Maximize equity, minimize fees

When you talk with SOGO Homes real estate broker Aaron Peterson, the first thing you notice is his delightful Southern accent. There’s no hint of a mountain twang. Instead, it’s soft and round, the kind of accent you find farther south, say, in Georgia.

“When people hear my accent they often want to know where I’m from,” Aaron says. “I was born and raised in Rome, Georgia. I still have family there.” 

Hearing his accent is a good enough reason to call Aaron, but there’s an even better reason:

He’s going to save you a lot of money.

That’s because SOGO Homes doesn’t charge a percentage-based commission. Instead, Aaron charges a flat $4,800.

“The traditional 6 percent commission on, say, a $350,000 home, is a whopping $21,000,” Aaron explains. “But we charge only $4,800, so you keep a lot more of your hard-earned equity.”

Aaron and his team—including agents Tom Dungan and Michael Bowling—also work hard to find the buyer themselves, so you also avoid paying an extra buyer’s agent fee. One way they do that is through an open house.

“Most agents don’t hold an open house because they’re a lot of work,” Aaron says. “But we believe they’re important. After all, you want your home in front of as many people as possible to generate interest and get multiple offers.”

When people hear “discount brokerage,” they sometimes think they won’t get top-level service. That’s not true with SOGO Homes.

“We understand that some people wonder what services they’re not going to get with our flat-fee structure,” Aaron says. “But we go above and beyond, doing even more than traditional commission-based agents. We are very much a full-service real estate firm.” (See the sidebar on this page for a listing of many of SOGO’s services.)

Although SOGO Homes works with buyers and sellers throughout Northeast Ohio, Aaron has been particularly successful with waterfront property, including homes on Portage Lakes. “It’s rewarding to help people buy and sell a home on the water,” he says. “For many people, it is a lifelong dream come true, and I love being a part of that.”

Giving Back to the Community

Before becoming a real estate broker, Aaron owned rental properties, including many Section-8 units, and he noticed a trend.

“All of my tenants were single moms,” he reveals. “I’d talk with them and ask, ‘Why don’t you buy your own home?’ They’d laugh and say that’s a pipe dream because they could never come up with a down payment. So when we started SOGO, we decided to give a portion of our proceeds to organizations that help single moms with a down payment to buy a home. It’s very rewarding, and doing it helps me sleep better at night.”

To list your home or for more information about SOGO’s flat-rate fee, call 330-984-0909 or visit GoWithSOGO.com.