Just a quick note to let you know that your listing is set to expire next Thursday 11/3/05.  You are welcome to extend the listing at no additional charge simply by sending me an email with a new expiration date.  If you want to have the listing expire, you don't have to do anything.  It will happen automatically.  If you want the extension, I need to receive that email BEFORE next Thursday. If the listing does expire, there will be a reduced listing fee of $200.00.

 
Please hit reply so I know you received this email.
 
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Congratulations on the offer!  I love receiving emails like this.  I received a copy of the contract so I have everything that I need.  For now, I have tagged you as under contract.  It will just sit like that until you close.  Then, I will tag you as closed.  I do it that way just in case something happens with the deal it is very easy to reactivate the listing.  If anything changes with the status of the transaction or when you close, please let me know.

When you have a chance, I will need the name, phone, and fax for your lawyer.  Within the next week you should expect a call from Gail to schedule and appointment for the inspection.  That can take from 1-3 hours so bring a book.  Also, in the next 2-3 weeks an appraiser will call.  The bank will send him/her to make sure your house is worth $179K.  It should take about 15 minutes of your time but is extremely important.  The deal will come to a screeching halt without the appraisal.

And now, a commercial......If you liked this program and the way I did business, I hope you will spread the word on my behalf.   If you are looking for a new home let me know.  I have 35 agents that work for me and I am sure one of them is in your area and would love to help you find your next dream home.  We offer to rebate of a portion of our commission when you buy a home using one of our agents.

 
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Congratulations on the contract.  I received a copy of the signed contract from XXX XXXXX so you do not need to resend it to me.   If you have not already done so, make sure you get a copy of the contract to your lawyer.  Also, because you are in the City of Chicago, you will need to get something called an "Energy Disclosure" for the buyers.  You will need to call your energy provider (ComEd or NiGas etc) and ask for this.  You will need it before you close and some of these companies move slowly so you should give them a call fairly soon.   Besides the lawyer, the next thing you can expect is an appointment for the inspector (if they choose to do an inspection) and after that you may need to open the door for the appraiser from the bank.
 
For now, I have tagged you as under contract.  The property will just sit like that until you close.  Then, I will tag you as closed.  I do it that way just in case something happens with the deal it is very easy to reactivate the listing.  If anything changes with the status of the transaction, please let me know.
 
And now, a commercial......If you liked this program and the way I did business, I hope you will spread the word on my behalf.   If you are looking for a new home let me know.  I have 32 agents that work for me and I am sure one of them is in your area and would love to help you find your next dream home.   We offer to rebate of a portion of our commission when you buy a home using one of our agents.
 
................................................................................................................................
 
Congratulations on the offer!  I love receiving emails like this.  I received a copy of the contract from your wife so I have everything that I need.  For now, I have tagged you as under contract.  It will just sit like that until you close.  Then, I will tag you as closed.  I do it that way just in case something happens with the deal it is very easy to reactivate the listing.  If anything changes with the status of the transaction, please let me know.
 
And now, a commercial......If you liked this program and the way I did business, I hope you will spread the word on my behalf.   If you are looking for a new home let me know.  I have 32 agents that work for me and I am sure one of them is in your area and would love to help you find your next dream home.  We offer to rebate of a portion of our commission when you buy a home using one of our agents.
 
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Congratulations on the offer!  I love receiving voice mails like this.  For now, I have tagged you as under contract with a notation that the buyers must sell their house before they can buy yours with a 48 hour kickout clause (CTG H/S-48).  It will just sit like that until they find a buyer and then until you close.  Then, I will tag you as closed.  I do it that way just in case something happens with the deal it is very easy to reactivate the listing.  If anything changes with the status of the transaction, please let me know.  If another Realtor represented the buyer I will need that Realtors name, company, and phone number.  Also, I will need you to fax me a copy of that contract.  I won't do anything with it but I need to have it on file.  My fax number is 847.986.3520.
 
And now, a commercial......If you liked this program and the way I did business, I hope you will spread the word on my behalf.   If you are looking for a new home let me know.  I have 32 agents that work for me and I am sure one of them is in your area and would love to help you find your next dream home.  We offer to rebate of a portion of our commission when you buy a home using one of our agents.
 
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Judging by when you went to contract, you MAY have already closed.  If you have, please let me know when and for what amount so I can take the property out of the computer.   If you have not, please let me know the estimated closing date and the amount.
 
Also, I still need you to fax me a copy of the contract.  My fax number is 847.986.3520.
 
Please hit reply so I know you received this email.
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Please replace the 7th paragraph with:  The MLS does not have a hits counter per se.  Before I can give you the
results, I have to lay some background.  When a Realtor represents a buyer
they can put that buyers criteria into the computer.   Every day the
computer will search the MLS and if anything matches that criteria the MLS
will send out an email automatically with the match.  I can track how many
times your listing has been sent out using this program and I can see if
anyone responded with a generic answer.  Realtor.com does have a traditional
hits counter.  I will send you an email in a second with a link to that.

MLS:  Since listed, your listing has been sent out 277 times.  3 indicated
that they were Interested, 0 indicated Maybe, and 23 indicated that they
were Not Interested.  Without reason and sight unseen, roughly 10% of the people rejected your listing.  That could be due to price, location, condition, style, etc.

