"BY OWNER" SELLING & RENTING ON ADK "BY OWNER"
POSTING A NEW PROPERTY LISTING
PAYMENT AND LISTING POLICIES
MANAGING YOUR LISTING
"BY OWNER" SELLING AND RENTING: ADIRONDACK "BY OWNER"
Q: Is Adirondack “By Owner”, LLC a real estate agency and/or employ real estate brokers?
A: No, we are an advertising service. Our primary function is to market your property, giving it a wider exposure to potential customers. The buyer and seller (or owner and renter) interact directly. We are not involved in those interactions.
Q: What does it mean to sell or rent by owner?
A: It means that you are not using a real estate broker or agent in connection with the sale or rental of your property. You will interact directly with potential buyers or renters. We urge you to contact an attorney before entering into any contract for the sale or rental of real estate. An attorney should be able to answer most of your questions about how a "by owner" real estate transaction works and whether it is right for you.
Q: How can I learn more about selling or renting by owner?
A: There are many resource books available for selling real estate and managing vacation rentals "by owner". We have assembled a partial list for you on our "By Owner" Sale and Vacation Rental Management Resource Books page.
Q: Will I have to pay you a commission?
A: No. Never. The only thing you pay us is our listing fee.
Q: Can I list with you if I am also listed with a real estate broker or agent?
A: It is fine with us, but we suggest that you discuss the implications with your agent before proceeding, such as what effect this will have on your obligation to pay a commission to your agent and whether the agent permits it. Please note that we do require that the contact phone number and email address you display on your listing must be your own -- not that of your real estate broker or agent.
Q: I am a real estate agent/broker. Can I list properties on your website?
A: Only if you own them personally. We do not permit real estate brokers or agents to list agency listings on our website. The only exception is if the broker or agent is the actual owner of the real estate, in which case (1) the listing may not contain any reference or link to a real estate agency, and (2) all contact information provided in the listing (including phone number and email) must be the agent's or broker's personal (home) contact information. Other owners and visitors to our website are encouraged to report suspected violations of this policy to us for investigation. Any listings that are determined to violate this policy will be removed without refund.
Q: How long have you been in business?
A: Since 1998.
Q: Are the testimonials real?
A: Yes - 100% real
Q: Do you have an office?
A: Yes, stop by! We are located in Bloomingdale (outside of Saranac Lake) at 1735 State Route 3. Our office hours are by appointment or luck, although we are generally available from 9am-3pm (M-F). So please call us first at 518-891-9919 if you would like to set up an appointment.
Q: Do you guarantee we will sell or rent our property?
A: Sorry, no. Every property is unique and every owner sets his or her own terms. We therefore cannot guarantee a sale or rental. However, we believe our testimonials speak for themselves. And, if you have decided to sell or rent by owner, we believe that you could not spend $275 on any other advertising source and get the same amount of exposure for your property you will get on Adirondack "By Owner"!
Q: How does Adirondack “By Owner”, LLC advertise?
A: Most of our marketing is devoted to keeping our internet search ranks for real estate, vacation rentals and timeshares in the Adirondack region in the top three returns on major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN.com. We also advertise in area magazines, billboards, summer and winter tourist guides, newspapers, and through chamber of commerce and visitor bureau websites.
Q: How can I get my property featured in your print ad?
A: Once a year, in the spring, we contact all owners with active "real estate for sale" listings on our website and ask them if they want to advertise in our summer co-op ad in the North Country Real Estate Guide. There is an extra fee for this service - and it is completely optional. If you have an active listing, you will automatically receive full details about our co-op ad in the spring.
Q: As a user of your website, can I make a complaint about a property and, if so, how?
A: We accept complaints only in writing. You must provide the listing number for the property, the owner's name (if you know it) and a detailed statement of your complaint. Upon receipt, we forward your complaint to the property owner for response. This means that if you send us a complaint, the owner will know that you have made the complaint, including the email address you used to submit the complaint. Frequently, when we forward a complaint to an owner for response, efforts are made to resolve the matter. However, we cannot guarantee this will happen and we do not become involved in individual disputes with property owners. We do maintain an internal record of all complaints, along with the owner's response, and we may remove a property, at our discretion, based on one or more complaints.
Q: As an owner, what happens if someone complains about my property?
