 | Frequent Questions |
| Frequent Questions |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Sell-4-Less What do I lose for going with Sell-4-Less than with a "Full-service Real Estate Company"?
What will I be expected do do for the sell of my home? You will not have to do anything more than with a traditional real estate broker unless you want to participate in the showings and have a chance to sell your home in the first way that saves you the most money. What you do...
Are Sell-4-Less agents licensed? Yes. All Sell-4-Less agents are licensed and members of the San Antonio MLS board. What advantages does Sell-4-Less offer as compared to a traditional Realtor®? Sell-4-Less offers advantages over traditional real estate companies: SAVINGS! Choices! Your fee is based upon the services that are provided. If you participate in the sale of your home and procure the buyer by either showing your home yourself or through an open house you hold, the realtor fees to sell your home will be 45% - 75% less than with a traditional listing agent. Do you list property in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service)? All of our properties are listed in the MLS to give you maximum exposure. All local agents can show your home to potential buyers. What if I sell my home myself? If you sell your home without a cooperating Broker, no showing commission is due. You pay only the Sell-4-Less marketing and representation fee which is payable at closing. How does Sell-4-Less help me with the paperwork and legal steps? We represent you completely in all transactions. Our licensed team will help from start to finish, from the preparation of the offer (earnest money contract) until you get your check. Are you a “discount” broker? No. What makes Sell-4-Less different is that we charge less for our services. We have established a very fair fee for our services. Unlike traditional real estate, you don’t have to argue and bicker with us to get a super competitive rate! We don’t attempt to make a fortune from each seller we deal with; we just deal with LOTS of sellers. How can Sell-4-Less charge such low fees compared to traditional real estate brokerages? Traditional real estate brokerages are pretty entrenched, very conservative and change is slow. The Internet has really shaken things up. Some brokerages are starting to tinker with the traditional model and several Internet start-ups are taking a stab at simple discount brokerage. Our years of experience have allowed us to streamline the process of selling a home. We have a marketing team that has expertise in many areas. This has allowed us to create low fees based upon the amount of time our real estate professionals will have to dedicate to the sale of your home. We can assist many sellers efficiently and don’t have to make our all our money the sale of your home. Are there any hidden fees that I don’t know about? No. At our first meetingSell-4-Less calculates and explains all the customary closing costs a seller pays. An estimate of your net proceeds is essential for you to determine the pricing of your home. Sell-4-Less charges no “up front” fees. We don´t charge any fee unless your property sells and then we are paid at closing. Do you also represent buyers? Yes. Many of our sellers were once buyer clients, and of course, many of our sellers also want to buy again. We also have buyer brokers who specialize in working with buyers. What happens when I receive an offer? Sell-4-Less represents you. All contracts prepared by MLS agents should be presented through us. If an agent contacts you directly about presenting an offer, tell them to contact our office. If a buyer who you have shown the property to, wants to make an offer, contact us immediately so we can contact them, prepare the offer and get the process going. How can we show our property? Fortunately, the people buying homes also work all day so most people can only preview a home in the evenings or on the weekend. Generally, scheduling the buyer to meet with you is not an issue. However, in the event that the buyer can’t wait, you can choose to let us show your home for a low showing fee payable at closing should the buyer purchase your home. So why do so many people still list with 6% charging agents? It is a most puzzling question for us, and probably has several answers. First, we think many sellers don’t realize that commissions are negotiable. The big real estate companies spend a lot of effort training their agents to push the service-side perception of their offering and avoid the issue of fees. To defend their traditional pricing structure, many agents will argue that “if you pay less, you will get less.” It's all a smokescreen, of course. There is no shortage of unhappy sellers who paid 6%. Loyalty is another reason. When sellers prepare to sell their home, they first think of the agent that sold them their home. Because of their past relationship, they often find it difficult to “arm wrestle” commissions when they didn’t have to as a buyer. At Sell-4-Less we definitely cherish the same long-term relationship with our past clients; however, we still work towards having sellers take a closer look at choices that can save them thousands of dollars. What is MLS? MLS® (Multiple Listing Service) is the most comprehensive computerized database of homes for sale with over 1.5 million listings nationwide. This database is used by Realtors to market and promote their own listings and to cooperate with other Realtors. Realtors, in turn, are compensated with part of the commission. A large portion of real estate transactions are a result of direct MLS exposure. By having your home in MLS, it will be exposed to thousands of local real estate agents who otherwise would not have known that your property was for sale and would not have shown it. This is the same MLS used by a traditional broker. Do I have to list my home in the MLS and thereby offer a coop commission? Yes, otherwise most buyers will not know your home is on the market. One seller asked why he needed the MLS since he lives near an air force base and buyers are being transferred here all the time, why don’t they just come see his home without a realtor. We explained that the majority of people transferred to San Antonio contact a buyer’s agent to show them homes because they are unfamiliar with the area. Agents many times will avoid any home not listed in the MLS because they are afraid they will not be compensated after having worked with their buyer for many days. MLS gives maximum exposure to your home. That is important in our market today. What is REALTOR.com? REALTOR.com is a leading Internet site where buyers can search for homes. Technically, it is the official Internet site for the National Association of Realtors. REALTOR.com's 1.4 million home listings are provided by participating REALTOR Multiple Listing Services. This is one of the advantages of listing your home on the MLS - your home will then be copied to the REALTOR.com web site and will be accessible to individuals and Realtors via the Internet. This includes color pictures, tours and all pertinent information (price, location, square footage, contact information, etc.) Sell-4-Less has bought special rights to enhance our listings on REALTOR.com and make your home more visible to stand out from all the other listings. Won’t buyer’s agents boycott my listing? No. Buyer brokers are indifferent as long as they are being compensated competitively. Our listings have been sold by nearly every major real estate company and we have excellent relationships with our colleagues. Will a yard sign be provided? Yes, a distinctive Sell-4-Less yard sign will be provided, if unrestricted by Community Association rules. How do other Realtors show my home? Other Realtors will schedule a showing using the Centralized Showing Service (CSS). When you list your home we give CSS the instructions based on your circumstance. All of your individual needs are taken into account so we can generate the most showings on your property. Will my listing look the same as those who have agreed to pay a full listing commission to a traditional agent? Yes. Your listing is a “Full Service” listing from the viewpoint of other MLS agents because they will be paid a commission for selling a buyer your home just as for selling any other MLS listing. How long before my home will be on the MLS and REALTOR.com? Your home will be on the MLS usually within 24 hours or the next business day after the execution of the listing agreement and other forms provided to you. They will be transferred to REALTOR.com when the local MLS service sends them data, which is within a couple of days. How do I list my Home with Sell-4-Less? Just contact our Sell-4-Less office at (210) 653-9600 or this web site. How should I price my home? We will provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis that will provide you with information regarding the price range of similar home sales in your area enabling you to choose a price appropriate for your home. We have 22 years of experience in San Antonio and can give you assist you on the pricing of your home. |
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