1. No Listings! Our company policy's foundation is that we never serve sellers, and haven't taken a single listing in more than 14 years! It's almost an act of heresy in the real estate brokerage business, but it's the cornerstone; enabling and enhancing all of the other buyer-friendly facets of our practice. It's the reality as well as the perception of ultimate buyer loyalty. (Or let's say, avoiding any perception of disloyalty.) We can't take you back to our own listings because we don't have any. And that's confidence building, in the whole process.

2. Direct Access To Our MLS! We finally have the ability to put you directly in touch with our Multiple Listing Service….the same data base that we use, in real time. For a long time, we've promoted direct consumer access to these once-forbidden files, but now we have browsers on three of our major sites that do that. Be sure to read the introduction and the "Tips" before using…just once! It supports a whole new kind of relationship between home buyers and our realtors.

3. Extraordinary Information! We consider our body of information one of our greatest contributions to your relocation process. Objective, in-depth information is critical to wise buying decisions. Note the emphasis on "objective". Because we serve only one side of the transaction, you should be able to trust the information you get here, too…so let's say "Extraordinary Trustworthy Information"! Long before you get to town. Two new internet sites accumulate and deliver it… http://www.ofallonhomes.com/ and http://www.edwardsvillehomes.com/ .

4. A Team Approach! Most Real Estate Brokerage companies assign one agent to a client and from then on, that one person is the one and only contact, a relationship often jealously guarded. Here, although we do appoint one person as having primary responsibility to coordinate the whole process, the whole office becomes your "teammates" in the relocation process. Everyone's resources and experiences are therefore available and coverage of duty is constant. In fact, we look upon the overall relationship as "teaming" with you for the home buying effort.

5. More Options! This is an incredible paradox! Although we have NO listings of our own, we actually have more to offer than do traditional real estate firms. First we have everything ALL of them have, (access to the same MLS, pre-owned and new-builds,) but we work hard at non-listed properties…for-sale-by-owners, and builder inventory that might not be listed, (where it still costs no more to have us involved.) Traditional firms have difficulty with these offerings because it conflicts with their duties to their seller clients. Review this subject in the library and in "Homework", where we reveal a "near-secret" source of extra inventory.

6. Absolute Market Objectivity! Because we have no listings, we can present every single option with absolute impartiality. We have no ties to any listings…no incentives to "push" any of them. This is the most frequently mentioned "benefit" in our service surveys, by far.

7. Specialization! Specialization is a fact of our culture in many fields, and has recognized general benefits. It our case, it means we always view every event from the buyers' viewpoint. It means getting a lot of specialized tools tuned to support our constant mission…maximizing the buyers' benefits. It means we get better and better at what we do because we do it all the time and constantly look for ways to improve it. And when it doesn't cost more to use us, it's like buying a custom suit for off-the-rack prices.

8. Attention to Resale! The longer we're in practice, the more we believe that the greatest monetary benefit we give our clients is when they resell the home we help them buy! In the traditional real estate world, unless the buyer insists on resale-analysis, this most-important buying goal is often simply overlooked in the quest to "get it sold". Just one day…one hour…one minute after closing is "too late" to do much about it…if the resale problem is incurable, as most of them are…like location. Again, see "Homework".

9. A Competitive Advantage! More often than not, in the better markets, we find ourselves in competition with other buyers, especially when we "pick cherries"…look for the better properties. We hate losing! And were prepared, with your help, to compete successfully. A bit complex, but the "Homework" article…"Competing In A Tight Market", explains how we approach it.

10. A Super Service Mindset! We've got the most marvelous tool for home buyer support developed since the MLS…and that's "exclusive representation". But it doesn't stand alone…we need to know the markets, the business, and have the attitude tuned to maximize the benefits…always…using all of the tools available. (But we truly don't see how "super service" can consistently be delivered without the cornerstone of exclusive buyer representation!)

11. The "Cheers" Of the Real Estate Community! If exclusive representation is the cornerstone however, then the mortar must be attention to the "soft side" of relocations…the human side. We find that we relate to people as much as property, and intend family-like hospitality. Whatever anxieties and concerns exist, we intend to replace them with comfort, control, convenience and confidence….making the whole a pleasant adventure with an always-successful result.

12. Value Added Service! Nobody likes to spend money unwisely, and everyone wants something of value in return for his expenditures. Few events of life are worse than leaving a transaction feeling cheated. Here, you should have the confidence that you've made the very best decisions from among complete options, and that you've gotten real value for your money…as current-speak suggests, that you've gotten "value added service". Previous clients consistently say that!

13. No Hustle! Everybody hates a "hustle"….decisions forced before their time. We won't do that here….ever. For details, see Library-Promises-"We Won't Do Pledge".