FLAT FEE SWFL
WHY WE’RE BETTER…
The 2025 Southwest Florida real estate market is currently one of the most challenging for sellers since COVID. With a huge inventory and financial pressures of interest rates and volatile markets, every advantage must be enabled for a successful sale. Having the ability to move the goal line just 1% can be the deciding factor to get your property sold. At Fort Myers Realty, we provide our clients with the best representation, combined with substantial savings. The money you save on selling your property can allow you to accept offers another seller may not be able to entertain. Everything comes down to the bottom line on the closing statement and “commissions” are always the biggest number in your fees, but not with us. Every client we have served since 2005 had their own unique needs and goals. There is never a “one size fits all” in real estate. Sometimes a full representation, commission based fee makes sense and sometimes selling your own property with a flat fee works. While most of our clients are looking for full representation to sell their property. Others have the knowledge to sell their own property but also want to have access to their local Multiple Listing Service. There are many online based “flat fee companies” to choose from but most are located far away from Southwest Florida, have no local knowledge, and everything is remotely processed. MANY START OUT AS A “FLAT FEE PROGRAM” BUT HAVE MANY “ADD ON” FEES AND REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL COMMISSION ON THE FINAL CLOSING PRICE. Those are not “flat fee” programs. For those seeking the financial benefits of a true flat fee program, without the additional fees and commissions, while offering the benefits of a local, experienced broker, we have three flat fee programs to offer. Our goal is to provide individual solutions in this very challenging real estate market to facilitate your successful sale.
It may surprise you, but our full representation (traditional) listing commissions start at just 1% (usually 1.5% but as low as .5%)
1. CHOOSE YOUR PROGRAM
To help with the process, we have created three simple programs that offer levels of support you may need.
THE TEN STEPS TO YOUR CLOSING
2. SCHEDULE A CALL
Once you have reviewed and chosen a program, we can discuss exactly how we can move forward to start the listing process.
3. FORMS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
We will work with you to have the required forms completed and the photos for your property added to your listing.
4. ACTIVATE LISTING
We will complete the process of placing your property on the MLS and check for accuracy.
5. SIGN PLACEMENT
Once you have received your custom sign it’s time to place it out for all to see.
6. YOU RECEIVE CALLS
With your listing now active, buyers will contact you for inquires and showings.
7. OFFERS WILL BE PRESENTED
When you receive offers, negotiations begin. This may be where having a local broker can really make the difference.
9. INSPECTIONS AND TITLE
Time for inspections and the choosing of a closing agent. We have great local people to recommend. Usually, in Lee County the Seller pays title insurance, in Collier County the Buyer pays. The party paying the title insurance chooses the closing agent, but all things can be negotiated.
8. OFFER ACCEPTANCE - CONTRACTS SIGNED
Once you have an accepted offer, the required contracts and addendums will need to be completed by all parties.
10. FINALIZING THE CLOSING
Once all of the work is completed, you can celebrate your successful closing and the money you saved!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Your goal should be to have the greatest exposure to your property. That happens through the MLS. Your property will be on hundreds of thousands of websites around the world. All real estate agents use the MLS to locate properties for their clients. Access on the internet also gives those looking without an agent the ability to see your property.
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These programs are another way to deliver on one of our guiding principles, maximizing clients profitability.
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We provide flat fee, seller based programs. These programs offer access to the MLS and if you choose, some of our time to help in your endeavor to sell your property. This is the greatest difference in our programs and those from online only companies.
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The simple answer is no. We have designed each of our programs to streamline the process to have your property on the MLS. Each program offers a complete set of options.
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We only offer these programs for residential properties.
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Anytime cancellations are made before the listing is live on the MLS, a full refund is available. Once the listing is active, the listing can be cancelled for any reason but a refund is not available.
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Yes, your contact information will be listed on the MLS. This is so agents can contact you directly for showings. In some cases, we may also be able to post your email address. On “public” websites, such as Realtor.com or Zillow.com, only the broker’s contact information is allowed to be displayed. The reason for this is because the MLS has rules about what information is allowed to be syndicated to 3rd party websites. Neither you, nor your broker can do anything about this, and these rules are strictly enforced.
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We refer all buyers directly to you, the seller. In some cases, when a buyer says they are represented by an agent, we may suggest their agent call you directly to set up the showing. However, if a buyer is not represented and expresses that they wish to be represented by an agent to see your home, we would offer to provide them the option for us to show your home.
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The answer is no. It is your decision alone to consider if and what compensation you wish to extend to a Buyer’s Broker. If you are in a “buyer’s market”, selling a home might be challenging. Offering compensation to a Buyer’s Broker might help. If you choose to offer a Buyer’s Broker compensation, we will communicate that information to any agents.
Buyer’s Brokers might call to ask how much you’re willing to pay them. It’s a good idea to let them know you’re open to offering compensation.
But be careful if an agent asks you to sign a Compensation Agreement before you get an offer. It’s better not to sign this agreement before negotiating a final price.
If you sell your home to a buyer that is not represented by a broker then you pay no Buyer’s Broker compensation.
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Yes, Fort Myers Realty is located in Fort Myers on College Parkway across from the FSW campus. The company is owner by the broker, Shawn O’Brien. He has provided real estate services to hundreds of clients since 2005 here in Southwest Florida. He is a member of the NAR (National Association of Realtors), FAR (Florida Association of Realtors), RPCRA (Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association) and the FGCMLS (Florida Gulf Coast MLS). He has earned many designations during his real estate career including ABR, GRI, CIPS, and SRES.
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Yard signs are not required and some gated communities, home associations, and condominium associations have limits on the types of signs that can be displayed. Depending on your situation, we have signs that can be made with our company’s logo and your phone number. These signs usually take 3 days to order.
Contact Us
Every relationship starts with a simple conversation. Our programs offer the support and access needed for selling your property. Please let us know how to contact you!