Owners try out online alternative

http://www.senews.com.au/story/64837

By Charlene Gatt

7th October 2008

Going, going, gone ... Jenni Lans outside one of her properties in Albion that she is selling through the BuyMyPlace website. 23210 Picture: GLEN CAMPBELL

GOING ... going ... gone!

For most sellers, this triumphant cry is heard when their real estate agent has successfully sold their house.

Jenni Lans is taking matters into her own hands and will be selling her two properties herself – online.

Ms Lans is selling one property in Albion and one in West Footscray through Buy My Place.

The do-it-yourself house-selling site lets private vendors advertise their property online for six months for about $200.

Ms Lans uploaded her own photos of the two houses and wrote descriptions. She takes the phone calls, arranges inspections, and decides what offer to take.

"I thought, why should I pay somebody to do something that I could do myself?

"You control the whole process – there isn’t another party and you know what’s going on all the time."

St Albans vendor Dominic also liked the money-saving aspect of "sell yourself".

"If you’re not in a hurry to sell, it’s like putting a sign outside your house; no commission sounds good to me," he said.

"Lots of agents come and tell you one price, then another will tell you something different. This can’t be any worse than an agent and all the profits go to me."

Buy My Place CEO Peter Butters said the site, which went online three weeks ago, provided the necessary documents involved in selling a property and gave contacts for valuations and conveyancing services.

He said confidence levels online were pretty high.

"Looking at the trends in the US and Canada and Europe, the For Sale by Owner sites are growing really rapidly, so the trend worldwide is saying this is what people want to do."

But Jas H Stephens, senior sales consultant with Branko Lemaic, said real estate agents could extend their reach much further than a single vendor could.

"It’s always dangerous when you’re trying to do things yourself without the expertise and the negotiation. It’s a much more challenging job than simply putting your property up on the web and hoping someone falls out of the sky and buys it."