| 1. Question: Who uses a service like this? |
Answer: We serve experienced and knowledgeable real estate professionals such as investors, agents, brokers, attorneys, builders, lenders and escrow professionals who know how to do transactions and merely want to expose their property to buyers. We also serve owners selling their home on their own who are simply trying to save some money or don't have any equity in their property to pay a commission to a listing agent.
Since we specialize in providing service at your level of need you can start by first finding a buyer. If you need or want more help with negotiation and or paperwork, we are here to support you. |
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| 2. Question: Why should I use this service? |
Answer: You should use this service because you can list your property directly in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service); the #1 most important tool for finding a buyer. With our service you retain complete control and make no commitment to a listing agent. Exposing your home to the millions of buyers looking online may enable you to save many thousands of dollars in unnecessary commission expenses.
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| 3. Question: Will I be served by a licensed experienced broker working in the my area? |
Answer: YES. We have over 50 years experience in real estate, finance and related fields.
Click here to meet the team that will be serving you.
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| 4. Question: Do I need to come to your office to be listed? |
| Answer: No, you don't have to visit our office to get listed. We leverage our time with technology to maximize your convenience and minimize costs. The necessary paperwork can be emailed, faxed, or mailed both ways so there is no travel, appointment, or time-consuming meeting necessary to get listed. |
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| 5. Question: What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)? |
Answer: There is no "one" Multiple Listing Service. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors at the time of this writing, Ma7 2008, there are hundreds of MLS systems in North America. An MLS is a localized database of homes for sales containing historical information on past transactions that is used by Realtors working in a specific geographic area. We work with several different MLS systems in Southern California that serve San Diego County, Orange County, LA County, Riverside County, and San Bernadino County. Click here to learn more |
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| 6. Question: Are these the same MLS systems other brokers charge you a large commission to use? |
| Answer: YES. These are the exact same MLS that all professional Realtors use. |
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| 7. Question: Will my MLS listing look the same as other MLS listings? |
| Answer: Yes, your MLS listing will be identical to the listings of competing real estate companies. It will show your photos and your listing information in the same format as other listings on the professional Realtor's MLS. It will also show the compensation you are offering to an agent who successfully sells the home (referred to as the Selling Broker), and instructions for showing the home. |
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| 8. Question: Are there any fees or commissions due to the listing broker? |
| Answer: NO. The only compensation due to Hidden Market Realty are the fees paid for services provided. |
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| 9. Question: Do I have to pay a buyers agent commission if I find the buyer myself? |
| Answer: NO. It is possible to save both a listing agent commission AND a buyer's broker commission by finding a buyer on your own. |
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| 10. Question: How long does it take for your listing to be online? |
| Answer: In most cases your listing can be on the MLS within 24 hours. Realtor.com may take longer. |
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| 11. Question: How long is the listing online for? |
| Answer: First Class listings expire after 12 months. Coach Class listings expire after 6 months. Of course, you can cancel the service at any time. |
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| 12. Question: How much do you charge to make changes to my listing? |
| Answer: Our First Class service includes FREE updates as you need them to change pictures, edit comments, or adjust pricing or commissions to buyer broker. We charge $25 per change for Coach Class service. |
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| 13. Question: What do you do to enhance a listing on www.QualityProperty.com? |
| Answer: We add links to 1. your realtor.com showcase ad; 2. the property address to an online map; 3. your property website if you have one; 4.your virtual tour if you have one. We can also highlight your listing as holding open houses if you want. |
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| 14. Question: What is a realtor.com showcase ad? |
Answer: A realtor.com showcase ad can have a title, a scrolling banner, up to 25 pictures, up to 2500 words of narrative description about the property and a link to your virtual tour if you have one. By adding a Visual Tour, your ad will come up near the top when your area is searched by photos.These enhancements are made as part of the "First Class" level of service.
Click here to view our current listings. |
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| 15. Question: What forms of payment do you accept? |
Answer: We accept payment via Visa, Mastercard, Paypal & checks. |
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| 16. Question: When is payment due? |
Answer: Payment is due after you have approved your MLS input. |
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| 17. Question: How do I determine a sales price? |
Answer: We can provide you with a history of home sales in your neighborhood or you can search a site like Zillow.com yourself.
Another resource that may be useful to you is...
We have found the phone to be a great "price checker". If it is ringing, your price is in the ball park. If you are not getting any inquiries, you may want to ask yourself why not? |
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| 18. Question: What about photos ? |
Answer: Our clients usually send their photos to us as an attachment to email. If you have questions about how to do this, please feel welome to call us at 951-308-1917.
We highly recommend that you read this recent LA Times article on the importance of photos for your listing and tips on how to make them the best possible. If you prefer to hire a professional, call us at 951-308-1917 for a reference to a very affordable and quality photographer in your area.
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| 19. Question: Can you help me beyond just putting my listing on the MLS? |
Answer: ABSOLUTELY!. Together our team has over 50 years of experience in real estate, construction, finance and related fields. We love the work we do and we are happy to help you in any way we can. We never charge for our services unless we have a written agreement with you to provide services for an agreed upon compensation. Call us at 951-308-1917 to discuss your needs. |
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| 20. Question: Can you help us with an Open House? |
Answer: Yes. If you have purchased the "MLS Plus " service, we can indicate your open house on the MLS you are listed with and Realtor.com. We can also attempt to arrange for a "Broker's Open" where local brokers come through to gain familiarity with inventory on the market but this is not always possible depending on local MLS restrictions.
We highly recommend you enrich your understanding of open houses by reading the following two articles.
