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8 July
Realtor Assistance Service

When selling a house, one of the first things you should do is find a trustworthy, knowledgeable real estate agency. The home selling process can become a complex transaction requiring plenty of paperwork and legalities, so you need an agent’s expertise to facilitate your sale.

You might discover full-service and discount realtors when looking for an agency. If they both provide real estate agent services, which one should you choose for your home’s sale?

Odigo Real Estate Club has many experienced agents who help sellers in the Washington State real estate market. Here, we provide details about the different types of real estate agents and why full-service real estate comes out on top.

What Is a Full-Service Realtor?

Because selling a home typically involves a lot of paperwork, legalities, home showings, research, and other tasks, the process can be stressful for owners. Having a full-service real estate agent on your side can make things immensely easier by managing the entire process from beginning to end.

Full-service real estate agencies like Errandables participate in every aspect of the home-selling process on behalf of their clients. They are always available to answer every question, address every concern, and handle the tough work that comes with property transactions.

These real estate agent services aim to provide the ultimate support during your homeownership transition. Most traditional real estate agencies have full-service agents.

Services

The number of services a full-service real estate agent can provide you during a home sale is extensive. Examples of services that they provide include:

  • Professional, high-grade photography to showcase the home on listings
  • Expert home valuations to accurately price the house
  • Industry-leading tips on how to attract quality buyers
  • Quality advertisements on websites like Zillow and the local multiple listing service
  • Paperwork assistance to ensure the legal sale of the property
  • Professional references and recommendations for resources like landscapers, inspectors, mortgage lenders, and so on
  • World-class marketing campaign to promote the sale of the house and yield qualified buyers

Negotiation is perhaps the biggest service these real estate agents provide. An expert agent offering full real estate agent services could negotiate the sale of your home for $50,000 to $100,000 more than a similar home in your neighborhood. They can also save you two to three times their commission through negotiation, making their services worth their price.

Even if you’re a home buyer and end up in a bidding war, the negotiation skills of a full-service real estate agent can ensure you stay competitive without overextending your budget. Their negotiation skills are indispensable.

Cost

Full-service real estate agents usually earn commissions from property sales. If you put your home on the market and it sells, you can expect to pay around 3% each to your listing agent and the buyer’s agent.

Note, however, that the commission rates vary by location and company. Rates can be as low as 2.5% or 5% for total commission fees. Increasing home prices and stiff competition in some markets can cause real estate agencies to drop their rates even lower.

What Is a Discount Realtor?

As the name implies, discount real estate agent services refer to real estate services you can get that don’t follow the usual 6% commission pay model. You can get real estate broker assistance for under 2.5% commission if the discount agent takes a commission rate at all.

However, you can expect to receive fewer services or a different standard of service and support from a discount realtor. You’ll have more money in your pocket with the lower commission rate. Yet you might have to call sales leads yourself, handle your own open house, take phone calls from prospective buyers, and tackle other jobs alone.

Discount real estate doesn’t operate under the traditional real estate pay scale. Instead, agents take payment in these three ways:

  • They’ll accept a flat fee for services.
  • They’ll charge a discounted commission rate for the sale, like 0.6% instead of 2.5%.
  • They’ll charge a flat fee or a percentage of the sale with individually priced services you can add to your initial service package.

This option might seem attractive and cost effective, but charges can add up quickly. If you’re not careful, you could unintentionally pay more for a la carte discount real estate agent services with less professional support than you would with a traditional real estate agency.

Limited Professional Realtor Services

The most common type of discounted real estate service is the limited-service agent. These realtors offer basic services for flat rates or a la carte fees. Their service ranges vary widely.

However, they may not work for anyone who wants to buy or sell a house. A lot of work goes into the home buying and selling processes.

Suppose you hire a discount company that offers the bare minimum services within their rates but allows add-on services. In that case, the amount you spend on their services can quickly exceed what you originally expected to pay. You will also likely deal solely with a customer support line instead of a dedicated agent you can meet with face-to-face.

Full-Service Discount Realtor Services

You may get full real estate services at a discount. Some companies boast smaller commissions with a broad range of services that you would typically get with a full-service real estate agency. Some agencies also provide premium services like paid digital marketing.

The lower cost of professional real estate services has a drawback. When you work with discount real estate agencies to sell or buy a home, they always look for ways to cut costs. Sometimes, that means limiting services, and in others, it means limiting service quality.

For instance, a full-service discount realty company could require you to work with a team of agents for different stages of the sale instead of a single dedicated agent. This could result in miscommunication, double paperwork, missed deadlines, and other problems if the team doesn’t effectively communicate or work collaboratively.

