NF Anyone ever use Property Guys??

[Rustic-Fisher]

Not very impressed with how our realtor is working out and have started looking into using Property guys and selling privately.

We have at least 1.5 years to sell, so there is no rush.

Any feedback or experience is welcome.

 

Thanks

R

[SmokestackLightnin]

I have not used Property Guys but did use ByTheOwner for a short time as a bridge between listing my property with a realtor. We did receive a few leads with ByTheOwner and felt the service did what we wanted. Eventually the home sold but it was due to the efforts of the realtor.

 

Like any business there are good people and bad people and depending on what your requirements are you should be able to find one to suit your needs. Everything is negotiable with the listing agent. We interviewed 4 different agents and asked their strategy prior to making our decision. If you are selling in Barrie or Simcoe County I have not problem referring the agents we used as they exceeded our expectations. PM for the realtors name if you want.

[Harrison]

I bought my present house private and off of Kijiji believe it or not. The Owner was thinking the same as you with lots of time to sell. He put it up, I bought it the next day and there was four others wanting to see it.

 

Sure it depends on location/price etc. but this displays there are folks out there not afraid to buy private.

 

I got an inspection, lawyer drew up the papers, done deal. Easy peasie and a great deal.

 

I know when I sell, I will try private first for sure. I say go for it.

[crappieperchhunter]

My brother has sold both of his houses private and saved a ton of cash. He will tell you to your face that your an idiot for giving real estate people your money.

 

He says it is so easy it is comical. And when he explains it to you it really is no work at all. I have sold 4 houses in my life and always went through the normal real estate channels.

 

Yes he calls me an idiot. But I'm thinking when we sell this time I will make that little bit of extra effort to save myself some serious dough.

 

You can only let your little brother call you an idiot for so long before you have to do something about it

Edited February 15, 2012 by crappieperchhunter

[SmokestackLightnin]

My brother has bought both of his houses private and saved a ton of cash. He will tell you to your face that your an idiot for giving real estate people your money.

 

He says it is so easy it is comical. And when he explains it to you it real is no work at all.

 

It depends on what you're selling. If it's a good starter home in a good neighbourhood that is priced accordingly then using an agent may not be your best option. Some houses are not straight-forward to sell. Our sale last year was a renovated farmhouse on 7 acres with outbuildings and required a unique buyer. I don't think I was an idiot for giving real estate for my money as it was listed for almost a year and our agents worked very hard for us.

[crappieperchhunter]

It depends on what you're selling. If it's a good starter home in a good neighbourhood that is priced accordingly then using an agent may not be your best option. Some houses are not straight-forward to sell. Our sale last year was a renovated farmhouse on 7 acres with outbuildings and required a unique buyer. I don't think I was an idiot for giving real estate for my money as it was listed for almost a year and our agents worked very hard for us.

 

Agreed... all situations are not equal. Just try telling my brother that

[Fish4Eyes]

IMO it all depends on the condition of the home. If not much work is required and most of the interior is up to date then I don't see why a realtor is required as the house will speak for itself. But if it needs alot of work, it will be a much harder sell privately unless the price is REALLY right. From what I have seen in my area, people are just downright ridiculous when it comes to asking price on a private sale.

[chris.brock]

I think the real estate selling system is crazy, agents can make way too much for the amount of time and work they do (sorry to any agents out there), I know how hard I have to work for a dollar and it ticks me off to see them driving around in BMW's, talking like used car salesmen. With the internet and sites like Kijiji etc., I hope private sales will become more popular and some of these agents will have to do some real work for alot less gravy.

[Gerritt]

I wish John was here right now... and would give you great examples why most should consider a realtor... sadly, he was called home much too soon.

 

 

G

[Rustic-Fisher]

Great info guys,

Thanks.

R

[BillM]

Realtors don't do enough work to take the kind of $$$$ home they do.. When I sell, it will be privately.

[fish_fishburn]

Care to elaborate Bill. How much work does a Realtor do to sell a property.

[BillM]

Care to elaborate Bill. How much work does a Realtor do to sell a property.

