Carl Henger Real Estate

Flat Fee MLS Listing Or a real estate Agent?

If you’re thinking of selling your house, have you considered going with a flat fee MLS listing? Or, if you’re like most people selling their homes today, maybe you have never given any though to this option?

In either case, there are some facts to consider before signing a contract with a real estate agent that promises them a big commission for selling your house. In most areas, about 6 percent of the final sales price will go right into the listing agent’s pocket.

That’s a huge chunk of money for, in far too many cases, not all that much work. Fifteen years ago 6 percent may not have been that much with the cost of homes then, but when you sell a property for three hundred thousand 6 percent works out to be a whopping eighteen thousand dollars. $18,000. Ouch!

With a flat fee MLS listing, you can save thousands of dollars. And while many sellers would like an agent to help them with contracts and the legal paper work that needs to be done, it is easy and a tremendous amount less money to hire a real estate attorney to review the legal documents. (Before you sign!!) Most transactions, though, are pretty straightforward.

In trade group polls of people who have recently sold a home, many of them report that they don’t feel like the agent worked very hard to sell their home, and that the commission they got wasn’t justified. There’s a reason so many of them feel that way – it’s often the case that the listing agent doesn’t do all that much to sell a house. They help set a price, take some photos, put a sign in the yard, and list it with the MLS service.

And guess what? In the vast majority of cases, the house sells not because the listing agent recommended it to a client, but because a prospective home buyer saw it in the MLS and asked another agent to show it to them. Remember, the listing agent is not the one bringing the buyer to your home, it is the real estate agent who have found someone wanting to buy a home and are now out looking who will bring your buyer.

It’s the listing itself that is really crucial in most cases. That’s what gets your house seen, and attracts interested buyers. It’s not your listing Realtor knocking themselves out to line up a buyer for your house. Most agents list as many houses as possible, and find themselves with far too many to effectively market.

But they know that once a house is on the MLS, odds are good someone will see it and make an offer. So why pay thousands and get little in return? The listing is the key factor, and with a flat fee MLS listing you can get your house seen, and save thousands of dollars.

About the Author

Get more info about
Flat Fee MLS
and how you can list without an agent. A
Flat Fee MLS Listing
could be saving you thousands.

Get a Real Estate Agent or try to sell condo myself?

I purchased my 1bdrm condo in Atlanta less than two years ago and feel I will be lucky to sell it now at my purchase price. We must move in August. I don’t want to loose money, and I fear I might once agent commission gets factored in. Also, in theory, selling w/o an agent would allow me to drop the price to move the property faster. Is it feasible that I could sell my condo myself in less than 8 months, given the current market? Or, since I must sell by August, is it wiser to get an agent’s help Now? What exactly will an agent do for me that I could not do myself?

I am a metro Atlanta Realtor (no I am not soliciting your business). The market is pretty poor for condo-resales at the moment. I firmly believe that you need all the help you can get. Marketing is the key to selling your condo. Odds are, it is the same as every other condo out there. How can you make it stand out? A Realtor has the tools available to show off your home to the buying public. When you go to http://www.realtor.com like everyone else, you won’t find your property there unless you have it listed with a Realtor…

Oh, and going the FSBO route? You will be hounded by every real estate agent desperate for a listing. I would even wager that the majority of calls you get will be from agents trying to get your business.

You will be paying about 6% commission to the agent for their services. You really don’t have that much left in equity? Cutting the price by the commission really isn’t enough to list the property as a FSBO and expect people to stand up and take notice.

Best of luck

Short Sale Commissions Suck

American Law of Real Estate Agency, Including the Duties and Liabilities of Principals and Agents. the Earning of Commissions by Real Estate $72.12 Title: American Law of Real Estate Agency, Including the Duties and Liabilities of Principals and Agents. the Earning of Commissions by Real Estate Brokers, Pleading, Practice, and Judicial Constructions and Interpretations, and Forms for Listing, Brokerage and Other Contracts Publisher: Cincinnati, The W. H. Anderson Company Publication date: 1922 Subjects: Real property Real estate business Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.

Real Estate 3.0: Using the Internet to Sell Your Home and Stop Paying Commissions to an Obsolete Real Estate Agents! $13.72 No Synopsis Available

Factoring $10.05 Factoring

Profit by Publicity: The How-To Reference Guide for Real Estate Agents and Brokers $18.95 Profit by Publicity: The How-To Reference Guide for Real Estate Agents and Brokers

Online Marketing Techniques for Real Estate Agents & Brokers $16.46 In this groundbreaking new book you will learn the secrets of top producing real estate agents and brokers and how they use the Web to market listings and get new clients and listings. This new book will show you how to build, promote, get new clients, and sell your listings using the Internet with minimal costs. Learn how to take advantage of new marketing systems so you can connect with today’’s Internet savvy real estate consumers.

