Most people aren’t selling their home as an act of charity. The goal is ultimately to make money off the sale - and as much of it as they reasonably can.
Yet too often, homesellers focus on listing price as the way to maintain their equity - despite ultimately having little control over what the homebuyer will feel comfortable paying.
Saving your equity means more money to spend on the things you love - your family, your goals, and your future house as well.
Here’s an alternate (and more effective) way you can be the superhero of your home sale - and save your equity.
There’s a prevalent belief that when it comes to agent commissions, “you get what you pay for.”
But here’s what’s actually happening to people who pay the standard commission fee: you don’t get what you paid for, because brokerages are charging the same price they always did despite modern efficiencies making it easier to sell a home.
In other words, with a typical Realtor commission rate you’re actually getting a lot less than what you paid for.
Consider the changes we’ve seen in the past 20 years that have redefined the real estate industry:
In short, while listing a home may have required 3% of the home’s value 30 years ago, today real estate is an industry that has simply been stubborn about passing on savings to the consumer.
After all, advancements in technology normally lower prices. In 1980, the average computer cost $1,500-$3,000 (accounting for inflation, that’s the equivalent of $5,500-$10,900 today). In other words, it was a high-end luxury product - not one the average consumer could easily purchase.
Not only can you get a $200 laptop today (the equivalent of $55 in 1980 before inflation), - it will run better, be lighter, and do much, much more than a computer from the 1980s.
Hopefully, it’s obvious now why modern brokerages like Houwzer and Trelora (both part of Newfound) offer 1% listing fees to home sellers (while recommending 2-3% for the buyer’s agent).
The cheapest way to sell your home is also the best way: Houwzer has a 4.9/5 star average rating from thousands of reviews across multiple platforms. It’s not that they’re leaving out important services - they’re simply handing back the savings to the consumer.
An agent is an important part of the home-selling process. Unlike computers - which, when new, are fairly standardized and are unlikely to have many issues - homes are complex, unique systems. There’s a lot more financial risk involved if you mess up this transaction.
So it makes sense to not do away with the agent relationship - they're there to protect you. But why commit more of your profit to it than you have to?
Houwzer offers a 1% full-service listing fee, with 2-3% recommended for the buyer’s agent. Compared to a traditional 3%-3% commission structure, sellers could save up to 50% on commission fees.
For a $600,000 home, that’s a potential savings of $18,000.
When you opt to save your equity when you go to sell your home, you open the door to using your money for the things you really need.
Houwzer’s listing services include:
Want to chat with a Realtor about what your home is worth - and how much you could save by working with Houwzer?
(it's free to chat, and there's no obligation!)
Many sellers are able to save $10,000 or more on listing fees thanks to the 1% listing fee (on average, clients save $12k with us).
More than half of American families didn’t take a summer vacation last year. With the money you save thanks to Houwzer’s 1% listing fee, you can invest in more family time - whether that’s Disneyworld or a camping trip.
You don’t need to wait for the next Marvel movie to come out to have your superhero moment. By saving commission fees when you go to sell, you’re saving valuable equity you can put toward the things that really matter - whether that’s your next house, family time, or simply savings for a rainy day.
Want to take the next step in saving thousands of dollars with a 1% listing fee?
(it's free to chat, and there's no obligation!)