St. Louis Metro Area Flat Fee MLS Listing

How to Sell a Home
Without Paying a Big Fat Commission

30 Day 100% Money Back Guarantee

If you have been struggling to find the best way to get your home sold in the shortest amount of time, and at the highest possible price without having to dish out a huge pile of cash to a real estate agent then this is an important message for you.

Until recently only agents had access to the insider information and tools that greatly simplified the home selling process. Not anymore. You can now get access to same marketing, advice and tools as traditional agents for a fraction of the cost.

Here are the basics of our $359 flat fee mls service:

This is important. All leads generated by these marketing efforts go to you. Wouldn’t it be great if an unrepresented buyer purchased your home? Then there would be no percentage commission to a buyer’s agent or a listing agent. A $250,000 home listed at 5.5% commission (which is quite common in the St. Louis area) equates to $13,750 in savings! That is not chump change by any means.

Some flat fee companies actually take leads that come in through various websites and try to convert them into buyer leads for their company. We feel that this is not a good practice and we don’t do it.

We will not represent any buyers for the purchase of your property. Why not? It is a conflict of interest. You need the best advice you can get and we cannot do that if we are also representing a buyer for your home.

On the MLS all Realtors are directed to call you for all showings. Other websites like Realtor.com list our 800#. When a buyer dials our 800# they can dial in your MLS number and get transferred directly to your phone line. This is fairly unique and makes sure that you get those leads immediately.

As well as top brokerage sites like REMAX and Redfin. Our syndication partners send the listing out to hundreds of additional sites but the ones listed above are the largest and most reliable. If you are curious about a certain site call us at 314-222-0621. You will not be charged for additional pictures on sites like Realtor.com. With us the maximum number of pictures is included in the offer.

Does it sound too good to be true?

Here is how we are able to
bring you this outstanding offer

We are not doing showings, meetings, hosting open houses, babysitting clients, and we are not out shaking hands and kissing babies to get business.

We are not holding our clients hands through out the process.

We leverage technology and the information available to us as experienced insiders so that you benefit with the latest techniques and strategies needed to sell your home. We support our clients via the phone, email, fax and internet and give great value.

We are members of the Better Business Bureau and have not had a complaint since we joined – Check out our credentials here.

The Listing Process is Simple

To sign up, click here. After you fill out a quick contact form you will be put in our shopping cart where you can pay for services. You credit card will be authorized (not charged).

You will then be able to download the forms to your computer so you don’t have to have all the information in front of you right now. The process is done this way because your signature is needed to comply with state law.

Once you get those forms back to us your listing will be up and running in one business day. You can either fax or scan and email the forms back to us.

You will receive a copy of the listing via email so that you can proofread and check it for accuracy. Any needed changes will be made quickly.

As well as top brokerage sites like REMAX and Redfin. Our syndication partners send the listing out to hundreds of additional sites but the ones listed above are the largest and most reliable. If you are curious about a certain site call us at 314-222-0621.You will not be charged for additional pictures on sites like Realtor.com. With us the maximum number of pictures is included in the offer.

What Happens Once You Are Listed

You will receive a proof sheet via email with your mls#. Once you receive this you are listed and could start receiving calls immediately. It does take 1-2 days for your listing to show up on Realtor.com and generally 3-5 days to show up on other sites.

Showings: All showings are conducted by you. If you cannot be there for showings you may want to consider getting a lock box. This will enable you to give permission to licensed agents to access your keys and show your home when you are not there.

In fact, real estate trainer and speaker Walter Sanford states on his site that having a lock box increases showings by as much as 30%.

There is also an option ($65) for an appointment setting service to handle calls for showings. They can give our showing instructions, confirm appointments with you and the agent and give out lock box codes.

The Support You Can Expect

Changes: All changes to your listing are free. You can change your price, pictures, description or anything else as long as it is within MLS rules and all applicable laws. Changes are done within 24 hours.

Cancellations: You can cancel your listing at any time with no fees. Cancellations are done the same business day that we receive them.

What if I want to list with a traditional agent after 2-3 months?
You can cancel your listing at any time and once you cancel with us you are free to list with anyone you choose.

There is also a Top Agent referral program. You can interview top agents with no obligation (top 1-5% in volume sales) and if you decide to hire the referred agent, you will get the money you spent on the listing back at closing. There is no risk and no obligation with this program – only the opportunity to work with one of the top agents and get a full refund of the $359 you spent on our service.

Phone and email support: is given 7 days a week.

