Seller Success

Welcome to the Seller Success Library

We’re here to help answer your questions, give you a look ahead at the selling process steps, offer helpful advice, downloads, and frequently used forms. We recommend bookmarking this page so you can come back to these resources as much as you need during the selling process.

Helpful Forms:

Make a property update

Add an upgrade

Fill Out Residential Property Disclosure and Lead-based Paint Disclosure (you may have already done this digitally with us)

Title Company Recommendations – Northern Ohio    Central Ohio    Eastern Ohio    West/South Ohio

How To Make An Offer

Our Blog

TalkingRealty Podcast

Contact Us at Support@OhioMLSFlatFee.com with any questions or schedule a call here.

Your Complete Selling Overview:

  • Choose Your MLS – In certain areas you may qualify to enter more than one MLS. We can advise you on your primary MLS, and you can select to enter both applicable MLS’ with the “Secondary MLS Upgrade” for more exposure. You can also view all MLS coverage by county when you click here.
  • Now that you’ve selected your listing package, you’ve likely also entered all relevant property information. If you haven’t filled out the listing form and uploaded your photos yet, do that hereRemember – the more information you fill out on your listing documents the more likely your home is going to get in front of the right buyers, so be thorough!
  • If you’re unsure about how to upload your photos, please watch this video walkthrough.
  • You may be wondering exactly where to start when you’re getting ready to list, photograph, and eventually show your listing. Here are some resources to help:
    • Prepping/Repairs/Staging checklists, blog, and digital course.
    • Setting A Price – Glen has a helpful post on this. Also, we offer a market price analysis as an add-on (this service is already included with the Platinum package). This data-rich report includes our broker analysis of comparables in your neighborhood, a full breakdown of metrics used to compare and price homes, and our data and experience-driven recommended pricing strategy to help start you off on the right foot.
    • Showings – Wondering how to handle showings? Our recommendation is to make sure you have My Home Showing Service, also known as ShowingTime. This service is included with our Gold & Platinum listings. This software is designed to make scheduling showings easier and more secure. It also collects feedback for you. More info on that is in this video.
    • Selecting Title – There are tons of title companies in Ohio but they are not all created equal. Here is a helpful chart for you when you make your decision about title, select your region: Northern Ohio    Central Ohio    Eastern Ohio    West/South Ohio
    • Next up, we’re going to review your listing information so we can send you listing documents. There are some important questions we may need to ask during these steps so make sure to monitor your email. Before we send documents we may need to verify:
      • List price
      • Buyer Agent Commission – More about setting that amount here.
      • Owner on title
      • Seller’s legal name and correct email address.
      • If you have an HOA Bylaws to include with the listing
    • Your listing documents and property disclosures are going to arrive in your email inbox from DocuSign. This is an easy way to digitally sign paperwork. Here is a quick document breakdown:
      1. Residential Property Disclosure and Lead-Based Paint Disclosure: These are legally required to be presented to buyers before they make an offer. 
      2. Consumer Guide to Agency: This state-required form explains the agency relationship. Look at this document as an outline for how our brokerage and agents represent you in a transaction.
      3. Waiver of Duties: This document goes hand-in-hand with limited service law, which is how we practice flat fee MLS-only real estate. This is a state-required form for all limited-service real estate transactions. The exception is our Platinum Packages do not sign this document.
      4. Exclusive Agency Agreement: The Listing Agreement is straightforward. By signing this, you are giving us permission to market your property in the MLS.
      5. Affiliated Business Agreement: Most real estate agents and brokers have partnered with title companies to make processing faster and more reliable. You are free to use any title company you’d like. This is just a disclosure of our title company partnership.
    • Now that you’ve signed your listing documents we begin processing your information and building your MLS listing! We may reach out to verify some information, but at this point you will be live within 48 hours unless you requested a later live date or paid for rush service.
      • Worried about how the listing will appear live? Select the “I want to review a draft” option on your listing form and we’ll send you a preview before it goes live!
    • We will email you every step of the way to keep you informed about where your listing is progressing and when it’s live. We will also supply you with an MLS Listing sheet that you can use as a flyer.
    • As always, if you have any questions you can email us at Support@ohiomlsflatfee.com or schedule a call here.
  • Now that you’re live in the MLS, have you thought about hosting an open house? Check out Glen’s blog on how to host an open house and then head to our update form to schedule your open house and capitalize on the new-to-the-market traffic. Don’t forget to download and print our Open House Sign In Sheet.
  • Check your email often! We will send you tips on how to capitalize on buyer traffic and what to do for showings, offers, and more. Also, you will be receiving any buyer leads or agent inquiries directly if you listed with the Silver package. For our other packages, we will field these inquiries but we may still reach out to you with questions.
  • Another reason to check your email: Offers! Offers almost always come in via email, so:
    • If you’ve elected to handle your own offers, we will forward them to you there. You may also want to read this.
    • If we are helping you with the negotiation, we will review your offer and then send you a breakdown of all the terms and conditions as well as a net sheet so you have an estimate of what you would profit from the sale. We will forward the full offer with all of our review and net sheet to you via email and text so you don’t miss it.
    • If you receive an offer directly or someone says they will/want to make an offer, please alert us right away so we can follow up. And remember, anything you say can and will be used against you.
  • So, you got an offer, what’s next? You can accept, reject, or counter your offer. For our Gold and Platinum packages, we’ll be there to guide you through these processes as well as offer advice on whether the offer is comparable to what we’re seeing in the current market.
    • If you want offer assistance but you signed up Silver, you can always upgrade here.
    • Here are a few important items to look out for in your offer decisions:
      • Is Earnest Money Included? This is important, it gives buyers some “skin in the game” to show they’re serious about this.
      • Who is the title company and what do they charge? There are tons of title companies in Ohio but they are not all created equal. There are tons of title companies out there, but we have a few that we recommend. Here are some helpful charts for when you make your decision about title:

