My husband and I went to a comedy show the other night, and the opening comedian was talking about how Home Depot has managed to “con” people into thinking that they can do home improvement projects on their own when really they shouldn’t do anything on their own. He said we are all crazy to think that just because we get some help at the store and watch a few YouTube videos, we should all remodel our own houses. He said, “You didn’t even buy your own house on your own, so what makes you think you can do work on it by yourself?”

I know why we try to do things on our own- it’s to save money. Rarely does it save us time, but it usually saves us money.  Why doesn’t it save us time? Think about it: Someone who does a certain task every day is going to have better equipment, more expertise, and more experience which allows them to do things in half the time.

Take my yard, for example. I always mow my yard. I used to mow yards in high school for a summer job, so I’m pretty good at it. My lines are straight, I change up the pattern each time, and I trim around all the trees and landscaping. All in all, my yard looks pretty good when I’m done. At least I thought it did until I had to hire a professional to do it for me recently thanks to a boogey board injury. His crew mows it in 20 min in comparison to my 90, he has a zero turn mower which makes my grass look like a country club, and they always trim the hedgerow which is an area I try to ignore. My decent mowing job doesn’t even come close to their job.

On listing appointments, I’ve had so many sellers tell me proudly that they did the drywall in their basement themselves. And I’ll just think, “Yep, I can tell. It looks like crap.” Or a buyer will say they installed the ceiling fan using online instructions, and I’ll think, “I know. That’s why it only has one speed and you can’t use the wall switch for it.”

Why do we think that WE are better than the EXPERTS? When did that mentality set in that says, “I don’t need a professional.  I’ve got this” when in reality, we have no clue what we’re doing?

Stop it!

How many more times do you have to do something on your own before you realize it was more work, more time, and more difficult than it should’ve been, and that next time you should just let a professional handle it? When will that realization hit?

Hiring a professional is better than doing something yourself in almost every field. Professional carpet cleaning companies are better than your rug cleaner in the closet. Cake decorators can make a prettier cake than you. A dog groomer does a better job on your pet than you.  Hire an attorney to write your will instead of googling forms online. Hire a contractor to install your new windows. Hire a painter to paint your walls. And for the love of all that is good in this world, PLEASE hire a REALTOR to sell your house for you!

Why hire a Realtor? You have no idea how many financing and legal issues we are protecting you from. And don’t get me started on how much stress we are shielding you from. The real estate world is extremely complicated right now. You need a Realtor on your side more than ever. Realtors will save you time, money and a ton of headaches in the long run.

Now please excuse me while I go back to doing what I’m good at- which is selling houses, while the lawn mowing professional is out making my yard look like #9 at Augusta National.