buyers: Mortgage Rates at 4% - Not the cure - 02/06/09 06:23 AM
Sure 4% interest rates will cause even more people to refinance and it might even get people off the fence... but who is still on the fence when they could have had rates as low as 4.5%. Don't get me wrong a half point is significant, but I think we can all agree that the mortgage rates are low enough. I'd prefer to see more options and releasing of some of the restrictions. The pendulum has swung completely on the other side. People are stuck paying $1,500 a month in rent with good jobs but can't get a loan for some … (3 comments)
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buyers: What's A Buyer's Agent Good For? - 11/17/08 08:06 PM
While some listing agents may disagree, I think the buyer's agent has some unique responsibilities and most have nothing to do with finding the home.
See I believe fully in the buyer's agent fiduciary responsibility to the client. Meaning that outside finding them the right home and consulting with them to figure out what that is based on needs and wants, it's about:
Negotiating to get the best deal Delivering key marke information based on LOCAL information Managing the transaction to make sure things happen and things DON'T HAPPEN Informing the client of possible outcomes Strategizing with the client to ensure … (2 comments)
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buyers: Listing At Appraisal Value - Good Idea In Gwinnett County? - 05/29/08 06:17 AM
As Realtors "we" can list your home for whatever "we" want. Why else are there so many homes on the market? Most of them were priced incorrectly. So in order to say "I can only price it at appraisal", first, I have to have a valid appraisal. An appraisal from a tax assessor, refinance or even sometime during a purchase is not a valid appraisal. Those appraisals do not take into account current market conditions and only evaluate the past solds. Doing this is like chasing a ball downhill, looking at 3 month data is always going to be problematic in … (1 comments)
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buyers: Atlanta Real Estate Market - A Buyer's Market Yes, A Bad Market, ... ? You decide - 04/07/08 03:57 PM
As long as I have been in Atlanta Real Estate, it's always been a buyer's market. Sure there were some streets and some neighborhoods that had a certain essence that people clamored for, but overall, as a buyer you could always expect concessions of some sort.
If you're a big fan of the media, you might want to click away right now, because I hate to break it to folks, but this is one of the best years ever for Real Estate.
Let's get right into the facts (all from our MLS).
(Left: Centennial Olympic Park Fountain, By Hamwithcam)
Let's first look at … (2 comments)
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buyers: First Time Home Buyer Book | Your First Home | Keller Williams - Gary Keller - 01/23/08 04:23 AM
Yesterday morning and during training we (Keller Williams Agents) were given the announcement that Gary is at it again. This time he has written a buyer book called, "Your First Home." In it are photos of the authors first homes, explanations of appreciation and more. It will become the STANDARD given to all my buyer clients upon signing of a buyer brokerage agreement.
Here's the official word:
Written by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan, the writing team that brought you MREA and MREI, Your First Home is a resource for aspiring home owners and a business building tool for you.
Providing … (7 comments)
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buyers: Can Mailing the Same Group Twice Double Your Response? - 01/14/08 04:54 AM
I came across this article by Alan Sharp and thought it was interesting. It refers to Mailing your database with offers, actually the same offers twice. This article was written with the assumption that you are mailing in quick succession or at the same time.
Mailing the same direct mail offer to the same consumer list a second time typically generates a response rate that's 65 percent smaller than the initial response. Mailing a third time usually generates a response that's more than 50 percent smaller than the initial mailing. But if you mail businesses or institutions with the same offer … (11 comments)
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buyers: Just Say No To One Deal Clients, Climb the Mountain of Success by Focusing On 20% - 01/12/08 03:04 PM
I was reading an article about cost effective ways to increase profits and came across some great statistics. We are all familiar with the 80/20 rule, or at least should be. The ideas that 20% of the people are responsible for 80% of the income, and 80% of the people make the rest of the left over 20%. You can take this "law" or rule even a step further. 20% of your daily activities are responsible for 80% of your income. OK now here's the hard part, that's right, 20% of your CLIENTS are responsible for 80% of your profit.
