Just straight talk.
The Fundamentals
Yes, Our Standard Listing is really free. The only additional costs are for Extras & Upgrades. See Listing Agreement for complete details.
Terms and conditions apply. Assumes Approved Title Company provides title service.
We do. Take a couple of minutes, answer a few questions, add some pictures and tell buyers why they’ll love your home. It couldn’t be easier. Way Past Shelter give you identical Realtors MLS Exposure as Coldwell Banker, RE/MAX, Keller Williams or whomever, 100% free!
Terms and conditions apply.
Love Us, or Leave Us. We believe that selling should be easy, transparent, and fun. It should leave you happy, feeling-good, and with money in your pocket.
So, cancel if we don’t completely astound you.*
To cancel you must sign Way Past Shelter’s Withdrawal Agreement and pay a $96 cancelation fee to Way Past Shelter wherein your Listing Agreement will be conditionally terminated providing you have fully and faithfully complied with the terms of your Listing Agreement, have returned our signs in good condition, and have paid all Way Past Shelter’s Realtor Listing Fees, Extras & Optional Upgrades fees, and other fees and/or charges incurred to date. In the event you transfer, or contract to transfer your listed property prior to the original expiration of your Lisgting Agreement, Way Past Shelter may void the conditional termination and be entitled to Liquidated Damages as provided in your Listing Agreement.
*Terms, conditions & fees apply.
Way Past Shelter puts professional Realtor tools into the hands of homeowners to sell their own homes without a 3% Listing Commission.
Terms and conditions apply.
Buy with Way Past Shelter and get back 50% of our commission, around $9,406 on average.* It’s that simple.
Terms and conditions apply.
The real question is; why are traditional Realtors so expensive?
By automating many of the costly duties that old-fashioned Realtors maintain as a holdover from the pre-Internet era, and carefully cutting the fat that makes them so costly – storefront locations, sales associates, expensive Super Bowl ads, etc. — Way Past Shelter is able to pass the savings along to you, their client.
We’re proud to say that our marketing exposure is nationally renowned for delivering global exposure.
You’ll get identical Realtor’s MLS exposure as Coldwell Banker, RE/MAX, Keller Williams, Centruy 21, Berkshire Hathaway, or whomever.
We also target buyers directly. Our technology lets us market your home to some 134 Million People through partner websites like Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Realtor.com, and 100’s more - all to give you the biggest marketing platform possible by anybody, anywhere!
Terms and conditions apply.
You’ll never lose the close, human-centered experience of working with your very own top-notch team of Realtors at Way Past Shelter. We pride ourselves on it.
Way Past Shelter is a smart choice if:
- Listing commissions give you the shivers
- You like the sound of $69 expert support
- You hate long terms contracts
Typically, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., except we are closed on most major holidays. However, we receive Contract Offers 7 days a week, and of course schedule Home Showings 7 days a week.
Also, our Buyer Agents work with buyers 7 days a week.
They trust us, and know that our attorney driven team means more experience, greater expertise and that we’re more likely to get even the toughest deals closed.
Our entire team works hard to serve all cooperating agents well, and each of our selling clients offer competitive, market rate commissions to cooperating agents who secure the buyer.
No. While we encourage you to use one of our Approved Title Company(s) it is not required.
However, they greatly lower our costs, the savings of which are passed on to you through our free, or $8/month professional Realtor’s Listing services. They also provide you with access to Title Service options at, or below the prevailing rates of practicing law firms. If you choose not to use one of our Approved Title Company(s) a fee of $495 will apply. This fee covers our costs to integrate our systems with a non-approved title provider and/or monitor closing.
Terms and conditions apply.
Managing Your Listing
The primary owner is the person who will be managing the listing. However please remember that everyone with an ownership interest in the property MUST be on all legally binding documents.
It’s simple. Just call or emails us at success@waypastshelter.com
Our MLS Team will quickly update your MLS Listing. Some MLS’s require you to complete a specific form, and if so, we will email you the required form(s) to complete.
Our normal turnaround time is 3-4 days once you’ve uploaded photos to us.
No. It is our policy not to replace photos. The reason being is that we syndicate your Listing from the MLS to hundreds of other sites that we do not control. Pictures do not update well after being initially loaded, and thus you could end up with a terrible mix of photos that don’t look very good. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. So, we always recommend that you professionally photograph your home.
