I began my Real Estate career in 1999. Throughout the years I've been involved in many aspects of real estate transactions. I've represented Sellers, Buyers, First Time Home Buyers, Future Landlords, and Fix & Flip Investors. I have negotiated short sales with banks, represented homeowners in bankruptcy or going through a divorce, and started a mortgage company (then realized the banking world was not for me.) I've experienced working in full price/full service brokerages as well as flat rate real estate brokerages before starting Homescapes Real Estate in 2003.

Looking back, I've had the most satisfaction early in my career while at the flat rate brokerage. I remember many of my clients and how the thousands of dollars they saved helped them to move on to the next chapter in their lives. People like the woman who had moved out of state and had her home listed with a full price brokerage but it wouldn't sell because she had to price her home higher than market value to cover the commission. She was struggling to pay two mortgages and grateful to be able to quickly sell with me because the commission wasn't holding her back.

I've realized the memorable sales many agents would look back on fondly I look back on and regret. Some of the sales I've had in which I've represented both the buyer and the seller my commission was sometimes $10,000 or more for 4-6 hours of actually working on the sale. Accompanying a buyer to a New Home Sales Center and signing a buyers name into the registry got me a full commission even though there were no additional services performed by me. It is my goal to treat others the way I would like to be treated so I can't ask a homeowner to pay $1000-$2000 an hour for my services.

I understand that not every Real Estate Agent feels this way, and I respect that. There are many great agents with years of experience that still charge a full commission, however with technology relieving many of the duties a real estate agent has had to preform in the past, I would like to pass some of the benefits to homeowners.

I believe many homeowners would be willing to work together with their real estate agent to help their agent sell their home more efficiently and save themselves thousands of dollars. By working together, a homeowner who is willing to preform a few simple tasks would benefit greatly, save money, and receive full representation in the areas of the sale that are most important.

Lockboxes are sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, or online and are inexpensive. Almost everyone communicates via email and text messaging, and many have "gone paperless" already eliminating the need to have paperwork delivered and physically signed.

I understand selling your home in this manner is non-traditional and can be a little scary. You will hear, "You get what you pay for." This is why I offer homeowners a money back guarantee. I don't want any client, ever, to feel they have paid too much for my service as I hear from many about their previous experiences with real estate agents. I encourage your comments, questions, and suggestions-either positive or negative. If you are ever not satisfied with the services you receive, please let me know how to improve and I will gladly refund any monies you have paid minus any costs already paid to third parties.

Thank you for considering Homescape Real Estate for your real estate needs-I hope you find the information on these pages useful as you begin the home selling process.

I look forward to working with you,

Deborah Machinal