Duffy Seller Newsletter

Keeping the Important People Informed

Do You Know What Is On Your Listing?

February11

It is amazing how many houses I list wherein the Seller has never seen their listing that the agent before Duffy produced. I realize that some of this happens because the listing is not done in the house like it is done by us with our wireless laptops and portable printers. However, it is very important that the Seller participate in the process by checking the work of the agent – their partner in the selling process.

You see, at Duffy, we believe that we are the storytellers and you are the story maker. You produce the story, we tell it.

So, my advice would be for you to closely look at your listing. Then, see yourself on the internet and ask – “Would I buy this home?” If the answer is no, make your story better.

Janet Horodysky
Partner to Rhonda Duffy, # 1 in Georgia # 10 in the U.S.

Duffy’s Economic Stimulus Package! Tell Your Friends…

February11

$pend le$$ in 2009! It’s EASY and you don’t have to settle for le$$. In fact you receive expert advice throughout the entire process and 70 points of marketing, +plus+ you save BIG money. When it comes to buying or selling a home it doesn’t get better than this. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that this is truly the only way to buy and/or sell. But I’m going to break it down for you. If you are like me, I can hear about something that can save me money but until I see it I’m usually skeptical.

First we will talk about selling your home.

So hear we go…. Let’s say that you have a home that you need to sell. You have a few options: You can list it for sale by owner. In this case you can possibly save commission but are in charge of EVERYTHING. Including: put a sign in your yard,advertising,make appointments,showing your home,qualifying your potential buyer,paperwork and getting a closing attorney. For some people, this is doable. The down side is:agents will not show your home unless you are willing to pay them a commission, your exposure is limited, you need to be available to show your home at all times(this can be a problem if you work). The reality is most likely a buyer will come along whom is already working with an agent. And you know what that means if you want to sell you are going to have to offer a commission.

Now your thinking…I should have just hired a real estate company to list my property. In this scenario we are NOT taking about Duffy Realty (we are saving the best for last). OK you decide to call a friend or a relative or maybe even someone that goes to your church because they are agents and you feel like you have to use them..You sign an agreement with them to list your home. In this agreement you have to agree to pay a commission anywhere from 5-7% (typically it’s 6%) no matter who your buyer will be. It could be your mother and you still have to pay commission! You feel all warm and fuzzy now cause you think that your agent has got your back. They will handle everything you are just along for the ride. Wrong. When someone wants to show your home, who is going to clean it and get it ready to show? you. When your home doesn’t sell right away,who is going to be ask to lower their asking price?you. When your agent is out of town or at their second job(huge percent of real estate agents have second jobs) who is going to show the home?you. Do you see were I’m going here? Just because you have an agent, YOU play a HUGE role is this transaction but you are also responsible to pay the commission. Why should you pay for work you do? Example: purchase price: $200,000.
6% agent comm: – $12,000.
total: $188,000

That is your bottom line before you even pay any other fees(taxes,insurance,closing cost).

As I said before I was saving the best for last. The way I see it and when you finish this you will too. Your BEST and ONLY option is to call Duffy Realty 678-366-7846 it’s a better way to sell your home. We offer a $500 flat fee listing. I know your thinking you get what you pay for…So I’m going to break it down for you. This is what you get for $500 we send one of our expert listing agents to your home(the average agent may list.. I’ll be generous 10 homes a year) Duffy Realty listing agents list HUNDREDS a year. The listing agent is typically in the home 45 minutes. During that time the agent walks through the home, points out things you will what to take care off in order to receive the most money for your home. If you request, they will do a comparable market analysis of your area. This way you can see what other homes are listed for and what has sold recently so you are able to price your home. The agent enters all information to the FMLS & MLS (multiple listing service) and prints out for you to view and make sure all info is correct. You would be surprised how many listing out there have wrong information on them and the home owner has no clue because their listing agent didn’t let them review the listing. In order for you to be listed on the MLS you are required to offer a commission, we suggest 2-4%. The GREAT advantage with Duffy is if a buyer comes along without an agent (your mother)you done have to pay the commission that 2-4% you are offering for a buyers agent. They take care of all paperwork and take payment. You have other options available to you:photos-you can take your own and e-mail to us, the listing agent can take photos for a $50 charge or you can opt to have a virtual tour done by a professional $210-265. If you would like a supra lockbox there is a $100 rental. The agent puts a sign in the yard and leaves a directional sign for you to put out. You also get MASS internet exposure along with the FMLS & MLS we also put your list on realtor.com,HGTV’S Fro ntdoor.com,relocation sites,FSBO sites,all agents sites and numerous others check out our website for a list. Most importantly you have access to anything you will need throughout the whole process(FAQ,forms and a whole lotta information) 24/7 on our client website. We also have customer support 9-6 M-F. Our professional contract negotiating team available 7 days a week. When you close you pay .0034% of the sales price to Duffy Realty. Example:purchase price: $200,000.
flat fee: $500.
3%buyer agent comm: $6,000.
.0034% due at closing: $680.
Total: $192,820.

