Why We Developed the
Homeowner Concierge Service

Over the past several years, we developed our Homeowner Concierge Service.  It is designed to help homeowners with managing their investment properties.  It also helps home sellers with the marketing and sale of their homes.  This program has evolved from talking with homeowners who have properties that we manage.  Through our property management services for homeowners who own investment properties, we have become very familiar with the process of repairing residential real estate assets.

We spent many years (between 2007 and 2019) working with bank-owned (REO) properties.  Many of those homes needed substantial repairs before they could be sold.  In some cases, though, the banks refused to invest money in the homes to make repairs.  In other cases, they turned over to us the job of making their homes move-in ready.  For now, the foreclosure market in Maryland has become somewhat quiet.  We are not as heavily involved with REO properties right now.  We expect it to heat up again when there is another economic downturn or recession.  When that does happen, we will be ready to work with investors who are buying properties.  It doesn’t matter if they want to generate rental income or want to flip for a quick profit.  In the meantime, we have expanded the property preservation services that we offer to our clients to help them repair, maintain and improve their homes.

Don’t Be Fooled By the I-Buyer Myths

We find that there are many people today who have lived in their homes for many years.  They have now decided that they want to (or need to) sell.  Everyone’s circumstances are different, so there is no one right answer.  If your home is not in move-in ready condition, the sale can be challenging.  This is why you will see so many advertisements from “I-Buyers” on television and in the mail.  You can read Learn The Truth About I-Buyers.  Basically, they are any buyer who promises to sell your home quickly and with no hassles, no commissions and no repairs.  The most important thing that they don’t tell you is that they do it without using real estate agents.  This means that you would have nobody looking out for your best interests!

Most of these I-Buyers are on-line companies that allow you to request an offer for your home, sight unseen.  If you accept their offer, they will purchase the home from you.  Based on the research we have done, they will usually pay you about 60% of the home’s AS IS fair market value.  After they complete the sale, they may or may not repair the home.  They will then list it and sell it to someone else.  Some of the biggest I-Buyers in the market right now are Zillow, Redfin and Opendoor, but there are about 15 companies that we have been able to identify.  In addition, we have learned that Keller Williams is now the first brick-and-mortar brokerage company to jump on board and have an I-Buyer team.

With our Homeowner Concierge Service Program in place, we actually ENCOURAGE YOU to contact these companies and have them make you an offer.  After you do that and receive their offer, you should contact us (using the CONTACT FORM below).  This will start the process of receiving your FREE Market Analysis (CMA) of your home.  The preliminary CMA will use basic information found in the MLS and any information that you provide to us about the home.  We will also provide you with a Sellers’ Estimated Expense Sheet.  These will show you the actual Fair Market Value for your home and also the estimated proceeds from the sale of your home if we list and sell it for you.  Please note that in order to provide an accurate estimate of your proceeds, we would need to know your outstanding mortgage balance.

The one thing these I-Buyers will NOT do for you is THE WORK!  They say that they are “real estate made easy.”  However, at DMS Properties, LLC Residential Real Estate Services it is very different because “We Do Real Estate Right!“

How the Home Seller Concierge Repair
Service Program Works and What it Costs?

Here’s where our Home Seller Concierge Repair Service Program sets us apart:

• When you decide that you’d like to start the process, you will request a FREE Market Analysis of your home.  We will do a preliminary evaluation of your home using the information that you provide to us and what is available in the Regional Multiple Listing Service (Bright MLS).  The Market Analysis will give you the After-Repair Value (ARV) of your home assuming it is in move-in ready condition and comparable to the homes used in the analysis.
• After you review the preliminary market analysis, we would want to arrange to meet with you at the property so that we can then discuss the plan moving forward.  That would include evaluating the property condition and any repairs or upgrades that would be needed to meet the ARV.  Based on that information, we can provide you with the AS-IS value for comparison.  We will provide you with a Seller’s Estimated Expense sheet.  It will outline all of the costs and show your bottom line for an After-Repair and AS-IS sale.  You might be surprised at the difference.  We’re willing to bet that, either way, the bottom line will be much better than any I-Buyer is going to give you for your home.
• Many of our home sellers have accumulated large quantities of “stuff” over the years.  We have the tools in place to help you dispose of possessions you no longer want or need.  We do this through donations of useful items to a variety of local charitable organizations.  We will also give you the paperwork so that you get the benefits of the tax deduction.  We also make sure that anything that can be recycled is taken to the proper places.  Finally, as another part of our charitable activities, we routinely donate food to local organizations so that it can be distributed to people who need it.
• Depending upon the direction you wish to go, we can schedule a meeting with one of our preferred contractors to discuss making the home move-in ready.  We work with them to handle property preservation services for all of the homes we manage.
• In many cases, our contractors are able to be paid for their work at settlement (when you actually sell the property).  That means there likely will be no out-of-pocket expense to you.  Because the contractors get repeat business from us, they provide preferential pricing to our clients.  If you elect to make the recommended upgrades and need to delay payment, we can execute an agreement between you and the contractor for payment.  Obviously, in the event the home doesn’t sell, you would still be responsible for paying the contractors.
• We will list your home for sale in the MLS (either AS IS or REPAIRED) and market it to potential buyers at the appropriate Fair Market Value.  We will also tell you, based on the comparable listings, how long you can expect your home to be on the market.
• As your property is shown by licensed Real Estate Agents, we will follow up after every showing to get feedback that we can discuss with you.  We will also relay to you any feedback that we receive.  That can be valuable information that we use to adjust our marketing strategy.
• When offers for your home are received, we will discuss them with you and give you an updated Seller’s Estimated Expense sheet.  This will tell you the new estimated proceeds based on the terms and conditions of the offer.
• Our agents will be with you 100% of the way through the process from start to finish.  If anything comes up that needs attention, we will be there to handle it for you … even if you have moved on to a new home in a new location.

So when you decide the time is right to consider the sale of your Maryland home, let us provide you with the information you need to make the Right decision.