If you’re considering selling your house or investment property in Birmingham without involving a real estate agent, we’re here to help.
While we do work alongside brokers when needed, there are times when it makes sense to skip the middleman entirely. Avoiding the typical 5-6% commission on a sale can save you a substantial amount. In some cases, brokers and real estate agents in Alabama bring valuable expertise to the table and truly earn their commission—but that’s not always necessary.
How Do I Sell My House Without An Agent in Birmingham?
There are several ways to avoid paying high commissions when selling your property in Alabama.
First, it’s important to understand a common practice in the area. In most sales in Birmingham, about half of the commission you, as the seller, pay goes toward compensating the buyer’s broker.
Doesn’t make much sense, right?
Why should you cover the cost of the agent representing the buyer?
It may not seem logical, but it’s simply the norm in most transactions. However, you can use this practice to your advantage.
One way to do this is by factoring in the commission costs when reviewing comparable sales. If similar properties included commissions in their sale prices, be sure to take that into account when setting your own price.
Don’t underprice your property –Keep in mind that a savvy buyer might expect a discount as well. By handling the work of one agent, you should be able to save that portion of the commission.
In Birmingham, some unrepresented buyers may not realize they could negotiate the buyer’s side commission out of the sale price. If you’d prefer not to pay it, there’s no need to remind them. However, be prepared in case this becomes a point of negotiation.
Consider offering a 2.5% commission to buyer’s agents who bring clients to view your property. While this is a considerable expense, if you’ve priced your property with this commission in mind, you can negotiate a better deal with buyers who come without an agent.
On the flip side, excluding the buyer’s agent commission could limit your property’s exposure to most buyers in the Birmingham market.
Over 90% of transactions happen through the MLS – The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the central database that brokers across Birmingham use to find current listings for houses, condos, land, and investment properties, as well as to see data on recently sold properties.
In the past, listing your property on the MLS required paying a full commission. But now, in Birmingham, some brokers offer the option to list your property on the MLS for a flat fee. For a few hundred dollars, you can get your property on the MLS and only pay a commission if the sale actually closes.
Compared to traditional newspaper ads, the MLS offers a cost-effective way to reach a large audience. Major real estate websites like Realtor.com, Zillow, and Yahoo Homes pull their listings from the MLS, so by listing your property in Birmingham on the MLS, it will likely appear on these popular sites within days.
Each of these sites also offers paid advertising packages, allowing you to enhance your listing, feature it prominently in search results, and add other options to attract buyers. While these upgrades can help boost visibility, it’s important to weigh whether they’ll effectively help sell your property.
Advertising is a gamble. Sometimes open houses in Birmingham Alabama can be a great way to sell a property, and sometimes they’re a waste of time. Same with newspaper ads, craigslist postings, fancy signs – sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t.
To effectively sell your property on your own, you have to market it well.
Putting up flyers and signs around your neighborhood can help generate interest, and there are also many free websites where you can post your property’s details. However, these efforts might not be enough if your property doesn’t align with what most home buyers are looking for.
Real estate agents often charge significant commissions because they invest a lot in advertising upfront. By marketing multiple properties simultaneously, they aim to attract more buyers—and ultimately profit by closing more sales.
Some properties may require thousands of dollars in advertising to reach the right buyer who will respond to the ad and make an offer.
If you want to avoid paying any commissions, you can also sell your house to investors like us for CASH
We offer fair prices for properties and can close quickly—often in as little as 3-5 days if needed.
Sometimes we buy houses in Birmingham, make necessary repairs, and rent them out; other times, we renovate and sell them to local buyers seeking a great home. We have many reasons for purchasing properties, but we especially enjoy connecting with sellers throughout Alabama.
As real estate investors with a genuine commitment to Birmingham, we make the process straightforward and efficient by closing quickly and paying cash. Call us today at (205) 844-3474 or fill out the short form over here.