On Monday August 20, 2012, Louis Cammarosano, General Manager of HomeGain, was a guest on the Real Estate 360 Live radio show on The Big Talker 1580 WHFS AM, hosted by Ryan Sloper.

Listen to the show.

Part 1 (14:26)

Louis and Ryan discuss the direction of interest rates and the folly of trying to call the bottom. Louis and Ryan note that the stock market is not necessarily an indicator of the health of the state of the economy. Louis discusses why investors buy gold. Louis and discuss the reasons to buy a home.

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Today’s real estate market can be trying for even the most eager of individuals. Many people might want to avoid the additional commissions, fees, and whatnot that are involved with realtors, yet having that ominous “for sale by owner” (FSBO) sign in their yards could lead to more problems than solutions. What makes a sale more difficult when owners attempt to do it themselves?

Tricky Sales
When you list a property “for sale by owner,” there is a limited pool of potential buyers. In most cases, the property won’t be showing up on the multiple listing service (MLS). Also, many people think that FSBO sellers are not always the most motivated to sell their properties, and are just putting a sign up to see if they can garner a high asking price. Many times, unfortunately, you see FSBO homes sitting on the market for an unusually long time.

Also, those selling FSBO might not have the experience of an agent in negotiating the best deal. The closing paperwork, if you have never sold a property, can be very complex and confusing. An investor, for example, usually makes the sale as stress-free as possible by handling all the paperwork, closing quickly, buying “as is,” and not charging realtor commissions.

Realtors versus Investors
There are many perks to listing with a realtor. It can be a good idea if the house is in good condition, you are patient, you don’t mind paying additional realtor commissions, and you are looking for a retail price. If the house needs work, however, you are looking to sell quickly, or you don’t want to pay a hefty realtor’s commission, contacting an investor might be a better option than choosing a realtor.

An investor is a great option to get your house sold if you need to sell quickly for whatever reason (including probate, inheritance, divorce, bankruptcy, or relocation, just to name a few). Usually, when investors buy houses, they can buy them in as few as seven days, in as-is condition, and without any realtor commissions. It’s up to you to decide which of these options best serves your ultimate purpose in terms of selling your house.

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Home sellers are more than twice as likely to sell their homes using a REALTOR® than going FSBO. Seventy-three percent of homeowners using a HomeGain agent had their homes sold vs. 62 percent who used a non-HomeGain agent and vs. 30 percent who went FSBO.

by Louis Cammarosano

HomeGain surveyed over 400 homeowners asking whether they used a REALTOR® to sell their home or whether they attempted to sell it themselves. Seventy-nine percent said they used a REALTOR® to sell their home and 21 percent said they tried to sell their home on their own.

Sixty-six percent of home owners that used a REALTOR® to sell their home were successful vs. 30 percent of FSBO’s, reflecting a 120 percent higher closing rate for those home sellers using a REALTOR®.

Eighty-five percent of homeowners that used a REALTOR® to try and sell their home said they would use a REALTOR® again for their real estate needs.

Eighty-nine percent of home owners who sold their home using a REALTOR® said they would use a REALTOR® again.

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On Sunday May 27, 2012 Louis Cammarosano, General Manager of HomeGain, was a guest on the Weekend Real Estate Report radio show on 105.7 The Fan, hosted by Carl Delmont.

Listen to the show.

Part 1 (16:37)

Louis discusses the services that can be found on HomeGain.com.

Louis discusses the HomeGain Find a Realtor program

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HomeGain’s 2011 For Sale By Owner (FSBO) vs. REALTOR® survey reveals home sellers’ success rates and satisfaction. Home sellers have greater success and higher satisfaction with the home sale process using a REALTOR® than going FSBO.

HomeGain surveyed over 1,000 homeowners asking whether they used a REALTOR® to sell their home or whether they attempted to sell it themselves. Eighty-three percent said they used a REALTOR® to sell their home and 17 percent said they tried to sell their home on their own.

Fifty-nine percent of home owners that used a REALTOR® to sell their home were successful vs. 39 percent of FSBO’s, reflecting a 50 percent higher closing rate for those home sellers using a REALTOR®.

Eighty-one percent of homeowners that used a REALTOR® to try and sell their homes said they would use a REALTOR® again for their real estate needs.

Eighty-eight percent of home owners who sold their homes using a REALTOR® said they would use a REALTOR® again. Continue reading this post

Eric Pakulla, a Realtor® with RE/MAX Advantage Realty in Maryland, talks about handling FSBO’s, expireds and past customers — and how having a positive attitude can have a huge impact on your business.

For Sale By Owners have been a huge part of his business over the past 10 years. He got started by taking Mike Ferry training courses, and still uses those practices today. Although 33% of his business comes from HomeGain, the remaining portion comes from FSBO’s, expireds and past customers.

He says his advice to working with FSBO’s is simple. What is it?

BONUS: During this call Eric provides a “phone script” that makes it easy to call up potential new clients!

Listen to the HomeGain Radio Clip (approx 14 minutes):

Eric Pakulla was the first real estate agent to earn one million dollars from AgentEvaluator (home buyer and seller leads) and is nearing the two million dollar mark, and has been the Nationwide HomeGain Top Performer since 2005.

Listen to more HomeGain Radio calls.