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Agency in Real Estate

It is very important to know whom the REALTOR® that you are working with is representing in a real estate transaction. Missouri law allows for a variety of arrangements and you should have this discussion prior to providing personal and financial information to any agent. Missouri Real Estate Commission Disclosure (PDF)

Ethics

Proud members of the National Association of REALTORS®, Missouri Association of REALTORS® and the Columbia Board of REALTORS®. As such, we subscribe to the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (PDF). The code includes our duties to customers and clients as well as our duties to the public at large and to other REALTORS®.

Thinking of Selling Your Home?

There are several factors to consider before selling your home and no one will know better than you when it's the right time to sell. Sometimes it's to move up, downsize, career relocation, or other life changes. Some costs to consider when selling a home are your current outstanding loan balance, title insurance, prorated taxes and insurance, lending fees, and agent's commissions.

How Much Do Jim & Lisa Charge to List a Home?

It's negotiable. Please view this slide (PDF) for a visual explanation of our fee structure for listings.

How Do Jim & Lisa Market Homes for Sale and Other Real Estate?

The power of the Internet has made a wonderful impact on our industry, and it's one of the ways we market our listings. We take great pains to package our listings on the MLS so that they will be very well positioned for exposure on a wide variety of real estate for sale websites and for agents working with buyers to efficiently gather pertinent information. We also use QR and SMS (Text) response codes as well as some of the traditional methods to marketing.

How Do You Determine What Your Home Might Sell For?

Jim & Lisa perform a comprehensive Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). Note that there is a difference between a CMA and an appraisal. A CMA assesses the attractiveness and the characteristics of the property in comparison to similar to homes that have recently sold. An appraiser's report is similar in concept to a CMA, but follows a more rigid format and adjustment methodology. Lenders generally want an appraiser's report and not a CMA before they will make a home loan.

What Makes Jim & Lisa's CMA Different?

A lot. We take our own measurements and other essential factors into our analysis such as absorption rate, lending climate, time of year, etc.

How Much Do You Charge to Do a CMA?

We do not charge a fee for this service and there is no obligation to use our services once we complete a CMA for you. Many of our competitors market that this is a free service, and we avoid that language because nothing is free. Our time is valuable. It's the risk we take to earn an opportunity to grow our business.

How Do I/We Schedule a CMA Appointment?

We welcome the opportunity to help you gather pertinent data to determine if listing your home for sale is right for you. email us or call us to schedule a CMA appointment and please be sure to include in your email your name, the property address, and one additional way to reach you other than email (e.g., phone or text).

Some Tips on What to Do to Get Your Home Ready to Sell:

  • Remove all clutter and clear off counters. Less is more.
  • Wash your windows and screens.
  • Keep everything clean.
  • Clean all carpet and drapes to eliminate odors from pets and cooking.
  • Brighten your rooms. Use bright white light bulbs.
  • Take care of all minor repairs. Be sure all doors (front door, closets) don't squeak.
  • Trim bushes and give your yard a nice manicure.
  • Add small touches of color with decorative pillows and throws.
  • Consider buying new bedspreads to give the bedrooms a fresh makeover.
  • Consider a new welcome mat to freshen up the front entry to your home.
  • If you need to repaint, consider soft colors that are neutral and appealing to the masses.
  • Let natural light in by removing heavy drapery.

Things You Will Want to Give to the New Owners

As you are working on some of the things in the list above, find a safe place for the following applicable items that you will want to be sure to leave for the new owners: garage door openers, owner's manuals to all appliances left in the home, code to the security alarm, list of local service providers to include the alarm company (if there is one), and helpful tips (lawn care provider, house cleaning service).

Educational Videos:

For more videos, please visit our MeyerWorks, LLC YouTube channel.