There are something like 1,300 real estate agents in Winnipeg. There are around 1,000 active
listings now on the MLS to go around. That means there are agents with nothing to do. No hope
of income if confined to the MLS.
But, as anyone who has ever listed with ComFree can attest, they decidedly do not confine
themselves to their own market. You can count on being besieged by eager agents who will agree to
dedicate their lives to selling your home the moment the ComFree sign goes up, often at no cost
to you.
So, that leads inevitably to this question: Why would an intelligent homeowner list his home
on the MLS? Why guarantee a listing agent thousands of dollars for filling out a form when your
home will sell quickly anyway? Particularly when an agent with a buyer (or an alleged buyer) will
be knocking on your door regardless of whether you are on the agents’ market or ComFree’s.
While the real estate board reports its listings are down this year, ComFree’s are up about nine
per cent. At the end of March, the board reported 975 listings for buyers to choose from. ComFree
has more than 320 on its market. And on both markets, homes are selling briskly. ComFree’s sold
success rate exceeds 80 per cent, with 32 per cent going for more than the asking price, usually
as the result of a bidding war.
With more buyers looking than homes on the market to look at, and with ComFree listings up this
year, it’s clear an increasing number of homeowners are realizing there’s no need to tie themselves
to an agent’s listing agreement that will cost them, on average, $12,000. Smart homeowners are
realizing a ComFree listing is the best of all possible worlds. One of three things will happen
when you choose ComFree:
1) The best, and most likely outcome, is you will sell directly to the buyer without any agent
involvement. You will pay no commission and pocket the entire proceeds of your sale, preserving all
your home’s equity.
2) You will sell to a buyer represented by an agent, but the buyer will pay the agent’s commission
because they have signed a contract agreeing to pay the agent. That’s only fair since they’ve chosen
to include an agent in a private sale. Again, you pay nothing.
3) You will sell to a buyer represented by an agent and you agree to pay the agent something.
Worst case, you will pay half as much as you would have had you listed on the MLS. But you will
likely be able to negotiate something even less. Remember, they’re hungry, so be firm from the start.
Paying a listing agent is not only a huge expense, it’s totally unnecessary.
