Sunday, November 9, 2008

Real Estate Broker Fees for Sellers

Discount Realtor vs Traditional Realtor

The same in many ways

It is your money...How will you spend it?

Each year, a large number of Southwest Missouri Home owners make the decision to sell their home. If you are one of those individuals, you have a number of selling options. Those options include privately selling your home or using the services of a professional Realtor.

As with any service, there are advantages and disadvantages of seeking professional assistance to sell your home. Many homeowners believe that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, but in reality they often do not. The main disadvantage to using a professional to sell your home is amount of money they will charge. A large number of Realtors charge a percentage fee for their services, but not all do.
Housekey Real Estate uses discounted listing fees to generate more listings which generate more buyer leads. This makes sense in a Buyers or Sellers market.  HouseKey Real Estate only earns a full fee when it is on the Selling side of the transaction, generally 3%. Many traditional Brokers charge 6% or more and list the property but even get paid a full fee if they did not procure the Buyer. Our business model demands we try to sell the home in order to get paid a full fee.
Some discount Brokers assist the public with a low flat fee like $2495.00. what they don't tell you is that this may not include essential tools needed to help sell the home like placement in the MLS. This business model has one major flaw for the home Seller who listed with them. If you are trying to sell a $150,000 home and your Real Estate Agent will only be paid $2495.00 if they sell it, what keeps that Agent from selling another Real estate companies listing and earning 3% or $4500.00 on that lead that your house generated. Sellers beware.
One of the most preferred choices of payment by many homeowners is a discounted broker listing. Many people prefer this method for a number of different reasons. Perhaps, the greatest benefit of obtaining the services of a discount Broker is that their fee will be decided ahead of time. Individuals specializing in flat fee or discounted Broker listings often charge the same amount of money for their services, no matter what your home sells for, and it gives the seller more flexibility in the listing price.
If you have a home that is expected to sell for a large amount of money, you may want to consider using the services of an individual who has experience with a flat fee or discount Broker listing. Springfield area homeowners with expensive homes are often able to retain a profit from the sale of their home by using a discount Broker. Think about it, 3% of a $250,000 home is $7500.00! with Housekey Real Estate LLC you can pay from $595.00 on our Flat Fee MLS for FSBO to our Full Service Traditional Flat Fee of only $1995.00 ( paid at closing ) ( See Here ) and get the same services as other area full fee Brokers.
As the current owner of your home, you have the ability to choose which Broker you’d like to select. In addition to selecting a Broker based on their fees, you are encouraged to examine the services offered by each Broker. This should enable you to determine if the fees being charged are actually worth paying. There are many Brokers who charge a high amount of fees, but offer a limited number of services. With these Brokers you are not receiving a good value for your money.
By taking the time to contact a number of Realtors, and comparing their fees and services you will find that many Agents offer the EXACT same service for the same fees . Sellers typically want to see a profit from the sale of their home. With a low-cost Realtor, you may be able to see a significant profit by just selecting how much you pay when you sell.

Advantages of Foreclosures in Springfield Missouri

Foreclosures are common in our Springfield area. They are unfortunate, but they are a part of life these days. Did you ever think that a Bank foreclosure might benefit YOU? Buying foreclosures is actually a good way to earn some extra cash or even a good way to make up any equity lost when selling your own home.
Repossessed properties go to sale at auction, auctions that receive little publicity that are often conducted rather quietly on the court house steps. You will be able to purchase property, but you must have cash in most cases.
These foreclosures can be purchased and then re-sold for a hefty profit or lived in with a great equity position. Now you can begin to understand the benefit of buying foreclosures. By buying foreclosures, you can turn a nice profit for a relatively small initial investment - we have lenders willing to help with financing.
These properties are available everywhere. Simply contact us for foreclosure information, You may need the initial capital for buying foreclosures, a lender pre-approval letter and as little as $500.00 for escrow. You can start turning a profit in a matter of weeks. Fix the house up to great, attractive condition, and list the house for sale on the open market.
As the stock market gets lower and lower you may want to consider the gains that may be available by purchasing and selling foreclosures in our area. Some of our Agents specialize in Investor owned properties and are able to help you with your financial goals. Take control of your financial future and get back to the basics that YOU control, buy low and sell high! People will never stop needing homes.
Start a Foreclosure search now ( Foreclosure Search )

15 ways to help get your home SOLD!