Forms and Contracts: All of forms and contracts that you need are available once you are listed.

How Offers and Negotiations are Handled

State law requires brokers to accept and present offers to their clients. Offers from agents are faxed directly to us. They come in as a pdf and sent you via email.

We will then be available to answer your questions and walk you through the offer. There is not extra charge for this service. This service is included in the package.

After contract is signed what happens?

After a contract is signed it is customary for there to be a 5-10 day attorney review and inspection period. The title company can help you make sure the proper documents are in place so that closing runs smoothly.

The buyer usually also has to get their mortgage finalized which can take 3-4 weeks. Closing usually takes place 4-6 weeks after a contract has been signed by all parties.

Will agents bring in their buyers even though I listed by your service?
Yes –1,462 homes sold and counting have been sold using our services. Most agents just want happy buyers and as long as they are getting paid for their services they will be happy to show and sell your home.

Are you guys locally licensed?
Yes – We are licensed in the state of Missouri, members of the St. Louis Association of Realtors and the MARIS MLS (which is the regional mls for the St. Louis Area). Scott Berg will personally oversee the listing process and your home will be listed under Berg Properties with Scott Berg as the listing agent.

Is this really better than going with a traditional agent?
Maybe. If you are looking for someone to hold your hand throughout the process then a traditional agent is the right way to go. If instead you are willing to do some work and research on your own in order to save thousands of dollars selling your home then this is the correct path.

I cannot guarantee you will sell your home but you will have a far greater chance of success in going with our service instead of a strict “for sale by owner” route. The fact is that if you are priced right and you have good marketing materials – good pictures and description of your home – that there is no reason your home will not sell just as fast as if it were listed with a full service traditional real estate agent.

Your basically getting the tools and advice your need to make it happen. And assuming that you do not ignore the important information we provide you have an excellent chance of being successful.

Will my listing look the same as traditional agent’s listings?
Yes. It will look just like all the other mls listings.

What about commission for a buyer's agent?

Listing agents in the St. Louis area generally get paid between 5-6% (which is then split with the buyer’s agent). BUT list with us and you will only pay a flat fee of $359. There is no percentage commission going to a listing agent. So right there you just saved 2.5-3% commission.

If an agent brings in the buyer that closes the transaction then you would be responsible for the buyer’s agent commission (which is set by you). By the way, we recommend a 3% buyer’s agent commission for the St. Louis regional area.

If there is no agent associated with the buyer then you pay NO % commission and you just saved 5-6% commission.

Can I list for sale and for rent?
Yes – If you want a separate rental listing it can be done for $200.

What is your success rate?
We will not have a success rate that is on par with the top agents for a couple reasons.

Top agents do not take on listings they do not think they can sell. They will not waste their time coming up with a marketing plan that is doomed to fail because the home owner will not price aggressively, make suggested changes to their home, or make their home available at all times for showings.

We do not have such a screening process. Our clients are in control of the listing and we offer advice when requested. For instance if our client wants to over price their home we will not stop them. Therefore fewer of our home listings will sell. Don’t get me wrong even with such issues we still out sell most traditional agents in terms of dollar amount and number of units if you look at our total numbers.

What if I want to hire a traditional agent down the road?
Not a problem. You would simply cancel your listing with us. (at no charge) At which point you would be able to list with whomever you wish.

Call Me 314-222-0621

"...which charged him a flat fee of $295 to include his home in the MLS, or multiple listing service" "...And there are flat-fee brokers who charge a minimum amount to simply put your house into the all-important multiple listing service" FTC/DOJ Report on Real Estate Industry Download the report and check out pages 16-17

 

 

 

Testimonial Disclosure - Savings were calculated at a 2.5% commission rate for a listing agent. According to a DOJ report average agent commission rates stood at 5.2% in 2005. Listing agents typically keep half that or 2.51%. Many of our clients do not sell. Our results not be on par with that of a full service agent for several reasons. 1. Berg Properties does not tell our clients where to set their price as a condition to list their home. 2. Many traditional real estate agencies have set durations in their listing agreements - Berg Properties does not. The clients of Berg Properties can cancel their contracts at any time. 3. Some of our clients do not need to sell or are willing to wait and therefore keep their homes on the market for extraordinary periods of time which a typical traditional broker would not tolerate. 4. Traditional agents spend more time with their clients, know their homes and have better local market knowledge. As a whole they outperform a company like ours. And I would hope so based on the fees they charge. The video, audio and text testimonials were all clients of Berg Properties. Some clients were compensated for their time to give a testimonial.