Frequently Asked Questions
Buyer Services:
Flat Fee MLS Listings:
Buyer Services:
Why do you Gift a portion of your commission?
This is simply our way of saying, "Thank You" for using Utah Home Central. Most Realtors give a gift basket or some other token gift to thank their clients. We wanted to give our clients something that would be useful for their new home. However, it is a cash rebate so you can use it for whatever you like. To learn more about our buyer reward program, click here -Buyer Reward Information.
How do I find houses to look at?
When you sign up for our Buyer Services, Utah Home Central will start sending you properties that match your criteria. When you find a home you are interested in, simply send us the MLS number and we'll set up an appointment to show you the property.
How do I sign up for the Buyer program?
If you would like to sign up for our Buyer program, you can either register with our Easy Home Finder program, or you can call us at 801-414-5790.
Flat Fee MLS Listings:
What is the MLS?
The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a list of all properties offered for sale by real estate brokerages in your area. The Utah MLS is only available to Realtors and is the primary tool used by Realtors to find homes for their buyers. Realtors search the MLS daily to find potential matches for their buyers.
The MLS provides the biggest marketing advantage in selling houses. This kind of exposure to Realtors and their buyers is not available anywhere else. You will have a greater chance of selling your house when it is listed on the MLS.
What is a Flat Fee Listing?
Traditional brokerages provide full service, real estate services for a percentage of the selling price of the home they are selling. A Flat Flee or Discount brokerage charges a fixed price for real estate services. Some of these agencies are full service and some are limited service brokerages. Limited Service brokerages typically have a low sell rate and though this kind of service saves homeowners a considerable amount of money, it doesn't serve the customer very well, and sometimes makes for a very discouraging experience. See our article on The Dangers of Using a Limited Service Brokerage.
Utah Home Central is a Full Service Flat Fee brokerage. We combine the full service with the flat fee so our customers get the best of both worlds and Utah Home Central has a really good sell rate. We are dedicated to saving our customers money, but also want to make sure the home-selling experience is a good one. Therefore, Utah Home Central offers a Full-Service, Flat Fee, MLS listing. This way it doesn't matter if you are experienced or inexperienced in selling real estate. Anyone can now sell their home confidently and still save thousands of dollars in commissions.
*Warning* - be careful of flat fee MLS listing companies that claim full service. If they only charge a very small fee (i.e. $200 - $300) then the only way they make money is by listing hundreds of homes on the MLS each year. There is no way they can physically provide adequate full service to all those clients, they are simply spread way too thin and you won't get the service you need.
Do I have to pay a buyer's agent a commission in addition to your Flat Fee?
In most U.S. real estate transactions, the seller pays a total commission (usually 5–6% of the sale price) to their listing brokerage. The listing brokerage then splits that commission with the buyer’s brokerage (often around 2.5–3% each). Flat fee agencies only charge a small commission for their services, so we can't split that with the buyer's agent, but we still have to offer them a commission.
So technically, you’re not directly paying the buyer’s agent. Instead, you’re agreeing to a total commission of our flat fee plus 3% or 2.5% or whatever you agree to pay them. We have to offer this in order to attract buyer’s agents to bring qualified buyers to your home.
How long does it take to get my property listed?
Your property will be listed on the Utah MLS within 24 hours, sometimes sooner, after you have signed all MLS listing documents and photos have been taken. It usually takes about 48 hours to take the photos and have them ready for the listing.
What are the steps to get my house listed?
1) We will want to come out and take a look at your house so we can get a feel for the condition and upgrades. Once we do that, we will perform a market analysis to show you what your house will sell for in the current market.
2) If you decide you want to move forward with the sale, we will send you the listing documents via Docusign.
3) We will send out a professional photographer to take pictures of your house.
4) Once we have the listing documents and the photographs, we can have your house listed within 24 hours, but normally sooner than that.
How many photos can I use?
You can have as many as you want, but you don't want to include too many. When buyers are looking at listings, they want to get a good feel for the house, but they don't want to spend a lot of time looking through a lot of fluff.
Do you provide any advertising for my property?
Your property will be advertised on 100's of websites, Instagram and Facebook.
If I find my own buyer do I still have to pay a buyer's agent commission?
No, you only pay a buyer's agent commission if your sale occurs as a result of the buyer's agent bringing you a buyer. This is not true for other traditional agencies. If you agree to pay them 6%, you will pay them 6% regardless if there is a buyer's agent or not.
How will offers come to me?
All offers will be sent to Utah Home Central. Utah Home Central will then present the offer to you the client. We will go over the contract with you and discuss your options.
Do you offer contract assistance?
Absolutely! We help you negotiate the offer and provide all the necessary paperwork.
Can I still keep my For Sale By Owner sign in my yard?
NO. Unfortunately, MLS rules state than By Owner signs must be removed and replaced with a brokerage sign or no sign at all.
Can I cancel at any time?
Yes. You can cancel anytime prior to your house going under contract.
Will I have a dedicated assigned agent or is a team assigned to my listing?
You will have a dedicated agent assigned to your listing
Will Realtors and potential buyers call me or you to arrange showings?
Agents will call our scheduling service and the scheduling service will text you. This way if we are busy with another client and can't take a call, you won't miss out on any showings. If it's an unrepresented buyer, they will most likely call us and we will arrange to get them in.