If you still want to hold an open house, call us at 951-308-1917 for details in your area. |
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| 21. Question: Can you help us with signs? |
Answer: Yes. First, be aware that YOU are responsible for complying with all rules and regulations regarding the use of signs where you live. Any fines levied for misuse will be paid by YOU. Secondly, be aware that a simple "For Sale by Owner" can cause several problems. One, it is an invitation for realtors in your neighborhood to call you and try to sell you on their listing services. Secondly, agents with buyers may try to pass you by, because they are afraid of losing a buyer and the commission they can generate. Thirdly, lazy agents may shy away from your listing thinking that they will have to help you, the seller, with your paperwork too. If you don't use on of our signs, use a generic sign that says simply "For Sale" and has your MLS # clearly visible on it.
18" x 24" corrugated plastic
click the sign to visit www.QualityProperty.com
We also offer a more aggressive attention getting sign.
18" x 24" corrugated plastic
click the sign to visit www.SellerCloseout.com
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| 22. Question: How much do you charge for your signs? |
Answer: They are available for $30 which includes shipping. Ask us about a sign post. |
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| 23. Question: Can you help us with a lock box? |
Answer: Yes. You can buy a "contractor's" combination lock box from a store like Home Depot. If you choose to do that, we recommend you be careful about who you give that combo to because they are easy to compromise. It is also very easy to change the combo to maintain security.
Another option is to use a professional realtor lockbox that provides a record of which realtors have used it to gain entrance. Please call us at 951-308-1917 for the specifics in your area. |
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| 24. Question: Can you help us with legal matters? |
Answer: As realtors licensed by the California Department of Real Estate, we can provide general real estate guidance but we are not attorneys and we cannot give specific legal advice. Please feel welcome to call us at 951-308-1917 for a referral to a qualifed legal resource.
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| 25. Question: How do I know if a buyer is qualified to complete the sale? |
| Answer: Smart buyers are preapproved and prepared to act BEFORE looking for a new home. A professional realtor will insist on it as it serves no one to work hard finding a property only to get beat out in the purchase by a buyer who is better prepared and can make a stronger offer. If you have an offer and need help qualifying the buyer, call us at 951-308-1917. There is no charge for this service. |
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| 26. Question: Why is my home taking so long to sell? |
Answer: Check the average market time in your area and see how your time on market compares. If you are approaching or beyond the average time on the market, make sure you have not been making any of the following "deal killing" mistakes.
- You are priced too high compared to competing properties in your market and buyers are looking at the other properties.
- The commission you are offering to buyers brokers is too low and they are showing their buyer clients other properties before yours.
- You are not answering or returning calls promptly
- Your property is not easily accessible
Any of the above will adversely affect your efforts to get your home sold. We are in a very tough "buyers market" and it is very easy for an agent to go on to the next property if you are not competitive. |
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| 27. Question: Should I do any repairs or remodeling before I sell my home? |
| Answer: Your home should be clean and minor cosmetic items and repairs should be tended to. In some cases you may simply want to give the buyer a credit for example to replace worn carpeting with a carpet of their choice. As for larger remodeling projects, refer to Remodeling Online for important information on investment payback. |
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| 28. Question: I am considering using a full service listing agent. There are so many choices, how do I evaluate them? |
| Answer: There are many factors that go into decision making when it comes to choosing a listing agent. One is their capability. A second is their cost. You can use our automated evaluation form as a starting point. Click here for instructions |
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| 29. Question: Where can I learn more about selling a home on my own? |
Answer: There have been many good books written on the topic.
Click the book below for more info.
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30. Question: I already signed up with another "For Sale By Owner" website. Isn't that all I need? |
Answer: Click on the chart below or visit www.Compete.com to compare web traffic on your current service to Realtor.com. Remember also, that if your home is NOT listed on Realtor.com, you are NOT in the professional MLS database that Realtors use when working with buyers.
Please feel welcome to call us at 951-308-1917 with any questions. |
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31. Question: What if my property is outside of your service area ? |
| Answer: You may find what you are looking for at www.BetterHomeSelling.com. If not, please feel welcome to call us at 951-308-1917. |
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32. Question: Do you work with buyers ? |
| Answer: Absolutely!!! With all the experience we have had working with sellers, we are in a unique position to offer powerful buyer representation. Since we list more homes in a year than most agents list in a career, our buyer clients have an edge. Call us for details at 951-308-1917 |
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33. Question: Do you offer a money back guarantee ? |
Answer: Yes we do!!!
If you, as one of our flat fee listing clients, choose to cancel your listing agreement with us in order to use the services of a “full service real estate broker”, AND if you allow us to make a referral to that broker, we will refund 100% of the fees you paid to us upon close of escrow for the property and receipt of a referral commission by us from the referred broker. We can also help you evaluate and choose a broker. Call us with your questions at 951-308-1917 |
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34. Question: Does selling "By Owner" net more money for the seller ? |
Answer: Two economists in Wisconsin got into a debate about whether they would make out better selling by owner or with an agent. The results were recently published.
click here to read the article
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35. Question: What is your success ratio? |
Answer: This is a question we get asked repeatedly and the answer is always the same. 100% of the homes that are priced right will sell. |
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36. Question: Does the government support fee based real estate services? |
Answer: Yes, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission both support competition and alternative choices for consumers.
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37. Question: Where can I find the real truth about the real estate business ?
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Answer: Read widely. Question everything. Do your homework.
Some interesting articles are posted below. . .
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| Got a question we missed? Please call us at 951-308-1917 |
