HourlyAgents will let you buy or sell a home using a low flat agent fee plus an additional hourly rate, up to a cap of the standard 3% commission. Anything you don't use, you get refunded at closing. Yes ... this agent will refund any part of his 3% commission that he doesn't actually earn, which in most real estate transactions, is a whole lot.
This "hourly agents" model worked so well for us. We used Redfin, Windermere, and other online sources to shop, went to a bunch of open houses, bid on two, and closed on a dreamy house in Sunset Hill, at considerably less than asking price. And we got $11,000 back from Rob! Unbelievable.
Rob was readily available for "ohmigod-we-have-to-see-this-house-now" showings, and his expertise in home remodeling and inspection issues really served us well. On one house that we loved he found major foundation problems that we hadn't noticed. In this crazy multiple-offers market where you're tempted to waive inspection, this was really helpful.
As first-time home-buyers, we were a bit nervous doing things this way - we weren't sure how much "hand-holding" and agent input we needed. The fact is, all the information that agents used to have exclusive access to is freely available online - MLS listings, tax assessments, prior sales history, and comparable recent sales in the neighborhood. Rob provided great advice along the way, but honestly, you really can do most of this yourself! If you're here, you're probably doing it already ...
We can't imagine doing it the old way. If you like to find or sell your own houses, and wouldn't mind getting most of the 3% agent commission back at closing, give Rob a call.
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