Selling Real Estate by Owner

Flat Fee Real Estate in Buffalo, NY !

2008-08-20T00:13:00.003-04:00

Hee Haaaaw ! List2Move® has expanded... offering flat fee MLS, and discount listings in Buffalo, NY and Niagara Falls. Buffalonians can now access the MLS and save on Realtor commissions in Buffalo !!!!

Could this be the 8 th wonder of the world?????

Sellingbyowner101.com

2008-03-19T09:45:00.003-04:00

Finally a site for owners that gives them the real estate tricks of the trade. The real estate inside scope by an insider.

Need Lead Paint info? www.sellingbyowner101.com has it.
Need Negotiation advise... www.sellingbyowner101.com has it.
Need help prequalifying buyers? www.sellingbyowner101.com has it
Rochester NY Sales Statistics? www.sellingbyowner101.com has it.
Questions? ask www.sellingbyowner101.com , because you will only be helping others.

Get the word out!

Fairport Village, NY Current Statistics

2008-02-21T10:03:00.004-05:00

The List2Move.com Fairport Village update..

2/21/2008

Status there are currently
Active ... 16 Properties (Avg Price $201,168. with avg days on market 63)
Pending...7 Properties (avg Price at $167,414. with avg days on market 47 )
Sold (this year) 6 Properties (avg list Price $163,733 ; avg Sold Price $158,216 ; avg 26 days)

Extending your Listing

2008-02-21T09:37:00.002-05:00

Instructions for extending your listing...

Please Log in to your Main Menu and go to Order Products and Services link.

Scroll down until you see ...

Listing Extension
Is your listing about to expire? Extend it by ordering here. None
30 Day $99
60 Day $150
90 Day $200

***Instructions***

Go to your Main Menu
Order Products and Services
Under Services find Listing Extention
Place the Order
Return to Main Menu
View/Print Legal Forms
Property Change Form

Just Sign the Bottom and Fax to us the Signed Form 585-377-7572. We will add the timeframe to your current listing.

Thanks and please feel free to call if you have any questions.

Fairport Dollars for Scholars

2008-02-16T01:37:00.008-05:00

List2Move.com is using its advertising space to encourage businesses to donate scholarship moneys to Fairport Dollars for Scholars. Currently we have a Christopher Lee Garman Scholarship opportunity, as well as a David Bast Scholarship. If you would like to make a donation, to either scholarship, or would like to propose a new one, please call us at 585-377-5863.

Fairport-Perinton Dollars for Scholars, a local chapter of the Scholarship America, was established in 1989 by a group of volunteers interested in providing financial support to community young people pursuing higher education.

The program is not-for-profit, tax-exempt, and publicly supported.Fairport-Perinton Dollars for Scholars (DFS) is administered by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of community leaders, school personnel, parents, and students.

All monies raised by the local chapter are awarded to deserving students who reside within the Fairport Central School District regardless of which school they attend. A scholarship committee selects the recipients each year based on an application process which is not need-based.

Our Pricing

2008-02-11T00:31:00.000-05:00

If you go to our Click right here it will take you to our Tutorial Page you will be able to see more clearly.....

6.Choose Listing Options
This is the last phase of your listing process. You are now getting ready to check out. List2Move.com lets you customize your campaign to your situation. Simply choose what you need. You will be asked a series of questions listed below to assist you in marketing your property.

Testimonial

2008-01-14T18:28:00.000-05:00

338 Fiesta Road
Greece, NY

Closed 12/7/07

Jack and Mary Ann Wade
January 14, 2008

When it came time for us to sell our home we felt very inexperienced and ill-equipped, since it had been 25 years since the last time we moved. After interviewing a couple real estate agents who wanted the standard 6% commission, it made sense to further explore our options. We did some research on the internet and decided to choose list2move. We liked the concept of paying a small set fee for the MLS. We could offer what we wanted to agents who brought us buyers. We ultimately sold our home for full asking price, and saved approximately $4000 in commission. We would definitely use list2move again and highly recommend it to anyone selling a home. We got advice and guidance when we needed it, so although we were in complete control of the process, we never felt that we were on our own.

A few things we learned along the way:

1. Price your home right. Check out zillow.com, other websites, and the real estate section of the paper, to see what homes in your neighborhood have sold for. Also, check out the asking price of other homes for sale in your neighborhood. Be realistic, objective and competitive in your pricing. It will save you money in the long run.

2. Stage your home. Remove clutter, and all signs that you have a pet. Light candles in the fireplace if it’s summer. Play soft music. Bake some cookies or an apple pie during your open house. Every part of your home, especially bathrooms and the kitchen should be immaculate.

3. Hold open houses, but don’t spend too much on ads in the paper. We kept an Open House sign in sheet, asking for names, address, phone number and where they heard about us. Over 75% said they were just driving by and hadn’t even known there was an ad. We put open house signs on the corners of most intersections within a mile of our home. In our experience, signs bring more people in than ads.

