Strategy for selling a house - what is the best way to proceed?

We had visitors today and spoke with a real estate agent. My premise was always "we sell without an agent" because I wanted to avoid the fees for the buyer. As I learned today, both parties pay the fees in equal parts. ... We will hear an exact price estimate next week. It gives me a serious impression that he doesn't just "throw one out" spontaneously.

Honestly, all the factors mentioned do not sound serious in the least, but rather vague and slippery. As 11ant already mentioned, this is all tactics and taking advantage of your ignorance, like with the half split of the commission.

Regarding creditworthiness – more than the worthless printouts from the financiers/banks stating that person X could theoretically get amount Y for object Z, he does not get anything from the interested parties online. Maybe a few job details, etc.

What you are looking for is minimal effort. You have free choice on the agent market and must de jure bear half the costs of the agent. The agents are currently suffering from a lack of properties, which should also be taken into account. How exactly did you come across this agent?

Regarding valuation – why not go to a financing advisor and discuss your situation – old house, new house & loan for that. They can also have your house data evaluated in the system; you will probably get a more objective minimum value than from the agent.

I also wonder if a price at a certain level has a higher chance of being achieved when the item is listed through an agent, compared to if I, as a private person, would list the same price. Of course, it would be cheaper for the buyer via private sale, but whether they perceive the price - purely psychologically/emotionally - as equally reasonable when I set it as a layperson, compared to the listing via a "professional," I doubt a bit. If you understand what I mean?

No, it has absolutely no influence - why should it? Every interested party usually knows their market, many have been searching for years. It can of course still happen that someone naive comes in between, but that is then the famous one who gets up every day wanting to be found by all sellers. I would also always consult an expert even with a new building; they also have an appropriate view of the market.

Everyone else is perfectly clear that an agent makes the deal more expensive. The agent takes 8% from your sale - almost €50,000. You and the buyer miss that, and that really has an impact. And in the current situation, where loan conditions are worsening, that can make the difference.

Nowadays the agent doesn’t even prepare a brochure or present a floor plan. A few photos, show the property, and wait for approval. Nothing more is done; everything else is now a rare exception. Nobody searching would see an agent as a professional - you notice that from the statements here, that you mainly encountered a seller representing their own interests.

By the way, there are also good agents - in my experience, they usually learned a real profession beforehand and stand out rather through transparency and honesty. But they are correspondingly rare.. ;)

What you are looking for is little effort. You have free choice on the broker market and legally have to bear half of the broker's costs. The brokers are currently completely on withdrawal due to lack of properties, which should also be taken into account. How exactly did you come across this broker?

He was recommended to us by our house bank, with which we have the loan. They have been working with him for many years.

Nowadays the broker no longer even creates an exposé or presents a floor plan. A few photos, let people take a look, and wait for acceptance. Nothing more is done; everything else has meanwhile become a rare exception. No one searching would consider a broker a professional – you notice that from the statements here, that you mainly encountered a seller in his own interest.

Well, he would do that. He said the next step would be to get together next week to discuss pricing. If we sell through him, he would try to find a day with nice weather to come for photos and also to create a 3D tour.
Furthermore, he would then need about a week from that day until the exposé is published, because he gives the pictures to someone who makes them a bit prettier (he mentioned a nicer sky over the house and such gimmicks), and because he has a professional who digitizes and nicely arranges the floor plan. And that would take a few days until everything is finished.

Overall, I read a clear tendency here AGAINST a sale through a broker?

Overall, however, I read a clear tendency AGAINST a broker sale here?

My experience from the potential buyer side would discourage me from hiring a broker. There wasn't a single one worth even 5000€. Accordingly, my opinion about the profession is quite clear. However, I would like to point out that with a broker you might achieve a higher price because they have more experience with current market prices... and no qualms about marking up their last comparable sale by another 10%. As a private individual, you usually have reservations about driving up the price. The question is whether that is really worth it to you.

My experience from the potential buyer side would discourage me from hiring a real estate agent. There wasn't one among them who was even worth 5000€. Accordingly, my opinion of the profession is relatively clear. However, I concede that with an agent you might achieve a higher price because they have more experience with current market prices...and no qualms about adding another 10% on their last comparable sale. As a private person, you usually have reservations about driving up the price. The question is whether it's really worth that much to you.

He said he doesn't like and doesn't do such bidding procedures / "someone offered more" practices. But yes, the question of whether he is worth the price is something I also ask myself.

I didn't necessarily mean such practices, although almost all realtors use them to push the price up. I meant more that the realtor sells houses every day and therefore has a sense of the price at which a house can still be sold. You sell a house once in your life and have no idea what your house is really worth.