Title Company Fees West South Ohio

Title Company Fees Northern Ohio

Title Company Fees Eastern Ohio

Title Company Fees Central Ohio

      • Are there inspections, how long do they have, and what kind will they conduct?
      • Is there a set closing date?
      • Does the commission match what you set in the MLS?
      • Are there “additional terms” addendums?
      • And more… If you have questions, you can reach us at support@ohiomlsflatfee.com or schedule a call, but we will cover all the above points and more in our offer review. Offer review and negotiation comes with the Gold and Platinum packages.
  • You accepted an offer! Congratulations! We wish we could just say it’s done and we’ll see you at closing, but there are hurdles to jump through from here.
    • First up, most offers include EMD, or Earnest Money Deposit. There is a specific timeline for when EMD is due and it’s important that it is collected on time.
    • Next, if your offer included inspections, which most do, you’ll need to get through this period which often includes a second negotiation. Typically a buyer will schedule 1-3 types of inspections within the contractual time period. Afterwards they will deliver a document stating what repairs/remedies, if any, they are requesting to move forward with the sale.
      • Remember – If you listed with the Platinum package we use our 20+ years of experience to expertly navigate these negotiations and are here to answer all your questions. If you’d like to upgrade to include Contract to Close services, you can still do so here.
    • You made it through inspections! Congrats, that is a huge hurdle you just cleared! Over the rest of the closing process you will encounter:
      • Waiting for the Title company to deliver a clear title, or remedying any issues that may arise during the title survey process.
      • Passing the appraisal at value, or negotiating a low-value appraisal
      • Other complex contingencies such as a Home Sale Contingency, HOA review, Financing Contingencies, and others that can lead to the closing coming apart.
      • The truth is, every closing is different and there are a myriad of situations that can arise suddenly and threaten the deal, which is why it’s so important to know every detail of the contract, hold yourself and others to each deadline, and ensure you’re staying in consistent contact with all parties involved.
      • Don’t fret – our platinum package means we are here to monitor all of these deadlines, follow up with the appropriate parties, answer your questions, and keep you informed on what the next steps are so you can sleep soundly at night. (If you’re tossing and turning, you can contact us or upgrade your package).
      • The Good News: once all contingencies are cleared, you can close! We’ll set a date and time to sign the papers and you’ll collect your funds. Congratulations!

Other Helpful Information & Commonly Asked Questions

As you may know, Glen’s favorite law of real estate is  “The market never lies–not ever.” Often the reason a home isn’t moving is because it is not aligning with the value the market has assigned it – a.k.a it’s a pricing issue. This blog post details more about why your home may not be selling. Alternatively, if you’re worried about the ever-changing market Glen has written extensively about that here. If you’re worried about pricing, go here and select “Broker Market Analysis Report” to get your market price analysis.

