Note: This is NOT a list of cliché Realtor promises – In fact, I challenge any other real estate brokerage in Minnesota to match these ten commitments to their clients. 90% won’t get past the first three!
1. Cancel Any Time You Want
Most real estate representation contracts in our market include terms that lock you, the buyer or seller, in for at least ninety days and often up to six months! What if you realize later that your agent is no good, or that you just don’t get along? How do you like the idea of being stuck with that agent for another three months?
All of my representation agreements include a clause that allows you to cancel any time for any reason. If you decide that you’re not 100% happy with my services, you can simply cancel – no questions asked.
2. No Dual Agency
Dual agency is created when a single agent or two agents from a single brokerage represent both the buyer and seller in a transaction. When dual agency is created, your real estate company will be limited as to the level of representation that it can provide to you, and your agent will be prohibited from advocating exclusively on your behalf.
Dual agency is so perilous that it is illegal in a number of other states. Nevertheless, its still regularly engaged in by every single one of the major brokerages in Minnesota.
When you work with me, I will always advocate for your interests exclusively, and will never endanger your interests with dual agency.
3. Professional Photographs Taken of Your Home (at No Extra Charge to You)
After ten years as a full-time real estate agent, I am still dumbfounded on a daily basis, by the unbelievably low quality of many of the photographs that are uploaded to the MLS. A large percentage of agents don’t even bother to post the maximum number of photographs allowed.
I simply cannot comprehend what it is that so many real estate agents don’t get about the importance of pictures when selling a house. In my opinion, there is just no excuse for poor listing photographs.
I guarantee you that, when selling your home with me, your home will be photographed by a professional photographer, and your MLS listing will show the maximum allowable number of photographs. They will be bright, attractive, appealing, and designed to get you the maximum number of home showings by interested buyers. And if the seasons happen to change, new pictures will be taken to make sure your listing stays current.
4. Your Listing On ALL Local Search Sites PLUS Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com
Recently, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the state decided that it would no longer share its listings with the three most popular home search sites in the country, Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com. The CEO of this brokerage admitted that the company made this move with the purpose of boosting web traffic to its own company website.
As a listing agent, I appreciate that my purpose is to sell your home, not myself. You can, therefore, depend on the fact that, when you list your home with me, your home listings will appear on the big national search sites and all local home search sites INCLUDING, Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, TheMLSonline, and countless others.
5. Individual Property Website With Custom Domain for Every Listing
Most real estate agents prefer to direct buyers who are curious about their listings to their own websites, where the original listing will get lost among ads for several others. It is the agent’s hope that this buyer ‘lead’ can be captured and turned into a buyer client, regardless of which home they eventually buy.
Since my goal for my listings is not to capture ‘leads,’ but to sell your house, your home will receive its own website with your address as the domain. When curious buyers look up your house, they will be sold on your house – not on me! Here are some examples: 3248HillsideCourt.com, OakMarshViews.com, 14939PintoLane.com, 7572JefferyAve.com
6. No Shady Agent Bonuses or Bribes
Occasionally, to try and hurry the sale of a home, a listing agent will try and “bribe” buyer’s agents with a selling bonus above and beyond the ordinary commission payout. Their thought is that this extra money will entice unscrupulous buyer’s agents to push harder to persuade their clients to buy the house. You can be sure that I will never be influenced by these questionable tactics.
Any selling bonus paid to me that is beyond the regular buyer agent commission will be rebated to you in full at closing.
7. No Affiliated Business Arrangements
Many real estate companies have found ways to enhance their per-transaction revenues through affiliated business arrangements with mortgage, title, and home warranty companies. By advertising this as “one-stop shopping,” and subtly “steering” their clients to use these affiliated companies, the real estate brokerage benefits financially at the expense of their clients. This is how Coldwell Banker Burnet ended up as the subject of a class-action lawsuit. See: Agents’ Costly Referrals Spark Class-Action Suit
Be assured that I maintain no affiliated business arrangements, accept no “kickbacks,” and will never suggest any service providers unless I believe them to provide the best value to my clients.
8. Variable Rate Commission on Every Listing
When your house sells in the typical transaction, approximately half of the commission you pay will be shared with the agent who represented the buyer. If the buyer has no agent, wouldn’t you agree that you deserve some of that money back? Well, unless your listing contract has a Variable Rate Commission clause, your agent will happily keep that excess commission for himself – in the industry, this windfall payout is referred to as a ‘Hogger.’
I include a Variable Rate Commission clause as part of every one of my listing agreements. If we are able to sell your house to a buyer who is unrepresented by an agent, your total commission will be discounted a full 2%.
9. Up-Front Commission Disclosure for All Listings
Minnesota law requires agents of home buyers to disclose to their clients, prior to writing a purchase agreement, the amount of compensation they are receiving for the sale. The problem is, most agents don’t get around to disclosing this until the purchase agreement is actually being written. Since no disclosure is made regarding the payout amounts offered for all of the other houses for sale, the buyer has no way of knowing whether his agent’s choices for home showings were influenced by the amount of compensation offered.
When you work with me, you’ll always know ahead of time, the commission payouts for all of the homes that meet your criteria. This information will be provided to you along with the property details for every home in your MLS search. That way, you’ll always know what I stand to earn for the sale of any given property, and you’ll never have to wonder whether I’m working to serve your best interests or my own.
10. No Unsellable Listings
Did you know that there are many real estate agents who will be willing to list your house for sale even if they know it won’t sell? The thing agents won’t tell is that home listings provide tons of opportunities for agents to advertise themselves using your home as the vehicle. Open houses, just-listed postcards, yard signs, and neighborhood door-hangers are all useful ways for your agent to attract and meet additional clients, whether your home ultimately sells or not.
Before putting any house on the market, I do tons of objective price research. If the data shows that we won’t be able to achieve your desired price, I’ll let you know right away. I am not interested in wasting your time by using your home to promote myself. If I don’t believe that I can sell your home for the price you want, I will not take your listing.
Leave a Reply