FAQs

Traditionally, real estate agents have charged 5-6% in commission to list a home for a seller. That commission is split (2.50% - 3% goes to the Listing Agent & 2.50%-3% goes to the Buyer’s Agent). In Melvin’s model, Melvin receives a flat $6,500 fee & the buyer’s agent still receives a 2.50%- 3%).

The short answer is that we had to create some incredibly streamlined processes and be efficient in every aspect of listing management. The Company was started in 2014 and has helped over 1,200 people sell their homes and has generated hundreds of 5 Star Reviews from raving fans.

But your real question is not why do we charge a low flat fee but why do traditional real estate commission companies charge the same fees they were charging before the invention of the internet? Technology has dramatically reduced the workload of agents. Think about the time reductions from email, electronic signature, automated showing systems, online viewings, transparency of information on platforms like Zillow, etc. These traditional commission companies have decided to retain those cost savings instead of passing them along to their clients. 

Melvin will handle all the details of getting your home listed and sold – from A to Z. This includes:

1) Meeting with you to tour the home

2) Preparing a Comprehensive Market Analysis (CMA) of your home to make sure the home is priced appropriately

3) Providing a professional staging consultant to meet with you to provide you with all the guidance you need  for de-clutter, de-personalization, furniture flow, and curb appeal

4) Having the top area photographer photograph your home
5) Post your listing on the Greater Alabama MLS and all the top real estate web portals including Zillow and Realtor.com

6) Provide an electronic lockbox ( combo is typically used for vacant homes)

7) Provide a colonial size For Sale Sign

8) Conduct an Open House 

9) Schedule showings

10) Present offers to you and negotiate the most favorable terms for you

11) Negotiate any repairs buyers may request

12) Assist in locating contractors for any repairs

13) Coordinate and administer all aspects of closing including scheduling the closing, ordering title, termite transfer, etc
14) Review all closing documents and attend the closing with you

15) We make it easy!! We handle everything!!

Nothing !! We are full service. The only thing you will miss is writing such a huge fee at closing!!

No!! There are no upfront fees and if the house does not sell, you do not owe me anything.

No. Our fee includes paying for the stager, lockbox, sign, & photographer.

Yes. Our fee is a flat $6,500. But the fee to the buyer’s agent will be 2.50% - 3%. Sellers have traditionally paid a commission to the buyer’s agent for selling their home. Offering the Buyer’s Agent commission gives the thousands of agents in our market an incentive to show your home. 

Melvin is one of the top performing real estate agents in the market that has averaged selling 80 houses per year for the past 5 years. Melvin has hundreds of 5 Star Reviews. Melvin is a successful, seasoned negotiator that will work hard to get you the best terms whether you are buying or selling a home.

If a buyer is interested in seeing your home they will either work through their own buyer’s agent or they will contact Melvin directly. If they have a buyer’s agent, the buyer’s agent will schedule the showing with the seller via the Showing Time App which is used by the Greater Alabama MLS. If the buyer does not have an agent, then Melvin or an agent on Melvin’s team will show them the house.

The Seller will receive a weekly update on how the listing is performing. Melvin will also be available everyday to discuss any concerns the seller may have.

Our standard listing agreement is 3 months, but a seller can cancel our listing agreement at anytime before the home goes under contact and no commission will be due LIST Birmingham.

Call, text or email Melvin: 205-223-6192….. Melvin@LISTBirmingham.com

I am a U.S. Air Force Veteran that used my GI Bill benefits to pay my way through college ( Millsaps – Jackson, MS). I began my career as a CPA with KPMG & worked my way up the corporate ladder to become the CFO of a local bank and the President of a regional mortgage company. I left the corporate world to pursue my passion for real estate in 1997.

My real estate career has included being a Realtor since 1998, acquiring a home builder’s license, building custom homes, flipping hundreds of homes, creating a large residential real estate rental portfolio which I managed for over 20 years, and assisting hundreds of buyers and sellers in buying and selling homes. 

I am originally from Mississippi, but I have lived in the Birmingham area for over 30 years. I have 2 adult children, Ali and Zac, and a grandson, Fitz. My wife of 22 years, Jill, is a Pittsburgh native that played tennis for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. She came to Birmingham to be the tennis pro at The Country Club of Birmingham. Jill and I have a 14-year-old son, Bram, who is a competitive golfer. Our lives revolve around our Church and Bram’s golf tournaments. Family time is our favorite time. I am a health enthusiast and a big believer in personal growth & having a growth mindset. 

I have over 284 verified 5-star Zillow reviews & 111 verified 5-Star Google Reviews from very appreciative clients. I also co-own and am the Broker for LIST Birmingham a full service/flat fee brokerage. My average seller saved over $10,000 in commission in 2023. 

If you are interested in being professionally represented in the purchase of a home or, it is time to sell your home, I’d greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak with you.

Melvin has had a real estate license since 1998.

LIST has been in business since 2014.

We felt the market needed an alternative. Real Estate commissions seemed to be out of line with the services actually performed by traditional companies and the For-Sale-By-Owner or limited services companies seemed to pose significant risk to the seller by not providing enough services.