Patients’ (Client) Bill of Rights!

Here at the Al Gage Team, we are not doctors, however in real estate practice we do have an obligation to diagnose your problems, determine a path of treatment, and provide compassionate care throughout the treatment process. Besides, I literally stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night so the Doctor is In! Here is your patient Bill of Rights!

You have the right to cancel! A standard clause in all of my listing contracts is that you have the right to cancel if you are unhappy with my service or if your circumstances change, making listing with the Al Gage team a risk-free proposition. Of course, I do not have the power to alter a purchase contract after it has been executed but that is a different situation. In the last three years, I have not had a single instance of a client canceling because of my service or lack thereof. The only cancellations are situations such as a job transfers falling through or similar circumstances.

You have a right to speak to the principals of the team! We do not believe in having a large team of underlings who are eventually going to have to forward the question to us for a decision. You will always be talking to either Terri or I on your transactions which combines for over 40 years of Title and Real Estate experience. No rookies here!

You have the right to Accurate Pricing of your home! I see many listings come on the market and simply languish there. Many agents with no real marketing plan offer to take the listing at a higher than justifiable price point to obtain the listing. We will price your home accurately and adjust according to the market activity. Just this week, two clients thought their home was worth much less than it actually was worth and I had to convince them to list it at a higher price.

You have the right to Accurate Technical advice! Such items as whether or not to disclose scorpions or a death in the home are very technical questions that require years of experience to answer accurately. Staying abreast of the current lending criteria is virtually impossible but we are routinely able to foresee potential problems and delays. We can’t always fix the problems but you will never be left in the dark.

You have the right to the TRUTH! It is very easy for the real estate agents to double speak in lending lingo and make a problem that should have been caught or anticipated appear to be someone else’s fault. We are big believers in personal responsibility. IF we do make a mistake, we will OWN it.

You have the right to make your own decisions! We will help guide you and weigh the options for both sides of the coin but ultimately, we will never be pushy and will never say “I told you so”. We do not need your home to close this month to pay our bills (that is not to say we are not hungry or ambitious) so we will always advise you based on what is best for your pocketbook not ours.

You have the right to a maximum distribution of your listings. We market your homes on the Al Gage website, Multiple Listing service and syndicate it out to all of the major real estate websites including upgraded placement on Zillow.

You have the right to Respect! Selling your home can be one of the most stressful times of your life and it certainly is inconvenient to keep your home ready to show. Regardless of how we are treated, we will always respond calmly and respectfully. Our emotion will never disrupt a transaction for one of our clients.

You have the right to a guaranteed bottom line! No surprises at the last minute. The estimate we give you at the time you accept an offer is the amount you will net at the closing of the transaction. The only exceptions to that are variations in your loan payoff and repairs which are agreed to subsequent to that.

You have the right to Confidentiality! I have had many instances where I know who is moving, who lost their job and who is getting a divorce in my neighborhoods. We simply don’t engage in neighborhood gossip. It is counterproductive, rude and simply does not pay well!

Right to Information and Communication! We simply do one thing. We answer our phones! If the information is not at our fingertips we will obtain it and get back to you as soon as possible. In our minds, that does not mean after dinner or a movie or baseball practice but as soon as possible.

Your Responsibilities: There are just a few. We ask that you are honest and straightforward with us, do not try to conceal any flaws in the property and preferably not call us between midnight and 6 (we do need a few hours sleep)!

The Doctor is IN! and there is no waiting for an appointment!