Paul Marino | FREE Realtor® MLS Listing Entry for FSBO's

How Does Our FREE REALTOR® MLS Property Listing Program Work?

The average seller listing their home with Landfall Properties, LLC collects an additional $20,138+/- on closing day. This is a hard, provable number, assuming a hypothetical sale price of $500,000. Put this equity in the bank, or put it towards your next purchase. Landfall Properties, LLC will provide you with a FREE active listing in the REALTOR® owned Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in your state.

For Connecticut (CT) sellers, that means entry into the SmartMLS® system. In Massachusetts (MA), its the MLSPIN® database. New Hampshire (NH) and Vermont (VT) home sellers are entered into the PRIMEMLS® system. Maine (ME) listing sellers are entered into the Maine Listings FLEXMLS® broker owned database. The Flat Fee MLS New England program we offer (available in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont), is radically different, but more important, radically superior to anything on the market. Why? Because, we understand what you want, and we deliver it to you for FREE.

Just a hunch, but we think you probably want to sell your home and not shell out a typical 6% sales commission to do it. That desire has been around as long as there have been real estate brokers. Nothing new there, but what is new, are the FREE tools we offer to successfully bring you to the closing table.

On closing day, when you're sitting at the table across from your buyers, a smile will come to your face when you realize you'll be taking home an additional $20,138+/- (typical for a $500,000 property). FACT: A full 97% of our seller clients successfully sell their home using our listing services.

THIS IS WHAT WE OFFER FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLERS FOR FREE

Right about now, you might be asking yourself: "If your business model is Flat FEE MLS, I don't understand how you can call it FREE...explain?"

In all transactions, there is a SELLER, and a BUYER. As a SELLER, you are LISTING your property. As a BUYER, you sometimes engage the services of a buyer agent to represent you. However, not all transactions involve a buyer agent. There are three scenarios you will be faced with.

LET'S LOOK AT THE THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, USING A HYPOTHETICAL SALE PRICE OF $500,000:

SCENARIO #1 (A buyer contacts you directly, and purchases your property WITHOUT the assistance of a buyer agent). This is distinctly possible, since your listing is seen across the Internet on HUNDREDS of websites. In this case, your total sale cost is $0, or 0%. You will pay NOTHING to sell your home (100% FREE). You will pay NOTHING to Landfall Properties, LLC, and you will pay NOTHING to a buyer agent, since one does not exist. You just saved yourself $27,500 (assuming a typical 5.5% full service commission on a hypothetical $500,000 sale).

SCENARIO #2 (A buyer agent contacts you directly, explaining they are representing a buyer). In this scenario, you will pay a 2.0% commission payout on closing day to the buyer brokerage. HOWEVER, if you wisely elect to allow Landfall Properties, LLC to serve as your buyer agent in any follow-on purchase (in any New England state) you will pay NOTHING to Landfall Properties, LLC on the LIST SIDE of your current sale (100% FREE). Your TOTAL sale cost is just 2.0% of $500,000, or $10,000. You just saved yourself $17,500 compared to what a typical 5.5% brokerage would charge. You will pay NOTHING to Landfall Properties, LLC, and a mere 2.0% to the buyer agent. Landfall Properties, LLC can get you an inside tour of ANY PROPERTY IN NEW ENGLAND you might be interested in buying. There are no restrictions. Simply text us (603) 781 - 4811 the address or MLS number, and we will make the appointment happen. This is one stop shopping. Work with the same broker (Paul R. Marino) handling your current home sale as you do on your new purchase. Why would you use us as a buyer agent for your follow on purchase? Apart from being provided with over the top service, you'll be handed a check on closing day for a full 25% of the buyer broker commission on your new purchase. That's $3,125 assuming a $500,000 purchase price and 2.5% buyer brokerage payout. All all for doing nothing.

SCENARIO #3 (A buyer agent contacts you directly, explaining they are representing a buyer). Let's assume you have no follow-on transaction, as you possibly already own a 2nd home. Your TOTAL sale cost is just 2.5% of $500,000, or $12,500. You just saved yourself $15,000, assuming a typical 5.5% brokerage commission. You will pay a mere one-half of one percent (0.5%) to Landfall Properties, LLC, and 2.0% to the buyer brokerage, all on closing day; nothing upfront.

Cancel anytime for any reason. The only exception to the no strings cancel policy is if your property is already under agreement, or a buyer agent or buyer announces intent to put forth an offer. For obvious reasons, the listing agreement can not be cancelled if a buyer has already been located as a result of listing services provided by Landfall Properties, LLC.

Provided you are correctly priced, feel confident you will successfully place your home under agreement. Want proof this works? From the home page, scroll through the mountain of testimonials. Once you're under agreement, Landfall Properties, LLC will carry you through to the closing table, no matter how long it takes after you've gone under contract. Our service will unequivocally save you five-figure money on your home sale. Home sellers using our service quickly conclude Landfall Properties, LLC is the most transparent brokerage they've ever worked with. Want to speak live right now with a broker licensed in your state (CT, MA, ME, NH, or VT), to quickly see if this service is a match for your needs? Call Toll Free: 844-373-3657, Option #1.

No other New England discount realtor, flat fee mls listing broker, or mls by owner website can match what we offer. As part of your due diligence in selecting a New England flat fee mls broker, ask them if they will put your property in the REALTOR® MLS, and across hundreds of websites for free. You'll likely hear crickets. Then, ask them if they can simultaneously list it for free and get your property seen within 24 hours on hundreds of websites. More silence.

FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLERS HAVE FULL FLEXIBILITY TO FIND A BUYER ON THEIR OWN AND PAY NOTHING

We believe a New England home seller should have full flexibility as it relates to their selling options. By this we mean, you can continue to market your home using whatever for sale by owner, fsbo methods you're currently using. You are totally unrestricted. At the same time, and at virtually no cost, we provide a "backstop" in case your for sale by owner, fsbo efforts are not yielding the results you'd like. That backstop is a FREE listing in the only New England property listing database that matters - the REALTOR® owned Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

The REALTOR® owned Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the real deal, the exact same database all New England licensed agents and brokers use to post their property listings. As a real estate consumer, you do not have access to this database. It is closely guarded. Sure, you may have access to the public facing side of the database (allowing you to see listings), but you unequivocally can not enter your property without the assistance of a licensed New England salesperson or broker. And if you’re not in the REALTOR® owned Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database, the chances of selling your home are remote.

HOW DO FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLERS GET THEIR PROPERTY INTO THE REALTOR® OWNED MLS DATABASE FOR FREE?

Simply clicking here will have your listing in the REALTOR® owned MLS within 24 hours of receiving your photos and data. There are strict requirements for allowing someone to enter a property into the REALTOR® owned MLS database. For starters, you must be a New England state licensed salesperson or real estate broker, a member of REALTOR®, and a member of the state specific REALTOR® owned MLS in order to advertise your home. That's where we come in. We've been brokering properties for more than three decades. Equally important, we have an impeccable record of integrity. We're a licensed broker across five states (Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire).

Over the course of the past 35 years, neither Landfall Properties, LLC, or it's principal broker has ever been the subject of a lawsuit, ethics violation, or complaint with any of the five state real estate commissions were are licensed with. Zero. It's a record we're exceptionally proud of. We strongly encourage New England Flat Fee MLS home sellers to Google our firm and it's principal broker (Paul R. Marino).

Before we continue, never forget that nothing is precluding you from continuing to locate a buyer on your own, and paying absolutely zero to any broker party. This is why you will never sign an Exclusive Right To Sell Listing Agreement when working with us. You will be offered an agreement that stipulates you have the express right to sell your property to any buyer you locate on your own, and pay zero. Ask most traditional New Hampshire real estate brokers if they do this. Not likely. But what if your for sale by owner, fsbo methods have stalled? You're tried all the for sale by owner New England websites, all the fsbo mls New England websites, and nothing is happening?

YOU COULD TRY A ZILLOW LISTING, BUT WHY DO NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLERS LISTED ONLY ON ZILLOW NEVER GET THE EXPOSURE WE OFFER?

Because the source database for all these different websites (including Zillow), is the state specific REALTOR® owned MLS. How do you think Zillow is posting all that housing inventory? They're simply vacuuming up all the house data from the state specific REALTOR® owned MLS. So, you might be thinking you can get the same exposure we offer, just by getting a free property listing on Zillow. Wrong. You should know that when listed on the Zillow site, your home is exposed on one single site on the Internet (actually two, since Zillow owns Trulia, and Zillow replicates your home data and photos out to Trulia as well).

Here's an important observation: Why is it that of all the homes listed on Zillow, 96%+/- (fact) are also listed with a real estate brokerage? You can see this for yourself by going to Zillow and filtering your search so that it only displays For Sale By Owner, fsbo properties. Now remove the filter and conduct the search. The numbers are nearly identical, meaning only 4%+/- are "go it alone" For Sale By Owner, fsbo sellers.

Why is this percentage so small? It's because real estate brokerages get results (i.e. a sold property), not because sellers have a particular affinity for real estate brokers. I'm not just saying real estate brokerages get results just to "puff up" brokers. It's the market that has made this determination. If a phenomenon (i.e. 96% of successful home sellers are listed with a brokerage) is taking place in the market, and continues to take place, it is only because market forces have demonstrated that this is the most efficient way to sell real estate. Don't try to push water uphill. It doesn't work.

We often see the following verbiage attached to a New England for sale by owner, fsbo, Zillow or Trulia listing: "We will compensate buyer brokers 2%". Your offer is falling on deaf ears. Why? Because it is buyers that are using Zillow to look for properties, not agents and brokers. Agents and brokers are using the REALTOR® owned Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Even if an agent or broker does see your offer, in the back of their mind the broker is thinking: "How am I going to ensure I actually get paid a commission on this transaction, and won't be cut out of the deal? By working with another REALTOR® owned MLS broker (i.e. Landfall Properties, LLC), at least I know my commission payment is guaranteed. With a home seller that I have no listing contract with, I don't really know whether I'll be paid or not".

WHERE WILL A FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLER'S LISTING BE SEEN BY LISTING WITH US?

When listed with Landfall Properties, LLC, your home will be seen on HUNDREDS of sites, not just one or two. Logic dictates that if your home data and photos are exposed across a much broader spectrum, it only makes sense that the chances of you being seen are far greater. It's that simple. You can easily see how the type of exposure we offer is dramatically superior to so called competitors, catering to New Hampshire for sale by owner home sellers, or fsbo home sellers.

We will ensure your property data and photos are immediately (within 24+/- hours) distributed over the Internet, not just to the REALTOR® owned MLS, but to a massive array of property search websites (see the scrolling list of sites on our home page just below the FAQ's). Your New England property data and photos are distributed to 90+/- property search web sites for which we have a syndication agreement. These include sites like Zillow®, Realtor®, Trulia®, Homefinder®, and many, many more. Plus, not only will your New England home be listed on these 90+/- websites, you will be listed on hundreds of other sites. How?

Nearly every real estate brokerage in New England has a website. And nearly every one of them offers the ability to search for available properties (yours included), right from their website. On top of that, 75%+ of all agents and brokers have their own individual websites. Your home will be seen there as well if these agents have a search function built into their website, which many do. This is massive exposure. If you tried to do this yourself (post to hundreds of websites), it would take you weeks, if not months. We do it in 24 hours, and all for free.

So now that you're listed in the REALTOR® owned MLS database, what happens next? A lot will begin to happen if you have intelligently set your ask price As I'm sure you're heard a thousand times, it's location that sells property. Right? Wrong. Actually, only two things sell a property, that would be an intelligent ask price, and broad exposure. To be technically correct, there are many factors influencing a sale (location, quality, square footage, condition, etc.), but at the core, fundamental level, it's only two things. I don't care how bad a location is, if you price the home low enough it will sell. The only two things that affect a successful home sale are price and massive exposure over the Internet on hundreds of websites. The price has already factored in location, quality, square footage, and condition.

HOW ARE FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLER'S LEADS FORWARDED TO THE HOMEOWNER?

The next feature I'm going to discuss is very important, as it is CRITICAL to your success. Every prospective New England buyer lead that is routed to our firm is sent directly to you. We do not intercept New England buyers. The only way you will know this is true is to take a look at our vast, ever growing list of client testimonials. Better yet, pick one at random, and ask to be put in touch with them.

The forwarding of buyer leads is an incredibly valuable service that simply can not be matched by anyone in the business. All leads, whether coming into our firm via phone, text, email, or chat will immediately be routed to both your text capable cell phone and your email. Certain sites (major sites like Zillow and Trulia) will provide buyers with the ability to directly communicate with us from their site. When the lead comes in, we immediately bounce it over to you for followup.

You can even test the various sites yourself. Go to Zillow or Trulia (for example), once your listing is up and live, and fill out the “I want more information” box. Or, tell a friend, whose email we do not know, and sit back and watch the result. Both your cell phone and email will light up. This is your best chance of connecting with a buyer directly, and bypassing a broker commission of any kind (no listing side sales commission, and no buyer broker side sales commission).

Attention to detail on buyer leads is what sets us head and shoulders above the competition. Never forget, every home sale begins with an inbound buyer lead. This is true of any conventional brokerage, any discount brokerage, any flat fee discount REALTOR®, any flat fee MLS listing brokerage, or any other form of for sale by owner or fsbo house selling method on the market. A successful sale always starts with a buyer lead.

On some sites, especially brokerage or individual agent sites, the whole purpose of these folks putting your listing up on their site is to allow them to participate as buyer brokers in the purchase of your home. No worries. Buyer brokers are your friend, for there is no more important person than the person that can actually bring forth a buyer. Sure, you'll pay the buyer broker 2%, but isn't that a whole lot better than paying 5% to 6%?

FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND ARE PROVIDED WITH THREE LISTING OPTIONS (FREE, $699, AND 1%)

We offer our New England Flat Fee MLS seller clients maximum flexibility with their home listing. Provided a home is correctly priced, and because you are seen across hundreds of websites, your chances of successfully placing your home under contract within a month are high. That's a contract, not a closing. A closing will generally take place about six weeks after a contract is fully executed. The days to a contract figure varies of course, depending on your location. In some hot markets of New England, homes go under agreement in hours or days. In remote areas up on the Canadian border in the middle of the wilderness, it obviously takes longer.

Consider signing up for our Level Two Premium listing for a nominal $699, good for 2 full years. You may list, de-list, re-list, as many times as you want over the 2 year period. This listing plan is often useful to those that are just testing the waters, and are not highly motivated sellers...great if they sell on their terms, but in no hurry type sellers.

And for those of you that want us to take care of virtually every detail in their transaction, and still only pay out a maximum of 3% (1% to Landfall Properties, LLC, plus 2% payout to a buyer broker), we offer our Level Three plan. The only service we do not provide is the taking of photographs, and the showing of the property. The average cell phone of today is more than capable of taking fantastic, high resolution photos. And as far as the showing of your home is concerned, we have you covered there as well.

Let me let you in on a little insider information. The vast majority of home buyers do not want to be led by the hand and taken on a tour. They want to talk among themselves in private, out of earshot of both the owner and the real estate broker. Don't get me wrong, buyers want to know an enormous amount of detail about your property, but that can all be provided to them by following our instructions, and posting a comprehensive electronic data folder to the Internet (a DROPBOX® folder will be provided to you free of charge, so that every buyer can just pull the data up on their cell phone). They can look at everything (deed, tax map, assessment card, property disclosure, list of repairs, photographs), virtually anything you can think of.

But we've also solved your home access problem. This is your home, and you are certainly able to be present at each and every showing if you choose to go that route. But let me suggest an alternative method. As a Level Three seller client, we provide you with a free mechanical lockbox. While you can certainly be on site for every showing, we don't recommend it. We do however oversee the showing process very carefully, to ensure your personal safety, and the safeguarding of your personal effects.

When the appointment is scheduled, we recommend you disappear for about a half hour. You will be sent electronic notification on both your cell phone via text message, as well as via email, letting you know when a buyer agent is inside, and when they have departed. You will always know who is accessing your property. Even better, a buyer feedback request is automatically routed to the buyer agent. Once completed by the buyer agent, the feedback information is sent to your email for review so you know what they thought of your property. This automated feedback system helps you gauge buyer interest, which is critical to your success.

In the case of buyer agents, security is generally not an issue, as buyer agents are not going to risk loss of professional real estate license by doing something stupid inside your home. No, they're not going to steal your Hummel collection. By contrast, extreme due diligence is required with buyers not coming in with a buyer broker. In those instances, we personally screen the buyer for authenticity. At a bare minimum, we require a lender pre-qualification letter from their mortgage lender before we even set the appointment. We even contact the mortgage lender and speak directly with the loan officer, so we know for certain we have a bona fide buyer on the line, and not a criminal. We also interview the buyer candidate themselves. Having been in this business for 35 years, our staff can spot a fraud very quickly.

FLAT FEE MLS NEW ENGLAND HOME SELLERS CAN ALWAYS GET THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY

We realize that in this article there has been a lot of material to wade through, but the graphic just above very quickly summarizes precisely what we offer for FREE, $699, and 1%. For a look at frequently asked questions (FAQ), you can look to this link. Since there is always safety in numbers, you are always welcome to review our vast array of satisfied New Hampshire seller clients by simply linking here.

Finally, as we're sure you're aware, there are a vast array of by owner mls outfits, discount realtors, flat fee listing brokers, for sale by owner and fsbo websites, and mls by owner companies out there. They're all basically the same, although service levels vary widely. But by listing with us, you will get three things you'll not likely get from a competitor. ONE: A Free listing in New England's premier property search database - the REALTOR® owned state specific MLS, and distribution to hundreds of websites; TWO: Insider advice that no other brokerage will ever tell you about; THREE: Unrivaled customer service, as our long list of clients will tell you.

How Does a Home Buyer Make Sure Their Offer is Seen and not Overlooked

By Paul Marino

Do you want to know what's really going on behind the scenes in the world of real estate offer submittal? This article does exactly that. I'm going to explain to you all the subtle things going on in the background that will provide you with a full understanding of the process. The first thing you should know is that the process of offer submittal and review is performed by humans. And, like anything performed by humans, stuff happens. Some intentional. Some by accident. Your job is to control everything you can control. But understand that some things are simply out of your control, and you're just going to have to trust the process.

Before we get started, you're going to have to decide if you're using a buyer broker, or you're presenting the offer yourself, without the use of a buyer broker. You may have concluded you can do this yourself, and you certainly have this option. So let's say you want to go this route. You figure out the price and terms you want to offer, you ring up the listing broker on the phone, and you say: "We want to put in a offer.", And the listing broker exclaims, "That's great! Are you working with a buyer broker?" "No", you tell the listing broker. Why do I need a buyer broker you think to yourself...I can do this myself. The first thing the listing broker is going to do is explain they need you to review your state specific consumer disclosure. It's the law. The state real estate commission mandates that upon first contact with a real estate customer, the customer must be provided with an explanatory disclosure statement that outlines the various types of agency relationships. In other words, the real estate commission wants real estate consumers to know precisely who the broker is working for and has pledged their allegiance to. In general, if you haven't signed a specific document stating the broker is working for you, they aren't. So guard what you say. These rules are the same if your using a traditional real estate broker, or a Flat Fee MLS listing brokerage like Landfall Properties, LLC. For sale by owner (FSBO) sellers who are in no way tied to a real estate broker, are exempt from presenting this document, since they are representing themselves.

Back to submitting the offer. You probably know this already, but the listing broker, whether they're a traditional broker or a Flat Fee MLS broker like Landfall Properties, LLC, works for the seller, and is (by law) required to protect the interests of the seller. They are under no obligation to put your interests first. So let me ask you this. Why would you want to put in an offer by yourself to a listing broker with no buyer broker protecting your interests? The smart answer is, you wouldn't. You're not going to gain one single advantage - none. You're not going to pay one dime less for the property. In fact, you open yourself up to being taken advantage of. If you'd like to read a great article on why this is a bad idea, you can link to this article. In the modern day and age, there is simply no good reason not to be represented by a buyer broker. In fact, not only will it better protect you, it will cost you nothing, and when working with us, you actually get paid for working with us. Your four figure compensation comes in the form of a buyer rebate check made out to you on closing day. There are huge advantages to you using our Flat Fee MLS programs, whether it be Flat Fee MLS Connecticut, Flat Fee MLS Florida, Flat Fee MLS Massachusetts, Flat Fee MLS Maine, Flat Fee New Hampshire, or Flat Fee MLS Vermont.

By now, I hope you've concluded that using a buyer broker offers you major advantages, and one of these is ensuring that your offer is actually seen. You might be asking, why wouldn't my offer be seen? Welcome to the real world. Imagine this scenario. There's been an open house, and many buyers have toured the home, as it is competitively priced. The listing broker takes an offer (not your offer) on the listing, shortly after the open house is over. We'll call this Buyer #1. Buyer #1 (not tied to a buyer broker) has submitted the offer directly to the listing broker because they somehow believe that submitting the offer directly is going to save them money. Buyer #1 surmises that the seller is only going to have to pay one sales commission, not two, thereby saving money all around for everyone. Actually, Buyer #1 is going to pay the exact same amount for the property, and the seller is going to pay the exact same commission agreed to in the listing agreement (somewhere in the vicinity of 5% to 6%, but commissions vary and there are no set fees). The only advantage to this scenario falls to the listing broker, who can pocket that entire 5% to 6% (or whatever) themselves, and not have to share it with a buyer broker. For you sellers out there, compare this typical 5% to 6% commission outlay, to the 0% to 3% you will pay using our Flat Fee MLS listing programs that combine the advantages of a for sale by owner (FSBO) sale, with that of a traditional broker.

But you (Buyer #2), working with a buyer broker coincidentally place an offer on the exact same day as the buyer referenced above. Two offers. Let's use a hypothetical sale price of $350,000 for example purposes, and let's use a hypothetical 6% gross sales commission. This is the sales commission the seller has agreed to pay the listing broker, no matter if a buyer broker is used or not. If Buyer #1's offer ultimately makes it to the closing table, the listing broker will pocket $21,000. Not too shabby. If Buyer #2 (your offer) is accepted, the seller will pay out the exact same $21,000 in commission, except part of it will be paid to the listing broker, and part to the buyer broker. The listing brokerage sets the size of the split. Sometimes it's 50%/50%. It varies. Let's assume 50%/50%. So the listing brokerage will pocket $10,500, and the buyer brokerage will pocket $10,500.

Now let's examine the offers. Remember, the home is competitively priced at $350,000. Wanting to have their offer accepted, Buyer #1 (no buyer broker) comes in at the ask price of $350,000. Buyer #2 (your offer), also knowing the home is well priced, come in at the same full price of $350,000. The seller is going to net the exact same amount of money no matter which offer is accepted ($329,000, or $350,000 - 6% = $329,000). However, if Buyer #1's offer is accepted, the listing brokerage pockets $21,000, and if Buyer #2's offer is accepted, the listing brokerage pockets only half this amount, or $10,500. Can you see the obvious problem here?

The way it's supposed to work, if everyone is following the rules (state law, MLS rules, and Realtor Code of Ethics Rules), and everyones doing what they're supposed to be doing, is that both offers must be presented to the seller, so the seller can decide which to accept. It is not the job of the listing broker to make this decision. The seller alone has this authority. So you (Buyer #2) are concerned that because of all the activity on the home, your offer might not get seen. Well, if you're working with a buyer broker, you have some very powerful tools at your disposal. Because the buyer broker is a member of the MLS, and because the MLS has rules about how offers are submitted, the buyer broker is afforded certain assurances regarding offer submittal. While all MLS's are a little bit different, many have written into their rules that a buyer broker has the right to participate in the presentation of the offer to the seller (unless the seller provides written instructions they do not wish to have the buyer broker present). When I say "right to participate", I mean the right to be physically present when the offer is submitted. Now, I will tell you that this rarely occurs, but the right to do so is there in most MLS rules. It is however, considered somewhat "aggressive" in the real estate world to have a buyer broker on scene when the offer is presented to the seller.