The following strategies are working to get homes sold in the Springfield, Missouri market! Not every one of these strategies will be right for your home, and not all would be something you would consider. However, a few well-chosen ideas can make the difference in the sale of your house. Make sure to discuss these with a qualified HouseKey Real Estate Agent . If you are NOT MOTIVATED, you will not find these strategies as viable options and that is okay. These ideas are only for serious sellers that must sell their home in the next 90 days or less.
1) Price it carefully...This is not the time to let ego get in the way making a sale, Consider the advantages on getting a better deal on the home you purchase, don't let a $20,000 equity position get in the way of buying another home with a LARGER equity position. Meet with one of our Agents who can help you analyze the market and position you to stand out from the pack. There is a lot of competition and you cannot afford to blend in with the hundreds of homes for sale in the Springfield market.
2) Condition is critical in the sales process. Ask us for suggestions to improve the sale ability of your home. If your home lacks updates and you would consider your home just average, an average price will not be good enough.
3) Review with your HouseKey agent carefully current market statistics in your area, including the absorption rate of homes like yours in the area.
4) Consider using a HouseKey Discount Real Estate  agent to list your home, Our Full service flat fee for $1995.00 is the best fee going for selling ( See Program Here ) . We are one of the only Real Estate companies in the Springfield area that does NOT diminish your equity by charging a percentage based listing fee, we earn our fees by selling Real Estate not listing and waiting for another Agent to sell our listings. We save home owners tons in listing fees. This allows our sellers to price their homes to be MORE competitive.
5) Ask our agent for a plan of action and strategies they will use to sell the home.
6) If your home is not under contract within two to three weeks, consider taking another look at the price. Most homes today that sell, do so within the first 45 days if priced well.
7) Make your home as accessible as possible. Showing it is an inconvenience; however, the one buyer you turn away may be the right one! I have seen so many sellers make this mistake only to have that buyer find another home and buy it that same day! Be Ready!
8) Remove clutter and any other distractions from the property. Make minor repairs, Curb appeal is key to success, make sure your home looks great from the driveway.
9) If the home is not under contract in 30 days, ask your agent to do a complete re-analysis and also present a new game plan. Time is money and you can't assume your agent is aware of any NEW listings in the area that compete with your home.
10) Look at your competition with your agent, at least online if not in person.
11) If possible, try to work with the offers you get without countering. Buyers often walk away from counteroffers because of the amount of choices available, we recently had one couple make one offer to the first three homes they liked and walked away from every counter offer, the fourth seller did not counter and SOLD! Once you sign an offer you ARE "Under Contract".
12) Consider a home warranty to offer potential buyers, also consider having your home inspected and provide a report to potential Buyers.
13) Consider allowing your agent to disclose motivation in the remarks sections of the MLS. Buyers are looking for motivated sellers.
14) Consider offering increased commissions or a sales bonus to the Buyers agent this will help drive traffic to your home, Make your home stand out to the agents as well.
15) Consider offering to pay closing costs or other incentives to help your property stand out from the pack!
Consider that for each month your home is on the market because of a slightly higher price you lose that much more because you are making interest payments on your home. If your monthly payment is $1500 per month and it takes 6 months to sell, 6 x $1500 = $9000.00 in equity gone!
HouseKey Real Estate fees for traditional service is just $1995.00 paid at closing. For more information please call 417-849-6595 or visit www.housekeyrealestate.com

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Why we do Flat fee MLS


As the plot thickens in the Real Estate market and more and more home sellers are finding that there equity positions are shrinking or none at all; we as a Real Estate Brokerage must also change with the market and be a part of the consumers solution and not part of their Problem.

We have changed our business model to be more accepting of the trends and now are better equipped to handle both Agent and Seller needs.

We Service Southwest Missouri through the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS, we are a FULL service Brokerage that offers it's Agents the ability to negotiate their own fees with clients. This practice is unusual in this market as most of the Brokers set the fees the Agents charge.

We offer clients a wide range of listing options that does include FLAT FEE MLS, and other listing options.


Here is a look..




Flat Fee MLS (Nobody knows your a FSBO!)
595.00 Paid at time of listing
12 month listing in local MLS. No Hidden Fees-Cancel Anytime
Listing will appear on MLS plus Realtor.com plus hundreds of other websites
Several allowed photos on the MLS
Broker support throughout the process including receiving offers, negotiations, counter offers, MLS changes etc. ( Additional fee will apply at closing See Broker Assist )
Professional yard sign that features the Housekey logo and phone number. ( No one will know you are a FSBO, not even other Realtors!
Local REALTOR lockbox additional $90.00 (Rental) Not required in all areas.
You choose what you pay a selling Broker (3% or more recommended)
CMA, home warranties & local advertising available for additional Charge.
Sell it yourself .......
BUY your next home with HouseKey Real Estate LLC


If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime..417-849-6595