Why Unbundled Real Estate a la Carte is Polar to Discounting! Since our inception in 1999 as the National Association of Real Estate Consultants® (now global as the International Association of Real Estate Consultants®) it’s been our mission to help real estate professionals and consumers alike realize how polar unbundled fee-for-services consulting is to discounting. And anyone who likes pie the way I do should appreciate this tasty, yet simplistic analogy of the vast difference between the two, penned initially in 1999... . . see more

April 2011

Cash in on real estate consulting Would you like to open up a whole new income stream for your business? If so, offering real estate consulting in addition to your normal commissioned real estate business just might be the perfect ticket. .... see more

Feb 2011

Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act As a homebuyer, you eagerly await the closing when you’ll sign on the many dotted lines and pick up the keys to your new home. Then it happens. The amount needed for closing is hundreds of dollars higher than the Good Faith estimate you received at loan application..... see more

Nov 2009

Realty Times Contributor's Years Of Courage End Sadly As one of the brightest stars on the speaking circuit, the founder of the revolutionary real estate consulting concept and it's trade association the National Association of Real Estate Consultants, Julie Garton-Good was never one to wear her troubles on her sleeve..... see more

Sep 2006

Julie Garton-Good: A Profile Of Personal Courage She's the only woman to make the NAR's "25 Most Influential" list twice, and the only person to be awarded the Real Estate Educators Association's "Educator of the Year" three times. .... see more

Apr 2005

Fee-For-Service Organization Gains Momentum Commission pressures are among the biggest concerns for real estate practitioners, as their average payday has sunk nearly 15 percent recently, according to industry consultants. The oft-quoted figure is that commissions average 5.1 percent today when six and seven percent commissions used to be the norm. .... see more

Jun 2004

The Future of Real Estate Brokerage We've covered the dominant business models cited in ARR's "Future of Real Estate Brokerage" survey released in April 2003.... see more

Jan 2004

Why You Should Charge For CMAs Buyers and sellers can check out homes on the Internet, go to open houses or your competitors to find out more about the local market, and learn pricing trends with automated valuation models. But the one thing they can't get without your help is your professionally prepared comparable (or competitive) market analysis of homes (CMA.) .... see more

Jun 2003

Eliminate Free Services The categories of free in real estate are legendary: free property showings, free open houses, free broker opens with “free” lunches and the list goes on and on. While we may have trained consumers to expect free, not all trust it..... see more

Feb 2003

Beef-up Your Bottom Line You already read my four different ways to crunch numbers and evaluate profitability. Here are working examples of how you can beef-up your bottom line. .... see more

Dec 2002

Four Steps To Greater Profitability The categories of free in real estate are legendary: free property showings, free open houses, free broker opens with “free” lunches, and the list goes on and on..... see more

Dec 2002

The High Cost Of Giving Services Away If you’ve been in the real estate business any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly questioned “why do we give away so many services for free?” Answer: “It’s just the way things are done. It’s tradition.” True, albeit myopic and counter productive to the broker/salesperson’s bottom line. .... see more

Jul 2002

Fee-for-Services VS Discounting: Prosper Knowing The Difference If you plan to embrace and excel using any of the new business models emerging in the real estate industry, it's imperative that you understand and differentiate between unbundled fee-for-services versus discounted fees. Absent this knowledge, it could end up costing you consumers as well as hefty dollars in lost income. .... see more

Feb 2002

Can Fee-For-Service Help Broker Profitability? Is fee-for-service the same as discounting? A lot of brokers and agents thinks so. But fee-for-service advocate Julie Garton-Good has the opposite view - that fee-for-service is a way to restore profitability by monetizing consulting services that brokers and agents have been giving away for free under the commission system. .... see more

Dec 2001

Chicago Board Sponsors C-CREC Designation Course At NAR The National Association of Real Estate Consultants (NAREC) founder, Julie Garton-Good, C- CREC, DREI has announced an "industry first" as the Chicago Board of Realtors committed to a training initiative for Real Estate Professionals to be held November 1 and 2 in Chicago, immediately preceding the NAR National Conference. .... see more

