Pricing is
based on the square footage of the property and is 15 cents per square foot. A 3000 square foot home
would cost $450 (plus tax). [Take the total sqft and multiply it times the cents per sqft: 3000 x .15 = $450]
Each job is calculated based on the square footage
of the property per a certifying authority (i.e. County Appraisal District, Builder, etc).
WHO PAYS? Generally speaking, the Realtor listing the house pays for the SMARTePLAN®. A Home Seller pays a Realtor a commission
based on the services they are providing and their professional skill set which includes: positioning the property properly,
pricing it effectively, and promoting it in the market-place. Since a SMARTePLAN is a marketing tool, the
fee usually resides with the listing realtor.
Although not always..... as I have had the Realtor and Seller split the fee, and I also had one
newly minted Realtor (who couldn't afford the fee) ask the home seller to pay the fee up front, with the agreement
that the full amount would be reimbursed at closing (the house sold in 61 days).
THE MOST
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK As a homeseller, the key is
to understand the level of service the realtor will provide you in marketing your home.... because marketing plans
vary widely with each Agent.
As a homeseller you are likely paying 6% commission (varying between $40K - $1M+ for
high end homes). Why would you pay full commission and settle for a realtor spending ineffectively on marketing
materials (typically ..... broker subsidized photos and ads) --- none of which shows the detail, and showcases YOUR $400,000+
property like a SMARTePLAN does.
PAYING
FULL COMMISSION, BUT NOT GETTING TOP LEVEL REPRESENTATION? Other HomeSellers with $400,000+ homes, paying the same 6% commission you are, are getting better marketing
exposure, and a greater range of distribution than you ....
because their Realtor uses eTools, like a SMARTePLAN, as part of their marketing package.
[See: "Info For HomeSellers -
How the MLS Works"]
Use
the best tool to market your home..... use a tool DESIGNED for online marketing. The National Association of Realtor's report 74% of homebuyers utilize Internet searches to locate a
home, and beginning in 2005 --- a new trend --- more buyers found their home on the Internet than through a Realtor.
If your property isn't being significantly
marketed online ... you are not getting the best available marketing --- and others are. [ See "Buyers have Changed, but not Realtors"]
Ask
your Realtor what "new" online tools they use? If "posting it on the MLS" is their only "eTool",
there's a (substantial) hole in your marketing plan. What's going to make your property STAND OUT from the 60,000
others also "posted" onto MLS? Ask them if they use interactive floorplans BEFORE you
sign the listing agreement, or decide to renew your current agreement.
Getting Ready to Sell Your Home?
Investigate
& Understand Your Realtor's Marketing Expertise... What's Their Plan for YOUR Property?
NOT A COMPUTER PERSON?If you are not a "computer person" and just don't understand all this ---
call me. While you may not be a computer person .... Buyers are.
Analysis of this new generation of Buyers reveals they want "better" information
about properties and they want it immediately available (i.e. they don't want to -- and won't --- call a Realtor and ask questions
about a property.)
Buyers
want ALL the information online and accessible to them). If your property isn't represented
as well as others --- Buyers will pass you by, and digest and analyze the information on other properties that IS made
available to them.
I'm not a realtor, I'm not affiliated with a realtor, and am available to answer any question
you may have. Call me and ask me questions, or just send me an email. I'm happy to help you however I can. I'm just going
to answer your question ... I'm not going to put you on a call-back list and keep calling you. (Personally, I find it
annoying when people do that to me, and I won't do it to you.)
