Selling Directly

It was good. When we bought this house, we used them so we went back to her when we wanted to sell this house. She is a very friendly person and responds to your calls. She stays on top of things.

unknown

Note: our experience with Selling Directly is probably very unique, and like those weight loss commercials that say, "Results not typical" that's probably true here, but our lesson learned is one that we know could help others better prepare themselves in a situation where money must be spent up front. Lesson learned: Before you shell out any $$$, BE SURE YOU HAVE A SOLID WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR AGENT! The service provided by Selling Directly was exactly what we thought we wanted; it just didn't work between US and our AGENT, and because of that, even with the owner of Selling Directly involved, we were probably the most unhappy customers they've ever dealt with. Did Selling Directly put us in MLS, provide a sign, call agents, follow up, etc? Yes. Absolutely. No question, they did exactly that for the term of our agreement. But even in some of those simple steps, we had problems, and that all came down to alignment, expectations and the relationship between us and our agent. The number one factor in our selection of Selling Directly over a traditional agent was because the agent we selected was the selling agent for a house we wanted to buy, AND, Selling Directly offers an option where we can do more/most of the work, which is what we wanted when we put our house on the market. We opted, thinking it would be in our best interest to keep everything together, to hire that one agent to work with us to sell our house instead of going FSBO or using their more hands-off model. Traditional or otherwise, using an agent to sell your house means you're supposed to have hired an expert who you trust, who can advise you and who listens. If that doesn't happen, you move on and find someone who meshes with you. In a traditional model, if you and your agent don't mesh after day 1 or week 1 or month 1, you can release them from the contract and move on without cost (unless you sell to someone they showed the house to). No matter what, you, YOU THE SELLER ARE THE CLIENT, AND CLIENT = BOSS. Hopefully, the agent you've hired is one you thoroughly trust and who understands YOUR needs and can help you in the best way possible with YOUR vision, too so that what they advise you can agree with and trust that they will execute upon effectively. And, at no up front cost to you. In the Selling Directly model, you pay the fee up front for THAT ONE AGENT, and that ONE PERSON is your agent for the long haul. Unfortunately for us, we found ourselves not as clients paying for a service, but being told what to do, being advised in ways we did not ask, not being listened to when we asked specific questions, and being advised on topics we did not ask about, not being heard, not being aligned, and completely not able to get our selected agent to listen to us. We never once felt like we she was working for us. Ever. Because of this, we spent the better part of 6 weeks miserable, working with the owner of Selling Directly to come to a resolution and in the end, firing our agent and the entire firm, and losing our non-refundable $800. Yes, we take fault in this one aspect: we failed to get to know our agent first and align on our selling vision before signing and paying. In the end, Selling Directly refunded us a small portion of our fee, which, while somewhat redeeming on their part, doesn't make up for the fact that we spent a lot to learn a hard lesson. I don't discount what Selling Directly does or how they do it (I like what they do!!), but before you sign on that dotted line of a non-refundable contract, and hand over that check that you won't get back, be sure you and the agent you've selected are 100% aligned to YOUR vision and needs.

I really like my realtor, Harris Changella, he's a nice guy. They don't charge a closing fee.

Worked with us as we had ideas for brochure and several pics we had taken and wanted to use. The one time fee really was a way for us to get a professional perspective and to get started with our quest to try "For Sale BY OWNER". Larry "O" was available by phone as we had basic questions. The big step was the planned meeting at our home to go over everything, measure sq footage, take photos, explain potential scenarios with interested lookers/buyers, etc. Larry has his professional perspective but was also a good listener.

Being from New England and giving lip service to moving south every February we finally pulled the trigger on the decision. We came down in August 2009 to see the area and see if we would like it. We met with several Realtors including Michael who was recommended through the husband of an old friend. We spend the day with Michael looking at houses with our two small boys and we noticed a difference working with Michael compared to the other Realtors with which we met. Michael was relaxed and laid back and did not seem bothered to have the children in tow. He brought us to properties that met OUR criteria. Never felt like I was wasting my time with him. We returned home and continued to get listings via the internet from Michael. When we sold our house and came to buy. Michael not only helped us find a new home but he also helped us find a home inspector, a mortgage lender, a lawyer, someone to test our well and septic and so much more. He did all this while we were still up in New England and went out of his way to ensure that not only were things done right but that we were happy with the results. We are now in our new home and I have to say as stressful as moving is, it would have been even more so if we did not have Michael and Selling Directly on our side. I have been in Sales for over 22 years and I have never met someone who worked so tirelessly, so diligently on a clients behalf. I don't plan to move anytime soon but I will always work with Michael and plan to stay in touch with him. He is a wonderful person and an incredible resource. I give Michael and Selling Directly the highest praise and recommendation that I could possibly give anyone. They were fantastic.