What I recommend is this: You want to know the offer has been presented, but you don't want to cause any undue "tension" in the offer presentation. If you've signed up for our Level Three service, we'll simply include a sentence in the Purchase and Sales Agreement that reads as follows: "In the event this offer is declined with no counter, the seller shall write the word "DECLINED" on the offer, and sign and date the offer to acknowledge it has been seen and evaluated." Simple. It's basically trust, but verify. Now if I run into a listing broker that simply bounces me an email and says: "I'm sorry, your offer was declined", I refer them to the offer, and my request for written confirmation. If the listing broker balks at this request, I escalate to their managing broker, and this usually gets their attention. If this still doesn't work, I then call their attention to MLS rules, which provides me with the express right to be physically present. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. As a final note, I will add that the listing broker is under no obligation to have Buyer #1 exercise these same rights, because Buyer #1 is not a REALTOR, is not a member of the MLS, and can not exercise these privileges. Again, another reason to use us as your buyer broker.

Home Buyers and Sellers Both Need to Know the Important Difference Between a Buyer Pre-Qualification Letter and a Pre-Approval Letter

By Paul Marino

This article is going to be of great benefit to both homes sellers and home buyers alike. It's a lot to go through, but will potentially save you from making a serious misstep. For those for sale by owner (FSBO) sellers out there that have wisely decided to list with our Flat Fee MLS program (sometimes referred to as an Entry Only MLS Listing program), you're technically not a for sale by owner (FSBO). Why? Because by listing with us, you have harnessed the enormous power of the entire buyer broker community in your particular market. What does this mean for you? It means that every single licensed agent or broker in your respective state (we're licensed in Connecticut, Massachusetts Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) is able to participate in your home sale and earn a buyer broker commission. We're talking thousands of agents. And if you are correctly priced, and offering our recommended 2% buyer broker payout, you will, in all likelihood, be successful. A full 97% of all home sellers enrolled in our Flat Fee MLS programs (Flat Fee MLS Connecticut, Flat Fee MLS Maine, Flat Fee MLS Massachusetts, Flat Fee MLS New Hampshire, or Flat Fee MLS Vermont) successfully make it to the closing table. That's an incredibly high success rate.

So let's say you've priced your property at market and buyer brokers (as well as buyers not tied to a buyer broker) are making inquiries of your property. With any luck, an initial showing will result in a follow up second showing. And some of those second showings will materialize into an offer. It is absolutely critical that our Flat Fee MLS Listing home sellers know how to evaluate the financial picture of the buyer that is targeting their home. Depending upon which of our listing programs you signed up for (Level One [Free], Level Two [$699], or Level Three [1%]), you are not alone, and have many options available to you.

At Level Three, you literally do nothing. We handle this entire buyer screening process for you. Put your feet up and relax. If you're at Level One (Free), or Level Two ($699), this article will very precisely explain what you need to do to ensure a successful transaction. And even if you've signed up for Level One or Level Two, you're still never left in a lurch, because we offer you the ability to purchase a-la-carte advice if you run into a jam and just don't know how to proceed. At a nominal $249 per hour of consultation, this could be the smartest outlay you make. You may use your hour of consult time over multiple incidents and sessions. Compare this nominal outlay to being clobbered with a 3% listing side sales commission (that's $10,500 on a $350,000 home sale). Ouch.

With every showing requested, but especially so when dealing directly with buyers not tied to a buyer broker, it is critical that you determine very early on the financial strength of the buyer. Personally, I won't even permit a showing if a buyer can not produce a Pre-Qualification letter at the bare minimum. This is not to be confused with a Pre-Approval letter, which we'll discuss in just a moment. You'll have it a little easier when working with a buyer broker, because they've done some screening of their own. All buyer brokers work off commission, so they are especially tuned in to whether or not the buyer they're hauling all over town has the financial wherewithal to successfully make it to the closing table. Most buyer brokers are smart enough to have their buyers meet with a mortgage lender on the very front end of a home search, to ensure they're not wasting their time on unqualified buyers.

It's almost a foregone conclusion that at a minimum, a buyer working with a buyer broker has a Pre-Qualification letter from a mortgage lender. Typically, the way it works is like this: When a buyer has given their buyer broker the go ahead to submit an offer, the buyer broker (if they're competent, and most are), will attach the Pre-Qualification letter right to the offer. This is a good thing, but it doesn't mean you're out of the woods and can let your guard down. It is important for you to know that a Pre-Qualification letter from a lender is not the same as a Pre-Approval letter. This becomes critically important when it comes time to either accept or decline an offer. Just because an offer comes in at full price, with no contingencies, and a pre-qualification letter does not necessarily mean it beats out a slightly below ask price offer, but accompanied by a more powerful Pre-Approval letter. They sound an awful lot alike (Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval), but they are light years apart in terms of what they mean.

A Pre-Qualification letter can be generated by a mortgage lender in literally minutes. By contrast, a Pre-Approval letter takes hours, or days to do the necessary due diligence to produce such a letter. While all mortgage lenders are a little bit different, there is simply no way for you to know how meaningful a Pre-Qualification letter is unless you know what it's based on. And the only way that is going to happen is for you to jump on the phone, and make contact with the mortgage officer that signed the Pre-Qualification letter. If you're a Level Three client, we will do this for you, and communicate the results to you the minute we get off the phone with the lender. In general, Pre-Qualification letters are generated very quickly, without doing a whole lot of research. Again, all mortgage lenders are different. Some are more thorough than others. But you should know that many Pre-Qualification letters are generated: 1) Without performing a formal credit check; 2) Without filing a formal mortgage application; 2) Without verifying employment; 3) Without verifying income; 4) Without verifying debt obligations; or 5) Without verifying assets or cash available on hand to apply to the purchase. At this stage in the qualification process, the mortgage lender may be relying solely on what the buyer has told them. The buyer may have told the lender he makes $125,000 per year. But this figure may have been based on overtime, and the additional pay can not be used in the qualification.

For you Level One or Level Two Flat Fee MLS Listing clients out there, here's what you need to do: You need to make live phone contact with the mortgage loan officer of the buyer. You must do this before you decide to accept an offer. Because once you accept the offer, you're hands are tied in the event a superior offer comes down the pike. Once you've got them on the phone, you have to understand that the mortgage loan officer is not able to disclose information that has been provided to them in confidence by the buyer. So don't come out and ask: "How much does the buyer make....What is their credit score?" No...not the way it works. You can say this: "Hello...Mr. Mortgage Lender...Hi...my name is Susan Seller, and one of your buyer clients has put in an offer on my property. I'll only take a minute of your time, and promise just a few generic questions. I received a Pre-Qualification letter this morning, and was wondering if you could tell me if you've pulled a credit report in advance of issuing your letter? You have? Great. Have employment, income, and debt been verified, or is that something you're still working on?" You get the idea. Be nice. Carefully study their answers, and the tone of voice. It will tell you a lot.

In general, a buyer coming in with a Pre-Approval letter is far more desirable than a paper thin Pre-Qualification letter. If credit has been checked, employment verified, and assets and debt confirmed, you can have far greater confidence your transaction is going to make it to the closing table. Even a Pre-Approval letter is not bulletproof. The approval will still have conditions, but most of the heavy lifting will be behind you. The Pre-Approval letter will be subject to a satisfactory appraisal that confirms the collateral is there for the loan. It will also be subject to a last minute check (right before the closing) that the buyer is still employed, and that the buyer has not gone out the day before the closing and purchased a $100,000 motorboat that throws their debt ratios out of whack. The bottom line is this...trust, but verify. You simply must know the financial strength of the buyer before signing any Purchase and Sales contract.

After you Complete Your Sale, Save Even More Money (Rebates) Using our Buyer Broker Services Anywhere in CT, MA, ME, NH, or VT

By Paul Marino

The two most important attributes your buyer broker should possess are integrity and transparency. Experience is a close third. By using me as your buyer broker, you're guaranteed to get all three. While anyone can make this statement, it's another thing to prove it. If you've already used our for sale by owner (FSBO) services to sell your home using our Flat Fee MLS system, you know exactly what I'm talking about. For those that haven't, we strongly encourage you to review our long list of testimonials, where you'll find detailed reviews you can personally verify. Pick any one of our testimonials at random. We will provide you with a name, cell phone number, and email address for any of them, so you can speak to them directly and ask them how their transaction was handled.

2) So let's fast forward for a moment. Let's assume we've already placed your home under agreement using our Flat Fee MLS Connecticut, Flat Fee MLS Maine, Flat Fee MLS Massachusetts, Flat Fee MLS New Hampshire, or Flat Fee MLS Vermont listing program. A sales contract that results in an actual closing is the end result for roughly 97% of all the home seller clients that list with us. When your plans include buying a follow on property, we're going to demonstrate why it makes sense to allow me to represent your interests as a buyer. Why? Two reasons. One - you're going to receive a four figure check at the closing table when you buy that new property, and two - you're going to benefit from more than three decades of experience.

3) So imagine you've recently retired, and we've placed your Sunderland, Vermont home under contract using our Flat Fee MLS Vermont program. Your retirement plans include the purchase of another home, this time in Essex, Connecticut, so you can be closer to your grandchildren. Want to know the truth? This isn't hypothetical. It's an actual transaction. I personally brokered this Vermont home sale, using our Flat Fee MLS Vermont program (NEREN MLS 4490026 / 86 Dunlap Farm Road, Sunderland, Vermont 05250.) We sold it for $265,000. By the way, I never saw the home, never set foot in the house, never met the owner (Mr. Donald Boucher), but did save him $7,950 in listing side real estate commissions. I only mention this to demonstrate this can be done remotely with no difficulty. Read his testimonial, describing both his sale experience using our Flat Fee MLS Vermont program, and his buy side experience in Connecticut. On the buy side, we acted as Mr. Boucher's buyer broker for the purchase in Essex, Connecticut (SMARTMLS #N10238500 / 4 Keyboard Lane, Essex, Connecticut 06442). Again, I never saw the house, never set foot on the property. I did however, perform exhaustive research, and attended to the most minute detail, from initial showing, on up through the closing.

4) So right about now you're asking: "How are you going to represent me as my buyer broker on the purchase of a Essex, Connecticut home when your company is based in Dover, New Hampshire?" Simple. It's called technology. There is virtually nothing I can not tell you about a property without leaving a computer screen. Need a look at the neighborhood? There are hundreds of mapping programs on the Internet, some so good you can literally walk the neighborhood. I can tell you what color the mailbox is. Want to investigate how much money the seller owes on their mortgage (which may be influencing their ask price?) No problem. I can tie into the Middlesex County, Connecticut Land Registry of Deeds database and pull this information up in seconds. How about investigating if that addition off the back of the house is legal, and followed all municipal protocols (i.e. pulling the requisite building and trade permits?) Done. Having worked in every sector in the residential real estate business for over three decades (broker, appraiser, house renovator, auction and estate buyer, and investor), I can perform this work fast...very fast. Could you do this yourself? Of course you could. But why would you when I can do it more efficiently, and put a buyer broker rebate check in your pocket on closing day?

5) I have a very different methodology (smarter and more efficient) when targeting houses for purchase than most brokers. First off, you should know that a very high percentage of a real estate brokers time is spent driving around on non-productive road trips that serve no real purpose. To be clear, I will not personally tour the properties you target for purchase, but this in no way places you at a disadvantage. Having me tour the properties you are interested in is entirely unnecessary (explained in the next paragraph), and, for that reason, I don't do it. It's also the reason why most buyer brokers can not afford to pay you a buyer broker rebate as generous as I do. In the transaction I just referenced above, Mr. Donald Boucher collected a cool $2,281 on the day he closed on his Essex, Connecticut home, all for doing nothing. This is on top of the $7,950 we saved him on the sale of his Sunderland, Vermont home using our Flat Fee MLS Vermont program. When targeting properties for purchase for my buyer clients, I perform a tremendous amount of front end research that will save you time, aggravation, and sanity. Does it really make sense to drive around touring 25 properties when 20 of them could have been eliminated with some front end due diligence? Does it really make sense to set up an appointment for that cute little Cape Cod in the photos that turns out to have a gas station across the street? Of course not. The very first thing I'm going to do to protect your interests is examine the neighborhood, because there is no more important consideration than location. My point is, if a buyer broker is doing their job, the number of homes you actually walk through can typically be narrowed down to a half dozen. I work smarter, not harder.

6) By using my buyer brokerage services in CT, MA, ME NH or VT, you will have a single point of contact throughout the entire process. You will benefit from the full array of buyer brokerage expertise (i.e. targeting properties that fit your requirements, setting and confirming all showing appointments, getting you inside all properties that are serious prospects, tactical negotiating advice, management of all contract, addendum, and related paperwork, handling all “back and forth” minutiae between the listing broker and buyer broker, assistance with financing requirements, evaluation and response to home inspection, investigation into zoning issues, review and evaluation of home appraisal, review of all Closing Disclosure (CD) documentation in advance of the closing, and essentially handling every aspect of your purchase to ensure a smooth closing, and a pleasant home buying experience.) Feel confident that with 30+ years in the business, the advice you receive will be exemplary.

7) "How will I get you inside those properties that you have a serious interest in?" Simple. I've been doing this a long time. The very first thing I'm going to do is get on the phone to the listing broker and present to them a case that is so compelling they will want to let you inside. How do I do this? By demonstrating that you're financially qualified, highly focused, and have done all the necessary research on any given home. In other words, I convince them that their listing is on your short list, and it is in their best interest to let you through. Most buyer brokers will simply call up a listing broker and say: "I'd like to get into 89 Elm Street on Saturday at 2:00...does that work?" Not the way we roll. I prove to the listing broker I have a qualified buyer. Does this initial pass at getting you inside always work? No. No problem...onto Plan B. I simply make it worth their while. In all the years I have been doing this, I have never had a listing broker refuse a tour to one of my buyer clients.

8) When you do find “the one”, I strongly recommend you secure a home inspection to evaluate all systems, components, and cosmetics of the home. This is not the job of any buyer broker, since you require a specific level of systems expertise, provided by an impartial 3rd party, whose sole function is to “tell it like it is”. If any items of concern are identified with the physical structure, you are further counseled to secure expert advise from a person in the specific construction trade relevant to the potential deficiency (licensed electrician, licensed plumbing/heating contractor, licensed structural engineer, etc.). No one is better at securing local level trade expertise than I am. By following this procedure, you will feel secure knowing you have done everything possible to make an informed buying decision. I take buyer brokerage services very seriously, never providing advice any different than I would follow myself if in the same situation.

Live in New England and Selling Your Home? List FREE in the Official REALTOR® Owned MLS in Your State

By Paul Marino

For starters, we provide you with a FREE active listing in your particular state Multiple Listing Service (MLS). For Connecticut (CT) sellers, that means entry into the SmartMLS® system. In Massachusetts (MA), its the MLSPIN® database. New Hampshire (NH) and Vermont (VT) home sellers are entered into the NEREN® MLS system. Maine (ME) listing sellers are entered into the Maine Listings Flexmls® broker owned database. And if you’re not in these various state specific databases, the chances of selling your home are remote. These MLS databases are the real deal – the exact same database all agents and brokers use to post their listings. Do not be fooled by firms promising to get you into an "important" database that may sound similar, but is not the real McCoy.

But that's just the start. We will ensure your property data and photos are immediately (within 24 hours) distributed over the Internet to a massive array of property search websites (see the scrolling list of sites just below the FAQ's on the home page). Your property data and photos are distributed to 90+/- property search web sites for which we have a syndication agreement. These include sites like Zillow®, Realtor®, Trulia®, Homefinder®, and many, many more. Plus, not only will your home be listed on these 90+/- websites, but you will be listed on hundreds of other sites. How?

Nearly every real estate brokerage in the states of CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT has a website. And nearly every one of them offers the ability to search for available properties (yours included), right from their website. On top of that, 75%+ of all agents and brokers have their own individual websites. Your home will be seen there as well if these agents have a search function built into their website. This is massive exposure. If you tried to do this yourself (post to hundreds of websites), it would take you weeks, if not months. We do it in 24 hours, and it won't cost you a cent.

This next feature is important, as it is critical to your success. Every prospective buyer lead that is routed to Landfall Properties, LLC is sent directly to you. We do not intercept buyers. This is an incredibly valuable service that simply can not be matched by anyone in the business. All leads, whether coming into Landfall Properties, LLC by phone, text, email, or chat will be immediately routed to both your text capable cell phone and your email. Certain sites (major sites like Zillow and Trulia) will provide buyers with the ability to directly communicate with Landfall Properties, LLC from their site. When the lead comes into Landfall Properties, LLC, we immediately bounce it over to you for follow up.

How do you know we're telling the truth? You don't, unless you ask to be put in touch with any one of home seller clients. Pick one at random out of our Testimonials section, and we will place you in direct contact. Of course, once you're up and listed, you can simply test the process for yourself. Simply go to Zillow or Trulia (for example), and fill out the “I want more information” box. Or, tell a friend, whose email we do not know, and sit back and watch the result. The result is, your cell and email will light up. This is your best chance of connecting with a buyer directly, and bypassing a broker commission of any kind (no listing side sales commission, and no buyer broker side sales commission). Attention to detail on buyer leads is what sets us head and shoulders above the competition. Never forget, every home sale begins with an inbound buyer lead.

On some sites, especially brokerage or individual agent sites, the whole purpose of these folks putting your listing up on their site is to allow them to participate as buyer brokers in the purchase of your home. No worries. Buyer brokers are your friend, for there is no more important person than the person that can actually bring forth a buyer. Sure, you'll pay the buyer broker 2%, but isn't that a whole lot better than paying 5% to 7%?

When listing with Landfall Properties, LLC, you will receive unrivaled customer service, based on one very simple philosophy: “We’re not happy until you’re happy.” We are New England’s original FREE Flat Fee MLS listing service. Beware of “competitors” or “imitators” that seem to offer something similar. They don’t. Read the fine print. You may cancel your listing at any time for any reason up until the time your property formally goes under contract. Owe nothing. You can make as many changes to your property data and photos as you like, anytime you want, 24 x 7.

Your listing can remain live for FREE for 2 full months (60 days) with no charges of any kind. After 60 days, if your home is not under agreement, you have the option of cancelling your listing, no charge, owe nothing, or upgrading to a Level Two Premium listing for a nominal $499. Your Premium listing can be renewed up to 2 full years. The number of services we provide in this package dramatically outdistances any "competitor" in the marketplace. Shop us last. It's not even close.

Three Superior Options (A FREE MLS Listing, a $699 Premium Service Listing, or a 1% Full Service Listing)

By Paul Marino

What do you get for FREE? (Level 1 - A REALTOR® MLS Listing in CT, MA, ME, NH, or VT)

Click Image To Order

1) Your FREE home listing is posted to your state specific REALTOR® affiliated MLS [Multiple Listing Service] within 24 hours of receipt of your photos and house data.

2) Massive distribution of your listing across hundreds of websites for 2 full months - REALTOR® MLS, Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Trulia, com, Homes.com; Homefinder.com, etc.

3) Inbound lead forwarding. Every buyer or buyer broker that makes an inquiry about your property has their contact information promptly routed to you for follow up.

4) Access to our advice columns (top menu bar). Read these insider articles, and you will learn how to avoid missteps and complete a successful home sale.

5) Pay a 0% listing brokerage sales commission. Limit your total commission payout to a 2% buyer broker commission. Pay 0% (total) to any broker party if you locate a buyer for your home and no broker is involved.

6) At the end of 2 full months, either let your listing expire (owe nothing), or upgrade to Level 2 or Level 3. Correctly priced homes typically go under agreement in under 2 months.

CLICK HERE for Level-1 Free Listing Service

What do you get for $699? (Level 2 - Premium Listing Service)

Click Image To Order

1) All items cited above in Level 1, to include a 0% listing side brokerage sales commission.

2) Pay nothing until you actually see your home posted on hundreds of websites across the Internet.

3) Professional real estate FOR SALE sign with "text to" number for property details, and scannable quick reaction code so buyers can pull up home details on their cell phone.

4) Dedicated website address custom built for your property, so you can showcase features, photos, and a virtually unlimited array of support documents.

5) Full access to your state specific REALTOR® contract forms, addendums, and specialized documents to take you from listing day, all the way to the closing table.

6) Electronic signature service, enabling you to secure signatures over the Internet, without having to drive around securing hand affixed signatures for contract documents.

7) Virtual tour of your property, showcasing the best feature of your home in a visually appealing format.

8) Escrow deposit services. When the buyer escrow deposit comes in, it is held in a safe, secure, and open for audit account (by state real estate commission) until formal dispersal of funds at the closing table.

9) Realtor.com website visitor statistics every week, to let you know how many visitors are looking at your home on the Realtor.com website.

10) Unlimited licensed broker advice and consultation (16 x 7 x 365), if you use our Buyer Brokerage services on your next purchase, where you'll receive a 25% buyer commission rebate at closing (thousands)

11) Buyer feedback response system. We send out web based feedback questionnaires to all buyer and buyer brokers, then route them to you, so you receive critical feedback from buyers and buyer brokers.

12) Box of 100 professionally printed business cards that you can hand out to prospective buyers, buyer brokers, appraiser, home inspector, or anyone connected to your transaction.

13) Use of our corporate office conference room. First class office space you are free to use to conduct your real estate closing. Every modern office convenience is at your disposal.

14) We review your Closing Disclosure (CD) document prior to closing, checking every line item for accuracy, so there are no surprises at the closing table.

15) We make a $25 charitable contribution to either Wounded Warrior Project, or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - your choice, with you getting credit for the charitable contribution on your tax return.

16) If you transition to Level 3 at any point during your 2 year Premium Service Membership, your $499 already paid in is credited towards the 1% listing brokerage commission of Level 3.

CLICK HERE for Level-2 $699 Premium Listing Service

What do you get for just 1% of the net sale price? (Level 3 - Full Service Listing)

Click Image To Order

1) All 16 items cited above in Level 2. There is no difference between Level 3 service and a full service "traditional broker". The sole exception is, all showings are electronically controlled (Item #3 below). Of course, you are welcome to attend every showing if you prefer.

2) We list you with a 1% listing brokerage commission, and a 2% buyer broker commission, (3% total), far superior to the typical 5% to 6% total commission payout across most of New England and Florida. However, if you find a buyer, you will pay a 0% total broker commission payout. Nothing.

3) Electronic lockbox for your front door. With your permission, we provide cell phone activated authorization codes to allow buyers and buyer brokers to tour your home (all buyers and buyer brokers are pre-screened and vetted for authenticity and enhanced security).

4) Unlimited licensed broker consultation and advice with direct access to a CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, or VT broker, 16 x 7 x 365. Via phone, Skype, text, email, fax, or face to face consultation in our Nashua, NH office.

5) We handle every detail. We handle every piece of communication with all buyers, buyer brokers, appraiser, home inspector, contractors, lender, attorneys, and anyone else connected to the transaction. You do virtually nothing.

CLICK HERE for 1% Level-3 Full Service Listing

How Buyers can Collect Several Thousand Dollars on Closing day – all for Doing Nothing

By Paul Marino

Our Buyer Broker service is unlike any other Buyer Broker service you may be accustomed to. The distinction is, our Buyer Broker services work in conjunction with a rebate (CASH PAID TO YOU). This rebate is paid directly to you at closing, and will appear as a formal line item (Page 2 / Item H / Line 08) on the Closing Disclosure (CD) closing statement. This rebate applies to all kinds of buyers, whether this is your fifth home purchase, or your first.

Rebates paid to buyers are fully legal in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, and in fact, are fully endorsed by the US Dept. of Justice. The link here (connects you directly to the US Dept. of Justice website) provides a broad overview of the basics.

THE BUYER REBATE PROCESS WORKS IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:

1) Landfall Properties, LLC provides exemplary Buyer Broker representation by having your CT, MA, NH, VT, or ME home purchase overseen by the consummate professional. Principal Broker Paul R. Marino brings three decades of experience to your home purchase, along with the following: a) 35 years Buyer Brokerage expertise; b) Ethics (not a single CT, MA, NH, VT, or ME state real estate board ethics violation in the past 35 years); c) Credentials (35 year member of the REALTOR® organization, and awarded the ePro® designation); d) Education: BS Economics, Lehigh University; MS Systems Management, University of Southern California; e) Licensed Principal Broker, f) Former Captain, USAF, Strategic Air Command.