If you do elect to submit your own photography, we require at least 1 image of the exterior of the property and images can’t contain watermarks, letters, numbers and/or for sale signs. Further, most MLS’s only accept jpg, jpeg, gif, png, tif, or tiff formats not larger than 15 MB and sized not larger than 3000 x 2000 (pixels).
It varies by MLS. The typical range is 24-36.
Some MLS’s allow your contact information to appear on your MLS Listing, however no MLS’s allow that contact information to appear on Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, etc, and it is something we have no control over.
Keep in mind that changes made to an MLS Listing take time to syndicate to Zillow and other third party sites like Trulia.com, Realtor.com, and Redfin.com. If you don’t see approved changes with 72 hours, notify us at success@waypastshelter.com and we’ll look into it right away.
Generally it takes 24 hours to populate MLS Listings to syndicated sites like Zillow.com. If you don’t see your published MLS Listing on Zillow.com with 48 hours, notify us at success@waypastshelter.com and we’ll look into it right away.
We will deliver a sign to you, generally via USPS.
If your property is vacant, please let us know ahead of time so that we can send them to an alternate location.
We recommend placing the lockbox as close to the front door as possible, making sure you secure it to a door handle, gate, or fence.
The Selling Process
Of course. We can provide you with Market Data for your neighborhood (or surrounding area) showing you all of the recent active, pending, and sold listings that are comparable to your home. That way you can see exactly what’s going on in the your market and make a well informed decision.
Yes, we have all the standard FAR and FAR/BAR contracts and addenda you may need.
Our On-Demand Expert Help service is an on-demand service that gives Seller access to team of true professionals who are completely on Seller’s side. Most clients use this service when they receive an offer.
Our “On-Demand Expert Help” is one of the Extras & Upgrades that gives you access to a team of true professionals who are completely on your side.
With over $4 Billion in transaction experience, our team is ranked among the best in the nation.
Our experts can help you:
- Analyze & Interpret Offers
- Negotiate your Offers
- Write the Contracts
- Handle the Inspections
- Help ensure that your paperwork is perfect
- Prepare you for Closing
We charge just $69/half-hour. Pay only for the expert help you use.
Terms and conditions apply
Yes. With over $4 Billion in transactional experience our award-winning team ranks among the best in the nation. There’s not a so-so broker on our team, not a so-so aspect of our company, and our voice can be heard loud and strong around town, and across the nation. You get muscle, you get reach, you get lion-hearted devotion, non-stop and sans excuses – it’s called results!
Yes, of course. We encourage it! We have multiple options for an Open House.
- Do It Yourself, with the “Open House” sign we provide free
- Upgrade, and add an Open House Message to your Realtor’s MLS Listing for all the local Realtors and the public. Simply email us at success@waypastshelter.com at-least 72 hours prior to the day you would like to hold your “Open House”, and we’ll add it to your MLS Listing. $24/Open House.
Offers are received by our Transaction Team who will send you the Offer with their notes, recommendations and concerns. You can accept the Offer, or make a Counter-Offer. To accept an Offer, you simply execute it and deliver to the Buyer or their agent. Once you sign an Offer it becomes a binding Contract.
There is no set time that you have to respond unless the Buyer stipulates one. If however, you make the Buyer wait too long, they will likely withdraw their Offer. We recommend responding within 24 as a courtesy.
Counter-Offers are written documents that become Contracts when executed by the Buyer. We can draft all the necessary Contracts & Addenda.
That is a great question with a lot of possible answers. The best answer, is to look at the market data to see what time frame other very similar homes in your neighborhood sold for and for what price.
Remember, we also offer our “On-Demand Expert Help” - where our experts can review your offer(s), then draft and/or negotiate your counter-offer(s) for a small hourly fee paid at closing. You pay only for the expert help you use.
The seller and buyer cannot force the buyer’s agents to accept a lower commission. The commission you list on the MLS must be honored unless the agent voluntarily agrees to reduce their commission in writing.
Simply have them email it to us at transactions@waypastshelter.com.
No, you don’t. Commissions are determined by the seller. We recommend that you pay a 2.5% “market rate” commission to motivate Buyer’s Agents.
Unfortunately, the MLS does not track how many views your listing is getting, but you can look at your listing on Zillow and Trulia to see how many views it has.
You can schedule showings of your home to prospective buyers as your schedule allows. We put you in control, and make showings as easy as opening your front door. You’ll do a great job because it’s your house, and you know it better than anyone.
No, you do not have to use a lockbox, but if you don’t use a lockbox, you or someone else will have to provide access to your home.
