If you are lucky enough to own a home, you surely are aware of the fact that property is a major financial asset. If you have found yourself in the situation of selling that residence, maybe you don't have to rush to the first estate agency someone recommends to you. In the modern market situation everyone is free to try their own abilities and sell a residence by oneself. Owners selling their homes have become more common of late, and the advantages to the seller when working without an estate agent are driving this trend.

No commission paid to a real-estate agent
This is the single most considerable advantage of selling a residence by yourself. The commissions paid to the agent amount to 5 to 10 per cent of the selling price, and a quick calculation shows we're speaking about several thousands, which surely is a lot of money. So stop wondering why so many people are tempted to try selling by themselves. Just think about every better use you could find for this money instead of putting them in the pockets of an estate agents.  

Full control over the entire process
You are the single person in charge of the process. You don't have to explain to anybody why you accept or deny or hold an offer, why you decreased the price or why you didn't. You can choose not to sell the residence to people you find unpleasant, because, well because you can. In addition, you know that if someone does make a mistake, there is only one person responsible, and that's you, and not the estate agent.

Direct contact with the potential buyers
Don't underestimate the importance of direct contact. After all, it's your residence you are selling, and you can judge if a potential buyer liked it very much, and will stay at the asking price, or decrease it a little, knowing that person will take good care of the place. Plus you will speak to everyone interested, not only to those the agent selected in advance as "promising". If you have some experience with advertising and/or sales, your talent can shine and you can get a really good deal even with not-so-promising potential buyers. If you don't, on the other hand, you can always ask a friend or relative to negotiate for you.

Suitable visiting hours
You can arrange visiting times that suit your daily and weekly schedule, and not the schedule of the estate agent. This way you will always be prepared in advanced, not like when the agent fails to reach you and arranges a visiting at the last minute. And you will always be home during visiting. Lots of agents tend to set visiting appointments when the seller is not present, accidentally or on purpose.

Concentrate the attention on one sale only
Estate agents are always dealing with several sales at one time. This would not be the case with you selling your own house or flat. You will dedicate all your effort to getting the best price for it, and if you are persistent enough and do thorough research on the topic, you should be able to promote and sell your property better than anyone else.