FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

Admin and/or Transaction Fees are the typical hidden fees agents put on a listing contract. Many agents will write an admin and/or transaction coordination fee in your listing agreement. These are fees on top of the commission that comes out of the proceeds of your home. In some cases, I have seen agents asking for up to $1,000 when the typical transaction management costs the Agent $400 when they represent only you as the seller and $600 when they represent both you and the buyer. Sometimes, the agent works with a flat-fee brokerage and will write that fee in, telling you it is a standard fee. To us, this is the cost of doing business, and we never pass that fee on to you as the seller. We pay for it out of our 1% total commission fee.

YES!  We do not lock you into a contract you can’t get out of. Now, there are some things you need to know about canceling a contract. If we are the procuring cause of your home being sold and you cancel, we are still entitled to our 1%. For example, you cancel if a buyer calls off the sign, fills out a form, or originates from our marketing efforts. Still, if that buyer comes in a week later and says I saw your property online a couple of weeks ago, then that buyer would qualify, thus you would still own the 1% commission fee.

Are there other fees for canceling the contract? Yes, we will be reimbursed for the photographer. We will release the photos and virtual tour to you and/or your new agent, but that cost will be recouped if you cancel your listing. On average, the cost of just a photographer will be about $400. We will not ask to be reimbursed for the price of enhancing the photos and putting the virtual together using the raw media sources.

100% YES!  Our fee does not change either way. If you are a seller and want to pay the buyer's agent a commission, that is fine. Even if you list your home with us and later want to change the buyer's commission, we can modify the contract at any time.

If you decide to offer a buyer’s agent commission and a buyer goes directly to us, not using another agent, we will be paid 50% of the commission provided to the buyer's agent. For example, you list your home for sale with us at 1% and offer a 2.5% buyer’s agent commission to the agent who brings in the buyer. If we double-end the transaction (meaning we represent the buyer and seller), we will not be entitled to the complete 2.5%; instead, we will receive 1.25% of the buyer's agent commission fee and the 1% listing fee. We still save you money. We are a full-service solution that strives to address today’s commission issues.

You can always have your home appraised by an independent appraiser. However, there is a difference between the two valuations. An appraiser uses a binary approach, looking at what your home is worth. A comparative market analysis, also known as “comps or a CMA,” will typically look at what a buyer is willing to pay for it. Depending on market conditions and if you are in multiple bidding situations, some buyers are willing to pay more than the actual appraised value.

You need to understand some things for a buyer to pay above appraised value. If the buyer does not have the funds available to cover that difference and is getting a mortgage, they will not be able to close. This is all part of the discovery process when reviewing offers.

Anytime we review offers, we ask for proof of funds to ensure the buyers can perform.

We offer virtual tours, tons of photos, and a detailed write-up on your home. We ensure they have viewed all the necessary information and are interested in inquiring. Then, before even allowing anyone in the house, we ensure they are pre-approved by a designated mortgage professional that you, as the seller, trust. It sounds like many extra steps, but it is a fast and easy process.

We also recommend doing live (FaceTime, Zoom, Facebook, Teams, etc.) showings only after we are sure they are serious.

Most homebuyers will want to tour the property in person before writing an offer. There is no need to accommodate the casual browser (tire kicker) or take any unnecessary risk. We believe in “SAFETY FIRST”.

We do everything for ONE PERCENT of the selling price. There are no hidden fees, out-of-pocket expenses, or junk fees. We do everything with 100% full disclosure, and it is all included in the one percent commission.

NO! We do more! We provide a comprehensive marketing plan that rivals our competitors. Our marketing is second to none. Our quality shows your home in the best possible way. Most agents do not even offer some of the items we do. They take photos on their cell phones and use cheesy apps to create videos, resulting in poor marketing efforts. We use a professional photographer and have our in-house marketing team, who are highly skilled in handling graphics and video and writing more engaging content about your home. We excel!

This sounds cliché, but every Realtor who lists your home will put it on the MLS. The MLS syndicates to hundreds of other websites, such as Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Homes.com, Trulia.com, etc. This is nothing special. What we do that goes above and beyond is have a professional photographer come out and take photos and videos, and, where it can be done, drone photos and videos. We then have our own in-house team start performing the magic.

We then take all the media created and generate a Virtual Tour, enhance all the photos and videos, and then upload them to all the sites. We also build a website (sample: https://28989yourst.com), which is highly optimized, super clean, and shows potential buyers your home in the best possible light. Our yard signs are unique for your property, and we put a phone number that addresses your house and provides information about it. The QR code on the yard sign is our focus, not my picture or name. We want interested people to scan the QR code. Then, it takes them to your property website, where they view photos, watch a virtual tour, read information about your property, request a showing, or even submit an offer.

We also run social media advertising, post in local groups, and create short video clips for Instagram and Facebook. We place the clips on YouTube and will even send you the videos to post on your social media accounts.

In addition to over 20 years of my personal real estate experience, you get a team that cares, helps, and focuses on your goals.

Here are a few noteworthy reasons you should use me and my team.

• I have closed hundreds of real estate transactions.
• Previously, I was a partner/owner of two real estate companies.
• I was one of the top loan officers for many years.
• I currently own a marketing company.
• I still consult for some of the largest mortgage companies (Corporate).

I know selling a home can be stressful. We do everything to educate and inform you about the entire process. We make ourselves available to answer questions, ease concerns, and review anything you have questions about. I genuinely believe that the only stupid question is the one you did not ask. We are not lawyers or accountants. We are licensed, experienced, and trained experts who will help guide you through the process.

The honest answer is NO. Typically, an open house benefits the agents looking for buyers. My personal experience after hosting and/or co-hosting hundreds of open houses over the years is that rarely does the buyer for your property come from an open house. Buyers’ today are not only intelligent, they are very educated. This wealth of information all comes from the internet. Having your home listed on all the significant real estate websites will get you the buyer. We aim to get you that exposure while providing the best visual experience possible.

We do not buy leads. Our in-house marketing team generates our leads. When an agent signs up with Relator.com, Zillow.com, Homes.com, or any other big real estate website to purchase leads, they cost the agent a lot of money. Some take 40% of the commission, others charge by the lead, and in some cases, the cost after buying enough leads to get one closing outweighs the reward. This also would not allow us to offer our listing services at ONE Percent. I would also note that if your information is being sold, it is to an agent who is more than willing to pay more for it, thus not giving you the best and most qualified representation.