Tampa Home Owners Save on Average 65% in Real Estate Commissions when using our Flat fee MLS Listing Service

When an offer comes in, you hope that the buyer’s agent is not wearing “CMA Cape” because this can often make your deal go the way of Kryptonite to Superman!

 I am Keith Gordon, a Tampa Bay Realtor and broker for the best known flat fee MLS listing service in Tampa, Florida, ADDvantage Real Estate. We are known as throughout Florida as GetMoreOffers.com.

I speak with  about many Realtors each day from Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater about our ever changing real estate industry. Some Realtors get it and some haven’t a clue. I pretty much can tell which Realtors are “professional messengers” and the ones that are flying around Tampa pretending to be Realtor Super Heroes.
 

No truer words were ever spoken when I say, we (Realtors) are “professional messengers” not Realtor Superheroes.

When an offer comes in, you hope that the buyer’s agent is not wearing “CMA Cape” because this can often make your deal go the way of Kryptonite to Superman!

You want that buyer’s agent that has a keen eye on holding the “door of value” wide-open and let the buyer participate in the offer process. If your buyer’s agent starts justifying their low-ball offer based on their CMA (comparable market analysis) of every short-sale and bank property that has sold within 10 miles of the subject property without consideration of the facts that are not readily available such as NOT a short-sale, not a torn apart bank-owned, the subject home has a better kitchen with appliances, upgraded bathrooms and a newer roof and the buyer can close the deal in less 45 days, not 110 days like most short sales. 

You want a Realtor that shows homes and gives buyers the confidence to make an offer at market prices. A buyer’s agent that illustrates the reasons why it is OK to offer a reasonable amount. Since when does is a CMA (comparable market analysis) become the only supporting document to justify value and offer.

In an up-market, buyers paid crazy prices above listed prices competing for properties. Now that prices in Tampa Bay are at bargain prices, agents feel they need to justify their offers by becoming a CMA price hero.

Truth be know, all deals must get through an appraisal to close. It is the appraisal that ultimately determines whether or not the sales price needs to be re-negotiated. If the home doesn’t appraise out due to factors such as short-sales and bank-owed sales then it is up to the buyer and the seller to work out a compromise (with the help of the Realtors) and the buyer must ultimately determine how much one is willing to pay over an appraisal. 

I like being a professional messenger, not a pretend Realtor CMA Superman. I feel my job is to provide guidance, not become a bear-market scrooge.

Call any time for advice on selling your home. Whether you find yourself in a short-sale situation or just want to save money selling your Tampa home using our flat fee MLS listing plans.

ADDvantage offers flat fee MLS listings throughout Florida including Clearwater, Tampa, Oldsmar, St.Pete, Ozona, Davis Island, Treasure Island, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Indian Rocks, Maderia Beach, Clearwater Beach, Pass-a-Grill and and just about every city in Florida.

We are known for our 8:00am-8:00pm 7 day a week customer and Realtor support expansive Internet marketing, best flat fee MLS listing software of any real estate company which is 100% electronic and a easy-to-use seller’s control panel that allows by owners to control every aspect of their MLS listing.

GetMoreOffers is a detailed oriented discount real estate. Our systems make selling real estate simple and efficient. Once a client, you will see who’s “hit” your listing, view Realtor feedback after each showing, see your buyer and Realtor leads, print property brochures, make listing changes 24/7 and more.

Read our flat fee MLS reviews.
1-727-942-2929 or 1-877-232-9695

Your MLS listing will be in the Mid Florida Regional MLS which covers from Orlando to Tampa and down to Venice.

Is selling a home using flat fee MLS just a matter of finding the cheapest flat fee MLS website and off you go?

Did you know that 90% of the websites that you see are NOT even members of GTAR (Greater Tampa Association of Realtors) or MFR (Mid-Florida Regional MLS).

Do you know that 99% of all flat fee MLS services in Florida do not offer live 8:00am-8:00pm phone support? You might say, who needs this type of service anyway because all calls come to me!

