The Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is a useful tool and technique to help determine the most probable price a property will bring. The CMA uses recent sales of similar homes, pending sales, and competitive listings in the local area. The CMA both measures market activity and compares your property with others to determine a reasonable asking price.

This useful information is presented in the form of a seller's report and is offered to the seller at the time of signing the listing agreement.

Flat Price Broker offers all listing agreements with a 6 month listing period.  Most properties sell within this time-frame when properly priced and marketed.

The advantages of a having a discount-priced listing agreement can be lost if a home is under-priced, and a listing can become shop-worn and stale when it is over-priced.  Your Flat Price Broker provides a carefully developed Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for each listed property to help with proper and reasonable pricing for your listing.

The Flat Price Broker monitors and tracks website activity and property interest for each listing and customizes the marketing strategy to concentrate efforts on specific regions and specialty markets.

Your Flat Price Broker specializes in pricing property and the marketing efforts that produce the greatest return to our clients, and we have confidence that your home will sell easily when priced reasonably and marketed aggressively during the 6 month listing exposure period.

Your listing photos, video links and property information are prominently displayed as a featured listing on the Flat Price Broker website. This provides additional exposure and opportunities to connect with prospective buyers. Every listing deserves special featured designation, although additional photos and other details may depend on service levels requested.

Having a Flat Price Broker sign gives notification and awareness to neighbors, who sometimes have family members wanting to relocate, but also attracts the attention of those who frequently travel by your home, and serves as a beacon to those who drive in neighborhoods looking for a property to purchase. It is not uncommon for a buyer to call while sitting in their car outside, and occasionally they will just knock on the door to ask.

Your Flat Price Broker does not place a sign in order to advertise the agency, although we are proud that it does... the sole purpose is to give YOUR home attention and exposure to buyers .... you never know where or when your buyer will first notice your property is for sale - but agency signs DO work!

Flat Price Broker will replace any agency sign that becomes damaged or unattractive and will retrieve all signs, lockboxes and flyer boxes as the property closes or the listing expires.

Proper listing photos are important and descriptive in showing your property in its best light, and taking proper photos often requires taking a LOT of photos.

The Flat Price Broker's $395 basic listing agreement and Addendum C is primarily designed to assist owners of vacant lots, vacation cabins, mobile homes, builder's homes, and those who prefer the "For Sale by Owner" approach... we provide ONE photo with our basic MLS listing.

Your MLS listing requires an up-to-date front view of the property, even a vacant lot, so we inspect your property and take a photo.

Photos ARE Important for a proper listing. If you wish,  Flat Price Realty will upload and utilize additional photographs furnished by the seller. These items must be submitted to your Flat Price Broker in an acceptable format for uploading to MLS, and your Flat Price Broker accepts no responsibility or obligation beyond uploading and using these items in the listing.

A Realtor Lockbox is an electronic key-holder device that allows a Realtor member to enter a unique number and access keys to the property. Identification, tracking and notifications of Lockbox access are sent to the listing agent. The Realtor lockbox is often used for vacant and vacation properties where the owner is not available, and provides useful and secure access to your home when you are not available to show the property.  The use of a Realtor Lockbox is optional to all sellers, and requires specific permission in the listing agreement. Please consult with your Flat Price Broker for additional information concerning the use of a Realtor lockbox.

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is locally owned by the Association of Realtors and provides the database for all Realtor listings within its jurisdiction. Subscribing members may access the database to find information concerning property details, access and showing instructions, and property disclosures and photos.

IDX (Internet Data Exchange) is how MLS listings end up on a website. Also known as Broker Reciprocity, IDX encompasses the policies, rules, and software that allow listings from the MLS database to be displayed publicly. Anytime you see properties on a website that came from MLS, such as Zillow, Trulia, or Realtor.com, it was made possible through IDX.

Listing flyers are simply a memento of visiting your property. They usually provide recognizable photos, a brief description of property details, and contact numbers for the agency.

The Flat Price Broker provides attractive listing flyers for all of our listings.

