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Video Transcript:
Novice Home Seller:(male): Thanks for telling me about how you saved thousands in real estate commissions with flat fee home sales--How did you find the right brokerage to list your home? Experienced Flat Fee Seller(female): I saw lots of scary flat fee MLS listing websites so I knew I needed to do my homework to avoid a bad home selling experience. Fortunately it took just a few easy steps to check out the websites. First, I called them to see if they answered the phone. Most of them didn't-- some of them I called five times no one ever answered. I later learned that some flat fee brokers only accept email once you are listed. Novice Home Seller: A listing with a broker you can't reach doesn't make sense to me either. Experienced Flat Fee Seller: Second I wanted to see reviews by real people who had used the flat fee MLS service all the websites had testimonials but I wanted to see flat fee MLS reviews on a website where there could be a complaint. Novice Home Seller: Yeah, you would if a company is really established you would think they would have lots of past customers who have reviewed them online. Experienced Flat Fee Seller: That is right I wanted a real estate company that their customers were enthusiastic enough to tell others about the service. Third I saw a couple of really nice looking websites that seemed to be among the biggest but then I found out they are middlemen who bid my listing out to the broker who is the lowest bidder. The home seller pays hundreds of dollars but the broker who does the work only gets like $55 and then the broker is desperate to earn more money to cover the costs of the service. Novice Home Seller: Wow! I want nothing to do with a broker who needs to earn more money off me to break even--nothing good can come with that. Experienced Flat Fee Seller: So I made sure I got a written commitment that my business would not be bid out--that eliminated a couple of the websites I thought looked good otherwise. Lastly I checked the Better Business Bureau website at bbb.org. I couldn't find anything on some of the websites and company names which is scary! Novice Home Seller: Yeah doesn't the BBB have a listing for every company registered with the state? I've seen a listing for a real estate company a few months old. No listing at the BBB.org--I'm just not comfortable with a company like that--too risky! Experienced Flat Fee Seller: Yes and I liked that the BBB website listed a number of complaints customers have made I saw one company with 12 complaints and another with an D minus grade rating. Novice Home Seller: So you did you end up going with? Experienced Flat Fee Seller: I learned that I might be able to spend a hundred dollars less with a risky company but I won't really save any money when the service doesn't work. It is well worth it to go with an established brokerage even if it is a little more. After all I'm going to save over eight thousand dollars on my home sale. Novice Home Seller: Yes why be penny wise and pound foolish? I want to learn from others experiences--Thanks for the advice--so what company did you choose? Experienced Flat Fee Seller: I chose BuySelf Realty which can be found at buyself.com