Posted by Manager on September 30th, 2007
Do you have money to burn? Would spending, say $3000 not put you back any further than spending $600?
There may be a few of you reading this for whom $2400 doesn’t seem like much money even when it’s spelled out as two thousand, four hundred dollars rather the 2400 bucks, but it seems like a safe bet to say that most of us see that money as a good down payment on a car, a chance to renovate or next home or a decent vacation.
If you don’t have money to burn, why choose to sell your home with a real estate agent? When you sell with an agent, you agree to give that agent a commission of 3% of the selling price of your home in exchange for a listing in the MLS, a lawn sign and hosting an open house or two.
When you sell with flat fee MLS, you pay a low flat fee up front. Your home is listed in the MLS, you get a lawn sign and other tools that you choose to use to sell your home and you host your own open house.
Not much more work, but a whole lot of savings - which is great news for those who don’t have money to burn. Of course, if you’re in the minority and can afford that extra cash, flat fee MLS has good news for you too - the cost of selling your home is the same as it is for anyone else even if your home is set at a far higher price; that means even more savings for you.
Flat Fee MLS & Realty
How much could you save with flat fee MLS?
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on September 28th, 2007
(Source)“Real estate is a competitive, cut-throat business, and Realtors are always hungry,” Harris said. “If anything, now’s the time to pay an extra commission, especially to buyers’ agents. We’re seeing like 4% to the buyer’s agent. . .
The current real estate market definitely puts buyers at an advantage. Home prices are dropping. More and more houses are on the market and some analysts are telling buyers that now isn’t a good time to invest in a home of their own.
This can be daunting news to sellers - especially the part suggesting that you pay a higher commission to the buyer’s real estate agent - who are seeing the equity that they’d built in their homes starting to drop off. Selling with a real estate agent already meant paying a 3% commission to the buyer’s agent and another 3% to the seller’s agent based on the selling price; another percentage could literally mean thousands of dollars more coming out of the seller’s pocket.
But, there is an opportunity for sellers to be able to pay a 4% commission to entice buyers’ agents to show their home and still save thousands: sell with flat fee MLS.
When you sell with flat fee MLS, you’ll pay a low flat fee to get your home listed in the MLS database and avoid paying a seller’s agent commission after the sale. Knowing that they’ll get a higher commission will draw buyers’ agents to your property and you’ll still be paying 4%, not 6 or 7% - and that’s a great bargain when it comes to selling your home in a buyers’ market.
Flat Fee MLS & Realty
See how you can offer incentives and save with flat fee MLS.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on September 26th, 2007
Flat fee MLS scares real estate agents. Despite the obvious questions of “why would agents be scared of flat fee MLS if it didn’t work,” many agents find themselves giving sellers a whole host of reasons why they would be a better choice.
Some of them will tell sellers all about how FSBO sellers often turn to them when their homes don’t sell. Some agents will go on to say that it’s hard to sell your home on your own because you don’t have real estate experience. Others will flat out tell you that you’ can’t sell a home with flat fee MLS simply because without their expertise you won’t be able to set the right price for your property.
Here’s the real story. When you choose the right broker for selling with flat fee MLS, you’ll have access to the tools that you need to set the right price for your home - online valuations, pro-appraisers and tips for performing the same comparative market analysis a real estate agent would to price your home. The right flat fee broker will be there for you with providing information about which upgrades to make and which to skip and tell you the ins and out of holding an open house - in other words, you’ll be able to put the brokers’ real estate knowledge to work for you.
And the clincher is this: the reason that many FSBO sellers struggle to sell on their own is because their property doesn’t have the right exposure. A flat fee MLS listing fixes that because your home is listed in the same database a real estate agent would add it to.
Flat Fee MLS & Realty
See why flat fee MLS scares real estate agents.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on September 24th, 2007
Because flat fee MLS is still considered to be a new way of selling homes, it’s hard to say exactly how flat fee MLS has changed real estate overall, but there are some things that can definitely be said for it:
- Flat fee MLS offers home sellers options. Rather than only being able to choose FSBO selling or selling with a real estate agent, flat fee MLS gives sellers a chance to get the benefits of both.
- Flat fee MLS has got people talking about real estate. You’ll find mention of flat fee MLS in newspapers and magazines and hear about it on the news on TV and the radio.
- Flat fee MLS has got many real estate agents on edge. They’re grumbling about flat fee MLS - and there’s one thing that you can be sure of as a result: flat fee MLS must be working, or they wouldn’t be upset.
With flat fee MLS, after all, sellers’ agents are out of a commission because you’re able to do the one thing that FSBO sellers couldn’t do be for: take advantage of the multiple listing service database to get the word out that your home is on the market. In other words, flat fee MLS has changed the realm of for sale by owner selling - for the better.
Flat Fee MLS & Realty
See why flat fee MLS has real estate agents grumbling.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on September 22nd, 2007
No one wants to feel as though they aren’t doing everything that they can. Similarly, no one wants to believe that they cannot succeed when they set out to do something. Selling a home is no exception.
When many home sellers set out to sell on their own, they find that there are problems with attracting buyers. They find that there are challenges with finding the right places to advertise, to create a great website and don’t often have the tools that they need to stage their homes once they do hold an open house.
Enter flat fee MLS. With flat fee MLS, you’ll find that attracting buyers - as well as the real estate agents that they are working with - is simpler than you had thought that it might be. You’ll be given advertising hints - in addition to having your property listed in the multiple listing service database and on Realtor.com, you’ll be able to print off marketing flyers and even newspaper ads. Oh yeah, you’ll even get a website for your property so that you can be sure buyers know that it’s on the market.
When you sell with flat fee MLS, you’ll find that you’re able to market your home effectively - and that means that you’ll be more likely to succeed when you sell.
Why risk struggling to sell your home on your own and giving up and calling a real estate agent when you can sell with flat fee MLS and succeed?
Flat Fee MLS & Realty
See how flat fee MLS can make your sale a success.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on September 20th, 2007
One of the most important things that you can do when you sell your home on your own using flat fee MLS is to communicate with buyers. Giving prospective buyers information about your home isn’t just a matter of thinking “what would I want to know” - it’s also about giving them a chance to ask questions.
Think about it. When you bought your home, you had questions even after reading the info sheet on the property, right? Why would someone else be any different?
This is why, when you sell with flat fee MLS and Bloomkey (formerly known as IHS Realty) your listing page includes a section where buyers can ask you the questions they have so that you can answer - without making your personal information public.
“Ask the Owner” offers a chance to open up a dialog, a chance for buyers to decide whether or not they are interested in a home and want to book a chance to see it for themselves.
Even when you’ve thought of everything, chances are good there’s going to be something that slipped through the cracks. Why let that one question be the difference between a buyer being interested and looking for something else?
Flat Fee MLS & Realty
Learn more about flat fee MLS and Ask the Owner
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
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