Your Flat Price Broker provides assistance and consultation concerning all offers, counter-offers, and negotiations leading to a contract. As YOUR representative, the Flat Price Broker provides assurance in protecting your rights and confidential information when negotiating with buyers and their agents. We are here to help you, and will provide all the assistance and guidance needed to secure an acceptable contract.

There are many factors that can influence the sale of a property, and perhaps most important are the contract provisions that directly impact the sale. Most of the contractual provisions are negotiable: Who pays for a new survey? Who pays for repairs required by the buyer's lender? What is an option fee, and how can it help or hurt in completing the transaction?  These factors and others (title, settlement fees, concessions) all affect the "bottom line" and each should be fairly negotiated and reasonably settled.

The Flat Price Broker provides an estimate of seller proceeds after these factors are decided, and will assist in reviewing contract provisions to address any issues before they become problems.

A successful listing depends on showing the right information, at the right time, to the right people. The cost of listing and selling your home is not regulated or fixed.

Our typical listing term is 6 months, and we take great pride in our efforts to make sure that all of our listings sell within that time-frame, and most do.  Properties that are reasonably priced and aggressively marketed almost always do and if our efforts are successful in producing a buyer we will collect our "flat price" listing fee at closing. If another agent is involved, their commission or fee will also be paid at closing.

Your Flat Price Broker works hard on your behalf to sell your property within 6 months, and we offer various options to you if it doesn't... including renewal, agency transfer, or expiration with no fees owed.  In return, we ask you to allow us the opportunity of a full and complete listing term to produce an acceptable contract and buyer. If a listing agreement is terminated or withdrawn by you without prior approval and agreement during the initial six month listing period, our listing agreement specifies that you will pay a $100 fee to your Flat Price Broker for work performed.

More than simply reviewing the Comparative Market Analysis, your Flat Price Broker will explain the market factors and the comparable adjustments that lead to an indication of the most probable selling price for your home.

This is an important number, of course, but it does not mean that your property will sell for exactly that, or that you should list your property for that amount. The most probable selling price is just that... the most probable.

Your Flat Price Broker will only list your property for a price that is market supported and that you are comfortable with. There is no point in listing a property too high or too low, and the Flat Price Broker's market analysis and listing consultation will provide reasonable expectations and dependable opinions.

We provide regular updates by email to our DIY Assist sellers. These updates are strictly to keep our sellers informed of activity and interest in their listing and property, and provide a means to track the progress of the listing and to follow the steps we take to expand coverage, change techniques or media platforms, and feature the listing to attract more interest.

We do not bombard our clients with worthless updates, and we do not point out every change or modification. You will receive timely and regular updates of listing activity, and our sellers are always invited to contact the Flat Price Broker with any suggestions, comments, or concerns.

Social Media platforms are becoming an increasingly important part of marketing... not just in real estate, but in every form of commerce... because that is where much of the market is - reviewing Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Yelp, Google ... with new and appealing venues appearing almost daily.

Flat Price Broker follows and tracks the evolving trends and changing uses of social media platforms to develop effective methods and techniques of marketing and advertising to reach selected markets. Posts, comments, reviews, galleries, and effective displays help with exposure and develops market interest and activity.  Your Flat Price Broker connects with and uses numerous trending media platforms,  as well as the traditional venues.

Local Realtors often communicate useful information concerning listed properties via Realtor notifications. These notifications often generate increased interest and may trigger contact with a specific buyer that the Realtor represents. These notifications are usually created and distributed as listing conditions change, such as price adjustments or listing status changes, but they are often used to promote an open house, a buyer's agent incentives, or just to communicate the information that makes each listing unique.

We may promote your listing or post changes as noted above at random times to this Realtor bulletin board, and often use this tool to increase showings and interest.

The Flat Price Broker discounts our listing fee - not the price of your home!  Our CMA provides reasonable opinions and expectations for listing and selling prices but buyers will rarely pay more than you ask... so we always suggest listing your home on the high end of market estimates.

