Sell Your Own Property Now is locally owned and operated by Charlotte Durocher.  Charlotte is a licensed North Carolina Real Estate Broker.  She is also an active member of the National Association of Realtors, the North Carolina Association of Realtors, and the Pinehurst-Southern Pines Area Association of Realtors.

The idea for Sell Your Own Property Now (SYOPN) began a few years ago, when my husband and I decided we wanted to sell our home and downsize.  Out of that experience and more (learn more below!), SYOPN was born. As a result, we offer SYOPN, a Flat-Fee MLS Listing service to assist property owners to sell their own property using the same tools that real estate agents rely on:

• High-quality MLS Listing for your property in the Pinehurst-Southern Pines Area MLS for a period of 6 months.  6 month renewals are available, if needed, at a reasonable price.
• Each property has its own web page, which includes a description, photos of the property and a virtual tour
• Realtor Lockbox
• Yard Sign with brochure box (if permitted in your neighborhood)
• Printed flyers about your property
• Market Analysis to assist you in setting your selling price
• Includes (at no additional cost) a "Showcase" listing on www.Realtor.com. This is vital to selling your home, as 82% of buyers search for houses online–with this upgraded listing on Realtor.com, more potential buyers will look at your home!

Everything listed above is included!  And there are NEVER any hidden fees.

The idea began a few years ago, when my husband and I decided we wanted to sell our home and downsize; we could then work less and spend more time with our children. We called a local real estate agent.  They came over and talked to us about pricing the house and their commission cost. They told us the commission would be 6% – after calculating that cost in my head, I quickly realized that the realtor would be cutting into our profit margin significantly!

My husband and I had spent a year building that house (with professional help). We would work a full day, then go over to the construction site and paint, install trim, and more in an effort to save money. While our building approach worked – we finished the house and had instant equity, the selling process was going to erode our profits to the point it didn't seem worth it. All our blood, sweat and tears ... for someone else to "earn" over 20% of our profit! We decided not to sell and to just work out our family life as best we could. A year later I decided to go to real estate school. It took only nine weeks, so I thought, "why not?". A friend and I attended the real estate classes faithfully and became licensed NC real estate brokers. Then I began working with a local firm and sold a few properties, all the while feeling that something just wasn't right for me. My husband and I again decided to sell our home, and I listed it. Our home sold in 88 days in what was a very tough market. I sold it following these simple steps:

• I took the best pictures I could and wrote a clear, positive description of the property for the MLS listing
• I never advertised it in print or held an open house
• We priced the house fairly and had it in top showing condition

This worked out great for us. Not only did we sell the house in less than three months, but we also saved 50% of what we would have spent on commissions (since I had listed the property myself as a real estate broker).  But I wondered about my other clients. With current sellers having to lower the price of their homes in order to get them sold, perhaps this would be a good service to provide to others to pass some savings on to them as well?

As a broker working with sellers, I didn't feel right making so much in commission fees on THEIR investment – the property they had put their blood, sweat and tears into, just as I had. So, I came up with the idea of a flat-fee listing service that would result in a high quality listing for For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sellers and save them thousands of dollars of their hard-earned money.

I want my clients to keep as much of their equity as possible and that is why I have established Sell Your Own Property Now.  I want to support buyers who are interested in quality, affordable tools to assist them in selling their home and saving a bundle on real estate commission costs. I believe that your house is the greatest investment of YOUR life, so YOU should be the one profiting from it! Now you can choose to save money like I did, without having to take a trip through real estate school!

Sincerely,
Charlotte Durocher
Owner, SYOPN