A message from the owner and founder of Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals^TM , George W. Ayling ~

Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals ^TM is the culmination almost 50 years of real estate sales experience, coupled with what I saw as a vision for the future of the real estate industry. This innovative marketing system has proven to be a better, more cost-efficient, way to sell your home. Sellers using the Select A Fee Real Estate System have saved thousands of commission dollars by paying only for the services they feel they need, instead of an outrageous percentage of the sale price.

During the past year, the average time a home is on the market has been reduced to 15 days! Sometimes, it’s as short as 5 days! The key to a prompt and successful sale, is pricing. Now, more than ever, it makes sense to use the Select A Fee Real Estate System. The typical real estate listing agent will actually ‘work’ an average of 10 to 12 hours during the course of selling a home. They will place your listing in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), take some pictures, write a description of your property, and perhaps place some ads in the newspaper. Then they sit back and wait for someone to sell your home. FACT: 95% of the homes placed on the MLS are sold by a co-operating agent, NOT the listing agent. So, why are sellers having to pay so much in commission dollars just to have their home placed in the MLS? Pivotal in this industry change is the easy access of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and other real estate sites, via the Internet.

Understanding this change in the real estate market led me to develop a ‘fee-for-service’ marketing system. Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals ^TM allows the client to choose their desired level of service, and pay the associated fee for just those services.

If you are a seller looking for a full-service real estate broker, or a “do-it-yourself” customer just wanting their house listed on the MLS, or somewhere in between; we offer several levels of service – all at reasonable costs. Our marketing concept is unique because we can offer a full-service listing program, just like traditional real estate companies, for a flat-fee of $995 ! Not 4%, 5%, 6%, or even more in commission; as other companies charge! Our ‘bare bones’ listing program, for the “do-it-yourself” customer, costs as little as $350!

Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals ^TM saves sellers an average of $6,800 in commissions! And, our clients may even save more money if they find their own buyer. Unlike traditional real estate listing contracts, sellers choosing a Select A Fee System marketing program, retain the right to sell their home themselves and not have to pay any commission!

From our inception in the year 2000, Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals ^TM has proudly served over 5,00 satisfied clients. We have sold more than $1,200,000,000 in real estate, saving sellers more than $17,800,000 in commissions! They say ‘word of mouth’ is the best form of advertising . . . Approximately 40% of our business comes from satisfied clients recommending our services to their friends and families. It doesn’t get any better than that!

‘Fee for Service’ or ‘Flat Fee’ Real Estate

In most states (including Illinois), a minimum level of service is required from ‘Fee for Service’ or ‘Flat Fee’ real estate companies. One of the required services is contract negotiations. This means that when the ‘Flat Fee Service’ company receives a contract on behalf of the Seller, it is to be promptly forwarded to the seller. Responses are then to be communicated to the buyer’s agent until the deal is complete, or negotiations fail. Unfortunately, most ‘Fee for Service’ companies receive the contract and forward it to the seller; but that’s the end of their involvement. This leaves the seller to fend for themselves without professional counseling and advice on how to obtain top dollar for their home. Most ‘Flat Fee Service’ companies have no experience when it comes to negotiating. More importantly, their lack of experience leaves them without adequate knowledge of what’s happening in today’s real estate market. They are unable to provide good professional advice, or make suggestions regarding alternative ways of selling a property.

Experience Counts!

Over half of the 50,000 agents in the Chicagoland real estate market have been in the business less than 10 years. Even experienced agents are befuddled by what’s happening in the market today. Inventory has almost doubled in the last couple of months, and prices have fallen to what they were in 2002! Many buyers have stepped to the sidelines, waiting for prices to fall even more and interest rates to come down again. Newer agents don’t have the know-how or expertise to help their client’s property show better than the competition, and how to attract prospective buyers.

Smart Savings!

Not all ‘Flat Fee’ or ‘Fee for Service’ companies are the same!!

Since the inception of the ‘Fee for Service’ concept, many newer companies have entered into this type of business. But most of them have never been in the real estate business, and have little knowledge about the ins and outs of the industry. Unfortunately, most of these companies put more emphasis on charging the lowest price, rather than demonstrating experienced service. We have seen sellers list their properties with the ‘fee for service’ company that charged the least, only to lose thousands of dollars on the net value of their home because the company they chose lacked necessary real estate experience to negotiate in the best interest of the seller.

As the owner of Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals ^TM, I have served the real estate community for 40 +years, and have weathered 4 major real estate market down turns. In the last 20 years, Select A Fee Real Estate System has been involved in over 4,500 negotiations, for every type of transaction imaginable. This professional experience is what today’s seller needs to guide them through this challenging real estate market. If you want to save money on the cost of selling your property, but still want to achieve the best possible sales price, let Select A Fee Real Estate System and Rentals ^TM put our proven professional skills and market knowledge, to work for you. We have the techniques, experience, and know-how to get our clients’ property sold. We are very proud of our success rate – Year after year 85% of everything we list, sells! We will be more than happy to supply a list of satisfied clients for you to contact.

We can provide information regarding expected market time, and statistics comparing ‘For Sale’ prices versus ‘Sold’ prices, to help you better price your property. To find out about the current market conditions for your specific property, give us a call at (312) 421-1000 or email us at info@selectafee.com and we’ll take it from there.