Many homes sell quickly when reasonably priced and adequately marketed, but not every home does. Your Flat Price Broker provides a mid-listing term review of market activity for your listing and recent sales that may have occurred since the listing started. This information is useful in developing strategies to increase market showings and activity, and to discuss what options will produce a successful contract. We also provide a mid-term survey that provides you the opportunity to comment or suggest marketing strategies or incentives that might be employed to encourage more activity.

Most neighborhood homes are listed and marketed in the hopes of recouping the money invested in sales commission ... and ours are too! Your discounted listing costs should mean more bottom-line money for you at closing, but it also may allow some flexibility in marketing options... such as a "bonus" to a buyer's agent for an acceptable contract, an offer to help with buyer's closing costs, or perhaps an allowance for painting, carpeting, or other incentives, etc. We help evaluate these options, and others, to help you determine what might give the most "bang for the buck" in advertising and marketing to attract new interest during the home stretch of our listing agreement.

Flat Price Broker will review and provide professional advice and assistance in responding to all offers submitted to our sellers with every listing agreement we offer. An important part of any listing agreement is an obligation to explain reasonable response options and assist in negotiations and preparation of any counter offers that will result in an acceptable contract.

With our DIY Assist and Complete listing agreements we also discuss with our sellers the expectations created and the many steps that may remain between an acceptable offer and the closing table. We also provide an in-depth analysis of any offer to help determine the "soft spots" where negotiations are most likely to be effective, such as adjusting the sales price, providing loan or settlement cost assistance, making repairs, providing a repair allowance, or offering to pay for an updated survey... the variables depend on the property, the offer... and your buyer.

We work only for you and our recommendations, advice, and negotiations are to explain and explore all options in protecting your interests. We will faithfully represent only you in responding to any offers, and only you will make the final informed decision on what the response will be.

Contract advice goes beyond the offer itself to explain the contract provisions that can impact, affect, and sometimes derail a contract that has been accepted. These provisions range widely but most concern the property acceptability for title, insurance, and condition, usually determined by the buyer's lender.

Many issues are resolved before they become problems by being honest and forthright in providing documentation and disclosures to prospective buyers. Many other issues can also be resolved preemptively by having and providing a recent survey, WPI Certification, or prior inspection performed on the property. You want your buyer to be a happy buyer... and a happy buyer is one that is fully informed and finds no surprises in their newly acquired home.

The biggest unforeseen and unanticipated problems in contract provisions often involve the buyer's lender, the type of loan requested and their specific requirements, and the lender's appraisal of the property. The lender's appraiser will inspect the property and recommend any repairs (often required to be done before the loan is made), judge the overall acceptability of the property for the loan being sought, and render an opinion of the property's value. This value determination can affect the amount of the loan, which can then affect the sales price... and the whole deal can come crumbling down.

Your Flat Price Broker's approach to addressing these potential problems and protect the rights and interests of our clients is to offer fair, honest, and accurate advice, opinions, and estimates in reasonable pricing and to provide recent and relevant market information  to the appraiser. We are usually restricted from following the appraiser around the house... so we prepare an "appraiser's package" that contains relevant property and market data that is made available to the appraiser during the property inspection.

In addition to helping provide access to show your home to buyers or Realtors and the inspectors, surveyors, repairmen, or others that are involved with the buyer in the contract provisions... there is one more burden on the way to the closing table... and it is one that can sink an otherwise acceptable deal.

Your buyer, unless it is a cash transaction or financed by you, will be attempting to secure a loan. While this is not YOUR problem, and the buyer's agent and/or loan officer will be working to provide the loan, there is often an appraisal needed. The appraiser (and therefore the lender) may find some problem that has to be resolved before closing... usually at the seller's expense.

Flat Price Realty helps by providing the appraiser a package containing useful property information and a list of recent sales that might be used in the appraisal. This information may provide additional support for the value determination or assist with a question concerning the property condition.

The Flat Price Broker DIY Assist clients receive "listing to closing" assistance in selling their property... in fact, the major difference from our Complete listing package is the DIY Assist obligation of the seller to show their own property to potential buyers and other Realtors.

