University Professor Turns Real Estate Consumer Advocate
Burlington, VT -- When
Professor William F. Supple and his wife were looking to move
up into a larger house to accomodate their growing family they
found only frustration with the established real estate profession.
"Realtors just wanted the commission, selling the house with
our interests protected and on our terms clearly was an afterthought,"
explains Supple. "There has to be a better way. We always
remember the old adage - if you want something done right, do
it yourself-- and it certainly applies to this situation."
"The more we thought about it, the more we realized that
there was a real need in helping homeowners sell their own property.
So we started a specialized publication, Picket Fence Preview,
a magazine that helps homeowners sell their own homes, remain
in control and last but not least, avoid expensive real estate
commissions." The standard real estate sales commission is
6%; that's $9,000 on a $150,000 house. "The magazine has
been very successful," said Supple; "we've seen tremendous
growth in the number of people selling their own property through
the magazine each year. Especially since our publication outperforms
the local real estate agents at least 3-to-1 in terms of the percentage
of sales, plus homeowners are each saving thousands of dollars
in commissions, what more could you ask for as a seller?"
The growth of the business soon forced a career choice. "Hey, I've been a research neuroscientist and professor of psychology for quite a while, been there done that, so to speak; it was time for a change."Both my wife and I love helping people sell their own homes, the homeowner has a real sense of accomplishment for a job well done, and they are truly thankful...which really hooked me! Really, it's ironic that even though I don't teach at the University any more, I still see my major role as that of an educator. Only now I'm teaching people how to sell their own homes!"
Even with this growth there is still a long way to go. "I expect that given the option, most people would choose to sell their own real estate, just considering the amount of money at stake, the big question is why don't most people sell by owner." "The answer is lack of education...people erroneously think the steps in selling a house are complicated when, in fact, they are quite simple!", he said. "If you can sell your own car, you can sell your own home," sums up the lack of complexity of real estate sales. "To date my wife and I have helped thousands of our neighbors sell their own real estate and collectively avoid tens of millions of dollars in real estate commissions," Supple says. "You know the basic force driving a real estate deal is this: the house sells itself; buyers want the property, you want to sell it, what could be easier? Just get the buyer and seller together through an advertising publication and like the opposite poles of a magnet they will naturally attract."
Dr. Supple has just released a new book that explains the homeselling process step-by-step and it describes exactly what you need to do to be successful. "What's different about this How-to book is that we did our research over the span of several years. Through day-to-day contact with private homesellers we learned what was effective and what wasn't! Currently, almost 1 in 3 homes is sold by owner. "I expect that figure to significantly increase in the next few years," he said. "With property not appreciating the way it once did there's less cushion for the real estate commission." Plus in many areas of the country tough buyer's markets are in effect, making it difficult to sell at all. Selling by owner enables the homeowners to get the competitive edge by pricing lower than his neighbors because no commissions are inflating the asking price," he added. The biggest myth in real estate is that you need a professional to sell a home. Millions of homeowners have successfully sold their own homes, so real estate agents clearly are not necessary. The choice is simple either you can expend a little time and expense to sell by owner and save thousands; or you can get a real estate agent and pay thousands."
"Hey, you don't have to be a genius to sell your own home.
You'll just feel like one when you do!" he said. "By
the way we did sell our own home and saved over $11,000!"
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