SIMI VALLEY, Calif., July 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Homepie, Inc., a leading provider of do-it-yourself tools for home buyers and sellers, announced today that the Benton family of Carlsbad listed their home for sale on a Friday afternoon with Homepie, and sold the property for $250,000 over list price by Sunday.
Dave Benton and his wife operate a significant digital branding agency in nearby Encinitas called Metajive. Before selling their home, they purchased their next home.
“It is much easier to sell a home in today’s market than it is to find and negotiate the purchase of a home,” says Benton. Benton represented himself in the purchase before deciding to represent himself in the sale.
The Bentons listed their home at 2819 La Nevasca Lane for $1.1 million on Friday afternoon and received around seventeen showing requests. After a weekend of showings, they had five offers on the home by Sunday evening.
“I really did not think that using an agent was worth it,” says Benton. “In my experience, most real estate agents care more about their interests than the client. Today, I am the best real estate agent I know. I purchased my current home for 10% below list price and sold my home in a weekend for well over list price.”
Benton shared a few ideas that other home sellers may want to consider if they want to represent themselves in a transaction. First of all, do your research and make sure that the homes you are looking at are priced right. Benton prefers Zillow and Redfin for research. Secondly, buy before you sell. Nothing could be more stressful than selling your house and not having a place to move to. Photos are very important in home-marketing. Put a sign in the yard and use a service like Homepie that advertises homes on Zillow and Redfin.
The Bentons followed Homepie’s advice and hired a professional photographer to really showcase the home. Dave shared that he and his wife chose to offer a 2% commission to any Realtor who brought a buyer, which he believes is between half to 1% below what most buyer’s agents are paid but still enough money to incentivize them.
Under normal conditions, had the Bentons listed with an agent, the commission paid by the seller for the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent would likely have been 6%, or $81,000. The Bentons did pay the 2% buyer’s commission of about $27,000, saving the family $54,000. “I would have offered 2.5% or 3% if there was less activity,” suggested Benton. “Many agents who contacted me to show the home to their buyers would not show my home unless I agreed to pay the buyer’s agent commission” says Dave.
“Offers over asking price as soon as a home hits the market has caused a lot of sellers to question the value of paying listing commissions to Realtors®,” says Brad Rice, CEO of Homepie. According to the California Association of REALTORS®, the median sale price of property purchased or sold in California is currently $819,630. The average commission on a real estate transaction is 6% of the sale price, and is usually paid by the seller, then split between the seller’s and buyer’s agents.
About Homepie
Homepie is the place where savvy consumers go for commission-free help to buy or sell homes. Today, nearly one in 10 home sales already close directly between buyer and seller without a real estate agent. Now, with Homepie’s central online marketplace and a simple step-by-step process, anyone can do the same with confidence. Homepie has all the tools to list, market, search, view, offer, negotiate, and auto-generate a purchase agreement that is digitally signed. Best of all, they offer a 100%-free listing for consumers, as the recommended service providers (photography, insurance, inspectors, etc.) cover the costs. Homepie takes the worry and guesswork out of home buying and selling. Learn how at homepie.com.
Media Contact for Interviews:
Myra Jolivet
myra@wavgroup.com
(760) 610-9096
Note to reporters: To schedule an interview with Mr. Benton, please email dave.benton@metajive.com