OK that’s a savings over a Traditional real estate company of $4,820 and that is the worst case scenario, if no buyer agent is involved you save another $6,000. for a total of $10,820! I told you when you see it like this it’s a no brainier. What sign is in your yard? If it’s not Duffy Realty, then you are paying to much. Call us today and start spending le$$ in 2009!

Secondly, you buyers whether you just sold your home(hope you used Duffy,so you have thousands more to put down) or First timers. Here’s the deal! You need to hire a Duffy buyer agent ONLY! I’m going to tell you why….Hiring a buyer agent is a must. It is absolutely FREE to you. Remember SELLERS pay commission. I know their are some of you out there that think… I know how to purchase property I don’t need an agent. I would say only if you are buying direct from a for sale buy owner OR a home that is listed with DUFFY Realty(our clients are able to sell to buyers without agents and save commission) should you proceed without an agent….Otherwise, you must hire an agent and not just any agent but a Duffy Realty buyer agent. Simply put we share our commission with our buyers. Why shouldn’t you get paid for work you are doing anyway. Here’s how it works. When a seller list their home for sale they sign an agreement and in that agreement they agree to pay out a commission 5-7% typically 6%. The listing agent in turn agrees to co-op with a buyers agent if they bring a buyer they split commission usually 3% each. Now if you decide not to hire a buyer agent and go to purchase a home listed with a real estate company the listing agent hits the jackpot and gets all the commission(6%). She does all paperwork keep in mind that she works for the seller not you and has the sellers best interest in mind. If you hire an agent(not a Duffy agent) you still search online, do drive byes to see where you would like to live and when YOU find a home to view you call your agent and they make an appointment. When you purchase a home your agent does the paperwork you are represented but they get paid and you don’t. Now if you do the smart thing and hire a Duffy buyer agent we share our commission with you. We believe you should be paid for work you do. What happens is you sign a Buyer Cash Bonus agreement with us(your not trapped you can terminate at any time) we set you up on gateway- get all criteria of what you ar e looking for in a new home(area,price range,school district ect..) put into the MLS and you will receive daily e-mails of properties that meet your criteria. No need for you to search the internet they come to you. You continue to do drive byes and visit different neighborhoods and when you find a property that you want to see we set up an appointment for you to view. A lot of times we can set it up where we don’t have to go along(that good it doesn’t count towards the number of homes you see)When you are ready to make an offer we are there with expert advice and your best interest in mind, take care of paperwork and have a top notch contracts negotiating team. The bottom line we show up 3 or less homes and you get 50% up to 1.5% of the commission being offered. Typically 3%. It graduates from there 4 homes 45%, 5 homes 40% to 10 or more homes you get $500 within 5 days of closing. Let me show you the figures side by side and you decide.

Any agent: purchase price:$200,000. Duffy buyer agent: purchase price:$200,000.
your agent 3% comm: $6000. 3% comm: $6,000.
YOU: Plant you 1.5% comm: $3000.
less .0034% fee: $680.
YOU get paid: $2,320.

Even our worst case scenario you get $500! With the difference here you could landscape the whole yard. Go figure… Why would you use anyone else?

Thank you for your consideration,

Mala Edwards
Listing & Buying Consultant

Does Your Charity Need An Auctioneer?

February11

Rhonda and her team work for many local charities as their auction team pro bono saving the charity at least 10% of their proceeds while making them more money and adding more fun. If your charity needs a professional auctioneer – call Rhonda.

Here are some videos of Rhonda’s auctions.

You Tube Video – Is It For You and Your Buyer

February11

You Tube is huge. It is reported to be the largest search engine beating out Google and My Space.

Making a video of your home simply means that you use ANY video camera, including your phone or digital camera if applicable and loading it onto You Tube via your computer. Make your own channel and then link to ours. See you there!

We also have about 250 videos for your review. www.YouTube.com Duffy Realty channel

Second Time Visitors To Your Home Get “Special” Treatment

February11

In case you are not aware, all second time visitors should be called into our contract department so that we can do a reverse offer scenario with them. This means that if they have an objection that we can overcome, we will ask them to accept an offer from you – the seller – instead of us waiting on them to make an offer.

I have posted a video from Stacey, our contract negotiator, and myself on You Tube that talks about this briefly.

Write us an email of everyone who sees your home 2 times so that we can give them our special treatment.

Homestead Exemption? For You?

