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Health & Fitness

FSBO WHO ARE YOU LETTING IN YOUR HOME???

 

By: Edward Monti

FSBO is the industry term for “For Sale By Owner”.  I recently told an acquaintance of mine that I am now a licensed real estate sales person.  I have some excellent ideas on 21st Century marketing which will distinguish me from the pack.   He gave me a Cheshire Cat smile and informed me that he instructs people on how to sell their homes without a broker.  Apparently some folks regard real estate sales people as no better than used car salesmen.  I asked him for the web site which he provided me and then qualified his condescending remarks about FSBOs (pronounced FIZBOWS) by saying “yeah, but it is a pain in the “butt” to do it on your own.

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NO KIDDING!  I tried it when I was selling my home in Brooklyn 14 years ago.  It was stressful and in retrospect very dangerous.  You have no idea who will be ringing your bell.  No pre-qualifications and no chaperone (the sales agent) accompanying the potential buyer to the home.  You have no idea if Charles Manson is paying you a visit.  All an FSBO thinks about is saving that commission fee.  After all what in the world is the agent doing to earn that commission anyway?  Well, let me tell you what I will do:

I provide a Competitive Market Analysis which helps the seller decide on a price to give them an idea what similar priced homes are selling for;

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I will preview the home and provide upon request a staging analysis and in certain cases help with ‘Curb Appeal;

I Market your home using my own personal resources (financial, professional connections, sphere of influence, advertisements, etc…) – I have skin in the game also and it is my fiduciary obligation to represent my seller in the best way possible protecting their interests FIRST;

I will pre-qualify all potential buyers.  I will make sure that anyone I bring to your home has the capability of being a ready, willing and able buyer.  I know who they are and where they live so to speak;

I will facilitate getting the offer processed once an offer is made and draw up the contract;

I will be a problem solver and intervene on behalf of the seller to resolve any issues that might arise in the best interest of the seller;

I will arrange to get or assist the seller to obtain proper township approvals (e.g. a Certificate of Occupancy) and arrange to have utilities suspended among other check list items;

I will recommend various professionals (attorneys, title companies, lenders) and help the sellers with re-location in or out of state; and

Assist with the facilitation of the closing.

These are just a few things sales professionals do among many other things.  As professionals we are obligated to make sure we represent YOUR best interest!  We have taken the required courses, received our certificates and are licensed with the State of New Jersey.  Every two years we are obligated to take a continuing education course consisting of at least 12 hours of study.  Many of us take other certification courses all at our own expense to provide the public with the best service available.  We are committed to getting you the highest fair market price for your home.  We are aware of the strong personal attachments people have to their homes and I am sensitive to the stress that selling and/or buying a home can cause.  I have been there a few times myself.  My goal is to make this experience a pleasant, happy one.  While anyone can list and sell their homes and many do and in most cases it is a safe experience based on my experiences I would NEVER do it myself again (even now that I am a licensed professional).  The cast of characters I allowed to enter my home without knowing who they were or if they were qualified or even if they were really potential buyers makes me shutter now.

Unfortunately, at the time we were trying to sell our first home FSBO we were unaware of identity theft.  We let a group in to preview the house and while we were distracted they stole personal information from my wife and stole her identity.  They used her personal information allowing them to make illegal charges at stores and even attempted to take out a loan from a bank in her name.  They were successful in making charges at jewelry stores in Boston but we were able to stop them cold.  Now my wife has a block on all her accounts, we filed police reports, at the time we even put locks on our mail-box.  It was difficult for her to apply for various forms of financing even buying a car because of all the blocks on her identity.  Not to mention all the paranoia! We suffered all this aggravation because I was trying to save a few bucks on the back end by not using a trusted professional.  FSBO should really stand for Forsake Safety By Owner.

I would love to earn your business.  If you are interested in selling your home, buying a home or leasing a home in New Jersey please email me at emonti@outlook.com.  I promise you white glove treatment and a pleasant experience.  No pressure presentations and a free Competitive Market Analysis.

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