Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do you provide full-service?

A. Yes. The difference is I provide full service for less. I assist you with pricing your property; provide staging advice; market your property in more ways than most other agents; schedule showings; request agent feedback; provide you with weekly updates and expert guidance; handle all of the paperwork; represent you and negotiate on your behalf in your best interest; coordinate all aspects of your transaction; assist with financing, inspections, and the appraisal; review your closing documents for any errors; and attend your closing with you.


Q. Wouldn’t my property get more exposure with a large multi-office traditional broker charging 6%?

A. You would pay a lot more of your hard-earned equity and you could actually get less for your money! The marketing and exposure your property receives is directly dependent upon the knowledge and skills of the individual real estate professional you choose to assist you. Even within the same brokerage, the service you receive can vary greatly from one agent to another. Technology isn’t the future of real estate--it’s the present! If people can’t easily find your property online and obtain all of the information they're looking for, you’re probably looking at a longer time on the market and a lower selling price! I am a certified e-PRO REALTOR, so you can rest assured your property will look it’s best online. Many real estate agents are still marketing properties with outdated tools. I utilize cutting-edge marketing, and charge you thousands of dollars less!


Q. Will you mail out "just listed" postcards for my property?

A. The costs of paper and printing are up, and the US Postal Service is going broke and keeps raising the cost of postage. Mailing "just listed" postcards is just not cost-effective. Besides that, it's an old-fashioned, antiquated marketing technique. It's more an image raising vehicle for the sales agents and the brokers they work for than for your property. This is one of the ways traditional brokers can justify their high commissions, and with a little luck, maybe pick up more listings in the area. If your neighbors know anyone who might want to buy your house, they will know your property is for sale when they see the sign in your yard. And anyone who is ready to buy in your neighborhood is regularly checking the online listings, or driving the area on the weekends looking for yard signs. A far more productive marketing activity is to send a just listed email to all the real estate agents who work in your area. That's what I do! They are far more likely than your neighbors, to know current buyers who are looking to live in your neighborhood.


Q. Do you provide flyers and a flyer box with your yard sign?

A. Due to the cost of paper and printing, paper flyers are just not cost-effective. Beyond that, the flyer tubes or boxes always end up being empty (frustrating prospective buyers,) or the flyers end up getting wet from rain or strewn down the street in the wind! The only way to go nowadays is the digital flyers we provide in our Seller Action Plan!


Q. Will my property be advertised in the local newspaper and/or homes for sale magazines?

A. Newspapers and homes for sale magazines have been experiencing soaring printing costs and declining revenue from ad sales for several years. With competition from Internet media, many newspapers across the nation have seen significant drops in circulation, and either closed, or reduced the number of days they print each week. Most people today get their news and shop for property online! A study by the National Association of REALTORS, conducted back in 2010, indicated that approximately 90% of buyers used the Internet to search for properties. Considering use of the Internet in general has been growing exponentially each year for many years, it's not unrealistic to figure that percentage is now at least in the mid-90s. That same study also indicated only 2% of all buyers found the home they purchased in 2010 from a newspaper ad, and that figure had been dropping by an average of approximately 0.5% per year over the past decade. Less than 1% of all buyers found the home they purchased in 2010 from a homes for sale magazine. Print advertising is an out-of-date method of marketing that is no longer cost-effective.


Q. Will you hold open house for my property on Sunday afternoons?

A. I will do something even better. I will provide you with a never-ending virtual open house called Matterport. Your property will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Actual physical open houses do more to promote the sales agents and the brokers they work for than your property! Open houses are a great way for sales agents to look busy, justify their high commission, and pick up new buyer prospects they wouldn't otherwise get, but they rarely actually result in the direct sale of the property involved. Check out this article, "The Dirty Secret About Open Houses" which was published on REALTOR.com. Spending money and time wisely is what allows me to offer my low commission rate that saves you so much money! Is it really worth paying 6% of your hard-earned equity to get a physical open house with such a slim chance it will result in a sale?

And then there's also the security issue. It's been documented that some people visit open houses to steal prescription drugs, jewelry, and other small items, or maybe worse, to case your home for a possible future burglary! Re-entry at a later time is easy—while no one is looking, they simply unlock a window in a back room. And don't think that just because you may have already moved out and your house is vacant, that it's okay to hold it open. Thieves could return when no one is around to strip the copper from your home's wiring, leaving you with thousands of dollars of property damage!

Does it really make sense to pre-qualify buyers for private showings, but throw your front door open on Sunday afternoon, and let absolutely anyone just walk in off of the street? All things considered, it's just not worth the risk and expense. With your Matterport 3D virtual tour available online 24/7, buyers today can visit your virtual open house from the comfort of their couch, and at a time that is convenient for them! When a home peaks their interest, if they really like what they see, they'll call for a private showing.

Have a question you don't see answered here?
Contact me today!