Real estate terminology can be confusing at times; downright confounding the rest of the time. This is particularly true when you’re trying to sell your property, and your idea of as-is doesn’t square with what you’ve always thought. Here’s a quick and easy breakdown to help you understand the way it works.

If you don’t feel like reading this entire article, it can be broken down like this: When a home is being sold “As-is” the purchaser can not “force” the seller to make ANY repairs. You can still ask for repairs and even cancel the contract, you simply can not force their hand. In a “Regular” sale which is not being sold “as-is” there are certain things in the home that have to be in normal working order no matter what. Those items include all plumbing, electrical, heating, AC, appliances, and smoke detectors. So in a regular sale if you discover one of these items are not working properly, the seller has to fix it, no negotiation required.

First, the reason as-is sales can seem so confusing is because most people are accustomed to making an offer on a property, negotiating the price, and then dictating what they expect to be fixed as a condition of the sale.

In this market, real estate doesn’t exactly work like this, because of legal rules imposed by the great state of Virginia(is this right?). Virginia law mandates that the buyer of a property be prohibited from forcing the seller to make repairs to a property as a condition of the sale.

When you’re trying to sell your property, all you care about is getting it sold at the highest possible price. The ins and outs of Virginia law might seem to be inconveniencing you, but this obstacle is easily overcome. Here’s what the law permits:

• Inspections – A buyer has the legal right to request a property inspection as a condition of the sale. The property inspector will gain access to the property and will be permitted to thoroughly examine the property and identify any problems that might impact the buyer’s desire to complete the purchase of your property.
• Requested Repairs – While Virginia law doesn’t allow the buyer to demand certain repairs be made to the property; the law does permit the buyer to request these repairs. It might seem like a semantic difference, but the reality is – one is legal; the other isn’t. It is completely up to you as to whether you wish to make any repairs requested by the buyer.
• Credits – Once any deficiencies in the property are noted and brought to your attention, the buyer might decide that they still want the property, lumps and all. If this is the case, the buyer’s representative will likely try to negotiate a credit – a reduction in the sales price to compensate the buyer for the repairs that the property needs. Again, you’re not required to agree to their request. It’s advisable to try to negotiate the amount of the credit to something more beneficial to you. You could succeed in this effort; you might not.
• Voiding of Contract – If the buyer is determined to receive credits, incentives, or other price reductions on your property – and you’re not willing to go along – you might reach a point where the most obvious solution is for you and the buyer to go your separate ways. If this is the conclusion that one or both parties reach, the contract can be voided, and any earnest money being held in escrow be returned to the buyer.

No property is perfect. While you might think your property comes pretty close to the mythical definition of perfection, the reality is that it does (at a minimum) have minor flaws. In other cases, a property could have serious deficiencies.

This is most common in properties that are known fixer-uppers, estates, REO’s, and short sales. If this is the case with your property, realizing it ahead of time can help prepare you for what will come.

There is, however, a way to avoid or at the very least – to minimize – the chances that this could happen to you. You could spend the money to make repairs to any deficiencies that you know your property has. You know your property better than most. You know which faucets leak, and you’re well aware of how inefficient the furnace is in the winter.

You might decide to be proactive in making obvious repairs that you know could affect a buyer’s willingness to purchase your property. If you do, the repairs could improve the appeal that your property has with a potential buyer. This could possibly help your property to sell a little more quickly, but there are no guarantees. At the same time, you might decide that your property is a money pit that has sucked one dollar too many out of your pocket – and you’re willing to take the chance that your property might take a little longer to sell, and at a lower price.

Regardless of what you ultimately decide to do, you are in the driver’s seat. A buyer can ask you to do certain things, but you’re not required to do them. It’s entirely up to you. Only you know what you’re willing to do to get your property sold. Just be sure that your real estate agent is aware of what you’ll do. This will enable your real estate professional to represent you to the best of their ability.

