NEWS RELEASE: Cedar Rapids, Iowa - FSBOHOMES (www.fsbohomes.com), known for introducing a modern approach to replace the outdated and costly traditional real estate model, announces a rebrand to the "Real Estate Exchange" (www.exchange.realestate).

If you haven't been paying close attention to the real estate industry, you may be unaware of the mounting scrutiny being placed on the decades-old commission model used by real estate agents across our nation. Just recently (October 31st, 2023), a Missouri jury found the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and two large nation-wide brokerages, guilty of colluding to maintain high brokerage commissions and liable for nearly $1.8 billion in damages.

In every market, we face unknowing agents quick to share statistics that are either misquoted, taken out of context, or in no way related to the Real Estate Exchange System. These agents can be placed in one of two categories.

In the parts of the country where the temps drop below freezing and the snow flies in the winter, you might feel behind the proverbial snowball in your chances to show off your home well when selling it at this time of year. Beyond the usual decluttering of the house so it is easy to walk around and show off your property, and not your possessions, consider these additional tips.

"It's not personal; it's strictly business." A famous line from the epic, award-winning movie, The Godfather, delivered by a very young Al Pacino. Unfortunately, when selling a home, most people don't look at it as a business transaction, which costs them a significant amount of money.

Many agents will often emphasize the necessity of being on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The concept of the MLS was created 100 years ago to help homeowners market their homes for sale. Before the technological advances we have today, the MLS was the only way potential buyers could find homes for sale.

The average homeowner moves every 7-9 years. Every homeowner has a handful of agent friends and family members in their sphere of influence - siblings, in-laws, cousins, neighbors, or even a parent from your kid's soccer team. Each is hoping to be at the top of the list when it comes time for you to sell again.

The process of selling a home with a traditional agent is backward in many ways. When determining the condition of a home, for example, a general home inspection isn't performed until the very end of the process, after an offer has already been signed.

How many weeks do you work each year to earn $15,000? Did you know that same $15,000, and usually more, is the fee paid to traditional real estate brokerages to sell a home? Do you know the time invested for them to accomplish this is oftentimes less than a day?

You got an offer! However, the buyer wants to get the best deal possible and assumes you might be overpriced, so they come in $20,000 below listing price. Ouch!

After living in a home for a few years it's natural to get accustomed to its small imperfections. However, prospective home buyers will not be accustomed to the imperfections and they can immediately judge an entire home on one of these seemingly minor issues. The following home fix-ups are simple, for the most part inexpensive, and instantly make your home more marketable. This can mean a faster home sale with a higher home selling price. It's an important first step so don't shoot yourself in the foot before you begin.

The MLS system held way more value prior to the Internet. Back then, if you can imagine this, the MLS was an actual book. It was printed in black and white, displaying only one picture of each home and only the most basic information that could fit in a few inches of copy space. The printout was updated every two weeks as a tool for agents so they had access to the most accurate list of available homes for sale in their local market.

The process of selling a home with a traditional agent is backward in many ways. When determining the value of a home, for example, a certified appraisal from a pricing expert isn't performed until the very end of the process, after an offer has already been signed.

The existing broker/agent business model has been in place for over a century as the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) was originally founded as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges back on May 12, 1908. The broker/agent model brought value to the industry for many decades, but today it's simply an old-economy business model that is broken and struggling to stay relevant. It's outdated, expensive, and no longer serves the consumer's best interest.

At one time, a real estate agent was the local expert you relied on to help buy or sell a home. The average agent had a decade or more of experience, and they were a necessary piece of the puzzle in helping people transition from one home to another. Today, traditional agents have significantly less experience than in years past because they tend to leave the industry before they even get started. Who’s to blame?

A real estate agent's approach to private showings and open houses helps a seller feel they're receiving value in the traditional home selling process, but it often just creates unnecessary busywork, more drama, and more stress. Private showings are often last-minute and incredibly inconvenient to fit into a family's busy schedule. Open houses are unproductive - sellers spend hours preparing a home and then have to leave their home for even longer. The only results are showings to nosey neighbors and agents using the home to find new clients for themselves.

Buying a home is often the single biggest investment that a person makes over their lifetime. That being said, how likely is it for someone to buy a house they don't love? Inconceivable.