Below is a sampling of the many questions we receive regarding our Flat Fee Full Service Listing service in Greenville. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

What are my commission costs as a seller?

Regardless of the listing/sales price of your home or property, the fee paid to Hive Realty, LLC is only $750 when you list and $1,500 at closing. You will still pay a cooperating commission to a buyer’s agent at a rate you decide – often between 2%-4%. Outside the $750 listing fee and $1,500 closing fee there are no additional commissions or fees charged by Hive Realty, LLC. Obviously there will be other closing costs and we are happy to discuss what costs you should expect as a seller.

Do I pay the full $2,250 up front when I hire you to sell my house?

No, we require only the listing fee of $750 at the time of listing.  This fee is non-refundable.  The remaining $1,500 is collected at closing.  If your property does not sell you are not responsible for paying the $1,500 closing fee.

Who pays the buyer’s agent if I hire you to sell my home?

You pay the buyer’s agent a predetermined rate (called the cooperating commission). The cooperating commission is often set, between 2% and 4%.

How much do I have to pay a buyer’s agent?

The commission that is paid to a buyer’s agent (cooperating commission) is up to you – there is no set rate.  However, we recommend that you offer to pay a buyer’s agent between 2% and 4%. If you locate the buyer, then you do not pay anything above the flat fee due to Hive Realty, LLC.

What do I get for my $2,250?

The following is included in our Full Service Flat Fee Listing:

Listing Services:

  • We perform a complete comparative market analysis (CMA)

  • We provide you with pricing guidance and advice

  • We provide you with a yard sign

  • Greenville MLS Listing and Internet Marketing

  • Your home or land is listed on the Greenville MLS for 6 months

  • 36 photos are posted to your Greenville MLS listing

  • Your listing is made available on the Greenville MLS within one business day

  • Once posted, your listing will be immediately available to all of the brokers who are a member of the Greenville MLS.

  • Your Listing will be Available on the REALTOR.com® Mobile Apps for iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows – REALTOR.com® mobile applications have been downloaded over 3.3 million times, and continue to grow rapidly.

  • Your listing will be posted to 60+ of the Top National Web Sites – Sites include: Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo, AOL, and many more.

  • 36 Photos on REALTOR.com® and the National Real Estate Sites.

  • Your listing will appear on Hundreds of local Greenville Broker and Agent Sites via IDX (Internet Data Exchange)

The Support You Need:

  • We schedule all of the showings for your property

  • We provide you with an electronic lock box at no additional charge

  • We answer all questions from brokers and buyers

  • A Licensed Real Estate Broker is Available to answer your questions and advise you throughout the sales process

  • Free Changes to Your Greenville MLS Listing

  • Free posting of your Open Houses on the Greenville MLS & Realtor.com

  • Yard Sign with Hive Realty, LLC Contact Information

Contract and Closing Support:

  • We Fully Represent You from the Moment You Receive an Offer

  • We Negotiate All Offers, Counteroffers & Contingencies

  • We Handle all the Paperwork on Approved Real Estate Association of South Carolina Forms

  • We work with the closing attorney and see you through the closing process

Why should I list with Hive Realty, LLC?

We feel that listing with us offers many advantages, including:

We offer virtually the same listing service that other firms offer, at a significantly reduced price.  There are two basic differences between what we offer and what others offer – we do not participate in print advertising or host open houses.  We feel that the internet advertising is much more effective in reaching buyers and that while open houses can work, the home owner can do it better than an agent who is using it as an opportunity to meet new clients.  If you, the homeowner, hold your house open your only goal is the sell and who knows your home better than you?

You can save thousands and thousands of dollars.  Most people think of this savings as a boost to their bottom line at closing.  While it can be, it can also help you to sell your property faster than the competition.  The savings you realize through our Full Service Flat Fee Listing can allow you to make your home more competitive by using some or all of the following techniques:

Price your home more aggressively than your competition – thereby attracting more buyers.

Offer to pay more of the buyer’s closing costs – sweetens the deal for a prospect

Offer a higher cooperating commission to buyer’s brokers – All things being equal, a broker will show homes that offer a higher compensation first.

But won’t my home sell faster with a traditional broker on the job?

When most brokers sit to tell you about their listing service, they show you a great presentation and tell you all about their wonderful “marketing plan”. However, did you know the majority of properties (90%+) are sold by a cooperating MLS agent, and NOT by the listing agent? If the marketing plan is so great, why doesn’t listing agents sell more homes? The real answer is that most agents don’t expect to sell the property themselves, they let the MLS, internet and buyer agents do the work. So with that in mind, why would you give your hard-earned equity away to someone with a sign and access to the MLS?  In our view, listings have become a commodity – by definition, commodities are goods or services that are generally the same no matter who offers them.  If listings have become commodity, then why pay more than you have to?

Shouldn’t I advertise my home in newspapers and in home magazines?

From our experience, and statistics published by the National Association of REALTORS® print ads simply do not work.

