You need to know in the massi memo because information is power. And the property man has got you covered. [ woman vocalizing ] buying or selling your home is one of the biggest Financial Transactions youll ever make. And its not cheap. But the internet changed nearly every industry imaginable, including home sales. In the olden days, if you wanted to have access to the Available Properties for sale, that was through the mls. The only people that had access to the mls was licensed agents. Erin oconnor has been a realestate agent for 12 years in the greater phoenix area. With the onslaught of the consumer websites like trulia and zillow and homes. Com and realtor. Com, consumers are getting more and more information online. So about a year ago, erin decided to try something radically different. I decided to reduce my Listing Commission to a flat rate and keep the Buyers Agent Commission the same. With the flat rate option, the seller pays one set amount and not a percentage commission. Its not a new concept. But its a bold move because it disrupts the system. Were gonna go meet erin. And hes gonna let us tag along to meet his clients. Hey, erin. Whats up, buddy . Hey, bob. Good to see ya. So lets go meet your clients. Jack and sharon. Yes, sir. They are considering puttin their house on the market. Just wanted to visit with me about what they can expect. Jack and his wife bought this 3,100squarefoot home about 12 years ago. But recently, theyve been thinking about downsizing. Every time i sold a home, i had this feeling of of im paying too much money because they dont seem to be doing anything. But the the way we have always done business for decades is so ingrained yeah. Its very difficult to change a habit. I had always felt it was weighted improperly. A listing agent does a tremendous amount less amount of work than a buyers agent does. Yet their paychecks are exactly the same. If one family has a 300,000 home for sale, then i will perform a set of services for that person identical to the same set of services that i would perform for jack in his 600,000 house. So if we look at the standard way of listing lets say you wanted to list it for 600,000. At 6 percent, thats a 36,000 commission, 18,000 to each agent. Thats significant. So is it your intentions absolutely. A flat rate . If i can save 14 grand by going with in, whos gonna do the same thing and is licensed the same way that the other people that want me to list with them then, why not . No, why not . Realestate commissions are negotiable. But that can be sometimes tough to do. Six percent is whats most commonly charged, usually divided between the buyers agent and the sellers agent. So youre doing exactly the same thing. But the consumer understands this is how much its gonna cost if the house is sold. Absolutely identical. And the buyer on the other side, the agent still gets their 3 percent. The buyers agent deserves their full 3 percent. If i take your home and i do brilliant photography, i price it properly based on the Market Conditions in the area and we get it out on mls, the home is gonna sell. And its actually gonna sell by the buyers agents. Well, sure because youre out showing homes all day long. Absolutely. Showing homes, dealing with lenders, dealing with title, dealing with escrow. Erin says the easiest people to convince are customers who have used him in the past and paid the full commission. Sandy and her husband bought and sold investment properties. And they often turn to erin as their realtor. Through erin, we bought four houses, three of which were investments and one my daughter and soninlaw live in. How did you view the idea of commission, a commissionbased contract . By the time you do 6 Percent Commission on the sale of a house, especially in california where we live, thats a chunk of money. Right. For one piece of business. For one transaction. But in the past, that was the way, at least, you did the business. You had to. No choice. No alternative. When her husband passed away, she decided to sell some of the investments. My Financial Adviser really wanted me out of the realestate business. Mmhmm. So i went to erin with that house. And he said, oh, by the way, im doing this new thing. Did you ever get a sense that you would sort of the services would not be as extensive as if it was on a commission . I wouldnt agree to an arrangement that did not add all of those things that you come to expect from your listing agent. Bottom line is, you saved a lot of money. Yes. And thats important. I came back with the second house. I saw no difference between the first house he sold at full commissions and the two flat rate. So how do your fellow colleagues view this . I have definitely had some professional blowback. Im saying out loud what a tremendous amount of agents and brokers for years have always known. When we come back, im gonna take you inside the mansion behind me. It all started from a stick of gum. [ woman vocalizing ] [vo] when it comes to investing, looking from a fresh perspective can make all the difference. It can provide what we call an unlock a realization that often reveals a better path forward. At wells fargo, its our expertise in finding this kind of insight that has lead us to become one of the