I am Keith Gordon, broker for flat fee MLS Tampa firm ADDvantage®. There’s a reason why we are the most respected and trusted flat fee MLS listing firm in Tampa and it starts with three things we do better than anyone else.　

1) Buyer leads and how they are handled is one area that Tampa sellers do not fully understand. Our policy with regard to buyer leads from Realtor.com and other sites has been effective since we started ADDvantage® in 2005. Once a buyer lead finds its way to ADDvantage®, it is promptly forwarded to our sellers in real time 7 days a week from 8:00am-8:00pm. Over a typical week, we handle over 300 calls from buyers and Realtors®. On a typical weekend, we handle over 40 calls. This level of service is unheard of in the real estate industry. Between these hours, all calls and emails are handled “live” by one of our ADDvantage® staff members. Each email or call is transcribes into an email and forwarded to you. Our relentless attention to this and other important details has earned ADDvantage® the best reputation in all Florida for delivering the most reliable and trusted flat fee MLS service.

2) The next often misunderstood part of listing flat fee in the MLS is Realtor.com and IDX. Most Tampa by owners do not fully understand Realtor.com and IDX feeds and why should they. The fact is Realtor.com does not allow any seller contact information or the word “FSBO” to be published. Only the listing broker’s phone number and name can appear. Every Realtor® website such as c21, ColdwellBanker.com and remax.com receive their MLS listing data directly from Realtor.com through the IDX feed. Sellers, therefore, must implicitly trust their flat fee MLS broker to professionally handle buyer leads and calls that come to the broker.

3) Another area that concerns many sellers is “Offers.” Sellers would prefer their offers from Realtors® to going directly to them and not through the flat fee broker. At ADDvantage®, we facilitate all offers by forwarding them directly to our sellers from 8:00am-8:00pm 7 days. We then call and notify each seller when an offer has been forwarded by email. In our 5 years of being in business we have never mishandled an offer or lost a deal because of our incompetence. Most offers do come through ADDvantage® as Realtors® often stand by industry protocol and prefer that the “listing broker” initially receive the offer and then forward the offer to the “self-represented” seller. Once the seller has the offer, the buyer’s agent and seller negotiate the offer to its conclusion. By the way, it is clearly stated in the MLS to call seller directly for all showings and the seller’s phone number is published.

Trust remains an issue when money is involved. Tampa home owners that do choose ADDvantage® to sell using flat fee MLS will soon believe it is possible to trust a flat rate MLS service, receive excellent service and still save 50% on the cost of selling a home vs. a traditional listing. Many of our sellers (27%) pay no commission at all because they have sold without a Realtor®. ADDvantage® has earned our reputation as Tampa’s most trusted and hardest working flat fee MLS broker because we consistently deliver more offers, more buyer leads and Realtor® feedback on each showings. We offer this level of service 7 days a week from 8:00am-8:00pm for 5 years in a row.

We offer 5 flat fee MLS plans. This blog was focused on our standard “self-representation” flat fee MLS plan called MLS ADDvantage®. But, we also offer 2 flat fee plans that are very similar to full-service in that we handle all calls and negotiate all offers right through closing. These 2 plans are called ADDvantage Success™ and ADDvantage Plus™. The only difference between them is with ADDvantage Success™, our local agents have the right to sell your home using the buyer leads that come our way while ADDvantage Plus™ is “contract-to-close representation” while the seller retains all buyer leads. If you have questions about which flat rate plan is best suited for you, call us anytime 1-877-232-9695 or visit our website at getmoreoffers.com.

ADDvantage® is a Tampa’s By Owner, Flat Fee MLS, semi full-service and full-service real estate brokerage firm.

We have always pioneered the way to innovation in discount real estate. Our newest plan is called ADDvantage Success™.

ADDvantage Success™ is a unique blend of all our best features we have ever offered into one simple, yet effective, flat fee listing plan…And, you pay a low upfront flat rate price of $499.

Our Internet marketing package and service commitment is second to none…And, you only offer a commission to the buyer’s agent…NO LISTING COMMISSION!

