Archive for the ‘Flat Fee MLS’ Category
Tip for Home Sellers. Declutter
One of our customers ask for help in determining why their home has not sold. After doing some research, I was a bit perplexed. In going down the “must do” checklist for selling a home, it seemed that they had done everything correctly. The asking price was in the middle range for the neighborhood; They wisely used the internet to market the property. The home was featured on the MLS, InfoTube.net, Realtor.com and other major search engines for real estate; They were readily available for showings and returned emails and calls quickly. Nothing jumped out as being the reason other homes had sold, while theirs sat on the market…until I saw the pictures of the property. 
My first impression was that the seller forgot the about the Three D’s of staging a home to sell. This home had so much ”stuff” inside, that prospective buyers couldn’t see the room or picture themselves living there.
The 3 D’s: Declutter, Depersonalize and Decorate.
Declutter: This living area is a great size, but buyer’s wouldn’t know it. We recommended that the seller remove the area rug; the loveseat; all plants, stands and shelves from the bay window area; blue chair; at least one wall hutch; and the sofa table in the dining area. Rearrange the furniture that remains to maximize floor space and invite traffic flow toward the windows.
Depersonalize: Pack away all the toys, collectables and personal photographs.
Decorate: (1) Bay windows are a big selling feature, so make them stand out. Add a simple, solid color, sheer drapery treatment to draw the buyers eye; Pull the blinds all the way to the top of the window to let all the light in. (2) Beige walls, beige floor, beige ceiling, beige sofa’s…yawn… A warm neutral paint color on the walls would add interest and life to the room. Choose a thatched straw or color that is in the print hanging over the sofa. Pick up some fun throw pillows, candles, etc. to add spice and pop to the decor. (3) Consider losing the dated dining room fixture and pink table lamp. The ceiling is too low for a big hanging fixture and it breaks up the openness of the room. Try a ceiling mounted fixture or the simple, popular pendant lights
to add interest and flare to the room. (4) The dining room furniture is stylish. Remove the table cloth and place settings. Add a vase of fresh flowers or a grouping of candles instead.
Take a look at the Before and After picture below from a different home. See that by following the 3 D principle, the homeowner made a huge impact without spending a lot of money. For example, see the difference that removing the drapes and rugs made. Zero expense. Zero Effort. Big Result.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We are here to help you sell your home. If you aren’t advertising on the internet and the MLS, you are missing thousands of buyers. Call us or visit the site today to promote your property with one click of your mouse.
Home Sellers Saved Thousands of Dollars in 2009
News Release: Home sellers that used the services of Why6Percent.com saved an average of $13,000 in commissions and fee’s in 2009. Congratulations to all of you who got the job done and have successfully moved on with your lives. It has been a pleasure serving you!!
Since 2004, Why6Percent.com provides marketing assistance to “for sale by owners”, builders and investors. The diy company offers flat fee MLS (multiple listing service), with feeds to Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Move.com, Military,com, craigslist and other major web portals for real estate sales. The package exposes “by owner” (fsbo) property to over 10 million home shoppers each month at a cost of only $399.
Home Sales are Picking Up
Although the news about rising foreclosures and unemployment may have left us all feeling a little bruised and battered this week, the good news is that home sales have picked up.
Several of our MLS and Realtor.com clients have received offers on their properties this month. And, we heard from a lot of you who had successful closings in July.
If your home is still on the market, keep up your curb appeal and watch your pricing. Serious buyer’s are buying, but only the best homes, in best neighborhood, at the best prices.
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. We help people sell their homes and keep more of their money. We can help you, too. Call us at 1-800-381-9496 or click the link to visit the website.
Have a great weekend and happy home selling!!!
How to Price Your Home Correctly
Want to learn the key for correctly pricing your home?? Check out these great, short articles about Pricing and Selling Real Estate. This is helpful information for anyone buying or selling a home, with an agent or by owner.
Pricing Your Home Correctly. Click Here to Read about the difference in using List Prices versus Sold Prices to determine the Right Price.
Pricing Your Home Correctly: Click Here to Learn Why it Doesn’t Matter What You Paid.
Bad Strategy for Home Sales: Click Here to Read About Testing the Market
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. List Your Home on the MLS and dozens of Major Real Estate websites for Only $399 and Sell it Yourself. Why Pay 6 Percent???
Setting an Asking Price. No one cares what you paid.
I wish I could count the number of times I have listened to seller’s complain that their property is just sitting on the market, receiving no interest, just to hear that they based their asking price on what they paid for the home in 2006.
Do buyer’s care what you paid for an asset? Frankly, No. If I paid $100 a share for stock in of Bank of America and today it’s trading at $5 a share, does an investor care that I paid $100. Of course not. And, a home buyer is no different.
Click Here to Read more about Pricing Your Home to Sell, Not Sit
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. With our program you receive the full benefits of an MLS and Realtor.com listing AND sell your home yourself. Why Pay 6 Percent??
DOJ forces Columbia, SC MLS to Stops Unlaw Practices that Hurt Homeowners
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Columbia, SC Multiple Listing Service (MLS) have agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed one year ago.
The DOJ filed the law suit on behalf of consumers, accusing the Columbia, SC area MLS of illegally stiffling competition to keep sales commissions and fee’s high.
Some of the charges against the Columbia MLS are:
- The Columbia MLS required all brokers to offer identical services to consumers (ie: full service listings). The intent was to eliminate flat fee MLS and ala carte brokers, whose business model allowed home seller’s to chose services they were willing to pay for.
- The Columbia MLS charged $5000 member initiation fee’s, far exceeding the costs charged by other MLS’s. By raising the initiation dues, the Columbia MLS hoped to make the dues prohibitively expensive for new brokers or for those with alternative business models that charge less for their services.
