Call today (920) 261-0036 | Email Us
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Easy MLS | You Save | HOME — Sunlit Realty, LLC | |
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Independent Discount Broker Serving Dodge and Jefferson Counties, Wisconsin Call today (920) 261-0036 | Email Us |
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Common Questions & Sunlit Replies
Q. Is Sunlit Realty a "regular" real estate company?
A: No. Sunlit Realty is not a traditional broker. We are a discount broker. This means we have a different business model that emphasizes cost-savings for our clients. We do not work on commission. Our clients contract with us for specific home-selling services and we request payment, on a discounted fee-for-service basis, when the property is listed for sale. Discount, of course, simply means a reduction of the usual price. We work hard, on your behalf, for the services we are hired to complete. Q. How much money can I save at Sunlit Realty? A: Thousands. Really! Here's an example: a 6-month MLS listing plus negotiation and settlement services with Sunlit Realty costs $555 upfront and $395 at closing for any house sold for up to $500,000. That's a total of just $950 for marketing and closing your sale! If you want to do the negotiations yourself you can save another $195 and only pay $755 for the whole package. A commission of 2.4% may also need to be paid to the buyer's agent if the buyer is represented, but there is no commission due if the buyer is not represented by an agent. In contrast, a typical 6-month MLS listing with a full-price firm would cost the seller $6,000 at closing for a $100,000 property, $9,000 for a $150,000 property, $12,000 for a $200,000 property, and so on. Full commissions (usually 6%) are due the full-priced firm whether the buyer is represented by an agent or not. Q. How can you charge so much less than other real estate companies do? A: We are completely committed to offering low-cost, discounted real estate services to home sellers and buyers in this community. We feel good about doing it, and think it's the right thing to do. That's the main reason our services are so inexpensive compared to a typical brokerage. We also work hard to keep business costs down without sacrificing any quality of service. We spend money marketing your property, rather than waste it marketing ourselves. Since we're just starting out, I'm not sure we can keep prices this low forever, but we're going to try. Q. Other than price, what are some advantages of listing my property with Sunlit Realty?
Q. What services does Sunlit Realty offer? A: We work primarily with sellers, but we offer a full range of high-quality real estate services for both buyers and sellers. See Money-Saving Services for more information. Q. Why should I hire Sunlit rather than just sell "by owner"?
Q. Why should someone pay upfront for real estate services? A: To save money and stay in control of the home-selling process! If you're willing to pay a little at the beginning you can save a bundle at closing. It's tempting to think that a commission deal is in your best interest. After all, the agent only gets paid if the property sells. The problem with this analysis, however, is that any time a service provider takes on risk their financial reward goes up too (think bankers, stockbrokers, Wall Street, etc.). In other words, a commission-based company or agent is risking some of their time and money to try and sell your property. To compensate for this risk, and the fact that some homes don't sell during a listing period, they reward themselves richly whenever a deal does come together. So, successful sellers (and the commissions they pay) are essentially subsidizing agent expenses for expired listings and other deals gone bad. Another popular misconception is that real estate agents actually "sell" houses, when, in fact, what they really do is offer marketing advice and assistance to sellers. Agents working with buyers help find houses and set up showings. Agents can talk up the benefits of a specific property and attempt to downplay the negatives, they also convey information during negotiations, but the house and yard really have to sell themselves. No agent I know of can compel a buyer to purchase a house they aren't interested in. Buyers, not agents, decide which house they will make an offer on. It's much more clear-cut to pay a set fee for the home-selling services you need and do the rest yourself. It's also better to stay in charge of the deal and not worry about an agent pushing you to reduce your price all the time. Q. Do commissions give agents an incentive to sell my property for the highest and best price? A: No. In fact, the opposite impact is more likely. Agents working on commission don't get paid unless your house sells, so their primary incentive (on a generalized basis) is to make sure the house sells regardless of the price. Renowned economist Steven Levitt, author of the book Freakonomics, does a good job explaining why paying an agent a high commission doesn't necessarily get you the best price for your property. Levitt says, "When she sells her own house, an agent holds out for the best offer; when she sells yours, she pushes you to take the first decent offer that comes along." Read a complete excerpt. Q. Will Sunlit Realty work hard to market and sell my property if I pay up front? A: Yes. That's the short answer. We won't stay in business long if we don't. Our clients pay us to perform specific services in a competent manner. That's what we do. Most professional services providers (such as attorneys, accountants, doctors, engineers, etc.) work on an hourly or fee-for-service basis, and the good ones skillfully perform the work you paid for. Sunlit Realty does the