ADDvantage Success™ brings the best of flat fee MLS and full service together. We offer powerful Internet marketing and we will post your listing on important sites such as Homes.com, Realtor.com, Zillow, MSN, Yahoo, Craigslist, Vast, Zillow, AOL, RSS feeds, IDX feeds and Oodle…Plus 100′s more sites that will you get more exposure and sell faster.

Highlights of ADDvantage Success™

• 9 month MLS listing in the Mid Florida Regional MLS or Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. You can cancel anytime with no fee, complications or strings attached.
• Agent Assure®…Because we answer our phone at ADDvantage® 7 days a week from 8:00am-8:00pm, you’ll never miss a Realtor® showing request. Agent Assure® is our concierge showing service where we schedule and confirm all showings for you so there is no need to speak with a Realtor®. Your customized showing instructions will be given to Realtors® and an email will be sent for your records. Agent Assure® is more professional than the seller scheduling the appointment. ($199 value, free with ADDvantage Success™)
• Feedback. Everyone wants to receive feedback from Realtors®. Our system automatically sends an email to each Realtor® 2 hours after they show requesting feedback and you’ll receive a copy by email. ($99 value, free with ADDvantage Success™)
• Agent Activate®…Local knowledge helps you sell faster and at a higher price. Our local Tampa agents know your home. They will act quickly to show and sell your home. If one of our agents is successful, we will REFUND the ADDvantage Success™ $499 up front fee at closing. Our Agent Activate® service ensures our best Tampa agents or local affiliates will work diligently with each buyer prospect. You pay only the offered buyer’s agent commission which is the same commission you are offering any agent (which is typically 3%). There is no listing commission. If our agent sells your home, they’ll work out all the details from contract to closing. We will pre-qualify buyers, show your home, write the offer as transaction brokers, negotiate the offer, work through and handle the inspection and inspection related negotiating, if any. As well…Assist with financing, work with your title company of choice or real estate attorney and complete the closing in a fast professional manor. Having an agent assist with negotiations often results in a higher sales price for you and less hassles.
• Broker Assist… Advice 7 days a week. Most offers will come from outside buyer’s agents, not from an ADDvantage® agent. If this occurs, our broker will consult, advise, review the contract, check for missing documents and assist in closing the transaction. Realtors® prefer our “broker Assist” over dealing directly with the seller because this facilitates their offer and enhances their changes of getting a deal done. There will be a transaction fee of $395 at close if this occurs. (A $799 value)
• Street Smart ADDvantage®…The most effective Realtor® eblast in Florida. Since 2005, ADDvantage® has been emailing Tampa Realtors® our high commission properties. The Street Smart ADDvantage® eblast is now the best read Realtor-to-Realtor email in Florida. It is reserved for those sellers offering a 4% or greater buyer’s agent commission. Every two weeks, our system sends most Tampa Realtors® that work or live within 35 miles of your property a copy of the Street Smart ADDvantage® report. (A $599 value, free with ADDvantage Success™)
• An Exclusive Right of Sale Listing in MLS…Better than Exclusive Agency. At times, limited service listing (a.k.a “flat fee MLS”) are not shown because Realtors® possibly consider them more work as compared with full-service. While illegal to do so, this does happen. But, the cost savings to sellers from listing flat fee far outweighs any possible lost showings. But, with ADDvantage Success™, we have solved this dilemma by using an Exclusive Right of Sale Listing, NOT an Exclusive Agency (limited service).
• Realtor.com Showcase…25 Pictures on Realtor.com. The best listing in Realtor.com is a “showcase” listing.” This upgrade will allow for a 2400 character property description and 25 pictures. If you have a Virtual Tour, it will be posted there as well…And, on getmoreoffers.com and Homes.com. ($49 value, free with ADDvantage Success™)

ADDvantage® has been offering discount real estate MLS listings, “flat fee MLS,” in Florida since 2005. We have consistently held over 250 flat fee MLS listings in various Florida MLS boards so we have an excellent pulse on the entire Florida real estate market.

