sellers: Reaching Across the Table-Listing Agents & Buyer’s Agents Working Together
- 02/07/09 01:58 AM
Is a new day dawning in real estate? I'm currently in various stages of four transactions and am finding a new level of professionalism that had slipped by the wayside a few years ago.Three of the properties are my listings and each of the buyer agents are on top of the documents and time schedules even when we have had a few technology issues no one is losing their cool. My listing in Westridge is under contract with another local Active Rain blogger Peggy James and it has been like old friends working together even though we still haven't meet face … (55 comments)
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sellers: Multiple Offers-They Do Happen In Today's Real Estate Market
- 02/04/09 01:52 PM
One of the biggest issues sellers struggle with in our current real estate market is what if we don't get an offer? Our role as their Realtor® is to not promise that the home will sell but do everything we can to make sure that the home stands out against the competition. Price, condition and marketing all work together to bring other agents, prospective buyers and offers to the table in our current Prince William County real estate market.
My recent listing in the Westridge community had a steady stream of prospective buyers from the first day it went on the … (20 comments)
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sellers: Marketing a New Listing-It Doesn’t Happen Overnight
- 12/28/08 08:20 AM
How fast can you put a home on the market? Can you do it in an hour? Can you do it in a day? On a recent listing appointment a seller indicated that a previous agent suggested if they signed the listing agreement right then they could have the house on the market tomorrow. Gasp!
Sure I can run home and put the basic data in the MLS. I don't have to fill in all the data fields or at least not correctly and certainly I don't care if you clean your house or we take any photos to give … (67 comments)
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sellers: Are the Stars Finally Aligning? Strange Real Estate Happenings
- 12/13/08 02:52 AM
Yesterday my clients ratified a contract for a new home. We had looked gone through about 15 homes in Prince William County, including the graffiti house, before landing on one that had all the right stuff.When I turned in a copy of the contract to our office administrator, she looked it over and asked me if I was sure about the deal. I smiled and said "YES I'm sure."I dropped a copy of the contract off at the settlement company. They looked it over and asked me if I was sure about the deal. I smiled and said "YES I'm sure."
… (43 comments)
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sellers: What Do You Look for in a Title Company?
- 11/04/08 07:37 AM
In Virginia buyers have the choice of title companies to settle on the purchase of your new home. Sometimes a listing agent will say "you must use our title company" which is untrue. This post by Margaret Woda provides a great outline of the qualities that as agents we look for in a title company to recommend to our clients.
An on-time, hassle-free settlement would be the short and sweet answer to that question. But that wouldn't make much of a blog post, would it? So let me be more specific about what I expect from a title company to assure an … (1 comments)
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sellers: The Never Ending Real Estate Debate
- 10/22/08 05:09 AM
It is the never ending debate in real estate. Agents who have had their licenses for many years think that new agents don't have the experience necessary to succeed. New agents think that long term agents might not have kept up with how the market has changed. In the end it is the consumer who makes the decision which agent is the best agent to represent their interests.
Some buyers and sellers are going to call someone they have worked with before. They trust you and your relationship is key to working together on a successful transaction. For the buyers and … (63 comments)
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sellers: Sellers Don't Scream a Low Ball Offer is Just an Offer
- 10/15/08 12:59 PM
In today's market selling your house may leave you feeling vulnerable. Not only is your house a huge financial asset, but you have strangers peering in your closets, appraisers judging your home's value and inspectors noting its flaws. A low offer in the midst of all of this can seem like a personal affront. However, no matter how well you have prepared your house or how certain you are that it's priced correctly; receiving a low offer is a possibility. Prepare yourself ahead of time to not take it personally. Instead of getting angry, do one of two things: Reject the … (12 comments)
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sellers: Take Another Look Through the Buyers Eyes
- 07/29/08 02:16 PM
Sometimes after your home has been on the market for awhile you forget. You forget that the simple things make a difference. Perhaps it is because you are a For Sale By Owner and an agent hasn't helped you understand our current market. Since your home has been on the market for almost a year maybe you have given up on ever getting it sold. Today when my buyers came through they couldn't believe what they saw. Maybe you haven't stepped back in a while and taking a look at your home through a buyers eyes. So here it is. This is how … (14 comments)
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sellers: Getting Your Home Sold-A Balancing Act
- 06/19/08 11:38 PM
To sell your home in Northern Virginia you have to find the right balance between price and condition. Many buyers think that the "bargain" house is the one with the big foreclosure sign in the front yard. But if they dig a little deeper they may find the gem in the neighborhood may actually be the home that is owned by an individual who has to move for reasons that have nothing to do with their mortgage payments.
When a savvy buyer begins to balance the costs, both real and hidden, of a foreclosure they can often be shocked to learn … (12 comments)
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sellers: A New Game- Realtor® Myth Busting
- 06/12/08 02:50 PM
Chances are most children don't pretend to be Realtors® when they are little unless their families were in the business. As kids we thought about being fireman, policemen or teachers. A few of you might have had more lofty ambitions and considered a run for the presidency or flying the space shuttle but the closest most of us got to a real estate career was a game of Monopoly.
Recently I was asked to speak to a group of high school students about careers (I've had a few) and how I ended up as a Realtor®. The crazy character side of … (18 comments)
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sellers: About that Naked Guy in the Shower
- 05/19/08 07:41 AM
Yesterday's blog on Stupid Pet Tricks & Real Estate Showings ended with the mention of a naked guy in a shower. Of course he was naked, he was in the shower for heavens sake but as Paul Harvey would say....now for the rest of the story.