4. Other open house tips . . . Relax and let people tour your home without you trying to sell it too hard. Be confident that it will sell, and don’t ever appear desperate, even if you are. Do point out advantages and things you love about your home. This is where no agent can do a better job than you. “We love this enclosed porch, and eat out here almost every night in the summer. . . This fenced yard has been a wonderful safe place for our children to play. . . .I’m going to miss my kitchen because it has this large pantry and my herb garden window.” A few well placed comments like this may get even casual lookers more interested. Also mention the convenient location of the neighborhood, how you like the school district, and the friendly neighbors, if applicable. As mentioned before, ask people to sign in. The next day, call everyone on the sheet to follow up and ask if they have any questions. Be brief. You will find that some give you disconnected phone numbers but it may bring someone back for a second look and subsequent offer.

List2Move Sign

2007-12-22T06:12:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of our new Sign displayed at one of our listings.

Early October, 2007 we held a contest on Craig's list to design our new look. With over 200 entries from all over the country this was the winner.

It is bright, professional, colorful, and very visible from the street. It certainly is an attention getter.

Congratulations go out to John Hawk of Fairport as the Winner of the List2Move.com Logo Contest

(With over 200 entries from all over the country, we would like to thank everyone who submitted designs!)

A sign like this is included with all of our listings, and they are professionally installed.

List2Move.com

Democrat and Chronicle Advertising

2007-12-22T06:01:00.000-05:00

If you are advertising in the Democrat and Chronicle for Open Houses, do it efficiently.

Tips,

Include your Address (helps buyers pre-qualify themselves)

Include your Phone Number (encourages them to call with questions)

Include your Price (helps buyers pre-qualify themselves, you don't want to talk with tire kickers)

Include your MLS number (discourages agents from soliciting you)

Photo ads (Best Buys) are expensive, we don't recommend you paying the extra dollars, instead include a URL (web site address like https://www.list2move.com/Search/MoreInfo.asp?PropId=1825) in your ad.

If you have any more suggestions please feel free to contact us at admin@list2move.com

List2Move.com

Furnace Flagged during Engineer Inspecion ?

2007-12-19T18:50:00.000-05:00

If a buyer's engineer has flagged your furnace or A/C, do your self a favor and call Frank Vitello at Crossfield's for a second look.

These people are long term thinkers and completely professional; we have been in the real estate business for almost 20 years and have worked with nearly all the HVAC contractors on our rental properties locally.

We use Crossfield's for our home and rental properties, and have been so impressed with their professionalism...we just wanted to pass this on.

We highly recommend Crossfield Heating and Air Conditioning for any and all HVAC work, and Frank if you read this thanks again for your professionalism yesterday! We wish you all a Happy Holiday and keep up the good work.

Frank Vitello
Crossfield Heating and Air Conditioning
44 Donovan Park
Webster, NY 14580
Phone (585) 872-4420
Fax (585) 872-6479
Cell (585) 545-8680
Email fvitello@crossfieldheating.com

Disclaimer: We didn't get anything free for this post, we are paying customers.

List2Move.com

New Policy on use of "MLS" word

2007-11-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

November, 16 2007

National Association of Realtors approved a provision that allows local MLS Associations to ban members' use of the terms "MLS" and "Multiple Listing Service" in Web site addresses, company names, e-mail addresses and in other marketing materials.

Inman news reported today that...

Jeff Barnett, vice chairman of the MLS Forum, said the new provision will not be without controversy. "We anticipate there to be some problems. This is
voluntary to your local boards -- this is not ... mandatory."

The stated rationale for the new provision, according to information presented to NAR directors, is to make it clear to consumers "that they do not receive full, direct and complete access to all information in MLS databases via participant or subscriber Web sites."

Why would the National Association of Realtors place restrictions on the word "MLS or Multiple Listing Service?"

The answer is simple, if you had a 90 Billion Dollar industry with one major competitive advantage you would want to protect it as well. With about 2.5 million dues paying "members" the loss of control could mean less paying members.
The problem is that it is also a generic term that describes what it is... and many brokers have been using the term in their web site addresses, company names, e-mail addresses and in other marketing materials for years and years...
The MLS is a private database, accessible to members only (licensed members) that makes an offer of compensation in return for co-operation. It is not accessible to the public.
Homesteadnet.com and Realtor.com and all the sites they export to are public versions of the MLS. What you don't see are the offers of compensation toother brokers, private remarks to other members, days on market, withdrawn properties, expired properties, and sold properties

If you have any questions on this please give us a call.

http://www.list2move.com/

585-377-5000

Testimonial

2007-11-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

Closed 11/2/2007

49 Hitree Ln
Chili, NY 14624

Everyone who came to my open houses had found my sale by themselves simply by searching the internet. I sold my house without realtors within a reasonable time by using list2move.com. I got the price I wanted and I was able to save myself, and the buyer, a substantial amount of money. The website was easy to use, and the services provided were second to none. I would encourage anyone thinking about selling a house to try selling it themselves first. The days of the 6% commission are over!

