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I called a few realtors one that is advertised on this site Dennis and Geroldo and they never called me back.
Called 2 times and they said they would call back to make an appt. 3 weeks later I called 2 other agents.
They will list and want 5 % IF they sell, but no brochures, professional photos, just list on the website… that is it.
BUT want 5% if they sell your property?. What is this? NO marketing?
I asked the R.E. agent if I get professional photos do they pay half….NO. but they want the 5% to post on their website????
Most R.E. agents or agencys are not even MLS listing, so what exposure do you really get?
Is this the way they work here? What does it cost if I am to get professional photos done? Does anyone know someone real good and reasonable in the Sarchi area. I called a few on Craigs list.
They want $500.00 for a shoot. I called a few of my realtor friends in the USA and said that is OBSurd. They pay through MLS special price $80-$150 for a shoot for professional photos.
IS there anyone here in Sarchi Area?
I was told by the attorney there is NO such thing as a license here and they cant represent themselves as licensed in a contract it is not valid if I list and they sell?
Need photographer that can edit, crop, adjust color and put on a DVD. for a reasonable price.
Let me know through this forum please.
Thanks Stef
I feel for you. sold real estate for years in the states, paid all my fees which were high to be licensed, went to classes as required by law several times a year. Here they pay nothing to sell, most have no experience with real estate or real estate law. they want you to pay 5% and pay 13% tax on their commission with a successful sale. It is sad. The MLS fees alone in the states killed you. And if you list with a realtor, then more than likely they do not share with the others. So from one office to another you are an unknown entity, We have no MLS here. The title companies where I worked used to do complete virtual tours and photos for less that 100 dollars. Sometimes for free.
There is no licensing for real estate agents or brokers in Costa Rica.
Anyone can start selling real estate and a license is not required.
[quote=”waggoner41″]There is no licensing for real estate agents or brokers in Costa Rica.
Anyone can start selling real estate and a license is not required.[/quote]
Yes, and despite its nonexistence, [u]MLS Costa Rica[/u] on Google gets 15.9 million hits (most, of course, have nothing to do with either C.R. or MLS – but I haven’t checked them all 😉
I may be missing something here stephanie ande but who cares what Realtors do in the U.S., your property appears to be in Sarchi in Costa Rica, no?
Costa Rica is a few world’s away right? Totally different country, different language, different legal systems and yes! Costa Rica sells real estate differently too ….
Sounds to me like like either you are a very difficult customer ([url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=A4ECFFF4-24E8-5ED2-F1A1C3A36CC77260#A4ECFFF4-24E8-5ED2-F1A1C3A36CC77260]which is obvious based on your previous comments in this forum[/url]) or “maybe” you have an overpriced property they don’t want to waste their time trying to sell …
Sarchi/Grecia/Atenas is a very small market and real estate salespeople there will all probably know your home and may have their own ideas about it’s value which “may” contradict with your asking price…
As for Dennis… I can assure you that he is one of the most professional real estate sales people in this country and if he didn’t call you back, there was a good reason.
Have a nice day!
Scott
Stephanie,
This is Dennis Easters in Atenas. I would like to start by asking with whom you spoke? I do not remember speaking with you nor does my partner Gerardo. I also went through all of my e-mails and do not see a correspondence with you.
As you can imagine we get several hundred calls per week and unfortunately once and a while one falls through the cracks. If that is the case I am truly sorry and ask you to accept my apologies.
However, if you had spoke with me, I would have told you that we do not work the Sarchi area! Grecia and Atenas are the extent of our coverage area. The reason for this is that if we spread ourselves too thin, we cannot give our clients the quality service they deserve.
It also seems that you are not familiar with real estate here in Costa Rica. It is very true that licensing does not exist here as it does in the United States and other countries, so you must be careful and make sure you are comfortable with the professionals you choose.
I still hold a real estate license in Florida but that does not convey to Costa Rica where licensing is non-existant. However, we are members of the Camara Costarricence de Corredores de Bienes Raices (www.camara.cr) which is the same as the Association of Realtors here in Costa Rica. We have passed their course work which is very similar to that in most of the United States.
In terms of a MLS, that is also non-existant here in Costa Rica as in the United States and Canada. When you hire a sales agent in Costa Rica, you are only going to get advertisement on their website and marketing to their client list. Why? Because generally speaking in Costa Rica we do not have EXCLUSIVE listings.
