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What
is the difference between a
"traditional" full service broker and
your $399 flat fee listing service?
There’s
virtually no difference. Sellect Realty's
$399 listing is full service. We
represent our sellers and perform the
same duties as a traditional broker such
as determining your selling price,
listing your home on the MLS,
negotiating the contract and attending the closing. The biggest
difference is in the savings for you, if
you are willing to invest some of your
time and effort in marketing your home
(e.g. showing your home to buyers with
no agents). You will not be paying the full normal
commission (typically 6%). The only commission you will pay
is to the broker of a buyer’s agent
(typically 3%), if an
agent brings you a buyer and sells your
home. If your home is sold to a
buyer not represented by an agent, you
pay absolutely no commission.
What
is MLS?
Multiple Listing Service is a
computerized database of homes for
sale. It is used by real estate brokers
to market and promote their own listings
and to cooperate with other brokers in
selling each other’s listings for part
of the commission. By listing your home
in the MLS, it will be exposed to
thousands of agents. A large portion of
real estate transactions is a direct
result of having been listed in the
MLS. In Metro Atlanta, there are two
competing multiple listing services.
One is called First Multiple Listing
Service (FMLS) and the other is called
Georgia Multiple Listing Service
(Georgia MLS or GAMLS). Sellect Realty
will list your home in both because it
is hard to guess which multiple listing
service an agent will use to search for
homes for sale.
Will
my listing look the same as
"traditional" brokers' listings on the
MLS?
Absolutely. Your listing will be
identical. It will have the same
information as other sellers paying full
commission to their brokers. Agents will
not be able to tell that you paid only a
flat fee to get listed on the MLS.
Will agents with buyers pass up my home
if it is listed flat fee?
No. Agents
will be paid the same selling commission
as any listing offering a competitive
commission so they will show your home.
How long will it take for my property to
be listed on the MLS, once I sign up?
We will place your property on the
MLS within 24 - 48 hours.
How
long will my home be listed on the MLS?
Your home will be listed on the MLS
until it is SOLD, unless otherwise you
terminate your listing.
How
many photos will you put on my listing?
Sellect Realty
will display up to 12 photos on FMLS and up to 16
photos on GAMLS, free
of charge to you. These are the maximum number of photos
allowed by the multiple listing
services. Photos of the exterior and interior of
your home will be taken by your Sellect
Realty agent during the listing
appointment. You may also submit your
own favorite photos to Sellect Realty
(all photos must be “horizontal” shots
and approximately 600 pixels X 400
pixels in size).
Can
I still sell my home "by owner" while it
is listed on the MLS?
Yes. Through our flat fee listing
service, you enter into a contract with
Sellect Realty called an Exclusive Right
to Sell with Open Listing which gives
you the right to sell your property
yourself while your home is listed on
the MLS. With “traditional” brokerage
agreements, you enter into an Exclusive
Right to Sell contract and the broker is
guaranteed to be paid the full
commission, even if you found a buyer.
If I find my own buyer, do I pay
any sales commission?
No, if you find a
buyer not represented by an agent on
your own, you pay no commission
whatsoever.
Will
my listing appear on other real estate
company websites?
Yes. Through a broker reciprocity
system, Sellect Realty gives permission
to all other Georgia real estate brokers
and agents to display our listings on
their websites, “Courtesy of Sellect
Realty.” Buyers can search on any real
estate company website with online MLS
listings on the Internet and find your
home for sale.
Will
my listing appear on Realtor.com?
Yes. Only
homes that are listed on the MLS may
appear on Realtor.com, the largest
consumers' national real estate website
to search for homes on the market.
How
do I determine the listing price for my
home?
Your Sellect Realty listing agent
will assist you in determining a listing
price for your home. Your agent will
prepare a Comparative Market Analysis
(CMA) and suggest a price based on past
sales and current competition in your
neighborhood.
How
much commission should I pay the buyer's
agent?
It is totally up to you to decide on
the commission. Commission fees are not
fixed and it is against the law for
agents to demand a certain commission.
The vast majority of sellers, however,
are offering to pay 3%.
How
long should I expect my home to be on
the market before it sells?
If your home is priced right
and in good condition (the two most
important factors), your home should
sell quickly in a normal market.
How
are showings arranged? Who will
call me to show my home?
Your MLS listing will give showing
instructions to agents. The most common
showing instruction is “Courtesy Call
Owner” and your phone number will be
printed on the listing. You will
receive calls directly from agents.
How
does a buyer with no agent contact me to
see my home?
Any requests for
home showings that Sellect Realty
receives from buyers not represented by
agents will be referred to you with
their names and contact numbers.
Also, your flyers in the information box
outside will have your phone number
printed for buyers to call you directly.
Will
Sellect Realty show my home to a buyer
with no agent, if I can't?
Yes, Sellect Realty will show your
home to a buyer not represented by an
agent on your behalf, if you are not
available (for instance, when you are
away on vacation, on a business trip, or
you and the buyer are unable to schedule
a mutually convenient time).
Will
Sellect Realty show my home to your
buyers?
Yes. We are licensed agents that
represent buyers as well as sellers, so
if your home meets our buyers’ criteria,
we will show your home.
May
I advertise my home for sale on other real estate websites
or in a newspaper at the same time my
home is listed on the MLS?
Of course!
The more exposure the better! Below are some
samples of popular consumer real estate
websites that Sellect Realty will post
for you, free of charge. Placing
an ad in a newspaper can be expensive
and you may end up getting nothing but
calls from listing agents wanting you to
list your home through them.