A: See our response to the question above.
Q: Can you provide us with information about whether you have received any complaints about a particular property?
A: Sorry but we cannot provide this information.
Q: Do you allow renters to post feedback or reviews about the vacation rental properties listed on your website?
A: No. The reason for this is that we have no way to ensure that the individuals posting feedback actually rented the property. On auction websites, the entire transaction (bidding and payment) takes place through the website. These sites can therefore electronically track the buyer and seller and allow them to post feedback through that tracking mechanism. On our website, the transactions for vacation rentals do not take place entirely through our website. We therefore have no way to electronically track vacation renters and allow only those individuals who actually rented a property to post feedback about it, whether positive or negative. As such, an owner could pretend to be a renter and post a glowing review that may or may not be accurate. We recognize that other vacation rental websites have review features. We invite you to look closely at how the reviews on those sites are submitted, and draw your own conclusions about whether they have any way to ensure that the reviews are being posted by actual renters. As for our site, we believe that because we have no way to verify with absolute certainty that the person posting a review actually rented the property, providing a feedback or review feature would not provide any useful information to potential renters -- and might actually cause more harm than good.
POSTING A NEW PROPERTY LISTING
Q: How do I get started to post a new property listing?
A: First you must visit our Owner Administration Center. Here you will be able to set-up an account with Adirondack “By Owner” and obtain your Username and Password. Once your account is set-up, you're ready to post a new property listing.
Q: I don't have internet access. Can I still list my property with you?
A: Yes, no problem. Just contact us at info@adkbyowner.com or (518)891-9919.
Q: I don't have an email account. Can I still list my property with you?
A: Yes, no problem. Just contact us at info@adkbyowner.com or (518)891-9919.
Q: How do I put photos on my listing?
A: It’s easy! After you have submitted all of the necessary information about your property, you will be directed to the photo management center which will walk you through the process of uploading up to twelve photos. You must have electronic copies of your photos in .jpg file format ready to use on your computer to upload with our automated system. If you do not have digital photos or experience problems uploading your photos, please contact us at info@adkbyowner.com or (518)891-9919 and we will assist you.
Q: Why do some photos that I upload look better than others?
A: Photo quality can depend on several factors. Make sure you are taking your photos on a bright, sunny day to ensure good light levels. Scanning photos to upload will work, but if at all possible, try using digital photos. Do not re-use photos from a printed publication as this can cause poor quality.
Q: What is a personal website address?
A: You can link your personally constructed, non-commercial, website URL address right on your property listing page provided that it relates directly to your property listing (and no other properties). Please no commercial real estate sites, blog sites, etc. We screen personal websites and will remove any that are inappropriate.
Q: How soon will my listing be posted?
A: After you complete the new listing process and activate your listing by paying the listing fee, your listing will be posted immediately.
Q: How long will my listing appear on the Adirondack “By Owner” website?
A: All listing contracts are for a one year period, which runs from the date you activate your listing. You can check your renewal date and renew at any time by logging onto our Owner Administration Center. You will also be reminded by email as your expiration date approaches.
Q: How do I pay for my listing?
A: You will "activate" your listing by paying on-line at the end of the listing process with Visa, MasterCard or Discovery card through our secure-pay system. You can also pay by personal check or money order. Make the check out to Adirondack "By Owner" and mail to P.O. Box 337 Bloomingdale, NY 12913.
Q: I don't have a credit card. Can I still list my property with you?
A: Yes, no problem. You can also pay by personal check or money order. Make the check out to Adirondack "By Owner" and mail to P.O. Box 337 Bloomingdale, NY 12913 or contact us at info@adkbyowner.com or (518)891-9919.
Q: Can I pay less to list for less than one year?
A: Sorry, no. One year is our minimum listing period. However, once you pay for one year, if you do not want your listing displayed year round, you can "suspend" it through the Owner Administration Center. Please note that if you suspend a listing, the expiration period for that listing keeps ticking -- it is not suspended.
Q: Can I get a refund if I remove my property listing before my one year is up?
A: Sorry, no
refunds will be given if you discontinue your listing before the
expiration of your paid period, regardless of the reason.
Q: Can I get my money back if I don't sell or rent my place after listing on your website?
A: Sorry, no. But rather than asking for money back, many of our owners say that our nominal listing fee is the best money they have ever spent!