2) Landfall Properties facilitates the rebate (you do nothing), and causes your name to appear on Page 2, Item H, Line 08 on the Closing Disclosure (CD), reflecting a credit to you (cash rebate) of 25% of the Buyer Broker commission. EXAMPLE: Assume you purchase a home in Greenwich, CT, Boston, MA, North Conway, NH, Rutland, VT, or Caribou, ME (or for that matter, a property in any city, town, village, hamlet, or minor crossroads in CT, MA, NH, VT, or ME). In our example, the purchase price is $350,000. The Buyer Broker commission is 3% of the purchase price, or .03 X $350,000 = $10,500. Thus, 25% of $10,500, or $2,625 will appear as a rebate to you, reflected on Page 2, Item H, Line 08, of the Closing Disclosure (CD) statement.

3) Landfall’s compensation for serving in the capacity of a Buyer Broker for your home sale will be reflected on the Closing Disclosure (CD) in plain view for all parties to see. Landfall Properties, LLC collects a commission of $7,875 (75% of $10,500), and you collect a cash rebate of $2,625 (25% of $10,500). WIN-WIN. This entire rebate process adds nothing to the purchase cost of your new property, and, in this example, puts $2,625 in your pocket.

4) By using the Buyer Brokerage services of Landfall Properties, LLC, you will have a single point of contact throughout the entire process. You will benefit from the full array of buyer brokerage expertise (i.e. targeting properties that fit your requirements, setting and confirming all showing appointments, tactical negotiating advice, management of all contract, addendum, and related paperwork, handling all “back and forth” minutiae between the Listing Broker and Buyer Broker, assistance with financing requirements, evaluation and response to home inspection, investigation into zoning issues, review and evaluation of home appraisal, review of all Closing Disclosure (CD) documentation in advance of the closing, and essentially handling every aspect of your purchase to ensure a smooth closing, and a pleasant home buying experience.) Feel confident that with 30 years in the business, the advice you receive will be exemplary.

5) The only service we will not provide is an accompanied tour of your prospective new home, which is unnecessary for several reasons: a) There will be a Listing Broker on site to take you through the property; b) Only you know what you want in a home; c) With Google street view, and the vast array of Internet based tools out there, there is precious little we can not tell you about a property without even crossing the threshold. Things like outstanding mortgage balance, liens against the property, real estate taxes, outstanding building permits, legal uses of the land (as defined by the town zoning ordinance), etc. Nothing escapes our ability to secure for you every conceivable detail about a property you are targeting. Can't you just do this for yourself? Of course you could, but why would you when someone is doing it all for you, and handing you a check for $2,625 to boot? Plus, let me ask you: Having worked the databases of the internet for three decades, do you think we're efficient at tracking down information? You bet we are.

6) When you do find “the one”, Landfall Properties strongly recommends you secure a home inspection to evaluate all systems, components, and cosmetics of the home. This is NOT the job of any Buyer Broker, since you require a specific level of systems expertise, provided by an impartial 3rd party, whose sole function is to “tell it like it is”. If any items of concern are identified with the physical structure, you are further counseled to secure expert advise from a person in the specific construction trade relevant to the potential deficiency (licensed electrician, licensed plumbing/heating contractor, licensed structural engineer, etc.). By following this procedure, you will feel secure knowing you have done everything possible to make an informed decision.

7) Your compensation for the simple act of touring the interior of the property (without a Buyer Broker at your side), is, in this instance, $2,625. As mentioned above, your home tour will be conducted by the Listing Broker. You don’t need another party on hand to exclaim: “Oh what a beautiful kitchen!” LOL. You know what you want as a buyer, and don’t need us to hold your hand. What you need is advice. Advice that is based on 35 years of experience with every sector of the real estate market (brokerage, appraisal, and home renovation).

Shouldn’t my House Have Sold by now? Have I Chosen the Wrong Broker?

By Paul Marino

Selling and buying real estate is really not all that different than any other type of consumer purchase. Apart from the price tag being considerably larger, it's basically all the same, whether you're buying a $350 lawn mower, or a $3.5M oceanfront estate. The seller wants a high price, and the buyer wants a low price. It's a concept that's been around since the dawn of man.

However, when buying or selling a lawn mower, there's not a whole lot of emotional connection to the sale, by either party. The seller figures...this is the price, take it or leave it. And the buyer figures, it they don't come down to $325, I'll just walk away and buy the exact same machine somewhere else. Unlike selling a lawn mower however, there's a whole lot of emotion involved, and herein lies the problem.

To a home seller, their house is their castle. They are understandably emotionally connected to the property, as it's been part of their life, holding all kinds of cherished memories and thoughts of how much money they poured into the house over the years, and how they'd like to get that money back. To a home buyer however, you're just another house on the market. Not to say they will never become emotionally connected, but at least in the beginning, a buyer will never look at your home the way the seller does.

Sellers hitting the market are usually excited to be listing, and expectations typically run high. However, it is important to understand that as a rule, real estate is a highly illiquid asset. Meaning, don't expect a house to fly off the shelf like a two for one jean sale at Walmart. Depending on your market, selling real estate can take time.

It's important for home sellers to understand that unlike the old days (pre-Internet), buyers have access to the exact same inventory of housing as brokers and agents do. In other words, a broker has no better information than the average consumer with a smart phone or laptop. And because this is true, buyers no longer pull into a real estate office parking lot, waltz in, and ask: "What do you have for sale?". It simply isn't done. Buyers like convenience, and as such, they are hitting the various property search websites that hold the comprehensive set of housing inventory, all while sipping a latte at Starbucks. I would venture to say, that if a buyer has searched the websites of Realtor and Zillow, they have effectively seen 97%+ of all the available homes on the market. Does this mean they might possibly miss some "fall through the crack" home seller out there? Of course not. But the number of missed opportunities is exceedingly small.

Because buyers today are sophisticated, and track property search websites very carefully, they know when a property comes on the market, and they know if something is overpriced. So, if they're searching for a 2,000sf Cape Cod in a subdivision, and after months of checking, they generally see prices in the $375K to $425K ask price range, they know something's not quite right when you pop up with your house, asking $499K for nearly the exact same housing.

While I run the risk of sounding like a broken record, there are only two things that sell a house. Price and exposure. Nothing else matters. EXAMPLE: I recently sent a home seller an activity report for the Realtor.com website. You should know that website traffic analytics are very sophisticated these days. Webmasters can seen how many times someone visits a site, how long they linger there, what pictures they click on, etc. The details are mind numbing. The summary report of which I speak will tell a home seller how many times a home buyer saw a particular listing displayed in a list, and a second number tells them how many times a prospective buyer saw the house in a list, and something caused them to click the listing, showing them housing details and photos. In this particular example, a grand total of 21,512 (Twenty One Thousand Five Hundred Twelve) home searchers saw their home in a list. And of this figure, 623 individuals were interested enough to pull up the listing and look at the details, or about 2.9% (this percentage figure is typical by the way).

So, if 623 prospective home buyers pull up your listing (on just one website), look at all the beautiful pictures, and well crafted description, and not a single one has asked for a showing, it can only mean one thing. Without providing the obvious reason in bold, capital letters, I will calmly outline the explanation: The price is too high. Ouch. Sorry. I know you don't want to hear that. The market never lies. How else could you possibly explain why not a single person has asked for a showing? There simply is no other explanation.

Switching brokers will not do a single thing to boost your activity levels. Feeling frustrated, some sellers conclude: "It must be because I am not listed with a big name, national brokerage." FACT: Buyers could care less who the home is listed with. Buyers want houses, not brokers. How do we know this? A mountain of successful home sellers that have sold their home using the brokerage services of Landfall Properties, LLC, saving themselves $14,413 on average. If you want to maximize your net seller proceeds, look yourself squarely in the mirror and examine the facts. Set your emotions aside. Don't be swayed by a "dog and pony show" presentation that is all about fluff, and very little about the realities of the marketplace.

As a Home Seller do You Need to Hire an Attorney When You Transfer Your Property?

By Paul Marino

"Do I need to hire an attorney?" Maybe. Maybe not. This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get from sellers. We'll be looking at both perspectives in this article. It is important to separate fact (law), from opinion. FACT: In every state in which we are licensed (New England), all of them mandate by state law that an attorney oversee the closing. That includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. All of them. Does that mean you need to run out and hire an attorney? No, it doesn't.

So let's say you're selling your home. You might be selling it with the assistance of a traditional real estate broker, who, is likely charging you in the vicinity of 5% to 6% to broker your property. On a $350,000 home sale, a $19,250 hit to your bottom line is the painful result. Or, you might have wisely opted to pocket the $14,413 in sales commissions you would have saved by using the Flat Fee MLS listing programs of Landfall Properties, LLC. $14,413 is the average amount a home seller saves by using our Flat Fee MLS Connecticut, Flat Fee MLS Massachusetts, Flat Fee MLS Maine, Flat Fee MLS New Hampshire, or Flat Fee MLS Vermont program. It doesn't matter how you list (traditional, or Flat Fee MLS), you need an answer to this question: "Do I need to hire an attorney?"

Before I answer that question, let's cut right to the chase. What do you want as a seller? I can tell you what you want. You want full price, and you want to make sure that when you sign over the deed to the new owner, and the buyer hands over a check, you want the check to clear, and you want those funds safely stashed in an account of your choosing as quickly as possible. It's really that simple. You also don't want any blowback (i.e. lawsuit) from the sale in the event some system or component fails after the deed is signed over and you are no longer the owner.

Every sale starts with a showing. The recommendation from this office, regardless of what the state says about it, is to include a Seller Disclosure Statement with your MLS listing. Some New England states mandate you include this document (like New Hampshire and Vermont). Others do not, like Massachusetts. What is a Seller Disclosure Document? It's a document filled out by the home seller that is basically a questionnaire, asking you to answer questions about all major systems, components, and issues affecting the lot, pretty much everything a buyer might want to know in order to make an informed purchase decision. You should be as truthful and forthright as possible when filling out this document. If the questionnaire asks: "Have you ever had water in the basement?" Be honest. Tell the truth. Do you really want to be looking at a buyer lawsuit two months after the closing? Of course not. Filling out this form is your best protection against an after the sale lawsuit. It's also in writing, which carries an enormous amount of weight. If not in writing, it will be a "he said, she said" argument in front of the judge. Our office recommends that you let the Seller Disclosure Statement do all the talking for you. Fill it out accurately, and refer buyers and buyer brokers over to the statement. This way, you avoid any off the cuff comments (seemingly harmless to you) that get you in hot water.

OK...so you're passed the home showing phase, and the buyer or buyer broker has elected to put forth an offer. You should know that in the overwhelming majority of residential real estate transactions conducted throughout New England, the contract paperwork used is standard, boilerplate language, as put forth by the state Board of REALTORS®. Each state has it's own set of contracts and related real estate transfer paperwork. They're all a little different in their precise verbiage, but they're similar in content. This set of contract documents is drawn up by state REALTOR® board attorneys. Do you have to use these forms? Unequivocally no. No state in New England requires you to use a particular contract form. You could draw something up on a napkin, but I wouldn't recommend it. Because these documents are used in a very high percentage of residential real estate transactions, every agent and broker in the state is familiar with them, and the specific verbiage they contain. Similarly, all attorneys operating in a particular state are likely very familiar with these documents. Because their use is so widespread, the real estate community has developed a high degree of comfort using these documents.

Here's a good tip that can help save you if you're in a bind. Let's say you elected not to engage an attorney. The buyer broker presents an offer with strict language that states: "This offer is only valid for the next 24 hours, at which point it is considered null and void." But there might be some language in the agreement you're not comfortable with, or maybe there's something in there that just doesn't sit right, or maybe you're uneasy with the financial viability of the buyer. No problem. Simply insert a simple little sentence in the addendum. And that sentence is: "This agreement is subject to review by the seller's attorney, which shall be provided no later than 72 hours after the effective date of the agreement." There. You're protected. Now, go out and engage an attorney and get your questions answered.

Regarding the buyer's deposit(s): It is customary in every New England state for the listing brokerage to retain the deposit. A buyer broker might try to insert language stipulating that their brokerage hold the deposit, but this is not the norm, and should be avoided. You could engage an attorney to retain the escrow deposit, and disperse on closing day, or Landfall Properties, LLC can hold the deposit. Escrow services are included as part of our Level Two - Premium Marketing Services at no additional charge, or you can purchase this service for a nominal fee by visiting our product page. Escrow checks should be made out to "Landfall Properties, LLC Escrow Account" in the states of CT, ME, NH, and VT, and made out to "Paul R. Marino Lic. MA Real Estate Broker Escrow Account" if the property is located within the state of MA. These accounts are carefully monitored by state real estate commissions, and are subject to no notice inspection. There is virtually zero risk that your buyer's deposit will not arrive in the hands of the closing attorney on closing day, in the form of certified funds (same as cash).

When the offer does come in, it will usually be initiated by the buyer broker, and it will be put forth on a Board of REALTOR® standard contract form. If it isn't, ask why it isn't. If it comes in on something other than a standard form, you should be especially vigilant in examining the language, and you should retain legal advice if anything is unclear. You should pay particularly close attention to any addendums, since an addendum can modify, delete, or otherwise override anything relating to the contract. Many experienced home sellers are well equipped to read and review standard Board of REALTOR® contract forms. Newbies might need some hand holding. The Principal Broker of Landfall Properties, LLC (Paul R. Marino, REALTOR® since 1988) can review your contract documents and make recommendations. Bear in mind, we are not attorneys. However, we have reviewed literally thousands of contracts (as both a broker and an appraiser), and there is precious little we have not seen. If you are the type of person that is unable to accept any risk in your financial world, we recommend you engage an attorney. It helps some people sleep at night, but it is definitely not a state requirement (in any New England state), and many waive this option in the interest of saving money.

Now what? You're under contract. Great. What typically comes next? The home inspection. In the contract phase, it is our recommendation that you should encourage the buyer to secure a home inspector of their choosing. This provides you with an additional layer of protection. First was the Seller Disclosure Statement and the second is to have a home inspector (hired by the buyer) look over every nook and cranny of your home. It will be far more difficult for a buyer to prevail in a lawsuit if you've meticulously filled out Seller Disclosure Statement, made sure they've seen it (secure signatures of course), and also allowed them to hire an inspector who is advocating on the part of the buyer.

If you've managed to make it past the showing, the offer, the contract, the home inspection, and the buyer clearing the financing obstacle, you should be nearing the finish line of your transaction. Three days prior to your closing, federal law mandates that you be provided with a copy of the closing statement by the closing attorney so you know precisely what every line item is that affects your transaction. This includes important pro-rated items like mortgage balance payoff amount(s) real estate taxes, water and sewer pro-rations, state transfer tax amounts, etc. If you have purchased our Level Two - Premium Marketing Services, a comprehensive review of your closing paperwork is conducted by Principal Broker of Landfall Properties, LLC (Paul R. Marino, REALTOR® since 1988)

If the buyer is financing the property, which is the case in the overwhelming majority of transactions, it will be the lender's attorney that conducts the closing, and fulfills the state requirement that the closing be managed and overseen by a licensed attorney. In the much more unlikely event the transaction is cash, then it will be necessary for you and the buyer to make arrangements to have an attorney oversee the transfer of title and disbursement of funds. In these instances, you might agree to have the buyer's attorney conduct the closing if they have one. If the buyer has elected not to engage an attorney, then you might collectively (both you and the buyer) engage an attorney to act as a facilitator and manage the details on closing day.

Finally, on closing day, you want to ensure that the amount of money that is due you is appropriately dispersed in a manner you find satisfactory. There should be no surprises here. You want to know the precise amount, and the precise method of payout (cashier's check, wire transfer, etc.). And there you have it. So, do you as the seller need an attorney? It depends. But there are many, many sellers that successfully make their way to the closing table without one. If you are an especially jittery, nervous type, we recommend you engage an attorney. You should feel comfortable with your transaction.

Why is it a Bad Idea for a Buyer to Approach a Listing Broker Directly When Purchasing a Home

By Paul Marino

This article is going to be an eye opener for many. It provides home buyers with information and insight that only someone on the inside with decades of experience can provide. The purpose of this article is to dispel the rumor that going directly to the listing broker is somehow going to get you a better deal on your next home purchase. With one exception (outlined below in the final paragraph), it's not. You're going to pay the exact same price for that home no matter how you (the buyer) approach a seller. Let me explain.

The vast majority of home sellers engage a traditional broker to sell their property. People are creatures of habit, and if your grandfather sold his house this way, and your father sold his house this way, and your brother sold his house this way, it must be "the way". And while hiring a traditional real estate broker will certainly get the job done, it's also a certainty that sellers will unnecessarily leave five figure money on the table, as our 2-minute video explains very clearly.

You should know, that in approximately 85% of all home listings taken in the United States, the type of listing signed by the home seller is the Exclusive Right To Sell, otherwise referred to as an Exclusive Listing Agreement. Why sellers do this is beyond me, since the home seller will pay the FULL commission (typically in the 5% to 7% range) to the listing broker, even if the seller themselves locates a buyer. Perhaps you don't need the $24,000 you'll be handing over on a typical $400,000 home sale. Does this make sense to you? Of course it doesn't. I've devoted an entire article explaining why it is a very bad idea to sign an Exclusive Right To Sell listing agreement.

Back to the topic at hand. Imagine you're a prospective home buyer, interested in cutting the best deal you can on a home. So maybe you're thinking: "I know...I'll go directly to the listing agent, negotiate with them directly, and I'll get a much better deal on the home because there's only one broker involved, not two." I hate to break it to you folks, but you're going to pay the exact same price for the home if you ring up the listing broker directly. Why is this so, you ask? Well, it all started with that pesky little thing the seller signed (the listing agreement), that compels the seller to hand over 5% to 7% when the home sells, no matter what, and no matter who finds the buyer.

Does anyone reading this article really believe the listing broker is going to say to the seller: "I really didn't mean what I said about that 5% to 7% payout you owe me. Let's just cut that number in half, since you're such nice folks." No...no they're not. Trust me when I tell you this. The listing broker is going to be sitting at the closing table with their hand out, expecting the FULL 5% to 7% payout. For one thing, most real estate agents, but not all, work for the managing broker, or principal broker of a firm. What that means is, any decision made relating to the waiving of any commission payout is not made by the individual agent, but by the managing broker or principal broker of the firm.

By approaching the listing broker directly, you will not save a dime. That home seller will pay out that same 5% to 7% on closing day whether one broker is involved, or two. If only the listing broker is involved, it simply means the seller pays the entire commission to the listing brokerage. And if two brokerages are involved, the same 5% to 7% commission will be split, but the TOTAL payout will be the same. Even more important for you, the buyer, is the fact you will be placing yourself at a serious disadvantage, since the listing broker works for the seller, and owes allegiance and loyalty exclusively to the seller. Which is why there is no downside of any kind when using a buyer broker, and, if using Landfall Properties, LLC as your buyer brokerage, actually pays you a four figure buyer rebate on closing day.

As I mentioned at the outset of this article, there is only one exception to going directly to the listing broker. And that one exception is using the Flat Fee MLS listing services of Landfall Properties, LLC. So right about now, you're saying....yeah...right. Want to know what happens when a buyer (not tied to a buyer broker) calls to see a Landfall Properties, LLC listing? The lead gets immediately routed to the seller for follow up. The seller will pay absolutely no listing side commission of any kind. And, if the buyer is smart, they'll bypass the use of a buyer broker altogether, and simply engage a real estate attorney to represent them. By doing so, everybody wins. The buyer will have professional representation by a licensed real estate attorney, the seller will not have to payout either a buyer broker or listing broker commission, and the buyer will likely cut a better deal on the property, since the seller is not burdened by a 5% to 7% commission payout.

Principal Broker Paul R. Marino Will Personally Manage Your Listing All The Way To The Closing Table

By Paul Marino

Paul R. Marino, Principal Broker of Landfall Properties, LLC, holds a BS in Economics from Lehigh University, and brings more than a quarter century of brokerage experience to your transaction. Before entering real estate, he proudly served as a Captain in the USAF, where he excelled in the capacity of Navigation Officer, Senior Training Flight Instructor, and Command Post Officer Controller with Strategic Air Command.

Following eight years service as a regular officer, Paul began his real estate career brokering properties in southern New Hampshire, eventually expanding throughout New England where he now holds an active broker license in CT, MA, ME, NH, and VT (coming soon to RI and NY). He has extensive experience across a broad cross section of the real estate industry, involving three separate and distinct sectors (brokerage, appraising, and house renovation/resale). Paul brokered his first property nearly three decades ago, and has held active membership in the REALTOR® organization for the past 32 years.

Paul Marino Principal Broker During his expansive career, Paul has compiled a virtually unblemished record of integrity in real estate brokerage, his former partnership in a property appraisal and valuation firm, and in his impressive number of successful home renovation/restoration turnaround projects. Never once has he been the subject of a mere complaint, much less an ethics violation with any state real estate commission for which he holds a license (currently CT, MA, ME, NH and VT). A perfect record. Paul has leveraged these impeccable credentials to build a sophisticated network of referral partners spanning 23 US states and 3 Canadian provinces.

In the early 1990's he co-founded and partnered a real estate valuation and appraisal firm, where he was active up until 2007. Paul was one of the first licensed real estate appraisers in the State of New Hampshire, having personally performed in excess of 6,000 (six-thousand) formal appraisals for banks, mortgage companies, governmental agencies, and attorneys. His massive volume of work speaks for itself, having built a decades long reputation for thoroughness, unblemished integrity, value accuracy, and common sense. He has provided expert witness testimony on innumerable occasions both in and out of the courtroom, and is well known throughout the appraisal industry.

Landfall Properties, LLC was formed in 2007, in the immediate aftermath of the world financial downturn brought about by the sub-prime mortgage and foreclosure crisis. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Landfall Properties, LLC focused on auction buying, house renovation, and subsequent brokering of those properties. Landfall Properties, LLC was responsible for an impressive number of successful turnaround projects that took seriously distressed real estate, and transformed them into vibrant, productive properties. Paul has attended hundreds of formal auctions, successfully bidding at many, harnessing the knowledge gained from decades of valuation experience.

Paul's diverse skill set includes extensive hands on experience with most construction trades, to include framing, siding, roofing, kitchens, baths, flooring, additions, and decks. In the competitive arena of auction buying, rehabilitation, and resale, what you see on television is pure fiction. Buying properties at auction requires specific knowledge not only of markets, but also in the construction trades if costs are to be contained, and the project is to be brought in on budget. At any given moment, the decision must be made to sub-contract, or perform in-house, all the while performing the mental calculation that time is money.

As real estate markets recovered from the foreclosure crisis, Landfall Properties, LLC expanded into virtual brokerage in 2014, capitalizing on the efficiencies now made possible by the Internet, and the mass proliferation of data, formerly held by a select few. Buyers today are sophisticated, and have access to the exact same inventory of available properties that brokers and appraisers have access to. No longer is this data shielded from the public. Within 15+/- minutes of a listing broker posting a home to the Internet, the public can see the property on Realtor.com®, Zillow.com®, Trulia.com®, and hundreds more websites.

In fact, in 80% to 90% of all home purchases, it is the buyer themselves that locates the home, NOT the buyer broker. The buyer only brings a buyer broker into the mix because many buyers do not like dealing directly with sellers. Took much emotion. Too much drama. So, they engage a buyer broker to act as a "buffer" and "go-between". Plus, it typically costs the buyer nothing for this service, and, when working with Landfall Properties, LLC, actual pays you a cash rebate at the closing table, typically in the thousands, all for doing nothing.

The fundamental, underlying concept behind the virtual brokerage business is simple. It is based on the decades long observation that in more than two out of every three sales, a hard, demonstrable statistic, it is an outside buyer broker that is performing the "heavy lifting" task of locating a buyer - not the broker with the sign on the front lawn. The critical task of securing a viable buyer is worth paying for if you have to (2% will get the job done), but why leave money on the table in the form of an entirely unnecessary listing side commission (another 2% to 3% on top of the buyer broker commission). Our two minute video on the home page explains this concept very clearly.

