FRANK LLOSA ESQ. FRANKLY REALTORS Frankly.com

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I've never met Frank in person but I've occasionally exchanged emails with him the past five years and I've spoken to him on the phone. He's a really helpful, super-responsive guy who isn't just the creator of an incredible web site - he's also a realtor. It's really mind-boggling that Frank has allowed people to use his site, free of charge, for so long, especially considering that many people found it acceptable to use the tool while not using a realtor from Frankly Realtors. I don't blame Frank at all for his recent decision to make the site inaccessible to people who are using a non Frankly Realtors realtor; it's awful that Frank was given a bad review and an F for making that change. I mean, really, why should Frank continue to provide such a great tool - free of charge - to the entire "wide world web"? I recently recommended to Frank that he make the site available to non-clients for a subscription fee. I have no idea if that's something he's even considering but, if he does eventually go that route with the site, I highly recommend giving it a try - it really is "all that" and would definitely be worth paying for.

Frankly has been my main real estate service provider during the past 5-6 years. 
When I first started using the site, I was quite inexperienced, but between the flexible versatility of the interface and Frank's excellent blog, I have gained loads of experience with just a bit of time investment -- and a teeny tiny financial investment. 
Besides all that, I can count on Frank Llosa to respond very promptly to any messages I sent him asking for help or service of any kind. The Frankly system is incredibly clever, and Frank Llosa is very well tuned to my needs as a buyer!

As a business I own and self manage a portfolio of rental houses in the local area.  I have used the Frankly Real Estate web site for several years to keep an eye on the prices of houses in and around my properties.  I receive email updates periodically when houses come available. I will be the first one to say that I have not used Frank, but I have not bought any houses in several years so I have had no occasion to use an agent.
Recently, I saw a house in an email search that interested me so I clicked on it to take a look.  I was greeted by a screen that said in essence that unless I was actively working with Frank or one of his agents that I could not use the site.  The page invited me to give them my cell phone so that we could start a dialogue.  The page also said that if I felt that he was wrong in what he was doing that I should send him a note and explain it.
 So I did.  I sent him a note telling him that I thought that he was making a mistake because by allowing people to access the site he was getting his name out and that it would pay back over time.  He asked for feedback so I gave him my opinion.
He sent me back a very rude and sarcastic reply that "frankly" hurt my feelings.  The exact text of his email response is below.  I have never used this company so I cannot speak to their value but this the abusive response that he gave me before he even knows me would make me feel afraid to work with him.
Frank llosa's response to my email:
Thanks for your business advice. On how giving free access to hundreds of
thousands of people is a great idea to support the site.
No we aren't hurting for cash, but this operation takes time and money. Lots
of money. And no, it is not a great farming tool. All it does it keep aunt
Sally Realtor from having to invest in her crappy idx, instead she sends people
to my site, I pay for it and work till 4am making it great, and hiring two full
time people to find and sharing with clients 1,000 not on the mls homes unlike
any other site. And aunt Sally reeps the benefit, all the reward.
And yes this new strategy or touching each and every person has started to
work. No more freeloaders. Even those that have used the site for 5 years and
bought multiple homes, now understand the site is for our clients. Frequently
getting the "I had no idea, sure let's meet".
The other benefit of having a good volume of clients is we can be selective
with whom we work with. Nice and appreciative people.
I can respect the no cell phone, I have works around for those that prefer
that.
No need for your deadline to demand your free access, I would rather focus
on nice people. Try redfin.
Frank LLosa
Broker Frankly Realtors 

Try Redfin?  Thank you Mr Llosa, I will.

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I didn't use a Frankly Realtor when I sold my condo a year ago, but I did consult the blog, and I was able to pick up more than a few tips.
I ended up staging my house based off a video blog I watched. And I am certain this made a difference.  Likewise, I had professional photos taken and had a private video link (things Frank recommends).  I ended up getting more than anyone else had in the past six months, and I got good feedback even from the people who did not put in any offers.
Likewise, the Realtor I used now works at Frankly Realty.
And I still continue to check out the blog updates.

This was a case where the price was based not just on the value at hand, but the improved value (after a construction project) in addition to measuring the effects of a falling market in an odd market area.  I shouldn't say "odd," but rather, it was specific to a certain type of buyer.

Anyway, Frank helped me with the pricing, and we were able to receive not one, not two, but three contracts in the first week.  I know the results would not have been the same had he not been involved.