101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site: Filled with Proven Internet Marketing Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Draw Real Estate Buyers and Seller $24.32 An increasing number of real estate buyers and sellers are making the Web their first destination, so getting more of them to stop at an agency’s or individual agent’s site can mean thousands of dollars in commissions. The proven e-mail, linking, and online advertising techniques provided will increase initial visitor traffic to any real estate website and keep buyers and sellers returning again and again. In addition, real estate agents and office managers can use the templates, checklists, and forms included to make their website an important and effective selling tool.

Perfect Phrases for Real Estate Agents and Brokers $7.3 The Right Phrase for Every Situation…Every Time In our current real estate climate, it’’s more important than ever to have the right words at your fingertips. Whether you”re new to the game or a seasoned seller, Perfect Phrases for Real Estate Agents and Brokers has just the right words and phrases you”ll need to track down prospective properties and clients, manage transactions, negotiate terms, facilitate communications between buyer and seller, and close the deal. This easy-to-use, quick-reference guide gives you: Hundreds of quick, ready-to-use words and phrases Coverage of every situation you”ll face, from meeting a new client to finalizing the sale Winning approaches that persuade prospects and generate sales Expertise from a top realtor educator and author

TAX RELIEF FOR REAL ESTATE AGENTS $95.55 No Synopsis Available

The Law of Real Estate Agency; Having a General Application to Principals, Agents and Third Parties, as Deduced from the Decisions of the Courts $20.59 The Law of Real Estate Agency; Having a General Application to Principals, Agents and Third Parties, as Deduced from the Decisions of the Courts

Finding Killer Real Estate Deals: Proven Insider Secrets for Investors, Real Estate Agents and Bargain Hunters Like You! $13.8 Known as Dr. Home Seller, real estate broker Boog shares seven simple secrets he has used over his career that aren’t tricks or gimmicks, just solid, logical advice. (Real Estate)

The Essentials of Real Estate Law $150.99 The Essentials of Real Estate Law, second edition, provides a strong foundation of legal concepts necessary for understanding real estate transactions. This book is appropriate paralegal students as well as real-estate related professionals such as realtors, and title agents looking to gain a better understanding of the various aspects of real estate. Hypothetical cases in the book and the virtual law office on CD-ROM show several scenarios that can provide a better understanding of the legal aspects of real estate, and provide the opportunity to practice on sample cases. Numerous checklists and worksheets that are used in a law office are provided for reference.

Real Estate $12.98 Real Estate

Essentials of Real Estate Economics $47.01 Completely updated and one of the most direct and practical approaches to presenting the factors that cause real estate value to change, McKenzie and Betts have updated the fifth edition while adding graphics and coverage of contemporary topics. This text works well for individuals with little or no background in formal economics, providing current information needed for a successful course in real estate economics for real estate agents, appraisers, and investors.

Starting & Succeeding In Real Estate $16.54 This is your resource book for pre- and post-license real estate sales agent information. Nash’s Starting and Succeeding in Real Estate is a step-by-step guide is for new agents or anyone considering a career in residential real estate sales, and will answer your basic questions, provide definitions, and help you plan your real estate sales business. A time-saver providing you with all the information that you would have otherwise learned by asking a stream of never-ending questions in your first real estate sales office. Keep this book in your briefcase for your first year in real estate sales. It’s the reference tool that will keep you on track and let you move beyond gathering the basic information to closing your transactions.

Commercial Real Estate Investing in Canada: The Complete Reference for Real Estate Professionals $223.22 Many investors include commercial real estate in their portfolio, yet there are few comprehensive resources available to those looking for information on how to profit in commercial real estate. Written by a father-and-son team with extensive experience in buying, selling and developing commercial real estate, Commercial Real Estate Investing in Canada is a must-have guide for all real estate investors. This one-of-a-kind compendium will guide readers on such topics as: The business of real estate Land-use controls Taxation of property Types of income-producing properties Renovations and repairs Property management Property appraisals Conducting due diligence Real estate contracts And much more! Commercial Real Estate Investing in Canada is a tremendously valuable and indispensable tool to all Canadian real estate investors, agents, brokers, property managers, landlords, loan officers, builders, and lawyers.

Ethics for the Real Estate Professional $10.22 Real estate professionals are confronted every day with on-the-job dilemmas with sometimes contradictory regulations, codes of conduct, or laws that make it difficult to effectively resolve ethical conflict. Written by the acknowledged expert on real estate ethics, this new edition of a timeless real estate ethics resource will provide you with simple but real situations and the opportunity to explore and analyze ethics in your professional business. New topics include ethically handling competitors, new required disclosures, housing discrimination, and updated discussions in agency and Gallup Poll results. How Would You Respond questions and Case Study exercises allow for open discussion amongst a group or thoughtful reflection for independent studies. Deborah Long’’s use of everyday language helps real estate agents gain an increased awareness and understanding of ethical decision making as they work through the various real-life scenarios and provocative discussion questions.

