Here’s a new listing hitting the market on 3/10/08, located in Sonoran Ranch Village on Tucson’s southwest (SW) side. This home is a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, with a loft AND den downstairs that has double doors. This home is very clean, at the end of the street with no neighbor on the left hand side, and looks pretty impressive from the street corner. Features inside the home include ceramic tile in wet areas and plush carpeting in the living areas. Window coverings stay with the home as do ceiling fans and the following kitchen appliances: range, dishwasher, disposal, and microwave.

by contributing writer, Eric Painter, Senior Mortgage Consultant, Infinity Funding Corporation

I recently commented on another real estate agent’s blog about why discount real estate brokers do not really save clients (sellers) any money 99% of the time. To say the least, it triggered a storm of comments from agents and the general public. This is why I decided to devote an entire blog post to my feelings on the subject and point out the issues for sellers. I honestly think if you’re trying to sell your own home, selecting a real estate brokerage type — discount or full service — and the real estate agent is a lot like playing poker. You’re not sure which combination is going to result in the most money gained at the end of the day. Let’s start from the beginning and I will give you the facts on both forms of service and even some advice about picking the actual listing agent.

Benefits/Downsides of a Discount Broker Model For Sellers

First, it’s very inexpensive! Some brokers will just place your home on the market (the local MLS) and place their sign in your yard for a flat fee. Whether your home sells or not is completely up to you. Some of these very limited brokers will not even help you with contracts and the offers that are received. You will either need to pay a real estate attorney to do the paperwork correctly, or you will need to take the risk of doing it yourself. If you can’t sell your home on this very limited plan, you lose the money you paid for the flat fee.

Most discount brokers (such as Help-U-Sell and Assist-2-Sell) charge the same flat fee, although in this case the fee is usually a few thousand dollars for their side of the transaction rather than a few hundred for a very limited flat fee. You still normally pay the fee upfront and the amount typically can be decided by the client, meaning that if you want more service than the flat fee covers, you can pay extra all the way up to essentially full service. This, in my opinion, is a better plan than the limited flat fee. If you find that you are in over your head, you can just phone your agent and sign up for more service. The down side is that these companies are just “helping” you sell your home. Since the fee is charged upfront, if you decide the “help” isn’t helping much, then you’re out thousands of dollars rather than just a couple hundred. Again, usually the service includes listing with the MLS and installation of a sign. I believe Help-U-Sell will even lend you some open house signs so that you can hold your own open houses if you choose.