan. In such cases, it pays to take time to go through with them to narrow down what they are seeking with some good questions. Saves everybody time and resources.

Property pentagon 2.fw small

Selling your own property 
With agent:
Time saving
Extra cost
Filter qualified buyers
Suggestion and profit enhancement 
Well udnerstanding about compitators

Without agent:
Time consuming
Cost saving
Affect daily routine
Buyer mostly, friends, family
Scams and risky
not knowing what happening in the market

Img thing small

For me, I definitely can't be bothered to deal with all these. If I want to sell my house, I just want to get it over with. Won't risk my safety going around to show house myself and running up and down. I rather pay a fee to agent to handle everything for me. Of course, provided the agent I appoint is a responsible one la.

Pic small

@veron 

Hi Veronica, how i wish all the seller/owner are like you, i have cases when done deal, the seller refuse to honor agency fee...

Kate chew small

@kate_chew, luckily all my owners are regular ones and they won't do such thing. I pity agents who do all these hard work and owners just take advantage just to save some $$$.

Signature 28 logo  custom  small

Is there currently a regulation for Property REN to collect agent fee and the amount of commission?

20160726 113400 1 small

Hye, I'am here to share everything about property

Own dp small

Truly agree. But sometimes there's some hustle to be done. Following up and making sure everything is very important. 

20160726 113400 1 small

selling your home without register agent is very risky & hustle, the owner sometime not really understand registered agent & broker...the goverment should implement rules & regulation like Spore, whoever wanna sell their house must be through real estate agent..

20160726 113400 1 small

  Is there currently a regulation for Property REN to collect agent fee and the amount of commission?

Collect from who?  

14915298 10157853067270724 5904050550377327193 n small

Answering to Dato Mohd Zulkifli, Please make sure the Real Estate Negotiator you deal with is a REN Tag registered holder. You may even check their validity at www.lppeh.gov.my . Every REN is Registered with The Board of Valuers, Appraisers & Estate Agents Malaysia. And the amount of chargeable service fees is not more than 3% of the total transacted price.  and the service fees is chargeable to the Landlord/Owner of the said property.

Signature 28 logo  custom  small

Good information everyone.

May i know what is the difference between registered agents and brokers?

20160726 113400 1 small

Answering to Dominic Ng,

Registered Agent is legal binding attach with MIEA & LPPEH which is with REN Tag & REN No. anything misconduct with REN they can reported to MIEA & LPPEH.

Brokers, is not registered with MIEA & LPPEH & no legal binding attach.


14915298 10157853067270724 5904050550377327193 n small

Answering to Dominic Ng,

A registered Real Estate Negotiator is attached with a Licensed Estate Firm and are bound by the legal conduct of the profession. Whereas a Broker is not attached with a registered firm and thus not allowed to collect deposit from any individual. There will be greater risk involved if one were to deal with a broker as it involved money.

Not only you can report to MIEA & LPPEH if an agent practice misconduct you may also make claim with the company the agent attached to, if you have placed whatever deposit as it's compulsory for an agency to purchased Indemnity Insurance Cover. 

James bond craig junio2006 small

Just curious, what's the different between a registered REN and an illegal broker if both of them commit a certain crime or scam or cheat? Doesn't necessarily mean a registered REN won't commit any misconduct, isn't it?

James bond craig junio2006 small

Oh and just to clarify, I am NOT an agent :P  Just a property buyer.

My photo 3 small

If a registered REN committed crime, you may report to MIEA and he or she will permanently black listed in the property industry and also will get legal action while illegal broker will continue his or her cheating with different characters and cannot be traced.

20160726 113400 1 small

  Just curious, what's the different between a registered REN and an illegal broker if both of them commit a certain crime or scam or cheat? Doesn't necessarily mean a registered REN won't commit any misconduct, isn't it?

James Bob,

for reg REN, if commit crime/misconduct in dealing with owner/purchaser they will easily traced, bcos for reg REN all docs related to owner/purchaser came from Register Estate Agency & also from TAG they wearing.

If Illegal broker commit crime/cheating is very hard to traced, no documentation involved in buy/selling property, no TAG.

moral of the story, we must teach people (owner/purchaser) is avoid from using Illegal Broker to Buy/Selling Properties.   


Img 5409 small

if agents can help to sell the unit with better price and reach more potential buyer, why not? 

20160726 113400 1 small

Nic Ngoi,

Agree with your statement..


Kith   kin   freeman woo   kith and kin   photo by all is amazing small

If your time is more precious why you want to safe the small money. 