The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to FSBOs $13.3 There is an untapped resource that will help real estate agents take their careers to new heights: the For-Sale-By-Owner listing. Author John Maloof made six figures in his first year as a real estate agent by farming FSBOs, using his own prospecting plan. Now he shows other agents how they can do the same; complete with Internet resources, a sample resume and log sheet, this is the one book that will show new agents and experienced Realtors alike how to make more money than they ever thought possible.

The Real Book Of Real Estate $18.99 The Real Book Of Real Estate

Perfect Phrases for Real Estate Agents & Brokers $8.36 No Synopsis Available

NEW RULES OF REAL ESTATE SALES $15.52 The New Rules of Real Estate Sales focuses on working with and dealing with the individuals who make real estate decisions both for residential and commercial properties. This book tells readers how to work with the variety of individuals involved in marketing and selling real estate. This book teaches agents how to market products to a new set of consumers who demand more information in changing formats and presentations. You’ll learn how these consumers evaluate their lives, make professional decisions and purchase products as well as make real estate decisions is of intense interest. From Boomers, to Gen X to Gen Y– this book trains new and experienced agents how to make sell to today’s demanding consumers in the real estate arena.

Make Millions Selling Real Estate $12.36 Every real estate agent knows that making serious money doesn’t happen over night. But Make Millions Selling Real Estate details how agents can completely and forever change how they work, leap-frogging over more experienced agents to become true superstars–shaving years off of the pay-your-dues period and reaping the fruits of their labors while still young enough to enjoy them. Refreshingly simple and straightforward, this book does not rely on deep philosophy or theory, but instead gets right down to the nuts and bolts. Featuring eye-opening insights from top agents and brokers, Make Millions Selling Real Estate shows how the top earners do it, and reveals secrets and hard-won lessons it might otherwise take an entire career to learn-and that many agents never learn at all! Real estate is a tough business. Agents lacking the proper information and tools will quickly fall by the wayside. Make Millions Selling Real Estate can help keep veteran and rookie sellers on top of their game–and ahead of the curve.

Real Estate Marketing & Sales Essentials $22.31 Real estate can be a rewarding career ? for those with the savvy to succeed. Written by a real estate training authority, Real Estate Marketing Sales Essentials: Steps for Success equips new and experienced agents alike with a comprehensive resource of invaluable tips, advice, and hands-on instruction on how to convert their knowledge into sales ? and profits. The book walks readers through the major daily activities of real estate professionals, including prospecting for seller appointments, seller listing procedures, prospecting for buyer appointments, buyer listing procedures, objection handling techniques, client follow-up, referrals, contract writing, negotiation, closing, financing, and more. It also offers sound advice on the characteristics of successful salespeople, equipping readers with insight on such key skills as professionalism, ethics, technology, time management, and the psychology of marketing. Agents are already sold, praising Steps for Success for its real-world scenarios, out-of-the-box thinking, humorous examples, valuable timesavers, and cost-cutting advice.

The Real Estate Agent’s Business Planner $13.8 Mocker details a system enabling real estate agents to operate like a small business. Readers will learn to set up a strategy for getting through the lean months; prepare financial projections and learn how to manage a fluctuating income; find creative ways to market themselves within their budget; and more.

The No Lawsuite Guide to Real Estate Transactions $21.63 Risk-management techniques and guidance that can mean the difference between building a real estate livelihood-and losing itThis must-have resource covers all the legal and risk-management issues of real estate transactions. Simple enough for novices, but in-depth enough for real estate attorneys, this one-of-a-kind guide is a trustworthy reference whether you’re an investor, broker, agent, lawyer, developer, savvy home buyer a home seller, or in any way affected by the new revisions in the errors-and-omissions laws.Legal expert Barbara Nichols shows investors how to minimize their risk; helps agents and brokers spot problems that can lead to lawsuits; and assists buyers and sellers in dealing with closing, contracts, and everything else.

The Encyclopedia of Real Estate Forms & Agreements $19.97 In this book you will find over 250 essential forms, agreements, and contracts for buying and selling real estate, managing your business, and managing property and tenants. Designed for use by new and veteran agents, property managers, and brokers alike, this book is essentially a unique survival kit. It focus on the issues that you face in real estate from working with buyers, sellers, and tenants to ensuring profitability. The forms may be printed out and customized from the companion CD-ROM.