THE PENNSYLVANIA CONSUMER NOTICE

Get the Straight Facts About What Can Make or Break the Sale of Your Home. Choose Top Real Estate Agents.
 

Selling your home is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. How much is it REALLY worth? How long will it take to sell? How do you handle buyers making undesirable offers? 

As top Skippack, Harleysville and Montgomery County area real estate agents with years of experience and a proven track record, it is our job to guide you through this complicated process, from beginning to end. We want you to get the maximum value for your home, within YOUR time frame. Here are just some of the things that we will do to market and sell your home: 

- Buyers want to buy your home for as little as possible! Through detailed comparisons between your home and recently sold homes, and other properties currently on the Skippack, Harleysville and Montgomery County market, together we can determine what your home is really worth in today's market. In the industry this is called a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA. We will do this for you, for free. 

- Buyers have their own timelines, which might not be yours! We make sure they don't waste your time by qualifying them as to their real ability to afford your home. 

- More buyers interested in your Skippack, Harleysville and Montgomery County home means more money in your pocket when it is sold. Our extensive marketing of your home assures you of maximum value. For example, this web site will market your property all across the web. It will appear on Yahoo Real Estate, Microsoft MSN HomeAdvisor, and other top national sites. We can place your home on our web site within a few minutes time! 

- When we begin marketing your home, we will immediately notify all the buyers that we are helping find their ideal home. We'll also notify all the real estate agents in this area that we work with, who quickly tell their homebuyers. It is a powerful way to jump-start the sale of your home! 

- You and a member of my team or I will walk through your home together. We will advise you how to present your property to maximize its selling price. Some improvements are worth it, and some are not! Be careful. 

- Contracts are complicated, and intimidating. You don't want to go to a closing with some doubts. You will have the full benefit of our Skippack, Harleysville and Montgomery County real estate experience and knowledge for a smooth and successful closing. We recommend that you do not sign on any dotted lines without asking us first. 

- We will make sure you conform to any and all Pennsylvania statutory disclosure requirements. We will also inform you of any inspections that you should consider having done ahead of time to smooth the negotiating process with buyers, and to ensure a successful escrow and closing. 

You pay no up front costs for our services! So you can bet that we will work hard to get your home sold, for as much as this market will possibly bear. We will also work within your time frame and your needs. For example, sometimes it can be hard to sell and move out of your current home, and buy and move into a new home, all at the same time! We can help smooth this out. 

Call or email us. Ask for a free In-Home Presentation. We will come to your Skippack, Harleysville and Montgomery County home or office, and present you a plan that details exactly how we will market your home. There is absolutely no obligation so don't let this opportunity pass. It is part of our job as top real estate agents to offer you this service. 

We provide a comparative market analysis of your property, licensed assistance in reviewing all documents and contracts, & licensed advice during contract and inspection negotiations and at settlement.
• We have a strong, knowledgeable administrative and marketing support staff to address all of your questions and concerns.
• We prepare highlight sheets, a school report, and an informative binder for display during showings of your home.
• We provide daily feedback on all showings of your home.
• We supply periodic written feedback reports.
• We market your home on numerous sites on the internet & in Real Estate magazines.
• We order all certifications for settlement, including Township Use & Occupancy Cert, Homeowner’s/Condo Association Resale Cert, Tax/Sewer/Water Certs, & Waste Generation Fee Cert.
• We order payoff statements for mortgages and home equity loans.
• We follow up to confirm receipt of Buyer’s deposit money and Buyer’s Mortgage Commitment.
• We handle all communication with Relocation Companies, if applicable.
• We prepare any necessary addenda to the Agreement of Sale.
• We coordinate date, time, and place of settlement.
• We provide checklists for preparation to move.
We want you to have a smooth, stress-free experience, and we are available to assist you with any of your needs – just ask !!! 

THE PENNSYLVANIA CONSUMER NOTICE
THIS IS NOT A CONTRACT

As of 11/25/99, Pennsylvania law requires all agents to disclose to consumers their options and rights regarding agency relationships BEFORE any substantive discussion about real estate occurs.  

Pennsylvania Law requires real estate brokers and salespersons (licensees) to advise consumers of the business relationships permitted by the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act. This notice must be provided to the consumer at the first contact where substantive discussion about real estate occurs. 

Before you disclose any information to a licensee, be advised that unless you select an agency relationship by signing a written agreement providing for such a relationship, the licensee is NOT REPRESENTING YOU. A business relationship of any kind will NOT be presumed but must be established between the consumer and the licensee. 

