Q: How Much does it cost to list my home as an Empowered Seller?
A: The Empowered Seller administration fee is $6,000. Payment is due in two parts. $3,000 upon application acceptance and an additional $3,000 when your property is sold, if you decide not sell or 3 months after contract start date, whichever comes first.
Q: Why would I use Empowered to sell my home/property and not just do it myself privately?
A: You absolutely can sell privately. However, you will more than likely net less $$$ in your sale by the time all the dust settles. Statistically speaking, For Sale By Owner private sales result in 5-7% less in the net proceeds vs a professionally marketed property.
Q: There are a number of companies out there that only charge a small fee to list my home for sale on MLS. Why should I pick Empowered?
A: The key difference between Empowered and discount MLS listing entities is your property will be PROFESSIONALLY marketed by Empowered. Period. Your listing will have the same premium look and feel online as our Elevated premium service and will be presented better than 90% of all other MLS listings. We are not a discount service. What we do offer is a hybrid model between the typical FSBO way of selling your home and a full service representation model. We empower you to do some of the work involved in selling your home, thus saving you money while maximizing your sale price by giving you expert help and knowledge.
Q: What kind of marketing materials can I expect to see showcasing my home/property online?
A: At Empowered we believe online marketing presence is of upmost importance. Other agents may try and copy our program however, most are too cheap to invest in the materials necessary to best market your home/property (sad but true – sorry). Your property will have 1) Best in class professional photography with 40-50 pictures to use for marketing purposes. 2) 3D virtual tour of your home 3) 2D Floor Plans in both jpeg and pdf, 4) a Pre-sale Home Inspection with full and summary report. 5) A Real Property Report, 6) Authentic verbiage highlighting the key attributes of your home/property, 7) National and International exposure.
Q: How do I determine the listing price of my home?
A: You will be given market data of recent sales as well as properties currently for sale in your region to help you determine the best listing price for your home. With the Empowered Seller program is we will not provide a market evaluation nor will we sit down with you to discuss all the various moving parts when it comes to effectively selling your home and the best timing for that. You are empowered to make your own decisions. You pick your price.
Q: Will I have help in staging recommendations?
A: No. Our Empowered Seller program assumes you know what you need to do when it comes to showcasing your home. There are a number of online suggestions and articles for you to read to help with this aspect of getting your home ready for sale.
Q: Will I get suggestions for price reductions to help get my home/property sold if it has been on the market for a while without any offers?
A: No. It is assumed that you are able to make pricing decisions on your own.
Q: Well I receive feedback from showings?
A: Yes. You will receive feedback via our custom feedback tool as long as showings are booked through our showing software.
Q: Why must I have a pre-sale home inspection done?
A: You don’t have to have one. The vast majority of other companies and real estate agents don’t promote or provide this service. However, in order to mitigate potential issues in your sale and because you will not have full representation when it comes to handling issues that may come up in a home inspection, we will not list a home for sale through our Empowered Seller program without having one completed. This is truly to help protect you and also to help save you and us grief should issues arise. You will find that having a pre-sale home inspection completed will generally result in a better selling price for your home plus buyers will often not bother having a home inspection as a condition of the purchase. You get to deal with any issues up front before selling your home which empowers you to be in control of the outcome. Your pre-sale home inspection is included as part of our service and is paid for by us.
Q: Will a For Sale sign be provided?
A: Yes, you will have a Empowered Real Estate sign on your property.
Q: How will other agents get access to my home for showings?
A: You will be provided with an web enabled, secure lockbox for you to place a key in. All showings are tracked and access is only granted once you approve it.
Q: Do I need to be home for showings?
A: If a buyer is working with a real estate agent, then no, it is best you are not at home for showings.
Q: Can I have Open Houses?
A: Absolutely! Hosting Open Houses is a key differentiator with the Empowered Program. You are the host. Let us know with 3 days notice and we will post your open house on MLS. You will be given key pointers in how to best host an open house and what NOT to do when hosting.
Q: If a buyer isn’t working with a real estate agent, can I sell my home to them?
A: Yes! You have two options to save in the cost of selling your home. 1) You will be given Purchase Contract paperwork with instructions on how to fill it out and you can work directly with the buyer to complete this along with your lawyer. 2) You can use our Online Buyer Offer tool for buyers to submit an offer through Empowered, 3) If the buyer wants to have full representation by an agent, we can certainly offer that service to them and then you do not have to be involved in the sale negotiations directly with the buyer.
Q: How much do I offer a Buyers Brokerage (Buyer’s agent) if they bring a buyer?
A: We highly recommend you offer a buyers agent fair market compensation for a completed sale. It is the nature of sales; if you offer less compensation than the majority of other listed homes for sale, the natural tendency is for the buyers agent to not be to thrilled about selling your home/property. We do find a flat $ amount is best as it keeps things very transparent. Plus, our experience shows that most people are unfortunately bad at math. We will provide suggestions for you to consider. What you are willing to pay has to be decided upfront prior to listing your home/property on MLS. You are in control.
Q: Do I need to have a lawyer?
A: Yes. It is of upmost importance that you provide us with your lawyers name prior to placing your home for sale on pls. If you do not have one, we can offer suggestions.
Q: How are deposits that go with an offer handled?
A: Empowered Real Estate does not hold the deposit funds that go with an offer to purchase. Your lawyer does that. We recommend that you only take a deposit once any/all conditions to a purchase are removed by the buyer(s) as this will save you in the expense of your lawyer having to issue a refund of deposit to the buyer should they not waive their conditions.
Q: Will I get instructions and a guide on the selling process and what steps I need to take throughout the sales journey?
A: Yes, You will receive a step by step guide to help you in the sale of your home.