Privacy concerns have now been extended to the closing process, and listing and selling brokers must seek permission from the principal party to receive closing documentation.  We request all sellers to acknowledge and allow this information be provided to your Flat Price Broker in our listing agreement.

We carefully review closing documentation when available to help check for errors or omissions, check that expense items are appropriately assigned and calculated, and verify that our good faith estimate of seller proceeds is consistent and in-line with actual disbursements.

Your Flat Price Broker is here to help prepare you for a smooth closing process and stands ready to answer any questions you may have.

There are many tasks involved in selling a home and your Flat Price Broker is able to offer discounted listing plans because not all tasks must be done by a licensed agent or broker.

One of the most involved and time-consuming tasks is showing the property to prospective buyers and other Realtors. In fact, our lower tier plans depend on the seller (not the agent) arranging, scheduling, and showing their property.

A professional showing of the property MUST be made by a licensed agent, not an assistant or the office secretary.... however, the SELLER can show his property to buyers and to other Realtors, and using our recommended Exclusive Agency Addendum allows just that! The seller may sell the property to an unrepresented buyer and only pay the listing fee at closing!

Our complete plan includes property showings by your Flat Price Broker to all prospective buyers to save you time and effort in scheduling and showing your home... but saving the 3% fee for the buyer's agent is an option to consider for even our Complete plan clients!

Your Flat Price Broker provides a weekly update of listing activity and showings, market activity and new neighborhood listings or sales, and offers useful tips and advice specific to your property. These updates are strictly informational and intended to keep you up-to-date with the market and your listing.

We do not flood your inbox with useless emails, and these weekly updates can be adjusted to fit your needs. We track market activity and monitor your listing and neighborhood to stay ahead of the competition and offer these updates to keep you informed.

Your Flat Price Broker provides broad exposure of your property to the local market area... and beyond.

Unlike other agencies, we also use our knowledge of regional demographics and targeting techniques to reach the right audience ... the one that has your buyer.

Most buyers today find and review online the property they eventually buy, and emerging technologies offer selective marketing and advertising to specific regions, age and income groups, and lifestyle demographics. The likely buyer of a vacation home or weekend cabin is quite different than buyers searching for a waterfront residence, and the Flat Price Broker uses different methods and techniques to effectively target the right audience.

It is also one of the reasons that your Flat Price Broker offers quality photographs and a virtual tour with our Complete package...

Realtor Tours are scheduled periodically for various neighborhoods and defined areas. These tours allows your Flat Price Broker the opportunity to take other Realtors on a property tour to preview your home for their buyers, and to openly comment and provide their insight and opinions about the listing and the property.

This rather informal tour typically takes about 15 minutes within about a 2 hour window and is usually scheduled about 10 days in advance of the tour that is planned for your neighborhood, so we will notify you when it is planned. Your Flat Price Broker provides a  reply card for comments to each Realtor on the tour where they can state their opinions, suggestions, and marketing recommendations to assist with the listing.

A virtual tour of your home is included in your Flat Price Broker's Complete package.  The process requires special equipment to give a viewer the perspective of looking through your home, with 360° views and special effects.

Flat Price Broker uses a professional photographer to take quality photos and produce the virtual tour video. This video is uploaded to your MLS listing, and is also made into a private YouTube video for uploading to social media and networking sites... and we send a link to you too!

The Flat Price Broker understands how important photos are in a listing, flyer, or brochure... we take dozens with our listings to find the best angles, best lighting, best shading, and then discard many to choose and use those that show the property best!

Flat Price Broker does not own a drone for aerial shots, does not do photo effects or staging of homes, and does not have equipment for 360° photos or virtual tours, although we know these are increasingly important features of a quality listing.... so....

For our Complete Listing agreement we will have a professional photographer schedule an appointment with you to provide photos and a virtual tour of your home for inclusion in your MLS listing and advertising.

You can't beat that....

Your Flat Price Broker provides advice and assistance to each of our sellers in responding to any offers made to purchase the property. Decisions made in responding to offers are ultimately determined by the seller, and the Flat Price Broker will faithfully and reliably assist and perform in the best interests of our sellers in reviewing and responding to all offers.

