How my fee works · DeKalb County, GA
What My 5% Commission to Sell a Rental Property Covers
Fees are negotiable and not set by law.
Step 1: A 30-Minute Call
We talk about your property and your situation. I’ll tell you honestly whether I can help. There’s no cost and nothing to sign.
Step 2: Property Strategy Session
We meet on Zoom for about 90 minutes. Invite anyone you like: a spouse, family member, partner, or your CPA. You get:
- A review of your property and your tenant situation
- Your Keep It, Fix It, and Exit It options, side by side
- Then vs. now: how prices and repair costs have changed since you bought
- Today’s repair costs: general price ranges for the work your property needs (for planning only, not contractor bids)
- The investor view: what investors usually need to see in the numbers, and about where their offers might land
- An estimate of what you might walk away with after selling costs (before taxes; check with your CPA)
- If Fix It fits: written recommendations on what to change
- If selling fits: a plan for how your property could go to market
Your Property Decision Summary is emailed to you within 3 business days. It’s yours. Use it with me or take it to any broker. You’re never locked in.
The session is paid at the end. If you list with me within 90 days, the full $297 comes off my fee at closing.
Step 3: If Selling Is the Right Decision
My fee is 5% of the sale price.
You pay only if the house sells. My fee comes out of the sale money at closing. Nothing is due up front.
Before you sign anything, I’ll give you a written estimate of what you’d likely walk away with.
How long the listing lasts and how to cancel are spelled out in writing before you sign.
My 5% compensates me as your listing broker only. It does not include any payment to a buyer’s broker. Sellers are not required to pay a buyer’s broker. The buyer’s broker is paid under the buyer’s own written agreement. A buyer may ask you to contribute toward that pay as part of an offer. Any contribution is negotiable and is your decision. I’ll show you how it affects your net proceeds before you decide.
Why 5%? Here’s What It Covers
A rental is rarely a simple sale. My fee pays for the extra work rentals bring:
A tenant still lives there. I work around the lease, set showing rules that follow the lease and Georgia law, and plan whether to sell with the tenant in place or after move-out.
Repairs have been put off. I help you decide what to fix and what to sell as-is, based on what you walk away with.
You’re burned out but not sure you want to sell. We do the Keep It / Fix It / Exit It review before anything is listed.
There are heirs, an LLC or partners who don’t agree. I keep every decision-maker informed and work toward a plan everyone can sign.
Investors and cash buyers are interested. They compete with every other buyer, each free to have their own agent, and I negotiate every offer for you.
Offers come in. I compare them on what you actually net, not just the price, and check the risks before you commit.
Other Costs at Closing (Not My Fee)
- your loan payoff, if you have one
- Georgia transfer tax
- closing attorney fees and your share of property taxes
- any repairs or credits you agree to give the buyer
- buyer’s agent pay, only if you agree to it in an offer
Your closing attorney gives you the exact numbers.
What You Agree To When We List
- Fill out the seller’s disclosure honestly.
- Allow showings under the tenant rules we set together, within the lease and Georgia law.
- Keep insurance and utilities on until closing.
What I Don’t Do
I’m a licensed broker, not an attorney, CPA or appraiser.
- Questions about legal authority, tenant notices, deposits and tenant rights go to a real estate attorney.
- Tax questions go to your CPA.
- My price estimates are not appraisals and do not guarantee a sale price.