Don’t Be Too Cheap When Using A Flat-Fee Listing Agent

Does The House On Your MLS Listing Look Like This? Would You Buy This House?

The flat-fee listing agency type of service has been around for a while.  A flat-fee listing gives you the opportunity to have your house listed on MLS for a flat fee plus the buyer’s commission.  Usually a flat-fee listing involves the agent adding your house to the local multiple listing service (MLS), giving you a sign for the yard, a lockbox for the door and registering you in the centralized showing system that agents use to setup appointments for showings, if your local real estate market uses a scheduling service.  There are other options available to you but for those are the basic service you should insist on.  From that point, you’re on your own.  You market your house, conduct showings and open house tours, etc.  You represent yourself and take care of all the little details.  I’m not going to argue the pros and cons of flat-fee -vs- full-service listing services, because I believe both have their own merits.  However, I do want to ask flat-fee clients, are you too cheap for your own good?

« Continue reading article »

Why Burglars Love Open Houses & Virtual Tours

Thinking about having an open house or creating a virtual tour to sell your home?  Be careful not to reveal to much about your house.  Not only do open houses, virtual tours, brochures, and MLS pictures  attract buyers, but if you reveal too many details, you could be advertising to thieves and burglars too.  Thieves love virtual tours and MLS pictures because they can be used to “case” your house from the comfort of the thief’s home.   Follow these tips to reduce your exposure and prevent your marketing activities from attracting the wrong type of shopper?

« Continue reading article »

Prepare For The Real Estate Selling Season By Enhancing Curb Appeal

Preparing to sell your home in the Dallas / Fort Worth area?  Spring is the start of the selling season for real estate so this is a good time to start planning for it.  Before you talk to an agent, here are some things you should consider doing to your house’s exterior to improve your houses’ curb appeal.
« Continue reading article »

Are Your MLS Pictures Preventing Your House From Selling?

How many mistakes can you find in this photo?

Great house pictures attractive buyers while bad pictures repel home buyers.  Make sure your agent follows these tips to get great looking pictures to make your house stand out from the competition.

You’d be surprised how bad some MLS photos look.  I even found a website that makes fun of bad real estate photos.  That site is www.lovelylisting.com.  While pictures featured on that site may be extreme examples of bad photography, many MLS pictures do not do the featured house justice.  If your agent uses a pocket-sized camera with a built-in flash or worse yet, a phone camera to take pictures of your house, you are in trouble.

« Continue reading article »