For either Buyers or Sellers, we typically charge a combined flat fee of $2,995 with $500 due up front and the balance due at closing.* If you’re buying or selling a $400,000 house, this flat fee will save you up to $9,000! See below for the details.

In addition, there is no deadline for our clients to buy or sell their home and you are welcome to take as long as you need, whether that’s one month, one year, or longer. However, if your transaction has not closed within 6 months, the balance of our flat fee, plus any additional fees earned by additional services, will be due at that time.

FOR BUYERS:

At WaLaw Realty we earn a flat fee for our services and never collect a commission.  Together with our affiliated law firm, Blackmon Holmes PLLC, our combined fee involves an initial $500 paid at the beginning of our representation and a balance of $2,495 that is billed to the escrow company and paid at closing as part of your closing costs.*

For this flat fee, we will provide the services described below and – here’s the good part – we will refund to you 100% of the commission that is paid to us as your agent.  Typically this is 3% of the purchase price, which means that on a $500,000 home we’ll refund approximately $15,000 to you at closing.  Together with our affiliated law firm, our combined services include:

1. Legal advice throughout your purchase, including negotiations on your behalf (via Blackmon Holmes PLLC, or “BH”);
2. Drafting of your offer and counteroffers and ensuring there is a binding contract (BH);
3. Ensuring satisfaction or waiver of contingencies (financing, inspection, HOA review, etc.) (BH);
4. Review of title to identify clouds or defects and efforts to correct them (BH);
5. Four hours of home tours (WaLaw);
6. Price opinions (i.e. estimates as to the market value of particular properties) (WaLaw);
7. Assistance in gathering and analyzing data available through the NWMLS and elsewhere on the internet (BH/WaLaw);
8. Attendance at one general home inspection (WaLaw);
9. Attendance at one appraisal (WaLaw); and
10. Review of closing documents (BH).

We provide additional services for an additional fee of $75.00 per hour, billed in 1/4 hour increments, which is also billed to escrow and paid at closing.*  These additional services include the following:

1. Home tours beyond the first four hours (WaLaw);
2. Attendance at extra inspections or appraisals, or any other event requiring a buyer’s access to a property (WaLaw); and
3. Any other service that is typically provided by a real estate agent (WaLaw).

At closing, we will instruct the escrow agent to apply the commission we receive as your agent as follows:  (1) to any part of our fees that are still outstanding; then (2) towards any and all of your closing costs; then (3) if there are funds remaining, as determined by you and your lender.  This can include (a) refunding the surplus directly to you after closing (if your lender will allow it); or (b) applying the balance so as to reduce the purchase price; or (c) pre-payment of property taxes, homeowner association dues, or hazard insurance farther into the future than normally required; or (d) buying down your interest rate even further.  One way or another, we’ll work with you to make sure every penny of the commission is used for your benefit.

FOR SELLERS:

WaLaw Realty also works for sellers on a flat fee basis and never collects a commission.  Working in collaboration with our affiliated law firm, Blackmon Holmes PLLC, our combined fee involves an initial $500 paid at the beginning of our representation and a balance of $2,495 that is billed to the escrow company and paid at closing as part of your closing costs.*  Our services include:

1. Legal counsel throughout the sale of your home, including explanation of legally required disclosures and negotiations on your behalf (via Blackmon Holmes PLLC, or “BH”);
2. Advice on effective marketing techniques (WaLaw);
3. Draft of offers (if needed), analysis of a potential buyer’s ability to perform, and preparation of counteroffers (BH);
4. Ensuring satisfaction or waiver of contingencies (financing, inspection, title review, etc.) (BH);
5. A Comparative Market Analysis of your property to help you set your asking price (WaLaw);
6. Listing on the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (“NWMLS”) which serves the greater Puget Sound region and 19 counties in Washington.  Your listing will appear on virtually all other brokerage sites such as Windermere.com, JohnLScott.com, RE/MAX.COM, etc. (WaLaw);
7. Professional photography of your home (pursuant to NWMLS policy, up to 15 pictures may be included in your listing) (there may be a modest additional charge for properties outside of King County) (WaLaw);
8. Syndication of your listing to other real estate related websites that offer free listings, such as Zillow, Craigslist, Trulia, Oodle, Backpage, and Google (WaLaw);
9. An eye-catching and professionally installed “For Sale” sign, plus removal when your home sells (WaLaw);
10. A NWMLS approved electronic keybox so agents can show your home while you’re away (WaLaw); and
11. As required by NWMLS rule, receiving notices on your behalf which we promptly forward to you via email (WaLaw).

We are geared towards “For Sale By Owner” sellers who want to pay a lot less than the standard 6% commission and are willing to do some of the work themselves.  Accordingly, you should be prepared to do things such as preparing and staging the property, compiling and preparing materials for marketing purposes (flyers, etc.), making the property available for showings, and providing access for and attending inspections, appraisals, or any other event requiring you to be present.  We can, however, refer you to other providers of some of these services, and we’re also happy to provide these additional services ourselves at our additional hourly fee of $75.00 per hour, billed in 1/4 hour increments.

* In addition, our law firm Blackmon Holmes PLLC charges additional fees for certain transactions: (a) a $2000 flat fee for any transaction valued at or above $1 million, as transactions of this size represent a significant increase in our own potential professional liability; (b) for Buyers, $250 for an offer on a short sale or REO (bank-owned) property, as these offers require significant additional work; and (c) for Buyers, $250 for an offer on new construction, again because these offers require significant additional work.