Instructions to Withdraw and or Relist for new MLS number

2007-11-03T12:19:00.000-04:00

To pull your listing....

Go Sign into your main menu and go to the "View/Print Legal Forms" Link and Print out the Property Change Form (You can also print it from the link to the left)

Fill in your address, MLS number and under "New Status" check the "Withdrawn" box, Sign the form and fax it over to us at 585-377-7572. We will sign the form and fax it into the Association and they will process it. Keep in mind if done on a weekend, it will be removed from the MLS on Monday, however, you can start building your listing in the meantime.

Re listing Process

To re-list you can get started by going to List Another Property in your Main Menu and start building your new listing, and just continue with the process. Before you check out, contact us for a discount code. (there will be a $99. "processing fee" and your time frame for the new listing will be be the number of days you had left on your original listing.)

Broker's comment: The association doesn't like to do this unless there is a "price reduction"

Testimonial

2007-11-01T21:39:00.000-04:00

Closing date was October 16th (2007)

"Selling Price ... $166,000 (w/o any realtor fees)

List2Move(FlatFeeRochester.com) was a great alternative to listing with a realtor. We had a much more vested interest in selling our home and felt that all we needed was to be listed in the MLS system and we could handle the rest of the transaction. Had we signed a contract with an agent at 6% our commission would have been $10,000... it sure is nice knowing that we have that money to put toward our new home purchase! List2Move/Flat Fee Rochester was much easier to work with than our previous experience with a commissioned real estate company."

Ron and Kathy B.
7 Maple Center Rd
Greece, NY

Test Results of E-Appraisal

2007-10-27T10:56:00.000-04:00

On 9/13/2007, as we were still adding features to our new site, at http://www.list2move.com/ we had a unique opportunity. One of our listings reported to us that they had closed about two weeks earlier. 355 Parrish Rd in Honeoye Falls, NY closed on Tuesday 8/21/2007.

We used this property, because we knew that the "public" information was not yet available. It was a good property to test. We ordered Option A (now it would be Option B) for $29.95, the "Complete Property Valuation." The report was almost perfect. It stated that the Estimated Market Value was $229,000.

This is an excerpt directly from the owners in an email to us about their closing...

"We closed on 355 Parrish Rd last Tuesday 8/21/2007. Selling price was $232,000.00"

When put to the calculator, the Estimated Market Value from the report was off by a mere 1.29%. Very impressive.

When we verified the previous sale it also was exactly what they had reported. Just to give you an idea, this report gave us the prior sales info, property characteristics, zoning, tax assessment a map of the comps with the subject property, price per square feet of the comps averaged out, assessed values to sales price of the comps, graphs, and property details of the comps, as well as demographics, school info, businesses, local business info, local houses of worship, and local theaters. We were definitely impressed.

To get one now Click Here

Commission Strategies

2007-10-26T18:57:00.000-04:00

The best thing about "Broker Assisted MLS" (next to the commission free listing!) is naming your own buyer's agency commission! Lots of stategies are popping up and our clients are considering all of their options!

We are seeing a real shift in the way buyers are finding properties. Once reliant on agents, buyers are now utilizing the internet and doing the leg work themselves. Over 80% of buyers are finding their homes on the internet! That is great news for sellers! Buyers are contacting owners directly or calling in agents after they have narrowed the search. This makes commisssions more negotiable than ever!
Listed below are some of the strategies we have seen our clients use over the past two years.

THE ONE DOLLAR COMMISSION (ODC). The most talked about strategy on both sides of the equation! Sellers love it and agents hate it! (We know because they call us first to see if there was a....."mistake".) This strategy has been utilized successfully several times.
Most notable was a gentleman in Greece who hated real estate agents, and swore that he wouldn't even offer them "gas money." He was the first ever to use this strategy, but he priced his home right (according to market conditions) and sold within two weeks. This strategy works well for people who are very matter of fact about the business of selling their home. It is the combination of the right price for the market, a desirable area, and a house in selling condition. Buyers want what they want - and if the product is in demand - why pay out a commission to sell what sells on its own merits? Sellers hoping to find a buyer without an agent utilize this strategy and sellers hoping to negotiate commission do too. Remember, at one dollar - there is a lot of room for play!