The call volume this past 3 weeks has exceeded any other point in time by 200%. These callers are unrepresented buyers, Realtors® requesting showing instructions and sellers asking questions about our flat fee MLS listing services.

While this spike in interest does not mean we have seen the bottom of the real estate market, nor does it mean prices will rise, but rather it means the perception held buy buyers is that real estate in Florida is a bargain…And, they are correct!

If you don’t need to sell now, it would be better to wait until 2012 or 2013 as prices should be higher by then. But, of course, if you need to sell now, do it and re-buy later this year or next and catch the next wave up in prices.

If you have to sell now, try to sell by owner using flat fee MLS marketing. When you list in the MLS flat fee with ADDvantage®, you have a 23% chance of selling by owner and a 77% chance of being sold through a Tampa Bay Realtor®. The reason so many by owners sell with no Realtor® involved at ADDvantage® is because we give all buyer leads (ones with no Realtor® attached…Leads from sources such as Realtor.com, Homes.com and our site getmoreoffers.com) to you.

Buyer leads are very valuable. Not all flat fee MLS listing services in Florida do this. You MUST read their listing agreement carefully.

We offer 4 flat fee MLS listings plans that enable you to pay just the buyer’s agent commission (no listing commission). Our basic plan is $349…Your phone number will be published in the MLS, not in Realtor.com (no seller info allowed) and this is our most popular “self-represented” way to sell.

The next level up is Street Smart ADDvantage®. To use the plan, the buyer’s agent commission must be 4% or greater. This plan is based around offering a higher-than-average buyer agent commission. We get the message to the Realtors® through an eblast system we developed in 2005. It sends emails to all Tampa Realtors within 35 miles of your property twice per month. This Realtor® eblast marketing is very successful. Realtors® read it because it’s all about the money. When they click your link in the email, they are directed right to your flat fee MLS listing at getmoreoffers.com. Our website tracks all hits so you will see the results. Street Smart ADDvantage® is $599 and includes Realtor.com showcase and World Properties.

The top plan at ADDvantage® is ADDvantage Plus™. It is $799 and $500 at close. This is not your average bargain…It is truly the best value of any real estate service in Florida. It comes with 100% contract-to-close representation from me (26 years experience), Agent Assure® (where we answer all calls for you and schedule all showings), Street Smart ADDvantage® (if you offer 4% buyer’s agent commission), Realtor.com Showcase, World Properties, Homes.com premium and a metal custom yard sign. All you do is show the home or set a lock box.

ADDvantage’s slogan is “Real Estate By Your Rules®” for a reason…We are all about the seller…And, we are the only real estate company in Tampa that answers their phone 7 days a week 8:00am-8:00pm.

1-877-232-9695 or 727-942-2929

I am Keith Gordon, broker for Tampa flat fee MLS listing service ADDvantage®. This time of year the most popular question asked by sellers is when is the best time to list in the MLS? You want your MLS listing to be seen as “fresh” to the Realtors® but you don’t want to miss showing opportunities. The best answer to this question is “sellers have no control over when your buyer is going make you that offer that creates a deal.”

Like fishing, if you have no bait in the water you have no chance of catching your dinner. At ADDvantage®, we believe the best time to market your Tampa is everyday. Buyers will find their way through our endless array of Internet Marketing in google, craigslist, Vast, Homes.com, Realtor.com, MSN, AOL, Trulia and hundreds more sites.

Once the buyer prospect finds your home, we guarantee we will not miss an email request for a showing or a phone call. ADDvantage® is the only Florida discount MLS broker that answers their phone 12 hours a day 7 days a week. For that matter, no real estate company offers our level of phone support.

We have answered over 3,107 calls live over the past 12 months for our flat fee MLS Florida clients and 1,047 of those calls were answered after-hours. If the call can be converted into a showing, ADDvantage® will do it. We sell more Tampa homes as a result.

