By Peter Carlyle-Gordge
You may hear commercials from commission-hungry real estate agents claiming they’re your only hope of selling your home quickly and at the very best price, but Ray Walklett doesn’t buy it.
Mr. Walklett feels he is living proof that the exact opposite is often the case and that cutting out an agent and selling with ComFree’s professional help can deliver better results faster.
Mr. Walklett, 58, decided to sell his St. Vital home this summer. He wasn’t sure how to sell. A neighbour who used an agent took eight weeks to move his property and got $10,000 below his asking price.
"I’ve never sold a home before, but decided to try ComFree," says Mr. Walklett, general manager of a distribution company. "I was impressed by ComFree’s professional attitude and extremely impressed with the results."
The results? He sold his home two weeks after listing and received slightly over his $249,900 asking price. He also calculates that he saved close to $17,000 in real estate commissions by investing $699 in ComFree’s Gold Service home sales package, which offers full training and support.
Mr. Walklett, now plans to build a new home outside Winnipeg. He says the extra $17,000 in saved commissions will come in handy.
After he called ComFree, a trained consultant visited to explain everything. "He gave me fairly simple instructions on what to do and I followed them," he says. |
By the Friday he had a For Sale sign in his yard and his home appeared on ComFree’s website. "The website ad had 800 viewings in the first week," says Ray. "We held our first and only Open House on a Sunday and had 14 couples show up. A week later I’d had three offers and they were all serious buyers with no conditions."
He says he chose one offer because the people seemed very nice and had zero conditions. They also wanted an early possession date, which suited him "I suppose I might have got a few thousand dollars more if I had got into a bidding war, but I didn’t think it was worth the effort and time. I got the price I wanted and the people who came knew the value of what they were getting."
Ray Walklett sold his home two weeks after listing and received slightly over his $249,900 asking price.
His advice to prospective sellers is to ensure that the home is clean, tidy and in good shape. "No one knows your home better than you so you need to walk potential buyers through it and answer any questions honestly," he says. "And don’t forget to thank them for showing interest and coming over."
He also advises sellers to price their home right and not be too greedy. "I gave it careful thought and no one who made an offer tried to lowball me," he says. "Potential buyers know the market and values. |
They are not stupid and saw the value in the home. If it’s in good condition a house will sell itself, provided it gets good exposure."
He thinks ComFree’s magazine and web listings definitely helped a lot. He was also impressed with the calls generated by having a sign outside. "The sign included a phone number with a recorded message describing the house. That’s a great feature because drive-by traffic gets some information and they only call if they then have a serious interest. You also have control over when they can come and see the house if they do call. With an agent that may not be the case."
Mr. Walklett says he was struck by the efficiency and professional approach of ComFree staff. "When they came out they were very organized and the people at the office were also very professional," he says.
Staff may be important but Mr. Walklett says that the home owner really has the ultimate responsibility for setting a realistic price, ensuring the home is in tip top shape and treating potential buyers in a helpful, friendly way.
"If you do all that and link it to the wide exposure ComFree offers then everything clicks into place and the buyer and seller are happy," he adds.
"I doubt any real estate agent could have sold my home any quicker or allowed me to walk away with as much money in my pocket."
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