Real Estate Agents

ArgentCy

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Jan 13, 2010
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Saw a home for sale in Ames that is owned by a former top ISU executive. Guess who is listing it?

Gene Johnson, realtor to the coaches!

I really don't understand how one Realtor can dominate such a large high end market.
 
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CycloneDaddy

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Sep 24, 2006
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Johnston
I really don't understand how one Realtor can dominate such a large high end market.
Do you want an agent that mostly sells $150k homes trying to sell your $500k + home?

Why does Rick Wanamaker(sp?) dominate the DSM metro milllion $ home market? He has a track record of selling that price range and has the right contacts/connections to get it to the closing table.
 
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ArgentCy

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There isn't much difference. People are just creatures of habit. What kind of connections do you need to sell an expensive home? You just need some people with money. It's not like they are somehow creating a market that didn't exist. I mean the high-end Ames market is going to be pretty limited. So if a high-end buyer is moving to town then there isn't much to choose from.
 

CycloneDaddy

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Sep 24, 2006
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There isn't much difference. People are just creatures of habit. What kind of connections do you need to sell an expensive home? You just need some people with money. It's not like they are somehow creating a market that didn't exist. I mean the high-end Ames market is going to be pretty limited. So if a high-end buyer is moving to town then there isn't much to choose from.
Come on, there is a huge difference in selling a 100k house compared to an executive home. Those are different enviroments with different obstacles to get them to the closing table.

You are paying the 6%+ commission either way so you might as well have the agent with the proven track record.
 

NorthCyd

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I'm looking to sell my house pretty soon but I have excellent knowledge of the local market and want to experience the process from a sales point of view. One thing the buyers of my house are not getting is a bunch of crap they want fixed. That will be upfront in my documents. I'll tell what it is and isn't and they can take it or leave it. The house isn't for everyone.
That's called selling the house as is. Expect a lot of lowball offers and suspicious buyers.
 

Farnsworth

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Apr 11, 2006
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Des Moines, IA
More suprising?

Mainly Civil Conversation or no Mark Charter appearance or bashing?

I'm guessing after the pod ended he's not supposed to talk real estate.
 

SCyclone

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Mar 11, 2014
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On a related note - I work in the building industry (sales manager at a lumber yard) and so come into contact with people who want to be the general contractor when they build their home. (This would be similar to selling your house yourself, IMO.) Every once in awhile I'll find someone who knows what they're doing.....but for the most part, it's like someone who wants to be their own lawyer. They have a fool for a client.

If I was selling my house, I'd definitely need help, whether that be a realtor or an agent. I don't know enough about the ins and outs and legalities to feel comfortable doing it myself.

Alternately, I'm sure many people can and do handle it on their own. It all comes down to how comfortable you feel with it.
 

trevn

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I work in a small bank and have come across many realtors. Some are really good. They're knowledgeable about the process, help keep things moving along, and are good communicators throughout the process. Some are not quite like that. They either show or list a house (or both) and then just want their commission check. Pretty lazy once the purchase agreement is signed. There are more of the latter than the former that I run into, but when you deal with a good one you know it, and you appreciate it much more. They certainly can bring value to the transaction.
 

chadly82

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I recently sold my Des Moines house on contract with no agent. I works out great, the buyer is paying me $XX per month which is more than my current monthly payment so we just apply the entire payment from him to our loan. Loan will be paid off in 9 years and the contract is 15 years, so the $XX per month for 6 years is cash in my pocket.
If you can have that work out that is great. It is hard to find the right person though due to the fact that if you sell on contract and they don't come through then its a mess. Also a lot of people that want to buy on contract don't have the right amount of cash down to do so for it to make sense for the owner. I tried that and the current tenants in my rental could only do $5000 toward the contract. I'll be putting it on the market soon though as they have turned into great tenants!
 

chadly82

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For those of you that have sold recently & used an agent, any luck with negotiating off the 6% mark?
You can get this done if you have someone that is willing to do 5% but most times the company they work for requires their portion and then for the realtor to make what they would expect then you wont see them under 5%.
 

chadly82

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All new flooring? Do you think you got a return on that money?
Depends on what you have access to and if you can install it yourself for sure. The cost of all new flooring even with LVP is pretty extensive
 

ArgentCy

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That's called selling the house as is. Expect a lot of lowball offers and suspicious buyers.

I know my market. I'm not trying to sell for top dollar to the person who doesn't want to do anything. The market I'm selling to are people who want no neighbors and do their own things. There isn't much available and i'll have no problems finding a seller. I don't need ten buyers, I just need one good buyer.
 

isufbcurt

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Apr 21, 2006
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If you can have that work out that is great. It is hard to find the right person though due to the fact that if you sell on contract and they don't come through then its a mess. Also a lot of people that want to buy on contract don't have the right amount of cash down to do so for it to make sense for the owner. I tried that and the current tenants in my rental could only do $5000 toward the contract. I'll be putting it on the market soon though as they have turned into great tenants!

I didn't ask for anything down.

If two consecutive payments are missed the contract is null/void, they have 30 days to vacate and I can look for a new buyer.
 
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chadly82

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I didn't ask for anything down.

If two consecutive payments are missed the contract is null/void, they have 30 days to vacate and I can look for a new buyer.
Nice, hopefully that doesn't happen. From what I was told was that even at 30 days to vacate under contract that they as the contracted buyer can stretch it out up to a year even if they really fight it. Meaning that 2 payments missed plus the 30 days and then the legal process involved to actually remove them plus risk of any minor damages would make it harder. I didn't look into it too far only because my real estate attorney told me that and I pretty much eliminated the idea.
 
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Clonefan32

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Nov 19, 2008
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They also assist with setting up transfer documents, deeds, inspections, etc. all of that stuff. It was worth every penny to use an agent when I bought and when I sold. Plus, they only get paid if a sell is made. Just my onion.

An attorney can do all of those things for between $500-$1,000.00. In my view, the only reason to hire a realtor is if you don't want to market and show the property. If you are willing to do those those two things, an attorney can do everything else for a fraction of the cost of a realtor.
 

isufbcurt

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Nice, hopefully that doesn't happen. From what I was told was that even at 30 days to vacate under contract that they as the contracted buyer can stretch it out up to a year even if they really fight it. Meaning that 2 payments missed plus the 30 days and then the legal process involved to actually remove them plus risk of any minor damages would make it harder. I didn't look into it too far only because my real estate attorney told me that and I pretty much eliminated the idea.

I'm not really worried about it.
 

CyState85

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Well, my wife and I are both school teachers. Maybe we will finish all the projects inside this winter and do some landscaping next spring to show/sell it next summer. We aren’t motivated to sell so if we don’t get a reasonable offer, then no biggie.