largest investment and Wealth Management firms in the country. Discover how we can help find your unlock. To f. Nerve pain shoots and burns its way into your day. I hear you. When that pain makes simple errands simply unbearable. I hear you. I hear you because my dad struggled with this pain. Make sure your doctor hears you too. So folks, dont wait. Step on up. And talk to your doctor. Because you have places to go. And people who cant wait for you to get there. If you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands. Step oup and talk to your doctor today. Hey, im the internet i know a bunch of people who would love that. The internet loves what youre doing. So build a better website in under an hour with. Gocentral from godaddy. The internet is waiting. Start for free today at godaddy. Welcome back. Im bob massi, the property man. And im standing in phoenix, arizona, at a property with a fascinating history. In 1891, a man named William Wrigley jr. Moved to chicago with 32 to his name. And he began selling soap and baking powder. His business did wel eve better after he started giving his customers sticks of gum. Soon, the gum was a bigger draw than the soap. And wrigleys became a major brand. In the early 1920s, William Wrigley bought the Chicago Cubs Baseball Team and then the arizona biltmore hotel. In chicago, he began expanding and renovating the cubs stadium, which would become wrigley field. In arizona, he decided to build a winter cottage for his wife as an anniversary present. Between 1929 and 1931, the wrigley mansion was constructed on a mountain overlooking the city of phoenix. The wrigley mansion is just a rare, unique beauty here in the phoenix valley. Now tourists and locals alike come here for tours, meals and private events. Ben sinon is now the mansions general manager. And you show your guests very few homes in the area have been around quite as long. And very few homes have as much to see. This little winter cottage was the smallest of their five homes, coming in at only 17,000 square feet. I guess a lot of people were buying chewing gum at that time. As winter would set in in chicago, the wrigleys would travel out this way, spend about 6 weeks a year here. It was only meant as a stopping point for the wrigleys to spend a few weeks a year as they traveled between chicago and Catalina Island. So the home didnt need much only 24 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and 11 fireplaces. Mr. Wrigley was a really humble guy. He really liked to always pay homage and and remember where the family fortune had come from. So in all of his mansions across the country, had one room that was lined with gum foil wrapper from from the gum factory. In this case, it was a telephone room. Every member of the family how to operate the switchboard so they could make calls down to the hotel to speak with their guests. Many a visitor who had come to the home throughout the 70s still said that at that point, you could still smell the spearmint coming off the walls. Thats fantastic. You have what is called a cantilevered staircase. Quite a architectural feat for the 1930s, a staircase that is designed with no undersupport beams, only supported on one side from the wall. As we make our way up the cantilevered staircase, you really start to see the intricacy of the design work in the ceiling. One of the other highlights here in the main entryway is the original chandelier. A chandelier was meant to make a grand First Impression as well. Mr. Wrigley bought Catalina Island and for 10 years also ran the catalina tile company. All the tile you see in the home lining the hallway were walking down as well as on all of the fireplaces and in the bathrooms upstairs was all brought over from catalina. And it was not easy getting them to phoenix. The closest road was about 7 miles from here. So everything was brought over by ferry from catalina, by train from long beach and then brought by mule to the property. Now were here in the living room once was the wrigleys formal living room. The ceiling here is quite a showcase. One of the really most popular things is this custombuilt steinway piano. Oh, wow. Its one of two in the world. The others at the smithsonian in washington, d. C. , and kept in storage. Its an automated playing piano. Quite Innovative Technology for 1930 i would think so. When the piano was designed. [ piano playing ] definitely one of the highlight pieces of the tour of course. For outoftowner visitors. This area, the living room and this veranda portion is utilized for weddings, corporate functions, and really is a showcase for spectacular sunset views, beautifultowatch storms and just great scenery of the phoenix valley. What what a great area to have, like, a wedding reception or just a cocktail party. Its magnificent. Originally, the wrigleys actually had a few estate homes down here in now this residential community. Mmhmm. And one day, mr. Wrigley was looking up this 500foot knoll, saw the property and thought it would be a great place to put his wifes 50thanniversary present. So he purchased all of the surrounding property in the area. [ laughs ] now were moving into the library, one of the rooms in the house thats still originally intact. The home was built during