How To Know Which Property Agent Services To Choose?

If you prefer to handle your home’s sale by yourself from start to finish to maintain complete control of the process, you might benefit from discount real estate agent services. They can offer basic services like an MSL listing or home valuation at a reasonable price.

Yet traditional full-service real estate services work best for selling or buying a home. You’ll get a broad range of services and a dedicated agent to manage your entire transaction.

 

4 July
Corporate Housing Concierge

Advantages of managing your vacation rentals by yourself

Managing your vacation rentals yourself may seem like a daunting task, but it can have many benefits.

Total control over the management of your vacation rentals

When you manage your own vacation rentals, you have complete control over all property-related decisions, including pricing, advertising and booking. You are able to customize the customer experience and create a unique atmosphere for each property.

Financial savings on management costs

Managing your own vacation rentals can save you money by avoiding the management fees imposed by a concierge. In addition, you can reduce costs by doing your own maintenance and cleaning of the properties.

Opportunity to offer a personalized customer experience

By managing your own vacation rentals, you have the opportunity to provide a personalized guest experience. You can be there to greet guests, guide them through the property and answer any questions they may have. You may also be able to provide additional amenities or services that concierge companies cannot.

Advantages of the management of your seasonal rentals by a concierge

Managing your vacation rentals can be a daunting task, especially if you own multiple properties. This is where the services of a concierge can be beneficial.

Professional and specialized management of your seasonal rentals

Concierge services consist of a team of qualified and skilled professionals who have the expertise to effectively manage your properties. They handle all aspects of the vacation rental business, including advertising, reservations, maintenance and cleaning.

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Concierge services are available to answer any questions or requests customers may have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This can provide peace of mind to customers and enhance their overall experience.

Better online visibility and effective marketing

Concierge companies often have high online visibility and use effective marketing strategies to promote your properties. They have the expertise and resources to reach a wider audience and generate more bookings.

Optimization of revenues and occupancy rates

Concierge companies have expertise in pricing and optimizing occupancy rates. They can adjust prices based on demand, which can help maximize revenue for your properties.

Disadvantages of managing your vacation rentals by yourself

Managing your vacation rentals may seem like an easy task, especially if you only own a few properties. However, the reality is that it can quickly become a full-time and very stressful job.

Risk of drowning in details

Managing your vacation rentals can be like navigating deep waters. If you’re not prepared or equipped to deal with the unexpected, it’s easy to drown in the details. Without a good work ethic and impeccable organization, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the workload and demands of vacation rentals.

Inefficient time management

As a vacation rental manager, you’ll also need to manage reservations, payments and guest requests yourself. This can be time consuming and requires advanced communication and negotiation skills to avoid conflicts.

In addition, it is important to be available 24 hours a day to respond to customer requests. If you are not available, you risk losing reservations or receiving negative feedback. If there are any problems with the property, it is also important to be responsive to minimize disruption to guests and maintain their satisfaction.

Pressure on customer relations

Managing your vacation rentals can be like walking on eggshells. If you’re not good at managing customer relationships, you can easily end up with unhappy customers who will leave you negative feedback and affect your online reputation. It can also put you under pressure to respond to customer requests at all times, which can be difficult if you have a personal life and other responsibilities.

Disadvantages of the management of your seasonal rentals by a concierge

Managing your vacation rentals with a concierge may seem like an easy solution for owners who don’t have the time or expertise to manage their properties themselves. However, there are also drawbacks to consider.

Additional management costs

Managing your vacation rentals with a concierge can be costly. Concierge companies typically charge a monthly fee for their services, in addition to a commission on each booking. This can reduce your revenue and make your properties less profitable, especially if you have a large number of properties.

Loss of control over certain aspects of the management of your vacation rentals

Managing your vacation rentals through a concierge can result in a loss of control over your properties. You may not be able to directly oversee operations, which can lead to problems such as delays in repairs or issues with cleanings. In addition, concierge companies may have strict reservation and refund policies that may not match your preferences or those of your guests.

Difficulty in maintaining a solid client relationship

Managing your vacation rentals through a concierge can make it difficult to maintain a strong client relationship. Concierge companies may have multiple clients and therefore be less likely to focus on your properties in a personalized manner. Clients may also have problems getting in touch with you directly, which can lead to delays in resolving issues.

In a nutshell

Whether you choose to manage your own vacation rentals or hire a concierge will depend on your needs, availability and financial goals. It is important to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each option before making an informed decision. Owners may also consider a compromise by managing some vacation rental tasks themselves and outsourcing other tasks to a concierge.