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Q.
How Do I Get Started?
A. It's easy.
1: Call 815-229-7257
for an appointment.
2: Complete the
"On-Line House Information Form.
Q. Do you have a magazine?
A. No. There are several major
problems with having a magazine.
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The cost to produce a magazine
is very high. You're going to pay more and worse yet,
you're helping to subsidize someone else's ad! This is just one
of the reasons we can keep our costs low to you.
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Magazines are not produced
every day. They are often 4-6 weeks between publications so, again,
you're likely paying for something that you can't have full advantage of.
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Besides giving you advertising
on Rockford For Sale By Owner and RockfordLink.com we create for you your own
unique web site which means people go directly to you. In
a magazine you're competing with every single ad there.
You're just "one of the crowd" and that dilutes your exposure.
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The bottom line is, web
advertising is part of your overall marketing effort. That being said,
you can't get more exposure that you can on Rockford For Sale By Owner
(4 Million-plus hits per month). If web advertising is going to be part
of your marketing, then you owe it to yourself to be on the most visited site
in northern, Illinois. You simply can't beat the price or value on
Rockford For Sale By Owner.
Q.
Why do you charge flat fees and no commissions?
A. Two reasons...
First, we purposely don't hold a
real estate license, therefore avoiding any conflicts of interest with licensed
agents and secondly, anyone who works on a commission basis benefits by selling
at a higher rate as opposed to the correct rate. Their loyalty might be to
the dollars and not the results. That can cost you valuable marketing time
and more money in the long run. Ads run by the National Association of
Realtors state that houses listed with realtors sell for more than those by own.
What they don't say is that the extra cost may or may not cover the commissions
you have to pay.
Q.
What if I want realtors to stop calling me?
A. Register your phone
number with the national do not call list.
Registering you number is easy
and free. Do it by logging on to:
National Do Not
Call Registry. Once you've registered you can then ask the realtor and
his/her company not to call you again. Doing so violates federal law and
you can file a complaint via the same web site at:
National Do Not
Call Registry. The monetary penalties are quite high and will quickly
stop these calls. If you've established a business relationship with the
realtor/company this law will not apply. Just tell them:, "Please don't
call again and remove me from your solicitation list." Their next call
to you is a violation.
Q. Can I advertise
on your site if I'm listed with a realtor?
A.
Absolutely.
We get this question a lot. Recently we've had a
rash of these questions from current and potential advertisers as a result of
local realtors suggesting that someone can't be listed with a realtor and
advertise on this site (or any other site) at the same time. Our customers
tell us that these comments are originating from RAAR (Rockford Association of
Realtors). Many have said that their realtor was told by RAAR that the
realtor's name could not be listed on the site. If true that would be a
rule RAAR has placed on their association realtors, but that does NOT mean that
you can't advertise someplace else, on your own. You are free to purchase
advertising here, with the newspaper or with any other web site or advertising
medium that you choose. The only exception would be if you've signed a
listing agreement with a realtor/realty firm that specifically bars you from
advertising your property while under contract with them. We haven't heard
of any of these types of agreements, nor has our attorney. This is why we
always suggest conferring with an attorney (we can recommend one for you) PRIOR
to signing ANYTHING. And we would never recommend utilizing a realtor who
would place such restrictions on you leaving them to be your sole marketing
source. We could certainly recommend some realtors who wouldn't place you
at such a disadvantage. Remember, even if you have your house advertised
on Rockford For Sale By Owner and your house sells while under contract with a
realtor/agency the realtor/agency still gets paid. The biggest advantage
of Rockford For Sale By Owner is the 4 million-plus hits we receive each
month making us the most visited site locally AND the exposure you won't
get anyplace else.
So, there are good real estate agents
out there, but unfortunately, like in any business, there are some who either
don't understand their own business or purposely mislead in order to profit.
If you feel you've been mislead it's always best to seek relief. First,
contact your attorney, secondly, file a complaint with a governing authority.
Have a complaint? Here are
some resources for filing a complaint about a realtor and/or their company.
If you don't complain they will just keep taking advantage of others:
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