same. When you work with us we form a home-selling team. We work together with our clients to get the job done right. If for some reason we fail, in any way, to provide the services you contract for to the best of our abilities, we will fully refund all fees you have paid – guaranteed! Q. How do sellers pick-and-choose services? A: We offer a full menu of services and sellers decide which ones they want -- and only pay for those services. There's no reason to pay for things you are able and willing to do yourself. Q. Why are Sunlit's yard signs so fancy? A: Our stylish yard signs definitely don't look "discount." That's the point of course. Most realty signs are blah and boring. Even with the Internet, yard signs are still an important tool for attracting buyers. Our sellers deserve the best, most attention-grabbing yard signs around. We splurged on the yard signs to better spotlight your sale! Q. Are Sunlit's service fees refundable? A: Settlement (or closing) service fees are only paid if the property sells and a successful closing takes place. So, there is no repayment issue there. Other fees (for things like the MLS listing, negotiation services, etc.), that are paid at the time the property is listed, are not refundable. Q. What if my property doesn't sell? A: Sunlit Realty offers MLS listing renewals for just $180 – for the same amount of time as the initial listing term. Other service fees need only be paid for once, and the services continue as long as your property is listed with Sunlit. Yes, it will cost you some money if your property doesn't sell and you decide to list with a different company or take it off the market. However, if need be, you could keep your property listed with Sunlit and on the MLS for 3 years or more and still end up paying considerably less than a full-price firm would charge you when it does sell. If you stick with it, you are very likely to save money with Sunlit. And, remember, some houses sell within weeks! Q. What sales-related things can I do myself? A: You get to choose. If you are able to handle aspects of your own sale then you stay completely in charge of those things and you save money as a result. Typical things that sellers may choose to do include placing ads in the local newspaper, scheduling showings, holding open houses, etc. You can also choose not to do those things. You are also free to sell your house to unassisted buyers and avoid paying any commission at all (i.e. no 2.4% commission to a buyer's agent). That is not possible with a standard, full-price listing contract. Do it your way, and get it done right! Q. Can I cancel my listing contract if I want to take it off the market or try something different? A: Yes. You may cancel your listing agreement with Sunlit Realty at any time. No additional fees or penalties apply. Q. How big is Sunlit Realty? A: We are a new independent company and very small. Barry Ashenfelter is the Broker and Owner, and does all of the brokerage work. His wife Julie helps as much as possible. We are fortunate to receive regular assistance from attorney Steve Schmuki and his colleagues at the law firm of Sayas, Schumki & Plum, SC. This long-established firm and its real estate experts provide Sunlit's "settlement services," and other legal advice throughout the transaction process. Unless a seller specifies otherwise, Royalty Title Company, which is also affiliated with the law firm of Sayas, Schmuki & Plum, performs all of Sunlit's title policy work. All settlement service clients have an attorney from the law firm present at their closing, to ensure a smooth and successful transaction. Sunlit Realty is currently a home-based business, which helps keep overhead costs (and your fees) low. Do you have a question that isn't answered here? Send us your question and we'll get back to you with an answer promptly. |
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about us | view properties | seller services | mls by owner | fsbo | forms | buyer services | pay online | resources | home | contact us Sunlit Realty, LLC | Phone: (920) 261-0036 | Fax: (888) 375-0102 | Email: barry@sunlitrealty.com | By Owner Blog The name and logo on this site is a servicemark of Sunlit Realty, LLC. | privacy policy | site map |
A: Yes. We are a state-licensed real estate brokerage with direct access to the same Multiple Listing Service (MLS) other firms use. We provide listing, marketing, negotiation and closing services comparable to most full-price companies. We even take some services to higher levels than typical real estate companies. We are also, first and foremost, professional real estate agents acting on your behalf, and in your best interest, just like agents at a traditional firm.
A: Trying to sell "by owner" can be a great first step – if it works. If it's not working, though, you may end up wasting a month or more of prime selling time. If you don't get any action in a few weeks it makes sense to try Sunlit's discount services. You can pick-and-choose which services you want, and not pay for anything else. In addition, selling "by owner" can be hard, time-consuming, and it is certainly not free. Selling a house costs money no matter how you do it. Buying for sale signs, newspaper ads and pages on FSBO web sites gets expensive fast. And, most importantly, you are not getting anywhere near the great exposure to buyers you get with the MLS and sites the MLS uploads to. You can also use Sunlit Realty's MLS services and still sell "by owner" without paying any selling broker commission.
They are paid to have home-selling services performed for you. We couldn't stay in business and offer area homeowners this new, low-cost selling opportunity if we didn't charge up front for our services. Our fees are truly as low as they can reasonably go.