Absolutely, it’s on our upgrade form! You can choose to upgrade to Gold by selecting “Offer Review” or Platinum by selecting “Contract to Close”. Alternatively, you can upgrade and bundle both options together for a discount by choosing “Virtual Full Service Bundle”. Once you upgrade we will contact you for any additional information we need to get started with your new service options and keep your home sale moving toward the finish line.

This depends on the package you chose. If you listed with a Silver package then yes, we have instructed all agents and buyers to contact you directly and we will forward all leads and inquiries directly to your email. If you listed Gold or Platinum, we will be fielding all inquiries and offers for you so you aren’t being bombarded with messages and your contact information will remain private unless you choose otherwise.

You can text us at (419) 540-4393 or call our office anytime at (419)790-3106 and our answering service will take your message and we will reach out to you as soon as we can, often by text or email. We communicate mainly in writing for a few reasons, the chief among them is to allow us to serve as many of our clients as efficiently as possible. We are a family-owned business taking on the whole state, so you can imagine we get a lot of correspondence. If you’d like to get on the phone with us to discuss something, we request that you schedule a call. We will call you at your appointed time and help you in whatever way we can.

To a certain extent, yes. We are required to enter properties in the MLS that is primary to your county. However, certain counties border two MLS systems. In those cases, you may choose your primary MLS during pre-listing. We will alert you if this happens. Also, you may choose to list your property in two MLS’s. If you want to double the exposure, this is a great option. Let us know if you want to know more.

The fact is, almost all real estate websites can only be accessed for listing by licensed real estate brokers and members of the National Association of Realtors. We are licensed and members of all local, state, and national boards of Realtors. This is how we can do what we do. 

We get you access to sites that you cannot access as a non-realtor. Since all the sites we feed to are “Realtor Owned” sites, their rules prohibit me from publicly displaying your name/number. We have 3 ways of helping buyers and agents get in contact with you directly:

1. A buyer contacts my office or me. At that point we get their name/contact information and forward it to you for follow up. We also give them your information so they can contact you directly. This is by far the most common way for a buyer to find you. 

2. A buyer sees your listing online on Realtor.com or any of the other 200 sites we have you on and, like the majority of buyers, they decide to drive by before setting up a showing. When they get there, they see your sign with your number and hopefully a flyer box with your name and contact information. Once in possession of that information, a lot of buyers will simply contact you directly and you take it from there.

3. Your name and number are posted in the MLS in the showing and broker remarks. You are the primary contact for all showings, questions, and offers for the MLS agents and brokers. Agents know to contact you directly. If they happen to contact me, I will repeat #1.

We do this process many times a day and it’s one of the services we provide as part of your listing package.

Our goal here is always to help you sell your property while maximizing your savings. 

The MLS is only accessible by Realtors, so you won’t be able to edit your listing directly. We have a nifty website where you can get your changes made quickly and easily. We will make your changes within 48 hours of receiving your request. We also offer a “rush” option for $20 if you’re in a big hurry. It’s like a fast pass—you skip to the front of the line.

Check out this video if you want more information about updating your property.

Scheduling showings can be a very stressful task. We highly recommend using ShowingTime and the companion My Home app. With ShowingTime, you choose how to receive requests for showings (phone, text, email or push notification), you see the complete contact details of the agent requesting the showing along with the date/time of the appointment. You can approve or decline the showing and even recommend a better time. Our system will not allow double booking so you never have to worry about that. You can add showings to your reminder calendar and even get notified when the showing is over if you like. Also, when the showing is over, our system will automatically request feedback for up to five days. Once we get feedback, it is automatically forwarded to you. There are a dozen other features, but it’s safe to say, this is something you really need. The alternative is like the difference between a jet airliner and a scooter. Yes…we are serious about that.

Visit and bookmark the update form here or you can find it located in the header dropdown under “Seller Success”.

For more information about updating your listing, watch this video.

There sure is! When you list, let us know you’d like to wait a while before listing on our form. We will send you the upgrade form and any additional paperwork required by the MLS so we can enter your listing as Coming Soon. This will not affect your listing time, meaning if you buy a 6 month listing, and wait a year to list, we will still list you for six months.

NOOO. Just kidding. Of course! If you have any questions throughout the process, we will help you out. You can reach us any number of ways. Email, text, call—but for the fastest and most complete response, use the email address at the top of the FAQ sheet. Ask away!

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