FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Why should we list our home with you?
A: You should hire us for the same reason that hundreds of sellers have used us over and over again for many years. They know that they can depend on us to get them the most money, in the shortest amount of time, with the fewest hassles.
Our List Hassle Free Home Selling System offers benefits that the ordinary agent does not. Our program offers flexible commissions to put more money in your pocket, a cancel anytime policy, and the right to sell your home yourself and pay us nothing. Additionally, our average time to sell a home is usually multiple times as fast as an ordinary agent.
Every year we help dozens of people buy and sell. The average agent handles around eight sales a year. When hiring anyone to perform a job for you, experience should weigh heavily in that decision. Who really wants to be the surgeon’s first patient?
Let’s examine one of our program benefits; we allow you to cancel the listing at anytime. Most agents will not give the consumer this right. You might ask yourself why agents need to "lock you up" for six months or more. Why would they be afraid to give you the right to cancel? Our philosophy is that we would rather strive to earn your business every day. We are confident that we can provide a superior level of service and care. If we don’t, we don’t deserve your business. It is that simple.
Q: I heard that there are limited service agents who charge less. Why shouldn’t I hire the cheapest agent?
A: Sellers don’t need an agent just to sell their house. They need an agent to sell their house for more! If your property would sell for the same price no matter who sells it – it probably would be in your best interest to sell the home yourself. In that case, why pay any agent?
The fact of the matter is we can sell your home faster and for more. We are experts at pricing the property (using a specific supply-demand analysis prior to even looking for "comps") and experts at creating the greatest amount of exposure for your property.
Even at contract presentation, we do not follow the pack. We do not permit other agents to pressure you into a rash decision. The contract will be presented to you by us alone. This specific action (especially when there are multiple offers) gets significantly more dollars for our sellers. It is very difficult for a seller not to transmit emotions and reactions to another agent. That can cost a seller money.
Sadly, there are many agents who need the deal (sometimes more than you do). The weakest negotiator in any transaction is the one who has to have the deal. We are in the fortunate position of having enough clients that any one deal won’t make us or break us. Therefore the negotiations are really about getting you the most money for your home. Period. If the offer doesn’t make sense, you can count on us to tell you so.
In addition to these points above, with our sliding scale commission (7% - 4% - 2% - 0%), our fees in many cases are even less than the limited service broker.
Q: Why do you sell so many homes?
A: Due to our extensive database, more buyers and sellers are familiar with us than many other agents in the area. Additionally, experience, product knowledge, doing the little things right, effective marketing programs, and our skilled team all add up to positive results. Every field has people who, through their drive and passion, manage to excel.
Q: Why do your homes sell so fast? Do you price them too low?
A: Absolutely not. Many of our listings sell at full price and sometimes above. We make it our business to know the market, so we can ensure we get the highest possible price for our sellers. Our homes typically sell much faster than the average agent because of the effective marketing we do. We accomplish this by first doing a supply/demand analysis in the immediate area for any home we consider marketing. All agents have access to the same market information. It is the evaluation of what that information means to the marketing of a home that matters. X-rays mean nothing until they are evaluated by a competent doctor. Similarly, knowing what the market is doing in any area affects both the marketing time and value. Factors like area, demand, condition, pricing, accessibility, and agent choice all affect a home’s time on market.
Q: Tell me about your marketing plan.
A: The exposure your home gets while listed with us is second to none. Rarely do other agents in the area advertise on the internet as much as we do. These prominent ads create a high volume of exposure, both from buyers and sellers. Additionally, our signs throughout the area connect us with buyers in all price ranges and areas. Our ads and signs also reference one or more our websites, resulting in additional contact. Here buyers can view our "featured homes" in addition to shopping the broader market. Our presence on ReMax.com. Realtor.com, STLtoday.com, Trulia, Google Base, Yuvie, Point2Homes, Geebo, Unique Global Estates, Cyberhomes, Homescape, and more than 30 other major portals including AOL, MSN, Netscape, Earthlink, Juno, NetZero, Homestore, The Wall Street Journal, Compuserve, Digital City, iWon, Excite and Monster
Moving insures maximum property exposure to buyers throughout the country. Even small details, such as multiple digital photos of homes, increase the attention we attract to our homes. Additionally, we do excessive mailings constantlythroughout the year to past and potential clients. Another important link is our marketing to the agent community. Remember there are nearly 10,000 agents that we want to think of us first when preparing to show properties to their buyers. Some of our clients even choose to include our Topping Off Program. Simply ask us for more details if you’re interested in finding out more.
