HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME?
WE GOT ANSWERS!
Q: Do you have an active real estate licensed?
A: Yes, I have a current CA broker license #01797775. I also belong to the National Association of Realtors®, California Association of Realtors® and Santa Clara Association of Realtors®
Q: The “Million Dollar Question” Why are you charging only $6,800 Listing Fee instead of the traditional 2.5% or 3%?
A: The answer is easy. Simply because it works for my budget. Unlike other real estate firms, I don’t have to share my commission with a team leader, or upline broker. I have very low overhead expenses and it works for my business model. Also, I am only offering the $6,800 flat listing fee for homes located within a 10 mile radius from Hayward, CA. Meaning I don’t have to drive great distances to get to your home for a last minute showing for a buyer that just found your home in Zillow or any other real estate website. Every real estate agent has different goals and budgets. Mine are very simple - Provide the highest level of customer service to my clients and net them the most amount of money when selling their homes.
Q: How much experience do you have selling homes in the Bay Area?
A: This is another question I get asked often. I have been selling real estate for 14+ years representing buyers and sellers throughout the Bay Area, San Diego and Orange Counties (three years in the last two locations). You can Google my name and you will find multiple sources of information about my services, experience and reviews from satisfied past clients. Don’t take my word for it…go ahead and look me up 😉
Q: Do you take listings in other cities that are more than 10 miles from Hayward?
A: Yes. But the listing fee will be higher. But, it will still be less than 2.5% (listing side only).
Q: If I list my home with you for $6,800 flat fee, does this cover the buyer’s agent commission?
A: This is another very important question. The answer is no. The $6,800 listing fee only covers the commission for the listing side of the transaction.
For example: In a real estate sale, the traditional overall broker fee is 5% to 6% which is split between the listing broker and the buyer’s broker. Let’s say your home is sold for $800,000 (realistic price in Hayward). With a standard broker fee of 5%, you would pay $40,000 in broker commissions ($20,000 to your listing broker and $20,000 to the buyer’s broker). With my business model, on the same sale of $800,000 for your home, you would pay no more than $26,800 in broker commissions ($6,800 to Me-your listing broker and $20,000 to the buyer’s broker). This will result in $13,200 savings just in broker commissions. Or even better, if we advertise the buyer’s broker fee as only 2% (which is also very attractive in this competitive market). You could save even more!
Q: Is your business model similar to REX or Redfin?
A: Not at all. You don't have to hire me to help you purchase your next home in order for me to give you a discount on the listing fee. Also, what makes my business model different is that if you hire me as your listing broker, I am only representing you (the seller) in the transaction. Meaning I am always looking out for your best interest. I will not represent the buyer in the sale of your home. Simply, there is no way I could look out for the best interest of both buyer and seller in the same transaction.
It would be like hiring an attorney that is also representing the other party. Not a good strategy in my personal opinion.
Q: Will you sell my home quicker than industry average or quicker than (Well known brands)?
A: There is a myth going around about some real estate firms selling your home faster than the average agent. They would claim they have the latest technology, proprietary algorithms and blah, blah, blah. This is all a sales pitch.
The truth is, almost every real estate agent out there has access to such “latest technology”. If your home is located in a desirable location and priced correctly, it will sell FAST in a SELLERS MARKET (under 10 days) or take longer in a BUYERS MARKET (30-60 days). It will depend on how your property shows compared to the competition and the current market trends. Almost every agent out there will list your home in Zillow, realtor.com, redfin, movoto.com, etc. and get maximum exposure for your listing. If your home is located in a desirable location and it is in good condition, you will receive offers within the first 7 days and depending on the type of offers received, you can pick the one that best suits your needs. Highest price, best financing method, shortest time for contingency periods, shortest closing time, etc.