The informed decisions made by sellers to accept an offer or to propose a counter-offer to achieve an acceptable contract are aided by your Flat Price Broker's consultation. This provides both balance in examining the underlying buyer's motivations and options to consider in addressing the contract provisions and any seller concessions made in the offer.  Remember, a single change in the offer presented constitutes a counter-offer.

The contract consultation provided by your Flat Price Broker goes beyond the actual negotiations to explain the performance requirements and some potential problems that might be encountered after an offer is accepted. This consultation also provides the opportunity to discuss what to expect and the steps that must be taken to help pave the way for a smooth and successful closing.

Sellers often allow "back-up" offers be presented and contracted to serve as "insurance" for an unforeseen problem with the primary buyer.  Many buyers however, are reluctant to complete a "back-up" contract because it puts their pursuit of other homes "in-limbo" until the current offer closes. Permission from the seller to seek "back-up" contracts is usually discussed and decided when the listing agreement is signed.

Buyers usually ask for an "option period" in the contract that provides a small payment to the seller in exchange for the unrestricted right to cancel the contract within the option period. The buyer's property inspection is often performed during the option period, which might bring an unknown problem to light. Other potential problems can involve the title, survey, insurance, or appraisal of the property for the buyer's lender.  Your Flat Price Broker helps by assessing these contractual provisions before they become problems.

Closing on your sale should be a comfortable and relaxing experience and your Flat Price Broker will do our best to make that happen. Most closings take place at the title company specified in the contract, although closings may occur at an attorney's office or another location.  They usually serve coffee, soft drinks, and cookies or donuts.... so relax, you are about to be paid!

Privacy concerns now restrict title companies from disclosing settlement statements and/or closing documents without specific written authorization from a party, so we request that you provide permission to review closing documents and record the information in the MLS system, as required. This authorization also provides an opportunity for your Flat Price Broker to review the closing documents for errors and to verify that actual proceeds closely match the estimated seller proceeds prepared and presented to you at the time the contract was completed.

Like I said, the title company usually has coffee and donuts... we just show up at your closing for the donuts!

... and, of course, for any questions!

We appreciate the opportunity to sell your beautiful home! We love our coastal community and lifestyle and we hope your future plans don't carry you too far away! Our luxury home listing experience starts with a chance for introductions and to take a look at the features that help make your home special and unique. After that, if you're comfortable we will talk about the steps we will take to effectively list, attractively market, and quickly sell your home. There are some steps we can take today that will start us on a wonderful experience that will end with your smile at the closing table.... We can't wait!

Flat Price Broker knows you wish to stay informed about the inquiries and activities concerning your home, however you won't feel pestered or pressured with phone calls or excessive messaging. Flat Price Broker will only send the pertinent information you need to see, presented in a timely manner. We can handle your contact preferences easily with real time updates through email or messenging. We also easily communicate through Whatsapp, Skype, or by whatever means suits you best. Flat Price Broker will also structure personal notifications for things like new listings or recently closed sales in your neighborhood ... the information you want, when you want it!

You just need ONE buyer.... but where are they?  Your perfect buyer will never show up unless they see your listing, and Flat Price Broker has the marketing tools to attract and capture your buyer's attention! We selectively market to the audiences that are most important to your listing and drive interest with our innovative advertising. These targeted efforts are intensified as interest and showings of your home increase, to help spur action from those that might be on the fence in their selection of a suitable luxury property. We make sure that your home is the one they select!

Although the onset of Covid-19 has prompted new guidelines and restrictions to open houses, crowded events, and property showings, local Realtors follow newly listed homes in the hopes that their buyers are interested. One of the ways that other Realtors have the opportunity to visit your home and pre-screen the property for their buyers is a weekly tour organized by the Realtor association. The scheduling of these tours allows listed properties to be privately shown to other interested Realtors (often a quick walk-through) to showcase your home. One property on the weekly tour typically offers brunch or snacks with water, coffee, or soft drinks. This usually provides an extra few minutes for the Realtors to relax and extend the tour of your property... and offering Realtors a cold drink and a bite to eat can't hurt, so we make sure your property is highlighted! 

