Q.Why
would I want to sell my own home?
A. There are several reasons why selling
your own home may be an attractive alternative...
Sell Faster
No Commissions
You Maintain Control
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Q. If
you don't
charge any commissions how do you make money?
A. By charging an upfront advertising fee, which is based on the size of
the ad you run and how long you run it for. See Pricing
Options for more info.
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Q.
How do I get started?
A. See "How
to Place An Ad" or call our office at 518-452-6330.
Our experienced staff will walk you through the simple process
of setting up your multi-media advertising campaign.
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Q. When
I place my ad what else is included?
A. With any of our photo ad packages you
get...
- Magazine Advertising
- Internet Advertising on Multiple Websites
- TV Advertising on the For Sale By Owner TV Show
For
a complete list of our packages and pricing click
here
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Q. Which
package is right for me?
A. As far as size goes, the determining factor
will be how many photos you want in you ad and how much you
have to say about your home. Choose from 1/8
Page, 1/4 Page or 1/2
Page ads. In terms of length of time we recommend a minimum
of 12 weeks for the average homeseller. We have an 84% success
rate for those who take at least 12 weeks. Also, you'll want
to consider the Gold and Platinum packages as they offer a full
array of our products and are a great value.
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Q.Some
of the higher end packages are expensive, why go with one
of them?
A. Remember, expense is relative. Let's
look at an example. We'll assume you have a home you were
going to list with an agent for $200,000. And we'll further
assume that you get a full price offer. With a typical 6%
commission the numbers look like this...
Buyer
pays $200,000
Realtor gets $12,000
You get $188,000
Now
let's look at our most expensive option - the 1/2 Page Platinum
package at the 24 week rate. That's $900 a lot of money,
yes. But let's compare. And to make things more attractive let's
lower the price to the buyer by $3,000 (which should result
in a faster sale). Now the numbers look like this...
Buyer
pays $197,000
Advertising costs $900
You receive $196,100
So
in this scenario, the buyer gets a $3,000 better deal, and
you end up with over $8,100 more in your pocket. That what
we call a win-win situation!
Now,
we're not suggesting that everyone needs a 1/2 page Platinum
for 24 weeks but we wanted to use our most expensive ads to
illustrate our point.
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Q. Okay,
maybe I'll save some money, but won't I sell a lot faster
if I just list with an agent?
A. Actually, no! As demonstrated by our previous
example you have a competitive advantage over a home that's listed with
an agent. Because there's no commission factored into the price, you
can price your home more competitively and sell faster. For more information
see FSBO Stats.
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Q. But
if my home's not in the MLS will anyone see my property?
A. The MLS is a nice tool for the realtors
but it has one major drawback
- it's not openly available to the public. Conversely, when you advertise your
property with us you get unbelievable multi-media exposure which includes magazine,
television and internet advertising. It should be noted that real estate agents
track our listings closely. If they are working with a buyer and your home
fits their profile they will most definitely contact you to see if you would
be willing to allow them to show the home to their buyer. So, in effect, you
are getting the same benefit of listing in the MLS without having to sign a
long-term listing agreement.
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Q. How
often does the magazine come out and where can I find it?
A. The magazine comes out every 3 weeks and
can be found at all area
Price Choppers, Grand Unions, Hannafords and Walmarts. We are positioned in
the free publication racks at the entrances and/or exits to the stores. If
the store has two entrances the magazines will be at one of them. We also mail
the magazine to our buyers list. These are people who have registered with
us and are looking for a home in our area.
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Q. Do
serious buyers really watch the FSBO TV Show? What about
the internet?
A. Yes, we've had many customers that said that their
buyer came from either the TV or internet. Really the idea is that your
exposing your home to as many homebuyers as possible. With the TV show
you reach over 300,000 cable households. That's tremendous exposure.
With the internet, you are getting a worldwide audience which is especially
effective for the out-of-town buyer. These are excellent compliments
to the magazine's distribution.
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Q. We've
heard selling your own home is difficult with all of the
paperwork etc.
A. That's simply not true. In fact selling your home
is easy. The hardest part is finding a buyer and that's where we come
in. With the multimedia combination of the magazine, TV
show and internet
advertising your home will get all the exposure you need to sell. Once
you've identified a buyer and negotiated a price that's agreeable to
both parties, an attorney will handle the rest. We highly recommend
using an attorney and if you don't have one there are several that
advertise in the magazine that would be happy to help.
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Q. How
important are signs?
A. It has been said that agents get over 1/2 of their buyers from yard signs.
We offer a full line of durable, professional looking signs that tell buyers
that you are serious about selling your home.
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Q. How
fast will my home take to sell?
A. When it comes right down to it there are
only two factors that determine how fast a home will sell...price
and exposure. It is critical that both are balanced.
You can have all of the exposure in the world but have the
home overpriced it will not sell. Conversely, if your home
is priced accurately but no one knows it your home won't sell.
When you list with us you will have all of the exposure you
need to a diverse group of local and out-of-town buyers. Therefore
it is wise to make sure your home is priced properly. We highly
recommend getting your home appraised by a licensed appraiser.
These are professionals certified and trained to give you
an accurate assessment of your home's value. This is one of
the best investments you can make. If your home is underpriced
you stand to lose money by selling
too cheaply. If your home is over priced you could be wasting advertising dollars
and valuable time. So price it right and sell faster!
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Q. Why
do some people fail at selling by owner?
A. We believe it's one of two reasons....
1.
The home is not priced properly. Here's a common scenario...the
homeseller gets an appraisal on the home but doesn't like the
number that comes back. "I've got more than that into the
property - there's no way I'll sell it for that!". So they
come up with their own price much higher than the appraised
value. They advertise the home and get discouraged at the lack
of response and list the property with
an agent. The agent convinces them to lower their price (probably at the appraised
value). Now they end up selling the home but have to pay a commission on top
of it. If they had priced it accurately from the beginning they would have
sold quicker and saved the commission.
2.
They're not committed to selling on their own. It's usually
the people who come in with the idea that they'll try it for
a few weeks and if it doesn't sell they'll give it to an agent.
This really is a defeatist attitude and usually results in failure.
Remember how much you stand to save when you sell your own home
and go at it with a serious approach.
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