I was recently asked whether a home should be sold "by owner" or listed with a real estate agent. I replied that it depends on the seller's circumstances.

In today's world of real estate, a seller has more options than ever. You can list with a traditional real estate agent and pay a typical commission of 6 percent or 7 percent of the purchase price, or you can go it alone and try to save the commission. In addition, many brokers offer services somewhere in between, charging different fees for various services you might select.

If you are trying to make the same decision about how to sell your house, here are some relevant topics. You will likely want to list your home with a traditional real estate agent ...

> If you are in a hurry to sell your home. Let's say your spouse has been transferred to Chicago, and he's already there living in a hotel. The only thing keeping you here is the house, and you need the full benefits of a full-time professional to get your home sold as quickly as possible.

Remember that a significant part of the buying market is being transferred into Atlanta, and those buyers work almost exclusively with agents. These are the hottest buyers in town, with a high motivation to purchase quickly, and cash in their pockets. And those buyers usually don't view homes listed by owner.

> If you have never sold a house before and simply don't have a comfort level with the transaction and the steps needed to make the sale happen. Getting a buyer to agree to pay a certain price is just the beginning. And if you've not sold a home before, you can easily miss an important part of the process, putting your entire sale in jeopardy. Effective agents specialize in getting the sale to the closing table.

> If you're uncomfortable with the prospect of showing your home to strangers and would welcome the agent's presence when your home is shown. Reports of crime associated with home sales and open houses are rare, but any time you open your home to the public, it's smart to anticipate potential problems. You'll want to screen prospective purchasers, and make sure you are not alone when showing your home to interested parties.

> If you are trying to sell in a slow market, like the one we are in now. Even a small advantage in marketing may make the difference between a sale and another 60 days on the market. For example, agents are members of the local multiple listing services, and that's where other agents go to find prospective matches for their buyers' needs. Having your home listed in the MLS is a huge advantage over simply having a "for sale" sign in the yard.

In addition, many MLS listings are automatically placed on national listing Web sites like realtor.com, where out-of-town buyers are more likely to view them.

> If your time is better spent doing whatever it is you do than answering lots of unqualified callers' questions about your house and how low you might be willing to go. Some folks are simply so busy with their job that they really have no business trying to sell their own home. Answering calls and returning inquiries is time-consuming, not to mention the obligatory open houses you will want to hold on the weekends. In contrast, agents are set up to handle this type of volume and have systems in place to convert leads into buyers.

> If your skin is so thin that you will be personally offended when a prospective buyer makes fun of your decorating. In that case, you need someone else to handle the sale. Buyers come from all backgrounds and walks of life, and everybody's got an opinion about your paint colors and your furniture. To make matters worse, they will want to poke their head into every nook and cranny of your house. Part of the selling process is encouraging buyers to visualize themselves living in your home, asking them how they might make changes to better reflect their own likes and dislikes. If that process will offend you, call an agent.

> And finally, if the idea of negotiating prices back and forth with the purchaser is distasteful to you. If that's so, you should probably hire an agent. Agents receive training in how to handle back-and-forth negotiations, trying to bring the parties to a meeting of the minds and getting to an acceptable price.

Next week: When you might want to try selling on your own.