Business spotlight on Assist2Sell with E. Leonard Scott by Michelle Libby

Buying and selling homes can be a stressful time for people who want to get the best deal for the money or make as much as possible on the sale of their property. Assist 2 Sell at 510 Main Street in Gorham can help buyers and sellers make and keep more money as well as provide the same services offered by a traditional real estate office.
 

E. Leonard Scott has been involved in real estate for 43 years. He started as a funeral director in Calais then sold the business after 10 years. He started a real estate business in Calais, but got cabin fever and moved to Portland. 

“I was in northern Maine where real estate is a blood sport,” Scott said. When he first arrived in Portland, he bounced from agency to agency, picking up information and tricks of the trade along the way. He took CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) Institute courses to sell commercial real estate, but never got his designation. He is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), however. 

“I’m a curious person,” Scott said. He uses the knowledge he has learned to help his clients, and he keeps on top of what is happening in the industry with different websites. He found Assist 2 Sell and became the 53rd agency to join the company 17 years ago. Now there are hundreds  of Assist 2 Sell offices in the United States. 

“Assist 2 Sell is based on high volume, reduced commissions, full-service real estate,” he said. Agents with Assist 2 Sell can be listing agents, selling agents or disclosed dual agencies, but Scott said that is very rare within Assist 2 Sell. 

E. Scott Leonard

“We save people 50 to 60 percent in the cost of selling their home. We represent them exclusively,” Scott said. “It takes 66 hours of training to get a real estate license in Maine. It takes 2,500 hours to be a barber. Screw up a real estate transaction and it could cost someone a lot of money.” With a barber, hair grows back, he finished. 

“I try to teach and try to help them,” Scott said. “We’re real estate agents just like any other agent.” The hardest part of his job is spreading the word that Assist 2 Sell is just like other agencies, but they will save money for their clients. 

Last December, Scott moved from Falmouth, where he had been for 17 years, to the present location in Gorham. He is happy with the space and location of the new office he shares with his daughter, Kris Clark, and agent Jon Tupper. Between the three of them, they have over 80 years of experience. 

When a client comes to meet with Scott or his team, he helps them set a price; he does a competitive market analysis, holds open houses, and once ready, will put the listing on all of the multiple listing sites (MLS). Scott estimates that it takes approximately 23 hours to list a house. Some properties sell quickly at an open house, others might need a little more time. Assist 2 Sell is there through the whole process. 

The times have changed in the real estate market. “The buyers are very knowledgeable. They come to the table knowing exactly what they want,” Scott said. With dual agency, a client working with a broker acting as the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent “might not be getting full service. We provide full service in the straightest sense,” he added. Agents at Assist 2 Sell are Realtors® in all ways, except they do not do disclosed dual agency.” 

Assist 2 Sell agents charge $3,250 as a listing commission regardless of how much your home sells for. This can save homeowners tens of thousands of dollars especially on more expensive homes. The agents help clients save money, and if they can’t, Scott will tell the customer that as well.

To see if Assist 2 Sell can help sell a property, visit www.MaineMLS.com, call 207-781-2856 or email Leonard@MaineMLS.com. <