Considering that this Realtor Flat Fee MLS alternative allows for both
the increased exposure to potential buyers who may be working only with a realtor (at a
cost to the seller of 3% commission rather than 6%) and the continuing opportunity for the
owner to sell the property FSBO and still avoid Realtor commissions entirely if the owner
finds a buyer first, this is indeed an alternative which property owners should research,
become knowledgeable about and consider Before you settle on Your Marketing Plan. In the
above described scenario, owners should understand that there is only "Limited"
Agency with the Listing Realtor and NO Agency with the "Buyers Agent" Realtors.
This means that the"Buyers Agent" Realtors do NOT Work For The Seller as many
people commonly think that all Realtors do. These "Buyer Agent" Realtors do not
have the same customary responsibilities towards the property owner that a
"Listing-Agent" or a "Sub-Agent " Selling Realtor would normally have.
Dealing with these "Buyer Agent" Realtors is more like dealing with a potential
buyer who might respond to your FSBO marketing efforts. Any owner interested in this
approach should fully research and understand these differences in the Realtors duties and
responsibilities and consider getting an attorney to review your sales contracts with any
of these Buyer Agents before you sign them (having an attorney lined up to review your
sales contract, or better yet to prepare one for you in advance, is a good idea anyway for
all non-real estate professionals). A form called "Information About Brokerage
Services" is published by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and is available to
download or view at ftp://ftp.trec.state.tx.us/contracts/OP-K.pdf
and this form has some information about these "Buyers Agent" Realtors. These
rules about Agency and their consequences will vary considerably from state to state, the
Texas TREC form is one general example of the nature of these rules. Be sure to determine
how these issues affect your rights and obligations in your specific state.
One problem with this Flat Fee MLS marketing method is finding a
LOCAL Flat Fee Realtor that will do it. Dealing directly with a Local Realtor who lives,
works, and has a wealth of personal knowledge about marketing homes in your specific area
has a number of obvious benefits for home sellers. A lot of realtors "Talk"
about discount listing services these days primarily as a way to get customers into their
offices to sell them their Full Priced Services, many others idea of "Discount
Commissions" is to reduce their normal 6% to 4.5% or 5%, while Most Realtors will not
consider this type of an arrangement at all, since it runs contrary to their traditional
practices. We offer these Realtor Flat Fee MLS Listing Package Deals in coordination with
FSBO Friendly Local Realtors all around the country in order to combine the benefits of
this new marketing method with the normal FSBO marketing strategy. The result is a
Powerful Marketing Plan which offers sellers a Lot of Flexibility at a fraction of the
cost of most Discount Realtor Listing services.
We do not recommend any particular Marketing Plan, either The
Realtor plan, The FSBO Plan, or the Hybrid FSBO - Realtor Flat Fee
MLS plan. Each individual seller will have different needs, limitations, or
preferences. Our purpose is simply to assist users in identifying the various home selling
alternatives, evaluating those alternatives for yourself, and obtaining additional
information about those home selling alternatives for your own individual consideration to
determine which Plan best suites your preferences and objectives. If Your Marketing Plan
then requires any Advertising, the web sites above can provide you an efficient and
valuable addition to your house selling Advertising program which is designed to enhance
the efficiency and effectiveness of WHICHEVER Marketing Plan You Choose. In reality, all
real estate is For Sale By Owner. Some owners choose the Realtor
Marketing plan, some choose the FSBO Marketing plan, and lately quite a few are choosing
the Flat Fee MLS Listing Hybrid Marketing plan.
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