THE FLAT FEE. The Flat Fee has worked well. Higher-end homeowners wonder (and justifiably) why they pay out so much more in commissions to buyer's agents for the same amount of work as do homeowners of more modestly priced homes. We watched one homeowner of a higher-end home in Brighton offer a commission of 1% to buyer's agents and when an agent brought him a qualified buyer... he was much more inclined to negotiate the agent's fee. He upped the commission to a flat fee (still much less than the typical 3%) and both parties closed for a successful deal. The qualifer here is qualified buyer. Our clients sometimes get grief from buyer's agents regarding showing their homes but baloney! Any agent worth his salt with a qualified buyer is going to call a seller and negotiate! 3% is not written in stone anymore. It never should have been.

THE THREE PERCENT COMMISSION. This is the traditional commission. Many sellers are happy enough to save 3% on the selling side. Some don't feel up to the pressures exerted by agents and some just don't want the hassels. The biggest factor may be the desirablity and location of the home itself. Some sellers acknowledge that they want all the help they can get. Remember - if you have time - start low and work your way up. Sellers with our service can offer a pecentage of 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5% on up to the traditional 3%. You can change the commission offered at anytime - just log on and go!

Competition? Who is the Best Deal in Town?

2007-10-24T15:55:00.000-04:00

Smell a little fishy?

Since America's Choice® cannot legally offer you access to the Realtor® MLS (because they are not a LISCENSED BROKERAGE!) they started a brokerage company called 2.5% Direct.

So how does it work?

Well, for those who don't quite get the concept of the Realtor MLS, America's Choice, will for $900.00, give sellers a sign and brochures and space on a marketing website that buyers don't access or even know about! (Most recently they are promoting their services for $400) (set up fee with NO REALTOR MLS!) and sellers can then pay an extra $95 each month to remain on their websitesite.) If, suprisingly enough, sellers realize that they are under exposed, America's Choice will upsell to their new program ... 2.5% Direct. This is where it gets interesting.

After spending time languishing on a marketing website and discovering that the Realtor MLS ... IS ... important, America's Choice saves the day by flipping you to the new program. Great - now sellers have spent anywhere between $400.00 to $1000.00 and for what? To sign up with a broker who will now list their home on the Realtor MLS (where it should have been all along!) for 2.5% of the selling gross! That is a 1/2 percant of savings! Sellers can offer buyer's agents 2% but the selling agent, 2.5% Direct, gets 2.5%! Why list your home for more than you are willing to pay a buyer's agent when the buyer's agent is the one bringing in the buyer?! And why pay 2.5% when there are a handful of companies who will list your home for a fraction of that price?!

Why would America's Choice try to flip their clients to 2.5% Direct?

They are owned by the same company! Hmmmmmm ....

Do the math.

A $150.000 home under the 2.5% Direct plan equals $3750.00 to list.
Add 2% or $3,000.00 for buyer's agency.
Add say, 3 months that the home sat on the market without MLS with America's Choice for an additional $685.00.
Total list = $7435.00. (Total 6% = $9000.00. ) Savings = $1565.00! Not much to write home about!
A better Solution!
List2Move.com Listing: (with Realtor MLS, brochures, professional sign and install and free licensed broker support) $399.00

Add 2.% buyer's agency or $3000.00.
Total list = $3,399.00. (Total 6% = $9000.00.) Total savings = $5601.00. Wow! And that is at 2% buyer's agency. Our service allows sellers to offer any commisson that they want! 48% of our sellers in 2006 sold without any commission at all!! Total savings = $8601.00!! Now that is something to write home about! Don't be fooled! Do the math!

Other Discount Brokers

Other discount Brokers in our area are not automated, which means that they have higher overhead (that sellers pay for). List2Move.com is technology driven, meaning that sellers can list online, order services and change anything from price to status at the click of a button. Even better, sellers can electronically sign paperwork - no more faxing paperwork and documents! Your listing and everything about it is at your convenience and within your time frames! We are on the cutting edge and sellers can be too!

Also - keep in mind that when a Discount Broker sells your house for less commission -

Your buyers become as precious to him as they are to YOU! Discount brokers must make up the difference somewhere and capturing your buyer is the easiest way!

We see that as a conflict of interest but they get away with it because sellers don't know the game! Don't fall prey - ask if your Broker practices Buyer Pass Thru™! We invented it because we don’t want our sellers' buyers! We only work with sellers! We never compete with our clients for buyers - ever!

No games. No conflicts of interest. No profits at your expense. That is our promise to you!

( Remember: At List2Move.com we allow our sellers to offer any commission they deem appropriate to buyer's agents. 37% of our clients so far this past year sold their homes without any commissions at all!!! (That is a total grand savings of 6% minus $399!!)

It is your money - your selling strategy! We never dictate to our sellers how much in commissions that they should pay an agent!

Why the Name Change?

2007-10-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

Expansion.

