What percentage did you pay your PA Realtor? (Pittston: for sale, real estate) - Northeastern Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania -Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Georgia to Northeast PA · 03-18-2008, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathyde

We also paid 6%. I don't even remember if we negotiated that... it was such a hectic time!

GA to Northeast PA - I have relatives in the northwest corner of GA (Rossville). I remember distinctly a time when I was a teen, there was a terrible ice storm over the New Year's holiday. My cousins and I "borrowed" trash can lids and had a ball sledding down the slick hills. No one was on the roads because they didn't have any equipment to deal with the bad conditions! What fun it was! My cousins had never sledded before, so I was the experienced one in the group - also the best dressed; they all got cold fast!!

I think now they have a plow or two, along with a salt truck...

Yup, you'll certainly need a shovel when you move up this way. But you never forget how to shovel...although at times you'd love to!!

Welcome (a bit early) to the Keystone state!
Cathy

Thanks Cathy, we have had an ice storm or two. That sounds like fun when you were a kid. I taught school here in Georgia and I can think of at least one day I went to school and no one was in the parking lot there was a dusting on the ground. I called my vice principal and she told me school was cancelled and I couldn't believe it, it didn't even dawn on me.

I was born in central PA and grew up in Delaware but I have never lived that north

Summering · 03-18-2008, 06:27 PM

Oh yes, bring a shovel ........the first year I moved to Pa I shoveled everyday......over and over and over. LOL
We have a plow on a tractor, but with ice..........forgitaboutit.......it doesn't work.
Which meant the SUV going down the mountain after a few days without its wheels turning.........just like a huge red sled.
That was this year before I left for SC and boy was I happy to be outta there........
Thanks everyone about the percentages......
I am going to insist on 6%............You helped me with that......Huggs

mathjak107 · 03-19-2008, 02:18 AM

in this market if i was looking to sell i would offer 1% more than the broker normally gets , if they sold my home in 30-60 days. i want them concentrating on my home , not the one around the corner.

remember one thing "MARKETS HAVE NO MEMEMORY". nothing remembers what the price was at one point execpt humans.
what the means is even though prices have come down they are merely where they should be for now. so to sell the house you need to leave something on the table for the buyer so he feels like hes getting a great deal too. the mere fact that you as the seller feel prices dropped and your asking less isnt enough. every other home has dropped too and like i said that is the correct price for the moment so you have to come down even a little more so there is equity in it for the buyer. then the home has a chance of selling quicker.

most sellers try to do the opposite, they try to pay the realtor less than even the normal rate and they try to maximize the sale price. end result months on the market right now if not years

Georgia to Northeast PA · 03-19-2008, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mathjak107

in this market if i was looking to sell i would offer 1% more than the broker normally gets , if they sold my home in 30-60 days. i want them concentrating on my home , not the one around the corner.

remember one thing "MARKETS HAVE NO MEMEMORY". nothing remembers what the price was at one point execpt humans.
what the means is even though prices have come down they are merely where they should be for now. so to sell the house you need to leave something on the table for the buyer so he feels like hes getting a great deal too. the mere fact that you as the seller feel prices dropped and your asking less isnt enough. every other home has dropped too and like i said that is the correct price for the moment so you have to come down even a little more so there is equity in it for the buyer. then the home has a chance of selling quicker.

most sellers try to do the opposite, they try to pay the realtor less than even the normal rate and they try to maximize the sale price. end result months on the market right now if not years

I am hoping to get a good deal on the house I buy in this area because I will take a hit on the one I am selling to move to NEPA. I am trying to keep this in mind as I am selling my home here. I plan to have it in move-in condition and in Georgia the seller pays closing costs. Plus, I will probably be throwing in a new flat screen of someone's choice if they pay the list price, which will be priced to sell. This might sound crazy but I have to compete with new home builders. It is not a good time to sell but I hope it will even out because like I said I hope to find a good deal as well.

mathjak107 · 03-19-2008, 05:24 PM

yep, its all about being the one to attract the buyers. as long as the buyers like the house the deal should follow if enough is left on the table for them...

living in the past price wise is a hard thing for sellers to break. everyone remembers where they were and considers the drop the discount. but like any financial markets there is just no memory of what was. today is whatever the markets at and all negotiations start from there.

Summering · 03-21-2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mathjak107

in this market if i was looking to sell i would offer 1% more than the broker normally gets , if they sold my home in 30-60 days. i want them concentrating on my home , not the one around the corner.

remember one thing "MARKETS HAVE NO MEMEMORY". nothing remembers what the price was at one point execpt humans.
what the means is even though prices have come down they are merely where they should be for now. so to sell the house you need to leave something on the table for the buyer so he feels like hes getting a great deal too. the mere fact that you as the seller feel prices dropped and your asking less isnt enough. every other home has dropped too and like i said that is the correct price for the moment so you have to come down even a little more so there is equity in it for the buyer. then the home has a chance of selling quicker.

most sellers try to do the opposite, they try to pay the realtor less than even the normal rate and they try to maximize the sale price. end result months on the market right now if not years

I believe prices are coming more on line as to what they should be. I think pricing was way out of control, and not just in PA. Some homes in SC are so overpriced it is a laugh. To look at something that needs paint, whos railings are falling apart, and the insides are lacking also.......at above 300......is way out of line. I'd be embarrassed to charge that price without fixing the place up.
I don't want to shortchange the realtor. But, last time I had a great broker at the 6%, and a respected realtor asking 7%. Both were equally able to do the same job, and both gave me the same appraisal amount.
I just shorted myself by thousands by choosing the 7% realtor. Just because I liked her a tad better

I think back now, that I was a lousy business person to have done that. This time I want to be smarter, .........if thats possible

mathjak107 · 03-21-2008, 01:51 PM

well look at it this way, if you took the 6% broker maybe the 7% broker would have sold your buyers a home other than selling yours and got them to take someone elses home and you would still be un-sold. you never know if the 6% broker would have had the same success. dont forget its finding the right person for your house not just any person. like dating...lol

Georgia to Northeast PA · 03-21-2008, 02:19 PM

I agree we have to be as smart as we can and educate ourselves. I have found some very lovely realtors but I can't help to think that they are always thinking about their take-home. I know it is a business but I don't want to pay more than I need to because you are going to get 6-7% of that. My husband once told a realtor that it would be cheeper for him to write her a check than to pay on a loan for 30 years to make up for her commission.

Summering · 03-21-2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mathjak107

well look at it this way, if you took the 6% broker maybe the 7% broker would have sold your buyers a home other than selling yours and got them to take someone elses home and you would still be un-sold. you never know if the 6% broker would have had the same success. dont forget its finding the right person for your house not just any person. like dating...lol

LOL kinda like dating......but both were woman, and I am not into that.

You would just hate to hear all my selling/buying trials and tribulations.......I could write a book. Not even joking............I have had some experiences that no one has ever had, too dumbfounding. The stories are tooooo long.......but, it would give you a reason shake your head in disbelief.
So I have made some mistakes, even though I always look into the facts and get a ton of information before interviewing at least 3 realtors. Because, yes it is so important to have a connection. Sometimes you just THINK you have.

PITTSTONIAN · 03-25-2008, 10:51 PM

Where does it say you have to use a realtor? Is that a law in Pa? 6% is waay too much. That's 12 grand on a 200k deal.. If I couldn't get a realtor to do it for 3% or less, I'd sell it myself. If they can't make a living off of 6 grand on one sale, they are in the wrong business, even if they only get half or half of the half..

I don't sell my home to make a realtor money. I do it to sell the home..