prohibition. The wrigleys werent big drinkers. But they were entertainers. And they liked to have people over. So they did build a little cubby hole in the library for all the scotch and whiskey to be kept out of sight but on hand if necessary. Sort of like a secret room for booze. Absolutely. William wrigley died in the home in 1932. And the family sold the estate in 1973. At one point a few decades later, the city of phoenix almost tore it down to build condos. But in the 90s, it made its way to another billionaire with a famous name, Geordie Hormel of hormel foods. He purchased the home in 1992. And his family still owns the home today. You see the bar is built around the original concrete columns that support the upper balcony. Mmhmm. And this was all outdoor up until about 1995, when this bar was built in. Hormel and his wife restored the mansion and wanted to turn it into a destination and an event space that is open to the public. Technically, though, believe it or not, its a residential building in a residenal neighborhd. Its classified as a private club. Geordie thought that everyone should be able to see it. So membership was made very attainable. We have a 15 annual membership that includes complimentary valet with every visit. So what if somebody wants to just come in to have dinner . How does it work . We do offer a 5 monthly trial membership. Again, thats for you and any guests that you may have with you. Just our way of keeping the hoa around us happy and following all the rules. Geordies steakhouse is still a popular destination for lunch and dinner. All this from some chewing gum. When we come back, ill take you inside this exclusive hillside estate. You dont wanna miss it. [ woman vocalizing ] i tried hard to quit smoking. But when we brought our daughter home, that was it. Now i have nicoderm cq. The nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release Technology Helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. Its the best thing that ever happened to me. Every great why needs a great how. You totanobodys hurt, new car. But there will still be pain. It comes when your Insurance Company says theyll only pay threequarters of what it takes to replace it. What are you supposed to do . Drive threequarters of a car . Now if you had Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, youd get your whole car back. I guess they dont want you driving around on three wheels. Smart. With Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, well replace the full value of your car. Liberty stands with you™. Liberty mutual insance. Welcome back. Im bob massi, the property man. There are some Luxury Properties that just soak up the essence of their surroundings. And i found one here in lost canyon north of scottsdale, arizona. I said at the beginning of the show that there are some properties you need to see to believe. And this is one of them. So i asked realtor Dave Pattison to show me around this stunning hillside estate. Welcome to lost canyon. I think youre gonna find this to be quite the special home. It is. Its beautiful. The home is tucked perfectly into the natural landscape of the Mcdowell Mountain range. It sits up on the top of the mountain, looks down over the valley. Were gonna cross over the creek and make our way up to the front. You talk about the creek, but the water runs underneath the house. Thats correct. And this is a whole new definition of a play area. Thats for sure. Yeah. This used to be all rock. The current owner decided to build a playground and built one with possibly the best view of any playground around. He has a place to hit some golf balls, i see. Yeah. You can chipt ovnd right by the front door. Take care of business. This is great. Come on in. Looks like benhurs door. So you come in. And you hit the main living area. Theyve incorporated some of the natural stone from the site itself. Its beautiful. They built it right into the house. And then we make our way into another living area. So its a split fireplace. So each side of the house has its own viewing of the fireplace. And it all looks out over the valley as well. Yeah. The view. You never lose the view. You know what i always find interesting, dave, is the unique taste that people have, which, obviously for you, you have to find a special buyer. Oh, yeah. But it makes em fun to sell. Yeah. I mean, somebody that can appreciate the fine stone, the woodbeam ceilings. Somehow, the house doesnt feel too big, although the large entertaining spaces seem to just keep going on and on. Not content just sitting in front of one of the 10 fireplaces . Well, you could take in a movie in style within the full home theater. The master suite is separate from the other bedrooms in the house, so it allows for a lot of privacy. Lets go see the office. Bob, this is my favorite room in the house for sure. Oh, this is beautiful. As you can see, hes quite an avid gun collector, old antique pistols, rifles. I love rooms like this, where you can really feel the character of the homeowner without ever even meeting him. The wine cellar is not just a functional place to store wine it is a work of art. You enter in through the rock tunnel its like a catacomb. You know, you start walk in these little tunnels