and MORE!
How can I make changes to my listing?
Just notify your Sellect Realty agent
of your changes at any time in writing
(email acceptable). Your agent
will make any listing changes, including
price change, revising the wording in
your public remarks, etc., free of
charge.
What
if my needs change and I want to
terminate my listing?
You may terminate your listing at any
time for any reason by communicating to
Sellect Realty in writing your
termination request (email acceptable). FMLS and GAMLS will
charge you a withdrawal fee of $25 each.
Sellect Realty does not charge you
anything.
What if I want to transfer my listing to
another real estate broker?
You can transfer
your listing at any time but remember
that your listing will end up on the
same MLS system when you re-list with
another real estate broker. Almost 100% of the time, it is the buyers'
agents who find your listing on the MLS
and sell your home to a buyer and not
the realty company that listed your
property. It is extremely rare for
agents or buyers not to show or see a
home based on the name of the realty
company that listed a home.
Does
Sellect Realty provide a "For Sale" yard
sign?
Yes. It is a professional real
estate For Sale sign in a metal frame.

Whose
phone number is on the "For Sale" yard
sign?
Sellect Realty brokerage firm’s phone
number is on the For Sale sign. The
Georgia Real Estate Commission requires
that a licensed brokerage firm display
the name of its realty company and phone
number on the sign. Any calls we receive
from buyers not represented by agents from
the sign will be referred to you to give
you the opportunity to sell “by owner”
so that you will not have to pay any
commission.
Do you provide a Brochure Box for
flyers?
Yes. It is
an information box with a lid and stand.

Will
you provide flyers?
We will provide
flyer templates, free of charge, for you
to make flyers yourself. You may also create your
own flyer with an original design. It
will be your responsibility keep the
information box filled with flyers. If
you would like Sellect Realty to
custom-design a
master flyer for you, it is an optional
marketing service for a fee.
Whose
phone number is on the flyer?
Your phone number will be the one
printed prominently on the flyer.
Potential buyers who drive by and pick
up your flyer will call you directly.
It will give you the opportunity to sell
“by owner” to a buyer not working with
an agent and you will not have any
commission to pay.
Do
you provide a street directional sign?
Yes. We provide the first one free
of charge to you.

Do
you provide a lockbox?

Yes. An agent-access electronic
lockbox that holds your door key
securely inside is available to you for
a one-time lease fee of $100. You may use the
lockbox for the entire time your home is
listed for sale. Sellect Realty will
monitor your lockbox regularly to check
dates, times, and names of agents who
entered to show your home and their
realty company names and contact
numbers. We highly recommend
leasing a lockbox because the more
accessible your property is to agents
the better the opportunity to sell your
home.
Sometimes a homeowner may feel
apprehensive about the possibility of
an agent showing up without
notice with a buyer and enter the home
using the lockbox. This situation can
easily be avoided by keeping the lockbox
inside the home until the homeowner
receives a call from an agent and then
the homeowner can set the lockbox
outside next to the door in time for the
agent’s visit.
Can I show my home
by "Appointment Only?"
Yes.
However, the majority of agents do
not
like to show homes that are by
“Appointment Only” because it is
difficult to schedule it with the number
of other homes that they show in a day.
For this reason, there is a possibility
that if yours is by “Appointment Only,”
agents may pass up on showing your home.
A better way is to select “Courtesy
Call Owner” on your showing instructions
to agents on your MLS listing. Agents
will usually give you a window of two
hours on when they will arrive at your
home.
Can
I contact agents myself who have shown
my home to get "feedback?"
Yes, as the seller
you may, however, it will not be
necessary for you to contact agents
yourself if you lease an agent-access
electronic lockbox. Sellect Realty
subscribes to a company that is capable
of integrating feedback requests
automatically through the electronic
lockboxes. Feedback from showing
agents will be sent to you by email.
The service is free of charge to you.
Do
you negotiate the contract?
Yes. Your Sellect
Realty agent who
represents you will negotiate an offer
directly with the buyer’s agent, on your
behalf. An offer will be sent in by
fax or email to your agent who reviews
the offer and presents it to you.
Your agent will discuss with you the
best counter offer strategies and
negotiate the contract for you.
What
do I do if a buyer not working with an
agent wants to make an offer?
You may negotiate with the buyer but
do not sign anything until you have
contacted your Sellect Realty agent to
review the offer for you. As your
representative, your agent will assist
you with the negotiations as well as
provide all necessary contract forms,
free of charge. Your agent will
not represent or advise the buyer.
Will
you go to my closing?
Yes. Even though you list through
our flat fee service, we do not treat
you any different from our higher
commission paying clients. We will work with you
every step of the way, which includes
representing you at the closing.
Other flat fee companies do not attend
closings or charge between $150 - $300
for the service.
How
can your Company charge so little and
make any money?
We make it on “volume.” Also,
our flat fee service approach is to
market your home in the most essential
advertising venues only and not waste
money on unnecessary advertising.
Where are you located?
Sellect Realty is
a local company with its main office in
Marietta, Georgia. Our agents are
located all around Metro Atlanta and
they are
familiar with many different areas and
neighborhoods. (Note: Often,
other flat fee
brokers are national franchises and
located out-of-state so that you do not
receive real live agent support or you
are assigned a local agent that may be
an inexperienced or one that may give higher
priority to a full-commission paying
client).
How
do I list my home with Sellect Realty?
Just go to "Listing Appointment" on the
menu and fill out the easy form and
submit. Or, you may call us at
770-509-0265 to set up an appointment or
send us an email to info@SELLectrealty.com
Do
you also represent buyers?
Yes. In fact, you can use your
listing agent to be your buyer’s agent
to help you find your next home and take
advantage of our popular 1% Cash Back
rebate program.
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