Real Estate Sales
Real Estate Broker
Richards Law does residential and commercial real estate sales. By and through our attorney/broker John (J.R.) Richards (DRE: 01982951 and SBN 249073) we will sell your property for a flat fee. The common scenarios are: we list your property on the MLS (propagates to hundreds of other sites) or where you find the buyer yourself, for sale by owner. FSBO
When we list your property on the MLS, this is what we do. First, we will meet with you to review the property to look at its general condition. Based on this meeting, we will provide advice on improvements, staging, sell-time, market price and even dealing with your exit strategy. Some things to think about at this time are: who to hire to fix your home, what to fix, when to move out, whether to move out. Some properties are not well improved, but the best thing you can do is leave them alone. Agents and brokers often overlook that people get excited about “deals.” Other sellers should consider renovating. It may be possible to find a contractor who will take payment out of escrow.
LISTING ON THE MLS
We will list your property on the MLS (propagates to zillow, redfin, realtor.com and many more). The MLS is the single most important marketing platform for California Real Estate Sales. Buyers’ agents get vital information to market your home from the MLS. For our work, no commission is charged. We just charge a flat fee at the beginning of representation. Nevertheless, you will get noteworthy and engaging signage at your property and in the neighborhood. We provide open houses and vital internet marketing.
With our platform, Seller assumes the cost of staging and professional photography. We will give you a list of good vendors and you can select the idea candidate. It is amazing how great the vendors are for staging and photography.
J.R. Richards has years of experience with real estate transactions and proper marketing. Therefore we provide you with knowledgeable pricing and marketing strategy. This is one of the areas where people have a lot of misconceptions. Most sellers want to list their property at too high of a price. They are afraid that if they list the property too low, they will not find realistic buyers. The true answer is that it depends, but we encourage sellers to have an open mind on pricing.
The true goal of selling your home is to generate enthusiasm. This is why we recommend offering at least 2.0% commission to buyers’ agents. Buyers’ agents are the true salespeople for your home. The more agents who see and like your house, the more offers you will see. The more offers you see, the higher prices you will get. Real estate sales are truly supply and demand. If the marketing strategy creates high demand, the price will go up. That is more money in your pocket. It is worth the investment.
TRUE FIDUCIARY PLEDGE
So attorneys have strict rules against conflict of interest. When a seller does an off record sale (a pocket listing) through an agent, the seller is settling for merely internally marketing a property in that broker’s firm. You are basically agreeing to dual representation from the get-go. If both the buyers and sellers agents are from the same brokerage, that is essentially dual representation. The agents are from the same office. One commission check is issued to one broker at the close of escrow.
Richards Law does no dual representation. This means we represent you, the seller, and no other party. Furthermore, because we are not earning a commission at the close of escrow, we will not push you through an inappropriate closing. Commission checks are extremely large and contingent on the close of escrow. It makes one wonder whether agents are truly helping the seller or truly just pushing to close the deal. Over the years, many sellers have approached Richards Law with statement that they were pressured by agents to close. When you have a true fiduciary, like Richards Law, we will leverage each situation for your advantage, not ours.
COMPLIMENTARY LEGAL ADVICE
J.R. Richards is happy to advise you on all aspects of the real estate purchase agreement and/or any of the other documents. Most agents do not understand the documents you are signing. They certainly cannot provide you with advice as to what you should or should not sign. The best advice an agent can give you is what “most people” do. Otherwise, you need an attorney. With Richards Law, JR is happy to give you sound bites or a dissertation about any and all of the contracts. Likewise, if the legal advice is in the scope of the sale, Richards Law will provide you with it as part of the flat fee arrangement. Legal advice is confidential.
NO FAT COMMISSION CHECK
On average, our clients save over $40,000.00 on each sale. Our flat fee rates are super reasonable. It is a win-win for real estate sellers and Richards Law.
EXPERT NAVIGATION
JR Richards has the inside experience to litigation and problems that happen in real estate sales. Attorneys for other brokers represent the broker, not the seller. With Richards Law, we are the seller’s fiduciary and can walk you through each part of the deal in the off chance things go south. This is really valuable in these uncertain times.
FSBO (For Sale By Owner)
Well, it’s really NOT a dirty job. But most people are not equipped with the knowledge and expertise it takes to complete a FSBO transaction. Richards Law is. We will act as YOUR FIDUCIARY every step of the way. Often times the seller has already found a buyer and agreed to the price. They need professional advice but without a hefty commission. Richards Law provides FSBO services. In these types of transactions, often times the buyer does not need representation. We provide the forms and fill out the offers. It is a fair deal for both sides. While representing the seller, Richards Law can still help the buyer with forms and help the sale process. These transaction save the parties A LOT OF MONEY and are really no hassle.
We estimate that we have saved clients over $200,000.00 in commissions in 2020 alone. The average savings per client is over $40,000.00 a transaction. You get both value and savings. Give us a try. You won’t be sorry.