One of the most important decisions you can make is deciding which real estate firm you wish to handle the sale of your home. You have a lot of choices available to you. Making the right decision for you and your situation is of utmost importance. Here are some things to look for that will enable you to make the best possible decision, one which will enable you to sell your home the fastest – at the highest price.

Is my agent experienced?

All of our real estate agents are experienced professionals that are dedicated to meeting your needs to the best of their ability. We don’t take brand new agents fresh off the street, run them through a quick “training” program, and pronounce them fit to deal with the public. We think that’s bad policy – and bad business. Instead, we work only with experienced real estate agents with an established track record of providing superior customer service. As our potential client, we think you deserve the best, and you’ll get it here.

Will I work with a single real estate agent, or will I deal with the first available agent from a pool of possibilities?

When you choose to have one of our experienced, top-notch real estate professionals work with you on the sale of your home, you will be assigned to a single point of contact. This individual will work with you every step of the way until the sale of your home is complete. In the event that your agent is unavailable, another agent might offer to help you with your concern, but at no time will you be required to accept it. In addition to receiving assistance from your real estate agent through our office, you will also be able to stay in contact with your agent via cell phone, email, and text messaging.

What assurance will I have that my real estate agent knows what he or she is doing?

We take the knowledge base of each of our agents very seriously. Before an agent is permitted to take on clients (or interact with potential clients in any way), we ensure that each real estate agent employed by our firm has undergone the most rigorous training program possible. These controls are in place to ensure that the real estate agent with whom you work is qualified to market real estate, has a background conducive to success, and has undergone a rigorous company training program to ensure that your needs will be met effectively.

How do I know that I can trust my real estate agent to do what is promised?

You can trust your real estate agent to do what has been promised for several reasons:

• Your agent has a real estate background, one with a history of documented success
• All references provided by your agent have been thoroughly checked to ensure that only the highest quality agents are employed by our firm
• We provide unfiltered testimonials for your review. We strongly encourage you to read through any or all of the testimonials, select one or two, and request contact information for the testimonials. We will put you in touch with past clients. You can ask any questions you deem necessary to ensure that you get the real estate agent best equipped to meet your needs.

Will my real estate agent stay in touch with proactive updates?

Yes, your agent will be in contact with you on a regular basis with proactive status reports to ensure that we are doing the best possible job of marketing your property. We employ the latest technology in keeping you informed by telephone, cell phone, email, and text message. This gives you assurance that your needs will be met, your concerns will be addressed, and your home will be marketed aggressively by a dedicated real estate professional.

Is the rebate for real?

The rebate is real. While it might seem too good to be true, we really do offer a cash rebate – and we have paid out over a million dollars.  There are no government hoops to jump through, no qualifying, and once given, your rebate cannot be taken away for any reason. Our rebates average is over $10,000!

Will I “pay” for my rebate with bad service?

Not only will you receive the best possible service, you have our commitment to ensure that you are satisfied every step of the way. Many full commission real estate brokers provide a much lower quality of service than we do. Regardless of how much money we are earning in commissions, we will always do our utmost to treat you with the courtesy and respect that you deserve.

Regardless of whether you utilize our firm for your real estate needs or you go with another company, do your part to ensure that you get the most qualified agent. An excellent way of doing this is to request references or testimonials from prior clients. While a real estate professional might be able to fool one or two clients into thinking that they’ve received top flight service, this process cannot be duplicated repeatedly without having a rock solid foundation of quality client interactions. Check out several of the references/testimonials. You’ll very quickly learn what kind of real estate professional you will be dealing with, based upon past performance.

Please read through some of these testimonials and select a few for further review. Then contact us for details about how you can contact them directly, and ask pertinent questions that will convince you that our experienced agents really are at the top of their game.

Check out the testimonials here.

A strong desire to save money on your real estate transaction is understandable. While Redfin and other refund agents make similar promises of commission refunds, it is important to understand the advantages of each company and how to make sure you leave no money on the table.

Redfin (and many similar companies) will refund you 50% of the sales price today, 25% less than Glass House Real Estate. You should also understand the home buying experience when choosing a company that offers large rebates.

