Lisa Hill

I'd love to help. There are many things you can do to make your home stand out from the others. There are so many possibilities. If you'd like, I'd be happy to take a look at your house and offer some suggestions. There would be no obligation. I just don't want to fill this entire page with suggestions that many not apply to your house. Every property is unique, and I believe in treating them this way.

If you go to my blog, you'll see a very recent comparison chart of the total number of sales in Daytona Beach, compared with the numbers from each of the last 9 years. This way you'll know what to expect regarding time on the market. I also posted a blog regarding with the statistics for the first quarter of this year. Here are the links to both of those posts:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1034885/Daytona-Beach-Real-E…

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1132193/daytona-beach-real-e…

If you'd like to ask me some specific questions, feel free to call me at 386-212-5357 or e-mail me at Lisa@LisaHillRealtor.com. You can also find a wealth of information on my web site. It's listed below.

I hope this helps. I'm a Daytona Beach native, and a successful REALTOR with many years of experience selling all types of real estate, in every city in east Volusia county. - Tue Jun 30 2009, 22:57

So far it has been free and there has been no talk about it not being free. There are upgrades that cost money. However, in my experience, sites like this rely on the people that use them to make them popular, at which point they start charging for some services... we've already seen that. Then over time, the sites begin removing more of the most popular sections and adding those to the parts that cost money to use, and you end up with the least popular parts being free. I hope that doesn't happen here, but only time will tell. - Sat Jun 27 2009, 09:12

Dalila- I first have to ask if you're working with any other REALTORS® since that's the proper protocol. I don't want to interfere with your relationship with another REALTOR® who's representing you... it's a violation of the Code of Ethics.

That being said, the monthly fees for this townhouse are $50. The MLS listing shows 5 additional photos. If you're not working with any other REALTORS® and would like my assistance, I'd love to represent you. If you'd lke to research my credentials and business practices, feel free to visit my web site... there's a link below, and my primary blog at http://www.realestateblogconnect.com. My e-mail is Lisa@LisaHillRealtor.com. Feel free to contact me with any questions. And as I said, if you don't have your own REALTOR®, I'd love to represent you =) - Mon Jun 22 2009, 20:50

Being that the entire country has been in a recession for over a year, I'm afraid it will be a long time before the economy improves. And it will probably be a very long time for real estate values to reach the unprecedented values of the market boom of 2005. Real estate is always in flux. But this last sellers market was like nothing we've ever seen before.

Until the U.S. economy improves, every industry is in jeopardy, and every individual is being affected. We just have to keep cutting expenses until we're only spending money on necessities. You're not alone in your dilemma. Anyone who bought real estate in 2005 and the surrounding years, is going to have to wait many years before their property values are back to the amount they paid.

I'm sorry I don't have a better answer. - Sun Jun 7 2009, 22:24

Nervous- You said this agent just filled out the paperwork? So you only saw the one house? How much conversation occurred while you were in the house? I assume you didn't meet at the office first? I try to meet all my customers at my office first. This is when we have a conversation about the buyer's needs and options, and it's when an additional fee would have been disclosed (if I charged one, which I do not). Just wondering how much time was spent with the agent before the contract was written. - Sun May 31 2009, 17:18

In light of your last comment, I have to say that I find it highly unprofessional for this agent to be attempting to charge this fee to you. I've never heard of an "archive fee" before. And if they're being paid the commission amount that you stated, I find it even more ridiculous. However, I'm going to reference part of Skip's comment again, because I was thinking it yesterday. I just decided my comment was already long enough, and didn't go there ;-)

If/when you decide to use a different agent to purchase this property, bear in mind, the agent you've been working with IS the "procuring cause", meaning, they've done the work so far, and brought you all the way past the point of writing the contract, so they're entitled to the commission. According to the laws of procuring cause, a client can choose to work with another agent, but they don't get to decide which agent gets the commission. Of course, as long as you get the house you want, with as little stress as possible, then that part of the process should not effect you. At this point I would have done the same thing you did: refused to pay that fee!

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience. But I'm glad you posted the question here. It's beneficial to all of us when we share information. Going public with your situation will hopefully discourage any other unprofessional or unethical behavior. It's a benefit to the real estate industry when the few bad eggs are no longer able to mar our profession. I may actually blog about your story and the responses you got, sometime in the next few days. You've brought to the table, an excellent example of how NOT to do business. And I know that the vast majority of Realtors will agree.

Good luck! And please keep us posted. I think we're all going to want to know how this turns out. - Fri May 29 2009, 11:42

There is one particular national real estate brokerage chain that does this on every transaction. Due to the Code of Ethics, I can't say who it is. Aside from that, there are a couple of scenarios that come to mind, regarding why this fee could be charged. But first, I'll answer your other questions you posted below. (Bear in mind this is all speculation.) 1) Yes this is allowed since any money paid is considered commission money, and commissions are always negotiable. But maybe this agent felt the commission listed in the MLS was not enough. (I've expanded on this further down) And it's not always the seller who pays the commission. It's become increasingly common for buyers to pay it, or contribute to it. 2) Yes it's ethical because all commissions MUST be negotiable. Different brokerages are not even allowed to discuss their "normal" or "standard" commission with each other, lest anyone think they're conspiring to "price fix", by setting a minimum standard in their area. To forbid a particular fee would be venturing into the arena of the brokerages who charge a flat fee instead of a percentage, and/or the ones who offer a la carte services. "Price fixing" is against the law, and industry professionals will steer clear of conversations that venture anywhere close to this law. 3) Whether or not it's good business is open to interpretation, depending on the reason(s) for it. So here are some possibilities...

In some brokerages, they have a Transaction Coordinator, who keeps track of every detail of every transaction. There are also some individual agents who hire their own Transaction Coordinator, then charge a fee to their clients, to help offset the salary they pay this person. Now you're probably wondering why this additional person is needed. In a brokerage, the brokers and managers cannot know everything their agents are doing in the field. A Transaction Coordinator helps them maintain a measure of quality control by making sure everything happening is legal, ethical, and beneficial to the client. Some clients may actually appreciate this service, and the fee attached to it. Now if individual agents are charging this fee, it could be because they handle such a large volume of business, that they've hired someone to make sure nothing falls between the cracks. IE mortgage application, mortgage approval, inspections, surveys, appraisals, repairs, and the specific due date for each clause of the contract.

If the fee is not for a Transaction Coordinator or individual assistant, there are still a couple of other reasons you could be seeing this fee. As Skip noted, when purchasing foreclosure properties, banks ALWAYS charge additional fees. Banks also pay a lower commission, while at the same time causing the agent to do more work. So, to be fair to all their clients while more time than usual is being dedicated to one particular transaction, they may be passing the extra bank fees through to you. But the amount you've stated is lower than what I've seen banks charge.

Lastly, the only other reason I can think of at the moment is if the selling agent is not happy with the commission being offered by the listing agent. If they feel that after their taxes, business supplies, gas mileage, vehicle wear and tear, Board dues, MLS dues, time spent with this particular client, and profit that is leftover, that they've just worked for below what they feel their services, experience, and knowledge are worth, then they may feel the need to ask for the remainder of what they're accustomed to making, or feel they're worth, from you. Yes, commissions are negotiable, but individual agents may choose an amount they they keep in mind, that they feel their services are worth.

In case you're wondering, I do not charge these fees. I'm simply speculating the possible reasons for it, since you asked. I'm curious as to what your agent told you the fee was for. ?? - Wed May 27 2009, 14:41