When it comes to renting, purchasing or selling property, a real estate agent may be your best bet in getting in really good deal. Most people have some sort of property dealings at one time or another. When you are young and just starting out, you usually just rent. When you have become more established [...]
If you are at the stage of signing a contract with a real estate agent you are probably wondering about the differences of them or thinking they are all the same. They are different and have different values to you. Most real estate agents have three contracts. They are: Open Listing – A non-exclusive contract [...]
Not only is the housing crisis bad for consumers, it’s just as bad for real estate agents. Since selling homes is their livelihood and how they earn a living, they have taken a beating as well. In today’s market it takes more initiative and creativity get homes sold. In the good years, a lot of [...]
The Washington, DC area has hundreds of real estate agents to choose from. No matter if you are looking to buy or if you are wanting to sell your home, there are a lot of options for you. Some people will try to sell or purchase a home without an agent, but is that really [...]
The Christmas Holiday season is coming up fast. Should you keep your home on the market or not? Many are asking this question. It really is a personal choice in the long run, but it can spell disaster if you do take it off the market. Of course the holiday season is a very busy [...]
Prices on Tenanted property such as apartment houses are in a good range and more people are considering investing in this type of property. It is a really good way to get a good return on your investment and the rent on the tenants will most likely pay the mortgage on the property. There are [...]
Everyone has heard a sales pitch. Whether it’s from a car salesman or an appliance dealer, there are salesmen out there that are excellent at what they do. Still, that does not mean that everything they say is wrong. To be a good salesman, you have to know your product. Real Estate agents are the [...]
There are some areas in law that are total oxymoron’s. A good example is the restriction placed on real estate agents about neighborhoods. When discussing possible home purchases, the real estate is not permitted to discuss certain aspects of a neighborhood. They can, however, point home owners to where they can find that information. It’s [...]
When buying (or selling) a home, the best piece of advice anyone can offer is to engage the services of a real estate agent. They know the business inside and out, and their income is reliant on providing you with the best service possible. That, at least, is the theory, and in most cases, the [...]
Buying a home is a complex business and while most real estate agents now refuse to act as a dual agent, there are some who will. There are many buyers who are also willing to navigate the home buying processes alone, or, at best, with an attorney and not a buyers real estate agent. Buying [...]
I know they are tough words, yet they are words that are often repeated in the legal world. They say if you represent yourself in court, you have a fool for a client, and that could also be true when it comes to real estate. Attorney’s and real estate agents are often called in to clean [...]
If you are in the market to buy a home, there’s a resource available that’s often under used – a buyers real estate agent. If you really want to save a lot of time, you can leave all the hard work to that real estate agent, and then just sit back and get on with [...]
There is a theory that is often floated by home buyers that real estate agents are always on the take. If they refer a buyer onto a local lender, it’s only because there is a kickback for them. This is far from the truth – in fact, illegal. There are many reasons why a real [...]
If you are about to the enter the market as a home seller, your first steps should be to find a good real estate agent to handle the marketing and sale of your home. There are a lot of real estate agents in the marketplace now so it can be difficult to know who will [...]
As a home seller, one of the most important parts of the sales process is agreeing to a price and getting that contract signed. Unfortunately, that contract is only as good as the conditions attached to it, and in today’s market, contingencies leave a lot of holes for buyers who get cold feet. The key [...]
Do home buyers really need a buyers real estate agent? A common question asked and while those who are onto their third or fourth home may succeed without an agent, first time home buyers really should at least discuss their plans with an independent agent. Buying a home is actually a fairly complex business for [...]
Dual agency – permitted in most states, banned in others. Dual agency is a situation where a real estate agent is working for both the seller and the buyer - that’s the theory anyhow. In practice, a seller enters into a contract with a real estate agent to market and sell their home. A buyer comes [...]
There are some in the community that wonder if a buyers real estate agent is really necessary. If you have experience buying and selling real estate, then you may be able to get by without one. Otherwise, you’re in for a lot of work. Contrary to popular belief, a buyers real estate agent doesn’t just [...]
If you are out and about looking for a home to buy, be careful who you select to represent your interests in the buying process. In many states, including Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C., real estate agents are allowed to represent both the seller and the buyer. This is known as ‘dual agency’, and in [...]
What is your preference when looking to buy a home? Do you visit all the open houses in the area where you want to live? To a certain extent, open houses can be a waste of time, especially if you have specific housing needs. Those who tend to visit open houses fall into the category [...]
Did you know that real estate agents are dumb? They must be – they keep getting it all wrong. At least, that’s the conclusion that some home buyers come to. Of course, the home buyer is never wrong – they have been exposed to the ‘customer is never wrong’ myth for too long, I guess. [...]
Real estate agents (for sellers and buyers) field a lot of questions about towns, suburbs, and neighborhoods. There is, however, one question they really dislike hearing. That question? Is this the best time to sell (or buy) a home? Why do we dislike this question? Simple really. We don’t have a crystal ball so we [...]
When it comes to real estate, and it doesn’t matter if you’re buying, selling, or leasing, you just can’t beat the knowledge and experience that comes with a local expert. In real estate, the local expert is going to be a local real estate agent. Real estate agents make their living by helping people buy, [...]
When looking for a home to buy, the smartest move is to engage a real estate agent to help you through the process. But what is that real estate agent’s role? It’s an important question and one you should ask an agent before engaging them. The one thing a buyers real estate agent shouldn’t be [...]
There are home buyers in the market at present who think that listed prices are really just a starting point. When they find a home they like, their first inclination is to make an offer that is ten or even twenty thousand below that listed price. Making an offer is serious business and as a [...]
Buying a home is not an easy process. Simply finding the home you want to buy is difficult enough. Negotiating a sales price, then moving through the buying process all involves special care and an attention to detail. Miss one item and it could cost you thousands of dollars. For a buyer, having their own [...]
Home sellers often complain that their real estate agent is busy showing prospective buyers other homes and not theirs. This can be a common situation, however, it is wrong to blame your real estate agent for this situation. There are a number of possible reasons for this to occur. Some of these reasons include: Buyers [...]
If you’re selling a home, then you’re going to want a real estate agent that is competent and well respected. I overheard a young couple discussing real estate agents recently and I was struck by the criteria they were using to select an agent for their needs. Having a web site was high on their [...]
Dual agency, or dual representation, is when the same real estate broker, or sometimes the same agent, represents the buyer and the seller. This is generally not a good idea, for several reasons. First, money is always going to win out over other principles. If your broker is representing you, the buyer, and the seller [...]
There are many buyers who assume they can purchase a home without the services of a buyer’s real estate agent. It can be done with buyers dealing solely through the seller’s real estate agent. The problem with this approach is that the real estate agent has to represent the best interests of their client – [...]
