In short, yes we can and we can save you money.  My Dog Tess has been in business for over twenty-two years. We are consistently ranked in the top firms in the area based on transaction volume and we have completed transactions with every major brokerage in the Triangle area.

In March 2024, the National Association of Realtors settled litigation regarding fees and commissions.  As a result of the settlement, starting in August of 2024, sellers are not required to offer a commission to agents bringing buyers to their properties.  Sellers may still elect to offer compensation to agents representing buyers;  your My Dog Tess agent can walk you through the decision process based on your unique situation. 

If you sell your house yourself, with no buyer agents involved, you pay no buyer agent commission under our $500 program.  

Under our full service program, you pay only the 1.5% listing fee and we will handle all the back and forth with the unrepresented buyer you found.

If you decide to offer a commission to buyer agents, many firms will charge you the buyer agent portion of the commission even if the buyer does not have a real estate agent.  So even if you find a buyer, the real estate firm will still charge you the fee you offered to the market.

Some sellers fear that they will be "black balled" by traditional firms. Our experience and sales history show that buyers' agents do not discriminate against our sellers - agents are interested in making a living and you're offering a commission that is at or above the market rate (while still saving money).  

In addition, the modern home buying process is largely buyer-driven.  Ninety percent of home buyers start their search on the web.  The majority of buyers tell their agents which houses they want to see after previewing them on the internet - regardless of the listing company.  

Some agents try to get our clients or potential clients to press the "panic button" by telling them their house will not sell with My Dog Tess.  Don't believe it; if the process didn't work, we'd be out of business - not growing by leaps and bounds. 

There are three main differences.  1) We charge less in fees, 2) We do not offer print advertising, and 3) If you offer buyer agent compensation and an unrepresented buyer wants to purchase your home, you do not pay a buyer agent commission.

Item 1 - Self-explanatory; pay off your mortgage, not your realtor.

Item 2 - We will place print ads for you if you wish, at your cost, but we have found it unnecessary.

Item 3 – If you agree to offer buyer agent compensation, the majority of firms will charge you the buyer agent portion of the commission even if the buyer does not have a real estate agent.  So if you find a buyer on your own, the real estate firm will still charge you a fee.  My Dog Tess does not charge you when another agent is not involved.

My Dog Tess will: list your property in the Multiple Listing Service, list your property on Realtor.com, Zillow, and the thousands of websites that pull data from the Multiple Listing Service (including the websites of all local firms), provide a professional yard sign, provide a lock box, provide access to the appointment call center to handle showings, provide you with every North Carolina Association of Realtors real estate Form that may be needed, and provide you with a detailed manual outlining the sales process.  The listing lasts for one year (or until the property is sold) and you always have the ability to upgrade to full service (and have the $500 fee applied to the full service fee that will be paid at closing). 

Through the data distributions agreements that the Multiple Listing Service maintains, your listing will automatically be transmitted and appear on thousands of websites including the major sites like Realtor.com and Zillow.  This distribution network is the same no matter which firm lists a property as long as the property information is input into the Multiple Listing Service.  In short, every real estate firm's internet marketing on third party sites is the same; it is driven and controlled by the Multiple Listing Service.

It depends.  Typically we do not hold open houses.  While we do not require our agents to hold open houses, some of our agents are willing to do so.  

It is an industry secret that open houses are designed to generate business for the agent on duty – selling the home is secondary. In addition, there are safety and liability concerns with open houses.

We will always, however, schedule an open house for you in the MLS and on the internet if you would like to hold an open house.