Do I have to pay your flat fee before closing?
No. While many flat fee real estate brokers charge you their fee upfront, we do not. You pay Todd Hower Flat Fee Realty after your home is sold, closed, and funded.
Do you provide full service with your flat fee?
Yes. We compare with the top listing agents in the Austin market, and we've taken nothing away to accomplish the goal of selling your home.
You sacrifice nothing and get a local real estate broker with over 20 years of experience to represent and guide you through the overall process, local market knowledge, accurate list price analysis, exceptional photography and marketing, interested buyers, and the best chance for multiple offers, contract negotiation, and a successful close.
What’s the difference between commission-based and flat fee real estate models?
Commission-based real estate, the most common in the industry, is when your real estate broker and listing agent charge you a percentage of the sales price when they sell your home. For example: if they sell your home for $775,000 and you agreed to pay a 6% commission (3% to the listing agent and 3% to the buyer's agent), you will owe them $46,500 at closing.
Flat fee real estate is when you pay a lower dollar amount to your real estate broker and listing agent for their services, plus whatever you agree to pay the buyer's agent.
While there are many different versions of this, one of the most common is to pay a flat fee to have your listing published in the Multiple Listing Service. You do the rest of the work to get your home sold. Many of the flat fee Multiple Listing Service brokers operate in numerous markets and states because their model is based on listing a large volume of properties in the Multiple Listing Service but not providing any additional services.
Todd Hower Flat Fee Realty is not your cheap, high volume/flat fee real estate broker or your high dollar commission-based listing agent. You can consider us the best choice to save you money without sacrificing full-service.
Do you charge any fees upfront?
Yes. Two fees are paid in advance, one for photography and the other for marketing.
Photography: Todd Hower Flat Fee Realty uses a third-party service provider for professional photography. We'll recommend a professional photo package to market your home. The prices range from $169 to $869, and the fee is paid directly to the photography company when scheduling the photo session.
Multiple Listing Service / Syndication / Marketing Fee: A fee of $595 is paid to Todd Hower Flat Fee Realty to initiate the marketing campaign, enter your property photos and detailed information into the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and syndicated sites (Zillow, Realtor.com, etc.)
Does your flat fee, full-service model work for luxury homes?
Yes. We have a track record of successful sales across all price points and up to six million dollars. Our close price average is $919,988, and our clients save an average of over $20,600 compared to listing with a traditional real estate agent that charges you 6%.
Are you the least expensive real estate broker?
No. Numerous discount Multiple Listing Service Brokers brokers will charge you less and only list your home in the Multiple Listing Service. This can be a good option for you if you're more hands-on and looking to do a lot more work to save some money. Todd Hower Flat Fee Realty delivers a full-service product for a fraction of the price.