Beware that you will also receive the “I want to buy your home CASH with quick closing” cards in the mail. These types of cash offers are from investors looking to buy your home without competition. That is correct. WITHOUT COMPETITION. Did I already said WITHOUT COMPETITION?. That’s right. As investors, they would need to make at least a 10% to 20% profit on the resale of your home so 10 times out of 10, you will sell your home for less than actual market value. And how do you know what the market value of your home is? Simply by listing your home publicly and receiving fair offers. This is the only way you will know how much buyers out there are willing to pay for your home.
Q: What is included in your $6,800 flat listing fee? Are you cutting corners?
A: Fair question. And the answer is no, I am not cutting corners. It simply works with my budget. The $6,800 flat listing fee is for full brokerage service and includes:
- A free market analysis for the sale of your home.
- Coordinate with stager (if you hire one) to get the home ready for photos and showings.
- Complementary Sellers Shield Home Legal Protection Plan for 1-year (after transaction closes). More information during our listing meeting.
- Listing your home in the MLS, syndicating your listing to other well known real estate sites such Zillow, Redfin, realtor.com, movoto.com, etc.
- Placing a large FOR SALE sign in front of your home or condo (if HOA allows it).
- Hosting broker tours and open houses on weekends. Or Fridays if requested by owner.
- High quality digital booklet for your listing available for the open houses. Replacing printed open house flyers. Instead, each person gets a card with QR code to access the Property Digital Booklet directly from their phone, tablets or home computers.
- Offer review and negotiation.
- Coordinate with all parties involved (sellers, buyer’s agent, transaction coordinators, title and escrow staff, lender, home inspectors, appraiser, home warranty vendors, home stagers, etc.) to make sure the transaction stays on track to avoid delays at closing.
- Answering any questions you may have before and after close of escrow.
Q: Will you take professional photos for my home?
A: Yes. Professional photos, 3D Virtual Tour or drone video (if no local flying restrictions) and floor plan are included in the $6,800 listing fee.
Q: How will you determine my home's listing price?
A: Without making a big sales pitch about using “latest proprietary technology”, using “our data science team”, or other fancy words to confuse you.
Every good real estate broker or Realtor® out there (including myself), will run a comparative market analysis (CMA) for your home. They will show you the results about what other homes (similar to yours) are selling for in your neighborhood. Then based on market trends and current inventory, advise on a listing price that would go alongside your personal goals.
Q: Will my home be listed in the MLS for other brokers to see?
A: Yes, I will list your home in the local MLS and neighboring MLS systems for other local brokers and out of the area brokers to see. They will get alerts on your new listing. Also every MLS system has the ability to syndicate your listing to all other public real estate websites known such Zillow, Trulia, movoto.com, realtor.com, Redfin, etc.
Q: Will you host my open house?
A: Yes. I host all the open houses in person and also bring other realtors, lenders and insurance agents with me to cooperate during the home showings and to answer any questions potential buyers may have.
Q: What happens after we accept an offer?
A: The process of selling a home in California can be long and stressful some times because the amount of legal paperwork to go through and sign. This is why you are paying a commission to your real estate broker. To not only walk you through the entire process but to be along your side and available to answer any questions you may have until the close of escrow and sometimes even beyond the closing date. Every real estate transaction is unique and every client will have different sets of questions.
Q: How come you are not working for a large real estate firm?
A: I have worked for large real estate firms in the past and I have had great mentors throughout my real estate career. My current goals and business model do not align with the goals of other real estate firms. Maybe I will work again with a large firm in the future... who knows.
Q: Do you have a team of agents working for you?
A: In order for me to provide the savings I provide to my clients when selling their homes, unfortunately I cannot have other agents working for me. I do have an assistant though. Also having more agents under my license means more liability for me and it will add to my overall expenses.
However, I do have a team of professionals that we collaborate with each other in the form of referrals (no referral fees). Such as loan officers, insurance agents, real estate attorneys, contractors, interior designers, stagers, appraisers, hard money lenders, house cleaners, gardeners, handymen, etc.
My promise to you – I will never be too busy to answer your phone calls or respond to your texts or emails.
Do you have more questions or would like to schedule a FREE listing consultation?