FOUL! … (4 comments)
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buyers: Realtor.com Still Top Dog - Source Hitwise - 01/09/08 05:46 AM
In an article that was reporte by Inman news, the latest statistics from Hitwise are out and Realtor.com is still top dog. However, if you've been ignoring some other major players you're missing the boat. Everyone's favorite, "no need for an agent" sites, Zillow and Trulia are in the top 20. With Zillow having a major impact at number 4. Think you might want to reconsider featuring your listing on there? Or how about the Realtor.com featured ad? Think your clients are being served by Realtor.com....
Not so fast. A key number is the marketshare each site has and the difference between 4 … (18 comments)
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buyers: Metro Atlanta Market: Year In Review | Atlanta, Alpharetta, Duluth, Dacula, Lawrenceville Homes For Sale & Real Estate - 12/21/07 03:34 PM
Year in Review: Atlanta Market.
I selected some major cities to give you a sample of what happened this year.
ATLANTA REAL ESTATEIn the City of Atlanta, there are currently 7,048 Single Family Homes on the market with an average price of $488K. It's no wonder our markets are they way they are as the average price of a home that has sold this year was only $395K. This year 6,466 homes sold with an average market time of 77 Days.
SEARCH ALL ATLANTA HOMES FOR SALE
ALPHARETTA REAL ESTATEIn everyone's favorite Georgia Town, Alpharetta, there are currently 1,434 Homes For Sale with … (0 comments)
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buyers: Blogging Turns Into A Spot In A Newspaper Article | Atlanta Journal Constitution Feature My Buyer's - 12/03/07 11:50 AM
I got a call during Turkey week from George Chidi doing an article about the market for the Atlanta Journal Consitution. He went down a list at Active Rain and I was one of the few agents who had buyers actually buying.
He went on to feature a choice couple, Grant & Jenny Shaw. A great first time home buying couple. Originally, he said it was just a piece about the market, but it's skewed to make it look like Gwinnett is in a slump. It may very well be slower, but you can still sell your home for top dollar, … (3 comments)
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buyers: Duluth Homes For Sale & Real Estate Market Conditions - 11/19/07 04:23 AM
Duluth is quickly becoming the "Marietta" of the East side of Metro Atlanta, only with better schools and more affordable options and newer homes. So maybe they aren't alike all that much. However, with an average price of a home for sale in Duluth being $610,435 it's no wonder I might draw comparisons to the two cities. It's also no wonder, that Duluth, being surrounded by other cities in Gwinnett with access to the same schools and even more affordable housing, has 941 homes for sale.
It's also no wonder that only a handful of these are selling, with 66 selling … (0 comments)
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buyers: Just Sold in Sugar Hill, GA | My Buyer Saved $9,500 (5% off List Price) & Kept the Fridge! - 11/17/07 05:14 AM
My buyer just bought this great ranch on a basement in Sugar Hill, GA. I know it doesn't look great from the photo and maybe that had something to do with how desperate the seller's must have been. Who will really ever know?
My buyer was able to save $9,500 total off of this immaculate home through the Jarvis Team's expert negotiation ability. Not included in that figure is that the seller was also able to receive, an almost new refrigerator (uncommon in Georgia) and a nice area rug. That's over 5% savings, well over what my commission was on this home.
Situated … (3 comments)
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buyers: Gary Keller & Other Masterminds Weigh in Last Week, Here's Their Tidbits on our Market - 11/12/07 08:21 AM
Some more tidbits from the Weekly KW newsletter. These are from the most recent MASTERMIND "Camp." Where top agents get together to share what's working and what's not. This is different than the Family Reunion which has training but also is a time to present awards and direction of the company.
Agent Mastermind is designed to help agents who have hit a plateau, break through it with sound advice from the industry's top agents, Keller Williams Agents or not.
"There's a difference between the reality of the market and the financial opportunity that you have," emphasized Gary Keller during Agent Masterminds … (1 comments)
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buyers: Gary Keller Rebuttal to Jim Kramer's "WORST TIME TO BUY" Comment - 10/01/07 02:29 PM
I usually don't repost what KW sends us in our E-mail, but I thought this was a great Story! I looked but could not find the video for the today show.
