ABOUT PAUL COTTONE, THE COTTONE COMPANY, REAL ESTATE

Paul Cottone is a Realtor with experience dating back to 1977.   He is a single-agent Realtor (meaning, a sole proprietor, in which I have no other employees, utilizing a business model similar to that of exclusive buyer agency; thus, no conflicts in representing a specific buyer-client or seller-client...I do not take on buyer or seller clients whose interests might conflict with one another).   Read an article about using an exclusive buyer agent, which is basically the same as a single agent with no other employees, who follows the same rules/policies as an exclusive buyer agent.   While some of my colleagues may stress their backgrounds as lawyers, they may not possess the all-around real estate experience and knowledge that I have, which I believe is far more important than a legal background; particularly since none of my buyer-clients has/have ever lost an Offer deposit in my career, and since it is standard operating procedure here in Massachusetts for buyers to hire a lawyer relative to the execution and completion of the Purchase and Sale Agreement.  I represent home buyers and sellers throughout Middlesex, Norfolk and Eastern Worcester counties, as well as large portions of Essex and Suffolk counties.

The following are services that I typically provide to a buyer-client, many of which traditional buyer's agent rarely provide: 

● One hundred percent home buyer loyalty, 100 percent of the time due to a one-person operation inclusive of a fiduciary duty to my buyer-client, and a higher standard of real estate practice;

● Current member (2012 Board Vice President) of the Massachusetts Association of Buyer Agents (MABA), whose standards of real estate practice for buyer agency are of a higher level than any other;

● Previous, hands-on experience as a licensed real estate appraiser;

● Past experience as a mortgage originator (I am constantly attempting to remain on top of changing mortgage underwriting guidelines which could impact my present/future clients who purchase using mortgage financing);

● Past graduate school education in real estate and urban development;

● Disclosing research I've conducted about the property, including previous MLS history, assessor's and semi-accurate seller mortgage-held information; pertinent town records on file, any of which might result in bad news;

● Discussing, and possibly eliminate any properties up-front which would not likely meet my buyer-client's needs, or those with major quality of life, or resale factors, that are economically/practically unalterable;

● Advise my buyer,clients often pointing out reasons NOT to buy a specific property;

● Providing detailed, historical MLS listing/sales information regarding the immediate area, often dating back several years, that might be pertinent to the subject property;

● Making a request of the seller to disclose any commonly known facts or suspicions regarding specific property circumstances that could negatively impact the quality of life, marketability and resale of the property;

● Negotiating the best price and terms on the home buyer-client's behalf, including the possibility of seller closing cost contributions (when applicable);

● Analyzing comparative sales, and provide an objective opinion as to the value of a property a buyer-client is interested in;

● Objective buyer-client referrals to other necessary professionals, i.e., home inspector, structural engineer (if applicable), attorney, and mortgage broker/lenders;

● Keeping confidential the home buyer-client's financial situation and thoughts, unless authorized to disclose such matters;

● Explaining my knowledge of the local market's expectations relative to what types of properties are in demand there (which varies from community-to-community, region-to-region),  and what contingencies might be required to gain control of the property, or those Offer conditions that may need to be removed, in order to obtain the property, making you aware of the benefits and pitfalls, ideally helping buyer-client's with addressing contract contingencies;

● Negotiating, and helping to resolve home inspection issues in favor of the buyer;

● Recommending reputable, hard-working attorneys, most often at a fixed fee, for buyer representation in drafting/negotiating the Purchase and Sale Agreement;

● Being in attendance with the buyer-client in properties of interest most, if not all of the time, throughout the purchase transaction.

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WHY HIRE PAUL COTTONE AS A SINGLE-AGENT, SELLER AGENT?

● Many years of experience representing  and negiotiating on seller-client's behalf (not a "yes" person just trying to get the transaction done);

● One-on-one involvement with my seller-clients (I limit the number of listings I represent to make myself readily available); no delegation of duties/inquiries to less experienced staff, as is common practice among the more successful Realtors;

● Personal input concerning staging the property, sometimes to the point of physically assisting my seller-clients with such tasks (I am not so high on myself that I cannot physically contribute, or at least locate someone who can move/change/remove furnishings);

● Continuous/ongoing advertising in Boston.com and on Craigslist.org, providing great exposure as an adjunct to the MLS service;

● Personal input/involvement relative to obtaining the best photography possible, using as many photos as is realistically possible, choosing from the best of the lot (not just the minimal number of photos taken without thought, assuming professional photography is not taken);

 ÃƒÂƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚ƒÃ‚¢Ã‚— Ability to provide interior floor plans of the subject property which are uploaded to the listing online;