Within the past 30 days the same fields were: 1, 0, 8, 7
Within the past 7 days the same fields were: 1, 2, 3, 4

Your Realtor.com ad has been viewed 96 times.

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Thank you for taking the time to write.  Fantastic news on your plan to get your
real estate license.

The first step is to take the required 45 hour education course.  There are
several places to take that class.  A local college, many local real estate
companies have a class, or there are online and take home courses.  Any one
of them should cost you around $250.00.   If you are interested in the take
home version, I use a company from Niles called Real Estate Institute.   800.995.1700  www.InstituteOnline.com .

Besides that you would need to join the Realtors Association.  The first
year will cost you around $700 or so and after that it is roughly $600 per
year.  To get the exact figures, call the Realtor Association and ask for
membership.  The number is 630.324.8400.   Let them know that you are
considering getting your license and you want to know all of the fees for
joining the MLS and the Realtor Association.

As for my company, I believe you read on my site about the program that I
offer.  If you would like further details, please let me know.  It would be
my pleasure to have you work with my company.  I currently sponsor 29   agents
and I am always looking for more.   One of the neat things about my company is that I let my agents do what works best for them.  Some like the flat fee MLS program.  Some prefer full service at a negotiated commission.  Some prefer to work with buyers and offer a rebate.   Everything is a possibility.   We have agents all over the Chicagoland market.
 
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The cheapest choice is to go to Home Depot and buy a combination style lock box.  They are in the key section and should cost around $35.00.  Then, when a Realtor calls, you can give them the combination and you don't have to be home for each showing.  If you go that route, you will want to take reasonable care in making sure they are indeed a Realtor.  First, keep an eye on your caller id.  If it says Coldwell Banker etc,...That is good.   Second, take a call back number and call back for confirmation.  Naturally, you will want to get the office number and see how they answer it.  Third, I won't put anywhere that you have a lock box.  So, their first words should NOT be "I need the combination for the lock box".  Lastly, ask for their "Agent ID".  That is nothing that you can verify but how they answer it will matter.  The Agent id is the number that each Realtor uses to access the MLS database and most use to make appointments.  So, each agent should know that number fairly quickly.  If they say Huh? or What is that?......You may want to be at the showing.   Also, while it can be 4-6 digits long, it will be all numbers.  If they give you a letter, they are wrong.
 
 
The other choice is to rent an electronic lock box.  It can only be opened by Realtors.  It is secure and traceable.   One of my agents handles all of my lock box rentals.  He charges a rental fee starting at $125.00  and the box is yours to use for one year.    If that interests you, you are welcome to call him directly.  Let him know that you are already on the MLS with me and that you would like to rent a lock box.  His name is Bob Sharpe and his number is 847.543.7822.
 
I hope this helps.
 
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On another note....

I do not show a receipt for the flat fee.  The amount is $450.00.  Please
check your records for me.  If you have already paid it, just let me know.
If not, you are welcome to fax me the Credit Card Authorization form
http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp  or mail me a check.  My address is:

4 Sale Realty, Inc.
Attn:  Quin O'Brien
1335 Locust Court
Grayslake, IL  60030

Please hit reply so I know you received this email.
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The single best thing you can do to increase exposure is to alter your price by any amount.  Every time you change the price by any amount your property will go to the Realtors Hot Sheets for a week as a price changed listing.  So, you will get a whole new round of exposure and (hopefully) a new flurry of activity.   It also shakes things up on the web sites and sends a message that you are negotiable.   It does not have to be a fire sale.  A change of $1000 gets you on the same list.  Of course, the bigger the change the louder the message (so to speak).  I have clients that do this every 3 weeks or so.
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Each community runs their broker tours on one specific day of the week at a specific time.  The time for Maple Park is every Wednesday from 9-3.  To get on the list, just send me an email with the day, date, and time of the tour and I will post that notification on both MLS systems.  That notification will go out to all 50,000+ Realtors in the system.  To double your local exposure you may also want to create a 1 page invitation and either fax or hand deliver it to the local offices.  I would not promote that fact that you can sell by owner on that invitation, that is like a red flag to Realtors.  Instead, put the price, address, time, date, MLS number, and a description.   Also, if you plan to offer any incentives put those as well.   Some of my clients offer snacks.  Others offer a raffle of a gift card to Borders or Starbucks (or a gas card).  If you plan something like that, make sure you let me know as well.  Keep your expectations low.   Sometimes these are successful, most of the time they are a bust.
 
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Thank you for taking advantage of my offer to post your For Sale By Owner property listing on my web site.   If you ever need to  make a change, just send me an email and I will take care of it.  I took the liberty of changing the order of the first 2 pictures so the exterior picture comes first.  Once you sell or if you list with a Realtor, please let me know so I can remove these from my site.
 
