Q: What do I need to do to work with you as a Buyer or Seller?
A: Drawing upon great training and experience, I work in a methodical fashion to guide you through the Buying Process and Selling Process. Please contact me to review my Process Checklists as a guide to the steps we'll follow.
Q: How do you get paid?
A: Commissions will be disclosed in writing for each transaction. Baird & Warner will be paid a commission only at closing (when a property sells) and I will be paid a portion of that amount. Sellers typically pay a commission on the sales price, as determined in the Exclusive Marketing Agreement. It's typically split between the Seller's Agent and the Buyer's Agent and is stated as a co-op commission on the MLS listing sheet. Buyers typically do not pay a commission, unless the co-op commission is less than the commission stated in the Exclusive Buyer's Agency Agreement, or in exceptional cases such as when purchasing a For Sale By Owner property or a Foreclosure. In all cases, compensation should be disclosed and agreed in writing, so if there's ever a question, don't hesitate to ask.
Q: Can you send me all the best properties which match my search criteria?
A: Yes! Please refer to the MLS Search page for the various search options available to you, depending on how serious your search is at this time.
Q: Are you a Buyer's Agent or a Seller's Agent?
A: Either, and on rare occasions, both. After meeting and choosing to work together, with you as a Buyer or a Seller or both, we will establish an exclusive agency agreement in writing, which outlines our responsibilities and compensation. If I represent you as a Buyer on one transaction, and as a Seller on a separate transaction, this is not Dual Agency. However, if I am working with a Buyer and a Seller on the same transaction, this is Dual Agency, which must always be fully disclosed and agreed to by both parties in writing, or one party can be referred to another agent so that each party has exclusive representation. Please review Baird & Warner's informative brochure on Agency Relationships.
Q: Why do you explain all of this in such detail and require exclusive written agency relationship documents from your clients, when other Realtors will just drive us around and show us properties without all of this?
A: I provide comprehensive service and believe in full disclosure. It's ethically right to share all of this information, plus it's the law to do so! Given that you have a choice of who to work with, I know it's in your best interest to choose an agent who knows the industry practices and laws and works in compliance.
Q: What geographic region do you cover?
A: All of the city of Chicago and the suburbs within a 40 mile radius of downtown, from Lake Forest on the north to St. Charles in the West to Park Forest in the south. I also work with realtors all over this area, to provide clients with the best options available, and I work with the professional Relocation services of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World to help relocating clients find the best homes matching their criteria, regardless of location.
Q: Do you participate in Equal Opportunity Housing and Non-Discrimination practices?
A: Absolutely! As a Realtor, I comply with the strict Code of Ethics, plus it's just the right thing to do! Our Exclusive Marketing Agreement and Exclusive Buyer's Agency Agreement forms require a client to agree to the same practices.
Q: How successful are you?
A: I'm the Top Producer in my region, and in the top tier of the company, the Founder's Club (Top 5%), personally having closed 17 transactions during 2006. I've already contracted more than that in the first half of 2007, which is supposedly a "down market"! I love real estate and helping people, so I'm very busy and the results speak for themselves.
Q: How quickly do I need to act if I find a property I'm interested in buying?
A: Immediately, and bring your checkbook to all showings so you can write and offer and put a downpayment with it to show you are serious. It sounds like a high pressure sales tactic, but it's simply the truth you need to be told. This is a major city with millions of people and relatively scarce unique properties, so when you find "the right one", you need to buy it quickly before it becomes someone else's "right one". I'm in the business of selling homes, not just showing them, so be ready to buy when we go out looking at houses in person.
Q: Can you give me an idea of what my home is worth and how to most effectively market it?
A: Yes, this is a core element of my business, and I'll be happy to meet with you, tour the home, and present you with a detailed Comprehensive Market Analysis with a pricing recommendation. When you choose me as your agent, I'll develop a detailed marketing plan which is specific to your property. There is no charge for this service. In the end, I hope you'll see the value of my services and choose me as your agent. Real estate services are costly and the process is emotional, so you should get the best resource in the industry working for you.
Q: Where are the cool mid-century modern houses in the Chicago area?
A: All over the map, typically in concentrations, with very few available at any given moment. Because this is the type of architecture I focus on most, I would love to work with you to find the one which best suits your needs, whether that's today or further down the road. I have done extensive research on local modernist hotbeds of design (the most likely places to find what you're looking for within your price range) and this is an indispensible part of the unique services I offer.
