James L. Jones

I have noticed an increase in contact from print ads on lower priced homes. (not an increase in offers) When following up I find the prospect has limited or no internet access. While it is true most will utilize the internet and print costs are near impossible to justify, only great follow up will allow you to understand where YOU are effective in your advertising. And as Maria mentioned, sometimes the prospect will give incorrect information because they just don't remember where they saw the ad. When possible, I will change the text or feature spotlight in my print ads to help develop questions that better identify if they really did see the ad source with which they reply. - Thu Nov 6 2008, 06:37

FREE! FAST! and simple. http://www.caao.org/DIRECTORY/ will put you into the County Auditors Directory for the state of Ohio. Simply select your county and go to the auditors web site. Or for 45417 go directly to http://www.mcauditor.org, in the left menu select Real Estate then in the top menu bar select Property Search. Type in the address, or a portion of the address and teh property information will display below. Click on the Parcel ID or Owner name displayed for all of the county details to the property.

You now have the information on who the county shows as current title holder to the property. Understanding that there is a time lag for title transfers to appear here. the information should be accurate. If not then the legal issues go far beyond the purpose of this forum and you should seek legal advice. Depending on how serious the dispute has become or has the potential to become, legal advice is still a good idea. There are free legal services available in most major cities and Dayton is no exception. - Thu Jul 17 2008, 07:28

Great input here. If "all my agent does is send my [sic] MLS listings that I can easily obtain myself." Is a completely true statement, then your answer is a resounding NO, you are not asking too much. If there is more to what he is doing than presented, then the answer may change. I don't believe that you are asking too much unless your expectations with regard to your purchase are unreasonable. If that were the case you agent should have already told you what is unreasonable about your expectations.

Communication is always the best first step. Asking questions is my method of choice for understanding what a buyer wants. The method is to "go three deep". Ask questions about the answer to my questions. The selection process can become difficult when the buyer's wants evolve through the process. However, I have found that these changes are not unusual. Your agent should be learning as you move through the process. I often have buyers ask me about properties they have "found" that I did not present. Sometimes it is because I already know about the property and for one or more reasons have dismissed it as not suitable. I then attempt to communicate why I did not present the property. Sometimes it is because it does not fit into the selection criteria that the buyer has insisted upon. I point out why it does not fit my understanding of their wants and needs to ascertain what I need to change to get in line with their wants and needs or revise our list. I always ask a buyer for a preliminary list of "Gota have, Negotiables, and Deal Killers". We will then periodically revisit this list to clearify changes or my perception of changes in direction.

Before your frank discussion with your agent, ask yourself, "Are the properties I am presenting to my agent that he has not offered for my consideration good fits with my communicated wants and needs?" "Have my guidlines for wants and needs changed from what I started with?" "Have I communicated these changes?" "Has my agent grasped these changes in wants and needs, is his understanding being reflected in the properties he is now presenting?" This will help you clear up in your own mind what the answer is to your question.

Unlike Jon, I am a stealth Nice Guy. (It just doesn't show) - Thu Jul 10 2008, 15:25

I have a listing currently that has a shared driveway between two properties that since the original sales have been owned separately. By the way neither current owner wants responsibility for maintenance. Boundary disputes are not uncommon.

County records wil clearly state the boundaries of each property and as Melissa pointed out a survey is the best way to get a clear understanding of exactly what those boundaries are. A deed specifying that the property line "...commencing at the northeast corner of said northeast quarter, thence south along the westerly line thereof, 1176.16 feet and thence south 89 degrees east, a distance of..." while completely accurate leaves most people scratching their heads.

Many county web sites include maps and diagrams of properties by owner, address or Parcel ID. In many cases (more metropolitan areas) these can even be displayed with satellite imagery as the background allowing for a clear visual of the driveway and where the property line falls in relation to that driveway. These sites are normally reasonably intuitive to use but if you have issues or are still confused, a personal visit to your county auditor's office (the name will change based on the task assignments in your particular jurisdiction), a request for assistance from your friendly clerk and you should walk out with an answer.

If you are just curious, this should suffice. If there is a dispute, get legal advice from an attorney. A survey will be your definitive answer, good, bad or otherwise.

Jim - Thu Jul 10 2008, 14:52

Ultimately, the whole process is about how much will you NET from the sale of your home. (Sale price less commission, mortgage pay-off, required seller prepaids and negotiated seller closing items paid.) The sales price of your home is only a piece of the puzzle as is the commission you pay.

It sounds like you are afraid of overpaying an agent for services rendered? Why do you think a flat fee brokerage will benefit you more than a percentage based fee? I, personally, have nothing against the idea of a flat fee brokerage.

Before I proceed, I offer this caveat, I believe in the professionalism, integrity and commitment of fiduciary responsibility of every agent until such time as excerience proves otherwise. Do your homework before selecting an agent or brokerage. Ask friends and family about their experience with agents they trust.

Some flat fee brokerages utilize a line item list of fees per service. Ask the question, are you getting full service for your flat fee? If not what are you willing to give up to get the flat rate? Will you settle for less in service to get the flat fee? Paying a percentage is no guarentee of high quality service. Ask the same questions. What do I get for my cost? What is your marketing plan? Assume nothing.

An agent/ brokerage could be perceived as having more "skin in the game", so to speak, if their commission is percentage based. On a flat rate your agent/broker has only his/her personally integrity (see caveat above) to motivate aggressive negotiations for your best net, since his/her gain is not effected by the final negotiated price. Conversely on a percentage an agent/broker may be willing to persuade you to offer more in concessions so that your net is lowered but the commission is uneffected. Most area markets require creativity and fresh ideas to make deals happen. Offering these concessions may be the only way to get the buyer past a lack of down payment or lack of cash for closing and should not be percieved as the agent "protecting" his commission.

If you connect with a great agent, how you pay the commission and what you pay in commission should ultimately be secondary to your bottom line in the transaction. The agent you select will be working for you.

However you decide, I wish you success in your sale. - Thu Jul 10 2008, 10:56