here. Eight hundred bottl oh, its beautiful. Nicand cool ithe summer in here. The current owner, when he wants to tinker, he goes down to his basement of the home. Oh, yeah. How bout that . All diamond plated, collectibles. You wanna work on your cars and lift your engines out, you can do that in here. Get a look at this motorcycle here. Its a replica. Another indication that this guy has certain passions in life. Every guy in the countrys gonna envy this right now. But that looks like terminator over here. Yeah. He built that himself here at the property. You can tinker all day long down here. Yeah. You really could tinker all day long. Its like his tool shed, man. Hes in his garage. And hes putzin around all day. No doubt. Good for him. This home is very special because you can be outdoors all year round. We are a short and flipflop type kind of lifestyle here in arizona. So you can be out on the covered patios or just splash around in the pool. The glass pool is whats called negative edge. It gives the feeling of never ending and overlooks the entire valley. The outside westfacing home is really a treasure. The elevation allows for just uncompromising views of the valley. You get incredible sunsets. This casita is a separate structure perched above the main property. As if you need an even more Peaceful Place to take in the views, its the highest point on the property and a priceless place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee. We have misters on the patios that cools it, that makes it livable even in the hot summer heat here. The estate sprawls 14 acres, which include a mile of hiking trails just with the property itself. It really offers the best of arizona desert living, unbelievable privacy surrounded by nature but close to every amenity available. Up next, were digging into the property man mailbag yet again so i can answer your property questions in the massi memo. Stick around. [ woman vocalizing ] ive been blind since birth. I go through periods where its hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. Learn about non24 by calling 8448442424. Or visit my24info. Com. So she only earns double miles on purchasesit card. She makes from that airline. Whatd you earn double miles on, please . Ugh. Thats unfortunate. Theres a better option. The capital one venture card. With venture, you earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, everywhere, every day. Not just airline purchases. Seems like a nobrainer. Whats in your wallet . I did active duty 11 years. My in july of 98. And two in the resves. Our 18 year old was in an acciden when i call usaa it was that voice asking me, is your daughter ok . Thats where i felt relief. It actually helped to know that somebody else cared and wanted make sure that i was okay. That was really great. Were the rivera family, and we will be with usaa for life. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Call today to talk about your insurance needs. Welcome back. Im bob massi. And its time for the massi memo. Id like to take a minute to answer some of the many questions i get from viewers. Now, due to the volume of mail we receive, i cant answer every letter or email individually. But i do try to read them all. So jim and lori write. Look, youre in a tough spot. Why . Because the lender is going to be loyal to their appraiser. And theyre always conservative. And appraisers today are paranoid about not doing exactly the value they believe is true. As a matter of fact, many times now when an appraisal takes place, youre not even allowed to be in the home. You cant even talk to the appraiser. But heres what you can do. First of all, go hire an appraiser. Have them critique the particular appraiser and his work. Point out the deficiencies. Give that information to the bank to see if, in fact, you could prove that the values that were given were inappropriate, that they shouldve done the comps in the area. Thats very important. Number two, there are divisions with the state where you could file a complaint against a realtor and against an appraiser to challenge it and say, look, this is something that was not done properly. The problem with that is it takes a long time. So in your situation, unfortunately, you and i who wanna buy a home or refinance a home, so often, we are 100 percent dependent on the appraiser and their findings. Thats all the time we have for today. Be sure to send me your property stories, questions, or pictures of your property bloopers. Send them to propertyman foxnews. Com. And dont forget to check us out on facebook and twitter. Theres also plenty more information on videos on our website, foxnews. Com propertyman. Ill see you next week. [ woman vocalizing ] have a happy fathers day. Here is lou dobbs. Lou President Trump is besieged by the dems, the deep state, and the national leftwing media and many of the elites of his own party. Hes fighting a war for the soul of the nation. And the main battleground is washington, d. C. Its a swamp filled with ugly and dangerous creatures intent on the destruction of the trump presidency. Mr. Trump lashed out at the man leading what he calls a rich hunt. Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the man who appointed him, Deputy Attorney general