Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why should we list our home for sale with you?

A:   You should hire us for the same reason that many sellers have used us over and over again. They know that they can depend on us to get them the most money, in the shortest amount of time, with the fewest hassles.

Our Trouble Free Listing system offers benefits that the ordinary agent does not. Our program offers flexible commissions to put more money in your pocket, a client reward program when both buying and selling that actually rebates cash back to you, a cancel anytime policy, and the right to sell your home yourself and pay us nothing. 

Every year we help well over 200 people buy and sell. The average agent handles around eight sales a year. When hiring anyone to perform a job for you, experience should weigh heavily in that decision. Who really wants to be the surgeon's first patient?

Let's examine one of our program benefits; we allow you to cancel the listing at anytime. Most agents will not give the consumer this right. You might ask yourself why agents need to "lock you up" for four to six months. Why would they be afraid to give you the right to cancel? Our philosophy is that we would rather strive to earn your business every day. We are confident that we can provide a superior level of service and care. If we don't, we don't deserve your business. It is that simple.

Q:  I heard that there are limited service agents who charge less. Why shouldn't I hire the cheapest agent?

A:  Sellers don't need an agent just to sell their house. They need an agent to sell their house for more! If your property would sell for the same price no matter who sells it, it probably would be in your best interest to sell the home yourself. In that case, why pay any agent?

The fact of the matter is we can sell your home for more. We have the track record we do because we are experts at pricing the property (using a specific supply-demand analysis prior to even looking for "comps") and experts at creating the greatest amount of exposure for your property.

Even at contract presentation, we do not follow the pack. We do not permit other agents to pressure you into a rash decision. The contract will be presented to you by us alone. This specific action (especially when there are multiple offers) gets significantly more dollars for our sellers. It is very difficult for a seller not to transmit emotions and reactions to another agent. That can cost a seller money.

Sadly, there are many agents who need the deal (sometimes more than you do). The weakest negotiator in any transaction is the one who has to have the deal. We are in the fortunate position of having enough clients that any one deal won't make us or break us. Therefore the negotiations are really about getting you the most money for your home. Period. If the offer doesn't make sense, you can count on us to tell you so.

In addition to these points above, with our sliding scale commission (5% - 4% - 1% - 0%) and our Client Reward Program, our fees in many cases are even less than the limited service broker.

Q:   Why do you sell so many homes?

A:  Due to our extensive Internet and TV campaigns, more buyers and sellers are familiar with us than any other agent in the valley. Additionally, experience, product knowledge, doing the little things right, effective marketing programs, and our skilled team all add up to positive results. Every field has people who, through their drive and passion, manage to excel.

Q:  Why do your homes sell so fast? Do you price them too low?

A:  Absolutely not. Most of our listings sell at full price or above. We make it our business to know the market, so we can ensure we get the highest possible price for our sellers. Our homes typically sell faster than the average agent because of the effective marketing we do. We accomplish this by first doing a supply/demand analysis in the immediate area for any home we consider marketing. All agents have access to the same market information. It is the evaluation of what that information means to the marketing of a home that matters. X-rays mean nothing until they are evaluated by a competent doctor. Similarly, knowing what the market is doing in any area affects both the marketing time and value. Factors like area, demand, condition, pricing, accessibility, and agent choice all affect a home's time on market.

Q: Tell me about your marketing plan.

A:  The exposure your home gets while listed with us is second to none. We offer Multiple MLS Services, TV advertising, 800 number hotlines, multiple websites, full page newspaper advertising, signs, Home Buyer Seminars, and past client referrals. In addition to this we utilize Realtor.com, the number one internet website for buyers and sellers in America.  

We insure maximum property exposure to buyers throughout the country.  Even small details, such as multiple photos of homes increase the attention we attract to our homes.  Additionally, we do mailings in excess of 37,000 per year to past and potential clients. The final important link is our marketing to the agent community.

Remember, there are over  30,000 agents that we want to think of us first when preparing to show properties to their buyers.

Q:  If we list with you, will my home be on the internet?

A:  Absolutely! All of our yard signs, as well as our TV and radio ads prominently feature our website address. No other local agent offers that benefit. Our media promotion drives thousands of buyers to view homes on our website. Your home will also be prominently featured on Realtor.com, the number one real estate website in the world, as well as on Google.com and Yahoo.com. According to the National Association of Realtors "Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers", over 70% of home buyers used the internet when starting their home search process.

Q: If we list with you, will we be on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?

A:  Again, absolutely! Any agent who does not place your home on MLS is doing you a huge disservice. We not only belong to our MLS, we actually pay for the ability to market to the bay area agents with their MLS.  This additional exposure benefits you greatly, as we track the amount of home buyers that are coming into the Central Valley because they cannot afford the higher priced homes in the Bay Area.  With over 30,000 agents in the 7 surrounding counties, it is important to tap into that agent base of buyers. Most agents do not pay for the additional MLS due to costs, but we know that we can sell homes faster because of the additional exposure we give your home.  After all, you want your home sold as fast as possible, and to do that, it requires exposure. Also if you are not on MLS, you cannot appear on Realtor.com, the number one real estate site on the internet.

Q:  Why should I use a team vs. a single agent?

A:  Because times have changed. No one agent can be everywhere at the same time. Let's suppose an agent has a relocation buyer in town. For three or four days they have to be with just that one buyer, a dream scenario for the agent, but not so for you. They are unavailable to show your home, they are unavailable to get feedback on showings, they are unavailable to negotiate contracts or inspection reports, and so on. Also, most agents are either great at people skills or great at paperwork. Rarely will they excel at both.

Unfortunately, today's real estate marketplace demands that the agent possess all of these skills. Under a team scenario such as ours, we have specialists. We have four Buyer Agents who only show property. Additionally, we have three listing specialists, a full-time Marketing Coordinator, and two full-time Transaction Managers to handle all the details of the transaction. Each is an expert at that specific job. Simply, we can and do provide a higher level of service to our clients than most agents can even conceive of providing. Imagine that you're a quarterback of a football team.

Would you rather have 1 player on your team or the power of 10 that you have with our team?

Q: Shouldn't I pick an "area specialist" to sell my home?

A:  There are agents who focus primarily on one geographic area or neighborhood. But buyers come from all over the valley and country, not just from that small neighborhood. So an area specialist usually really means "listing agent" in the area. Many years ago the real estate business was successfully composed of lots of small "boutique" offices - where companies did specialize in a certain area or part of town. But computers, the Internet, and cell phones have changed that aspect of the real estate business. Now the important points in selecting an agent are experience, track record, and marketing skills.

Q: Once I have reviewed your Trouble Free Listing package, then what?

A:  Contact our office by email or phone, and we will set up an appointment to have one of our listing specialists meet with you. We will tour the home, go over recent market activity in your area to educate you on values, and make recommendations for maximizing your profit and increasing your speed of sale.

Q: How long does it take to get my home on the market?

A:  Once we have a signed listing agreement and a spare key, we can have your home on the market within 24 hours. However, it usually takes a day or two for the sign company to professionally install the sign.

Q: Can I save more money if I buy and sell through you?

A:  Absolutely! If you are selling more than one house or plan to both sell and buy (new or resale), ask for a copy of our Client Rewards Program. We will mail or email it to you immediately!

For additional questions and answers, please contact our office.

Client Testimonials