When you purchase a home with us, you will work with the same full service Realtor throughout the entire transaction. When you work with a company like Redfin, they are much more regimental and you may work with up to 4 agents per transaction.

4 Agents Per Real Estate Transaction

Instead of having one dedicated real estate agent working with you through all stages of your home sale, Redfin assigns as many as 4 real estate agents per transaction. They are:

• Field Agent
• Lead Agent
• Main Agent
• Transactional Agent

At Redfin, your primary point of contact will likely be a Field Agent in the early stages of your home search – you will likely meet several field agents as they may change everything you schedule showings. In most cases, a Redfin Field Agent is not a full-time real estate professional, but rather an individual who wants to earn some extra cash opening doors or someone who aspires to one day become a full-time Redfin agent. This means that if you have a question that your field agent cannot answer, he or she will need to get the answer from a knowledgeable agent before getting back to you. Depending upon the complexity of your question (and the availability of an agent to answer it), there could be a substantial delay in getting your question adequately answered. Unfortunately, many answers result in follow-up questions, so you can see how this could very quickly turn into a protracted question-answer session.

With Glass House Real Estate you tour homes with your full time agent, this is where you really get to know each other and learn a lot about the home buying process.

Questionable Level of Experience

Whether at Redfin or another one of the refund agents, the level of experience of the agent assigned to help you with your real estate transaction can vary wildly. While you might get lucky and get an agent that knows what he or she is doing; you might not. More experienced agents tend to be booked solid, according to Redfin, their top agents are the busiest agents in the entire area. This might sound appealing but do you really want to be the 11th or 12th buyer that month for their top agent?

It is not uncommon for a field agent to eventually become a Redfin lead agent, you may be one of their first clients. Any knowledge deficit can hurt your bottom line, and that would put you at a competitive disadvantage.

At Glass House we think you deserve to have a professional, full-time real estate agent working with you to facilitate the sale of your property. In today’s real estate market, it’s more important than ever before that someone that knows what he or she is doing handles the full-time job of effectively marketing your home – and that they do it full-time.

Partner Agents

Depending upon your real estate needs, Redfin and other refund agents might also outsource your property transaction to another “partner agent” This is most likely to happen to you if you request to see short sale listings, the properties in which you are interested are too far away from their primary area of operation, or their current workload is too high. Partner agents that fill in to fulfill your primary real estate transaction typically rebate a portion of their commission, but the rebate is considerably smaller than you might expect. Instead of a 50% rebate, your rebate will be only 15%. On a $500,000 house, that’s $2,250 (assuming a 3% commission).

With Glass House we never restrict the types of homes you want to see or reduce your commission depending on where a home is or what type of sale it is.

Glass House Real Estate: A Better Alternative

There’s a better alternative to being bounced around from one agent to another: At Glass House Real Estate, you’ll be assigned to a single real estate agent that will work closely with you until your property transaction has been completed. Because our team members never have more than 6-7 properties under contract at any given time, you have the security of knowing that the same person you dealt with on Day One will be the same person you will deal with at closing.

In addition, in most cases you will work with a real estate broker – not an agent. In the event that you do work with a real estate agent, the agent will be closely monitored by a real estate broker, and at all times, your real estate agent will be an experienced professional with a documented track record.

While you have the option of working with any real estate agent of your choosing, we believe that Glass House Real Estate is a better alternative. In addition to the benefits listed above, at Glass House Real Estate, your transaction is never outsourced to a partner agent. You’ll receive the full benefit of our vast real estate experience – and you’ll get the largest Rebate in the industry, 2% of the sales price.

