Q - How can cityservice sell my home and only charge 4.5%?
A - We believe fees greater than 4.5% represent an excessive charge to the home seller for the use of a real estate agent's old, inefficient system. At cityservice we are compensated fairly at 2.0% and we pay the buyer's broker 2.5%.

Q - Is 4.5% just the cheapest of some "menu" of services?
A - No. cityservice does not promote the "bait & switch". We only offer first class service, and we only charge one fee which is 4.5%. There are no "extra" fees or "up front" fees. We only get paid when your home sells at settlement like most realtors - except you simply pay less.

Q - Won't I receive a higher price if I pay more to a buyer agent?
A - No. The pressure to pay higher fees to buyer agents benefits the real estate community, not the homeowner. If a home is priced & marketed right, you don't need to offer excessive fees.

Q - Will Buyers Agents from other companies refuse to show my home if I am only offering a 2.5% commission to them?
A - With all the exposure cityservice will provide your home, many buyers will call us directly to show your property. However, cooperation from other realtors is important which is why we pay more to the buyer broker (2.5%). With today's real estate consumer demanding fairer commissions, all traditional firms have both accepted, and offered, 2.5% commissions. In any event, Realtors have an ethical duty to their own National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics and a fiduciary duty to their clients to show them all of the available properties that match the buyer's criteria. In September 2005 the Department of Justice took legal action against the National Association of Realtors.

Q - Can cityservice get top dollar for my home?
A - A reduction in fees would meaningless if your home did not achieve its maximum value on the market. The good news for cityservice clients is that they will save thousands of dollars in fees which yield higher net seller proceeds.

Q - What type of home marketing can I expect from cityservice?
A - When it comes to getting top dollar for your home, look no farther than the marketing plan of cityservice. We are experts at providing full exposure of your home to the buyers in your market. Exposure creates competition for your home, resulting in the achievement of the highest possible price. At most traditional offices, you are relying on the marketing plan - and marketing budget - of the individual agent. Conversely, cityservice the company contracts with the most experienced graphic designers, internet placement experts, photographers, and videographers so all of our sellers receive consistent, high level marketing of their homes.

Q - What assurances do I have that cityservice will deliver what it promises?
A - Our performance-based listing agreement.
If you are not totally satisfied with our efforts and results you can cancel your listing agreement at any time - no questions asked.

Q - Why don't traditional real estate firms restructure their fees?
A - Most traditional firms are simply too used to receiving the 5% to 7% commission for the last 30 or 40 years and have found inefficient ways to spend it. Many have to pay a national franchise fee between 5% and 10%. Some firms, to attract agents, spread your commission around to agents on a multi-level marketing format. Other firms allow their agents to retain 100% of the commission then charge the agents for virtually everything from paper clips to office rent. These are just 3 examples of inefficiencies that cost sellers money, yet over 90% of traditional offices engage in one or more of them.

Q - Why do other brokers insist that cityservice can not possibly provide first class service at 4.5% and that sellers need to spend 5% to 7%?
A - Compare the services offered by cityservice and a traditional broker that are important for the sale of your home. When you match these services up you may find that cityservice actually has more systems in place that will help sell your home. We concentrate on exposing your home to buyers in your market. These buyers could care less about the listing agent's personal brochure, the listing office's "market share" or national franchise affiliation. If these things impress you, be prepared to pay thousands more!

Q - Sounds too good to be true - why aren't there more "fair fee" brokers?
A - They are here and growing. Some of the fastest growing real estate firms in the nation (Zip Realty, Catalist Homes) are "fair fee" brokers. While traditional offices hope we "go away" we will continue to grow because we have the industry's most valuable asset on our side - the real estate consumer who is fed up with paying too much for too long.