The listing side of the transaction has long been the focus of many home sellers, who have recently "seen the light", and now know there are really only two things that sell a home, that is, a well researched asking price, and mass marketing over the Internet. Little else matters. To be sure, other things influence a sale, like location, condition, quality, and square footage, but no broker has any control over these factors. Real estate is one of the few businesses in the world where it is not possible for the company offering the product to change or modify what is being sold. No broker can change the quality of your location, or the caliber of your construction.

As you can see, it matters little who lists your home, as long as your data and photos are posted quickly and accurately to the Internet. No one, and we do mean no one, is more efficient at posting your home particulars to the Internet than we are. Not only efficient, but thorough, accurate, and comprehensive. All data and photos received by our office by 11:00AM EST M-F are published the same day to Realtor.com®, Zillow.com®, Trulia.com®, and nearly 100 syndicated partners. Those listings received after 11:00AM are published the very next day. Want proof? Ask to be placed in touch with any number of current or past clients. Ask them anything. Totally unscripted.

If your home must be listed, at least do so knowing you will be saving thousands of dollars on the listing side sales commission. Landfall Properties, LLC allows home sellers to be aggressive in their pricing, knowing they will be saving roughly 50% of a typical real estate commission, and in some cases 100% (pay no sales commission to any broker party) if you secure a buyer yourself. The possibility of paying $0 in commission is distinctly possible, since every single inbound lead to Landfall Properties, LLC gets routed directly to you, the home seller, for follow up. We do not intercept buyer leads. Take these leads and run with them, because every single home sale begins with the all important inbound call, text, or email.

The entire business model of Landfall Properties, LLC is based on the simple premise that no broker "sells", or convinces someone to buy a home. If the home meets the financial and physical requirements of the buyer ahead of all other competition, they will buy it. Those properties lingering on the market will continue to do so, regardless of the chosen listing broker. REASON: Either the home is overpriced, or it contains some physical attribute, or other characteristic (i.e. location), that buyers find objectionable.

For your benefit, you should know that Landfall Properties, LLC will never simultaneously represent both a buyer and a seller that are parties to the same transaction. We do this for a very simple reason. Common sense leads us to conclude our clients feel most comfortable when they unequivocally know their real estate brokerage "has their back", at all times, no matter what. No real estate brokerage takes their fiduciary responsibilities of loyalty, confidentiality, obedience, and diligence more seriously than we do.

Landfall Properties, LLC believes in giving back to the community. Paul has served as a construction volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, as well as a Red Cross Disaster Response Volunteer. We are a proud contributor to both Wounded Warrior Project and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where we are a Partner In Hope.

Listing on Zillow Puts You on One Website For FREE. Landfall Properties, LLC Puts You on HUNDREDS of Websites For FREE

By Paul Marino

We're going to explain why using our service will place thousands more in your pocket on closing day. Now we'll admit, there's a lot to wade through here. But it's going to be worth it, since five minutes reading this article is going to save you a serious amount of money. You should know that when listed on the Zillow site, your home is exposed on one single site on the Internet (actually two, since Zillow owns Trulia, and Zillow replicates your home data and photos out to Trulia as well). But when listed with Landfall Properties, LLC, your home will be seen on hundreds of sites, not just one or two. Logic dictates that if your home data and photos are exposed across a much broader spectrum, it only makes sense that the chances of you being seen are far greater. It's really that simple.

Flat Fee Listing Why Would I Use Landfall Properties Never forget there are only two things that sell a home. That would be an intelligent asking price, combined with massive Internet exposure. Nothing else matters. Brokers don't matter on the listing side if you want to know the Gospel truth. Obviously, other factors other than price and exposure come into play (like location and condition – two factors no broker can change), but at the core, fundamental level, it’s price and Internet exposure that sells property. Price has already taken into account factors like your location and condition.

Landfall Properties, LLC has a syndicated relationship with approximately 90 property search websites. These include sites like Zillow®,Realtor®,Trulia®, Homefinder®, and many, many more. Plus, not only will your home be listed on these 90 websites, but you will be listed on hundreds of other sites. How?

Nearly every real estate brokerage in the states of CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT has a website. And nearly every one of them offers the ability to search for available properties (yours included), right from their website. On top of that, 75%+ of all agents and brokers have their own individual websites. Your home will be seen there as well if these agents have a search function built into their website, which many do. This is massive exposure. If you tried to do this yourself (post to hundreds of websites), it would take you weeks, if not months. We do it in 24 hours, and all for FREE. In actuality, you'll be exposed on thousands of websites, but we know people have a hard time wrapping their head around thousands, so we use the more conservative "hundreds" reference.

Obviously, if we're pushing your house data and photos out to hundreds of sites across the Internet, Zillow and Trulia are naturally included in that list. But here's why it's far better to use Landfall Properties, LLC as your "go to" company for mass marketing: Because there is a far greater likelihood a buyer lead will get routed to you directly. How? Before we answer that question, it is important to understand how Zillow generates revenue. It generates revenue from real estate agents and brokers who pay large sums of money to Zillow to get their name and photograph to show up (in the right hand corner of the screen in full color) when someone looks at property details. Go ahead and see this for yourself.

Go up on Zillow®, and search for any property in CT, MA, ME, NH, or VT. Doesn't matter which one. OK, do you see those four pictures of real estate agents on the right side of the screen? Only the one at the top (the listing agent) has any connection to the property being sold. The other three have no connection whatsoever to the property you are viewing. These agents have paid a lot of money to Zillow to get their photo in there, in the hopes a buyer will click on it, thereby setting up the possibility they can serve as a buyer broker for a prospective buyer.

Now I want you to follow me closely here, because this is going to fly by really fast if you're not paying attention. Major sites like Zillow and Trulia provide buyers with the ability to directly communicate with the various agents listed on the page. By listing with Landfall Properties, LLC, the photo and contact information for Principal Broker Paul R. Marino will be cited right at the top (above the other three agents that have no connection of any kind to your property). Human nature is to click the one at the top, plus, it's the default selection in Zillow and Trulia. When the Zillow or Trulia lead comes into Landfall Properties, LLC, we immediately bounce it to you for followup. We do not intercept buyer inbound leads.

Now you might be asking: "Well, I can just list my home for free on Zillow, and my contact information will be listed right on the page". Sure it will. At the bottom of the list of four agents, and dimmed out in gray. Most buyers do not know how the system works, and will naturally "tag" a full color photo at the top of the list, not to mention the fact the Zillow default selection is the one at the top, not your dimmed out option at the bottom. So what happens in a high percentage of cases is that your contact information will not be selected. That mouse click just cost you a five figure sales commission. Ouch.

We often see the following verbiage attached to a For Sale By Owner Zillow or Trulia listing: "We will compensate buyer brokers 2.5%". Your offer is falling on deaf ears. Why? Because it is buyers that are using Zillow to look for properties, not agents and brokers. Agents and brokers are using their respective local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Even if an agent or broker does see your offer, in the back of their mind they are thinking: "How am I going to ensure I actually get paid a commission on this transaction, and won't be cut out of the deal? By working with another REALTOR®, and MLS broker (i.e. Landfall Properties, LLC), at least I know my payment is guaranteed. With this FSBO home seller, I don't know who I'm dealing with, and have no confidence I'll be compensated for my work".

Here's another very important observation: Why is it that of all the homes listed on Zillow, 97%+/- are also listed with a real estate brokerage? You can see this for yourself by going to Zillow and filtering your search so that it only displays For Sale By Owner, FSBO properties. Now remove the filter and conduct the search. The numbers are nearly identical, meaning only 3%+/- are "go it alone" For Sale By Owner, FSBO sellers. Why is this percentage so small? It's because real estate brokerages get the job done (i.e. bring you to the closing table), not because sellers have a particular affinity for real estate brokers. Home sellers do not use real estate brokers because they enjoy being hit over the head with a large sales commission. They only use them because the market has conclusively demonstrated they get results.

By listing with Landfall Properties, LLC, your home data and photos will be pushed out to hundreds of agents in your market area, who are motivated to find a buyer because they know they will unequivocally be compensated (via our contractual relationship with the Multiple Listing Service [MLS]). This is not stopping you from finding a buyer on your own and paying nothing to any real estate brokerage. Continue to do whatever it is you are doing to locate a buyer. But if it doesn't work, at least you've got a backstop. And if you do have to pay a real estate commission, it is 50% to 67% lower than a full service 6% commission (for example). This places thousands of dollars back in your pocket.

How Much do you Need to Compensate a Buyer Broker to get Your Home Sold?

By Paul Marino

On Day One of “How to Make Money as a Real Estate Broker”, everyone is taught that if they control the listings, their financial success is assured. Good news for you, the home Seller, because YOU are definitely in control of YOUR listing. You have wisely chosen to explore the vast array of “new options” out there, to include Flat Fee MLS Services, sometimes referred to as Entry Only MLS Services. If you are unfamiliar with these streamlined business models, I strongly encourage you to visit the following US government web site, and brush up on the latest developments.

This article is written for those home Sellers that have the sophistication to know there are better, smarter, and radically less expensive ways of getting into the MLS system, and getting the exposure they need to get their home sold. As I mentioned in my earlier post from 3/8/2014 (in an examination of more than 300 actual transactions taking place in a particular New Hampshire city), the data revealed that a full 72% of homes were sold by a broker other than the Listing Broker. Once again, it is price and MLS exposure that sells houses.

As long as the Seller is in MLS, and is offering a competitive rate of compensation to the Buyer Broker, they will come. This is why full service brokers just love listings, because they know that even if they don’t personally find a Buyer (strong likelihood this won’t happen), someone among the hordes of several thousand Buyer Brokers out there will find a Buyer.

Be aware however, there is no "free lunch", and anyone that tells you different is spinning tales. I’m here to tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You will work to preserve your hard fought home equity, but it’s worth the effort. The money saved could mean the difference between sending your kid off to college or not. It could also mean the difference of whether or not you bring money to a closing (bad thing if you are a Seller), or collecting money at the closing (a far more pleasurable experience).

Assuming you have listed and sold your home via the services of a Flat Fee MLS broker, you will have pocketed something on the order of $3K+/- for a home valued in the $100K vicinity, and $14K+/- for a pricier $500K property. Take the mid-point ($300K), and you will be compensated $8K, give or take. (These numbers are realistic approximations based on brokerage fees currently being charged across the United States).

If you think back to your days of high school physics, you may recall the Law of Conservation of Energy. As you know, energy is never lost, just transferred. Relating this to the sale of your home, the “energy” typically expended by a Listing Broker in the sale of your home is simply being absorbed by you, the home Seller. The good news is, the work is readily defined, quantifiable, and straightforward. I’m talking measurements, photographs, and some basic data collection. Not exactly quantum physics, but work nonetheless.

The amount of money you will be compensated for your “energy” will vary of course, depending upon on a number of decisions that you, and you alone will make, chief among these: “How much should I share with the Buyer Broker?” Short answer: “Be as generous as possible, but no need to go overboard.” As you’ve probably concluded, there is only one thing that attracts a Buyer Broker to your home, and we all know what that is. Is that selfish? Of course not, it’s just natural. Let’s say you’re looking for a new job, and you interview for two essentially identical positions. Only difference; one pays $65K…the other $80K. “Hmm…which one will I pursue the hardest?”

Trust me, the Buyer Broker is keenly focused on what “cut of the action” you are offering. Not to say it’s the only thing, but we would all be deluding ourselves if we didn’t admit it is important…very important.

In the real world, it’s the Buyer Broker that will be faced with many of the real challenges out there, like:

1] Are the Buyers actually financially qualified?, or

2] Is there any truth to the rumor the plant where the Buyer works might be in trouble? (i.e. he/she might lose their job before the closing), or how about;

3] Are the Buyers just wasting the Buyer Broker’s time, money, and gas, driving them all over town on a wild goose chase? (you know the type - just professional “tire kickers”.)

Buyer Brokers work hard…very hard. In order to induce them to bring Buyers through your home, you are going to need to offer competitive compensation. As you are probably aware, real estate commissions are 100% negotiable. Does this mean you can offer a cooperating Buyer Broker ¼ of 1% compensation? (translates to $625 on a home selling for $250,000.) You sure can. But don’t be surprised if all you hear are “crickets”. Can you offer 5%? Sure…go ahead, but why on earth would you?

As it is part of my job to know what level of compensation gets someone to “sit up and pay attention”, I can tell you with a high degree of certainty the number generally falls between 2% and 3%. Not to say I haven’t seen lower (rare), or I haven’t seen higher (also rare). If one examines median data over hundreds and hundreds of transactions, a cooperating fee of 2.5% is generally in the ball park.

One final piece of advice. From my experience buying properties at auction (have personally attended hundreds, and successfully bid at many), be very reluctant to squeeze every last dollar out of a transaction. Because when you try to squeeze out that last dollar, you will very often get burned. Offer fair compensation that is competitive in your particular marketplace. Make your profit, and move on.

How Should a Home Seller Screen a Buyer to Avoid Problems?

By Paul Marino

First off, some clarification. Selling your home using the services of a Flat Fee MLS Listing Service (sometimes referred to as an Entry Only MLS Listing Service) is not a For Sale By Owner, “go it alone” method of selling your property. You are hardly alone when your property has been formally entered into the official MLS system, and you have agreed to compensate a buyer broker for the difficult job of finding a buyer. Your property will be displayed on Realtor.com®, Trulia®, Zillow®, and literally hundreds of websites out there that are simply replicating off the MLS.

As long as you are offering a competitive rate of buyer broker compensation (2% will easily get the job done), brokers have just as much financial incentive to show your property as they do any other property. The only thing that matters is the home is listed in the MLS, and by contractual agreement, the buyer broker will be paid at closing, if in fact they bring in a Buyer. They are unconcerned about specifically targeting properties listed only by “Big Box XYZ Realty Corp.”, since your money is just as green as theirs. The only difference is, you are not saddled with paying the huge overhead associated with a “brick and mortar” real estate office. Now I ask you, who do you think is most deserving of that “other” 2% to 3% that is normally paid out to the listing broker of a “brick and mortar” real estate office? ANSWER: Look in the mirror.

OK, so you’re in the MLS. Does that mean your home is sold? Of course not. It does mean you now have extensive – literally global exposure. So let’s assume you’ve done your homework, carefully read my blog entitled (“The Intelligent Way to Determine Your Home Value”), and priced your property correctly. Assuming you’ve done all this, good things will start to happen – as in, the phone will start to ring.

It is absolutely critical that you know how to handle buyer interest in your property. If you behave like this is your first date, you’re going to be taken advantage of. You can potentially waste HUGE amounts of time, and needlessly expose yourself to abuse, harassment, and disappointment. But you’re smarter than that. This isn’t your first date. You know there are a lot of “tire kickers”, “story tellers”, “pipe dreamers”, and, if I must be crass, “liars” out there, just waiting to ensnare you. What to do? It’s called “screening” folks. And if you want to make your life a living hell, ignore me. It is absolutely vital that you screen your buyers before anyone ever sets foot in your home. Interest in your property will likely have been generated by the MLS entry (and subsequent replication to Realtor.com®, Zillow®, Trulia®, and others).

The overwhelming majority of buyers in today’s market use a buyer broker. Why shouldn’t they? It puts a trained professional in their corner. Smart buyer broker’s are not going to waste their time driving around town only to discover two months down the road the Buyers have a credit score of 322 and would have trouble financing a tool shed, much less a house. So it’s a good thing the buyers are working with a Buyer Broker, because hopefully, this is just another line of defense that is all aimed at bringing only serious, qualified buyers over the threshold. But we can’t just rely on “hope”; we need the facts.

Screening is a little like being a private eye. Just because someone tells you they’re a pilot for American Airlines doesn’t mean they are a pilot for American Airlines. Maybe they just work for American Airlines, as in, maybe they are an assistant weekend only baggage handler (nothing against baggage handlers, because I want you to be very gentle with my luggage). Or maybe they know somebody whose cousin works for American Airlines. You get my point. Everything you are told by the buyer needs to be independently verified. Not to say everything you hear is a fairy tale, but be cautious. This does not mean you have to treat them rudely, snobbishly, or skeptically. Just take in the data and smile. There will be plenty of time for data checking.

In my earlier blog (“Essential Documents You Need To Compete as a Flat Fee MLS Listing”), I go into great detail outlining that thorough documentation is the key to avoiding needless “back and forth” with a buyer. The abundant detail, numerous photographs, and virtual tour will go a long way towards “putting your cards on the table”. Now its time for them to do the same. Before anyone comes through your home, you need to know a number of very specific things. Some of these requirements can be communicated via your MLS listing. In the interest of brevity, I am going to list four of the most important questions you must ask:

1] Do you have a “pre-approval” letter from your lender? This is NOT the same as a “pre-qualification”. The difference is, a “pre-approval” has actually checked credit, assets, and income. If the answer is “No”, I would be very reluctant to even agree to an appointment. Why? Because serious buyers have this document in hand, and are proud to show it off.

2] Do the buyers have to sell anything (as in another house) in order for your home to be purchased? This is not necessarily a “deal killer”, but if the answer is “Yes”, and they haven’t even listed their home in the MLS, you are wasting your time. Your home will be sold long before they even get ready to buy.

3] Are the buyers working with a real estate agent, or are they targeting properties on their own account? This is important. You don’t want to find out several weeks into the negotiations that the buyers have a Buyer Agency Agreement with a buyer broker, and the broker is entitled to compensation that comes out of your bottom line.

4] What are the first and last names of the prospective buyers and where do they live? You will need this to conduct any serious research. While there are other “probing” questions you can ask, these are the “biggies”. So, armed with this information, do some digging. Need to confirm they are financially qualified? Ask to see a “pre-qualification” hard copy. They say they work for American Airlines, take a look at Facebook, or LinkedIn to gain insight. They say their house is for sale? Just go up on Realtor.com® and confirm it is for sale. You get the idea.

Be ESPECIALLY careful when allowing prospective Buyers through your home that are not “tied” to a buyer broker. Not to say they all have evil intent. But why take chances. First off, why would anyone not utilize a buyer broker in this day and age, when this service has nothing but an “upside” to the buyer? I have no idea. And last but not least: NEVER show your home alone with no one else around. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

Intelligently Pricing Your Home is Critical to a Successful Sale

By Paul Marino

You know from previous blog posts that accurately pricing your property is the single most important component of selling your home. The second (as you know from following this blog) is MLS exposure, which will automatically replicate your property details across the Internet to Realtor.com®, Zillow®, Trulia®, and literally hundreds of websites.

So, your task is to identify the optimal price that will generate an "at market" sale in a timely fashion. Since the dawn of man, the procedure for identifying this price was to pick up the phone, dial up three or four real estate brokers, get them to come out (trust me, they will be in your driveway before you can hang up the phone), and give them the "grand tour". Most sellers figure, "Heck, this costs me nothing, so why not get multiple opinions, synthesize this information, and voila, there's my ask price." For some people, this is the way to go. But you're not just "some people". You're smarter and more sophisticated than that.

The beauty of the Internet is that the mass dissemination of useful information has "leveled the playing field". Back in the old days, the only way to find out the sale price of your neighbor's house was to call up a broker friend, and ask them to look in the three inch thick "MLS book" that was published every two weeks. These books were guarded more closely than the PIN number on your bank account. Any broker who let one out of their sight was fined, or worse. No more.

Want sale price information? Look no further than the search function on THIS website. In addition, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) is more than happy to provide this information just for the asking. Simply go to Realtor.com®, or the public side of your local MLS (for example, the New England Real Estate Network (NEREN MLS), covering all properties in Vermont and New Hampshire). The only downside is that the level of detail is somewhat abbreviated (although it will display address, price, sale date, # of bedrooms, # of baths, square footage, and acreage). These are the "biggies" that should assist you in setting your price, although more detail (which is offered in the full blown, "members only" version of the MLS is obviously better.)

So - back to your original idea of calling up three or four brokers to "set your price". I don't know about you, but I'm always a little skeptical when I hear opinions from parties that have a vested interest in the outcome of a transaction. For you ladies out there, remember the last time you asked your husband or significant other, "Honey, does this dress make me look fat?". Guys...you know if you so much as utter anything other than, "No, sweetheart, I think you look GREAT in it!", you know there will be hell to pay.

THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY.

And there is. My numerous blog posts outline a very specific, comprehensive strategy for pricing your property. But it goes without saying, the absolute best way to determine the value of your property is to examine a multitude of recent transactions, and current active listings. A SMARTER WAY FORWARD. You might have heard that hiring a real estate appraiser might be the way to go. Presumably, the appraiser doesn't know you, or have any potential conflict of interest in whether the value comes in high, low, or somewhere in between. This can be a worthwhile approach, but if you do, I would highly recommend following the procedure described below. This advice comes from someone that has personally appraised literally thousands of parcels of real estate.

Although prices vary, a typical residential appraisal will set you back roughly $400 - $500. It will take the appraiser the better part of a day to physically inspect your property, research property details (census tract, flood map, taxes, zoning, etc.), investigate comparables (sales and listings), and compile the written report. But let me ask you something. Do you really care what census tract your property is located in, or what flood map panel is associated with your parcel? Of course not. You want MEAT. As in, you want HARD SALES DATA - AND LOTS OF IT.

So, get on the phone, ring up your friendly local banker and ask them who they use for their appraisal work. Or, locate a licensed or certified appraiser of your choosing, and tell them this: "I am placing my house on the market. I want to set a price that is based solely on cold, hard facts; no emotion." "I known you are an appraiser, but I don't want an appraisal. I just want an impartial person to conduct some research". "Are you up for the job?" "Well what do you have in mind?", they reply.

Tell him/her that you know that a very high percentage of their job (when performing a typical appraisal), is spent inspecting the property, taking photographs, measuring the home, and compiling basic data. But you don't need all that. You've lived in the home for ten years. You know what the kitchen looks like. You know what you're paying in taxes. You don't care what the flood map panel number is, and you have no use for census tract data. The reason that banks and mortgage companies need this information is because the lender needs to know (and see) the quality, condition, and the entire array of data previously referenced (to comply with federal regulations - things like census track data).

Instead, rather than have the appraiser spend hours compiling reams of useless, mundane data, you want them to focus solely on isolating meaningful transactions and active listings. In a typical appraisal, the appraiser is required to compile three closed sale transactions, and place them in the report. It is exceedingly RARE to find an appraiser that supplies more than six sales. If I had to place a number on it, I would say the average number of sales inputs provided in a report is four. Why? Because more sales inputs mean more work. And having spent hours compiling the useless data I described above, they need to wrap this up. There is another appraisal due to the bank tomorrow.

ASK FOR THIS. "I would like you to provide nine (9), count them, nine recently sold transactions, and outline them in grid format (see graphic below)." The accuracy of your value estimate is directly related to the number of inputs. More inputs...more accuracy...simple as that. Why do you need them arranged on this form? Because in all likelihood, your buyer is NOT paying cash, and is financing a portion of the sale price with a mortgage. If this is the case, an appraisal will be required. And the form outlined below is EXACTLY what the appraiser will be using [Fannie Mae Form 1004].

It is IMPORTANT that you let the appraiser know you are not paying for an "appraisal", which has formal, technical meaning. You are paying for research, nothing more. You are smart enough to draw your own informed conclusions. Just review the nine "Adjusted Sale Price of Comparable" lines at the bottom of the form. Place heaviest weight on those properties that are most closely aligned from a physical perspective, share the most similar location, and have closed most recently.

By following the above referenced procedure, you have smartly employed a "hybrid" approach. You engaged expertise where you needed it, but turned back services you didn't require because they were a needless waste of money. This concept is very similar to the services of a Flat Fee MLS Listing Broker (sometimes referred to as an Entry Only MLS Listing Broker). Purchase only what you need. Politely decline the rest. Good luck!

Proof There are Only two Things That Result in a Sale (Intelligent Pricing and Massive Exposure

By Paul Marino

Within the past week, I came across an actual New Hampshire real estate transaction that speaks volumes to all the prospective home sellers out there getting ready for the launch of the Spring 2018 market. Bear in mind there is nothing unique about the fact the sale took place in New Hampshire, as this scenario can be found in any state, from Alabama to Wyoming.