There is much more to successful negotiation than stating your terms and browbeating your opponent into submission. The reality of successful real estate negotiations is that a good deal is fair to both parties – and great negotiators are made, not born. Here are 7 key points to remember about successful negotiation, and why our agents can put you at a strategic advantage:

1. Education is Key. There’s a difference between reading a book about negotiating and actually investing many, many hours in understanding the techniques and psychology involved in the negotiation process. Negotiation is a fine art, a skill that is developed over an extended period of time, one that allows the negotiator to take control of negotiations and use his or her advanced techniques to advocate effectively for the real estate client.
2. Great speakers can sway people. The ability to convince others that your viewpoint has merit is critical to success in the real-world application of negotiation. It’s important to note, however, that listening to the other party, empathizing with their concerns, and devising solutions based upon what is learned during negotiation is what differentiates average negotiators from those that strive to greatness.
3. Good old-fashioned detective work can make all the difference in the world. Successful negotiation is sometimes nothing more than being more detail-oriented than your opponent. Knowing how to dig up obscure facts that might prove useful in negotiations can mean many thousands of dollars. Sometimes, taking a few extra steps in securing information that isn’t readily available – or thinking of all of the possibilities – can turn a good deal into a great deal.
4. Know when to use information to your advantage. In interpersonal relationships, communication is key. In real estate negotiating, controlling your message is of the utmost importance. Timely, strategic disclosure of facts can work to your advantage – if you know what you’re doing.
5. Contract knowledge is crucial. Many people suffer from the misconception that only lawyers need to have an intimate understanding of contracts. The reality is, real estate contract knowledge is one of the most under-utilized skills in the world of effective negotiation. Contingencies can help to protect your client’s best interests, but over-utilizing them can hurt your case. Understanding contingencies and other contract provisions can help you to ensure that your client receives ample representation and is able to ensure success in the event that a contract challenge ever arises.
6. Know how – and when – to pick your battles. Knowing what points are important is a valuable skill that can mean the difference between enjoying negotiating success or suffering a demoralizing defeat. Some of the details you might learn along the way can prove extremely useful during negotiations. For instance, if you know that one or more prior contracts fell through at the last moment due to financing issues, it could be helpful to your cause to mention that your client has lined up financing. The bottom line (price) is usually only one component of a real estate deal. A great negotiator can determine what is really important to the other party, allowing them to yield on one point while enjoying a greater victory in the long run.
7. Experience really is the best teacher. While abstract negotiating principles are great thought generators, nothing beats real-world negotiating experience. Hundreds of hours of practical negotiation must take place before a negotiator can be considered proficient in the art of negotiation. This experience can yield tremendous results. Situations that would confuse less-experienced negotiators can easily be resolved with ample experience.

Our Agents Really Are Better Negotiators

Many years of practical negotiating experience has taught us that all real estate transactions can be good – or bad. The deciding factor is often the skill of the negotiator, and their willingness to go the extra mile in ensuring that the client is well represented.

We Have Hundreds of Successful Negotiations Under Our Collective Belts

If practice makes perfect, we’re approaching immortality as pertains to successful negotiation. Since 2005, we have done hundreds of successful real estate negotiations. This real-world experience allows us to know ahead of time what the opposition is likely to say or do – and we use that knowledge to your strategic advantage.

Why go it alone?

While you might opt to fly solo in your real estate negotiations, this can be a foolhardy endeavor, one with tremendous downside implications. Since experience is the best teacher, any attempt to negotiate without the benefit of experience and practical knowledge can result in a less than ideal result.

Do yourself a favor: Reap the rewards of successful negotiation by tapping the skills of individuals that can help you to reach your goals. Contact us today to see if we can help you buy or sell a home.

UPDATE 12/10: Since we published this post we have been hired by two home buyers to represent them on their purchase of a New Construction home. Utilizing our knowledge of the industry and our negotiating experience we were able to negotiate $75,000 off of one home from a national builder and $35,000 off another home from a local builder ( We will be happy to provide contact info and confirmation). If you are thinking about buying a new construction home or any home, give me call (571-235-4821) for a free no obligation consultation.