Signature 28 logo  custom  small

Time is money... As the saying goes: "Don't be Penny Wise, but Pound Foolish"

K  8e44ad small

agreed Nic Ngoi,

Agree with your statement..

W  34495e small

Agree with Nic Ngoi's last statement. Unfortunately, i experienced idiot agents who help buyers to buy property.


Signature 28 logo  custom  small

Agents should not only focus on their commission and let go of all responsibilities once they receive their share of the sales... "Pre Sales and After Sales Service" is important similarly important!


Img 5409 small

May I know the commission rate for property sold is 2 percent or 3 percent?

W  34495e small

Depends. Some Vivahome agent demands 3% at 10-15% below seller's price. Others might go for 2% at 5-10% below seller's price. If able to sell above seller's price, renegotiate. Which was impossible. 


W  34495e small

Let's put it in a scenario. You're an employer and one of your Sales staff sold your product below your price to buyer and demands standard commission. Would you still give out commission to the staff? Would be lucky if not terminated immediately.


James bond craig junio2006 small

Dato Mohd Zulkifli & Ron Tan, thanks a lot for the clarification :)  So far, I haven't really had such bad experiences with crime being involved with any agents I dealt with....YET. Hopefully I won't :)

My photo 3 small

Penang only 1% from seller and 1% from buyer.

Signature 28 logo  custom  small

Can i say the market typical commission is 2% for the agent? regardless seller or buyer bear?

Who will bear the legal cost and stamp duty etc etc

307988 277857705557864 1942731477 n small

Legal fees shall be bear by the party who appointed the lawyer. You have the seller lawyer and the buyer lawyer. Though some seller may opt to be unrepresented (this is not encouraged, as the lawyer is appointed to protect the interest of the parties, it's their duty)

For stamp duty, seems the stamp duty paid is to register the interest of the buyer into the property, it is quite clear that the buyer shall pay it. 

Buyers have to bear the commission meh? The product is provided by the owner, the agent sells it, so even though the buyer pays for it, the seller shall bear the agent commission. 

James bond craig junio2006 small

Yup, Lee Shun Zhong is right. In Malaysia, owners bare the commission no matter what situation, not buyer, not tenant.

Screenshot 2015 11 02 16 23 24 small

@imronaldsooThis incident happened to me too, but not because of agency fees but property prices .... landlord suddenly change from low to high price after the buyer agrees to buy the property. Due to this, I will make sure the landlord agrees to sign the exclusive form and record an agreed price before advertise and bring buyers to see the property

Signature 28 logo  custom  small

I really believe a good property at an attractive location will be able to sell itself... no need to promote much, let alone engage agents...

Owner need to take the initiative to self promote their property... I still think the owner should engage a trusted property lawyer for the paperwork though.

Img 5409 small

@domng agent will come with wider network and customer base.

if hot area and owner got no rush to sell, then can find customer slowly

Signature 28 logo  custom  small

@6011_3531_5354 

Agree agents will have more experience to negotiate will all sorts of people...

Not to mention the extra hassle if deal directly with potential buyer...

Some owners want to be as low profile as possible.

C  d35400 small

@Dato_zulkifli i hope this is true. I am a property salesperson in Singapore.  28% owners sell their flat without engaging a property agent. The number is fast increasing. I see the same trend for malaysia too. Be prepared for the disruption.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/faster-resale-transactions-on-revamped-hdb-portal


Own dp small

Pros and cons for both side. Area and the popularity of the property that makes it easier to sell off by ownself without engaging agent, will still be a bit time consuming, from my POV.

Rs9 small

Reasons why agents plays an important role in any transaction is for the benefits of both parties - the vendor and the purchaser. In most transactions both parties does not know each other's background and being human the feeling of uncertainties especially when it involves a high amount of deposit is a norm. Real estate agencies are the stakeholder for all the earnest deposits paid by the purchaser. This is also to ensure that both parties are serious in concluding the transaction as well as ensuring the process follows the standard time frame.Agents will ensure the price offered will be within the market value and will also filter the potential purchasers on their financial background. If this is not done, time,effort and money will be wasted for all parties. Always remember that agents are there to ensure both parties are protected and transaction done smoothly. Yes, at a fee but as what has been stipulated by BOVEAP. Anyhow, its always your choice or to sell it yourself or to appoint a registered agent as your representative. We are always here to assist.

Img 6323 small

@rslan Agreed with what you said! 

Rs9 small

@windzneom thank you.


Signature 28 logo  custom  small

@rslan 

Well said... for total peace of mind, engaging an agent to sell your property is totally worth it.

65648440 2406793556070448 9165628430648082432 o small

@admin_ps great sharing. Inspiring!