The advice in this article applies to anyone contemplating selling their property in any of the 50 states, three territories, two commonwealths, and nine US possessions (Ok, you got me there, because you can’t actually own a home on the US possession of Johnson Island – a tiny little spec of an island 717 miles WSW of Hawaii, barely 200 yards wide). I have to admit, I do love compass directions and geography, as I'm a former air force navigator. Back in the old days - that is, in the days before GPS, we military navigators actually found our way with a compass and sextant (an ancient little device used to measure the precise angle to a star or planet). But I digress.

What you’re in for in this article is an education. You’ve already learned something new! As a seller, I encourage you to investigate all options when selling your property. This includes:

1] “Full service brokers” if you feel you just don’t have the time, patience, energy, or emotional stamina to participate in the sale, but also,

2] “A-la-carte”, or "limited service brokers" in the vast majority of states that allow them. These limited service states allow a real estate consumer to select specific services you need and require, but skip over those you would just as soon do without (saving literally thousands in the process). I encourage everyone reading this article to go to the following U.S. Government web site and learn the truth about your particular state.

Because the truth will set you free. Real estate laws have changed in the recent past, and you need to understand how these changes can work to your advantage. The transaction I referenced in the first sentence of this post is an actual, provable transaction that formally closed in the past week, after receiving MLS exposure for a grand total of 5 (five) days. It was listed by Firm "X" (the company that planted the sign on the lawn), and sold by Firm "Y" (the company that performed what many consider to be the "heavy lifting" in a transaction) - that is, the Buyer Broker.

Does anyone reading this post really believe (be honest) that Firm “X” had some “secret formula” and the reason it sold the house in 5 days is because they are marketing geniuses? Please. You didn't just fall off a turnip truck, did you? Everyone – and I mean everyone, has the same recipe (MLS, Internet exposure, Hype, Repeat).

I’m going to give you a sobering piece of information. This is given to you by someone that has performed literally thousands (not a typo) of real estate appraisals spanning nearly two decades (I retired from appraising in 2007 to turn to my real passion, which is renovating distressed real estate). And what is this piece of information? There are only two things that sell a house:

1] Price; and

2] MLS exposure. Period.

Obviously, other factors come into play (like location and condition – two factors no broker can change, but these (location and condition) are already factored into the price.) At the core, fundamental level, it's price and MLS that sells property. It's MLS that feeds everything [Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, and every website on the planet]. Hit MLS, and the exposure issue has been solved. Not to say your house is sold, but don't blame it on lack of exposure.

Here is some additional hard evidence. Just this morning, I selected two very large counties in the state, and focused on sales transactions on one singular day. On this particular day last week, there were a total of 23 closed sales across the entire landmass of two counties. Of those 23 sales, 8 sold in 26 days or less – in some cases, a lot less. That is, 35% of them were placed under agreement in less than four weeks. Heck, you couldn’t even get all your stuff packed in four short weeks. And of those 8 transactions, the days on market (DOM) in escalating order were: 4 days, 5 days, 5 days, 5 days, 10 days, 21 days, 21 days, and 26 days.

Another sobering statistic relating to the 8 transactions just referenced. 6 of the 8 [75%] were sold by a broker other than the Listing Broker. Meaning, it was a Buyer Broker from another agency that actually found the Buyer. I decided to quantify this ratio using a much larger sample size, and conducted a search of every single sale (more than 300 transactions) taking place in a medium sized New Hampshire city over a period of a year. A full 72% were sold by a broker other than the Listing Broker.

I hate to sound repetitive, but it is price and MLS exposure that sells houses. As long as the seller is in MLS, and is offering a competitive rate of compensation to the Buyer Broker (generally in the range of 2% to 3%), they will come. Trust me.

So, how much can you save? A Seller will pocket something on the order of $3K+/- for a home valued in the $100K vicinity, and $14K+/- for a pricier $500K property. Take the mid-point ($300K), and you will be compensated $8K, give or take. (These numbers are realistic approximations based on brokerage fees currently being charged in New Hampshire and across the United States). For those of you with enough sophistication to see this isn’t rocket science, I encourage you to evaluate your options. This isn’t for everyone. But it could be for you. Be smart. Be informed. GO TO: US Dept. of Justice

Sellers Should Assemble These Documents Prior to Listing For a Smooth Transaction

By Paul Marino

OK...you've done your homework, and know you're a prime candidate for a Flat Fee MLS Listing. You've read the literature, researched your options, and figure if the US Justice Department is making it a point to educate consumers about this method of selling a home, there must be something to it. You have equity, a salable property, and, most importantly, a "can do" attitude.

So, in order to pocket the cash you would have normally handed over to a Listing Broker [typically $3K+/- for a $100K home, $8K+/- for a $300K home, and $14K+/- for a pricier $500K property], you need documentation. Focus like a laser beam on getting all this stuff together now. Do it once. Do it well. Do it thoroughly, and you’re done. The Buyers will thank you, as will the Buyer Broker, the appraiser, the home inspector, and the mortgage lender. Don’t fight me on this one. Buyers love documentation.

OK…let’s get to it. You’re going to need:

a) Current deed (prove to the Buyer, or the Buyer Broker, that you actually own the place). You can usually get a copy of the deed over the Internet for free by going to your county seat registry website (just "Google" the name of your county, and the word “registry”)

b) Tax assessment card (get a copy from the local town hall assessing office). Most can be gotten for free over the Internet (just go to your town hall website and click on "Assessing Office"), or, if your town is still using an abacus (ancient counting device from the Babylonian era), you may actually have to go down in person and pay a buck or two.

c) Plan of land (a drawing of the lot dimensions, directions, and boundaries). This should be easy if your lot is part of a planned subdivision, or possibly the land was recently surveyed (unlikely). Even if you have neither, take a look at your deed and draw a nice, neat, “to scale” rendition. If you have a well and septic, go ahead and draw them on the plan as well, to give the Buyer some feel for their location. Of course, in large print at the bottom, state with clarity: “This plan of land is an approximation only. If more definitive guidance is required, seek professional consultation.”

d] Stake out the property lines. If you don’t know exactly where your “pins” are, approximate the best you can, but on your Seller Disclosure Statement, of course put in a “safety valve”, something on the order of: “The property line markers placed on the property are approximations only. If definitive markings are required, consult a qualified expert.”

e) Summary of all significant physical improvements (since you bought the home). No need to itemize every little expense (sorry, that new toilet paper holder doesn’t count), but do list things like: New stainless steel refrigerator ($1,350); New hardwood flooring in living room ($3,000); New full house backup electrical generator system ($5,000).

f] Radon testing results [air (all properties) and water (if provided via well). In this day and age, upwards of 90% of all home buyers have professional home inspectors perform an airborne radon test (and a radon water test if applicable). It’s one of the “a la carte” items on a home inspectors menu, but most usually farm this out to a testing laboratory, and tack it onto the bill. Now you might be saying, “Why should I pay for that; let the Buyer do it if they want?Because you know they're going to get one. Why bite your nails waiting for the test to come back, hoping and praying it falls under the federally mandated maximum of 4.0 pCi/L?

g] Water quality testing results (if on well water). Again, the Buyer is going to conduct their own test, but you need to know in advance for your benefit. No one likes surprises. Do you really want to wait until a week before the closing to find out that arsenic levels are marginally elevated, and the deal is off because the Buyers have a brand new baby boy and are terrified little Timmy will get poisoned? I didn’t think so.

h] Real estate property tax billing. (you know where that is don’t you?) If not, I’m sure your local tax collector would be happy to tell you how much money you owe him. This is an important document. Some Buyers are hanging by a thread in terms of financial qualifications. The exact yearly tax amount (converted to a monthly figure) will weigh heavily in their ability to buy your home and swing the monthly house payment.

i) Water bills (if on town water supply) If you have some lead time on selling your property, a one year look back is fine (same for all other utilities). And don’t just dump all these receipts out on the kitchen table and say, “There you go!” Organize them chronologically, or better yet, take 15 minutes and summarize all the data (for all your utilities) into a Word or Excel document. If they ask you for more than a year, they’re “tire kickers”…trust me.

j) Sewer bills, (if on town sewerage disposal) Septic tank clean out evidence if lot is serviced by a private septic system. Go the extra mile and get an actual copy of the septic design plan (available from your Department of Environmental Services). You will need this to prove your home is a “4 bedroom” and not just a “3 bedroom”.

k] Copies of electric bill (especially important if the home is electrically heated), because everyone is deathly afraid the cost to heat the home via electricity is a figure bigger than the national debt

l] Copies of heating bill (oil and propane delivery receipts, pipeline natural gas monthly bills, cordwood, or wood pellet receipts)

OK, so are you drowning in paperwork yet? Don’t be dismayed. Once you’ve collected all this stuff, you will feel better. And it will be utilized (by many parties to this transaction). Not the least of which will be you, because as an official entry in the MLS system, you are required to fill out a Seller Disclosure Statement (more later in another post), and will be asked a lot of very specific questions.

If you’re so inclined, get everything (and I mean everything) and put it into once nice, neat little electronic file (PDF file format is best). W h u t? Yes, I know, more work, but it will save you time and aggravation in the long run. Find someone with a scanner, get everything scanned in electronically, then build your single “comprehensive” PDF file with everything in it.

Now the payoff. When that nice couple drives by, stops you in front of your house mowing the lawn and says: “We don’t have time to see the house today, but can you give us any information on the house?” You beam back and say: “I sure do; just give me your email address, and I’ll send it out today.” One click…DONE!

It is Critical you Understand the Difference Between an Exclusive Right to Sell and an Exclusive Agency Agreement

By Paul Marino

Be smart. Be informed. "Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't" (Pete Seeger). This article is written especially for prospective home Sellers, interested in preserving their hard fought home owner equity. After all, it's your money.

I know you’re going to learn something valuable in this article. I just have that feeling. It’s all about E D U C A T I O N. But, as they say in the Wizard of Oz, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

You undoubtedly know you should read something before you sign it. Obvious I know, but I continue to be amazed that so few people actually do. Words have meaning (and consequences). I’ll prove to you exactly what I mean in just a moment. Real estate documents are even more important than most, since they probably involve the single largest asset you will ever deal with in your life. For this reason, it is critical that you understand exactly what you are signing.

States vary widely with respect to real estate law, which is why it is so important to understand precisely what functions can, and can not be performed by a layman, and what functions can only be accomplished by an attorney admitted to the bar. If you don’t definitively know the answers to these questions, ask. And don’t ask your neighbor (unless of course, they are a practicing attorney, experienced in real estate law, licensed in the particular state in which the parcel of real estate is located). Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Get the facts.

I happen to live in New Hampshire, which, as some of you may know, is home to the official state motto: “Live Free or Die”. It’s on our license plates. It’s the first thing you see as you cross the state line. It’s plastered everywhere. I like it. The motto tells you a little bit about our general philosophy. Some states are even tougher. How about Mississippi: “By Valor and Arms”, or Alabama: “We Dare Defend Our Rights”. My personal favorite is Texas…simply “Friendship”.

OK…now for the good stuff. In this instance, I can speak with a high degree of authority on the most widely circulated real estate documents in the CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT real estate community. Bear in mind that the types of Listing Agreements allowed by law may be different in your particular state, so just ask us if you are not sure. In addition, a particular MLS jurisdiction may have restrictions on what types of listings are allowed in their database.

In general, listings throughout New England that are allowed include:

1]Exclusive LISTING Agreement (Broker is compensated no matter who finds the Buyer, even you, the home Seller); further defined as ... "an unequivocal Exclusive RIGHT TO SELL"...

2]Exclusive AGENCY Agreement (sounds an awful lot like #1 doesn’t it?) The broker is compensated only if a broker finds the Buyer. If you find the Buyer, no compensation paid; further defined as ..."an unequivocal Exclusive AGENCY Agreement"...

3] Open Listing Agreement (very infrequently used)

4] Auction Listing Agreement (very infrequently used)

NOW PAY ATTENTION HERE FOLKS, BECAUSE IF YOU BLINK, YOU'RE GOING TO MISS THIS!

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the Agreement most often put in place and signed by both Seller and Listing Broker is the Exclusive LISTING Agreement (i.e. Exclusive RIGHT TO SELL). Now you’re just going to have to take my word for it, approximately 90%+ of all listings throughout the United States fall into this singular category.

OK, so your neighbor over there…yeah, that one, the one with the sign on her lawn probably signed an Exclusive LISTING Agreement (i.e. Exclusive RIGHT TO SELL). Not to say she did, just a 90% chance, give or take. So why you ask is the Exclusive AGENCY Agreement rarely used?

Very simple, “no matter who” finds a buyer for your house under an Exclusive LISTING Agreement (i.e. Exclusive RIGHT TO SELL), the Listing Broker gets paid. And that means “no matter who”. So, if the Buyer discovered the house because their dog dragged them on a wild goose chase down the street, and ended up in front of your house (and they ended up buying it), the Listing Broker gets paid. More realistically, if your new co-worker says to you, “I think Dave and I are finally going to buy a house”. And you say, “Well hey, my house is for sale…it would be perfect for you” (and they end up buying it), guess who gets paid. Yes, the Listing Broker.

It gets worse. For the record you should know that there is no mandatory Listing Agreement form that must be used in any CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, or VT real estate transaction. If, for example, we examine the documents being used by the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS® (the trade organization), we see a broad array of “canned” forms (which not all, but the overwhelming majority of brokers use).

Continuing with our example, if one examines the previously referenced Exclusive AGENCY Agreement, used by New Hampshire brokers for example, it includes an interesting little sentence on Line #13, #14, and #15. It states, and I quote: “In the event that a purchaser is procured through the sole efforts of the SELLER, SELLER shall immediately notify FIRM, and a commission of (fill in the blank) shall be due and payable to FIRM upon consummation of sale”…

Now why would a clause like this be included in an Exclusive AGENCY Agreement when the whole point of this type of agreement is for the Seller not to pay anything to anyone, if the Seller finds a Buyer themselves? I really don't know the answer to that question. I would defer to an experienced real estate attorney. Speaking as a layman, and not an attorney, I would be inclined to think the "fill in the blank" part of the sentence on Line #14 would benefit the home Seller when it reads "Zero", "Zip", "N/A", as in "$0", as in the big "Goose Egg". At Landfall Properties, LLC, we always insert "N/A", since you will never pay any sales commission to any broker party if you secure a buyer on your own account.

I leave you with a singular thought: Which agreement does the most to protect your financial well being? HINT: It is likely NOT the Exclusive LISTING Agreement. It would be the agreement that gives you, the home Seller, the most flexibility, and I think you all know which one that is. Be smart. Be informed. GO TO: US Dept. of Justice

How Smart Home Sellers Work Smoothly With Buyer Brokers To Result in a Sale

By Paul Marino

“Brokers are my friend. I need them.” Repeat the mantra. They however, need you. Statistically speaking (and in all likelihood, according to any credible analysis of the subject), it is they who will bring you a viable Buyer. You in trade, have something they want – the perfect home for their client. Everybody wins – YOU, because you sold your home (on your terms) - the Buyer (who is excited to be moving in), and the Buyer Broker, whose hard work brought this whole process together.

This article is written especially for those home Sellers that have wisely chosen to explore the vast array of “new options” out there when it comes to real estate brokerage services. If you don’t know what I am referring to when I say “new options”, I strongly encourage you to visit the following US government web site and brush up on the latest developments. A lot has changed on the legal front – especially in the past 5 years. Sellers are finally taking control of the transaction. In a nutshell, “This ain’t your grandpa’s real estate market.”

Having worn most hats in the real estate business over the past 26 years (broker, appraiser, investor, auction and estate buyer, as well as housing renovator), I’m here to be your guide. For starters, when I refer to a “Buyer Broker”, I am referring to a licensed real estate broker that has agreed to represent a Buyer in the purchase of a home. Buyer Brokers are obligated by law (through a legally binding contract with the Buyer), to protect the interests of the Buyer in every respect, and act in a fiduciary capacity (pledging loyalty, obedience, confidentiality, and diligence).

This is serious stuff here folks. Why anyone would buy a home without someone in their "corner" (i.e. a Buyer Broker), is beyond me. But people do it all the time. They'll see a sign in front of a home they like, then jump on the phone to get hold of the Listing Broker to ask an inane question like, "How much are you asking?" (just go to the search function on THIS website, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, or countless hundreds of websites if you need this information, or just scan the QR code with your cell phone) . The sign on the front lawn does have a QR code doesn't it? It should have.

Hate to clue you in people, but the Listing Broker works for the Seller. Wouldn't it make sense to work with a Buyer Broker that has pledged allegiance to YOU? From the perspective of a Seller, the Buyer Broker should be viewed as someone you can build a cooperative relationship with – not an adversarial one.

Though you are not on the same team, this does not mean the relationship can not be cordial, and professional. This should be foremost in your mind with every Buyer Broker you meet. Because word travels fast in the broker community (and brokers are great at social media.) Pull some underhanded stunt (like telling them you have sole authority to negotiate a Purchase Agreement, when you really need the approval of a separated spouse), and you have lost something that is difficult to get back; your credibility.

It’s no secret that some Buyer Brokers are at times, not particularly fond of working directly with Flat Fee MLS home Sellers. Why? Because some Sellers fall into one, or possibly all four of the following categories:

1] Uninformed;

2] Unprofessional;

3] Unprepared; or

4] Unethical.

Don’t be one of them. Act like a pro, and you’ll be treated like one. So, let’s briefly address each of the four categories, one at a time.

1] Be informed. Do your homework. Know your home and the specifics of each major system. When asked by the Buyer Broker, “Do you know roughly how much it costs to heat your home?” Don’t give them a deer in the headlights look and reply, “No, but not much”. Instead, say something like: “Yes, we heat with natural gas, and in 2017 it costs about $2,100. I have kept my heating bill receipts over the past year, and I can email those to you if you like.” If you don’t know something, don’t fake it. Simply say, “I don’t know, but I will find out and let you know by tomorrow.”

2] Be Professional. Treat the Buyer Broker and the Buyer’s like you would like to be treated yourself. If you have a showing set for 2:00PM, don’t send them a text at 1:50PM saying, “Today’s not going to work. Can we reschedule?” Have respect for other people’s time. And remember, first impressions matter. For you ladies out there, you certainly don’t have to be dressed to the “nines” for a showing, but try not to arrive at the door in curlers and a bath robe. And guys - pay attention - no “wife-beater” tee shirts and a five day old beard. Be friendly, but not “chatty”. This is not to say you shouldn’t engage in small talk and friendly banter if offered, but let the Buyer Broker or Buyer take the lead. Designate one person to be “The Presenter” and have the other person stay out of the way. If you know you’re somewhat of a cranky “wisecracker”, by all means turn the job over to someone else. A Buyer may or may not like your home (and the smallest offending event may turn them off), but don’t give them a reason not to buy your home simply because they dislike you personally.

3] Be Prepared. If you can’t see yourself “prepping” the home, tidying up, and taking an active interest in making everything in and around your home “just-so” for every single showing, then you really don’t understand that presentation is critical to your success.

4] Be Ethical. If you know your home has a physical deficiency, get it fixed before you place it on the market. Knowing that the roof leaks in the northwest corner bedroom, do you really think it’s a good idea to do a quick ceiling drywall repair in the hopes the Buyer Broker or Buyer won’t notice? Would you like it if you were told there were no roof leaks and during the first rainstorm in your new home, you see a puddle of water on the bedroom floor? Be honest without being extreme. There is certainly no need to say things like: “You know we tried to fit a queen sized bed in this room once, and it was way too crowded, so we couldn’t use it as a bedroom.”Bummer. Look, no need to be a “goodie two shoes” here. For this level of minutia, let the Buyers figure it out for themselves.

In a nutshell, realize there is a very high likelihood that the Buyer of your home will be introduced to you by a Buyer Broker participating in the local MLS system. And a very low probability that you will sell the home completely without the assistance of a broker on the off chance the perfect cash buyer just happens to drive by and say: “Hi, we saw your sign out front, like your home a lot, and would like to buy it for cash. Can we close tomorrow?” Ain’t gonna happen my friends - ain’t gonna happen.

Landfall Properties, LLC Pioneered the use of FREE MLS Listings Across New England

By Paul Marino

The benefits of utilizing the services of a Flat Fee MLS Listing service (aka Entry Only Listing service), are not yet well known to the general public, but will soon become commonplace, thanks in part to a US Justice Department that looks favorably on this business model, and does a great job of explaining the details.

But don't take my word for it. Examine the facts for yourselves. On 11/18/2008, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) quietly settled a lawsuit previously filed by the United States Department of Justice. Who cares you ask? You should care if preserving hard fought homeowner equity is important to you.

When the case was originally filed with the U.S. District Court in Chicago, J. Bruce McDonald, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department's Antitrust Division said the following: “The purchase of a home is one of the most significant financial decisions a family can make, and NAR's policy stifles competition to advantage some of its members at the expense of home buyers and sellers across the country." Further, he went on to say, "Consumers benefit when real estate brokers are free to compete vigorously by offering innovative services."

The real estate business model I espouse is based on a careful analysis of market trends, reams of statistical data, and decades of “in the trench” experience – all of which point to the same logical conclusion. And what is that conclusion? Simply stated, it is the conclusion that the Buyer Broker does the real “heavy lifting” in the overwhelming majority of real estate transactions in every market in the United States (the world actually). The difficult task of bringing in a viable buyer continues to be one of the most valuable contributions made by the broker community.

LET’S EXAMINE THE FACTS. THE HARD DATA.

As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, I’m a big proponent of exposing the truth (no matter where it takes me). I like shining “flashlights” to uncover what’s hidden behind the curtain. One of my favorite movie scenes as a child was watching “Toto” pull back the drapes on the “Wizard of Oz”, exposing what was really behind the “smoke and mirrors”.

Facts are stubborn things. In the next few paragraphs, I will dramatically demonstrate why you are well positioned to save yourself literally thousands on the listing side of a real estate transaction. By listing side, I’m referring to the brokerage with the sign on the front lawn. As a former student of economics, I have a certain fascination with statistical data, and spend a fair amount of time analyzing historical trends, consumer patterns, and trending statistics. In an effort to dramatically prove the point that literally thousands of consumer dollars are being wasted on the listing side of a transaction, I decided to look at the facts. Take a seat, because what I am about to reveal will be an “eye opener” for many.

I recently examined summary data targeting every MLS transaction taking place in the NEREN (New England Real Estate Network) MLS for a precise interval of exactly one week. I could pull up this same trend data in any other state for which we are licensed (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont). The trend data is there, plain as day, staring right at all of us. During the particular week examined (selected at random), the database reports a grand total of 437 sales taking place in the combined states of New Hampshire and Vermont.

SOME SUMMARY DATA.

The median sale price for a single family home in the New Hampshire and Vermont market = $230,000

The median days on market (DOM) for these same parameters = 50 days (half sold in less than 50 days, and half sold in more than 50 days)

NOW THE GOOD STUFF. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO PLACE THESE PROPERTIES UNDER AGREEMENT (SECURE A SIGNED CONTRACT)?

Less than 5 days: 57 out of 437 transactions, or 13%
Less than 7 days (ONE WEEK): 78 out of 437 transactions, or 17.9%
Less than 14 days (TWO WEEKS): 130 out of 437 transactions, or 29.8%

WOW. Nearly one in three transactions taking place during this time interval was placed under contract in 2 weeks or less.

Less than 30 days (ONE MONTH): 183 out of 437 transactions, or 41.2%
Less than 45 days: 212 out of 437 transactions, or 48.5%
Less than 60 days (TWO MONTHS): 237 out of 437 transactions, or 54.2%

So, nearly HALF of all transactions secured a contract in 45 days or less. Not bad. But the more sobering statistic, is that nearly one-third were placed under contract in two weeks or less. My personal favorite is this. 13% of all the homes were placed under agreement in 5 days or less.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t do too many “big things” in 5 days or less. THE MOST CONVINCING "NUGGET" OF ALL. I carefully examined the 78 transactions that sold in 7 days or less. Of this figure, 32% (25) were sold by the Listing Broker (in other words, the Listing Broker also brought in the Buyer, in addition to listing the house).