- The MLS board forced members to use one form for services. This form prohibited home sellers from doing some of the sales work themselves in an attempt to save money.
- The Columbia board required brokers to have a stand alone office, apart from their homes. The ban on home based business kept overhead costs high for brokers operating on a low cost sales model, making it difficult for them to compete with traditional 6 percent brokers.
DOJ Agreement Forces Major Rule Changes in SC:
- The Columbia, SC area MLS agreement “will remove unlawful impediments to competition for real estate brokerage services in the Columbia area and will lead to more choices and lower brokerage fees for South Carolina consumers,” said Christine Varney, assistant attorney general in charge of antitrust at the DOJ.
- The Columbia MLS has agreed to allow membership to any broker in charge, regardless of their business model (ie: flat fee MLS and ala carte services).
- The board must allow home owners the right to choose the services that they want, in order to save money in selling commissions and fee’s.
- The MLS must repeal rules that require a single contract form for service.
- The standalone office requirement has been removed. Broker members can work from home to keep their overhead low.
- The Columbia MLS will allow members from other area’s to use their service and access the MLS data.
Why 6 Percent applauds the DOJ on its win to protect South Carolina sellers and buyers alike. It is a Realtor’s fiduciary obligation to expose a home seller’s property to as many sources as possible, even if they want to do some of the work themselves. It is also the right of every broker to work with consumers in any legal way that they chose. The DOJ settlement should go a long way toward lessening the costs or buying and selling property in South Carolina.
Why 6 Percent has flat fee MLS and ala carte brokers ready to serve home sellers in South Carolina. Call us today at 1-800-381-9496 to learn how to expose your home to thousands of buyer agents and millions of home shoppers each month.
Latest News on Home Prices by Metro Area
The Case Shiller Home Price Index for Metro Area’s in the United States was just released.
The Full Report Can be Accessed by Clicking Here
Home Prices, by Metro Area
| Metro Area | February 2009 | Change from January | Year-over-year change |
| Atlanta | 106.65 | -2.50% | -15.30% |
| Boston | 148.77 | -1.30% | -7.20% |
| Charlotte | 118.94 | -1.60% | -9.40% |
| Chicago | 126.3 | -3.40% | -17.60% |
| Cleveland | 97.76 | -5.00% | -8.50% |
| Dallas | 112.39 | -0.30% | -4.50% |
| Denver | 120.22 | -1.70% | -5.70% |
| Detroit | 74.6 | -3.80% | -23.60% |
| Las Vegas | 121.06 | -3.60% | -31.70% |
| Los Angeles | 163.16 | -2.00% | -24.10% |
| Miami | 154.28 | -3.00% | -29.50% |
| Minneapolis | 116.39 | -3.10% | -20.30% |
| New York | 178.16 | -1.60% | -10.20% |
| Phoenix | 111.89 | -4.50% | -35.20% |
| Portland | 150.88 | -1.90% | -14.40% |
| San Diego | 146.82 | -1.00% | -22.90% |
| San Francisco | 120.39 | -3.30% | -31.00% |
| Seattle | 152.12 | -1.50% | -15.40% |
| Tampa | 145.25 | -2.70% | -23.00% |
| Washington | 168.02 | -2.30% | -19.20% |
Source: Standard & Poor’s and FiservData
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. Unfortunately, we are looking, but we see no signs of a housing bottom in sight. If you need to sell your home and can’t pay 6 percent to an agent, we can place your property on the MLS, Realtor.com and all major real estate websites for only $399. We have helped thousands of owners, builders and investors sell their home and we can help you, too. Call 1-800-381-9496 for information and assistance.
Pro’s and Con’s of Sellling a Home by Realtor, Owner or Auction
Door #1, #2 or #3??? There are only 3 methods to sell a home. For Sale by Realtor or Agent. For Sale by Owner. Or, For Sale by Auction.
To Learn the Pro’s and Con’s about the 3 ways to sell real estate, this article is a must read. Click Here to Read this Article.
I learned a lot and really enjoyed myself, too. If you are considering buying or selling property, I am sure you will, too.
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. We have the all tools the pro’s use to buy and sell property and we provide access to everyone who needs to sell a property. Call us at 1-800-381-9496 or visit our site for details about how we can help you!!
Tips for a Fast, Top Dollar Home Sale – #1 – Staging
For the next few weeks, I will be providing Essential Tips for Preparing Your Home for a Fast, Top Dollar Sale. Please check back with us each day, or click on our RSS feed below, to receive great idea’s to maximize this spring home selling season.
Sell Fast and For Top Dollar Tip #1
#1 – Stage Your Home Before You Take Pictures for the Internet.
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90 Percent of Home Buyers shop on the internet, so it is imperitive that your pictures look great to entice people into wanting to see the home in person.
Other Articles of Interest about Using Photographs Effectively are:
How to Take Great Pictures that Help Your Home Sell
Use “In Season” Photographs on Your Home Listing
Examples of good Home for Sale Pictures
Proof that Internet Photo’s Sell Houses
It’s Spring. Freshen Up your Photographs
Bad Examples of Home for Sale Pictures
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We can place your home listing on the local MLS and dozens of major real estate websites such as Realtor.com for $399.
Call us today at 1-800-381-9496 to place your Home for Sale Listing in front of 12 million home shoppers each month.
More Buyer’s Use Internet to Find a Home
An interesting report released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed that one-third of all home buyers found the home they purchased on the internet, not through an agent.
To read more about using the power of the internet to buy and sell houses, check out this article on the InfoTube.net blog. The Realtor’s own data will surprise you.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We can list your property on your local MLS, Realtor.com, Google, Zillow, Craigslist, Trulia, MSN, Yahoo, InfoTube, HomesforSaleLive and other real estate web portals for only $399. Why pay 6 Percent???