Feb 2003

Wall Street Journal: Full-Service, Discount Or On Your Own? Not too long ago, homeowners selling their properties had only two options: Selling it yourself or shelling out a 6% to 7% commission for a full-service broker to do it for you. Thanks to the Internet and increased competition among real-estate firms, those options have widened to include discount brokers, who typically work for less than the standard 6% commission; flat-fee brokers, who charge a pre-set fee for their services; and by-owner services that supply do-it-yourself marketing tools. .... see more

Feb 2002

Indianapolis Star: Decommissioned Realtors, dealing with more savvy clientele, try fee-based services to prop up sagging profit margins. .... see more

Dec 2001

Detroit Free Press: Some real estate agents let sellers pay only for the help they need A menu of services : Some real estate agents let sellers pay only for the help they need .... see more

Dec 2001

Can Fee-For-Service Help Broker Profitability? Is fee-for-service the same as discounting? A lot of brokers and agents thinks so. But fee-for-service advocate Julie Garton-Good has the opposite view - that fee-for-service is a way to restore profitability by monetizing consulting services that brokers and agents have been giving away for free under the commission system..... see more

Dec 2001

Boston Globe: New on the menu Service fees gain popularity, but many realtors still favor commissions .... see more

Dec 2001

Chicago Tribune: Fee-for-service concept may lead to choices Most of the time, news of a continuing-education seminar for Realtors would be a "so what?" for consumers. But one that's planned for next month might be a different story. .... see more

Oct 2001

C-CREC Online and Distance Education Program In Development The National Association of Real Estate Consultants (NAREC) founder, Julie Garton-Good, C-CREC, DREI announced today that an online version of the Consumer-Certified Real Estate Consultant (C-CREC) course is in development. The course will be offered through the NAREC website at: http://www.narec.com and via CDROM. .... see more

Sept 2001

Let's Make a Deal (on Real-Estate Fees) After months of trying to sell his three-bedroom home without an agent, Eric Barker finally gave up. It was just too exhausting, he says. "You can save a lot of money by selling a house yourself," says Mr. Barker, who lives in Stockbridge, Ga. "But it's almost like a full-time job if you don't have the resources and contacts to help you quickly make a sale." What also convinced Mr. Barker to change his mind: .... see more

Sept 2001

First-of-its-kind book rates a 10 REAL ESTATE A LA CARTE, By Julie Garton-Good (Dearborn-Kaplan Publishing Co., Chicago, 2001), $17.95, 250 pages. Available in stock or by special order at better bookstores, public libraries and www.amazon.com .... see more

Sept 2001

NAREC Expands To Canada The National Association of Real Estate Consultants (NAREC) founder, Julie Garton-Good, C- CREC, DREI announces that the C-CREC (Consumer Certified Real Estate Consultant) course is is now being offered to Canadian real estate professionals. .... see more

Aug 2001

More Homeowners Choose FSBO Route Despite the slowing economy, sales of existing homes have been booming; and because housing inventories are quickly declining, many homeowners are choosing to sell themselves and avoid sales commissions. .... see more

Aug 2001

Fee-For-Services: Implementation Strategies- NAR, Chicago, 2001 Consumers have asked for it! Fee-for-service options are growing. Julie Garton-Good moderates the discussion among colleagues who are providing fee options. For a 'business model' discussion, plan to attend Fee-for-Services: Business Models. .... see more

Aug 2001

NAREC To Hold First National Summit The National Association of Real Estate Consultants (NAREC) founder, Julie Garton-Good, C- CREC, DREI has announced an "industry first" as RE/MAX of Indiana Regional Director, Jonathan D. Nicholas will be co-hosting the first NAREC Summit. .... see more

Jul 2001

Fee-for-service meets resistance within industry Real estate firms and agents who operate strictly on commission are not in tune with industry trends, a nationally recognized Realtor says. .... see more

Jun 2001

Los Angelas Times: Bargain Hunters Cut Realty Costs It's an often overlooked statement on documents used by California Realtors: "The amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between seller and broker." .... see more

Mar 2001

Chicago Tribune: Fee For Service Gets A Boost In Indiana Mention "fee-for-service" to most real estate agents, and in return you'll likely get either a blank stare, a polite nod or a look of horror. .... see more

Mar 2001

Real Estate a la Carte : Selecting the Services You Need, Paying What They're Worth Selecting the services you need,paying what they're worth.... see more