But 68% (more than two-thirds), or 53 sales, were sold by a broker OTHER THAN THE LISTING BROKER, which proves, UNEQUIVOCALLY, that it is the BUYER BROKER that is doing the bulk of the "heavy lifting".

So let’s see. The median sale price is $230,000. We’ll use a realistic (but hypothetical) 5.5% real estate commission to calculate the numbers. 5.5% of $230,000 = $12,650. In a traditional sale, this means roughly half going to the Listing Broker ($6,325), and roughly half going to the Buyer Broker ($6,325).

If you had gone the Flat Fee MLS Listing route, you could have pocketed that $6,325 yourself.

So let me ask you. Does anybody out there really believe that any “mere mortal” sprinkled magical pixie dust on the house, and performed some dazzling marketing feat? What sold the house was exposure in the MLS, and a correctly priced home. PERIOD.

Quite simply, the Buyer found you on the Internet (MLS replicates to hundreds of home search web sites across the web). We’ll get you the MLS exposure. You spend the $6,325 any way you want!

The Vast Majority of Home Sellers (80%+/-) are a Good Match For a Flat Fee MLS Broker

By Paul Marino

The power of example. If you owned an in-town property with a postage stamp sized patch of grass 10 feet by 15 feet, would it make sense to own the “John Deere X758 Signature Series 4-Wheel Drive Tractor” (list price $12,099)? Trust me, this is one very nice lawn mower. Or might it make more sense to buy the “Black and Decker MM1800 Electric Mulching Mower” (list price $199)? Hmm…can I call you back on that…I need to run the numbers.

Flat Fee Real Estate When a Flat Fee MLS Broker Makes Sense and When it Doesn't - the FACTS

You get my point. Buy what you need. Not what others think you need. First off, let me define some terms. By “Flat Fee MLS Broker”, I am referring to a licensed real estate broker that is offering to provide “a-la-carte” services you definitely need if you truly want to sell your home (like getting you into the local MLS, which, with few exceptions, essentially replicates to Realtor.com®, Trulia®, Zillow®, etc.), but also gives you the option and flexibility of passing on those services that don’t fit your specific needs. “Flat Fee MLS Services” are sometimes referred to as “Flat Fee Services, “Fee For Service”, “Entry Only Service”, or “Limited Service”. If you want to read a good summary of these types of services, a fine place to start is the US Department of Justice web site.

Let me describe when these streamlined services are appropriate, and when they are not. Because there are definitely circumstances when a “Full Service Broker” is the more intelligent choice, and is in your financial best interest.

THE PERFECT CANDIDATE FOR STREAMLINED BROKER SERVICES (Includes: “Flat Fee MLS Services”, “Flat Fee Service”, “Fee For Service”, “Entry Only Service”, or “Limited Service”):

1] You own a computer and a cell phone (if you really don’t have access to either of these, trust me, there are government programs out there that will help you). LOL.

2] You have clear and undisputed equity in your home, meaning you know definitively that the market value of your home exceeds the mortgage balance (don’t forget about that 2^nd mortgage, or heaven forbid, a 3^rd mortgage). This is why is it CRITICAL that you know as accurately as possible, “What the heck is my home worth?”. Want to know how to do this, read my earlier post: “How to Intelligently Determine the Market Value of Your Home”.

3] You are physically capable of moving about your premises, and even peeking into the attic or basement.

4] You are not averse to opening your door to Buyer Broker’s and their clients (who have of course been “pre-screened”). And by pre-screened, I don’t mean a casual “pre-approval” letter, saying that providing everything on the Buyer’s mortgage application “checks out”, they qualify. Instead, I am talking about a “bulletproof” letter of approval from the lender that definitively states the prospective Buyer is approved to purchase your home, because their income, credit, and assets have been confirmed before they even walk through your door.

5] You are reasonably available to show your home. Meaning, that when “ready, willing, and able” Buyers present themselves, are you able to let them through the door (with proper advance notice of course).

So…how did you stack up? Not too tough. This ain’t like joining The Marines. On the flip side of this equation is a calculation you must make to see if a “Full Service Broker” is the more intelligent way forward. Having been a REALTOR® since 1988 (experienced in auction and estate buys, renovation, rehabs, appraising, and brokering), I have extensive contacts throughout the state, and across the US (personally referred brokerage business in 14 US states and 2 Canadian provinces). My personal criteria when referring to a “Full Service Broker” include the following mandatory requirements:

1] Four year college graduate (now don’t beat me up here). With 1.2+/- million real estate agents and brokers out there, scattered across the US, I had to make the cut somewhere. Merely a screening device. Not to say there aren’t some very high caliber real estate professionals out there without a four year degree (there most certainly are). Hey, Bill Gates never graduated from college, but then again, he was admitted to Harvard.

2] Work full time in the field of real estate brokerage, and have a minimum of 10 years in the business.

3] Member of the National Association of REALTORS®, selected in large part because they subscribe to a strict “Code of Ethics”

4] Experienced in “Short-Sale” transactions. What are “Short-Sale” transactions? These are situations where the net proceeds from the sale will more than likely fall short of the combined mortgage balance. Meaning, the homeowner is “underwater”.

THE PERFECT CANDIDATE FOR A “FULL SERVICE BROKER”:

1] You DON’T own a computer or a cell phone (I don't believe you)

2] You DON’T have any equity in the home, and are selling in the hopes the mortgage lender may be willing to accept less than the amount owed when the home is sold. It takes a VERY experienced full service broker to handle this kind of transaction, which is why you want someone that has been down this road before, and knows exactly how to negotiate with the lender.

Don’t feel bad about being “underwater”. You’re not alone. I ran the numbers on the percentage of homeowners in the New Hampshire and Vermont combined market (essentially the jurisdiction of the NEREN MLS database) whose current market value is BELOW what they paid, and the number is a staggering 41.4%. This data is provided via the MARKETrends Premium subscription based data service.

3] You are physically incapable (either due to age, health, or other infirmity) of moving about your premises, and taking Buyers on a proper tour of your property.

4] You simply do not have the time to conduct showings of your property, either due to work commitments, overseas deployment, or some other reason that keeps you away from your home for extended periods of time.

There you have it. Be smart. Be informed.

You Need to Know how the Appraisal Process Works To Overcome Potential Problems

By Paul Marino

Your home has gone under agreement, and you are moving toward the goal line. The game isn’t over, but you are in the 4^th quarter. You want to finish the process without any “snafus”, and you definitely don’t need a fumble this late in the game.

If you have not already done so, I strongly recommend you review my post entitled: “Essential Documents You Need To Compete as a Flat Fee MLS Listing” When you first listed your property in the MLS [using the services of a Flat Fee MLS Listing Broker], you collected an abundance of documentation that has been used time and time again during the marketing process. You wisely assembled this information on the front end, and it was widely disseminated to Buyers and Buyer Brokers over the past several weeks.

By doing such a thorough job at the outset, you eliminated much of the needless “back and forth” that many inexperienced Sellers go through. Less savvy Sellers were constantly bombarded with inquiries, endless phone calls, and time consuming emails, with questions like: 1) How much road frontage is there?; 2) Where is the septic tank located?; 3) How much does it cost to heat the home?; 4) Is it legal to have an in-law apartment? On, and on, and on.

If they had supplied all this information as part of the listing package, they could have simply said: “It’s all in the listing package and marketing materials. Just use your phone to scan the QR code or “text” the number on the lawn sign”. By doing so, they could have focused on showing the home instead of fumbling around looking for paperwork.

You only have one chance to make a good impression. Take the Buyer and Buyer Broker on a nice, calm, informative tour of the property. No drama. Unless the Buyer is paying cash, an appraiser will be walking through your property as the closing draws near. The appraiser is focused on completing the necessary data fields required on the Fannie Mae Form 1004 (the primary form used by appraisers in the vast majority of federally insured real estate transactions).

Bear in mind the appraiser is getting paid by the job. It’s very simple. The more homes they can inspect on any given day, the more revenue. Don’t make their job any more difficult (or time consuming) than necessary. You know from reading my blogs that “I tell it like it is.” Might seem harsh, but its best to face reality head on. While your home might be the “center of the universe” for you, don’t expect the appraiser to view your property in the same light. They are there to do a job. They don’t want coffee, or “chit-chat”, or to play with the cat. They’re professionals. Just the facts. If you need a friend, get a dog.

Be advised that before the appraiser even shows up on your doorstep, he/she has already performed more than half the work required for completion of the report. Make their life easy by following the recommendations in my blog of 4/20/2014, by providing the following, all of which has been posted in electronic format (PDF files) as part of the MLS listing process. The appraiser will be going into the MLS system and looking for these documents in advance of their visit to your property.

They include:

Thoroughly completed Seller Disclosure Statement (this is CRITICAL)
Current deed
Tax assessment card
Copy of a fully executed Purchase and Sales Agreement
Comprehensive list of all significant improvements (with cost estimates) since you owned the home

If you want to score some extra “brownie points”, have these available at the door:

Current real estate taxes
Census tract (just link to this free government web site)
FEMA flood map data (just link to this free government web site)
Formal zoning classification (ask your town assessor)
Plan of land (stake out the property lines for good measure)

If you posted these documents in your MLS listing, the appraiser will likely greet you at the door by saying, “Thank you for providing all the documents in advance. It will greatly speed up the process”. Like everybody else in this world, the personalities of appraisers vary. Some like to be left alone. Others like to be guided around like little puppies. Quickly surmise which type you have, and let them take the lead.

If you sense they are a “Stay out of my way” type appraiser, gracefully exit the scene by saying: “Very good…I’ll be in the kitchen if you have any questions or need anything”. If, by contrast, you have a “puppy” on your hands, then by all means, take the leash and give them the grand tour.

Apart from the physical inspection, there is the critical job of selecting sold transactions and estimating a value. There is only one way this is accomplished. The appraiser will be looking for sales that have taken place in the past several months, in as close proximity as possible, with physical improvements that closely duplicate yours.

You should know the appraiser will be accessing the exact same database for sold comparables that you have access to. In CT, it's the SmartMLS database. MA uses MLSPIN. In NH and VT, their shared database is the NEREN MLS. And in ME, it's the MREIS MLS.

There should be no surprise which comparables are being targeted for use by the appraiser. You are both looking at the same data. If you have correctly priced your property, there will be no difficulty substantiating the value. After conducting your own search, print out six sold transactions that you feel are the most representative. Similarly, print out six active listings (properties actually on the market now) that do the same.

At the end of the appraisal tour, thank them for coming out, and offer a printed package of everything you have up on the MLS website. Then, calmly deliver this line: “As part of the package, I have included printouts for six sold listings, and six active listings that are quite similar to my property. You are free to take the whole package if you like.”

Most (smart ones) appraisers will take the entire package and thank you. Some may take the “attitude” that “I am the appraiser, and I will do my own work”. No problem. Take what you want. Leave what you don’t. At least you offered. Only a fool believes they know everything. But don’t tell them that. Promise you won’t ask the classic rookie question: “So, do you think there will be any problem with the value?”

So there you have it. Be classy. Be professional. Keep your dignity intact. As I mentioned earlier; if you have correctly priced your property, there will be no difficulty substantiating the value.

Collect Another Check on Closing day by Allowing Landfall Properties LLC to Work Your Referral

By Paul Marino

Our Buyer Referral service is unlike any other referral service you may be accustomed to. The distinction is, our referral services work in conjunction with a rebate (CASH PAID TO YOU). This rebate applies to all kinds of buyers, whether this is your fifth home purchase, or your first.

THE BUYER REFERRAL PROCESS WORKS IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:

1) Landfall Properties, LLC places you in contact with an experienced Buyer Broker in the target market of your choice, in any state in the United States or province of Canada (if other than CT, MA, ME, NH, or VT). If targeting a purchase anywhere within CT, MA, ME, NH or VT (statewide), you are better served with our BUYER CASH REBATE program, outlined here, since it pays you thousands of dollars on closing day, instead of hundreds.

2) All referrals performed by Landfall require brokers to meet strict qualification criteria (unless specifically waived by you). These include: a) Experience (10 year minimum); b) Ethics (no state real estate board ethic violations in the past 10 years); c) Credentials (must hold at least 1 Realtor® designation); d) Education: 4 year college graduate; e) Must be a Broker; Salespersons do not quality due to lack of experience.

3) Landfall fully negotiates the referral and causes your name to appear on Page 2, Item H, Line 08 of the Closing Disclosure (CD) closing statement, reflecting a credit to you (rebate) of a percentage of the Buyer Broker commission. EXAMPLE: Assume you want to purchase a home in Nashville, Tennessee, or San Francisco, CA, or Calgary, Alberta, Canada (or for that matter, a property in any state or province in the United States or Canada). We’ve coordinated referral transactions in 23 US states, and 3 Canadian provinces (and counting) over the past 30 years. In our example, the purchase price is $350,000. The Buyer Broker commission is 3% of the purchase price, or .03 X $350,000 = $10,500. Landfall Properties, LLC negotiates a referral commission of 25% of this figure ($10,500), or $2,625. Landfall Properties, LLC retains 75% of this amount ($2,625 x 75% = $1,969). And you, as the buyer, are then rebated 25% of the $2,625, or $656 ($2,625 x 25% = $656).

4) The net result of this transaction is, the Buyer Broker collects a commission of $7,875 instead of $10,500. You win ($656), Landfall wins ($1,969), and the Buyer Broker wins ($7,875). Thus, $656 + $1,969 + $7,875 = $10,500 (i.e. 3% of $350,000 = $10,500). WIN-WIN-WIN. This entire rebate process adds nothing to the purchase cost of your new property, and, in this example, puts $656 in your pocket.

So Your Home is Under Contract. Do you Think the Buyer Broker is Going to Allow you to Hold the Escrow Deposit?

By Paul Marino

This article is written primarily from the perspective of a home seller, although home buyers can benefit from this information as well. It is important to understand how escrow deposit funds are handled during the course of your transaction. Escrow funds are monies deposited by the buyer, to be held in a special account, subject to no notice audit (by your respective state real estate commission, whether it be CT, MA, NH, VT, or ME) . You should know that no matter which New England state your transaction is located in, there are very special rules that apply to the collection, deposit, and disposition of these funds.

flat-fee-mls-how-are-escrow-funds-handled-by-landfall-properties-llc

Every real estate brokerage office throughout CT, FL, MA, ME, NH and VT must maintain a separate and distinct escrow account, to be used exclusively for the purpose of holding buyer deposit funds until it comes time to disburse those funds at the closing table. It is considered a highly egregious offense for a real estate brokerage to intermingle escrow funds with their normal day to day business accounts. As such, as both a buyer and a seller, you can rest assured that escrow funds are very carefully monitored and maintained.

Every offer to purchase real estate should be accompanied by a good faith escrow deposit. How large should this deposit be? From a seller perspective, you always want a large deposit; the bigger, the better. Conversely, from a buyer perspective, the magnitude of this deposit should as be as small as possible; the smaller the better. As this article is written primarily for our home seller clients, you want this deposit to be substantial, because you don't want a buyer to put up a nominal deposit, drag you along for six weeks, then, at the eleventh hour, on a whim, say: "You know what...we really aren't going to go through with this transaction after all." Bummer. In the event a buyer does drop this bombshell on you late in the game, you're going to be mad, as in very mad.

What is your recourse if the buyer elects to breach the contract and terminate the agreement? Generally speaking, from a seller perspective, your recourse is going to be limited to keeping the deposit as liquidated damages. You should consult an attorney, specifically an experienced real estate attorney (not a slip-and-fall attorney), if you have any questions about what can be done. But, speaking as a real estate broker, and not an attorney, your recourse is likely to be retention of the deposit. This is why you want the deposit to be as large as possible. Do you really want to put your $400,000 property under contract with a paltry $1,000 deposit, and then six weeks or more later be told by the buyer they found something nicer, and are bailing on your property? No, you don't. Many people will walk from $1,000. Some will walk from much more. As such, you want to be sure that if the buyer does choose to back out, you want to inflict some "pain". And in the civilized world, "pain" translates into money.

So, how much should the deposit be? It depends. Depends on a lot of things. There are no hard and fast rules, no matter what state you live in, whether it be CT, MA, NH, VT, or ME. Nearly everything in real estate is negotiable. So when you put your signature to that purchase agreement, you want to negotiate a figure that is reasonably large enough to deter the buyer from backing out at the last minute. As a general rule of thumb, you want to see something on the order of 2% to 3%. This translates into $5,000 to $7,500 on a $250,000 property. On a $500,000 property, it's $10,000 to $15,000. And on a $1,000,000 transaction, it's $20,000 to $30,000.

So let's say the worst happens. You're six weeks down the road to closing, and you get the dreaded email that the buyer is walking away. What to do? You will want to consult the listing agreement that you signed with your listing brokerage. They're all different. They vary from state to state and brokerage to brokerage. Many brokerages will have you sign a document that states they (the brokerage) will retain some percentage of the deposit (many as high as 50%) in the event the transaction goes south. At Landfall Properties, LLC, we don't do this. In the event you have asked Landfall Properties, LLC to hold escrow funds on your behalf, and the transaction is dissolved, we return all escrow deposit funds to you. 100%. Everything. From a seller perspective, this is a nice feature...a very nice feature.

For those of our Landfall Properties, LLC clients operating under our 60 day free listing program, we do not offer escrow services, unless you ask us to do so, and pay for this service on an a-la-carte basis. If you choose to go this route, you will be assessed a nominal $99 charge for this service. Of course, if you have purchased our Premium Marketing Service upfront, for $499, escrow services are included as part of your package. Your other option is to have the buyer brokerage retain the escrow deposit. Does this sound like a good idea? No it doesn't. Why? Because why would you have the buyer's agent be in control of these funds. It simply doesn't make any sense. Want proof? When it comes time to buy your next property, and you're putting down a deposit, why don't you try this: Tell the listing broker that you're going to have your buyer broker hold the deposit. Guess what? They're going to say no. It simply isn't done. By convention, listing brokerages hold the deposit. Period.

For those seller clients of Landfall Properties, LLC that have signed up for Premium Marketing Service, or have paid for this service on an a-la-carte basis, we will manage all aspects of the escrow deposit. If this is the case, buyer brokers will be instructed to have their buyers make escrow deposit checks payable to: “Landfall Properties, LLC Escrow Account”. Deposit checks can be hand delivered to our office (One Tara Boulevard / Suite 200, Nashua, NH 03062), or mailed to same address. Buyer brokers will be provided a copy of the escrow check, along with proof of deposit. At least 72 hours prior to the formal closing, these funds will be released to the closing agent for appropriate disbursement. Buyer brokers will be notified when funds have been released. Funds will be in the form of certified cheque, same as cash.

So there you have it. Sellers, do yourself a favor and negotiate a large deposit. Keep Landfall Properties, LLC in the loop regarding who the closing agent is, and when the closing is to take place. We'll take it from there. Landfall Properties, LLC has never delayed a closing due to late arrival of funds at the closing attorneys office. Funds arrive, as reliably as the sun coming up in the morning at least 72 hours in advance of the closing, to ensure your closing experience is as smooth and seamless as possible.

What a Home Seller can do When an Appraisal Comes In low – How to Salvage the Sale

By Paul Marino

Mortgage lenders are now paying very close attention to the appraisal, and when an appraisal comes in low, it can be the death knell of many a transaction – especially if the buyer has no cash (or very little cash), and are unable, or unwilling to make up the shortfall. There are obstacles in the way of you seeing your net sale proceeds if you don’t understand how to deal with this very common problem.

Picture this scenario. You’ve identified what appears to be a viable buyer for your home. Whether the buyer found you via Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, or, alternately, a Buyer Broker introduced them, you are nonetheless excited just to have a Buyer! Everything looks great…nice couple, both employed at big, established local companies, financing is pre-approved by their mortgage lender, there is no home to sell, and they have excellent credit. What could go wrong? Unfortunately, a lot. What you ask could have gone wrong when everything looked so right? The appraisal. It came in low.

Back in the old days (I’m talking before the world financial meltdown of 2008), no one really paid much attention to the appraisal. Nobody cared. Mortgage lenders figured that property values were rising year in, year out, and would until the end of time. If the buyers were foreclosed somewhere down the road, lenders figured that property values would have risen high enough to cover the loan…no harm done. Unfortunately markets don’t work that way. What goes up can, and often does, come down.

And down they came. The reaction of many home sellers when an appraisal comes in low is to immediately jump to the conclusion the “value is there” and the appraiser must be a fool, incompetent, or worse. S T O P. Sit down, take three deep cleansing breaths, and read on.

Before you get started you need to face the facts, and you must follow the facts, no matter where they take you. Try to step back from the transaction, and put yourself in the impartial role of an appraiser. The appraiser presumably doesn’t know you, doesn’t know the buyer, and has no particular interest in whether the appraisal “makes it”, comes in low, or comes in above the contract sale price.

Their job is to report their unbiased opinion of market value and relay it to the lender, so the collateral for the loan can be evaluated. It is important for you to know that the appraiser (per federal regulations) is prohibited from discussing any aspect of the appraisal with anyone other than the client without their specific consent (very special emphasis on the word "client"). In the majority of cases, the client is the lender, and is not, repeat not, the buyer (who, yes, I know, paid for the appraisal).

So when you've left your 5th phone message and 11th email with no reply from the appraiser, don't be surprise. They are avoiding you. What to do? Before you can get to the bottom of this, you need to see an actual copy of the appraisal, and the only way that is going to happen is to make contact with the loan officer and request a copy be provided to you as a party to the transaction, so you can make a determination if you have a case, or not.

The mortgage lender doesn’t have to give you anything, and in some cases won’t, but many times they are willing to cooperate. Why? Same old story…if the loan doesn’t close, they don’t get paid either. If for some reason the lender won’t provide a copy, ask the buyer to get one for you (the lender is obligated by federal law to provide the buyer with a copy), and they in turn, can plaster it on a highway billboard if so inclined.

OK, now that you have a copy of the appraisal, you need to read it, cover to cover. Most of it will be nothing but “canned” boilerplate rubbish, but read it nonetheless. The “meat and potatoes” of an appraisal is the selection and adjustment of comparables. Now I want you to pay particular attention to the next few bullet points, because they are based on decades of experience.

There are only three ways to affect an upward modification in the market value estimate for your property and salvage the transaction. You have to do one or more of the following:

1] Prove (unequivocally) that you have identified superior, more representative inputs that serve as a better gauge of value than those used in the appraiser’s report;

2] Demonstrate that the adjustments made are illogical or, mathematically incorrect;

3] Identify any important features or characteristics in your home (or a comparable) that may have been inadvertently overlooked by the appraiser. In another post, I will provide additional detail as to how to accomplish the three items cited above, but for now, understand this is going to take time, hard work, and perseverance.

Trust me, this isn’t rocket science, and you can do it, but you must take a calm, measured approach, and set your emotions aside. Market value estimates can be modified, but only if they are based on cold, hard facts, and solid research. Good luck. Be smart. Be informed. GO TO: US Dept. of Justice

Home Sellers Need to Learn To Intelligently Evaluate an Offer to Purchase

By Paul Marino

So far, you’ve done everything right. On the front end, the most important thing you did was establish an ask price that was competitive for your specific market. My previous post entitled "How To Intelligently Determine The Market Value Of Your Home" provides solid, no-nonsense advice on how to establish this figure. Your goal should be to sell your home “at market”, in a timeframe that does not venture far from the median days on market (DOM) figure for your particular locale.

You should know what this median DOM figure is for your particular town so you have some benchmark for comparison, and know what a reasonable exposure time looks like. As you recall from high school math, the median is that midpoint figure where half the properties are selling faster, and half are selling slower. If, for example, we examine the entire Rutland County, Vermont market over the past full year, this figure is stated at 122 days. Meaning, that half the properties were placed under agreement in under 122 days, and half were placed under agreement in more than 122 days.

