How long has Pembrooke Properties been in business?

Pembrooke Properties has been servicing the real estate needs for their clients in the Bay Area for 15 years. With hundreds of successful real estate transactions under our belt, you can rest assured that our experience and knowledge will help in the timely sale of your home.

I’ve heard that a commission for selling a home is 5% or 6%. How can Pembrooke say that it will only cost me 1%?

Good question, but first let’s review the individual real estate commissions.

Please note that in California all Real Estate commissions are fully negotiable under the law. Although commonly referred to as a single commission, the 5% & 6% commission you asked about are really two commissions that are divided equally between the Listing and Selling Brokers. Example: 6% = 3% Listing Commission plus 3% Selling Commission.

The Listing Commission.
This provides the Seller with professional representation and assistance in all real estate matters relating to the marketing and sale of your home. Although Pembrooke spends many hours to find the right buyer, our agents devote more time to the sale AFTER a home goes into contract. This 1% commission represents Pembrooke Properties’ full service guarantee to our clients.

The Selling Commission
The other commission, if authorized in the listing agreement, provides payment for a licensed agent who brings an acceptable offer to the Seller. Over 86% of residential properties involve a professional real estate agent. This commission can allow the property to be listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that’s reviewed daily by the hundreds of agents with active clients looking for homes.

We, as professional Realtors® believe the fastest and most efficient sale is accomplished through MLS agents. That’s why we recommend offering a Selling Commission to maximize the home’s exposure to a far larger market potential.

Other real estate firms say that they too will list my property on the MLS.
Isn’t that what I need to be more successful in marketing my property?

Yes, listing your property on the MLS is a very important factor but so is the amount of commission that is to be authorized for a Buyer’s agent.

Pembrooke believes that anything less than what other Seller’s are now offering to attract agents can act as a damper to your sale. If you had a choice of products to sell, which one would you try to sell first? It’s the one that brought the best profit, not the one that offers less. That’s why we recommend a commission between 2% and 2½% to a Buyer’s agent, depending on their specific market area. And here’s why.

When listing your home, you want the maximum showings and the quickest sale possible. To offer a lower commission than what other sellers are willing to offer will put you, we believe, at an immediate disadvantage. That’s why Pembrooke Properties lowers its Listing commission to 1% and recommends a 2% to 2½% Sales commission to help you stay at the front of the competition.

You never pay more than a total of 3% to 3½% in total real estate commissions and we believe our program is the most effective way to find buyers for your home.

Be sure that you compare and balance both the listing program and the selling proposal to determine which one will best serve you as the Seller.

OK, now that you’ve explained why your program will save me more money, I’m still curious - how you can ask for so much less than what other real estate firms want to charge me?

Here's how!

REASON ONE
In 1998, the average home sold for $200,000.00 and the real estate costs, at a 5% (2½ %-2½%) combined commission, was $10,000.00. ($5,000 Listing & $5,000 Selling).

In 2004, that same home, reasonably maintained and kept in good repair, is selling for over $400,000.00, with a commission of over $20,000.00. So Pembrooke Properties has reduced our listing commission to adjust for the increased value of homes. But that’s only part of why Pembrooke’s reduced for costs for the homeowner.

REASON TWO
In 1998, home sale advertising through print media accounted for a majority of home sales. Today, according to the National Association of Realtors®, the Internet now accounts for nearly 68% of all residential sales in California. This figure continues to climb as the public increasingly access the MLS associated websites available. We still believe print media is important but as the market has shifted towards web searches by potential homebuyers, it has become less costly to advertise. Our lower advertising costs are again passed to you in savings on your commission rate.

With your full service and reasonable listing commission, I realize that it’s going to allow me to keep more of the equity when I sell my home. Are there any other advantages for me?

Yes there are!

Let’s assume your home is valued at $425,000.00 when it sells. The difference in Pemboooke Properties’ suggested Listing commission if compared to a 3.0% listing fee means that your initial savings are $8,500.00. But let’s go back and review that difference before your home goes into contract.

If your financial situation requires you to depend on a minimum equity out of the sale, that $8,500.00 difference can give you the flexibility to accept an offer that does not meet your full expectations. It also allows you to be more flexible in adjusting your listing price to a lower level, if offers do not, again, meet your expectations. Being flexible in your marketing plan is an important key to a successful sale.

Are there any other commission costs or fees that you charge beyond your 1% Listing fee?

NO. There are no extra real estate listing commission charges or fees added by Pembrooke Properties. It’s important to ask this question in your search for the best real estate company to represent you. But please be assured that Pembrooke’s 1% Listing commission is our total realty cost to you for our full service listing commitment.

For further details on all our sale recommendations, please contact any of our professionals listed on the Agents page.

Pembrooke Properties believe that home equity is the largest single financial asset that a person will have in their lifetime. So whether that planned “nest-egg” is for retirement, college for the kids, or any future financial goal that you may have, let us work to help protect your asset preservation plan.

Can you list homes that are outside the Bay Area, or even California?

Any listing we take outside of the Bay Area we will review on a case to case basis (visit our Contact Us page to see how to reach us). We currently do not list any homes outside of California. We do, however, work closely with real estate agencies across the United States and can provide you with professional help in finding a new home, at no extra cost or fees.