It is completely your choice, you can have agents contact you directly via telephone, or you can use our Realtors Showing Service (optional upgrade) and have the ease of approving/declining showing requests right from your phone via text or email. You can also request a courtesy call where you are notified of a showing.
There are limitations to where we can put your contact information in the MLS and other third party sites in order to be compliant with their Rules & Regulations. When buyers call or email with questions, we have Way Past Shelter representatives answer questions and direct their scheduling requests and inquiries to you.
Our Realtor’s Showing Service (“RSS”) is one of our Extras & Upgrades that give you the ease of approving showing requests by Realtors right from your phone via text, email, or live telephone call. It’s like having a personal assistant integrated in your Realtors MLS Listing. And, it’s now the method most Realtors use to schedule appointments. We highly recommend utilizing this service, and it’s only $9.99 a month, plus a one-time setup fee of $69.
Yes, but only when we’re representing the buyer. However, in most cases you save far more in commissions by having us not represent the buyer.
Not even close! Our free service gives you the benefits and savings as selling “For Sale By Owner” but with the benefits of selling with a great Realtor. It’s really the best of both worlds.
Yes. At Way Past Shelter we provide a whole suite of Realtor Tools 100% Free. As part of that service, our expert team will order and coordinate all necessary Title Policies, Title Searches, Title Exams, Closing and Settlement Services (“Title Services”) through one of our approved, affiliate Title Companies (“Approved Title Companies”).
Bundling these services is one of the reasons we can astound you with 100% Free Realtors Tools, including a Realtors MLS Listing, Help Setting the Right Price, Zillow, Trulia, and more.
Moreover, our technology automatically links with our Approved Title Companies seamlessly, to provide you with Title Service options at, or below the prevailing rates of practicing law firms.
If you choose not to use one of our Approved Title Company, you will be charged a $395 fee at Closing. This fee covers our costs to integrate our systems with the title company you choose, and/or to attend the closing.
Buyer Program
A buyer’s agent typically receives around 3% of a home’s sale price directly from the seller. Instead of keeping that full commission, we give you back half. Note that our refund is dependent on a minimum commission of $3,500 and lender approval, and that there may be restrictions with VA and FHA loans.
There are two ways to get your commission refund: You can apply it to your closing costs as a credit, or have it mailed to you via check after closing on your new home. If you choose to go the first route and your refund is larger than your closing costs, we’ll send you a check for what’s left over.
Nope. According to the IRS, a refund represents an adjustment to a home’s purchase price and is therefore not taxable income for the recipient. We won’t send you a 1099 tax form for that reason. That being said, it’s always a good idea to consult your tax advisor about all financial aspects of buying a home, including your Way Past Shelter Refund Credit.
Most Way Past Shelter buyers (and their lenders) prefer to reduce their costs by applying their Way Past Shelter Refund Credit directly to their closing costs. That said, some types of loans may not buyers to use their refunds in that manner. Don’t worry - we’re here to help you navigate the waters in these situations.
As with all things related to such a large purchase, it’s good to know where things stand before you get the ball rolling. For this reason, we recommend that buyers ask their lenders how they typically handle financial transactions like buyer commission refunds.
If your lender is unfamiliar with our service, we’ve provided a letter that you can give to your lender that outlines who we are and how our service works.
So, what happens if your lender doesn’t allow the refund to be applied to closing costs? We’ve got good news - you still get your refund! In lieu of applying it to your closing costs, we’ll send your refund to you in the form of a check by mail after you close escrow on your home.
With today’s competitive real estate market, serious buyers should have a pre-approval letter and/or proof of funds before starting their home search. Unless you plan to pay with all-cash, pre-approval is important because it gives you an idea of what you can afford. Plus, it’s what sellers require before reviewing your offer. It acts as proof that you’re able to get financing.
Proof of Funds
This shows the seller that you have the money available for a down payment. They could be:
- Your most recent bank statement
- An open equity line of credit
- A copy of a money market account balance
Mortgage Pre-Approval
This is a letter from a lender stating the loan amount that you would qualify for. Note: while a pre-qualification sounds similar to pre-approval, they’re not the same thing. Learn the difference between a pre-qualification vs. pre-approval here.
Your pre-approval letter should have your name (co-buyer if applicable), the loan amount you qualify for, date, lender name, and lender NMLS number.
*Way Past shelter reserves the right to change, add, omit any of the above at any time without notice.
Terms and conditions apply.
We have a team ready to help
get your home sold.
Our team has over
$4 Billion in transaction experience!
No credit card required, ever!