Q: If I do not renew my listing on or before its expiration date, can I retrieve and renew the listing later without having to start over making a new listing?
A: We will hold expired property listings and photos for several months after the expiration date. Just log in with your username and password and renew your listing. Your expiration date will always be one full year from the day you renew.
Q: Can I include more than one property/home on my listing page?
A: Only one property may be featured per listing. The only exception is that you may include more than one unit if they are located adjacent and/or on the same piece of land. Listings not following this policy will be notified and then removed if not corrected (Please note that while some property listings are "grandfathered" from this rule, the rule applies to all new listings).
Q: Is there a discount for listing more than one property?
A: Like you, many of the owners listed on our website have multiple listings. In fact, some owners have told us that they bought additional properties to rent because they did so well with their first property by advertising exclusively through our website! Regarding the question, we do not offer discounts for multiple listings. We hope that you will agree that given the effectiveness of our website (which is the result of extraordinary advertising and promotion we do for our site, all at a significant cost to us) we believe that our rates are a bargain without any further discount.
Q: My property is not in the Adirondacks. Can I still list it?
A: Sure. Believe it or not, we had one owner list (and sell!) a property in Vermont by using our website. All we ask is that you place the property in 'Other Regions' and make it clear in your description that it is not located in the Adirondacks.
Q: Is there a way to tell how many people have viewed my listing page?
A: Yes, using the Owner Administration Center, you can view the number of hits or visits to your listing page.
Q: Can I make changes to my listing?
A: Yes, using the Owner Administration Center, you can edit, change and add to your listing and photos whenever the need arises without any extra charge.
Q: Once my listing is posted, can I send changes, edits or new photos to Adirondack "By Owner" and have you make the changes for me? If so, what is the charge?
A: We encourage you to make your own changes to your listing on-line. You can do this free of charge throughout your subscription period. However, if you are not able to make changes yourself, we can make changes to your listing for you. There is a $25 charge for change requests (per request). You can send a check made out to Adirondack "By Owner" with your changes. This fee must be paid in advance.
Q: My property listing appears at the bottom of the town/location list. Is there anything I can do to move the listing up on the list?
A: All of our property listings under each town/location rotate each day. Each day, the first listing drops to the bottom of the list and the other listings shuffle up one slot.
Q: I may not be receiving emails from Adirondack "By Owner" or my listing page. What can I do?
A: Make sure you add our email address, info@adkbyowner.com, to your email safe sender list to ensure that you receive email alerts from us. Send a test email to yourself directly from your property listing page on Adirondack “By Owner” to make sure it is received and not filtered by a spam program. Lastly, you can always check the history of email inquiries sent from your property listing page by logging onto the Owners Administration Center and selecting the ‘Listing Inquiries’ button. This provides dates, names, email addresses and content of any email inquiries sent from your listing page.
Q: How does the Availability Calendar work?
A: One feature that is included with the Vacation Rental listings is the Availability Calendar. You access the calendar at the Owner Administration Center. The calendar allows you to block out dates that your rental is not available so that visitors to your listing page can see what specific days/weeks are available/unavailable. The calendar also allows you to take advantage of the vacation rental search by dates of availability. Only rentals available on the dates requested will be displayed in the search results. All vacation rental owners are highly encouraged to use their calendar and to update it at least once a month (we will send you an email reminder about this at the beginning of each month).
Q: What is a Last Minute Special?
A: Another feature that is included with the Vacation Rental listings is the ability to post a "Last Minute Special". "Last Minute Specials" provide a way for vacation rental owners to offer discounted or special rates for short periods of time to encourage bookings. You must be offering some type of discount off of your regular rates in order to post a special. The special is limited to the 30 day period following the date on which the special is posted. The special will be posted on the specials page and on top of your listing page.
Q: If I have more than one listing with you, can I link them?
A: Yes, you will be able to do this as part of the listing process.
Q: Can I suspend a listing if I don't want it displayed on your website certain times of the year?
A: Yes, you can do this through the Owner Administration Center. Please note that if you suspend a listing, the expiration period for that listing keeps ticking -- it is not suspended.
Q: I forgot my Username and/or Password --- what can I do?
A: No problem, just visit the Owner Administration Center and you will be directed on how to have your information emailed to you.