 

Looks like I hit a nerve, we'll just let this one die because the can of worms you just opened is pretty much bottomless

[fish_fishburn]

No nerve hit here Bill. Just wondering what kind of money do they make.

[Thrilla]

Bought my house in a private sale, easy as pie

[BillM]

No nerve hit here Bill. Just wondering what kind of money do they make.

 

The realtor that wanted to sell my sisters house wanted 2.5% (multiple that by two because you need to pay the buyers realtor as well) on a almost 300k sale for putting the house on MLS, doing a few open houses and that's about it. Seeing that most sales are done via other realtors (ie pick up the phone, you're done).. Now put that time into actual man hours (Like you and I put into our jobs) and that pay rate is absolutely insane!

 

She ended up selling it privately, made out much better.

[Woodsman]

I wish John was here right now... and would give you great examples why most should consider a realtor... sadly, he was called home much too soon.

 

 

G

So true.

[SmokestackLightnin]

To keep it straight I am not a realtor. In the last 18 months I have used a realtor to sell a house which meant I needed to buy a house and I also purchased a cottage. Each time I felt the realtor exceeded my expectation. They all worked hard for me and I felt they earned every penny they made. If you ask realtors I believe they would prefer to represent buyers rather than list properties. Representing the purchaser typcially guarantees a 2.5% commission and can be an enjoyable experience. Listing a house is where they are most challenged and also stem to make the least commission. On my house sale, the listing agent was paid 1% and that is what we negotiated into the relationship.

 

In sales today, there are customers that are easy to deal with and who represent little work for the sales person and then there are customers who are challenging and take more time for the sale. Does that mean the commission should be any different, maybe, but it's not. Typically commission is based on profit made and most easygoing customers are willing to pay more so actually salespeople make less on the more difficult customers.

 

Depending on your requirements will determine whether or not a realtor is required. We hear about the commissions paid to realtors on the easy to sell homes and for some what is paid out is not justified by the effort put forth. But we never hear about the ones that took a long time to sell, with the amount of marketing required and in some of those cases a realtor may loose money. I am all for staggered commission rates for the industry maybe one way of staggering is the amount of time the property is listed. I think any good realtors would support it.

 

Instead of writing off realtors entirely, I think what people need to do is assess your needs and make their decision accordingly. Just because your needs do not require their service does not necessarily mean they do a bad job. A wise person once said, never judge or criticize a person until you have walked a mile in their moccasins. Talk to people who have used private listings and have had their home stay on there a long time and as a result these people have had to endure numerous showings, inquiries, etc., which would normally be taken care of by a realtor. And here's one from the bleachers, from a local sports perspective, realtors are one of a number of industries that support numerous local and minor league sport initiatives. Not to mention the arts, education, environment....

[fish_fishburn]

A very good friend put his house on the market last summer as For Sale By Owner. He held open houses every sat and sun to no avail. People would make appt with him to view and then would not show up. Most of the people that came to his open houses were mostly interested in the contents of the house and not the house itself.

 

Well after 3 mths of this he finally decided to get a Realtor to sell for him and it was a done deal in 2 weeks. Said something about the Realtor bringing only qualified buyers to view the home. He said the couple of verbal offers he did get were rediculously low by potential buyers who thought he had fallen on hard times or something.

[BillM]

A very good friend put his house on the market last summer as For Sale By Owner. He held open houses every sat and sun to no avail. People would make appt with him to view and then would not show up. Most of the people that came to his open houses were mostly interested in the contents of the house and not the house itself.

 

Well after 3 mths of this he finally decided to get a Realtor to sell for him and it was a done deal in 2 weeks. Said something about the Realtor bringing only qualified buyers to view the home. He said the couple of verbal offers he did get were rediculously low by potential buyers who thought he had fallen on hard times or something.

 

Boycotting private sales works wonders!

[Rustic-Fisher]

Let the realtor go, based on other peoples experiences out realtor was a disaster. Going to give the property guys route a try, I have no doubt that most realtors earn their commissions but ours is a different story. Thanks again for all the input , anyone want to buy a bungalow in innisfil finished top to bottom ??? Lol OFC,er discount

Edited February 16, 2012 by Jaspers On Point