Q: If we list with you, will my home be on the internet?
A: Absolutely! All of our yard signs and ads prominently feature one or more of our website addresses. Your home will also be advertised on Realtor.com, the number one real estate website in the world, ReMax.com, the number one real estate franchise website in St Louis and the US, as well as on Trulia, Google Base, Yuvie, Point2Homes, Geebo, Unique Global Estates, Cyberhomes, Homescape, and more than 30 other major portals including AOL, MSN, Netscape, Earthlink, Juno, NetZero, Homestore, The Wall Street Journal, Compuserve, Digital City, iWon, Excite and Monster Moving. According to the National Association of Realtors "Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers", nearly 75% of home buyers used the internet when starting their home search process. Print advertising now results in less than 5%.
Q: If we list with you, will we be on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?
A: Again, absolutely! Any agent who does not place your home on MLS is doing you a huge disservice. With nearly 10,000 agents in the area, it is important to tap in to that agent base of buyers. Also, if you are not on MLS you cannot appear on most of the real estate sites on the internet.
Q: Can I hold an open house?
A: Yes, as often as you wish! We will even provide the signs for you as well as the flyers. If a buyer, not working with an agent, comes through and wants to purchase your home you save 5% to 7% just for holding the open house yourself.
Q: Can I have my sign as well as yours on the property?
A: No. The only marketing right you give up when you list with us is your for sale sign. Having another sign, besides our “RE/MAX” sign could potentially interfere with agent showings, so we want to have only one sign on the property.
Q: Can I run an Ad in the paper or list my house on the Internet?
A: Yes. The ONLY marketing right you give up when you list with us is the yard sign. If you find a Buyer who is not working with an agent, you have the option of calling and letting us know you’ve sold the property. We will then cancel the listing at no charge to you. Or, if you would like us to represent you in the sale, we will write the contract and handle all the various details to ensure a successful closing. You pay just 2%. This is the same service we provide when you are paying 7%. But in this example, we didn’t find the buyer or show them the property.
Q: Are all RE/MAX Results agents part of The Elite Team or the List Hassle Free program?
A: No! RE/MAX Result is the brokerage firm we work for. Approximately 100 agents work for the same office we are affiliated with. To receive the benefits of our experience and program, you need to contact The Elite Team directly at (314) 267-4330.
Q: Shouldn’t I pick an "area specialist" to sell my home?
A: There are agents who focus primarily on one geographic area or neighborhood. But buyers come from all over the area and country, not just from that small neighborhood. So an area specialist usually really means "listing agent" in the area. Many years ago the real estate business was successfully composed of lots of small "boutique" offices - where companies did specialize in a certain area or part of town. But computers, the Internet, electronic lock boxes, and cell phones have changed that aspect of the real estate business. Now the important points in selecting an agent are experience, marketing and people skills.
Q: Once I have reviewed your List Hassle Free package, then what?
A: Contact our office by email or phone, and we will set up an appointment to meet with you. We will tour the home, go over recent market activity in your area to educate you on values, and make recommendations for maximizing your profit and increasing your speed of sale.
Q: How long does it take to get my home on the market?
A: Once we have a signed listing agreement and a spare key, we can usually have your home on the market within 24 hours. However, it may take a day or two for the sign to be installed, the lockbox to be installed, and feature sheets to be mailed or dropped off at the property.
For additional questions and answers,
please call or e-mail us.
(314) 267-4330
Dennis@ListHassleFree.com