If you would ever like the exposure of the Realtors MLS, let me know.  We have  a fantastic program that will accommodate that.  As a matter of fact, we closed well over $180 million in both 2005 and also in 2006.  Here is a link to that program for easy reference.   http://www.4salerealty.com/fsbo.asp
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 I have two options for you.  The first is free.  I can add a line to the end of your description that says  "Also available for rent" or "Seller will consider lease/option".   The other option is that I can create a whole separate listing just for the rental.  You would then have two listings.  One for sale and one for rent.   I would be willing to do that at a discounted rate of $200.00.   If you are interested in the second option, I would need an email with the rental amount and the commission that you would be willing to offer to a Realtor that brought a renter.  Most of my clients offer 1/2 or 1 months rent.
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If you are interested, you may want to consider a virtual tour for this property.  The VT company charges me $89.99 for the tour and I pass the same price to you.  It offers a lot of "wow" factor for a little money.  It looks nice on the larger, higher priced homes.  Here is a link to show you what one looks like.   http://www.4salerealty.com/ad_details.asp?ID=2829
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I recently found out that I can add your listing to the Kankakee MLS as well for an additional fee of $100.00.   You would then be on the huge Chicago MLS and the smaller Kankakee MLS as well. If that would be of interest to you, let me know.
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I can cancel your listing now and relist you later at no additional charge.  I would only need an email to cancel and another email to get you started again.  As a matter of fact, I would recommend it.  Even in a good market, the next 3 months are the slowest in the selling season.  Better than that, if you keep your home off the market for 3 months (90 days) straight, the market time clock will reset back to zero.  Every day that you are for sale another day gets added to the market time clock.  So, agents can tell how long you have been on the market.  Your market time today is 56 days.
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Bathrooms:   About 10 years ago the MLS people changed the way that
bathrooms are represented.  Before you could have 2.5 baths, 2.75 baths,
2.25 baths.   Apparently it was very confusing to Realtors to figure out
what was a quarter, half, or three quarters bath.  So, in an effort to end
confusion and to standardize the database, they modified the rules.  Now,
the first number is the number of whole baths and the second number is the
number of non-whole (partial) baths.  So, with the new system, 2.5 baths
would indicate that you have 2 full baths and 5 partial baths.
 
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When you have a chance, please call or email me.  I have an offer here for you from a Realtor.
 
Details:
 
Starting Price = $315,000
Earnest money = $1,500
Estimated closing date = March 26th
 
They want all of the appliances including:  refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, washer, dryer, and every thing that is built-in, screwed-in, or attached. 
 
Besides the usual attorney review period and inspection period, this offer is only subject to the buyers securing a mortgage by 2/19/07.  They do not have a house to sell or close.  The offer comes with a pre-approval letter from First Rate Mortgage.
 
It is my GUESS that they are hoping to negotiate this to around $332K.  I picked that number because it is half way between your price and their offer.  The only way to find their true price is to offer some counter-offer and see what they do with it.
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The other Realtor called.  He needs you to fax him the disclosures.  The disclosures are:  Real Property Disclosure Report, Mold Disclosure, and Lead Based Paint Disclosure.  All of them can be found at this link:  http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp
 
For each form:  Download it, print it, fill it in, sign it, and then fax it to the other Realtor.  The other Realtor is XXX XXXXX  and his fax number is xxx.xxx.xxxx.
 
Also, since the property is in the City of Chicago, you will also need an "Energy Disclosure".  You will need to call your energy provider for this (com ed, ni gas, etc).  It is a requirement for closing and these companies can move slow so get on it as soon as possible.
 
I still need you to fax me a copy of that contract.  My fax number is 847.986.3520.
 
Please hit reply so I know you received this message.
 
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The entire world from the European economy to the US stock market are blaming their troubles on the US real estate market (and the sub-prime lending market).
 
Personally, I think this is a temporary situation.  People are always going to need a place to live.  Also, job transfers will not stop so there will be a need to sell and buy from that perspective.   I have a number of my clients that are renting out there properties right now.  They feel that they will have some money coming in right now and they are banking that the market will improve by the time that the lease is up.    The market is slow but not dead.  I still have roughly 50 properties under contract and waiting to close.  Also, I had 2 properties go to contract this week alone.  However, all of those numbers would have been double this time last year.
 
The doomsday people are saying that the market will get worse before it gets better.  They are saying that there will be something like 2 million foreclosures within the next 2 years (thus the new government bailout that starts tomorrow).   Those same people say that housing prices will go down because people will sell for whatever they can just to get out from under a bad loan or a potential foreclosure situation.   If that happens, it will affect the values for all of the neighbors.  An appraisal does not take into consideration market conditions nor motivation of the seller.
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One of the newer things the MLS is going to do is stop Realtors from using the acronym MLS in their company names or on their web sites.  Great idea except it does not cover non-Realtors such as www.MLS.com or Major League Soccer.   I think I will reword our web site to say:  "Search the Realtors database formally known as the MLS".    One MLS in Indiana went so far as to change their acronym.  They are now something like BHD - Brokers Homes Database.   They claim that they are changing this because so many consumers are "confused" by all of the MLS's out there and the consumer might think that the 4SR web site IS the MLS.   I am sure BHD will be much less confusing.
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I have seen this (or versions of it) before.   If you respond further, be very careful.   Most of the time, it is a version of the Nigerian email scam.   Each level will draw you in closer.  Before long, they will ask for your bank information so they can wire you a deposit.   Do NOT give that out.  Based on that they have a way to clean out your account.
 
Another version of the scam, they send you an official check.  That check is mysteriously over the amount that it should be.  They ask for you to mail back the difference in certified funds.  The check is bad and you are out the certified funds.   I had a client lose over $10,000 to that.
 
There is a very slight chance that it is legit.   Follow normal protocol and things will work out.
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The only way anyone gets into the MLS is through a Realtor.  I am your Realtor.  Technically, I represent you.  Yes, it is a very low level of representation and we will never meet but still, I represent you.  Don't confuse representation with commission.  I have already been paid.
 