There’s no rule that says that you must have a real estate agent representing your interests when buying a new construction property from a builder. While it’s always wise to ensure that you protect your financial interests, if you feel competent to fulfill the role that a good real estate agent would perform, it is possible to make your purchase without an agent. However, enlisting a Glass House Realtor to represent you will ensure your interest are represented and you will get a 2% Realtor Rebate.

Builders are masters at getting a premium for their properties, and they do it by killing you with kindness. The methods they use aren’t exclusive to new construction. Builders typically employ friendly, bubbly negotiators to catch you off-balance and convince you to pay more than you should by ostensibly finding ways to “help” you get the home that you want.

You can avoid this pitfall by keeping your head on straight and following this timeless advice before signing on the dotted line:

• Appraisal Contingency – Have you considered what will happen if the appraisal shows the property to be worth less than you’ve agreed to pay? If the comps are to close to comfort ask for this contingency, however most national builders will not allow this contingency unless you are using an FHA or VA loan. If you don’t work out this detail in advance you could be required to bring cash to the closing table to make up for any deficiency between the appraised value and the agreed-upon sales price. By requiring an appraisal contingency – in writing – you can avoid this problem and get a better deal.
• Negotiate in Your Comfort Zone – The builder’s negotiator will be skilled at the art of negotiation and they’ll pull out all the stops in order to win at any cost. Negotiating with the builder’s representative is high-level negotiating at its finest. A good way to throw the negotiator off their game is to negotiate by phone. It might sound crazy, but this strategy really works. If you’re not there in person you have the upper hand. You can’t as easily be pushed to make a decision right away, which gives you the convenience of simply walking away from the deal if you don’t get the deal you want.
• Arrange Your Own Financing – A hidden profit center lies in the financing. Unless you have cash in hand, you’ll need to get a loan, but you don’t have to use the builder’s lender. Most builders receive a “kickback” from the lender if you utilize their services. Give the builder’s lender a chance to win your business, but ensure that the loan terms are competitive with what you can get independently.
• Don’t Get Too Attached – Most people have a love affair with their home. An important point to keep in mind is that love can be expensive – very expensive. Don’t fall in love with a home based upon a quick walk-through. There are many other homes out there that could meet your needs for the long-term. Remember, you’ll make memories wherever you choose to live. You have options, so don’t overpay for your home or you might wind up falling out of love rather quickly, especially when you’re writing out a monthly mortgage check for more than you should pay.
• Don’t Supersize – When making your purchase you’ll be offered numerous upgrades. While you could theoretically accept these upgrades, you’ll likely overpay substantially. Instead, arrange for upgrades yourself by hiring a competent contractor to do the work for you. The quality will be just as good or better, and you’ll save big.
• Require Inspection – While the home you purchase is new, there’s only one way to know with any certainty that it is flawless. By requiring an inspection as a condition of purchase, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that everything is as perfect as it appears. If the builder balks at this requirement, remind them that you’re the customer and that they don’t have anything to worry about if the property checks out with the inspector.

You can come out on top when negotiating the purchase of your home without a real estate agent, but it will take some common sense and a willingness to keep your eyes open to some of the shenanigans that builder representatives will use to coerce you into paying more than you should.

In our experience in dealing with builders we’ve seen it all. If you’ve never before dealt with a builder you don’t know what you’re in for, so let us know any questions or concerns you have about the process. It’s always better to arm yourself with the ammunition you need to shoot down the builder’s best efforts to get you to pay more than you should. You can post your comment below or contact us directly for immediate answers.

This is Glass House Real Estate’s brand new blog.

Over the next few days, our Home Buyer Rebate Blog will begin to feature up to the minute tips, tricks, and advice, such as:

• Home Buyer Rebates – How to Save a Fortune Buying Your Next Home!
• Savvy Home Buying Secrets!
• How to Get Top Dollar Selling Your Home… Even in This Market!
• Virgina, Maryland & DC Homes & How To Get Realtor Rebates!
• Cash Back Real Estate Transactions… and How To Find Them!
• The Truth about Realtor Rebates!
• And much, much more!

Stay tune!