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The world of home-selling may be red hot right now, but taking full financial advantage of the situation requires that consumers know the hottest buzzword: unbundling.
Unbundling can save you-literally-thousands of dollars.
Traditionally, most real-estate brokers charge fees of six to seven percent to sell your home. If you're willing to do some of the leg work, however, some top brokers across the nation, such as Help-U-Sell, will now unbundle their services-letting you choose what you need from a list of full services they provide and reducing their fees in the process.
You can save money by doing things brokers traditionally have done: showing your own home to individual buyers and hosting your own open houses-to cite two examples. Not exactly heavy lifting for those who've got the time.
Look at how much money-and equity-it can save you. Say your home is worth $150,000. A six percent broker's fee on that is $9,000. Through unbundling, you can get that fee down to three percent or four percent which translates to about $4,000 in your pocket. The more expensive the home, the greater the potential savings.
"Consumers are great at showing their own homes" says Rick O'Neil, president of Help-U-Sell Real Estate, the national company that put unbundling on the map. "Where they really need a real estate professional is in negotiating with potential buyers, closing deals and controlling the process. Giving them the flexibility to choose the services they need makes unbundling a smart alternative."
Adds Laurie Edwards, a consumer advocate at the insightful MyMoneyMaven.com: "Consumers today are more aggressive than ever before. Many would rather participate in the sale of their home and save thousands of dollars. Unbundling, also known as fee-for-service, is the way the real estate industry is headed."
"Real estate professionals need to be more in touch with the kinds of services consumers are demanding," she continues. "And consumers should know that there are alternatives."
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