HOME SELLERS

HOME SELLERS

What We Offer

A Full Range of Services, Straightforward Pricing, and Clear Communication. List Your Home With Elite Agents And Keep More Of Your Equity When You Sell.

All listing price tiers include our Premium Listing Package which includes our the use of our luxury eye catching sign with premium sign post, listing with TMLS and over 165 additional search platforms, virtual open house options, enhanced social media advertising, professional photo shoot, digital property handbook, flyers, and feature cards.

What’s Not Included in Our Pricing Breakdown Below

• Virtual Staging or In Home Staging Service is an additional cost and must be paid upfront.
• Pricing Does Not Include Buyer Commission/Service Fee’s

The cost to procure a buyer to purchase your property using a buyer’s agent will vary.

In North Carolina, each Individual Firm, Agent, or Brokers set their own fees depending on thier office policies.

Contrary to popular belief, real estate agents assisting buyers in the purchase of a home is not a free service. In addition, sellers are not required to pay the buyers agent/firm commission either. Many transactions are setup to pay the buyers agent/firm commission or fees from the seller’s proceeds once the buyer has funded the purchase. It’s the same money, it’s just way deals have been structured in North Carolina and across the US for decades. 

Transaction Structure

Appraisers prefer using homes in the REALTOR® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for comparables because they are able to confirm the terms of the sale of each property. As REALTORS®, we confidentially report relevant sales information after closing. This information is vital for the present and future valuation of properties. If commissions are paid differently, then value adjustments on historical data will be needed.

A property for sale remains just that without a qualified buyer paying for the property. The seller would not be paying commission to a buyer’s agent who procured them a buyer unless there is a special agreement stating otherwise.

When a buyer or buyers agent sees that the listing does not include compensation to the buyer agent, the buyers may move on to other properties. Some buyers, especially first-time home buyers, may not have cash upfront or separate from their loan package to pay for the services.

The Real Estate Market in North Carolina

Another reason sellers may find themselves responsible for commissions could be related to military markets in North Carolina.

The Veterans Administration (VA), which backs the federal loans that military families primarily use to purchase homes, puts restrictions on who pays commissions. The VA will not allow a buyer to pay REALTOR® fees or commissions. Therefore, the responsibility falls on the seller or a buyer to pay out of pocket. Because VA loans make up over 90 percent of owner occupied home purchases in these areas, a seller would be excluding a big chunk of potential buyers by stating they are not willing to pay the buyer side commission.

This structure has led to many misconceptions about who pays, especially when sellers feel the buyers agent didn’t earn their fees. A lot of time, effort, and resources goes into helping a buyer search, negotiate, and close on a home to purchase. Most of which is paid up front and out of pocket by the individual real estate agent helping the buyer. Most real estate agents in North Carolina work as non-salaried independent contractors, and they provide their services upfront at 100% commission.

Be Flexible

Talk with your REALTOR® about competitive commission rates that will attract buyers to your property.

Please keep in mind that while commission is considered negotiable, often times the real estate company sets the commission rate, and individual agents do not have the ability to negotiate beyond the company policy. Also, in any commission negotiation, be mindful that the commission the seller pays is not usually the commission the REALTOR® representing them actually receives. Under some company policies, commission is paid to a firm, which then splits that commission or takes out fees from the REALTOR®.

Avoid Confusion

The terminology and language used to describe this process has caused a lot of confusion about who pays.

If a seller is apprehensive about the cost taking away from their net profit, they should consider adjusting the selling price as “needs based pricing” versus the current market value, or their they can adjust their net profit expectations.

This will flag the listing to have “Special Conditions” under which the property was marketed and sold. This will enable appraisers and agents to take that into account when searching for comparable properties to determine the appraisal price or price to list the home for sale.

Our agents are flexible and understanding to your individual needs. Reach out if you have questions about the right path for you when selling your home.

Uncommon Situations

Transactions involving a property For Sale by Owner with no seller agent or a seller waiving the option to pay from their “seller side” of the transaction, the Buyer can be asked to pay the commission out of their pocket instead or bundle it into their loan package and closing costs instead.

Please note that the market price, defined by Merriam-Webster as: a price at which buyers and sellers with a reasonable knowledge of pertinent facts and not acting under any compulsion are willing to do business. (See our Real Estate Terms glossary for more information)

Take note of this when calculating your net proceeds for the sale. That is the amount you take in possession after all liens, fee’s, taxes, costs and expenses are paid, which may include the commission for the buyer’s agent who procured a qualified buyer to purchase the property you are selling.

Pricing to List Your Home Under $500,00

• 1-2% November-March (Off-Season)
• 2-3% April-October (Season)

Pricing to List Your Home $500,000-$1 million:

This pricing tier includes the aforementioned items included in the premium listing package plus drone footage and a professional home cleaning service prior to professional photos.

• 2-3% November-March (Off-Season)
• 3-4% April-October (Season)

Listing Your Home $1 million+

Luxury Listing Package includes all items listed above plus professional home staging, broker luncheon, and premium marketing materials.

 Luxury Listings $1 million+ (Percentage Pricing Negotiable)

• 4% November-March (Off-Season)
• 4-6% April-October (Season)

* Veterans and Educators may be eligible for a discounted rate. 

Your privacy and trust is important to us.

As a best practice, our team safeguards all communication as confidential. Read more now about Sellers Working With Real Estate Agents. We’ll go over this disclosure verbally as we begin discussing any personal information about your financial situation or anything that may impede on your ability maintain leverage throughout your home selling process. You will also receive a copy of thi disclosure for your personal records. Please note: this document is a disclosure and not a contract for services.

If we mutually agree that we are a good fit, we will discuss and complete an Exclusive Right to Sell (contract) to perform services. You can review a sample of this document here.

When working with a Real Estate Agent, it’s good to understand the terms and your obligations as it may vary from one agent to another.