Just so you know, if anyone contacts me from any source, including the Trib site or Realtor.com, I will forward that lead to you and it will be the same as By Owner.  It is not a perfect system but one that I have to work within.
 
Back to the beginning.  Since I represent you, my name is attached to your listing.  The big companies that make the rules want to pretend that home sellers have two choices.  For Sale By Owner....take your chance with exposure but cheap.  Or, For Sale With a Realtor....lots of exposure but expensive.  I have bridged that gap.  They are not too quick to admit that things are changing.  I don't think they will be too quick to change the way the web sites are set up.
 
I hope this helps.
 
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The really short answer is Nope.
 
Sorry, I can not remove my information.
 
And now for the long answer.
 
The ONLY way that anyone gets into the MLS is through a Realtor.  In your case, I am that Realtor.  While it is a very low level of representation,  I still represent you.  Don't confuse representation with commission.  I have already been paid and I do not intend nor expect to receive any money from you.  I was paid a stipend from the online company that you signed up with from what ever you paid them.   The only time that you will pay more money will be if a Realtor brings the buyer.  Then, you will pay that Realtor the amount of commission that you listed on your Flat Fee Listing Agreement (paragraph #9).   If you sell "by owner" you will not pay anything additional.
 
To be very technical, you are listed with a Realtor (me) and you have retained the right to sell by owner.
 
As for the exposure through me, not only do you have the exposure to 43,000+ Realtors, you are also on roughly 1000+ web sites.   If you only want the MLS, I can remove you from all of those websites.  It is an all or nothing proposition.  I have one button that I click.  Either I have the MLS send your listing every where possible or no where.  Please let me know your preference.
 
If I read between the lines, I think you are questioning my integrity.   In 2005 I closed well over $180 million in real estate using this program.  At this moment, I have 125 properties that are under contract and waiting to close.  I do not advertise and all of my business is either from referrals, repeat clients, or these online resources.  If I played games like trying to steal a buyer from you or trying to get a commission where one was not due nor expected, I would not get one referral.
 
Not too long ago sellers had 2 choices.  For Sale By Owner (Cheap but limited exposure) or For Sale with a Realtor (Expensive with tons of exposure).   Myself, and companies like mine, invented a plan that bridges the gap.  Sellers now have the best of both worlds.  Naturally, traditional Realtors don't really appreciate this program.   I personally have received threatening voice mails and emails.  It really puts me at a loss for words why the one person I am trying to help most is also the person that does not trust me. 
 
I do not know your address as you did not provide it. 
 
I hope this email clarifies things.
 
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I have no problem with you negotiating your own deals.  However, some Realtors will refuse to deal directly with you.  If you run into one of those, remember that I am here to help.  It is my pleasure and won't cost you anything else.  Today alone I negotiated 3 offers on behalf of my clients.
 
I have to keep my fax number down there as proof that I am complying with the new law.  I have already been tested twice and each time I won because of that fax number being on the bottom of the listing (and a few other things that I do).  The penalty for me not complying is a huge fine (the last one would have been $400K) and the loss of my license which would make 320 active clients, 31 agents, 2 kids, and 1 wife rather upset.  Thank you for your understanding on that matter.
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Tribune:  Yes, the Tribune only gives me a barebones listing.   There should be a picture of the front of the building on the detail page but not  on the summary page.  Yes, they stack their homes in a very illogical fashion based on how much money is spent on the ad.   I spend over $13,000 a year for the upgraded listing on Realtor.com.   Realtor.com is the number one searched consumer based real estate web site in the country so I think it is worth it for my clients.   ChicagoTribune.com wanted to charge me even more.   I can not absorb their fee and still offer this fantastic low cost listing program for my clients.   For what it is worth, Realtor.com has the same sorting feature for their web site.  Homes that have Showcased Listing Enhancements (such as yours) and those with pictures (such as yours) show up first.  The rest show up later in the results.   Curiously, I have had clients complain about that too.  
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 Yes, Realtor.com did an upgrade on some of my listings.  They did not tell me which listings were affected so I am glad you wrote.  I simply have to click a button on the MLS and that will resend the pictures and text to Realtor.com.     I just changed the MLS and now it will take a day or so for those pictures & text to reappear on Realtor.com.  The upgrade happened this past Friday at midnight.  For what it is worth, your listing never left Realtor.com it simply lost the "Showcased Listing Enhancement" so it was stacked at the end of the results with only one picture and a basic text.
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If you have the time or inclination, you may want to call anyone that came through your home this past weekend.  Let them know that you just had a substantial price drop.   It may not get you a sale but at the very least it is an excuse for you to call.  Also, the only way they can know which house just had the price drop is for you to describe yours.  So, you will get one more impression in their mind.
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Yes, Chris Wold is one of the 32 agents that work for me.
 
If I have Chris Wold as the primary listing agent on Realtor.com, my annual rate with them is $320.00.  If I have Quin O'Brien as the primary listing agent on Realtor.com, my annual rate is $13,450.00 per year.   In an effort to continue this fantastic flat fee listing program to my clients, I need to make sure I watch all costs extremely closely.    You will never have any interaction with Chris Wold.  I am your only contact point with this company.  He is your agent only in name.   You may have noticed that all of the contact numbers for Chris are actually mine.
 