Unlike other industries where sales people are held accountable by their managers, Realtors® have no managers. They are 100% independent contractors. If they don’t answer their phone, the seller client misses a showing and they’ll never know it. This will never happen at ADDvantage®.

We have been through challenging markets since 2006. 2009 is no different. We are selling 26% of our Tampa flat fee MLS listed homes with an average “days on market” of 117 days.

This result would not be possible without our 8:00am-8:00pm 7 day a week live support.

List flat fee with the most reliable discount MLS broker in Florida…ADDvantage®.

1-877-232-9695 or 727-942-2929.

ADDvantage, a Tampa based flat fee MLS listing service, now offers by owner MLS sellers home warranties through Old Republic.

Listing in the MLS flat fee is growing more popular every day and ADDvantage is leading the way to create new marketing ideas that help sell listings faster. By offering a home warranty to buyers, a flat fee MLS Tampa homeowner will garner more attention to their MLS listing without paying for the home warranty premium until that property closes. The cost is about $400.

This is one of those situations where it is better to reap the benefits now for an item that you will likely be paying for anyway in the future. That is of course, if you sell. And if you don’t, it’s free!

Most buyer’s agents in Tampa will request that the seller purchase a home warranty and make this request when they presenting an offer. By advertising in the MLS and other FSBO websites that your home comes with a warranty, it conveys the message that your home has more value.

According to a Gallup poll, 79% of both buyers and sellers rate home warranties as one of the most important considerations when buying or selling a home.

The ADDvantage Real Estate Network offers 4 flat fee MLS listing plans in Tampa.

Call us anytime…We are here 8:00am-8:00pm 7 days a week. 1-877-232-9695.

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If 2,900 Realtor calls or buyers requests for showings went unanswered over a period of 12 months would that hurt your chances of selling your Tampa home?

At ADDvantage, we have answered 2,900 calls live over the past year for our Florida flat fee MLS clients. 1,000 of these calls have come after-hours. Every single call was handled professionally, recorded in our seller’s account, an email sent to our seller, a link sent to the interested party to your Tampa MLS listing at ADDvantage and a detailed description of the call was included in that email.

If the caller was a Realtor, we get their Florida real estate license number confirming they are truly Realtors and send them permission by email to deal directly with you. We include your phone numbers just in case they miss place them. If a seller chooses ADDvantage Plus, our contract-to-close plan, we do not send permission to Realtors to deal with the seller because we represent sellers in this hybrid-full-service flat fee plan.

This 8:00am-8:00pm 7 days a week phone concierge service at ADDvantage is guaranteed in our ADDvantage flat fee MLS Listing Agreement. It is a part of our service commitment to all our flat fee MLS sellers. This is also one of the reasons why we charge a bit more for a listing in the MLS with ADDvantage.

Paying attention to the phone ethic is a critical detail to being successful selling by owner MLS in Florida. The flat fee MLS broker is the gatekeeper of sales leads for the by owner MLS seller. I know that most flat fee websites say all leads and calls comes right to you so having great phone support is unnecessary. Well, they are misleading the public because they can’t and won’t commit to any posted or guaranteed hours of phone support. Truth…flat fee MLS seller’s phone numbers are published in the MLS under Realtor remarks. But, the listing broker of record (ADDvantage or whoever is listing the property in the MLS) phone number is also listed in the MLS. Since 1913, Realtors, by a code of ethics, have always called this listing broker to get showing instructions and negotiate all offers. Realtors, by this same code, cannot deal directly with the seller without the expressed permission from the listing broker. This is why the listing broker receives so many calls from Realtors. It is also the reason why ADDvantage gives Realtors our expressed permission in an email that they can deal directly with our seller clients.

In Realtor.com, the biggest real estate website in the word, the sellers contact information is not permitted. All these buyer leads go to the listing broker. Make sure the listing agreement that you sign with a flat fee broker clearly states that all buyer leads belong to the seller, not the broker.

When you list flat rate MLS through ADDvantage, all buyer leads are yours to work so you can sell ‘by owner’ and not pay any commission. If a Realtor sells your home, you pay just that Realtor a commission which you establish during the sign up process. Typically, flat fee MLS sellers offer between 2-3%.

