Q&A with a SmithAdams Seller Client
Posted by nithi.vivatrat on July 7, 2009
Dan Kerzner, a DC-area technology VP, chose SmithAdams to represent him in the sale of his Arlington condo. Here is a Q&A about his experience with us:
Q: Why did you choose SmithAdams to sell your home?
A: I chose SmithAdams for a couple of reasons. First, I was not comfortable with the possibility of any conflict of interest between my real estate advisor and myself – the SmithAdams fee-for-service model helped me avoid this issue. Secondly, SmithAdams allowed me to choose the specific services I needed. As a do-it-myself kind of person, I was originally planning on managing this process myself as a for-sale-by-owner. By using SmithAdams, I could get the best of all worlds – the cost control of a FSBO with the benefits of a full-service brokerage — all on an a la carte basis.
Q: Weren’t you concerned about paying fees up-front even if your property didn’t sell?
A: I knew with certainty that I was going to sell the property at some point, so I would have had to eventually pay a commission to someone anyway if I didn’t do an FSBO. With SmithAdams, I had control of what services they performed, so I controlled the amount of fees I would incur. In the traditional commission model, I give up the control of what I pay for and what I get. SmithAdams allows me to manage the work and the fees.
Q: Did you save money with SmithAdams?
A: Yes — my total fees to SmithAdams were less than 1% of the final sale price, far less than the 3% I would have had to pay to a traditional agent (not to mention the commission that will go to the buyer’s agent).
Q: Where do you think SmithAdams added value in your real estate process?
A: Off the bat, SmithAdams was far better than using a flat-fee MLS listing service, which was my original plan. SmithAdams crafted compelling MLS, Zillow, and Trulia listings and answered questions from buyer agents (even though we were listed as the primary contact). SmithAdams also represented our interests well during negotiations, helping us work through some sticky issues with the other party.
Q: Would you recommend SmithAdams to others?
A: I would definitely recommend SmithAdams to anyone who wants to proactively manage the fees incurred in their real estate transactions. The fee-for-service model works with other professions, so why not real estate? With SmithAdams, I get great service from a professional team for reasonable hourly rates — SmithAdams was a great fit for me to sell my property.