If I receive a lead from any source I will pass that lead on to you and it will be as if they came to you directly.  Think of me as your secretary.   I work more hours than most people are awake so I won't be very far behind the message.  My goal is for you to sell and be happy and then  recommend  me to your friends or use me again.  If you can sell by owner, all the better.
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A Realtor called.   She is looking for the disclosures on your property.  Try to take care of this as soon as possible as it often is a sign that they intend to write an offer.  The disclosures that you need are:  Real Property Disclosure Report, Mold Disclosure, and Lead Based Paint Disclosure.  For each form:  Download it, Print it, Fill it in, Sign it, and then fax it to the other Realtor.  All of the forms can be found at this link:      http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp
 
The Realtor is:
 
J  at   Realty
Phone = 7
Fax = 7
 
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Here is a link for the entire act:
 
 
Here is the specific portion that you asked about.
 
 
 (225 ILCS 454/15‑75)
     (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2010)
     Sec. 15‑75. Exclusive brokerage agreements. All exclusive brokerage agreements must specify that the sponsoring broker, through one or more sponsored licensees, must provide, at a minimum, the following services:
         (1) accept delivery of and present to the client
    
offers and counteroffers to buy, sell, or lease the client's property or the property the client seeks to purchase or lease;
        (2) assist the client in developing, communicating,
    
negotiating, and presenting offers, counteroffers, and notices that relate to the offers and counteroffers until a lease or purchase agreement is signed and all contingencies are satisfied or waived; and
        (3) answer the client's questions relating to the boobdex 
    
offers, counteroffers, notices, and contingencies.
(Source: P.A. 93‑957, eff. 8‑19‑04.)
 
 
 
Here is a link that takes you to the page that contains the specific portion that you asked about.
 
 
 
...................................................................................................................................................................................
 
 
Jay Rizzo @ Rizzo Real Estate......Flat Fee Provider in Indiana.....219-864-9931.
 
 ....................................................................................................................................................................
 
Bill Johnson  (Old).  Now, Laura Lahage @ Options Plus Realty....  www.optionsplusrealty.com also  www.flatfeefsbo.com   She is based out of the South Florida area if I have a referral (Palm Beach, Broward, Fort Lauderdale, biertijd, and Miami-Dade counties).   Phone.....866.576.5329.....Fax....561.998.2486.
 
36 N. Third St.
Patterson, Ca.  95363
916-248-8877  (ext 103)
209-895-7026 FAX
 
...................................................................................................................................................................
First Name: Scott
Last Name : Pavlow
Email     : realtymatrix@gmail.com
Phone     :     715-360-1900
Best Time : Anytime
Comments  : Hi, I wasn't sure if you had an affiliate program for the
MLS.  We would be interested in helping you in the Northern Wisconsin
area. We cover Oneida, Vilas, Langlade, Lincoln, Forest, and Marathon
Counties.  Thanks in advance!
...................................................................................................................................................................
 
Flat fee provider in Arizona.   www.uniqueflatfeerealty.com 

 
 

Good Morning ,

I am the company (person) that will be putting your property into the MLS.  There are 2 forms that I will need from you before I can enter the listing.  All of them can be found at this link....  http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp .   The forms you need are:  Flat Fee Listing Agreement and  Info Sheet.    Once I receive those 2 forms back, I can have you live on the MLS usually the same day.

The flat fee listing agreement officially gives me permission to put your property on the MLS.  Also, it specifies the price you want to start at, the appliances that stay, and the commission that you want to offer to the other Realtor if and only of a Realtor brings the buyer.  The input sheet is entirely informational.  It allows me to better represent your property in the MLS.  I will call you shortly  to answer any questions.  Also, you are welcome to call me any time.  My number is 847.298.4663.

Eventually, you are welcome to send me up to 6 pictures.  One needs to be of the front (horizontal) and the other 5 can be whatever you wish.  They need to be in JPG format.  Don't worry about the size, I will re-size them to what I need.

Please hit reply so I know you received this email.
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Recently Illinois Governor Blagojevich signed a new law pertaining to real estate.  The bill was railroaded through the system without fanfare and now affects everyone reading this email.  It became effective immediately.

The new law applies to any person that has a listing agreement with a Realtor.  That even covers the Flat Fee Listing Agreement.  With the new law, your Realtor (me),  must provide at a minimum, three things and they all pertain to the negotiating of the deal with the buyers.  1) I must answer any and all questions you may have.  2) I must accept any offers or counter-offers pertaining to your property.  3) I must assist you in every way in negotiating a deal with your buyer.

To paraphrase, for each and every one of you, I am required to offer you my help to negotiate the sale of your house. 

This law was created by the big companies in an effort to make these flat fee deals too time consuming for small companies such as mine.  They claim it is in the better interest of the seller, and it may be.  But, really, the sellers are doing just fine and this is really an attempt to force all brokers into a more traditional full service type business model.  Personally, I think it borders on anti-trust violations and violates your right to free choice and my right to charge whatever I wish for my services.   The buyers agents are making the same commission.  They are upset that I feel that you should not have to pay a lot on the selling side.  In a free market society, market conditions should set the price for goods and services and not the government or its lobbyist.

In compliance with the new law, let me say right now that if you are reading this and have a listing with my company, you are welcome to use me to negotiate your deal. Period. 

So, if a Realtor asks you where do they present the offer, you can now say, fax it to my agent.  My fax number is (847) 986-3520.  As soon as I receive any offer, I will call you.

