ABOUT Ithaca Home At Last, LLC

Ithaca Home At Last, LLC (aka iHAL) is a small but innovative real estate company created by Ivan ‘Z’ Newell, a 38-year veteran of the real estate sales industry. “Proven Experience. Sensible Fees” sums up the backbone and approach of this unique company.

As the real estate industry goes through a major shift in its commission structures (due to a lawsuit settlement made by the National Association of Realtors), iHAL addresses these changes by offering some unique programs.

Think about this… Is the cost of marketing a $200,000 home versus a $700,000 home really that much different? From a seasoned Broker’s perspective, the answer is emphatically, “NO.” Does it really make sense to charge the same flat fee commission % for a more expensive home? Why not let the SELLERS determine their level of service and marketing options, so that their bottom line comes out as healthy as possible?

Services I Provide

iHAL offers some unique programs for SELLERS, including

CONTRACT TO CLOSING

CONTRACT TO CLOSING program designed to assist For Sale by Owners once they find a buyer and agree on a purchase price. This program essentially serves as “insurance” that the transaction follows a schedule and closes on time. (ps- If you think you will net more being a FSBO, read the section on Multiple Offer Mastery below!)

VARIABLE RATE COMMISSIONS

VARIABLE RATE COMMISSIONS that offer a sensible fee option for getting your home sold. Factors include: price range, length of time on the market, marketing program choice by Sellers.

SELLER COUNSELING

SELLER COUNSELING to help formulate practices around compensation for Buyer’s agents, and how to best approach this new arena to produce the most effective results possible for the Seller.

MULTIPLE OFFER MASTERY

The days of showing buyers half a dozen or more homes to choose from are long gone. While For Sale by Owners will likely be able to attract a buyer with their sign or Zillow listing, having a fleet of hundreds of agents through our MLS system (that now includes other New York metro areas such as Buffalo and Rochester) will produce multiple offers that will serve to maximize Seller proceeds. But how to handle multiple offers without alienating buyers and agents is an art form that requires finesse and experience that only an agent with a solid track record of proven experience can accomplish. In most cases, statistics show that FSBO’s net is less than listing with agents, where multiple offers can increase the sales price by over 20% in many instances.

What About BUYERS

At this time, Z only works with a small handful of Buyer clients. BUYER REPRESENTATION agreements are mandatory as of August 2024, and include a non-refundable retainer for services. Z offers a 1% BUYER REBATE as part of his Exclusive Buyer Representation Agreement. Contact Z for specifics.

CONTRACT TO CLOSING

My objective is to not only have a good impact on ourselves and our families but also to inspire, encourage, and affect long-term change in everyone we meet.

ABOUT Ithaca Home At Last, LLC