Related: Do I Need a Real Estate Agent to Buy Investment Property?
What can home buyers and sellers as well as property investors do to overcome these challenges and conduct real estate transactions with success?
One possible solution is to work with Clever Real Estate.
What Is Clever Real Estate?
Clever Real Estate is a free online service which matches property buyers and sellers with top-performing real estate agents in the market. The recommended agents are selected based on your specific goals, needs, and expectations. Each time, Clever provides multiple agent matches whom homeowners and real estate investors can meet and interview to choose the one who is the right fit for them. If for some reason you don’t feel comfortable working with any of the initially proposed real estate agents, you will receive more recommendations, still free of charge.
But that’s not all that Clever Real Estate does. In addition to matching you with a top-performing agent, they also allow you to pay significantly lower commission fees. And we all know that agents’ fee can amount to a major sum when buying or selling a real estate property. Clever doesn’t get paid unless your home sells, so it’s a risk-free option to explore.
Let’s dive a little deeper into specific questions home buyers and sellers often have about Clever Real Estate.
What Does Clever Do for Real Estate Investors and Homeowners?
1. Agent Matching
The main service which Clever Real Estate offers to property buyers and sellers is matching them with some of the best agents in their market. This match is tailored based on the specific needs of the customer. This saves a lot of time and effort on behalf of homeowners and real estate investors as well as minimizing the risk of finding an agent who is not suitable.
However, once you’ve been matched with an agent, you are not obliged to move forward with him/her regardless of whether you feel he/she is the right match for your home or investment property. Indeed, Clever proposes a few real estate agents whom you can meet in person and interview in detail in order to decide which one is the professional you want to buy or sell your real estate property with. If for whatever reason you don’t like any of the matches, Clever will suggest new ones, until you find a real estate agent you are comfortable working with.
And all this is free of charge. Clever does not charge property buyers and sellers anything. They are paid by the agents with whom they work.
With regards to the services you get from a Clever-affiliated agent, they include anything and everything that you would receive when finding an agent on your own. Following is a list of what you can expect from an agent:
- Professional property valuation
- Comparative market analysis
- Listings on the MLS, Realtor.com, Zillow, and other real estate websites with professional photos
- “For Sale” sign in the yard
- Print and digital marketing of your home
- Property showings and open houses
- Help with negotiations
- Support with closing
Related: What Does a Real Estate Agent Do Exactly?
2. Commission Reduction
You don’t save just time (and time equals money) but actual cash when finding a real estate agent for your transactions through Clever. In the US housing market, agents’ fees are paid by the home seller.
When selling a house, you usually pay your seller’s agent a standard listing fee of 2.5%-3%. With Clever, you pay a flat fee of $3,000 or 1% of the property value for homes which cost $350,000 or more. Home buyers and real estate agents are also expected to pay the commission of the buyer’s agent which varies between 2.5% and 3%.
So, traditionally, agents’ fees accumulate to 5%-6% of a home value, while with Clever they add up to 3.5%-4% only. For a property priced at $500,000, you save at least $10,000 in agent commissions.
Many homeowners and real estate investors might be concerned about the expertise and professionalism of these real estate agents. It is important to know that these are not discount agents. To the contrary, the agents partnering with Clever Real Estate work for the top brokerages in the US, including Keller Williams, Century 21, RE/MAX, Compass, and others.
To learn even more about how Clever works, click here.
What Are the Benefits of Buying and Selling Real Estate with Clever?
Of course, you can buy and sell a real estate property with any agent in your local housing market or even without an agent. Nonetheless, working with Clever brings many important benefits to homeowners and rental property investors.
1. Saving Time
Finding the right real estate agent to buy or sell your home usually takes weeks. There are so many professionals to choose from. You can never know which one is the best for you until you meet and talk in person.
If you decide to find a real estate agent through Clever, all you have to do is to answer a few simple questions on their website and then talk to one of their representatives, after which you will be matched with an agent. There is no need for excessive research.
2. Working with a Professional, Tailor-Matched Agent
As mentioned above, all agents working with Clever are top-performing professionals from some of the best brokerage companies in the US real estate market. Moreover, they are specifically selected to meet your exact needs and requirements.
3. Saving Money
You save an average of 2% in agent commissions. Depending on the price of your home, this can add up to a sizeable amount of money. Moreover, using Clever when buying or selling a home or investing in real estate is absolutely free of charge.
For more reviews of Clever, click here.
Why Do Real Estate Agents Work with Clever?
Some homeowners might wonder why real estate agents choose to work with Clever when they will receive a lower commission fee than otherwise. Actually, marketing and finding new leads is by far one of the most sizeable costs which an agent incurs.
Clever takes care of this challenge by providing real estate agents in any US market with an ongoing stream of qualified buyer and seller leads. In this way, agents’ marketing and lead generation expenses are brought to zero. They don’t pay Clever any upfront fee. They pay a referral fee only when a deal has been closed.
To see what customers who have worked with Clever Real Estate have to say about the services, click here.