If your property has been on the market for more than the median DOM figure, you may need to “recalibrate”. Translated, this means, go to my earlier post, and review the article titled: “There Are Only Two Things That Sell a Home – Price and MLS Exposure – PERIOD”. You’ve been exposed to the MLS, to Realtor.com®, to Zillow®, Trulia®, Craigslist®, and hundreds of web sites across the Internet. You’ve also got a dedicated web site promoting your property. You’ve got dozens of beautiful color pictures, video tours, virtual tours, on, and on, and on, and on. What could be wrong? Hmm…

It is important to know the market never lies. Buyers today are far more sophisticated than in days past. Like you, they also know what your property is worth. They have full access to the very same database (i.e. recently SOLD properties) that the appraiser will be using when they value your home for the lender. Buyers may not be willing to pay fair market value, but they generally do know what its worth. Even if they are completely uninformed and put forth an above market offer that is ultimately accepted by you, this does not solve your problem. There’s a little thing called the appraisal. If you have a no cash, or low cash Buyer, the lender is not going to lend beyond the appraised value. So the bottom line is, you can’t fool the market.

OK…so let’s fast forward just a bit. You’ve shown your property, and there is interest…as in, serious interest. As in, you’ve been notified of an inbound offer. With any luck, you may receive a simultaneous offer, and you may begin to feel overwhelmed. How will this be handled? Can I really do this? The answer is: “Of course you can.” But this situation must be handled with great tact, diplomacy, and skill. None of which is beyond your capabilities, but you must be trained.

Notice of an inbound offer is always exciting. This excitement however can quickly turn to exasperation and despair, when you actually lay your eyes on the offer. Be mentally prepared for the worst. The offer may be low, as in very low, as in so low you feel the prospective Buyer has dealt you a gross insult, and affronted your honor and dignity. I make a lot of references to poker in my blogs, and for good reason. You can learn a lot from this game. Good poker players are experts at displaying a public face that is so neutral and unrevealing their opponents are unnerved by it. Learn to put on your “poker face”.

I want you to promise me something regarding how you react to offers. No matter how low the offer is, you will remain calm. You will not fire off a hostile email to the Buyer or Buyer Broker declaring the offer is “so @#$*#&%& low” it’s beneath your dignity. Always take the high ground. In some instances, the best counter to a ridiculously low offer may be to simply ignore it. Pretend it never happened. No reply whatsoever. Trust me, they will “get it”. If they are truly interested in the property, they will follow up. Lay low. Let them come back. If you reply, always keep it classy and professional. How about this: “Thank you for your interest in our property. After carefully reviewing the offer, we have elected not to move forward with negotiations at this time. Thank you and good luck in your home search.” The bottom line is this. You’ve done your homework. You know what your property is worth. You’re not giving it away.

It is important to recognize that when offers do start to flow in, no two offers are identical. Sure, the offer price might be the same, but every Buyer is different, and every offer to purchase is unique. Even in those situations where one offer price is higher than another, it does not necessarily mean the offer is better.

It is CRITICAL that you carefully evaluate the following for each offer in hand:

1] If not paying cash, does the Buyer have a “Pre-Approval” letter from their mortgage lender?

2] How large is the earnest money deposit? (bigger is obviously better. I am astonished to see $500K homes being placed under agreement with a paltry $1K deposit. Meaning, the Buyer can simply walk away from the transaction on a whim, and lose no more than $1K. Sorry pal, but you’re going to have to do better than $1K)

3] Does the Buyer have to sell another property in order to follow through on your purchase?

4] How much of a down payment is being made? Be very “leery” of 100% financing transactions with miniscule deposits, as it does not communicate financial strength. Not to say the Buyer is not holding back some cash in reserve, but you simply don’t know that.

5] Is the Buyer calling for any repairs, or are they asking you (the Seller) to contribute to closing costs or other concessions?

6] What kind of a closing timeframe is the Buyer asking for? Does this timeframe work to your advantage (in the event you are coordinating a “downstream” purchase of another property)

In a perfect world, you will be offered the ask price, with full “pre-approval”, a large deposit, sizable down payment, nothing to sell, no concessions requested, no physical repairs to be made, and closing exactly when you want. Sorry folks, this isn’t Disney World. The chances of getting everything you want are slim.

Be aware that countering offers is a little like playing poker. You just never know how far you can “push” a Buyer before they head for the hills. Know what your property is worth, and know (in advance of any negotiation) what the bottom line “no lower than” threshold price you will accept. Stick to this number, and don’t look back. Nothing spells “amateur” like a Seller that “waffles” during the negotiating process. Face your opponent squarely, and deliver your best counteroffer.

Two final pieces of advice: 1] Remember the old adage: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, meaning, a sure bet (even though lower in sale price) may be a smarter move, if other factors in the other offer are “shaky” or unproven; and 2] Attempting to squeeze every last dollar out of a transaction will often backfire. “Know when to hold’em, and know when to fold’em”. Good luck!

Step by Step Instructions To Help Home Sellers set an Accurate ask Price

By Paul Marino

We live in a culture of instant gratification, so it’s no surprise that in the age of the Internet, deriving the value of a home should be no different. Just type in your address, click your heels three times, and “POOF”, there you have it, an instant home value that satisfies your ego, pays off the mortgage, and leaves you with a boatload of equity left over for the golden years.

Before we get started, let me get something off my chest. I really don’t like broad, sweeping, generalizations. When I hear a national news organization exclaim with exuberance that “Home prices climbed nationally an average of 13.6% in the past 12 months”, I want to cringe. Why? Because the number is meaningless. Ask a homeowner in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan if their home value has rocketed up +13.6% in the past year. You’re likely to get beat up.

The reason that broad generalizations are meaningless, is because all real estate is local. The only thing that matters, is what is specifically happening in your particular state, your county, your town, your neighborhood, and if you really want to know the truth, your individual street. National numbers are fine for the uninformed masses, but you’re smarter than that.

An entire industry has sprung up on the Internet over the past 10 years, providing home valuation services. Some aren’t bad. Some are downright abysmal. I should know. I’ve appraised literally thousands of properties. Let’s take a look at what’s out there on the Web, and see how it can help you derive a realistic home value. In general, the sites providing this service have an eye towards capturing leads for real estate brokers. As in, “Hey, I see you’re researching your home value, so naturally, you must be interested in selling. I just happen to know 1.2 million brokers out there that would love to assist you in this process.”

I must take a small detour here to make a pitch for my fellow brokers out there. If you (a prospective home seller) really have no intention of listing your home with a traditional “brick and mortar” real estate broker, I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise you won’t call up six different brokerage firms, have each of them traipse through your home, and provide you with a value estimate, just to say, “Thanks, but we’re really not sure we even want to sell.” Real estate brokers are, on the whole, very hard working people. They support their families solely off commission. It isn’t easy. OK, back on track.

First off, you should know that any information that a real estate broker can provide you is already available to you FOR FREE. Go ahead, help yourself. Would you like a second helping? That’s right, FREE. Go to REALTOR.COM and up pops a button called “Recently Sold”. Or how about NEREN.COM with the “Sold Properties” button just asking to be clicked. I decided to see how large the variation was in some of the more popular home valuation websites. I selected an actual New Hampshire property and these are the results. I also include the tax assessment from the particular local jurisdiction (just connect to your town's home page, and look for the little button that says “Assessing”).

Here you go: Zillow: $275K Trulia: $327K E-Appraisal: $263K CoreLogic: $306K SmartHomePrice: $335K Town assessment: $275K (after applying an “equalization ratio”, value = $293K) So let’s see - $263K to $335K. Wow, that $335K sure looks good to me as the homeowner. After all, I owe $325K on the mortgage. But what if the $263K figure is the “accurate” one? Here’s what you do. Pick a half dozen of these sites, and jot down your numbers. Throw in the town assessment (equalized, meaning, if your town assessor says that assessments are, for instance, running at 94% of true market value, just divide the assessment by .94 to arrive at “market value”). Average them. In this case, it results in a figure of $300K. Take this number and set it aside. It will serve as a basic starting point.

Now, using your search tool from REALTOR.COM or NEREN.COM, go ahead and conduct your own research. The NEREN MLS database is the “real deal” MLS for New Hampshire and Vermont, and REALTOR.COM merely replicates off MLS. This is the identical database being used by every broker and appraiser in the state. Folks, this ain’t that hard. Find a minimum of six transactions that have sold that match the location and physical characteristics of your home. Do the same for active listings. Try to “bracket” your results. Meaning, locate transactions that are unequivocally superior to your property (this establishes the top end). Now, locate some that are unequivocally inferior (this sets the bottom end).

If you want to perform a quick, rudimentary comparison to your home, do the following. Jot down the assessments for all of your sold comparables. This will provide a good relative comparison. Now, divide these numbers by the actual sale prices. This will result in a ratio that can be applied to your assessment. EXAMPLE: Assessed value = $302K / Sale Price: $338K = 89.3%. Do this for all six transactions. Average them. Let’s say the average = 95%. Simply take your assessment of $275K and divide by .95 = $289K. Now, between the aggregate numbers derived from Zillow, Trulia, E-Appraisal, etc., take the number (in this case $300K), and compare it to your derived estimate of $289K. You are honing in on the target number.

Final piece of work. Take a look at active listings – that is, properties that are on the market now, because this is your real competition, today. Temper your findings by these active listings. There you go. Done. And you did it all by yourself! Be smart. Be informed.

Home Sellers can Show Buyer Brokers This Document To Explain Their Flat Fee MLS Listing Status

By Paul Marino

Many of our seller clients are confused by the type of listing relationship they have with Landfall Properties, LLC. Reminds me of a trip I recently took to the grocery store several weeks back. I walk in to grab some English muffins. You know, the real ones, that is, Thomas' English Muffins, the Original. So I go to checkout and the clerk says: "You can have a second bag for free" Looking confused, I reply: "You mean you'll give me a second bag for FREE?". I was dumbfounded, because I felt the price of $2.49 for just one bag was a deal. And here she tells me: "Go ahead and grab another".

for-sale-by-owner-mls-how-do-i-explain-to-buyer-brokers-what-kind-of-listing-I-have

Well - same situation here. You're going to be overwhelmed by what your getting with a Landfall Properties, LLC listing. This is not a bare bones, MLS Flat Fee listing from a company based in Des Moines, Iowa that will take your listing, slap you in the MLS, and you'll never hear from them again. We're different. A lot different. By the end of this process (once you've successfully sold your home), you're going to wonder what just happened. We're that good. We welcome you to take a good, hard look at our testimonials. Pick any one at random. We've got so many, we don't even have time to post them to the website. OK...now bounce us an email, and say: "Show me the money. I need a name, email, and phone number for the transaction at MLS No: 4490026 (or whatever)". Within minutes you'll be talking to an actual client.

OK...now for the details. By the way, these details will all be posted directly to the official REALTOR® affiliated MLS database of your state, so every agent or broker in CT, MA, NH, VT, or ME can see it, and understand the precise relationship you have with Landfall Properties, LLC. If you encounter a buyer broker that appears confused, just say to them: "Look at the documents posted to the MLS. Everything is explained in there." So, here are the details every buyer broker will see:

1) WHAT TYPE OF LISTING AGREEMENT IS IN FORCE? The Seller of this listed property and Landfall Properties, LLC have negotiated an Exclusive Agency Agreement. As such, Landfall Properties, LLC has pledged the seller “…the fiduciary duties of loyalty, obedience, disclosure, confidentiality, reasonable care, diligence, and accounting…”

2) COMPENSATION: Landfall Properties, LLC welcomes your participation in the marketing efforts of this property. Without your hard work, there would be no closing. Compensation paid to cooperating buyer brokers will be the percentage stated in the Official REALTOR® affliated MLS system, as of the date of initial contact between the buyer broker and either the seller, or Landfall Properties, LLC. If there are any seller concessions stated in the Purchase & Sales Agreement, they will be deducted from the Gross Sales Price in the calculation of the sales commission payout. At least two weeks prior to the formal closing, Landfall Properties, LLC will generate a commission statement, notifying the closing agent of the commission amount. Buyer brokers and facilitators will also receive a copy of this statement in advance of the closing.

3) WHY THIS LISTING IS NOT CLASSIFIED AS ENTRY ONLY: The listed property does not meet the classification of an Entry‐only Listing. This is because Landfall Properties, LLC provides advisory and consulting services to listing clients at their discretion. Some listed property sellers rely very heavily on these services, while others rely to a lesser degree. Feel free to directly engage the seller via phone or email, should you require clarification of any aspect of their listing or property specifics.

4) HOW TO HANDLE OFFER SUBMITTAL AND NEGOTIATIONS: If, on behalf of their buyer client, the buyer broker wishes to move forward with an offer on the property, submit the offer directly to the seller, using the email address posted in the MLS database. It is Important that Broker Paul R. Marino (pmarino@LandfallPropertiesLLC.com) be “CC” in all messaging relating to offers and counteroffers. It is not necessary to “CC” Paul R. Marino on mundane messaging relating to such things as appointment time changes, or requests for utility bills, or other routine back and forth communication. If sellers elect to communicate with buyer brokers directly on any offer or counteroffer, they are required to “CC” the email address of Broker Paul R. Marino. (pmarino@LandfallPropertiesLLC.com). This ensures Paul R. Marino can monitor communications, and provide advice and counsel if called upon to do so at some future point in time. Some sellers feel comfortable handling the negotiations process on their own, while others rely more heavily on Broker Paul R. Marino. If buyer brokers do not hear directly from Paul R. Marino, they can correctly assume the seller has elected to proceed on their own. Please note however that the seller can, at any point in the process and prior to closing, request the services of Broker Paul R. Marino. Buyer brokers will be notified when and if this occurs.

5) HOW TO HANDLE ESCROW FUNDS: Some seller clients have negotiated with Landfall Properties, LLC to provide escrow services. Ask the seller if they are utilizing the escrow services of Landfall Properties, LLC. In those instances where this is the case, buyer brokers will instruct their buyers to make escrow deposit checks payable to: “Landfall Properties, LLC Escrow Account” Deposit checks can be hand delivered to our office (One Tara Boulevard / Suite 200, Nashua, NH 03062), or mailed to same address. Buyer brokers and facilitators will be provided a copy of the escrow check, along with proof of deposit. At least 72 hours prior to the formal closing, these funds will be released to the closing agent for appropriate disbursement. Buyer brokers and facilitators will be notified when funds have been released.

6) WHO HANDLES SHOWING THE PROPERTY AND ALL ACCESS ISSUES? It is important to understand the seller of this listing manages all tours of the property with your buyer clients and all dissemination of property information above and beyond that posted to the MLS. Sellers also provide clarifying answers to questions relating to property feature or condition, and are directly involved with coordination of any home inspection. The only exception to property access relates to the appraisal. Appraisers should contact Broker Paul R. Marino directly for access. This is done to ensure Broker Paul R. Marino is “in the loop” regarding this critical component of the home buying process, and to make sure the various state MLS databases are appropriately updated and kept current. Plus, if we don't, Landfall Properties, LLC gets hit with a financial fine, and we certainly don't want that!

7) WHO TO CONTACT IF YOU ENCOUNTER PROBLEMS: In the event you have reached an impasse when working with one of our seller clients, feel free to contact Broker Paul R. Marino directly at 603‐781‐4811, or pmarino@LandfallPropertiesLLC.com.

Why are Real Estate Brokers Relevant in the Internet Age?

By Paul Marino

In the year 2019, the manner in which real estate is identified, bought, and sold is far different from what it was in the pre-Internet era. Now I realize I might be dating myself here, but back in the "old days", back in the late 1980's for instance, buyers interested in purchasing a property had to rely almost exclusively on the real estate broker community for information about available housing inventory. In the old days, brokers tightly controlled access to the inventory of housing. Three pound, three inch thick printed Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listing books were the industry standard. Gaining access to these coveted books was closely guarded by the broker community. In fact, if a broker was caught lending out one of these books to a member of the general public, the penalties were severe.

So, back in those days, the only way for a prospective buyer to know what was on the market was to cozy up to a real estate broker, and ask to get a peek at "The Book". There was simply no other way of knowing what was currently on the market, other than to randomly stumble across a property with a FOR SALE sign on the lawn. Times were good for brokers, because they knew that if you were serious about buying property, you would have to physically get in your car, drive over to brick and mortar XYZ Real Estate office, and ask to see "The Book". This of course was all designed to draw prospective buyers into the offices of real estate brokers, so that a relationship could be formed that would hopefully lead to the purchase of a parcel of real estate.

Folks, the business of real estate is all about lead generation. What better way to secure buyer leads than to put up a brick and mortar real estate office, control access to "The Book", and wait for leads to appear in the form of customers, driving up to the office in their car, hoping to get a peek. It was kind of like going fishing. The buyers were the fish. The bait was the MLS book. And that bait could only be gotten inside the confines of a real estate office. My, how times have changed. There is so much property information on the Internet for public consumption these days that it's all become a blur.

Hundreds of real estate search websites exist for the sole purpose of displaying housing inventory. The list goes on and on. Sites like Realtor®, Zillow®, Trulia®, Homes®, Homefinder®, etc. are just the beginning. Landfall Properties, LLC for instance, has syndicated relationships with 90+ property search websites, all of which display housing inventory and attempt to convince you they are the "go to" website for showing you what's available. If you're a home seller, having your property seen on hundreds of websites creates a huge advantage for you. Plus, if you list with Landfall Properties, LLC (anywhere in CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, or VT), you can do it all for FREE.We have turned the Flat Fee MLS business on it's head. If you can perform the simple task of uploading your house data and photographs, we'll take if from there. You'll be seen across hundreds of websites within 24 hours. All for $0.

It's important for you to know how all these real estate search websites get this data. It's simple. They're all getting it from the same place. They merely vacuum it up from the various Multiple Listing Services (MLS) scattered across the country. Some websites are better than others at grabbing this data, repackaging it, and posting it up on their websites. The better ones like Zillow® and Realtor® have your data live on the Internet within 15+/- minutes of a broker hitting the "enter" key in their local MLS database. Less efficient ones take several days, but it will get posted, even if there is a slight delay. What this all means is, buyers have access to the exact same inventory of housing as brokers do. OK...so a broker might have a 15 minute jump, but beyond that, everybody is looking at the same data. This modern day system is in stark contrast to the old days of the printed MLS book. Buyers benefit because they know what's available for sale the minute something is introduced to the market. Sellers benefit because their property now has massive exposure to hundreds and hundreds of brokers working a particular market segment.

Now that you know that buyers can see the exact same inventory as brokers, you have to ask yourself: "Why do we need brokers?" Good question. Internet technology is perfectly capable of presenting a vast array of housing data to buyers, and at the same time, affording sellers the opportunity to have their house seen by the masses. The only problem? Buyers want to buy low, and sellers want to sell high. Hmm...what could go wrong? Folks, I'm going to make a prediction here, and you're probably all going to laugh at me. My prediction: Real estate brokers will never disappear from the landscape. Reason: They provide a necessary "buffer" between a buyer and a seller. That's right, a buffer. Because when buyers (looking to buy on the cheap), and sellers (reaching for the Moon) are put in direct contact with one another, you have the potential for disaster. This is not to say that civilized buyers and sellers can not sometimes sit down across from each other and hammer out a deal. But in a very high percentage of transactions, emotions are simply running too high, and some event (sometimes even the slightest insult or affront) sends the transaction off a cliff. Brokers hold deals together. They're good at it. It's what they do. The Internet will never solve the problem created by human emotion. It's as simple as that.

How Informed Home Sellers Choose a Real Estate Broker

By Paul Marino

When it comes time to sell your home, it's time to get selfish. As in, "What's in it for me?" And why shouldn't you. While every home seller situation varies, many of you have likely paid tens of thousands improving, expanding, or renovating your property. Others may have bought at an inopportune time (i.e. market peak of 2006-2008). For whatever reason, it's time to sell, and you want to leave the closing table with more than a handshake. You want that money back.

It's important to know that real estate markets can be cruel...very cruel. But the one thing every real estate market is, is fair. Meaning, it treats everyone the same. It doesn't matter if you're selling an 850 square foot ranch on the Maine/Canadian border valued at $80,000, or a 12,000 square foot Long Island Sound waterfront mansion valued north of $10,000,000. Buyers are only willing to pay what others have recently paid for roughly commensurate housing. It's really that simple.

Markets do not care that you bought your home at peak market (maybe at $400,000), poured $80,000 into it for kitchen and bath renovations, and now want to net at least what you paid for it, plus the tens of thousands in renovations. So, you whip out your calculator, add $80,000 to the $400,000 paid, pad in a typical 6% real estate sales commission, throw in a 3% buffer for "negotiations", and price it at $528,000 . Sorry folks, it doesn't work that way.

The only thing that really matters to a buyer is, "Why would I pay $528,000 for your house, when the exact same house across the street (with a gunite swimming pool in the backyard) is asking $495,000?" While sales comparables (properties similar to yours that have recently sold) are important in gauging value, buyers care most about what is available now, at what price. And if you're not competitively priced, you're simply going to be ignored. So when the fifth real estate broker comes out to your place, puts on their best "dog and pony" show, and tells you they can get top dollar for your home, and easily snag that $528,000 figure you're fixated on, be skeptical. No one, and I mean no one is smart enough to fool the market!

So how do you choose a real estate broker in today's market? There's certainly no shortage of them. One day, I decided to run the numbers. Just how many real estate brokers (or agents) are out there anyway? I chose Connecticut at random, although I'm sure the numbers are similar in any other state in which Landfall Properties, LLC is licensed (MA, ME, NH, and VT). It turns out, that nearly one out of every 100 over eighteen adults in Connecticut is licensed to sell real estate. Wow! Imagine that, in the course of a day, you encounter dozens of them. They're everywhere. Most of you could rattle off a half dozen or more. Some sellers don't have any choice in their selection of broker. I'm reminded of a young couple in my own subdivision that recently sold their property. At a summer picnic, they volunteered they'd be listing with their nephew. They didn't have any choice. The seller joked that if they didn't list with their nephew (newly minted real estate salesperson), the conversation at the Thanksgiving table that year would be "strained" to say the least. LOL.

Other sellers surmise, "Hey, I've seen XYZ Real Estate signs all over town...they must know how to sell property." Folks, the caliber of service provided by any real estate office is only as good as the caliber of the specific individual agent or broker listing the property. You may get fantastic service from one, and abysmal service from another. It's not like buying a Honda Civic (arguably one of the most reliable vehicles ever built). When you buy a Honda Civic, you know it's going to last, no matter which one you buy. Doesn't matter if you buy it in Nebraska, or Montana.

Other buyers say, "That broker makes a lot of money selling real estate, so I'm going with them." While that may be true, why would you care how much money a real estate broker is making? Wouldn't it make sense to focus on the more important question of: "How much money am I going to make on my home sale?" At Landfall Properties, LLC, we share your focus. That is, our entire business model is built around maximizing your net sale proceeds. Because by doing so, we generate a massive amount of goodwill. And that goodwill (coupled with seller savings) translates into future business. It's that simple.

The cold hard reality is, all real estate agents and brokers have the exact same recipe for home sale success. And what are those ingredients? Correct price, massive Internet exposure, hype, repeat. Correct price, massive Internet exposure, hype, repeat. If this were not true, then how could you possibly explain how Landfall Properties, LLC sells all the real estate that it does (reference our success stories and testimonials), and never even meet our sellers face to face?

Landfall Properties, LLC has a proven system that works. If you own a home anywhere throughout New England or Florida, and are interested in selling, why not put yourself first, and save yourself a five figure listing side sales commission.

If you Want to Maximize Your Sale Proceeds, you Must Learn how to Handle an Inbound Buyer Lead

By Paul Marino

This is a critical article. Why? Because it's going to provide an actual, provable example of how you can double your home sale commission savings. Let's talk real numbers here, and use actual transaction specifics involving an actual Landfall Properties, LLC listing client. The property involved in this transaction is located at 4 Thatcher Lane, Amherst, NH 03031. This is a NH example, although this same scenario is available anywhere Landfall Properties, LLC holds a brokerage license, currently CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT (coming soon to RI and NY). It was listed for FREE in the New England Real Estate Network MLS (NEREN MLS) in the 2/6/2016 timeframe for the sum of $459,000. The owner, John and Paula Learoyd, uploaded their house data and photos on 2/5/2016, and the very next day, saw their home listed on hundreds of websites across the Internet.