Choose a typical agent... or choose Joe! Your call. Joe's cell: 312-371-0986
A: Drawing upon great training and experience, I work in a methodical fashion to guide you through the Buying Process and Selling Process. Please contact me to review my Process Checklists as a guide to the steps we'll follow.
Q: How do you get paid?
A: Commissions will be disclosed in writing for each transaction. Baird & Warner will be paid a commission only at closing (when a property sells) and I will be paid a portion of that amount. Sellers typically pay a commission on the sales price, as determined in the Exclusive Marketing Agreement. It's typically split between the Seller's Agent and the Buyer's Agent and is stated as a co-op commission on the MLS listing sheet. Buyers typically do not pay a commission, unless the co-op commission is less than the commission stated in the Exclusive Buyer's Agency Agreement, or in exceptional cases such as when purchasing a For Sale By Owner property or a Foreclosure. In all cases, compensation should be disclosed and agreed in writing, so if there's ever a question, don't hesitate to ask.
Q: Can you send me all the best properties which match my search criteria?
A: Yes! Please refer to the MLS Search page for the various search options available to you, depending on how serious your search is at this time.
Q: Are you a Buyer's Agent or a Seller's Agent?
A: Either, and on rare occasions, both. After meeting and choosing to work together, with you as a Buyer or a Seller or both, we will establish an exclusive agency agreement in writing, which outlines our responsibilities and compensation. If I represent you as a Buyer on one transaction, and as a Seller on a separate transaction, this is not Dual Agency. However, if I am working with a Buyer and a Seller on the same transaction, this is Dual Agency, which must always be fully disclosed and agreed to by both parties in writing, or one party can be referred to another agent so that each party has exclusive representation. Please review Baird & Warner's informative brochure on Agency Relationships.
Q: Why do you explain all of this in such detail and require exclusive written agency relationship documents from your clients, when other Realtors will just drive us around and show us properties without all of this?
A: I provide comprehensive service and believe in full disclosure. It's ethically right to share all of this information, plus it's the law to do so! Given that you have a choice of who to work with, I know it's in your best interest to choose an agent who knows the industry practices and laws and works in compliance.
Q: What geographic region do you cover?
A: All of the city of Chicago and the suburbs within a 40 mile radius of downtown, from Lake Forest on the north to St. Charles in the West to Park Forest in the south. I also work with realtors all over this area, to provide clients with the best options available, and I work with the professional Relocation services of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World to help relocating clients find the best homes matching their criteria, regardless of location.
Q: Do you participate in Equal Opportunity Housing and Non-Discrimination practices?
A: Absolutely! As a Realtor, I comply with the strict Code of Ethics, plus it's just the right thing to do! Our Exclusive Marketing Agreement and Exclusive Buyer's Agency Agreement forms require a client to agree to the same practices.
Q: How successful are you?
A: I'm the Top Producer in my region, and in the top tier of the company, the Founder's Club (Top 5%), personally having closed 17 transactions during 2006. I've already contracted more than that in the first half of 2007, which is supposedly a "down market"! I love real estate and helping people, so I'm very busy and the results speak for themselves.
Q: How quickly do I need to act if I find a property I'm interested in buying?
A: Immediately, and bring your checkbook to all showings so you can write and offer and put a downpayment with it to show you are serious. It sounds like a high pressure sales tactic, but it's simply the truth you need to be told. This is a major city with millions of people and relatively scarce unique properties, so when you find "the right one", you need to buy it quickly before it becomes someone else's "right one". I'm in the business of selling homes, not just showing them, so be ready to buy when we go out looking at houses in person.
Q: Can you give me an idea of what my home is worth and how to most effectively market it?
A: Yes, this is a core element of my business, and I'll be happy to meet with you, tour the home, and present you with a detailed Comprehensive Market Analysis with a pricing recommendation. When you choose me as your agent, I'll develop a detailed marketing plan which is specific to your property. There is no charge for this service. In the end, I hope you'll see the value of my services and choose me as your agent. Real estate services are costly and the process is emotional, so you should get the best resource in the industry working for you.
Q: Where are the cool mid-century modern houses in the Chicago area?
A: All over the map, typically in concentrations, with very few available at any given moment. Because this is the type of architecture I focus on most, I would love to work with you to find the one which best suits your needs, whether that's today or further down the road. I have done extensive research on local modernist hotbeds of design (the most likely places to find what you're looking for within your price range) and this is an indispensible part of the unique services I offer.
Choose a typical agent... or choose Joe! Your call. Joe's cell: 312-371-0986
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