We feel that print advertising serves just one function.  Ask yourself why a broker would pay $100s or even $1,000s a month to place a property in a home buying magazine? The main reason is that they are hoping to generate buyer leads or new listings for themselves. In the past we spent a considerable sum for print advertising. How many homes did we sell as a direct result? None. Brokers, in general, run ads to get the phones to ring – when the phone rings, it’s an opportunity to get a new client. This is often why you will see homes advertised in the real estate magazines without the complete address – so you have to call the broker.

Brokers are trained to use marketing materials to promote themselves NOT to actually sell your home. If you think about it, when you pay a 5%, 6% or 7% commission you are the one who pays for a the brokers marketing.

That being said, you are more than welcome to place the ads yourself, but we just don’t think it’s worth it in the end.

Will other realtors be able to show my home?

Yes, we’ll provide you with an electronic lock box which will allow other brokers the convenience of showing your home. In addition, we field calls from brokers who want to show your home and coordinate the showings with you.

A lock box allows you to securely lock one of your keys in a box that is only accessible to brokers who have a Real Estate Board issued electronic key.  We feel that a lock box is indispensable when selling a home as is allows you to have your home shown by a buyer’s broker while you are not home. Only brokers who belong to the local real estate board can access the key that is inside the lock box and an electronic record is kept of all access to the property.

Will my home be on the Greenville MLS?

Yes, absolutely! We have found that the Greenville MLS is the best tool for selling your home as it is THE place brokers look for property for their clients.  Of course, we also make sure your home is all over the internet by placing your home on REALTOR.com®, on Zillow.com, and on over 60+ more national real estate web sites.

Can you help me get my home ready for sale?

Sure thing! We love helping our clients get their home ready for sale.  We’ve found that a impartial “eye” is often indispensable when preparing your home for sale.

What if Hive Realty, LLC finds a buyer instead of another company, does that affect my cost?

No the total selling costs and commissions would be the same. You’ll have to pay the buyer’s broker fee regardless of who sells your property. It’s most likely that a broker from another company will end up bringing you a buyer. But if we happen to bring one of our buyers to you, then you still must pay us the buyer’s broker fee you offer. That being said, we only get paid the cooperating commission if it is one of our established buyers that ends up purchasing the property. If the buyer comes as a result of an internet ad, yard sign or other marketing that is specific to your home, we do not collect the cooperating commission and we’ll even handle the paperwork for all of the parties for our flat fee of $2,250.

Will you host open houses for my home?

Sorry, but that’s not a service Hive Realty, LLC offers.  One of the few things that we’ll ask that you handle yourself is holding your house open. We’ll give you some great advice (see below) on how to hold an open house, and we’ll advertise it for you via the MLS and on REALTOR.com®. We think that you are the best person to answer questions from prospective buyers and you may just find a buyer on your own – allowing you save even more money by not have to pay a buyer’s broker commission.

How do I hold an open house?

It’s easy:

Send us an e-mail or call us at least four days in advance of when you’ll be holding your open house. We’ll advertise it for you on the MLS and REALTOR.com®.

We recommend that you schedule your open house on a Saturday or Sunday from approximately 1-3.

Make sure your home is clean, all the lights are on, and the window coverings are open.  One of the “tricks of the trade” is to bake cookies or cinnamon rolls prior to your open house– the scent will leave a lasting impression and you’ll have food available for your visitors.

We also recommend that you remove the flyers from the flyer box out-front so prospective buyers must come in to get information. Pick a central location such as the kitchen or dining room table and lay out the flyers, as well as any other documents or photos (if it’s winter, try to have photos of what the outside of the home looks like during spring and summer).

If you plan to follow up with your guests, have them sign in on a sheet of paper or guest book.

Let your guests know you are the homeowner, and you’d be happy to answer any questions. Then, let them look around on their own. People will feel more comfortable if you don’t follow them around or try to sell them on your home. Just be there to answer questions and feel free to tell them what you think is great about your home, after all, you know best!

Drop flyers off at your neighbors and let your friends know that you’ll be holding an open house.

For your own safety, Never hold your house open alone.  Also, we also suggest that you move valuables, cash, prescription drugs, and jewelry to a safe storage area before your open house begins and keep your cell phone with you at all times.

Can Hive Realty, LLC hold an open house for me for an additional fee?

No, this is not a service that we offer.  We feel that you are the best person to hold an open house because you know the most about your home. Hold them every weekend if you like, just let us know four days in advance and we’ll advertise it for you through the Greenville MLS and REALTOR.com®. If you would like to have your home on a “Broker Only” we may be able to help you, but we do charge an hourly fee for this service. If this is something that you might be interested in, please contact us to learn more.

Will you tell me the price you think I should list my home?

Each of our clients who signs up for our full service flat fee listing program, receives a professional pricing consultation. We will share with you all the recent sales and listings in your area and we will work together to set the price.

If my house or property doesn’t sell, do I get a refund?

No, we cannot make a guarantee that your home or property will sell. If your home or property does not sell, the $750 fee you paid at the time of listing is non-refundable. However, the $1,500 closing fee is waived.