Flat Fee Rochester was just the beginning of a revolution here in Rochester, NY! Many obstacles involved in starting a new company (muchless a new concept!) are now behind us and we are ready to open up in more markets. We didn't think that Flat Fee Rochester would go over well in Buffalo!
We have totally redesigned our site at http://www.list2move.com/ to ...

allow clients to input their listing data, photos etc., before paying... (we thought that would take some of the uncertainty out of the equation.)

added a tutorial to show clients the way.

added pop-ups to give clients instant answers for questions that they may have for each section

We enhanced our View our Listings Page to enable buyers to

contact sellers directly through the site

email sellers listing to others

map client property

print brochures

calculate payments

get pre qualified

purchase a value report on seller property (Through a third party, which we tested first!)

If you have more suggestions we would love to hear from you! We are always working to make our site more user friendly!

Testimonial

2007-09-13T21:25:00.000-04:00

Sold 8/30/07

"The sales price was $108,500 which is pretty high per square foot! Using flat fee was the perfect solution for me. My house was online immediately, I received numerous calls right away, and everything was user-friendly. This was my first time ever selling a house and your service made it easier than I imagined."

Thanks, Vince

845 Whalen Road
Penfield,NY 14526

Testimonial

2007-09-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

160 Parce Ave, Fairport, NY
Closed 8/31/2007

We were so pleased with this service the first time, that we are using them again to sell our 2nd home! List 2 move made it so easy for us from start to finish. They always returned our phone calls right away when we had any questions and we were able to choose as much or as little assistance with the selling process that we needed. The legal forms they provided us were so helpful in the stage of looking at an offer, accepting or countering an offer. We greatly appreciated the advice throughout the whole process as well. We sold our house in 1 month and hopefully we'll have the same easy experience this time around.

Michael & Kari Tuchrello

Testimonial

2007-07-13T21:58:00.000-04:00

Closed 6/27/2007

"We researched ways to get our house on the MLS and chose to go with Flat Fee Rochester (List2Move.com). The representative was extremely helpful and not pushy. We used just the MLS service. We liked the fact that you could pick and choose the services you wanted. We were sure we could do this on our own, yet knew we needed the exposure of the MLS. We found some realtors more willing to work with us than others (translate: they wanted their full 3% commission). We offered a flat fee of $2000 to a realtor who brought us a buyer. In the end, we sold to someone who did not use a realtor at all and we saved $7800 in commission fees. We have already recommended Flat Fee Rochester (List2Move.com) to others."

L. Missel

Testimonial

2007-06-13T23:53:00.000-04:00

Sold 5/14/2007

Three years ago, I bought my first home. I won't get into the details, but I felt the realtor was paid a healthy commission for deceiving me. So, when it came time for me to sell my house, I was very reluctant to trust a realtor a second time. By chance, it turned out that a neighbor was selling their home through http://www.flatfeerochester.com/.

(now http://www.list2move.com/)

I looked up the website and after spending 10 minutes looking over the details; I decided this was the way to go. I took a deep breath and proceeded.

I was soon rewarded for my faith in the process. In five months and amidst the slow season (January); my house sold. I can't say enough good things about the folks at FlatFee Rochester.
This company can be trusted. They offer an easy, turnkey solution, that saves you time and money! I'd use them again - in a heartbeat!

Sincerely,

Barbara J. Larabee

29 Gale Terrace

Rochester, NY 14610

WHEN SHOULD A PROPERTY BE MOVED TO "PENDING" STATUS?

2007-05-28T14:52:00.000-04:00

The MLS Rule states: "A listing shall be reported as "Pending" within twenty-four (24) hours of the acceptance of a purchase offer and release of all conditions and contingencies (except for mortgage and transfer of title). If an offer has been accepted and the owner requests no additional showings, the listing must be reclassified as "Pending". Pendings are to be transferred to "SOLD" status immediately after closing or reinstated promptly if the transaction fails. This means that if all contingencies have been met, and you are just waiting for the mortgage commitment and transfer of title, that you should change the property status to "pending."

Accessibility, Do you have it?

2007-05-19T08:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I received a call from an agent who wanted to show one of our seller's homes... she told me that she had left two messages for the owner and wanted to get into the property at 3pm. It was 1pm when she called me. I asked her when she left her messages and she replied both messages were left "today". The moral of the story?

You can lower your price all day and bring more buyers to your door, but if they can't get in the door, you won't get the sale.

You must realize that Buyer's Agents are people who work on behalf of the buyer. They try to give ample notice to show your home...but if the buyer says, "lets see it today" then it leaves the agent scrambling. The agent will try to contact you, so consider using a phone or pager that you can carry around with you. It could make or break a potential deal!

You must be prepared for short notice, if you want to sell your home. This means getting or renting a lockbox and putting it where you can direct an agent to find it. You can also, advertise that you have a lockbox on your listing, which only let agents know the house is accessible, not the public.