Billboard? or Flying Machine?

Flat Price Broker Luxury Home listing plan provides our sellers a choice. An attractive and creative electronic advertisment on a local digital billboard -or- a spectacular drone video that leads website visitors through an amazing aerial tour of your property. You deserve the very best!

Flat Price Broker offers these services as additions with most of our listing agreements; however, we feel the selection of one of these outstanding extras provide significant marketing value for our luxury class homes!

For our luxury home listings we contract with a professional photographer to provide photos for the marketing of your home. This provides an experienced eye to help show your home in it's best light, and perhaps offer some tips for proper staging. We also request our photograher create an edited and enhanced virtual tour that leads the viewer through your property to show room locations and features, choosing proper angles for best lighting and closer inspection of special amenities.... wine bar, outdoor kitchen... whatever! This enhanced video tour often includes soft music or special effects and will be extensively used in our advertising. Flat Price Broker sets the standard for attractive marketing of your home!

Showing property in today's world demands photographs of your home... to show online, to use in social media or other advertising, and to show in the MLS listing fed to multiple search engines! For our luxury home listings we contract with a professional photograher to help! Flat Price Broker takes photographs as well, and photos for most of our listing agreements, including out creative virtual tours, are developed in-house. That is not the case for our luxury home listings. We feel the added benefit of professional photography is one of the features that places Flat Price Broker as the standard bearer for top level marketing. We often only provide an initial "teaser" photograph to satisfy the MLS clear cooperation rules in the initial listing, then step up the pace after our photographer has a chance to do his thing!

This is the service that sets Flat Price Broker apart from the others. I have never seen in 40 years an offer that was perfect when presented, although I have seen some that were immediately accepted despite small defects. These were not always defects, per se, but they were minor issues that affected in my client's bottom line. A new survey may be required, for instance, on a property whose structural footprint has been altered. This new survey might be ordered and paid for by the seller, by the buyer, or the cost could be shared. This might be an issue if the offer selects the seller to pay for the survey, but the offer might be accepted anyway. I don't make the final decisions, but try to make sure that you make informed decisions. Addressing offer provisions and determining the proper "stress points" and then using the best techniques to counter-offer often makes or breaks a deal.... and Flat Price Broker is the best in providing advice and offer negotiations!

What's the bottom line? That is the often heard remark as the "cut to the chase" question in deciding to sign an offer and create a contract. What are the settlement charges? What about property tax prorations? When and where do we close? Many of these items are decided as the contract is negotiated. Do you have a preference in title companies? Now is the time to decide.

We advise all clients to have legal representation review contractual agreements, but most do not, so we always double our efforts to cover all concerns in evaluating an offer. Each provision makes an impact, but almost are negotiable and many can be accepted without a significant difference, after all, the buyer may have a preference ot title companies... how important is your preference concerning any contract provision? We will fight tooth and nail to protect your interests on any provision that is important to you.  

Time to relax and celebrate your selection of Flat Price Broker!  We will help you get started by delivering a bottle of champagne on the evening before you close! As the seller, your closing experience will be short and sweet... so enjoy a glass on us the evening before... and enjoy your closing experience!

P.S. We also furnish a bottle and card for you to leave at your home for your buyer to enjoy!

We freely discuss how our listing service plans work with every client. Flat Price Broker understands that despite our best practices and efforts in marketing, sometimes properties do not sell during the intial listing period. No one can guarantee a buyer. If a Flat Price Broker listed property does not sell at an acceptable price during the listing period, you will be invited to extend your listing with us and, if you are satisfied with our efforts and service, we hope you will. You will also be free to market your property with anyone you choose.

Flat Price Broker addendums specify that a termination fee applies during the initial listing period. This listing termination charge expires as the initial listing period expires. This termination charge will also be waived or mediated if you are dissatisfied with our service for any valid reason that cannot be amicably resolved. We take pride in providing our flat out services at discount prices, try us and we promise you'll be amazed!