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 [...]
How many times have you seen the most delicious, juicy hamburger on television and thought, “ooh, I want that!”? Visual images go a very long way in touching our senses so that we want what we see. The exact same thing can happen when you sell your home. Lots of images. If you are thinking [...]
Whenever you sell a home, it is very important to make sure the home’s problems have been taken care of as well as possible. It may cost you an out of pocket expense but at the same time, you may also be able to increase the selling price of your home to recoup those expenses. [...]
You are wanting to sell your house. You know you are up against some big odds as the real estate sales are practically at a stand still. So how are you going to make your home stand apart from the rest? You simply have to stage it, or flip it, or redo it. Whatever term [...]
There is one sad reality that is seriously affecting the real estate market right now, and that’s a mortgage that’s borderline underwater. Home buyers are often finding homes they really like, making offers, and then finding out a seller won’t budge any further on price. While buyers are often complaining about these sellers, the bottom [...]
Home buyers are generally looking for two things – a great home to live in, and a good bargain. When they negotiate to buy a home, it’s only natural to try and get the lowest price possible. Sellers are trying to do the opposite to get as high a price as possible. So what happens [...]
Of all the possible obstacles that may get in the way of a home sale, you would think that negotiating a settlement date would be the easiest. After all, the seller wants to settle so they can move on and the buyer wants to settle so they can move in. However, there are times when [...]
A series of articles on InmanNews related to the dangers that real estate agents face raises a number of issues that home owners should be considering. Real estate agents have had to face some unusual situations over the years, and these situations are on increase. They range from finding animals living in empty homes to [...]
If you’re in the market to buy a home, then one of the best moves you can make is to get mortgage pre-approval – in writing. Sellers are far more willing to negotiate with buyers that have that pre-approval letter because the funding arrangements are reasonably secure. Without pre-approval, sellers (at least their real estate [...]
Home buyers are always trying to push the closing price of a home as far down as possible. What some buyers don’t realize is that some prices have been squeezed as far as possible. This is not because of stubbornness on the seller’s behalf, but because their hands are tied as well. For some home [...]
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 [...]
One of the interesting aspects of real estate is to listen to the way home buyers go about their search. Buyers will often have completely opposite views on what areas of an MLS listing is important. One that is often discussed is that of listing age. Some buyers like to look at homes that have [...]
One of the problems that face many home buyers is the slow response that often comes following an offer. We have always advocated in favor of home buyers settling on three or four homes they really like. If you have followed that advice, then waiting a week or so for a response from a seller [...]
If you are planning to sell your home in the next six months or so, then you may want to look at some of the little things that help to sell homes. These little things can take a little work, but they are generally inexpensive to put in place. One area that home buyers are [...]
If you are counting on a government-backed mortgage this month then be prepared for a long wait. If the forecast shutdown of government services comes to fruition at midnight tonight, then there won’t be any government-backed loans – in fact, come to think of it, there won’t be any government-backed anything. Of course, wise heads [...]
We are reaching an interesting point in the Virginia real estate market with little pockets appearing of what is known as a sellers market. These pockets are slowly growing, too slowly for some people, but growth is growth. What is interesting is that many of these pockets are very niche oriented. For example, in one [...]
An interesting article in a recent edition of the Spokesman-Review discusses the use of smart phones and QR Codes. What’s a QR Code? While you’ll read a lot of hype about these codes, they are not new having been invented back in 1994 and used in manufacturing to track parts. The code is about the [...]
The Multi Listing Service or MLS is a real estate search engine that services both home buyers and home sellers. This is a factor that both groups need to seriously consider when using the service. There are times when you have to wonder if either group really considers the other. For sellers, the MLS is one [...]
Having a real estate that is available at any time can be reassuring to both sellers and buyers. You would be surprised how many times someone suddenly has a panic attack when they don’t know the answer to a simple question regarding the sale or purchase of real estate. I don’t necessarily encourage you to [...]
What does the ideal real estate agent look like in 2010? What did they look like ten years ago? This is a hard question since everyone has different needs. However, there are four attributes that you could apply across the board to today’s real estate agents – if they meet all four attributes then you [...]
They say it’s a buyers market at present. This means that buyers have the advantages and sellers have to work hard to find those buyers and to get a decent price. It’s pretty tough out there in the marketplace but you can make life a lot easier on yourself if your property really stands out. [...]