Any licensee who provides you with real estate services owes you the following duties: 

• Exercise reasonable professional skill and care which meets the practice standards required by the Act.
• Deal honestly and in good faith.
• Present, in a timely manner, all offers, counter offers, notices, and communications to and from the parties in writing. The duty to present written offers and counteroffers may be waived if the waiver is in writing.
• Comply with Real Estate Seller Disclosure Act.
• Account for escrow and deposit funds.
• Disclose all conflicts of interest in a timely manner.
• Provide assistance with document preparation and advise the consumer regarding compliance with laws pertaining to real estate transactions.
• Advise the consumer to seek expert advice on matters about the transaction that are beyond the licensee's expertise.
• Keep the consumer informed about the transaction and the tasks to be completed.
• Disclose financial interest in a service, such as financial, title transfer and preparation services, insurance, construction, repair or inspection, at the time service is recommended or the first time the licensee learns that the service will be used.  

A licensee may have the following business relationships with the consumer:

Seller Agency:
Seller agency is a relationship where the licensee, upon entering into a written agreement, works only for a seller/landlord.
• Loyalty to the seller/landlord by acting in the seller's/landlord's best interest.
• Confidentiality, except that a licensee has a duty to reveal known material defects about the property.
• Making a continuous and good faith effort to find a buyer for the property, except while the property is subject to an existing agreement.
• Disclosure to other parties in the transaction that the licensee has been engaged as a seller's agent.  

A seller's agent may compensate other brokers as subagents if the seller/landlord agrees in writing. Subagents have the same duties and obligations as the seller's agent. Seller's agents may also compensate buyer's agents and transaction licensees who do not have the Same duties and obligations as seller's agents.
If you enter into a written agreement, the licensees in the real estate company owe you the additional duties identified above under seller agency. The exception is designated agency. See the designated agency section in this notice for more information.

Buyer Agency:
Buyer agency is a relationship where the licensee, upon entering into a written agreement, works only for the buyer/tenant. 

Buyer's agents owe the additional duties of: 

• Loyalty to the buyer/tenant by acting in the buyer's/tenant's best interest.
• Confidentiality, except that a licensee is required to disclose known material defects about the property.
• Making a continuous and good faith effort to find a property for the buyer/tenant, except while the buyer/tenant is subject to an existing contract.
• Disclosure to other parties in the transaction that the licensee has been engaged as a buyer's agent.  

A buyer's agent may be paid fees, which may include a percentage of the purchase price, and, even if paid by the seller/landlord, will represent the interests of the buyer/tenant.
If you enter into a written agreement, the licensees in the real estate company owe you the additional duties identified above under buyer agency. The exception is designated agency. See the designated agency section in this notice for more information. 

Dual Agency: 

• Dual agency is a relationship where the licensee acts as the agent for both the seller/landlord and the buyer/tenant in the same transaction with the written consent of all parties. Dual agents owe the additional duties of:
• Taking no action that is adverse or detrimental to either party's interest in the transaction.
• Making a continuous and good faith effort to find a buyer for the property and a property for the buyer, unless either are subject to an existing contract.
• Confidentiality, except that a licensee is required to disclose known material defects about the property.  

Designated Agency: 

In designated agency, the employing broker may, with your consent, designate one or more licensees from the real estate company to represent you. Other licensees in the company may represent another party and shall not be provided with any confidential information. The designated agent(s) shall have the duties as listed above under seller agency and buyer agency. 

In designated agency, the employing broker will be a dual agent and have the additional duties of: 

• Taking reasonable care to protect any confidential information disclosed to the licensee.
• Taking responsibility to direct and supervise the business activities of the licensees who represent the seller and buyer while taking no action that is adverse or detrimental to either party's interest in the transaction.  

The designation may take place at the time that the parties enter into a written agreement, but may occur at a later time. Regardless of when the designation takes place, the employing broker is responsible for ensuring that confidential information is not disclosed.

Transaction Licensee: 

A transaction licensee is a broker or salesperson who provides communication or document preparation services or performs other acts for which a license is required WITHOUT being the agent or advocate for either the seller/landlord or the buyer/tenant. Upon signing a written agreement or disclosure statement, a transaction licensee has the additional duty of limited confidentiality in that the following information may not be disclosed: 

• The seller/landlord will accept a price less than the asking/listing price.
• The buyer/tenant will pay a price greater than the price submitted in a written offer.
• The seller/landlord or buyer/tenant will agree to finance terms other than those offered.
Other information deemed confidential by the consumer shall not be provided to the transaction licensee. 

OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS 

The following are negotiable and shall be addressed in an agreement/disclosure statement with the licensee: 

• The duration of the employment, listing agreement or contract.
• The fees or commissions.
• The scope of the activities or practices.
• The broker's cooperation with other brokers, including the sharing of fees.  

Any sales agreement must contain the zoning classification of a property except in cases where the property is zoned solely or primarily to permit single family dwellings.
A Real Estate Recovery Fund exists to reimburse any person who has obtained a final civil judgment against a Pennsylvania real estate licensee owing to fraud, misrepresentation or deceit in a real estate transaction and who has been unable to collect the judgment after exhausting all legal and equitable remedies. For complete details about the Fund call (717) 783-3658.
 

Ask us ANY question about selling your home or property. Or request our FREE in-home presentation of how we would market your property in Skippack, Harleysville and Montgomery County! There's no obligation, and we promise to get back to you quickly...