I did take counsel with an attorney and he said that it appears as if the intent of this law is aimed at stopping this flat fee program.  He also said that even though I am offering (providing) this service, the government can not force you to use the service.  So, you can refuse my offer, or you are welcome to use it.  It is your choice.

Some flat fee companies are already starting to charge extra to provide negotiating services to their flat fee clients.  This law may force some companies to charge more money and others to go out of business.  My company has done over 1000 of these flat fee deals in 2006.  I currently have 300 active listings and each of them will now have to be negotiated through me.  The time factor could start to add up.  And that is just this company.

If you choose to use me to negotiate your deal, I will not charge you anything for the service.  I feel that you did not create the law nor did you expect it when you signed up for the service so I do not feel right in charging extra for the service.  I will chalk it up to good customer service.  As always, If you like this program I hope you will spread the word of this program on my behalf.

For what it is worth, this bill started in the minds of the Illinois Association of Realtors and the heads of some large brokerage firms.   If you are interested, the following State Senators: Tony Munoz and Martin Sandoval  and the following State Representatives: "Skip" Saviano, Dan Reitz, Rich Bradley, Kurt Granberg, Michael McAuliffe, Steve Davis, Beth Coulson, Dan Burke, Eileen Lyons, and Patrick Vershoore sponsored this legislation.   If you like this law, thank them.  If you think they are forcing you to use a service that you don't want, let them know.

Please hit reply so I know you received this email.
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Good Afternoon Bob & Jayne,
 
Your property is now active on the MLS. Your MLS number is #06751944.   It will take a day or so to upload to any web site including Realtor.com.  When I see it there, I will add your extra text and pictures.  

I  have attached a copy of the MLS sheet to the bottom of this email.  Please review it and let me know if there is anything that you would like me to change.   

I have added  your listing to my site.  Here is a link for easy reference.
http://www.4salerealty.com/ad_details.asp?ID=3452

Please remember, it is very important that you let me know when you have a signed contract.  I need to know even if the buyer is not represented by a Realtor.

Thank you and best of luck,
Quin O'Brien
Broker/Owner
4 Sale Realty, Inc.
Phone   (847) 298-4663
Fax        (847) 986-3520
www.4SaleRealty.com

 

Also available: Realtors GE Supra Lockbox - Secure & traceable, only licensed Realtors can open, Logs ID of Electronic Key used - from $125 Rental fee. Allows showings while you are away. Stays on your home until a few days before the Closing.  Also, professional brochures for $70.00.  For more information, call Robert Sharpe (my agent) at 847.543.7822.
...................................................................................................................

I see that you are selling your home by owner.  I congratulate you on your efforts to sell by owner and save the expensive real estate commission.  I have created a program that compliments your efforts.  If you are interested, you can check out the details at this link.  http://www.4salerealty.com/fsbo.asp     If not, I still with you the best success in selling.  This will be the last email you receive from me.
........................................................................................................................

..

Commission:  The majority of my clients offer 2.5% and do quite fine without any complaints from Realtors.  The second most common number is 2%.  At 2% I see plenty of deals go through but I have also had Realtors complain to me that they can not work for 2%.  Personally, I think that is greedy and perhaps even unethical but they are not me.   Also, no one has complained to me about your listing.  3% is an anomaly.  Very few of my clients offer 3%.  Because of anti-trust laws I can only tell you about what my clients do.  However, that is a pretty large sampling as I closed around $480 million in the past 3 years.  For a half a percent, you probably don't want to jeopardize any deals.  It would be a shame if the Realtor that has your buyer is also one of the greedy ones.  Higher commission is not a guarantee of anything but sometimes it does make a difference.

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I mailed you a brochure with your welcome packet that showed some things that could be construed as discriminatory in nature even if it were not your intention.  There are some very obvious ones that I won't go into such as race, religion, color, sex, handicap, or national origin.  One that is not as obvious is familial status.  With that, you can not show favoritism depending on if they are married, have kids (or not), or their sexual preference.     The best way to stay out of hot water is to show the features of the house and let the potential buyer decide if they think the house and neighborhood are right for them.   

To a degree, this has gone almost to the extent of ludicrous in the other direction.  As Realtors, we can not even know the location of any local churches, we can't say "Family Friendly Neighborhood", or Perfect for families with kids.  It's nutty but serious at the same time.

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Attached to this email are 2 emails from the other Realtor.  One has the street address of the buyer.  You will need that to complete the last page of the contract.  I will explain shortly.  Nap = Naperville.

The second one is the updated and  initialed first page of the contract. 

I need you to print the new 1st page from this email and all of the other pages for the rest of the contract from last week.  In total, you should have 12 pages.  1 from today and 11 from last week.  Once printed, each of you need to do the following:

Line #34, Initial to lose the warranty.
Line #35, Initial for the new price

Initial the bottom of each page.

Line #405, Initial  to acknowledge that the buyers will be getting an FHA insured loan.

Then, starting at line #483, complete, sign, and date (today's date) the last page.  If possible, try to get this done before 5PM today as that will lock them in for today.  If it is after 5 then it counts as the next business day which is Monday.  That is important for the 2 clocks that run (inspection and attorney review).

For my information use:

4 Sale Realty, Inc.  24451
Quin O'Brien  256870
Phone  847.298.4663   Fax  847.986.3520
Quino@Quino.com

Fill in your lawyers information.
Fill in your homeowners association information.

