Lilburn

Broker Fees?

June 30th, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers, Lilburn

I’ve seen an annoying new trend. Buyer and Seller “Broker Fees”. It may go by various names, but amounts to the same thing… what Clark Howard would call a Junk Fee.

Entrance to Baltimore

These are quite different from the other fees that may be involved in a real estate transaction, and there are a LOT of fees. The lenders have fees, the closing attorney has fees, there are state fees, county fees, insurance fees, delivery fees… Simply put, buyers and sellers are paying plenty of fees. Adding some BS junk fee like a paperwork fee, transaction fee, administrative fee or broker fee is just adding insult to injury.

There is already a commission or sales fee that the real estate broker and agent are sharing. There is no reason to add another official sounding fee on top of this that is after the negotiated amounts.

And, that is how it usually works… the seller negotiates the fee for selling their home, and everyone shakes hands… and then the agent mentions that there is a $495 paperwork fee or something along those lines. They say it is required… maybe not saying that they are the ones requiring it…

In the case of buyers, after going through the buyer’s agency agreement and telling the buyer that the commission is generally paid by the seller, they hit the buyer up for a transaction fee… again, saying it is a requirement.

There are various reasons for this… What it mostly comes down to is that people and companies in the real estate industry are hurting for income. But, many of our clients aren’t exactly rolling in money… and even if they were, it isn’t right to tack on junk just because we think we can… Some agents are working for companies that charge US a closing fee for closing a transaction instead of charging a split and the agents are passing it along. It should be part of their cost of doing business.

I just say NO!

No additional fees. You will know EXACTLY what you are paying for my services prior to delivery and prior to completing the negotiations. I try to deliver more for EVERY client than other agents… but that doesn’t mean I need to add junk fees on top of fair fee structure.

And there are some different options available for sellers… but that is another post.

from LaneBailey.com

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How much earnest money is enough?

June 18th, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers

This is a common question from both buyers and sellers… Read the rest of this entry »

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Wanna be a TV Star?

June 9th, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers, Lilburn

HGTV is looking forsome buyers in the Atlanta area that are ready to get a deal done. They want fun and energetic buyers.

If you think this would be interesting, let me know. We can put in an application.

Also, if you selling a home and having trouble, there may be opportunities to have your home shown on HGTV along with some advice from their expert, Sabrina, on things you might do to help get it sold.

Shoot me a message if you are interested in either of these opportunities.

from LaneBailey.com

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Location, Location, Location…

June 3rd, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, Lilburn, Parkview

That has to be the most tired and over-used statement in real estate. But there is a problem with it… It kind of died as a truism.

The idea behind that statement is that homes in the right area could bring more money. And that has always been true… But there is a big donut hole in the theory…

People go to where they can get the house they want…

Even Clark Howard says Read the rest of this entry »

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Lilburn, Get your Pic on…

June 2nd, 2009 Categories: For Sellers, Lilburn

I have done a couple of surveys of photos on listings in Lilburn, GA. It is pretty interesting to see how many pictures are included on local homes for sale. It is also a bit annoying… because there are still WAY too many homes that aren’t being represented well.

Here is some base data for listings in the last 30 days: Read the rest of this entry »

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Exceptionalism

May 25th, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers, Lilburn

There are a lot of real estate agents. The NAR reports over 1.2 million members, and the Atlanta area alone has more than 40,000. It is hard to NOT know a real estate agent. Regardless of where I go and who I talk with, they know an agent. Today at the cell phone store, the clerk helping me has an agent for a Mother-in-Law. There are three in my small neighborhood. There are at least two at my son’s pre-school.

The fact is that is is hard to turn around without bumping into one of us.

And there are agents that make it even worse. Read the rest of this entry »

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REbarCamp…

May 17th, 2009 Categories: For Sellers

Ok, it really doesn’t have anything to do with concrete (rebar). It actually doesn’t have anything to do with drinking, either (bar camp). Instead, it is about peer-to-peer technology education. Blogging, social networking, video, listing search technologies and better utilization of market data were some of the covered subjects.

Why does this matter to consumers? (I’m secretly glad you asked…)

Read the rest of this entry »

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590 Baltimore Ave., Lilburn, GA 30047

May 14th, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, Lilburn

I actually took the listing last week and got it set up. The website is now up, although it is still getting some more tweaks and additions.

590 Baltimore Ave, Lilburn, GA 30047 is being offered at $400,000. And it is an exceptional property. Four bedrooms, three and a half bath, and two 2 car garages. There is a full finished basement.

This is a really cool place, and there isn’t anything else like it. From the long winding driveway through the three acres to the house surrounded by woods and the creek, the house transports you to another place.

Read the rest of this entry »

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But Zillow says…

May 14th, 2009 Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers, Lilburn

I know… most sellers at some point take a look at the ‘Zestimate’ that Zillow produces for their property. And there is almost always one of two reactions…

“Those people are on crack, my house is worth way more than that” (if the Zestimate is lower than expected)
“Wow, I didn’t know it was worth THAT much… Cool” (if the Zestimate comes in higher than expected)

The bottom line is that Read the rest of this entry »

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