February11

If you are buying a home this year, take advantage of the homestead exemptions for your county. Those applicable for the exemption are the homeowners on record who are using the home as their primary legal residence for all purposes including the registration of vehicles and the filing of Federal and Georgia State income taxes.

Homeowners should go to their counties tax commissioner or tax assessor’s website for specific application instructions. All metro Atlanta counties start accepting applications from January 1st through a certain deadline, usually March or June. Applications can be taken all year round however those received after the cut-off date will be processed for the following year

Only a few counties will allow the homeowners to apply online, and most require an in-person visit. An application may be downloaded from the website, but will have to be hand-delivered. Once the homeowner has made application, they will not have to re-apply until ownership is transferred. Homestead cannot be filed on rental properties, vacant land/lots, or on more than one property.

Here are the 3 basic protections under homestead exemption:
1. It provides an exemption from property taxes which can be applied to a home
2. It prevents the forced sale of a home to meet the demands of creditors
3. It provides the surviving spouse with shelter

Below are the links to a few metro Atlanta websites. Save thousands on taxes this year and by applying for an exemption.

Dekalb County: https://dklbweb.dekalbga.org/taxcommissioner/index.asp?pg=homesteadHomestead exemption applications are accepted year-round, but current-year exemptions must be applied for between Jan 2 and March 1

Fulton County: http://www.co.fulton.ga.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=259&Itemid=197Homestead exemptions are due by March 1, 2008 and can be completed online

Cobb County: http://www.cobbtax.org/Forms/HtmlFrame.aspx?mode=content/Exemptions.htm&LMparent=189
You can apply for exemptions year-round by mail or in person; however, you must apply by March 1 to receive the exemption for that tax year.

Gwinnett County: https://ssl.gwinnetttaxcommissioner.com/Property/information/DueDates.aspx
Application deadline is March 1.

It’s my Home not a Product!

February11

You have made the decision to sell your home. Now what? It’s time to realize that you need to look at the next step in the process. Your home now becomes a product. It is your job to be sure you have the best product. You create the story for your home and you hire someone to tell your story. Here are some objections I hear:

1. I still live here.
2. “It” has not bothered me while I’ve lived here
3. My kids would be unhappy with that change.
4. I don’t have time.
5. Maybe if I can’t sell quickly I’ll consider that.
6. I have the best home in the nighborhood anyway.
7. I never had to do any of that with my other homes I sold.
8. The buyer will just have to look past that.
9. I can’t afford it.
10. I like it like this.

“It” can be numerous suggestions or ideas that have been made to make your home more marketable.

Every home will sell. The big question is how long will it take and how much will it sell for? Give yourself every opportunity to sell quickly and bring a higher price. Buyers are looking for ANY defect to reduce your price. Address any concerns by correcting them or letting the buyer know you are flexible in correcting an issue. What does waiting cost? Sometimes a lot more than you thought. It cost the extra mortgage payments you made, the loss of the home you really wanted because yours has not sold, the low interest rate for your next home and the aggravation of making your home available for an extended period of time.

Take a hard look at your home. Ask an honest friend for their opinion about your home. Have 3 people (you, your spouse and a 3rd person) take seperate legal pads and walk each room and make a list of possible objections and items to repair or change, then compare your lists. Does it have to be perfect to go on the market? No, but work your list throughout the process. Buyers will see the “love” you are pouring into your home.

Create the story that needs to be told and then make your home available. You can’t sell it if you can’t show it. Take the time before each showing to be sure the buyer sees the love and not the dirty laundry! It could be worth thousands…

Melissa Boring
Duffy Listing Team

Thoughts from the Duffy Mobile: AOL Hot Search

February11

Being part of the listing team at Duffy Realty I am always looking at what is the current climate in real estate and I found a most interesting article on AOL. Atlanta great news we were the 10th most searched city on their site. Buyers are looking and we are one of the top most searched cities, finally some good news! The list also shows that some of the other areas in the U.S. that have had some regional problems are also being searched heavily, example Florida, Arizona, Chicago, San Diego. So let’s keep up this trend, and we are the only ones that can make sure that this trend continues!

P.S. The list and the link are below.

Thanks!

Bill Hanlin
Duffy Listing Team, GO TEAM!

1. Pensacola real estate
2. Phoenix real estate
3. Miami real estate
4. San Diego real estate
5. Myrtle Beach real estate
6. Naples real estate
7. Chicago real estate
8. Orlando real estate
9. Cape Coral real estate
10. Atlanta real estate“>Atlanta real estate!

City-Wide Open House – March 1 from 2:00 to 5:00

February11

Duffy Realty will be promoting City-wide OPEN HOUSE from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM on Sunday, March 1, 2009 for all Duffy Realty sellers on the radio, on the internet and in our emails to buyers. Read the rest of this entry »