Last week on the Today Show, during a segment on the national real estate market, CNBC's Jim Kramer uncompromisingly stated, "now is the absolute worst time to buy!"
Concerned that remarks such as these from so-called experts might be pushing potential buyers to the sidelines?
Here's what Gary Keller, co-founder and chairman of Keller Williams Realty has to say about waiting out the current market:
First, residential real estate is not a … (7 comments)
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buyers: Suwanee Real Estate & Homes For Sale Market Report: Sept 07 - 09/11/07 11:59 AM
Suwanee, named on of the best places to live by Money Magazine is still creating a lot of buzz, specifically with resales. Even with some activity it certainly feels like the dog days of Summer.
With 935 homes for sale in Suwanee, buyers have many choices. The average price has jumped to $497K, though. There are, however, many more affordable homes there.
With 115 homes under contract and 71 Sold last month, Suwanee is still moving. It'll likely take about 74 days to sell a home in good condition and priced accurately in Suwanee.
Average selling price of a home in Suwanee, … (0 comments)
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buyers: Duluth Homes For Sale & Real Estate Market Report: Sept 07 - 09/11/07 11:08 AM
Duluth Real Estate is always bustling with new developments, enhancements to old developments and large projects going on.
Right now, in Duluth, there are 1002 homes for sale at an average price of a whopping $611K, this is a large number for normally affordable Gwinnett County. This of course is helped in large part by the nearly 7.5 Million Dollar estate sale of Mr. Nguyen in Sugarloaf Country Club.
Currently, there are 119 homes under contract with an average price of $412K. These homes like the rest of Gwinnett, feature 4/3 and one half baths.
Last Month, 74 Homes Sold in Duluth. … (0 comments)
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buyers: From Forbes: Housing Market Decline To 2009 - Moody's Report - 09/11/07 08:43 AM
I saw this flash up on my screen as I checked my mail. Another naysayer, we'll see in two years what happens.
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Not only will the housing market not turn around for the next two years, Moody's believes it will be weak when it finally does come back.
"Our current thinking is that the downturn, currently two years in the making, will last until 2009, with any sector recovery likely to be sluggish for some time after that," Joseph Snider, senior credit officer at Moody's, said Monday.
This, in turn, will likely lead the agency to downgrade its ratings on many publicly traded homebuilders, Moody's said, … (6 comments)
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buyers: Lawrenceville Homes For Sale and Real Estate Market Report: September 2007 - 09/05/07 12:22 PM
September 2007: Lawrenceville Homes For Sale and Real Estate Market Report
Lawrenceville, being the county seat of Gwinnett county is possibly the most diverse market as well as one of the most populated. It's therefore a great test market to see what types of homes are selling in Gwinnett County.
There are currently 2,762 Homes For Sale in Lawrenceville with an average price of $238,000. An average home for sale in Lawrenceville will likely have four bedrooms and two and half baths.
The Lawrenceville Real Estate market has slightly picked up in that 341 homes for sale are now under contract. These homes … (0 comments)
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buyers: How Much Would You Pay A Customer to Use You? Commission Auction Site - 08/29/07 04:05 PM
That's what one site is proposing.
I got an e-mail today notifying me that I was losing my bid for someone's purchase. Usually I am not duped into clicking but it looked pretty legit. So what did I do, I clicked.
To my dismay, there was this site where Realtors out"BID" or out cut each other to "win" this client. The auction I watched today had an agent giving up 70% of the commission back to buyer.
I'm not sure how this is even legal, but it'll be interesting to see. For those curious, the site was home commission dot com.
The … (10 comments)
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buyers: Norcross Real Estate Market Report - August 2007 Homes For Sale - 08/21/07 05:54 AM
Norcross, one of Gwinnett Counties most industrial of cities and most convenient, is also the most diverse in every sense of the word. Including Victorian style homes near the city center as well as sub $150K townhomes. Norcross is known to some (in the Peachtree Corners area) to be a bustling place that's well, posh. To others it's known as a gang invested slum area because of all the news reports. As with any city there are good and bad parts. With only 545 homes for sale in Norcross, it has the fewest of Gwinnett's cities. At an average price of … (0 comments)
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