1.
Are you a real estate broker?
2.
How long has your program been offered and what are the results?
3.
What would cause my home not to sell?
4. Do you use the Multiple Listing Services (MLS)
like real estate agents?
5. Who helps the buyers make an offer?
6. Are there any other fees that you charge?
7. A family member or friend has a real
estate license. Should I go with them?
8. Are you anti-realtors?
9. Real estate agents must not like you?
10.
Why should buyers buy from me as a FSBO (for sale by owner)
instead of an agent listed home?
11. Do you have signs and marketing tools?
12.
What are some of the problems your sellers face?
13.
Doesn't everyone need a real estate agent?
1.
Are you a real estate broker?
Yes. However, pursuant to Texas Law,
licensed attorneys are exempt from real estate licensing
requirements. Becoming a licensed attorney requires a college
degree, a law degree and passing a three day exam. I am a
licensed real estate broker and that took a few courses by mail.
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2.
How long has your For Sale By Owner program been offered and what are the results?
I started the program in San Antonio around January 1, 2003. My
results speak for themselves. Visit my listings and see
all the homes that have sold. I learned this program while
studying at Creighton University School of Law (Omaha, NE).
My mentor's success rate in Omaha was better than real estate
agents. He closed 70-80% of his homes whereas agents
only closed 59%. I have had similar results in Texas. Why?
Because home owners have a vested interest in seeing their home
sold and saving the commission, they work harder at selling the
home than most agents.
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3.
What would cause my home not to sell?
Selling a house can
be a fun, challenging and profitable experience if you have the
right approach. All too often a home seller tends to be
protective and unrealistic about their home's value, which leads
them away from being competitive. Overpricing is the #1 reason why
a home won't sell. The time of the year also effects selling.
Appearances (wear and tear) are also important. With
experience I have learned that some sellers EXPECT their home to
sell immediately and that is unrealistic. Most agents take
3-6 months to sell a home. You need patience to sell a home.
If you have no patience, then you may consider obtaining the
services of a real estate agent.
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4.
Do you use the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) like real estate
agents?
Yes. The MLS is a useful tool to sell a home,
especially when used with a professional yard sign, directional
sign, flyer box, etc. The MLS is used with our Full Service Real
Estate Brokerage package. You should agree to pay 3% to a buyer's agent.
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5.
Who helps the buyers make an offer?
I help the buyers make offers and provide
information on how to obtain financing. If they prefer
to have their own representation I recommend they contact
another attorney that specializes in residential real estate.
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6.
Are there any other fees that you charge?
No, the fees stated on my
SERVICES PAGE are all that
we charge. There are other fees typically
associated with selling and buying a home. The title
insurance (typically less than 1%) is a mandatory fee if the
buyer has to obtain a new mortgage. This fee is typically
paid by the seller. Other fees include a survey, home
warranty, escrow fees, taxes, etc. I can provide you with a
good faith estimate of fees.
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7.
A family member or friend has a real estate license.
Should I go with them?
My recommendation is you should do what is best
for your family. Also, you should avoid mixing business with
family members. You need serious experience when selling a
home. Most agents are part-timers and do not keep up with
trends and sales in the area. Also, most of them have full-time
jobs doing something else. Real estate sales transactions is all
I do.
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8.
Are you anti-real estate agent?
No. I like real estate agents, but the
market is clamoring for choices and that is what we offer. Many
agents do not have the training or legal background to properly
represent clients. I have so
many clients who sell "For Sale By Owner" because
their previous agent was incompetent. Furthermore, if
there where real standards & ethics in the real estate community
they would deserve their income. I see agents show up
whenever they feel like it, sales contracts that are filled out
incorrectly, and many do not stay in contact with their clients,
etc.
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9.
Real estate agents must not like you?
Yes, there are some agents who do not like my
services because I threaten their incompetence, laziness, & I like giving
folks CHOICES. However, the good agents know that there is
a large client pool and don't care about my services.
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10.
Why should buyers buy from me as a For Sale By Owner
instead of an agent listed home?
This is the one of the best selling points of
selling BY OWNER. History has shown that most agents
overprice their listed homes 8-15%. My recommendation to
my clients - For Sale By Owner or Full Service Brokerage - is to find out
what houses have SOLD for in the area in the last 3-6 months. I
provide a market analysis to you and we can review them together.
Often times, agents will recommend a higher price merely to
obtain your business. After a few months they would
recommend that you drop your price. This behavior by some agents
is very deceitful and
self-serving?
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11.
Do you have signs and marketing tools?
Yes, I do provide real estate yard signs, flyer box,
web site and over 50 marketing techniques. The key to successful
marketing for my For Sale By Owner clients is that you have to do some of the
work. If you are really lazy or procrastinate a lot you
should consider our
FULL SERVICE
BROKERAGE
to selling a house.
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12.
What are some of the problems your By Owner sellers face?
First, they have to show the home. Second, they have to market
their home. Third, they have to put up with real estate agents who may
try to sabotage their efforts. Agents do this through
harassment, intimidation and/or steal the yard sign, directional signs
or flyers. Yes, this does happen once in awhile.
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13.
Doesn't everyone need a real estate agent?
NO! Legally
speaking, sellers and buyers to a real
estate transaction do not require agents.
Unfortunately, for too long agents have tried to mystify the
selling/buying process to rationalize their
commissions. Thanks to the internet and professionals such as myself we are
slowly changing the method of selling and buying real estate.
While I don't foresee everyone avoiding real estate agents, I do
see a day where 50% of all residential
resale transactions will be successfully completed without agents.
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LICENSED
BY THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS.
NOT CERTIFIED BY THE TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION.
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