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Real Estate fees

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1

Hi so looking at Real Estate Agents have a few coming to see me.
Now i had one email me with a offer of
Free marketing professional photography signboard and trademe ad gold package.
Valued at $1500

It don't say sole agent
So if i list with more than one agent and another one sells the house .
would they be able to come back to me to pay for it

thanks

dadtofive - 2021-07-12 20:06:00
2

what does the contract say you have signed for the free marketing offer? I doubt they would offer free marketing for a hared listing

fromnature - 2021-07-12 20:28:00
3

No point in doing a general listing just go sole agency. You'll probably have to pay separate marketing costs for every agent you sign up with.

superdave0_13 - 2021-07-12 20:33:00
4

I haven't seen any contract yet
I am meeting some tomorrow

that Free marketing package was in a email one had sent me.

but nothing is ever free
So about the sole agency would i not be better with more than one.
As not looking for marketing as house is in very poor cond .
Most likely would go to a developer who would just knock it down.

And put couple of houses up

dadtofive - 2021-07-12 20:49:00
5

Here's my suggestion, for what it's worth.

Get three agents from different agencies to give you a written appraisal. Sign nothing. Decide which agent you feel most comfortable dealing with, and then sign a sole agency agreement with them. Make sure you understand how long the agreement lasts. If you're not sure of anything in the agreement, ask the lawyer who'll be settling the sale to go over it with you first.

Pay nothing in marketing costs, apart from getting professional photographs taken. Given you sound very realistic about your price expectations, it seems likely the property will sell and therefore the salesperson will get a hefty fee and can pay the cost of advertising it themselves.

seaqueen - 2021-07-12 21:23:00
6

An addition to my post above - you asked if you would be better off listing with several agents. I actually don't know if general listings exist anymore, but they may do. Someone with more recent real estate knowledge will be best able to answer that question for you.

seaqueen - 2021-07-12 21:30:00
7
dadtofive wrote:

I haven't seen any contract yet
I am meeting some tomorrow

that Free marketing package was in a email one had sent me.

but nothing is ever free


No not free. What they mean is it's included in the commission charged

dadtofive wrote:


So about the sole agency would i not be better with more than one.
As not looking for marketing as house is in very poor cond .
Most likely would go to a developer who would just knock it down.

And put couple of houses up

More than one agency isn't necessary because buyers aren't loyal and will go to whoever has the listing.
Marketing does matter as you can't sell a secret right? You should consider the gold package upgrade on TM and professional photos as an absolute minimum regardless of who you go with.

superdave0_13 - 2021-07-12 21:45:00
8
dadtofive wrote:

Hi so looking at Real Estate Agents have a few coming to see me.
Now i had one email me with a offer of
Free marketing professional photography signboard and trademe ad gold package.
Valued at $1500

It don't say sole agent
So if i list with more than one agent and another one sells the house .
would they be able to come back to me to pay for it

thanks

What does the contract say? It seems unlikey an agent would offer that package without an exclusive right to sell but who knows. Stupider things have happened.

johnston - 2021-07-13 09:05:00
9
dadtofive wrote:

I haven't seen any contract yet
I am meeting some tomorrow

that Free marketing package was in a email one had sent me.

but nothing is ever free
So about the sole agency would i not be better with more than one.
As not looking for marketing as house is in very poor cond .
Most likely would go to a developer who would just knock it down.

And put couple of houses up

No. They are not going to put much money and time into marketing something that someone else might sell and they get nothing for their effort.

curlcrown - 2021-07-13 11:50:00
10

If you say that the property is in "bad nick" and therefore would appeal to a developer, then there maybe not much "marketing" required... most agents / agencies have a few "pet developers" up their sleeve, so harking it around the developers will just involve a few minutes on the phone.. hardly an all out marketing campain !!

onl_148 - 2021-07-13 12:01:00
11

Agents are always pushing the story that they have buyers waiting etc etc. The last house I sold I told the agent the only advertising to be done was on Trade me which they can pay for and if that didn't work then we would talk again. That bought plenty of punters through the door and the house sold in two weeks to buyers who were on the agents books. Most advertising I see is strong on promoting the company and the agent which you pay for.

hammer23 - 2021-07-13 23:40:00
12

I was disappointed they don't have tea and biscuits at auctions at the agencies rooms I think ive been offered a cup of tea rarely 1 out of 5 agencies when just filling in time having a chat I would list with them. There is the occasional agent whose name I remember or recognise half I don't recall who i was talking to.

ash4561 - 2021-07-15 22:11:00
13

Make it to complicated and the agent you really need will wish you well and walk away.

patriciamay1 - 2021-07-17 20:15:00
14
patriciamay1 wrote:

Make it to complicated and the agent you really need will wish you well and walk away.

no one needs an agent, ever.

gabbysnana - 2021-07-17 21:07:00
15
gabbysnana wrote:

no one needs an agent, ever.

