It's the first thing most sellers ask us, usually in the first five minutes of the conversation. Fair question. A lot of what gets sold as a flat fee in this business is an MLS entry and nothing more.
Two things called a flat fee
An MLS-only listing. You pay a one-time fee and a licensed broker enters your house in the MLS, so buyers' agents can find it. After that you're on your own: the showings, the offers, the negotiation, the inspection and escrow. It costs less than any full-service option, and for some sellers it's the right call.
A full-service flat fee. A brokerage does the whole job, from pricing the house to the day it records, and publishes one price for it. That's what we do.
What's in ours
- Before the sign goes up. Property Valuation, Staging Tips, Preparing to Sell, Photography / Virtual Tour.
- On the market. MLS Submission, Lockbox, Yard Sign, Open Houses, Property Showings.
- Under contract. Offer Negotiation, Purchase and Sale, Home Inspection.
- Closing. Escrow, Closing.
A percentage listing should include the same work. Photography is shot by a professional on every listing. Open houses are held and staffed. Your agent reads every offer with you, writes the repair requests after the inspection, and keeps every escrow deadline.
Who does the work
Your listing is handled by one of our 7 licensed agents, out of one office in Aliso Viejo. You can read about each of them on our agents page.
I got my salesperson license in 1999 and my broker's license in 2009, and I've lived in Southern California for more than 39 years. I've personally sold more than 400 homes, and over the last five years I've closed 154 sales worth $164.6 million. We charge a flat fee because a percentage bills you more every time prices go up, and the work on a house doesn't go up with them.
Will buyers' agents still show my house?
Yes. A buyer's agent sees the house, the price and what you're offering them. How your listing agent is paid doesn't appear anywhere they look. Your house goes on the same MLS every agent in Orange County searches, and they book showings the same way they would on any other listing.
What a buyer's agent gets paid is set by what you offer and by their own agreement with their buyer. That part is your decision, and it works the same way whoever lists the house.
Questions to ask any listing agent
- Can I see the list of services in writing?
- Who will show the house, and who holds the open houses?
- Is the photography done by a professional photographer?
- Who handles the inspection and the repair negotiation?
- What's my net sheet at the price you're recommending?
Ask us the same questions. The full list and how a listing runs, start to finish, are on our sellers page, and what it costs at any price is on the flat fee page.