Typically, I charge 2.5%. That includes all marketing: Professional photos, 3D tours, and drone shots.

Zestimates can sometimes be accurate, while prices can be off substantially at other times. As the technology improves, there is no doubt that tools like Zestimate will improve accuracy. Although the algorithms are robust and (when inputs are correct) can be helpful. However, often, the algorithm receives incomplete or erroneous data, and an agent can extrapolate better by doing a manual Comparative Market Analysis. For instance, if a home has a poor floor plan, Zillow might say a home is worth $500k, but that poor floor plan might push the price down by $30k or more.

If you plan on emptying your home by the time the house goes to market, yes. Staging can increase the value of your home by $10k or more, which is more than the cost of staging. I recommend staging the living room, dining room, kitchen, primary bedroom, and bathroom. The other rooms typically don’t have to be staged.

If your home is occupied, most homeowners (especially with children) tend to have too many personal possessions that detract from the home’s appeal. A crowded room will appear to buyers as smaller, whereas a room properly staged will make it appear bigger and a better value.

How much does staging cost?

The price varies, but $2500 for standard staging (living, kitchen, dining, primary bedroom, and bathroom.) I recommend several vendors I love working with.

I have a video I produced to answer that question:

Typically, a listing contract lasts for 6 months. Suppose you decide to terminate our agreement to work with a different agent at any point. In that case, 30 days are required, whereas if the home is sold within 30 days, I will still be paid our agreed-upon compensation.

If you decide you no longer wish to sell your property, we can remove it from the market without penalty.

Pricing your home above what the market will and can bear. Although Realtors or homeowners can choose a price to market the home at, we don’t determine the sold price of a home. That is done by the buyers. Homeowners can improve the value of a home, and good Real Estate agents can market it well. Still, at the end of the day, the market (and market conditions such as employment and interest rates) determines what a home will sell for. Overpricing a home often leads to a frustrated seller.

Not necessarily. Studies show (read here and here) that the best offers are often presented in the first few days.

Imagine you are a buyer and see a home you love that has been on the market for a few weeks. What are you asking your agent? Why doesn’t anyone want this home? What’s wrong with it? You don’t want people asking that about your home.

No. All buyers can put down earnest money, which is typically 1-3% of the purchase price. When approaching closing, the Buyer will have to deposit the remaining difference between their down payment and earnest money.

All real estate transactions require “a buyer to do due diligence.” 

So, What is Due Diligence?

Webster says: Due Diligence is Reasonable steps taken by a person in order to satisfy a legal requirement, especially in buying or selling something.

In layman’s terms, this means that when a buyer is considering purchasing a property, the burden is on them to know what they’re getting themselves into. It’s doing reasonable research to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the property before purchasing it. 

Due Diligence can start practically the moment a potential buyer discovers a home exists and ends the moment the transaction is closed.

When an accepted offer on a property is made, there are a few contractual time frames, which in Oregon are called contingencies.

The first is the Seller’s Disclosure Contingency, in which a buyer can review the seller’s disclosure.

The second is called The Property Inspection Contingency, in which a buyer will have longer and deeper access to a property to bring in professionals to consult on its condition and offer professional value and advice.  

Third is Title Search, which determines the legal state of the property.

In each of those, a buyer can decide if they want to make any negotiations or walk away from the deal based upon newfound information. They are called contingencies because a buyer usually can terminate the agreement in these timeframes and still get 100% of their money back.

There are many horror stories of clients not doing sufficient due Diligence:

It’s like buying a property in hopes of turning it into a vacation rental only to find that the local regulations would make it illegal, inconvenient, or cost-prohibitive.  

I tell my clients that I can help facilitate their due Diligence and educate them. Still, at the end of the day, it’s their responsibility.

All real estate transactions require “a buyer to do due diligence.” 

So, What is Due Diligence?

Webster says: Due Diligence is Reasonable steps taken by a person in order to satisfy a legal requirement, especially in buying or selling something.

In layman’s terms, this means that when a buyer is considering purchasing a property, the burden is on them to know what they’re getting themselves into. It’s doing reasonable research to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the property before purchasing it. 

Due Diligence can start practically the moment a potential buyer discovers a home exists and ends the moment the transaction is closed.

When an accepted offer on a property is made, there are a few contractual time frames, which in Oregon are called contingencies.

The first is the Seller’s Disclosure Contingency, in which a buyer can review the seller’s disclosure.

The second is called The Property Inspection Contingency, in which a buyer will have longer and deeper access to a property to bring in professionals to consult on its condition and offer professional value and advice.  

Third is Title Search, which determines the legal state of the property.

In each of those, a buyer can decide if they want to make any negotiations or walk away from the deal based upon newfound information. They are called contingencies because a buyer usually can terminate the agreement in these timeframes and still get 100% of their money back.

There are many horror stories of clients not doing sufficient due Diligence:

It’s like buying a property in hopes of turning it into a vacation rental only to find that the local regulations would make it illegal, inconvenient, or cost-prohibitive.  

I tell my clients that I can help facilitate their due Diligence and educate them. Still, at the end of the day, it’s their responsibility.