Another agent and decided to take a little time to preview a few homes in a neighborhood in Northern Virginia. Both of us were intrigued by a listing in Fairfax Station and when we ran the MLS information found the property listed as vacant.
Vacant properties are terrific when you don't want to be on … (18 comments)
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sellers: Stupid Pet Tricks & Real Estate Showings
- 05/18/08 05:13 AM
It seemed as if it would be an easy showing. The instructions said to call the owner first so they could crate the dog. We had a pleasant conversation, gave them a timeframe and they said they would vacate the house so we could have it to ourselves. You have to love sellers who understand the process.
We arrive at our appointed time and just to make sure the owners are gone I knock on the door. From deep inside the house I hear the dog bark followed by a "shut up". Figuring that the owners hadn't left yet I wait … (21 comments)
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sellers: May the Market Rise Up to Meet You
- 05/14/08 02:55 AM
At least that has to be what a few sellers in Northern Virginia are thinking these days. Very few appraisals today in our area don't face the dreaded "declining market" flag when the appraiser arrives at the property to determine the value. So when buyers find a home that they like and which is clearly overpriced how do they get the seller to understand?
It happened this week with one of my buyers. The property was everything they had hoped to find but the list price was well above any comps that we found. We first made an offer that was … (9 comments)
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sellers: Northern Virginia Pricing Strategies in 2008-More Important Than Ever
- 04/02/08 06:23 AM
When today's buyers in Northern Virginia head out to look for a new home they have a lot of things to consider. They also have a lot of questions about home pricing, especially when they head into one neighborhood and see a wide range of prices on similar homes. As an agent it also raises a red flag to see a home that has been sitting on the market for 6 months or longer at a price point that doesn't reflect today's current market conditions.
Homes are selling in Northern Virginia. Homes that are priced well and in good condition can fly … (4 comments)
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sellers: A Chill Is In the Air in Northern Virginia but Not for Long
- 03/01/08 09:29 AM
Though the weather is still a bit nippy in Northern Virginia it won't be long before we begin to see the daffodils poking their heads up in the garden and the blooms on the Cherry Blossom trees. If you are a seller who is making a move this summer then it is not too early to begin to get your home ready to sell.
It can't be said often enough, especially in our current market where the inventory is high and the days on the market are long, your home has to be at its best the first day it goes … (6 comments)
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sellers: If You List It They Will Come-Marketing Your Home for All It’s Worth
- 02/12/08 10:21 AM
You have decided that you need to sell your Northern Virginia home and are wondering how can you make your home standout from all of the other properties listed for sale. If you haven't read the first two parts of "If You List It They Will Come" you should start there:If You List It They Will Come-Getting Your Home ReadyIf You List It They Will Come-Pricing Your Home to SellIf the Realtor® you are talking to suggests that all you need to do to get your home SOLD is list it in the MLS and buyers will come running to your house, then once again you … (6 comments)
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sellers: If You List It They Will Come-Pricing Your Home To Sell
- 02/09/08 11:59 PM
Buyers in the Northern Virginia market are looking for a good deal. They won't buy a house that is overpriced no matter how you try to entice them. Forget the free lease on a Mercedes or cruise to the Bahamas those aren't going to bring any offers to the table. Price your home right and offer the right incentives (closing cost assistance) and you may be on the short list.
Just as in Part I of If You List It They Will Come don't be swayed by the agent who comes in the door and tells you the highest listing price for your home and … (18 comments)
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sellers: If You List It They Will Come-Getting Your Home Ready
- 02/07/08 08:29 AM
At least that was the depth of the advice that most agents needed to give their sellers a few years ago. However in today's market if you interview an agent and this is the best they can do then you need to show them the door.In the current market in Northern Virginia sellers need to step up to the plate and take a look at their homes in a different light. If you are getting ready to put your home on the market you need to take an honest look around you and make what might be some tough decisions. Everyone has … (5 comments)
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sellers: Pricing Your Home To Sell in Today's Market
- 12/18/07 03:32 AM
As sellers still struggle with the decline in housing prices throughout Northern Virginia the question is “How do I price my home to sell?”
The first part of the process is setting the right price. Most sellers think of price first, condition second and market third. In a buyers market that order needs to be re-thought. Market and condition are going to determine the price. Buyers are not going to overpay and the lenders appraisal will not support an overpriced home. Don’t confuse what you paid for some of the improvements to your home with a 100% return. A new roof … (6 comments)
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sellers: What's in Your Listing Brochure?
- 11/07/07 01:01 AM
Now for the dozens of houses we go in without a single sheet of listing information this of course is a rhetorical question but for those of us who make an effort to put brochures in our listings this could be important.
In today's environment where identity theft is a concern do you still put signed disclosures in your packets? If so have you thought about the potential ramifications of making your clients signatures available for anyone who walks in the front door?
Now this may seem alarmist but in Northern Virginia we have a number of sellers who work for various secure … (12 comments)
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Is a new day dawning in real estate? I'm currently in various stages of four transactions and am finding a new level of professionalism that had slipped by the wayside a few years ago.Three of the properties are my listings and each of the buyer agents are on top of the documents and time schedules even when we have had a few technology issues no one is losing their cool. My listing in Westridge is under contract with another local Active Rain blogger Peggy James and it has been like old friends working together even though we still haven't meet face … (55 comments)
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