Especially the ones with no idea of their property's value, how to take a decent photo, write an honest and enticing description, handle the public and conduct negotiations with respect of the legal requirements around an ASP.

sparkychap - 2021-07-18 07:46:00
16
gabbysnana wrote:

no one needs an agent, ever.

They've been around a long time ,according to REA their numbers are rapidly increasing Why do you think that is ?

patriciamay1 - 2021-07-18 21:18:00
17

Some real estate agents are making more than the PMs income, with the market still very active, why not sell a property yourself more so when the market is hot. It is so easy have a decent advertising board put outside, along with adverts in the local paper. I have done this in the past with no problems, and saved thousands..

viking60 - 2021-09-08 15:17:00
18
viking60 wrote:

Some real estate agents are making more than the PMs income, with the market still very active, why not sell a property yourself more so when the market is hot. It is so easy have a decent advertising board put outside, along with adverts in the local paper. I have done this in the past with no problems, and saved thousands..

Why go to all that trouble if an agent can get you what you want in your hand anyway? People get hung up on agent's commission, when the figure that goes into your bank account is really the only one that counts.

seaqueen - 2021-09-08 18:35:00
19
viking60 wrote:

Some real estate agents are making more than the PMs income, with the market still very active, why not sell a property yourself more so when the market is hot. It is so easy have a decent advertising board put outside, along with adverts in the local paper. I have done this in the past with no problems, and saved thousands..

You can do most things yourself.... The question is should you?

superdave0_13 - 2021-09-08 19:29:00
20
dadtofive wrote:


Free marketing professional photography signboard and trademe ad gold package.


Sounds like what they all do....whats special about it?

lythande1 - 2021-09-09 08:21:00
21

If you have the time, energy and the aptitude to sell your home privately.. by all means give it a go !!
Do not let your sole reason for private sale be to save on the commission.. there is a common attitude out there that because the home is a private sale I can offer less because the seller has no agent fee's..
Also it is important to have the time... you have to be able to react quite quickly.. many people are not interested to wait 3 or 4 days for a viewing because you have to sort out with your boss some time off. You really have to accept that selling your home is basically is a second job, but in some circumstances it has first call on your time !!
You have to also be "cut out" to be a good sales person.. I would never do a private sale, I would sell to the first person who offered just to get over and done with !!

onl_148 - 2021-09-09 13:13:00
22
onl_148 wrote:

If you have the time, energy and the aptitude to sell your home privately.. by all means give it a go !!
Do not let your sole reason for private sale be to save on the commission.. there is a common attitude out there that because the home is a private sale I can offer less because the seller has no agent fee's..
Also it is important to have the time... you have to be able to react quite quickly.. many people are not interested to wait 3 or 4 days for a viewing because you have to sort out with your boss some time off. You really have to accept that selling your home is basically is a second job, but in some circumstances it has first call on your time !!
You have to also be "cut out" to be a good sales person.. I would never do a private sale, I would sell to the first person who offered just to get over and done with !!

Well put ,its amazing the number of people who think the big deal is avoiding the agents commission. Many people start out on private sale but eventually call in an agent to dig them out of a hole .They have ruined the initial marketing opportunity and think flicking the agent a hospital pass will solve all the problems they have themselves created.Many who do sell privately gloat about avoiding the agents commission but how many have undersold.? and how many have paid extra in legal fees because of poorly drafted sale and purchase agreements.

patriciamay1 - 2021-09-10 21:17:00
23
patriciamay1 wrote:

Well put ,its amazing the number of people who think the big deal is avoiding the agents commission. Many people start out on private sale but eventually call in an agent to dig them out of a hole .They have ruined the initial marketing opportunity and think flicking the agent a hospital pass will solve all the problems they have themselves created.Many who do sell privately gloat about avoiding the agents commission but how many have undersold.? and how many have paid extra in legal fees because of poorly drafted sale and purchase agreements.

who says you will undersell going private ? , this is a common statement well rehearsed by agents .Why would it not be the other way around ? - you already lose money by paying a commission .