Accessibility Sells Houses! We can't stress it enough! Electronic Lockboxes rent for $45. (Only agents have the key!) Don't sell yourself short - if you can't be home 24/7 consider this Realtor tool. Here is the link...

https://www.flatfeerochester.com/HTML/rentservices.asp

Property Condition Disclosure

2007-05-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

We would like to acknowledge and thank John Blyth, Esq. for his expertise on this subject.

Many real estate agents will tell you that the Property Condition Disclosure is "required" and you have to fill it out. This is not true. You have options...Please read John's remarks below...

The New York Property Condition Disclosure Act (the "PCDA") affecting the sale and puchase of residential property in New York is found in Real Property Law, Sections 460 through 467. It became effective on March 1, 2002.

The PCDA requires the seller to deliver to the residential buyer a 48 question Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS) and provides for actual damages for willful failure to provide truthful answers based on actual knowledge OR a credit of $500.00 at Closing for failure to deliver the PCDS. The provision regarding the $500.00 credit is found in Section 465 of the Act.

Upstate, where the broker usually fills in the blanks in a bar association contract, a PCDS is routinely being delivered. Downstate, where attorneys prepare the contracts and transactions often involve larger prices, the seller often opts to give the $500.00 credit instead of delivering the PCDS.

There is a body of case law developing in New York where sellers have been found liable for willful failure to provide truthful answers based on actual knowledge. Rather than face this potential liability, some sellers have preferred to give the $500.00 credit. The buyer should be encouraged to make its own due diligence investigation by responsible professionals (engineers, etc.) responsible to the buyer.

See Karl B. Holtschue, Responses of the Legislature and the Bar Associations to Court Decisions on Sales of Residences, NYSBA N. Y. Real Property Law Journal, Spring 2005, Vol. 33, No. 2.

John E. Blyth, Esq.
141 Sully's Trail,
Suite 12
Pittsford, NY 14534
Tel: 585-586-0590
Fax: 585-586-2297

No Activity? No Offers?

2007-05-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

The subject of little to no activity after listing is a touchy one for many homeowners. People in general are very emotional about their homes. They have worked hard in many cases to make a nice home for themselves and their families and most people have a lot of good memories regarding their homes. When expectations regarding price are less than expected - emotions invariably come into play.

Bottom line is this - the market speaks and in most cases, quite indifferently. It does not care that the old outdated kitchen was the seller's handiwork in the 70's.
The market is what the market is. A home that is receiving little to no activity in the first 30 days is telling sellers something. Location and condition of the home should be reflected in the price of the home. If it is not - it will sit. This is where a lot of listing agents get hung up. Anyone in the business knows that there are agents who for the sake of the listing inflate the value of the home in question in order to appeases homeowners and secure the listing. It works for the short run - because when the market speaks the truth - the agent is forced to broach the subject of lowering the price. The call that no agent wants to make!

The best advice that we can give is do your due diligence! Check out resources regarding the value of your home and even invest in a CMA if you can. If you have time - start out a little higher and work your way down, but be reasonable. Our best success stories our sellers who understand the market and who are able to put emotions aside and make it happen.

The market is a relection of timing, interest rates, location, condition and exposure. Price must coincide with current market conditions! In real estate school they always say a properly priced property is 80% Sold...

Advertising-Open House Flags

2007-05-07T23:47:00.000-04:00

Homesteadnet.com is the powerhouse of real estate listings in the Rochester NY area. It gives buyers the ability to search for Open House flags, in the areas in which they are interested and print them out, creating in effect, an "Open House hit list" for the weekend.

COOL STUFF! The jury is still out but once buyers are educated regarding this feature, it could create a shift away from the D&C Saturday Real Estate Section. It is a whole lot less expensive, not to mention a lot more efficient as well. That could put a major hurten on D&C advertising revenue. Time will tell...

Advertising Print Media

2007-05-06T23:26:00.000-04:00

There is no question that exposure is important, however, realty companies today are moving away from print media. It is expensive and inefficient. Print media, locally has come down in price with the advent of the internet. Print media that was worth its keep around here was the D&C. However, the D&C was not in all circumstanses, consumer friendly. Years ago, it made "For Sale by Owners" pay handsomely for the spot most sought after which was the Saturday Real Estate section. "For Sale by Owners" has to pay for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There was no Saturday only option available. Today there is...but if "For sale by Owners" want to do a picture ad, they still must take out a three line add as well.

Tips for D&C Advertising

1. When using the D&C consider skipping the picture ads. They are inefficient and sellers are on all the websites with the MLS.

2. We recommend using the D&C for advertising Open Houses only. Don't fall victim to being up sold on Picture Ads- it is a waste of money.

3. Use only the 3 line Open House Ad. It is about $40 dollars. (These are still effective)

4. Make sure you include your address, MLS number , and phone number. By including your MLS number, it will keep those hungry agents back at bay.

