You Crrrrraaaazzzzy in the Coconut!

Today’s topic is twofold. First the new name of my brokerage, and second, the #1 Sin of Selling.

April 29th, was the end of a 35 year run for the name Americana Group Realtors, yet only to be replaced by an even longer name, and it’s a doozy… Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties.  This is the new name of the brokerage I am now contracting for, and I said it’s a doozy, not because of how many letters are in the name, but what it stands for.

Words like: amazing, tremendous, outstanding, incredible, fantastic, and whopping slipped off my fingers and onto this page, but for now let’s just say Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties is… Good to Know! ™

I couldn’t be happier about this transition, with one exception, changing the name on everything we have. It’s been quite the task that led me to update some of my publications, like “The 10 Sins of Selling”(click here to view).  Which leads me into the next subject, the #1 Sin of Selling, and it too is a doozy.

Drum roll please… the number one sin in selling is “NOT HIRING A REALTOR®”. But keep reading, there’s much more to this.

This is such a big “SIN” that statistics from the National Association of Realtors® (click here to view), indicate in 2012 the average For Sale by Owner (FSBO) netted $27,200 or 13.5% less than the average agent represented transaction. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! That's roughly the same 13% loss I’ve been touting for the last 15 years. Have we not learned anything, or is history just going to keep repeating itself. 

Are we, the Realtor® community to blame for not educating the FSBO's well enough to know better, or are they just that stubborn? 

Not only do you need to hire a Realtor®, you need to hire an experienced,  knowledgeable, full service Realtor® supported by, and accountable to, a real estate firm that can provide a tremendous amount of wisdom, protection, advice, and credibility to the transaction, like the one in discussion in my first topic. (See how well these two topics fit together?)

Here's what can happen when you don't hire a full service Realtor®:

I cannot ethically tell you the full name of the flat fee, limited service Realtor®/Broker  I am using in this example, but his first name is Donald, and if you let him sell your home, you might as well take the commission you are trying to save and plunkett down the toilet; then bitch to Congress for the loss.

From January 1st, 2013 through December 31st, 2013 Donald sold 75 homes for an average sales price of $221,035, per home. The average net sales price after Donald’s $299 flat fee, and a 3% co-op commission for the buyer's Realtor® is $214,104.*

During this same period BHHS Nevada Properties sold 6,039 homes for an average sales price of $231,813 per home. The average net sales price after a BAC fee of $350 and a 6% commission for BHHS Nevada Properties is $217,553.*

The difference in the net sale price between the two is a staggering $3,449, and I do mean staggering, because Donald’s sellers did all the work themselves, including take on the liability for errors and omissions before, during, and after the sale, which run rampant in “do it yourself” transactions. Now add their time and effort, and the cost of any therapy and counseling, and you’d find the true cost really is staggering.

So let’s do the math… You can sell your home yourself, do all the work, pay for all your own advertising, take on all the liability, and do this on average for 13.5% more than an agent can do it for you, or you can hire a limited service agent, and do all the above for about a 1.59% more than a full service agent can do it for you, or, you can just hire a full service Realtor®, and sleep easy.

Here is just some of what you would get from an award winning, full time, full service, experienced, knowledgeable, and trusted Realtor®, like me, who has the support, and accountability behind the name Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties.

Therefore, if you need to sell your home, do yourself and your pocket book a favor and hire the right Realtor®, or get yourself a Frontier Psychiatrist you crazy coconut you; BTW the crazy coconuts, I've worked with, prefer me. (Check me out)

Like I said we’re Good to Know! ™

*Information comes from the GLVAR and is deemed to be reliable but is not guaranteed.