For Sale By Owner Testimonial

It will be one year in October since our first house sold. After the decision to put our house on the market, my husband and I decided we would take the “For Sale by Owner” route. This decision was made solely based on avoiding all the extra realtor fees that would be deducted in the final sale of our home (unless we struggled to sell it and then we would put it in a realtor’s hands). Within a day of posting our “For Sale by Owner” sign in our front yard, we were contacted by a realtor with a client interested in our house. To make a VERY long and complicated story short, we quickly went under contract with his client with a potential (seeming promising) closing date and moved completely OUT of our house and into my in-laws while we continued our search for a new house. After a month or so of the realtor dragging us along by delaying the closing date and even trying to convince us to let his client go ahead and move in and pay us rent up until we close, we ended up finding out through other resources that his client wasn’t eligible and was needing to build up her credit portfolio. He was basically dragging us along for however long it was going to take to build her credit (which could take a LONG time). This process was far from over. In order to legally terminate the contract, several legal documents needed to be signed by all parties involved. I had to research what documents were needed and get them signed. It was clear that the realtor saw us as an “easy target” since we were not being represented by an agent.

After this experience, it was a no-brainer that we were WAY over heads and needed to put our house into a realtor’s hands. We went with Sarah Keddie and the experience was the complete opposite compared to the first. We couldn’t haven’t asked for a smoother, precise process in the selling our home. She was professional and prompt on our questions and concerns. She created a lot of interest and appeal to our house, which ended up selling within a couple of months of being back on the market. Overall, she exceeded our expectations in representing us. As my husband and I reflected on both experiences, we agreed the realtor fees were worth every penny when it comes to keeping our sanity and stress level to a minimum. We also agreed that we will never attempt the For Sale by Owner route, nor advise it to anyone else (unless having a real estate background).

— Lyndsey & Eric Ludden | Woodford, Virginia | References Available Upon Request