Mar 2001

Arthur D. Little Report - Lost & Found Scenario Project.... see more

Mar 2001

Fee-For-Service At Regional RE/MAX "In the changing face of the real estate business, it's necessary for professionals to re-tool to offer consumer friendly, unbundled, a la carte services via a consulting approach. The C-CREC designation training is focused on a "Consumer-centered, Results-focused" approach that will be invaluable for assisting today's savvy real estate consumer." Jonathan D. Nichols, RE/MAX of Indiana .... see more

Mar 2001

New system lets people choose from a "menu" of real estate services Imagine walking into a real estate office and having an agent hand you a menu, not for food, but for an array of a la carte buying and selling services. .... see more

Feb 2001

Realty-Reality It's no secret that the real estate industry is in a state of change. Some experts are predicting that the industry will change more in the next 5 years than it has in the last 100 years. One such change is in the way real estate professionals offer their services. .... see more

Feb 2001

CNBC / Gomez: Do-It-Yourself Real Estate Buying and selling a home can be among the most stressful transactions you'll encounter. But if you're willing to take some initiative, it doesn't have to be the most expensive. Thanks largely to the Web, the traditional 5% to 7% real estate agent commission -- once the foundation of the industry -- is beginning to crack. In its place, online real estate agencies and aggregators are erecting new compensation models that let you pick and choose from a menu of services and pay a professional a flat fee, hourly rate, or discounted commission to complete the specific tasks you need. .... see more

Feb 2001

RE/MAX of Indiana Leads Industry Change .... see more

Jan 2001

Homebuyers Tell It Like They See It When the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University asked 3,000 Texas homebuyers to describe their recent purchase, about 400 replied. Their responses show how stressful buying a home can be. .... see more

Jan 2001

Fee advocate teaches agents new ways Ready to sell your home? Ready to provide your real estate agent with a hefty commission? .... see more

Jan 2001

Emerging Trend: One Size No Longer Fits All The real estate business model of "one size fits all" is being challenged in the industry as consumers are demanding and getting what they want - unbundled services. Whether you call the new models fee-for-service, flat fee service, discount brokerage, or alternative brokerage, the full service model of yesteryear will give way to more consumer options in the millennium. .... see more

Jan 2001

Cover, December REALTOR Magazine The 25 most influential people.... see more

Dec 2000

Julie Garton-Good named one of the 25 most influential people in real estate Julie Garton-Good isn't the first educator to endorse a fee-based practice. But she's the most likely to focus consumers' interest in it. .... see more	Dec 2000
Questions to Ask An A La Carte Broker/Agent As a seller, accessing unbundled services from a real estate professional may appear to be the best of both worlds --- the perfect combination of what you need, when you need it, paying what it's worth. .... see more	Oct 2000
Beware: There's a Difference Between Discount Brokerage and Unbundled Fees-For-Services You're shopping for a brokerage to list your home when your eye catches a "list for less" ad. Then you see another brokerage advertising "choose the services you need and pay what they're worth". Are both companies fee discounters; and if so, how can you determine what each will provide? .... see more	Oct 2000
Questions to Ask a Discount Brokerage When listing your home, you may be tempted to gravitate to the lowest-priced services by using a discount broker. But before you spend that “found” money, be sure you obtain answers to some potentially pricey questions. .... see more	Oct 2000
Unbundled Service Concept Draws High Interest An Internet survey taken by Michael "Mr. Internet" Russer is showing that while the fee-for-service business concept is getting mixed reviews, some 85 percent of those responding to a poll said they are interested enough to take a course on the subject. .... see more	Oct 2000
Garton-Good Creates Fee-for-service Real Estate Organization Nationally known educator and author Julie Garton-Good has announced the formation of a new real estate organization - the National Association of Real Estate Consultants - and is inviting some of the nation's top industry instructors to Orlando to encourage them to participate as trainers. .... see more	Aug 2000
Blunt Real Estate Ideas Come to Rockefeller Center In early June, real estate ideas will move to the center of the book publishing world with the appearance of author Julie Garton-Good at a book-signing at the Barnes & Noble store at Rockefeller Center, the first time in that company's history that a real estate writer has been considered important enough to appear in that spotlight. .... see more	May 1999