Then, get a copy back to Gail Niermeyer.  Her fax is 708-723-5624.

And, get a copy to your lawyer.

Then, send me an email telling me that you did it.
.................................................................................

Great news on the potential offer.

While a rent with option to buy (or lease/purchase as it is sometimes called) is not the best option, it is better then not selling at all.  At least you will have some money coming in and there is a fair chance that you will have it sold a year down the road.  

Some people run into a bad break and then clean things up the next time around so they might be a decent risk.  However, some people keep on being a bad credit risk.

You will want a lawyer to get involved in the process.  This is actually two transactions in one.  It is a rental and it is a sale.  Both documents need to be tied together (thus the lawyer).  The rental document needs to indicate what will happen if they do not pay.  The sale document needs to say what price they will buy it and when.

As for the hold-back, there is no standard amount.  It is whatever you and the buyer agree to.

You will first treat this like a rental.  Run a credit check and use your own judgment.  If they don't pay, you will need to evict them just like a rental.  I do not know the site but there are online places where you can check their credit.  I would do a search for private landlord credit searches or something like that.

Since it is also a sale, yes, you can try to get a non-refundable earnest money deposit.  Also, usually, if they do not go through with the purchase then the extra money you have been holding becomes the damages (they forfeit it).

Normally, the Realtor will get something like 1/2 of 1 months rent for the rental and then there is an agreement that if the deal turns into a sale, he/she will get their commission for the sale when that deal closes.

Yes, once she signs that contract, you will be taking the home off the market.  That is part of why you want to get a non-refundable deposit.

I hope this helps.
....................................................................................
I am not sure of every site you are on.  However, through me, you are on about 1000 web sites (besides the MLS).   These two links will show you many of those sites.  Also, each site has their own secret upload schedule.  Some take a day, some take a week.  Lastly, some sites stack their information illogically or perhaps based on how much money was spent on the advertisement.

http://www.4salerealty.com/Realtorcom_locations.pdf
http://www.mredllc.com/mred_idx.asp

You may also consider placing a free ad at www.Postlets.com  They will distribute your ad to roughly a dozen more sites including Craigslist.com.  Exposure is exposure and the price is right.
...................................................................................
It was a pleasure talking with you this morning.  Thank you for taking the time to call my company in an effort to list your property.  As I mentioned on the phone, I will match the price of Prello at $295.00 for you.  Please mention that when you send in the paperwork.  If you need to mail the disc with the pictures to me, my address is on the paperwork.

The balance of this email is a generic email that I send to new clients.  It will walk you through the next steps to get started.

I am the company (person) that will be putting your property into the MLS.  There are 2 forms that I will need from you before I can enter the listing.  All of them can be found at this link....  http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp .   The forms you need are:  Flat Fee Listing Agreement and  Info Sheet.    Once I receive those 2 forms back, I can have you live on the MLS usually the same day.
The flat fee listing agreement officially gives me permission to put your property on the MLS.  Also, it specifies the price you want to start at, the appliances that stay, and the commission that you want to offer to the other Realtor if and only of a Realtor brings the buyer.  The input sheet is entirely informational.  It allows me to better represent your property in the MLS.  You are welcome to call me any time.  My number is 847.298.4663.
Eventually, you are welcome to send me up to 25 pictures.  One needs to be of the front (horizontal) and the rest can be whatever you wish.  They need to be in JPG format.  If you can have them sized 480x640 pixels, that would be best, if you can't, don't worry, I will re-size them to what I need.
Please hit reply so I know you received this email.
...................................................................................
You are on a little over 1000 web sites.  I could not begin to list them all here.  However, some of the bigger ones are:

www.RAAR.com
www.ChicagoTribune.com
www.Realtor.com
www.DailyHerald.com

Also, these two links will show you more places were your listing can be viewed.  The first one shows the different places that Realtor.com disseminates the listing.   The second one will take a little to describe.  Many companies, including my own, have a place on their web site that allows a consumer to search the MLS.  In order to have that on my site, I had to sign a piece of paper (as did the roughly 900 other companies that want the same service for their clients).  The second link shows all of the companies that have signed that paper and thus have your listing on their site either directly or indirectly. 

http://www.4salerealty.com/Realtorcom_locations.pdf
http://www.mredllc.com/mred_idx.asp

I hope this helps.
...................................................................................
 
Thank you for taking the time to write and for considering using my company again to help your new husband sell his property.  Here is a link that explains the program.   www.Just450.com .   Even with the rough real estate economy I am still moving real estate.  At this moment, I have roughly 40 properties that are under contract and waiting to close.  Hopefully yours will be next.

As for the rental:  I have two options for you.  The first is free.  I can add a line to the end of your description that says  "Also available for rent" or "Seller will consider lease/option".   The other option is that I can create a whole separate listing just for the rental.  You would then have two listings.  One for sale and one for rent.   I would be willing to do that at a discounted rate of $200.00.   If you are interested in the second option, I would need an email with the rental amount and the commission that you would be willing to offer to a Realtor that brought a renter.  Most of my clients offer 1/2 or 1 months rent.

The balance of this email is a generic email that I send to new clients.  It will walk you through the next steps to get started.