I started using Frank's free MLS website (franklymls) approximately five years during my search to purchase a home.  I was already working with another agent and receiving MLS listings, but I came upon Frank's blog and his website and I was quickly hooked.  His video blog provided me with helpful insight on the real estate market.  His MLS site enabled me to search for homes on my own.  I was not locked into my original criteria provided to my agent and I now had access to thousands of home
listings instead of dozens.  The MLS site is more than just a search engine for new listings.  The site provides MLS listings for sold properties and this is very useful in determining what you can get for your money.  Just knowing the sales prices of recent neighborhood sales is nothing compared to knowing the condition those homes were in when they sold.  The site also provides a list price history, previous MLS comments, listing agent sales histories, google map views, additional property photos if uploaded by users.  There are also quick links to tax records, school districts, and more.  Basically any research you can do on a property on the internet, Frank has consolidated in this easy to use website... and there are no third party advertisements!  If you like a property you can save it as a Favorite and your favorites will be listed in a tabular format with key property information which is even exportable to Excel.  Can it get any better?  Well if you think so, Frank is always there listening for suggestions.  I have emailed Frank a few times in the past with suggestions.  He was quick to respond and
even made some updates based on them.
I have recommended the website to many over the years.  Had I not already been working with an agent I liked, I would have reached out to Frank for those services.  We did find our home by using FranklyMLS and now I still use the site frequently to watch the other properties in our neighborhood as they go on the market.  Thanks Frank for everything!

In order to find the perfect house, we found Frank's wonderful
website.  He didn't charge anything to use his website, but the website
is so powerful and easy to use, and new listing will be emailed to us
directly, so we get to know the new house on the market and see the photos and open house information. 
We finally found our new home.
I had other real estate question, I got in touch with Frank, and he was nicely enough to
provide his professional opinion, and answered my questions.

I came to Frank with a question on how to value my home. I was initially going off of the tax assessment and he showed me how to use the tools on his site to see area ratios of tax assessment vs sold price. This gave me immediate comfort in knowing that my home is worth much more then the tax assessment.

Frank was incredible for us. Not only did he help us remodel, stage and sell our old condo in a down market, he did it with 10+ other units with the same layout also for sale for much longer amounts of time. In December of 2006 he managed to list and sell our condo for a profit in TWO WEEKS. While that was going on, we were also looking to purchase a larger house and he went above and beyond the call of duty to not only find what we were looking for, but we ended up purchasing a unit that had not even been listed yet!

He took care of all of the details, provided A+ service and got us everything we wanted and more while being courteous, professional and the most knowledgeable real estate professional I have ever been around. I would recommend him again in a heartbeat!

We have been unsuccessful in selling our home in a high-demand area for several months.  We contacted Frank (after being a fan of his amazing MLS search engine and informative blog for years) to discuss switching to his realty company.  Much to our surprise, Frank advised against terminating the contract with our current realtor to switch to one of his agents.  He suggested that reviving an old offer that we turned down was the best option we have due to the unusually slow market in the area.  Despite the lack of financial gain on his part, Frank made unconventional suggestions that would make the previously unattractive offer work for us. Frank has stayed in constant touch with us to inquire about the status of reviving the contract.  We've learned during our several conversations with him that Frank's knowledge of the real estate market and approach selling/buying homes is unparalleled.  Any agent can list homes and pass along offers to sellers.  Frank stands out in the sea of realtors thanks to the difference in his strategy to make any reasonable offer a viable one.  We regret having made the mistake of not hiring Frank in the first place, but truly appreciate his genuine interest and help in ensuring the sale of our home.   

Frank has been extremely helpful and our first person to contact with real estate questions. My husband has known him for 10 years so we felt comfortable coming to him when my husband and I were moving out of the Northern Virginia area up to Crofton MD. We went to him in part because of all of the educateion on his blog posts and his useful FranklyMLS site. But instead of being the lead on the deal, he found me a local specialist, even though he could technically have done the deal himself. He was still there and available along the way for any questions I had about negotiations, or techniques to get our contract accepted, and of course we used no other site but his FranklyMLS. Thanks!

I stumbled across Frank’s site FranklyMLS years ago, and have not gone a day without viewing it!  He has awesome tips about buying and selling homes in VA - not to mention the ease of combing through what’s available on MLS with both active and sold homes. His knowledge and fun personality make his blog (and Youtube videos!) a pleasurable and informative experience you won’t find anywhere else. I plan on moving-not sure where yet-but I will definitely be “shopping” and learning on FranklyMLS!  

Frank was our Realtor for our first home purchase in Fairfax Virginia.  We were dead set on Single family detached home, but we couldn't find anything that we liked in our price range. Even though we said no townhouses, Frank begged us to look at a just one. His guidance was priceless....
He was right - it was much larger than we expected and much more updated for the money. If we just had an agent that said "yes" without challenging us, we wouldn't have ended up in the perfect place.
We plan on leveraging his expertise when we move next year. Oh, and I'm a data n***, so The franklymls.com search tool is super awesome.

With both transactions we were all really happy with the outcome. As with any deal, there are complications and having Frank on our side lowered the stress because we knew he could handle any situation, since he has seen it all. Another thing I like is the lack of pressure. He has even said a few times that I should consider renting instead of buying. I haven't heard of another Realtor do that.
I recommend Frank before all others in our market!!

Listing our Arlington Condo was a tricky one because it was a ground level unit in Clarendon 1021.
We priced it aggressively and walked away with a great price. They took some creative measures like selling the parking spot separately, which single handedly helped me net another $10,000.
Ultimately we got an offer and we were able to use that offer to bait higher offers. Most Realtors say "what do you want to do", he started a bidding war and suggested  a more proactive approach to help me net an even higher amount. I would suggest Frankly Realtors for anybody selling a condo in Arlington.