Question 1

How much will it really cost to sell my house?

Accepted Answer

The listing commission paid to me is a flat-fee of $3,000, regardless of sale price. If the buyer is represented by an agent (which happens about 90% of the time), they are paid an additional commission. Historically, the most common buyer agent commission was 3% and effective August 2024, this amount is negotiated as part of the purchase contract and no longer advertised as a "finder's fee" on the MLS.

The other major closing costs are title insurance and title fees. Title insurance is generally paid for by the seller in Ohio. Rates are regulated by the state and are about 0.4-0.6% of the sale price (lower percentage for more expensive homes). Title fees include the survey, document preparation, and title transfer typically, and run about $500. You will also incur additional deed transfer fees, which vary based on your county and/or municipality.
 
Lastly, be sure to budget for property taxes, which are paid in arrears. Your 2025 tax bill will come in 2026, so you’ll need to credit the buyers the pro-rated property tax amount for the time period prior to closing.​
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Listing Agent Commission: $3,000
Buyer Agent Commission: negotiable but generally 2-3%
Title Fees, Taxes, etc: amount varies based on date, location, and contract terms
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*Note - in order to avoid a conflict of interest, we will not represent buyers in your home sale. If a buyer does not have a Realtor, we charge a $1,000 facilitation fee.

Question 2

When do I pay the commission?

Accepted Answer

All fees are paid at closing and automatically deducted from the sale proceeds by the title company.

Question 3

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

We guarantee our  services 100%, so if you're ever unsatisfied, you can cancel at anytime.

Question 4

Why do you charge so much less than other agents?

Accepted Answer

This is a loaded question, which is answered it in detail on the Common Cents blog, but here's the short explanation...
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New technology (such as email, an online MLS, and electronic signatures) has made the job of a real estate agent much easier. Because of this, there is a ton of competition between Realtors, which forces them to spend the bulk of their time trying to get new clients, instead of assisting the ones they already have. Rather than allocating our excess time towards lead generation, we decided to pass the savings along to you!

Question 5

What services are included?

Accepted Answer

Great question! Below is a list of our standard listing services. Click here for a detailed explanation of each one.
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Price Analysis & Recommendation
List on Columbus MLS
Advertise on Zillow, Trulia, etc.
Professional Home Photography
For Sale Sign
Lock Box for Showings
24/7 Showing Service & Mobile App
Printable Brochures
Timeline Management
Contract Negotiations & Recommendations

Question 6

What services aren't included?

Accepted Answer

Our philosophy is if it doesn't help you sell your home, then we don't do it. Here's a list of the main services we don't provide. 
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In Home Consultations: All appointments will be done via phone, Zoom, or Google Hangouts.
Virtual Tours: These have become increasingly popular in recent months, but we believe buyers who are truly interested will set up a private showing. With that in mind, we do offer virtual tours as an add-on service. Prices vary based on location and square-footage.
Open Houses: We do not hold open houses; if someone is truly interested in your home, they will schedule a showing.
Showing Prep: We will not drive to your home before showings to let the cat out, turn on lights, or put away dirty laundry. Believe it or not, some agents actually do this...and they also charge significantly more.
Attend Closing: We make sure everything is ready to go, but the actual closing is handled by the title company.

Question 7

What areas do you serve?

Accepted Answer

As a member of the Columbus Board of Realtors, I currently serve all of Central Ohio and the surrounding counties, includ​ing:

Columbus
Dublin
Westerville
Worthington
Hilliard
Lewis Center
Buckeye Lake
Reynoldsburg
Grandview
Bexley
Gahanna
New Albany
Grove City
West Jefferson
Pickerington
Canal Winchester
Granville
Upper Arlington
Plain City
Delaware
Ostrander
Lithopolis
Galloway
Pataskala
and more...

Question 8

I also need to buy a home - is that okay?

Accepted Answer

While we don't yet offer a formal program for homebuyers, there is nothing saying you can't use two different Realtors on your home purchase and your home sale. In fact, listing agents and buyers agents are very different roles and we generally find it to be beneficial to hire different agents who specialize in each area.
 
Note - we are currently developing a buyer rebate test program that is available in select areas. This has been put on hold due to COVID-19, but will likely resume in late 2020. Contact us for more information

Question 9

I heard you work remotely... Is this true?

Accepted Answer

Guilty as charged....we are lucky to live in a world that is so connected via the internet, and CommonCents was intentionally designed to operate remotely. Even though we're officially based in Columbus, our team spends a considerable amount of time traveling both domestically and abroad. We also rely on third parties to assist with sign setup, photography, and closings.

Question 10

Can a real estate agent really work remotely?

Accepted Answer

Yes! This is the beauty of the internet. With electronic signatures, video calls, and a highly-skilled team of affiliates in Central Ohio, CommonCents has been operating remotely since 2017. As new remote work technologies are being adopted by companies all over the country, there is now very little difference between the way CommonCents operates compared to many other Realtors (other than price, of course). We firmly believe this is the future of real estate.

CommonCents by Brandon Alfriend

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