A recent post on the Freakonomics Blog (thx, James) discusses the challenges and changes that lie ahead for the 1.2 million Realtors in the country. The Internet is slowly starting to loosen the grip brokers have had on real estate sales for decades.
We recently sold our home in the Chicago area by using a flat-fee MLS service from Flatland Homes and we couldn’t have been happier with the decision. Rather than pay close to $20,000 to sell our home with a broker, we paid a total of $300 (no zeros are missing in that number). Using a flat-fee service isn’t for everyone, but if you are willing to put in a little extra effort to hold your own open house and print your own listing sheets, the payoff can be tremendous. Next week we close on a new house in Charlotte that was for sale by owner. Without having a broker involved, we were able to get a great price on a house and the sellers can put more money in their pocket as well.
I don’t intend to criticize the career choice of thousands of real estate professionals, but it seems like some much-needed adjustment is starting to take place in the real estate market.
For once I have a valid reason not to post anything to my blog for months on end. Over the last several weeks, we have made our transition from the Chicago area to Charlotte, NC. Thanks to my Uline employee discount, I was able to stock up on boxes, moving blankets and stretch wrap at cost (one of the first times it made the employee discount worth while). We used ABF’s U-Pack moving trailer which worked out great. The night before the move, they dropped the 28′ trailer in our driveway, leaving only a few feet to spare. They recommended that I notify the police that I was obstructing the driveway for a day and that the police “will have no problem with it.” Upon calling the Buffalo Grove police department, they told me that I would most certainly receive a citation for blocking the sidewalk and that I need to move the trailer (oops, too late). Fortunately, the BGPD never followed up on that promise.
We hired 2 movers to load the truck and they packed 19 of the 28 linear feet of trailer in just over an hour. Since ABF charges by the foot, it was well worth their expert packing to use every cubic foot of the trailer. Three days later, the trailer arrived at our storage unit where we are temporarily storing our possessions until we move into our new house. Overall, it was a fairly painless process and we paid less than half the cost of a U-Haul one-way trailer.
As we get settled in, I will try to post my observations on life in the South, which will undoubtedly include references to NASCAR and sweet tea.