Some by owner MLS sellers offer more commissions to Realtors (buyer agents) to garner more attention. We offer a flat fee listing program called Street Smart ADDvantage that sends 12,000 emails to all Tampa Bay Realtors twice a month informing them of your higher than average commission. The Street Smart ADDvantage eblast is Florida best-read Realtor-to-Realtor email.

Our basic flat fee MLS listing program is $349 for a 9 month listing in any Florida MLS. Street Smart ADDvantage at $599 and ADDvantage Plus cost $799 and $500 at close. ADDvantage Plus, our contract-to-close plan, includes Street Smart Eblast marketing as long as you offer a 4% buyer’s agent commission.

Call us anytime, 1-877-232-9695

There are 5 reasons to list your Florida property using our ADDvantage Plus program.

First, this flat fee MLS listing looks and acts just like a full-service listing but the cost is $799 upfront and $500 at close. It saves sellers about 50% off a traditional listing. We take all calls, schedule all showings and negotiate all offers with you. More deals get done because when I negotiate with ‘fellow’ Realtors, the emotions stay on the sidelines and I go right after what my seller client wants. I use my 25 years of experience as a Florida real estate broker to get the most out of every offer.

Second, I believe with our 8:00am-8:00pm 7 day a week live phone support, we do a better job of answering the phone and scheduling appointments. This adds a professional touch and Realtors prefer working through another broker rather than dealing directly with a seller.

Third, our Street Smart ADDvantage Realtor eblasting program is included in the ADDvantage Plus plan. The seller must offer at least a 4% buyer’s agent commission to opt into Street Smart ADDvantage eblast. The eblast is sent to every Realtor within 35 miles of a Street Smart listing in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando or wherever you list your property. It is sent twice a month and is recognized as Florida’s most well-read Realtor-to-Realtor email.

Forth, I believe sellers benefit greatly when I do the negotiations. Not only should I get you a higher price for your home but better terms, as well. Contracts can be tricky and Realtors can be aggressive with self-represented sellers.

Fifth, all buyer leads from Realtor.com, Homes.com and other FSBO websites remain the sellers. Even though I handle all offers, sellers retain the right to sell themselves ‘by-owner’ and pay no commission.

As a note about physically being in Tampa Bay. All offers are handled by fax or email. My physical location does not interfere with the representation process. Even if there are ‘inspection related’ issues, one of my strengths happens to be my knowledge of construction and the ‘trades.’

Call us anytime, 1-877-232-9695 or visit our flat fee MLS Florida website.

The answer is no. There are hundreds of flat fee websites in Florida and only 2 or 3 of these services are Tampa based. 80% of them are not even licensed in Florida to offer flat fee MLS…the just refer you to a Tampa flat fee MLS service such as ADDvantage. Some of the Florida based For Sale By Owner (FSBO) MLS companies are not genuine flat fee MLS services. They are hanging the shingle “flat fee” on their websites to garner attention from the public but what they are offering is NOT flat fee MLS.

The definition of a genuine flat fee MLS service would be one that allows their client seller to cancel their flat fee listing at anytime for “free” and the flat fee broker would comply and “unconditionally” withdraw the listing from GTAR (MLS) allowing another broker immediate access to re-list the property. A genuine flat fee listing also sends all buyer leads from Realtor.com and other Internet sources directly to the seller…not to the flat fee MLS broker. A genuine flat fee listing service pubishes their listing agreemnet online so the public can review it before paying for a listings. And lastly, a genuine flat rate service offers great phone support.

Without going into great detail about all the crappy flat fee MLS tricks, ploys and schemes…remember “caveat emptor” when listing in the MLS.

Only list flat fee with a local Tampa MLS broker and make sure they offer a genuine flat fee product and not some look-a-like website that benefits the flat fee broker and not the flat fee seller.

Have a question about listing flat fee MLS in Tampa? Call us 727-942-2929.