Questions and answers about Spot.

Is Spot a FSBO service?

Absolutely not! FSBO (For Sale By Owner) implies that the homeowner is selling their house themselves. But with Spot, you're never on your own. For free, Spot includes 3 hours of advice, guidance, and representation from experienced, licensed real estate agents.

In fact, we do full service at Spot. Our agents will provide all the help you need, and can market your house in a broad variety of ways. You just pay for the time and marketing you need. Even if you use a lot of hours, and choose all of our marketing options, you're still likely to save a lot of money compared with commissioned brokerages, most of which charge 2.5% to 3% to represent a home seller.

How does the Spot Listing Program reach 75% of homebuyers?

According to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors, 36% of homebuyers find out about the home through their real estate agent (who primarily finds out about the property through the MLS.) 24% find the home through the Internet. 15% find out by noticing the sign. The total: 75%.

Spot provides all three of these for free. We list the property on the MLS, we install a high-visibility sign, and we display your listing on web sites such as Realtor.com. 75% marketing reach for free? We think that's a pretty great deal.

However, if you want more reach, we can provide that for a modest fee. We'll provide open houses, brokers opens, direct mail, print advertising, virtual tours, and professional full-color brochures.

Don't I need to list with a big firm to have access to buyers?

Spot is a member of the local Realtors association, and is a participant in the local MLS. Because of this, Spot listings will be accessible by all area agents and brokerages who are also members of the local association and MLS. Understand that in most real estate transactions throughout our area, the brokerage representing the home seller is usually a different brokerage from the one representing the purchaser. In this system, the brokerages work cooperatively, and buyers working with any area real estate brokerage can purchase listings from any area brokerage.

If I list with Spot, can I offer less than 3% to buyer brokers?

No. The MLS requires that a commission be offered to buyer-brokers. We believe that a commission of 3% is a fair commission to offer, and we believe that this percentage is competitive with commissions offered on other properties in the local area. We will not offer less than 3% to buyer-brokers on our clients' listings.

Will a Spot agent come to my house and conduct a listing presentation for me?

Spot agents do not conduct listing presentations. Our services and value proposition are very straightforward, and we've attempted to place as much information as possible about our company and our offerings on our web site. If you need to know more about Spot before choosing to list with us, feel free to call us at 866-484-SPOT, or send us an email by clicking on Contact Us.

Instead of a listing presentation, you may want us to come to your home and evaluate its value. When you complete your listing package, you may certainly request this type of in-home pricing and staging evaluation. Know that our time spent on this will be tallied in our labor hours.

Can I request that Spot agents limit the number of hours they work on our behalf?

Unfortunately, we do not have any way to flag hour limits and have no way to instruct our agents to stay within those limits. However, know that in general, we only work hours performing tasks that you ask us to complete. And, if you don't ask us to provide assistance while your home is listed, no hours will be billed.

Also, it's very easy to manage Spot hours. In our listing package, we provide general estimates of time necessary to complete most listing related tasks, so you'll know which tasks are more time consuming than others. And at any time, you can log on to your Account Manager at www.spotrealty.com and view a current tally of billed expenses.

Does Spot represent purchasers?

No. Our Spot Realty staff only represents property sellers. We do not represent purchasers, and we will not perform any tasks on their behalf (writing contracts, etc.) We take this position in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest. However, we will be happy to recommend buyer-brokerages to any property purchasers in need of representation, and we can actually provide coupons that you can use to get rebates of up to $2500 from partner buyer-brokerages. Click here to request help from a buyer agent.

Does Spot require a commitment?

No. Unlike most listing agents, Spot clients may cancel their agreement at any time.

How does Spot's performance guarantee work?

At any time, you may terminate your relationship with Spot and re-list with a more traditional commission-oriented brokerage. Spot is happy to assist you in this process, and can recommend a listing agent from a partner brokerage to help you. If you choose a partner brokerage, Spot will rebate up to $1000 of your expenses incurred with Spot after settlement (Note: This rebate is only provided if the partner brokerage successfully conducts the transaction, and receives a listing commission from you.)

How are Spot expenses billed?

Spot expenses (extra marketing and extra hours) are billed to your credit card as costs are incurred.

Does Spot charge an administrative fee?

No. Spot does not charge its clients an admin fee. By contrast, most real estate brokerages do charge their clients admin fees beyond the percentage commissions they collect. These fees can vary from $200 up to $1000.

What are Spot's prices for a-la-carte marketing items?

Spot offers a variety of home marketing on an a-la-carte basis. A partial price list follows:

Virtual Tour	$250
Open House	$450
Brokers' Open	$500
Extra MLS Photos	$50
Print Advertising (3 ads)	$500

Can I hire Spot Realty if I don't have a credit card?

Yes, you may pay by check. However, to do so, Spot requires a $4000 deposit at the time you submit your listing package. Any billable items (extra hours or extra marketing) will be charged against that credit. If your account balance falls below $1000, we will require you to replenish your account with an additional $3000. In any case, at the end of your transaction (or if you end your listing agreement with us) any remaining balance in your account will be returned to you.

I've already identified the purchaser of my home. Can Spot help me?

Certainly. Even though a buyer has already been identified, a contract, inspections, settlement, and other transaction steps are required. Spot will be happy to represent you in this transaction.

However, due to conflict of interest issues, Spot cannot represent the purchaser of your home -- we cannot write a contract on their behalf, or represent their interests in any way, even with your consent. However, Spot can recommend a buyer-brokerage to represent your purchaser, enabling both sides to benefit from proper real estate representation.