I am the company (person) that will be putting your property into the MLS.  There are 2 forms that I will need from you before I can enter the listing.  All of them can be found at this link....  http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp .   The forms you need are:  Flat Fee Listing Agreement and  Info Sheet.    Once I receive those 2 forms back, I can have you live on the MLS usually the same day.

The flat fee listing agreement officially gives me permission to put your property on the MLS.  Also, it specifies the price you want to start at, the appliances that stay, and the commission that you want to offer to the other Realtor if and only of a Realtor brings the buyer.  The input sheet is entirely informational.  It allows me to better represent your property in the MLS.  You are welcome to call me any time.  My number is 847.298.4663.

Eventually, you are welcome to send me up to 25 pictures.  One needs to be of the front (horizontal) and the rest can be whatever you wish.  They need to be in JPG format.  If you can have them sized 480x640 pixels, that would be best, if you can't, don't worry, I will re-size them to what I need.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While a rent with option to buy (or lease/purchase as it is sometimes called) is not the best option, it is better then not selling at all.  At least you will have some money coming in and there is a fair chance that you will have it sold a year down the road.  

Some people run into a bad break and then clean things up the next time around so they might be a decent risk.  However, some people keep on being a bad credit risk.

You will want a lawyer to get involved in the process.  This is actually two transactions in one.  It is a rental and it is a sale.  Both documents need to be tied together (thus the lawyer).  The rental document needs to indicate what will happen if they do not pay.  The sale document needs to say what price they will buy it and when.

As for the hold-back, there is no standard amount.  It is whatever you and the buyer agree to.

You will first treat this like a rental.  Run a credit check and use your own judgment.  If they don't pay, you will need to evict them just like a rental.  I do not know the site but there are online places where you can check their credit.  I would do a search for private landlord credit searches or something like that.

Since it is also a sale, yes, you can try to get a non-refundable earnest money deposit.  Also, usually, if they do not go through with the purchase then the extra money you have been holding becomes the damages (they forfeit it).

Normally, the Realtor will get something like 1/2 of 1 months rent for the rental and then there is an agreement that if the deal turns into a sale, he/she will get their commission for the sale when that deal closes.

Yes, once she signs that contract, you will be taking the home off the market.  That is part of why you want to get a non-refundable deposit.
....................................................................................

You will want to have an attorney draw up the papers.  As I mentioned, this
is actually two separate transactions that are tied together with one
document.  The rental part of the document needs to spell out the rent and
what happens if they default.  The sale document needs to spell out the
details of the sale such as price, when they will close, and penalty for not
closing.  Also, it has that added twist of you keeping some of the money
aside.

It is best to consider it a rental and then be pleasantly surprised when
they exercise the option to purchase part of the contract in a year.  What I
mean by that is that you will want to do due diligence to make sure that the
people will be good renters.  Check their credit etc.  It may not be perfect
credit as many people that go this route do so because they can not get a
loan at this time but at least it should be something that makes you feel
comfortable.

For now, and if you think that there is even a possibility, you will want to
contact this person just to get a showing out of them.  Then, if they like
it, you can move on to the second step of working out the rental/sale
document.
........................................................................................
I forgot to mention.....If you have not already done so, you will need to get the disclosures to the other agent.

The disclosures are:  Real Property Disclosure Report, Mold Disclosure, Radon Disclosure, and Lead Based Paint Disclosure.  All of them can be found at this link:  http://www.4salerealty.com/forms.asp

For each form:  Download it, print it, fill it in, sign it, and then fax it to the other Realtor. 

Also, since the property is in the City of Chicago, you will also need an "Energy Disclosure".  You will need to call your energy provider for this (com ed, ni gas, etc).  It is a requirement for closing and these companies can move slow so get on it as soon as possible.

Besides the disclosures, you can expect the buyers agent to make an appointment for the inspection.  That should happen within the 1st week and can take 1-3 hours.  Also, you will need to get a copy of the contract to your lawyer.  Lastly, you can expect to have an appraiser call to schedule an appraisal.  That process will only take about 15 minutes but is extremely important.
........................................................................................
You are on a little over 1000 web sites.  I could not begin to list them all here.  However, some of the bigger ones are:

www.RAAR.com
www.ChicagoTribune.com
www.Realtor.com
www.DailyHerald.com

Also, these two links will show you more places were your listing can be viewed.  The first one shows the different places that Realtor.com disseminates the listing.   The second one will take a little to describe.  Many companies, including my own, have a place on their web site that allows a consumer to search the MLS.  In order to have that on my site, I had to sign a piece of paper (as did the roughly 900 other companies that want the same service for their clients).  The second link shows all of the companies that have signed that paper and thus have your listing on their site either directly or indirectly. 

http://www.4salerealty.com/Realtorcom_locations.pdf
http://www.mredllc.com/mred_idx.asp
.....................................................................................
I am not sure of every site you are on.  However, through me, you are on about 1000 web sites (besides the MLS).   These two links will show you many of those sites.  Also, each site has their own secret upload schedule.  Some take a day, some take a week.  Lastly, some sites stack their information illogically or perhaps based on how much money was spent on the advertisement.

http://www.4salerealty.com/Realtorcom_locations.pdf
http://www.mredllc.com/mred_idx.asp

You may also consider placing a free ad at www.Postlets.com  They will distribute your ad to roughly a dozen more sites including Craigslist.com.  Exposure is exposure and the price is right.
.......................................................................................

 

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