at the end of the day it is only you who has your best interests at heart , a real estate agent is making a living like anyone else and will always take the path of least resistance to make money .

bergkamp - 2021-09-10 22:21:00
24

case in point ,for an agents commission it is much more economic to accept an offer on day one for 40k commission , than work for another 6 weeks to gain a little bit more than 40k for an extra 10k in selling price ... ive seen this happen time and time again , the agent encouraging the vendor to accept an early offer ...its not that agents are bad - its simply human nature , we all have bills to pay

bergkamp - 2021-09-10 22:27:00
25

Problem is berkamp is that its impossible to prove definitely either way; Firstly you assume the private seller will be able to bring in the same value of offer as a good agent.

This assumes that the private seller will do as good a job as the agent, and won't either: 1: scare off buyers (yes I've seen this from terrible photos and illiterate listing text and 2: attract interest and provide that FOMO needed to generate strong competing multiple offers.

Time and time again we've seen very bad examples of listings from both bad private sellers and bad agents. For most people choosing a good agent will benefit them as they aren't cut out to be a private seller.

One thing I've noticed in the past few years is that the number of private sales in the areas I monitor seem to have flatlined.

sparkychap - 2021-09-11 08:28:00
26
sparkychap wrote:

Problem is berkamp is that its impossible to prove definitely either way; Firstly you assume the private seller will be able to bring in the same value of offer as a good agent.

This assumes that the private seller will do as good a job as the agent, and won't either: 1: scare off buyers (yes I've seen this from terrible photos and illiterate listing text and 2: attract interest and provide that FOMO needed to generate strong competing multiple offers.

Time and time again we've seen very bad examples of listings from both bad private sellers and bad agents. For most people choosing a good agent will benefit them as they aren't cut out to be a private seller.

One thing I've noticed in the past few years is that the number of private sales in the areas I monitor seem to have flatlined.

agreed that some people should not sell their own house , but anyone who has common sense can do it .

i dont think anyone "sells" a house ...i think the house sells itself - buyers are looking at the view , the location , the building report , the schools in zone etcetc ...not at how the seller is dressed or what agency they are from .
it may have been different 30 yrs ago when you really did need an agent who may well have had prospective buyers ...but the real estate industry have not moved with the times , the internet has changed everything

bergkamp - 2021-09-11 22:32:00
27
bergkamp wrote:

agreed that some people should not sell their own house , but anyone who has common sense can do it .

i dont think anyone "sells" a house ...i think the house sells itself - buyers are looking at the view , the location , the building report , the schools in zone etcetc ...not at how the seller is dressed or what agency they are from .
it may have been different 30 yrs ago when you really did need an agent who may well have had prospective buyers ...but the real estate industry have not moved with the times , the internet has changed everything

Whilst I agree that the internet has changed the way buyers can access properties, we still see very poorly presented properties, both private and agent. But generally private are worse.

I'm looking at one at the moment (out of interest) - its a good house with nice sea views, but the listing has terrible photos (makes it look cold) and text (no sizzle). No open homes and the viewing details are off putting. Suspect its incorrectly priced (too low, but bait "enquiries over"). Other houses in the area are selling really quickly for very high prices - this one clearly isn't selling itself.

sparkychap - 2021-09-12 09:52:00
28
gabbysnana wrote:

no one needs an agent, ever.

I had sold two houses previously but when it came to selling the last one, after the death of my husband and deciding to downsize, I didn't have the energy to do it again especially as subdivision of the property took many months. I went with a 1% Agency and what a great salesman I had. Nothing had sold in this rural area for a long time but he had it sold within two months for more than I wanted and he reckoned I could get more but I just wanted out and was happy with the price. I didn't NEED an Agent but for the money he made out of me he sure earned it as he had a fair bit of travelling to do whenever he had a viewing. No regrets at all about using him, saved me many hassles.

kacy5 - 2021-09-12 19:39:00
29
seaqueen wrote:

Why go to all that trouble if an agent can get you what you want in your hand anyway? People get hung up on agent's commission, when the figure that goes into your bank account is really the only one that counts.

Exactly, the two houses I sold privately weren't even on the market, the sales fell into my lap. I was buying paint for one when a lady overheard me saying to the salesperson I knew that it was for a house we were going to sell. She asked where it was, came, looked and bought 'as is' so we gave her all the paint. She was happy as were we, she paid the asking price and had very few conditions. An Agent would have been used otherwise.

kacy5 - 2021-09-12 19:50:00
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