Our listings are considered OPEN listings, meaning that more than one agent represents the listing. In a scenario with open listings, most agents do not want to spend extra time or money adversing a property or taking professional photographs of a property that they may or may not sale.
This is especially true of properties that are not in the main area an agent works. In addition, as you have found out, it is not unusual to spend $400-$500 for a “professional” photo shoot!
Much to most peoples surprise, traditional advertising DOES NOT WORK. That is true 100 fold here in Costa Rica where 70%+ of our buyers are coming from outside the country.
How do we get our clients? 99% come from the internet, therefore our websites making that the most powerful advertising tool we have. This is true in the United States as well.
Take an open house for example. Agents only host them for 2 reason: to satisfy the seller and to pick up buyers for properties OTHER than the open house listing. Less than 1% of properties are sold via open houses.
In terms of agents charging 5% commission, that is standard here in Costa Rica. In the United States you will easily pay 6-7%. If the agent brings a client and sells your property doing all the leg work necessary, is that not the results you are looking for?
If they do not, then you pay nothing. In Costa Rica given there is not MLS and most of your buyers are obtained before they are even in the country, it is vital to market your home with an agent.
If you don’t think it is worth the 5% commission, then I suggest you trying to sell it on your own, then you will appreciate all the unseen work that goes into being an agent in Costa Rica.
It seems as if we do NOTHING but trust me, those of us who actually take our businesses seriously work on average 10-12 hours per day. Having said that, there are many sales agents out there who are just selling real estate as a hobby. Trust me when I say, you cannot “sell” anything part time.
If you wish to e-mail me at purelifedevelopment1@gmail.com I will do my best to direct you in finding the best means to market and sell your property. As I said, we do not work the Sarchi area but we are happy to give advice.
Pura Vida,
Dennis
Oviously,
you are missing something…kindness and reporting the facts and staying neutral in this so called forum of 8-10.. Sorry their has been no price set for our properties, so that is not a reason to not call back or return calls that Dennis did not do.
Nothing is ovious Scott but your arrogance, which has also been pointed out with many on this form.
Dont be so quick to judge and condem. When you dont have facts.
Have a good day.
SA.
[quote=”Scott”]I may be missing something here stephanie ande but who cares what Realtors do in the U.S., your property appears to be in Sarchi in Costa Rica, no?Costa Rica is a few world’s away right? Totally different country, different language, different legal systems and yes! Costa Rica sells real estate differently too ….
Sounds to me like like either you are a very difficult customer ([url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=A4ECFFF4-24E8-5ED2-F1A1C3A36CC77260#A4ECFFF4-24E8-5ED2-F1A1C3A36CC77260]which is obvious based on your previous comments in this forum[/url]) or “maybe” you have an overpriced property they don’t want to waste their time trying to sell …
Sarchi/Grecia/Atenas is a very small market and real estate salespeople there will all probably know your home and may have their own ideas about it’s value which “may” contradict with your asking price…
As for Dennis… I can assure you that he is one of the most professional real estate sales people in this country and if he didn’t call you back, there was a good reason.
Have a nice day!
Scott
[/quote]
[quote=”stephanie ande”]Oviously,
you are missing something…kindness and reporting the facts and staying neutral in this so called forum of 8-10.. Sorry their has been no price set for our properties, so that is not a reason to not call back or return calls that Dennis did not do.
Nothing is ovious Scott but your arrogance, which has also been pointed out with many on this form.
Dont be so quick to judge and condem. When you dont have facts.
Have a good day.
SA.[/quote]Ah! You “stephanie ande” are the perfect real estate customer that every Realtor dreams about…
A seller that hasn’t got a bloody clue about how much they want sell their home for and then bitches about the standard real estate commissions charged throughout the country, Realtor’s marketing and how they take photos etc…
“Dont be so quick to judge and condem. When you dont have facts….” Could be said about you since you clearly have NO IDEA how hard the best Realtors work to sell their customers homes….
But thank you so much for your amusing commentary “stephanie ande,” good luck with sale of your home – you will obviously need it – and feel free to try and find another Discussion Forum.
Best wishes
Scott Oliver
PS. Both “ovious” and “oviously” normally have the letter ‘b’ included in there somewhere….
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