After being exposed on hundreds of websites from 2/6/2016 through 4/5/2016 (60 days), the market concluded the price was elevated. The Learoyd's subsequently upgraded to our Premium Marketing Service on 4/13/2016, re-listing at $449,000 ($10,000 price reduction), which led to an offer on 4/24/2016. A fully executed contract for $435,000 was negotiated later that day between the parties. Because John and Paula Learoyd would be paying 0% listing side commission, and 0% buyer side commission, they could afford to be more aggressive in their pricing, since they were saving a whopping $26,100 in commissions. (6% of $435,000).

We want you to know we're talking about an actual transaction. If you like, you can simply "Google" MLS 4470259. Try it. Your computer screen or smart phone will light up like a Christmas tree. Your search results will immediately return numerous page one instances of the sale at 4 Thatcher Lane, Amherst, NH, which closed at $435,000 on 6/30/2016. Just a cursory examination of the search results proves to you that this home was being marketed on many, many different real estate brokerage websites, none of which I might add, had anything to do with the sale. Notice that any contact information references to the actual listing brokerage (Landfall Properties, LLC) is mysteriously obscured from these property displays. Why is this?

It works like this: Once you're listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the various property search websites like Realtor, Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Homes, Homefinder, etc. simply vacuum up all the data posted by the MLS, repackage it, then post it to all the individual search, brokerage, and agent websites. Hundreds of them. Any every one of these brokerages is hoping you will somehow believe there is a "connection" between them and the particular listing. There isn't. There is of course the obligatory reference to the listing brokerage (Landfall Properties, LLC) in this instance, but there is no name of the actual broker (i.e. Paul R. Marino), and certainly no email or phone number to call him. Selling real estate is all about putting as much "bait" in the water as possible. Property listings are the "bait", and you, the property buyer, are the "fish".

Just an FYI to all you buyers out there looking for property. If you're looking for a home to purchase, stick to the "Big Three" - that is, Zillow, Realtor, and Trulia. Of course there are hundreds more, but for the most part, they're minor players. Why? Because almost without exception, every home listed in the Multiple Listing Service is replicated out to these three huge property search websites. Zillow contains the most comprehensive set of property listings, because it lists not only those listed by agents and brokers, but it also lists those uninformed sellers that have decided that going it alone without a licensed broker is the smart play. It's not. It's actually going to cost you MORE money. Read my post. Realtor is next largest, lagging slightly behind Zillow. And in third position, there's Trulia. Of course Trulia is owned by Zillow, so it's basically a horse race between Zillow and Realtor.

But let's get back to our example, and see precisely how this seller saved $26,100. Like many, many successful home sales, the sale all started out with an inbound lead. In this particular instance, a buyer, searching the Zillow site, stumbled across 4 Thatcher Lane, Amherst, NH, and decided to take some action. They decided to click on the button next to the listing broker (Paul R. Marino), and ask a question. And the question was: "Is there any chance we can see this property on Saturday at 11:00 AM? So, what happened next? Zillow routed that lead to Landfall Properties, LLC. And Landfall Properties, LLC immediately bounced the lead to both the cell phone number (via text) and email address of seller John Learoyd. It is important for your to know Landfall Properties, LLC does not intercept buyer leads. I can't emphasize that enough. By contrast, we aggressively make sure you see each and every lead.

In the lead message generated by Landfall Properties, LLC that was immediately routed to John Learoyd, we instructed John to ask this critical front end question: "Are you working with a buyer broker?". Your hope is that the answer to this question is: "No". Why? Because if no broker of any kind is involved in the sale, the home seller will (as happened here) pocket the entire $26,100 (6% of $435,000). As many of your are aware, roughly 80% to 90% of all home buyers find their own property by searching the Internet themselves. Somewhere along the line however, a buyer broker will typically get involved. Buyers do this because they perceive they have no one in their corner to be their advocate and go to bat for them. So they bring in a buyer broker. And sometimes, this is the smart play. A lot depends on the experience, sophistication and temperament of the buyer and seller parties.

In this instance, Landfall Properties, LLC instructed John Learoyd to say to the buyer: "As a buyer, you likely want someone to represent you in this transaction. Instead of a buyer broker, might I suggest an experienced real estate attorney." Now why did Landfall Properties, LLC do this? For one thing, it's good, sound advice. The attorney can review the contract, make sure there are no "gotchas" in the Purchase & Sales Agreement, and review the Closing Disclosure (CD) document in advance of the closing to ensure accuracy and fairness. And, based on my experience, you can find attorneys all day long that are happy to do this for less than $2,000. If the buyer continues to waiver, and is about ready to pick up the phone to a buyer broker, throw this out there: "I (the seller) will pay for your attorney. Select any attorney you like. On the CD, your $2,000 attorney expense will be a line item deduction from me, the seller."

By doing this, the entire cost of selling your home is a paltry $2,000. You just saved yourself $11,050 on the buyer end, since a 3% buyer broker commission would have set you back $13,050. Plus, on top of that, you paid exactly 0% to the listing brokerage, saving you another $13,050. As it turned out in the transaction just described, the $2,000 offer was not even necessary. So, in the end, John and Paula Learoyd ended up paying a 0% listing side commission, and a 0% buyer side commission. Total savings: $26,100. This is real money.

Now it may seem like I'm beating up on both listing agents and buyer agents. Actually, I'm not. While most people can easily bypass a listing agent in their home sale by using our FREE Flat Fee MLS listing system, reliance on the buyer broker community is critical to the success of most home sales. This is because the vast majority of home sales are connected to a traditional listing agent that has already put in place a full fee commission with the seller, generally ranging from 5% to 6%. As such, that seller is locked in, and is going to pay that 5% to 6% one way or another, whether a buyer broker is involved or not. And since most homes are listed under this 5% to 6% structure, it makes little sense not to take advantage of buyer broker services, since they're generally free.

In the case of Landfall Properties, LLC, we actually pay you a cash rebate amounting to 25% of the buyer broker commission. In fact, Landfall Properties, LLC generates so much goodwill from saving home sellers money, that nearly 70% of successful home sellers end up utilizing our buyer brokerage services when buying their next property. And, because we're licensed in CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT (soon to be RI and NY), we offer our clients great flexibility as to where they move to next.

Home Sellers will Pocket Even More Cash When They Understand That Two Percent will not Deter any Buyer Broker

By Paul Marino

This article is important to you home sellers out there that have wisely chosen to go the Flat Fee MLS listing route, or, in our case, even better, you've gone the FREE, Flat Fee MLS listing route. Even if you've been half asleep looking over some of our articles, you've probably figured out by now you're going to save a serious amount of money by listing with Landfall Properties, LLC. Straight out of the chute you're going to save at least 3% of your sale price. The chances of recouping even more money is now going to be a function of how well you finesse the buyer broker side of your transaction.

For the average home seller that only sells a home every ten or fifteen years, it may not be readily apparent what's going on in the world of real estate broker compensation. It's important that you understand these subtle, behind the scenes nuances of this topic, because it will help you map out an intelligent marketing strategy that will ultimately lead to more money in your pocket on closing day. I would strongly encourage you to read a couple of my related prior posts, namely: "How Much do You Need to Compensate a Buyer Broker to Get Your Home Sold" and, one of my most detailed, tactical articles: "If You Want to Maximize Your Sale Proceeds, You Must Learn How to Handle an Inbound Buyer Lead"

Your hope of course, is to sell your home and pay nothing. Zero. But it doesn't always work out that way. I can tell you, having evaluated an abundance of hard, statistical data for all the transactions we've ever been involved with, that 31% of the time (nearly one in three), you will sell your home using our system, and pay absolutely nothing to any broker party. And in the other 69% of cases, it will be a buyer broker that brings in that all important ingredient to any successful sale - that being a fully qualified and vetted buyer. Buyer brokers are your friend. Never forget that, because that 69% figure I just cited looms very large. No worries...it's a heck of a lot better to walk away from the closing table with an additional $10,500 (on a typical $350,000 sale) in your pocket, than to get clobbered with a full fee $21,000 (6% of $350,000).

The figures cited in the prior paragraph (31% have no buyer broker involved, while 69% do utilize a buyer broker), are Landfall Properties, LLC statistics. This is what we have calculated on our company wide transactions. But these numbers are remarkably close to what you see looking at all transactions, across the hundreds of real estate brokerages operating throughout New England. How do we know this? Because the data can be readily analyzed using statistical tools available to all the various state MLS systems (SmartMLS® in Connecticut, MLSPIN® in Massachusetts, NEREN® MLS in New Hampshire and Vermont, and the Maine Listings Flexmls® database in Maine.) It is a statistical fact that in nearly two out of every three sales, it is a broker other than the listing broker that brings in a buyer.

When most sellers list their home with a listing broker, few read the fine print. Most only care about one thing: "What kind of sales commission are you going to charge me?" It's entirely negotiable of course, but generally speaking, throughout New England, it generally runs in the 5% to 6% range. A very small percentage fall outside this range. But what many sellers may not be focused on is: "How much of that 5% to 6% commission that you are charging are you offering up to a buyer broker? It varies. There are no "rules" as this is a free and open market, and brokerages are at liberty to set this buyer broker "cut of the action" as high, or as low as they want.

Buyer brokers obviously prefer a higher percentage. No surprise there. Some listing brokerages split the fee 50%/50%, while others keep the lion's share of the total commission. Many do a 60%/40% type split (i.e. 3.5% to the listing broker, and 2.5% to the buyer broker). In three decades of brokering properties, I have never seen a listing broker pay a buyer broker more than they themselves are earning. It's my personal opinion that the heavy lifting in any transaction is being performed by the buyer broker. This is especially true in today's market, which is characterized by a distinct shortage of housing inventory. In many markets throughout New England (not all, but many), properties are going under agreement in very abbreviated fashion, in many cases under 30 days. This is all the more reason why it makes sense to list with Landfall Properties, LLC, because in the end, it matters little who you list with (if you really want to know the gospel truth). The difference is, we do it for free, and others want to take five figures out of your hide.

I'm going to throw a critical number out there: 2% buyer broker payout. Having studied thousands of transactions over decades, this percentage is generally a minimum threshold number that will not cause a buyer broker to avoid you. Would the buyer broker prefer to see 2.5% or even 3%? Of course they would. But this isn't Disney World, and sometimes you just have to take what's offered and be happy with it. I can tell you from personal experience that I have never avoided a property because it was offering a 2% buyer broker payout. At Landfall Properties, LLC, we put people in properties that best fit the needs and requirements of the client, regardless of the buyer broker payout. But guess what? We've never brokered a property at a figure below 2%.

One final observation. In the Internet age, buyers find their own properties (80% to 90% of the time). Buyers only bring a buyer broker on board to act as a buffer, and because, in most cases, it costs them nothing. So, because buyers find their own properties, they are generally calling up their buyer broker and just rattling off MLS numbers. From there, the buyer broker sets the appointments, and plans the house tour. Let's pretend for a moment that a buyer calls up their buyer broker and says: "We want to see property A, B, C, D, and E on Saturday." The broker pulls up the listings, and notices that one of them is paying 3%, two of them are paying 2.5%, one of them is paying 2% and a final one is paying only 1.5%. Well as it turns out, that property paying just 1.5% might be the best match for a particular client. Do you really believe a buyer broker can successfully steer a buyer away from a property with a paltry 1.5% payout, and concoct an excuse that the property "Just isn't right for you." Trust me, buyers today are very savvy and sophisticated. And if a buyer broker were to pull a stunt like this, their cover would be blown very quickly, and the buyer would head for the hills on very short order.

SUMMARY DATA: After examining all the Landfall Properties, LLC data from our Flat Fee MLS clients, the following percentages are derived. The range of our seller buyer broker payouts has been 1% to 3.5%. In those instances where a buyer broker is involved, the average payout has been 2.28%.

0% buyer broker payout = 31% of the time (no broker party of any kind was involved in the transaction)

1% buyer broker payout = 3% of the time

2% buyer broker payout = 25% of the time

2.5% buyer broker payout = 26% of the time

3.0% buyer broker payout = 12% of the time

3.5% buyer broker payout = 3% of the time

The Average Home Seller Client of Landfall Properties, LLC Pockets Another $14,413 on Closing Day

By Paul Marino

$14,413 is the average amount Landfall Properties, LLC saves our seller clients. This is an actual, hard, demonstrable figure, when looking across all Landfall Properties, LLC transactions, throughout the entire New England market, from Connecticut to Maine. If you want to know actual numbers saved by specific Landfall clients, refer to our Success Stories or Testimonials. Here you'll find a large sampling of recent Landfall Properties, LLC brokered sales that show you exactly how much money the seller saved. Need proof? Use the Contact Us link, and ask us for contact information for any home seller cited in Success Stories, or for any Testimonial. We'll provide you with the name, cell phone number, and email address of the seller. Anyone can tell you how good they are. We let actual clients do that for us. Speak to them live. Ask them anything. Full, 100% transparency.

Many of our clients save a lot more. Some less. It all depends on the sale price of your home. For example, a seller in my boyhood home of Greenwich, Connecticut (where a starter home sells for $1,000,000) will save a minimum of $30,000. By contrast, a seller in my former residence of Limestone, Maine (US/Canadian border), where a starter home can be picked up for $100,000, will save a minimum of $3,000. Use the calculator in the middle of the home page to determine exactly how much you will save using our Flat Fee MLS listing for FREE service.

Let's take a hard look at the numbers. Real numbers. First off, you should know that the whole reason for using our service is to save money. The more the better. Unlike most brokerages (upwards of 80%+/-), we won't have you sign an Exclusive Right To Sell Listing Agreement, meaning that no matter who finds a buyer (even you), you will pay a traditional full commission, generally between 5% and 7%, but entirely negotiable in all New England states. Think about that for a minute. Even if you find a buyer yourself, you still hand over 5% to 7% of the sale price to the listing brokerage. That's $22,500 on a hypothetical $375,000 home sale. Why would you do this? You wouldn't.

Instead, with Landfall Properties, LLC, you will sign a listing agreement that states you will pay 0% (zero percent) if you find a buyer without any broker involvement. You'll have the best of both worlds. Try to find a buyer using whatever methods you're using now, but know that if you're not successful, you'll have literally hundreds of buyer brokers in your market trying to find a buyer for your home, all of whom are happy to be compensated anywhere from 2% to 3%, on average, but totally up to you.

Using the calculator on the home page, your minimum savings are $11,250, based on a hypothetical $375,000 home sale price, assuming a buyer broker is involved. However, your actual savings are likely going to be greater than $11,250. How? Having tracked thousands of transactions in Connecticut for example, we can tell you that the average buyer broker payout is 2.5%. By doing so, you are saving yourself the 3.5% that would typically have gone to a 6% full service brokerage. In fact, your actual savings will be $13,125 (3.5% of $375,000). BUT, if you find a buyer, you will pay absolutely nothing. Zero, to any broker party. You have just saved yourself $22,500 (6% of $375,000). Real money. If you'd like some additional detail on what you should offer a buyer broker, consult my blog post entitled: "How Much do You Need to Compensate a Buyer Broker to Get Your Home Sold?"

So...what do you have to do to earn this $14,413? Three things: 1) List with Landfall Properties, LLC for free; 2) Plant a FOR SALE sign on your lawn if you want to (we can supply a professional sign if your town allows signs); 3) Show your home to prospective buyers and buyer brokers. The simple task of opening the door, and leading the buyer and/or buyer broker on a tour of your home is accomplished by you, the homeowner. However, in light of the fact you will be saving $14,413 on average on your home sale, we figure it’s a task you don't mind doing. Besides, who knows your home better than you? Answer: No one. No agent or broker knows your home like you do, so why not be the one to point out it's best features.

As many of you are aware, there is a critical shortage of housing inventory throughout many markets in New England. This is bad news for buyers, but good news for sellers, because you "run the table". Many properties are going under agreement in very abbreviated fashion; many in less than 30 days. Want to know the average and median days on market for any city or town in any state in New England? Give us a call, or drop us an email.

Is There any Risk to Listing Your Home With Landfall Properties, LLC? None. Absolutely Zero

By Paul Marino

Is there any risk in using our list in MLS for FREE program? Absolutely zero. It's FREE. No catch. This is literally a zero risk offering. For New England and Florida home sellers (CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT - coming soon to NY and RI) there is only an upside, and never a downside. You may cancel your FREE Flat Fee MLS listing, or FREE Entry Only MLS listing at any time, for any reason.

sell-you-own-home-is-there-any-risk-to-using-our-flat-fee-mls-listing-service

In a preferred scenario (happens roughly 1/3rd of the time), you'll pay 0% (zero) real estate commission to any broker party. Nothing. This is if you personally locate a buyer. This is distinctly possible, since each and every buyer lead hitting the major sites (Realtor®, Zillow®, and Trulia® gets routed directly to you by Landfall Properties, LLC.) We do not intercept buyer leads. In a worst case scenario, you'll pay a 2% buyer broker commission. That's a substantial improvement over the typical 5% to 6%. On a $250,000 home, it's another $7,500 in your pocket. On a $500,000 home, it's $15,000. Real money. Real savings.

You will be listed on literally hundreds of websites within 24 hours of your house data and photo submital. We're talking massive exposure. For starters, your home will be listed in your state's official statewide Multiple Listing Service (MLS). For CT sellers, that means the SmartMLS® system. In MA, its the MLSPIN® database. NH and VT home sellers are entered into the NEREN® MLS system. ME listing sellers are entered into the Maine LIstings Flexmls® MLS broker affiliated database. For those of you in NY, RI, and FL, we'll be rolling out to you very shortly.

But that's just the start. We then push your listing out to every single significant property search website in the country, since we have syndicated relationships with all of them. You'll be listed on sites like Realtor®, Zillow®, Trulia®, Homes®, Homefinder®, and another 90+/- more property search websites. Don't be fooled, this is not a free listing in an obscure, proprietary For Sale By Owner database. This is the real deal.

So how do we come up with the claim that you'll be listed on hundreds of websites? Because it's the truth. You will be listed on every brokerage site that has a property search function on their website. How many brokerages are there in each New England state? Hundreds. Why stop there. Individual agents and brokers also have their own websites with property search functions. You'll be listed there as well. You can easily see how our claim of exposure on hundreds of websites is factual.

We strongly encourage you to check out every entry only MLS listing and flat fee MLS listing “competitor” in the marketplace. Quite frankly, there are none. Visit us last. Want to know more, call the Principal Broker directly (Paul R. Marino, 603-781-4811), and ask him anything.

Buyers Could Care Less who the Home is Listed With. Buyers Want Houses, not Brokers

By Paul Marino

The vast majority of my posts look at the home sale process from the perspective of the home seller, but in this instance, I thought I'd turn the tables and look at the home buyer perspective. I was recently looking over an article that took at look at the most trusted (and least trusted) vocations in America. It was based on a fairly large polling sample, and I have no reason to doubt it's overall accuracy. And what did this particular study indicate? Well...let's put it this way...it's not pretty if you're a real estate agent or broker. According to this study, only 22% of the polled population regarded people in the real estate profession as being trustworthy. Ouch. While not at the very bottom of the ladder, it's certainly close enough to make you cringe. Even lower? Politicians at 13%. Quite frankly, I was surprised to see politicians rated so high. LOL. On the opposite end of the spectrum were nurses (82% of the population regarded them as trustworthy), and military officers (78%...not too shabby).

Having been in the real estate business for three decades, I think I've got a pretty good idea of why the number is so low. For starters, real estate is a sales position, which stands in stark contrast let's say, to a firefighter, or a nurse. A firefighter is brave, puts out fires, saves lives, and helps out the community. A nurse also saves lives, cares for the sick and wounded, and works tirelessly helping others. OK...I get it. So naturally, anyone in the sales profession is likely to rate far lower on the trustworthiness spectrum than a firefighter, nurse, or even an electrician (rates an incredibly high 66% on the trustworthy scale). Any profession whose success is measured by how well they separate you from your hard earned money is bound to run into snags.

Here's the problem. As a real estate salesperson, we're already down three touchdowns going into the fourth quarter. For starters, real estate is one of the few professions in the world where the salesperson (agent or broker) has absolutely no control whatsoever over the quality of the product being sold. Whether a salesperson takes a listing of a $40,000 shack in Aroostook County, Maine or a $10,000,000 oceanfront estate on Long Island Sound in Connecticut, the listing agent really knows very little about the product. How could they? They've never lived there. How can the listing agent possibly know if there has ever been water in the basement? The listing broker spent two hours at the home, taking photos and making notes, and they're supposed to know how much water was in the basement after Hurricane Sandy slammed the Northeast in 2012?

Like most professions in this world, the vast majority of agents and brokers out there plying their trade are honest and trustworthy, so when asked by a prospective home buyer: "Has there ever been water in the basement?" and the agent answers: "I don't know", there's a very strong possibility they simply don't know. They're not trying to be deceptive, or evasive; they simply have no idea, and are relying on what the seller has told them, and what has been communicated in the Seller Disclosure Statement. But heaven forbid there's a torrential summer downpour after the new buyer moves in, and finds water. In this litigious society, I can assure you there will be many people on the lawyers target list, to include, the listing broker, the buyer broker, the appraiser, the home inspector, and the home seller.

Buying a home is all about the judicious use of common sense, and exercising due diligence. Buyer brokers are very good at what they do (targeting closely matching properties, offering tactical negotiating advice, handling the massive flow of contractual paperwork, etc.), but they are not home inspectors. Similarly, real estate appraisers are not home inspectors. So don't expect the buyer broker, appraiser, or listing broker to be able to answer all your questions or to spot every potential physical defect or deficiency. Similarly, don't expect the home inspector to know every detail. A home inspector is only there for three or four hours. That's it. And while a great deal of valuable information and clues can be gathered over three to four hours, even a home inspector can not spot every potential problem. Most home inspectors come from the construction trades. But no one is skilled in all the trades. He might have been a former builder, or an electrician, or a plumber...whatever. The point is, most home inspectors are generalists. If they've entered the business via the home contractor route, they might know a lot about framing, load bearing walls, cantilevered decks, etc.) but they may just know the basics with regards to the National Electric Code [NEC]. Yes, even a newbie knows you need a GFCI protected electrical outlet on kitchen counter top surfaces.

At Landfall Properties, LLC, our core business is buyer brokerage, but our business model is dramatically different from anything you've become accustomed to in this industry. We list home sellers in their respective Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for free and save them $14,413 on average across New England when they successfully sell their home (anywhere in CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, and VT), coming soon to RI and NY). We save our sellers five figure money by eliminating the listing side sales commission. As you might imagine, when you save someone five figure money, it builds a tremendous amount of goodwill, and nearly 70% go on to engage Landfall Properties, LLC as their buyer brokerage for their downstream purchase. And in each and every instance, no matter what market you're targeting, from Caribou, Maine, to Greenwich, Connecticut, you're going to want to engage a highly experienced home inspector. Landfall Properties, LLC assists you in targeting the best, and most highly rated inspectors in your particular market.

When inspection day comes, don't just say: "Let the home inspector go through the home, and let me know if there are any problems." Tell me you won't do this. My recommendation is to take the day off from work. Wear some beat up clothes, and prepare to get dirty. You should follow that home inspector around like a lost cub...not getting in his way, but asking probing questions when appropriate. There's no such thing as a dumb question. You don't do this for a living. But guess what, that home inspector may have limited knowledge of certain specialized systems. So when you visit the electrical service panel with your inspector and the incoming wiring looks more like a ball of yarn after a cat's had a go at it, take the extra step of getting a licensed electrician in there to provide specialized expertise and recommendations. The bottom line is this: No one is looking out for your interests more than YOU. Not the listing broker, not the buyer broker, not the appraiser, not the home inspector, not your lawyer, and not the lender. If you want to save yourself a lot of trouble down the road, follow this advice: If in doubt about a particular system or component in the home, go the extra mile and hire a licensed tradesperson to check it out. A little money spent on the front end will save you a pile of money on the back end.

Last but not least. If your licensed tradesperson uncovers a substantive problem in the home that's going to require a significant cash outlay to rectify, you're going to want to get multiple quotes. Never commission a job without at least three quotations. You would be amazed at the wide disparity in quotations for seemingly identical work. And make sure your contractors are quoting "apples and apples". Having been in the home flipping business for a nearly a decade after the 2008 financial meltdown and foreclosure crisis, this advice has saved me, many, many times.