FAQ's

Technology has made many parts of a real estate transaction significantly more efficient. Property searches, electronic contracts and signatures, showing coordination, communication, document management and transaction coordination can all be handled more efficiently today than they could in the past. Flat Fee Real Estate was built around those efficiencies and a different approach to pricing. Rather than basing our fee on a percentage of the home's price, we charge for the service we provide. Selling a $700,000 home doesn't necessarily require twice the work of selling a $350,000 home, and representing a buyer purchasing a more expensive property doesn't necessarily require more work simply because the purchase price is higher.

That's why we provide full-service buyer or seller representation for a flat fee of $4,500, paid at closing.

2. What services won't I get if I hire Flat Fee?

You are not giving up the services you'd expect from a full-service real estate brokerage.

For sellers, our representation includes pricing and market analysis, professional photography, MLS listing and marketing, showing coordination, offer and contract negotiations, transaction management, inspection and appraisal coordination, and guidance through closing.

For buyers, our representation includes property searches, scheduling and attending showings, property and market analysis, preparing and negotiating offers, inspection and due-diligence coordination, appraisal and financing coordination, transaction management, and guidance through closing.

The difference is our pricing model—not the level of representation we provide.

3. Are there any hidden fees or upfront charges?

No. Flat Fee Real Estate does not charge an upfront brokerage fee. Our fee for full-service buyer or seller representation is $4,500, paid at closing. The fee is the same regardless of whether you're buying or selling or the price of the home.

For sellers: Our $4,500 listing fee is the only brokerage fee you agree to when you list your home with us. A buyer may request that you contribute toward the cost of their representation as part of an offer. If they do, we'll evaluate that request along with the purchase price, financing, concessions, contingencies and every other term of the offer. 

You don't need to decide when you list what you might be willing to pay an unknown buyer in the future.

For buyers:Our fee for representing you is $4,500. A seller may offer or agree to contribute toward that fee, or we may request that contribution as part of your offer. If the seller does not contribute the full $4,500, you are responsible for any remaining amount under your buyer representation agreement. 

Before you make an offer, we'll explain exactly how our fee will be paid and what, if anything, you will be responsible for paying at closing.

4. If I'm selling, do I have to decide how much I'll pay a buyer's agent when I list?

No. When you list with Flat Fee Real Estate, the only brokerage fee you agree to upfront is our $4,500 flat fee, paid at closing.

A buyer may request that you contribute toward the cost of their representation as a term of their offer. If they do, we'll review that request with you along with the purchase price, financing, concessions, contingencies and every other term that affects your bottom line.

You don't need to decide when you list what you might be willing to pay an unknown buyer in the future. You can evaluate that request when you have an actual offer in front of you and know what the buyer is offering in return.

Our goal is to help you evaluate the entire offer based on what you ultimately receive
not to maximize the amount of commission paid in the transaction.

5. What if the buyer of my home doesn't have an agent?

This is where our flat-fee model can make an important difference. If a buyer is not represented by another brokerage and isn't asking the seller to pay a buyer-brokerage fee, there may be no additional brokerage compensation for the seller to pay. Our listing fee remains $4,500. It doesn't increase simply because another brokerage isn't involved in the transaction.
With some percentage-based listing agreements, the total compensation owed by the seller may be structured differently when the listing brokerage also works with the buyer. Sellers should review their listing agreement to understand exactly what happens to the brokerage fee if a buyer comes directly to the listing brokerage.

With Flat Fee Real Estate, the potential savings from an unrepresented buyer stay with our seller.
We don't increase our $4,500 fee because there isn't another brokerage to compensate.

6. If I'm buying, do I have to pay the $4,500 myself?

Not necessarily. How our $4,500 fee is paid can depend on the transaction and the terms we negotiate in your offer.

A seller may already be offering compensation toward a buyer's representation, or we can request that the seller contribute toward our $4,500 fee as a term of your offer. We'll consider that request along with the purchase price, closing-cost concessions, financing and the other terms of the transaction.

If seller-paid compensation is available, Flat Fee Real Estate only needs $4,500 for our representation. Depending on the transaction, financing requirements and applicable rules, additional seller concessions may be available to help with other allowable buyer costs.

If the seller does not contribute the full $4,500, you are responsible for the remaining amount under your buyer representation agreement.

Before you make an offer, we'll explain your options and help you structure the offer so you understand exactly what the seller is contributing, what Flat Fee is being paid, and what—if anything—you will be responsible for paying at closing.

When we list your home, it is entered into the same Multiple Listing Service (MLS) used by other participating real estate brokerages in our market. From there, listing information is distributed to major real estate websites and made available to real estate professionals searching for properties for their buyers. Buyers today also have direct access to property listings through websites and real estate search tools, so they aren't limited to homes listed by the company whose sign happens to be in the yard.

What matters is how your individual property is presented, marketed, priced and managed—not the number of agents affiliated with the brokerage whose name appears on the listing. Flat Fee Real Estate provides professional photography, MLS exposure, online marketing, showing coordination and full-service representation throughout the transaction.

Choosing an independent brokerage doesn't mean choosing limited exposure.
It means choosing who you want representing you and how much you want to pay for that representation.

Yes. Your property is marketed to buyers and real estate professionals through the same MLS used by other brokerages. We understand why sellers ask this question. Some sellers worry that choosing a different brokerage or compensation model could discourage agents from showing their property. Today's MLS rules specifically prohibit filtering or restricting listings shown to buyers based on the name of the brokerage or agent, or based on whether or how much compensation is being offered to a buyer's broker. Offers of buyer-broker compensation are also no longer displayed in the MLS. Agents who are REALTORS® also have an ethical duty to cooperate with other brokers when cooperation is in their client's best interest. That duty to cooperate does not create an obligation to compensate the other broker.

Ultimately, buyers should have the opportunity to consider homes based on whether those homes meet their needs,
not based on how the listing brokerage chooses to price its services.

A real estate agent is a person who is licensed by the state to provide real estate brokerage services. In Florida, real estate sales associates and brokers are licensed and regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

A REALTOR® is a real estate professional who is also a member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), a private real estate trade association. REALTOR® is a membership designation and trademark—it is not a separate type of Florida real estate license.

An agent does not have to be a REALTOR® simply to hold a Florida real estate license or provide real estate brokerage services. REALTOR® members agree to follow NAR's Code of Ethics in addition to the laws and regulations that apply to Florida real estate licensees.

Flat Fee Real Estate is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage.
Flat Fee Real Estate chooses not to be members of the National Association of REALTORS®.
We have chosen to operate independently and build our brokerage around our own flat-fee approach to real estate representation.