Reader Question: Is 2021 a good time to sell our home? We are in our late fifties. Our kids are grown and on their own. Our health is good, and we have no mortgage. We are thinking of downsizing into a smaller home in a newer subdivision not far from our current home. There are […]

  Reader Question: An appraisal killed our home sale. We accepted an offer on our home 45 days ago. The lender just turned down the buyer’s loan because the appraisal was $35,000 lower than the contract price. The buyer had a twenty percent down payment but no extra cash to make up the difference. We […]

Reader Question: How can we check if our home is overpriced? Our home has been for sale on-and-off for some time. We have tried it ourselves, and hired real estate agents to no avail. This time we are going on four months now. In the past, we felt that our house didn’t sell because it’s […]

Reader Question: Are real estate commissions fair? I’m the homeowner. I just listed my home with a real estate agent. I told a friend I was selling, and they want to buy it for cash. I called my agent to negotiate the $24,000 commission because it hasn’t been on the market 24 hours. My agent […]

  Reader Question: A recent article you authored titled “What’s wrong with real estate” was insightful. The overview described conditions that contribute to the real estate sales environment. We will be selling our home soon and feel that expanding on the agents would help us understand real estate agent motives. Can you drill down to […]

Reader Question: We need help comparing three home-selling options. We are going to downsize and buy a smaller home. We are considering three options; engaging a single agent, hiring a team of agents, or selling on our own. We have kept our home up well, and houses in our neighborhood seem to sell quickly, which […]

  Reader Question: It appears there are different methods to sell your home today. We haven’t bought or sold a home for 30 years. Back in the day, we would contact an agent or try on our own.The choices are confusing. What are those choices today, and what are the differences between them? Monty’s Answer: […]

Reader Question: We are considering making an offer on a home. We are both employed in jobs that require some negotiating skills, but this is our first foray into real estate. We have built a small list of potential points to use in the negotiation if we move forward. What is the one tip you […]

Reader Question: We will be selling our home in the coming months. A friend who sold on their own talks about how she felt it was worth the time and learned a lot from the experience. Another friend tried it and said it was a big waste of time and money. He spent about $800 […]

Reader Question: We need some tips to sell our home during COVID. We are planning to sell come spring. We have noticed surging home sales across the US, so we know home sellers are active in the market, even with COVID. We want to be prepared to show our home considering COVID. What should we […]

  Reader Question: We are planning to sell our home. In researching the subject, the standard advice is to call a real estate agent. We get that, but from a potential seller’s point of view, that is very simplistic advice. What do you suggest someone do when pricing a home for sale? Monty’s Answer: You […]

Reader Question: What’s wrong with the real estate industry? We have a large family by today’s standards—five grown children with children. At a recent family reunion, we discussed real estate and ended up taking a poll. Transaction number ten started the conversation. Together they have concluded nine transactions, with number ten now pending. Only one […]

Reader Question: ​Can real estate agents “game” the MLS system?​ ​When my current listing expires, how long do I need to wait to list again if I want my second listing to be marked “new” instead of “relist?” ​ ​ ​Monty’s Answer: There are over 700 multiple listing services (MLS) in the U.S., and they […]

Our readers today are considering selling their home without using a real estate agent. As home prices rise and real estate fees rise with them, the industry is experiencing resistance. There are more and more options appearing to meet the demand for lower rates.

Reader Question: We have a real estate agent telling us not to list our home for more than ten-percent above her recommended price. She claims that if we do, it will ultimately cause us to accept an offer that is lower than any offer we would get if we listed at her suggested price. She […]