Working with Realtors

2007-05-05T13:35:00.000-04:00

Lets face it, if your selling your home or property your going to run into Realtors. These people are working with buyers and will have to accommodate their boss, which is the buyer, on the buyers time frame. They are going to want access to your property, and a way to communicate with you.

Seems elementary, but we have had situations where sellers have property on the market only to have agents with buyers unable to access the home. It is extremely frustrating for the agent, and in some cases may have cost a sale.

One situation entailed, an agent sitting in the driveway of a particular listing one Sunday morning. The seller lived out of state, and the agent, unable to communicate with the seller, literally drove off with the buyer. This particular property will have trouble selling if buyer's agents can't show it or communicate with the owner. Try to stay close to the phone! Buyers want what buyers want and when they find it, they usually want it yesterday! Another situation had the sellers on a cruise ship with the house listed and again no access. The buyer's agent called the owners and the owners gave the agent their daughters number, of which the agent got a voicemail. I intervened and also got the voicemail. Situations like this can be the diffference of selling or not.
Things to consider are an electronic lockbox. We rent the same electronic lockboxes, that agents use, for $45.
Also, since there is only room for one owner phone number, list a number where you can be reached 24/7, like a cell phone.

Anatomy of MLS (Multiple Listing Service)

2007-05-04T13:11:00.000-04:00

The MLS is hands down the number one secret weapon of the real estate agent, no question about that. It is also largely misunderstood by the public.

So why is this so powerful? Let’s look at a simple definition of a multiple listing service to see how it works.

A multiple listing service is a shared database, amongst members, that makes an offer of compensation in return for co-operation.

Looking closer, an agent takes a property “listing” and inputs the data (like address, square feet, number of rooms, the commission split etc.) into the realtor database which is referred to as the MLS; now any licensed member (has to be a licensed agent and a member of the service) working with a buyer can sell that property and share the commissions; hence the offer of compensation for co-operation.

Did you know that less than 5% of listings are sold by the listing agent?

There are over 800 MLS’s in the US.

Once on the MLS the property benefits from total Internet exposure, since most brokers opt in on IDX (Internet data exchange, which is another e-form of co-operating for compensation) This means that all of our listings are included on the RE/MAX sites, Nothnagle site and all the local competitors sites that display listings besides their own. This is powerful, very, very….powerful, not to mention that the listing is also included on http://www.homesteadnet.com/ , realtor.com and the list goes on and on and on...

In our local association we have somewhere around 3000 members, and if what they say about each person knowing 250 people is true, then that represents a group of people who know 750,000 people. That is quite a network.

Testimonial

2007-01-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

Sold 1/9/2007

"WE DID IT! We sold our house and saved thousands in commissions. Now it's our money in the bank. We knew we had the time and knowledge of our house to sell by ourselves but we needed exposure. With the recent sluggish market, it was imperative to reach as many prospective buyers as possible. List2Move.com's flat fee approach afforded us the opportunity to get our house on the MLS where it was readily available to interested buyers and agents. Hosting open houses was an excellent way to meet potential buyers and answer their questions. If you're ready to sell and want to save money on commissions, we recommend that you call to learn more about List2Move.com."

Jack and Becky McCabe

9 Tolewood Drive

Penfield, NY 14526

Testimonial

2006-12-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

Sold 12/6/2006

"If you are planning to sell a home on your own, then you must consider List2Move.com. I researched many alternatives to get my home listed on the MLS and List2Move.com absolutely has the best deal going. You not only get your home listed directly on the MLS, but you only pay for the services you use. Like most for sale by owners, you are looking to minimize realtor commissions. Flat Fee Rochester does just that! The service was professional, hassle free, and the market exposure was immediate. They provided excellent advice and insight throughout the process and were extremely helpful in answering any questions we had. I highly recommend List2Move.com to anyone considering selling their home on their own."

Peter Ewanechko

942 Weymouth Court

Victor, NY 14564

Testimonial

2006-11-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

Sold 10/25/2006

"I put my house up for sale by owner in early August, and initially had a fair amount of interest, but no offers. By Labor Day, the housing market was starting to slow, and interest had dropped off. I was thinking I should list with a realtor, to avoid having the maintenance of a second house for the fall and winter, when I received the flyer about the flat fee program. I was very skeptical, but I decided it was worth a try before listing it. I contacted the office, which was incredibly knowledeable and helpful, and decided to try the flat fee program. That was around the first week of September. By mid September, I had an offer, and closed by the end of October. I sold to a couple who had a realtor, and their realtor told me she had seen the house when it was for sale by owner, but she wouldn't have shown it if she hadn't seen the MLS listing information. She said most realtors won't show clients houses for sale by owner. This program worked out so wonderfully for me, I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in selling themselves. I ended up saving about $4100 by going with this program!!"

