Senior Living I Independent awdAssisted Living What's more, SellerNation doesn't charge sellers a commis- sion. Instead, the company adds a 5 percent buyer premium to an accepted bid. A common element of auctions, it's also becoming a trend among traditional home sales. The National Association of Realtors 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers revealed that 13 percent of homebuyers compen- sated the Realtors in whole or in part. "Everything we do is designed to make our listings attractive to multiple buyers because competi- tion is what drives price," Jasgur says. "We're literally built to nego- tiate with multiple parties to get the best possible deal for the seller. We've seen over and over again that the first offer is rarely the best." While their focus improves results for the typical seller, SellerNation's market-making sales and quick timelines, coupled with the level of transparency its technology provides, make their service ideal in cases like divorce, estate sales and probate situations where it could be difficult to keep multiple parties from opposing sides on the same page. To familiarize homeowners with SellerNation's approach, Jasgur and Carey are hosting "coffee hours" at local shops around town to help sellers learn what their home are worth without tidying up for a tour. "We've already fielded inquiries from real estate brokers in other states who are anxious to be a part of what we're doing:' Carey says. "We expect to have additional offices open in other markets as early as next year." SellerNation is another spoke in the wheel of the parent company, Woodward Asset Capital. WAC's Woodward Technologies division provides cutting-edge systems for banks and mortgage servicers that mitigate risk, prevent fraud and manage the sale of distressed assets. Their award-winning technologies, OfferSubmission. com and VerifiedShortSale.com , have been used to negotiate more than $22 billion in real estate offers since 2009 from more than 100,000 real estate agents in all 50 states. ❑ For information, call (248) 354- 1400 or visit www.sellernation.com . Lynne Meredith Golodner is owner of Your People LLC, a Southfield public relations firm. Independence Village of WHITE LA