Amy Bradley
516 Colebrook Drive

W. Irondequoit, NY 14617

Testimonial

2006-10-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

Sold 10/21/2006

"Selling and buying our home on FlatFeeRochester (now List2Move.com) was the best decision we ever made. The MLS website was easy to maneuver, and the low listing fee was great compared to the 6% commission other realtors were charging. We saved a total of $5,200 in real estate fees and were able to sell our house in ONE week. You cannot possibly go wrong with this service. They were always available and helped us every step of the way. I highly recommend FlatFeeRochester (now List2Move.com), and continue to refer all my friends and family."

M/M Grbesic

323 Stonewood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14616

Testimonial

2006-09-13T12:06:00.000-04:00

Sold 8/15/2006

"I moved to Rochester for work in August of 2005 and bought a home in October. We loved the house and even paid a little above asking price for it. So when my company transferred me seven months later, I needed to sell the house quickly, but could not afford to pay a 6% realtors commission. I had previously sold a home "for sale by owner", but knew that in the Rochester market, I needed to have the home listed on MLS to generate the demand. I had heard of the flat fee approach which is very popular in my hometown, Greenville, SC. By going with List2Move.com and taking the pictures myself and having them put the listing on the MLS, I got exposure on a lot of websites including realtor.com and homesteadnet.com. Almost immediately I began getting calls and showing the home, many more than just the "for sale by owner" sign that I had out front. The best part is that I was still free to sell the home without any commission if a buyer came on their own. By being on MLS, I had dozens of realtors calling to show my house and if they sold it, I only had to pay 3%. I ended up selling my house to someone who was not using a realtor so I was able to save over $11,000. List2Move.com's a la carte approach allowed me to only pay for the services I wanted and needed instead of paying thousands of dollars for another realtor to enter my house into the MLS. I recommend that anyone trying to sell their home on their own use List2Move.com's flat fee service to increase exposure of their home."

Marty Fuzia

Account Executive

Clear Channel Radio

AtlantaWBZY-FM

1053 The Buzz

1249 Holley Rd,

Webster, NY 14580

Testimonial

2006-08-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

Sold 8/1/2006

"I strongly recommend using List2Move.com for selling or buying a house. I was able to save over $9,849.00 dollars on the sale of my home by using List2Move.com. Why pay 6 percent of your selling price to a real estate agent, when you can use List2Move.com and save thousands of dollars on your hard eared equity and feel confident that you are using a professional real estate service. List2Move.com provides homeowners with an appealing alternative."

Thank You,

Tony Oleksyn
6556 Furnace Rd
Ontario, NY 14519

Testimonial

2006-07-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

Sold 7/21/2006

“When we found ourselves needing to re-locate, we had just spent 5 1/2 years fixing up an old farmhouse that we had poured our heart and soul into. We were not thrilled at the idea that after all of our hard work that we were going to walk away without as much profit as possible due to the commission we knew we would have to pay to a realtor. We made the decision to sell the house on our own. We had a steady flow of interest, but knew that there was an entire market of people that we were not reaching because we did not have our home listed on the MLS. We knew that this was a tremendously important thing in the sale of our home. Consumers are much more involved in their real estate ventures today more than ever before. We didn't want to miss the opportunity to reach the community at large through using the internet as a means to advertise. We were thrilled to find out about List2Move.com because it was exactly what we were looking for. From the time we signed the contract to get our home on line and our closing; it was a record 7 weeks. Although we were sad to leave our house, we couldn't be happier to know that we got as much out of it as we possibly could. We didn't have to lose much of our hard earned equity to a real estate commission thanks to List2Move.com!”

Troy and Diane Bassett

1285 Vroom Rd

Ogden, NY 14559

Testimonial

2006-07-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

Sold 7/15/2006

"Thanks so much for all your help! Your advice was right on, all the way through the process, and you spent all the time I needed to know I was making the right choice. But the best proof of your great service is my house selling 11 days after signing up - and after 3 months of advertising For Sale By Owner on my own, it's obvious that your service made all the difference. I couldn't be happier with how smooth and easy it was, and how much money I saved! It's clear to me that List2Move.com is the way of the future, and I strongly recommend you to anyone selling their home"

John Wozencraft

3385 Lake Rd

Webster, NY 14589

Testimonial

2006-06-15T15:59:00.000-04:00

Sold 5/30/2006

"Just wanted to thank you again for all of your help! We couldn't have done it without you!. List2Move.com is the best way to sell a home For Sale by Owner. It gave us so much exposure that we were able to sell our home in just 4 days! Their support was overwhelming. They were able to guide us through the whole selling process. We got more than we wanted for the price and had multiple offers! A great investment!"

Bisby Family

1416 Elmwood Ave

Brighton, NY 14620