buy a home: Compelling Evidence Supports Backup Contracts In Real Estate - 05/16/12 06:25 AM
The declining number of homes for sale in Tallahassee is causing an old question to resurface in Tallahassee, as buyers want to know my thoughts on whether to write a back up contract on a house.
The question is being asked more and more due to the fact that our Tallahassee MLS IDX Feed (the data stream sent from our MLS to populate all real estate websites that feature homes for sale from the Tallahassee MLS) includes everything on the market, including homes already under contract.
So when you are on Zillow, or Trulia, or even our very popular Tallahassee Property … (8 comments)
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buy a home: 7 Inalienable Truths About How To Buy A Home - 05/09/12 05:40 AM
Helping people discover how to buy a home over the past 21 years has revealed 7 inalienable truths that are contrary to the instincts they have when we first meet.
Ironically, the very things they initially want to do would cause them to lose money and spend a lot of time getting frustrated.
Fortunately, when they hire Century 21 Manausa and Associates to help them buy a home in Tallahassee, we guide them away from these inclinations a show them how to use these 7 tips on how to buy a home. I share them with you here today so that … (14 comments)
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buy a home: Surprise: That Property You Found Online Is Already Under Contract! - 04/02/12 07:02 AM
One of the most often asked questions by people looking at homes on our Tallahassee Property Search Tool is about the status of properties under contract.
Some people want to know why we even both to continue marketing properties under contract, they feel that these just get in the way when they are looking at what is still available.
But there has actually been a lot of consideration put into this, so I figured it might make for an enlightening blog post.
Properties Under Contract Might Not Close Real estate companies who are hired to sell a home in Tallahassee sign … (43 comments)
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buy a home: Are You Sure You Really Know What's Happening With Home Values Near You? - 03/27/12 06:54 AM
If you go to sell your home today and find buyers will pay you less than they would have last year, would you say real estate values are rising or falling?
If you go to buy a home, and your lender says you can afford to buy a more expensive home due to falling interest rates, does this mean you'll be willing to give a seller more than his home is worth?
I mean, just because you can spend more does not mean that you'll just pay more money for the same house, right?
Do these questions seem stupid?
These two questions … (0 comments)
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buy a home: 6 Solid House Buying Advice Tips You Should Consider Before You Buy One - 02/28/12 08:58 AM
Today's homebuyer is especially cautious, so let's review some of our best house buying advice to help you avoid making some big mistakes.
We all know that the real estate market has been rocked. Tallahassee home values have been falling for more than five years, and the bottom is not yet appearing in our rear view mirror.
So what's a prospective home buyer to do? Do you sit out on the sidelines and hope to catch the bottom, or do you jump into the market and take advantage of historically low interest rates? You just need sound house buying advice.
I'm … (2 comments)
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buy a home: Many Are Asking ... Should I Buy A Home In 2012 Or Wait Another Year? - 02/14/12 10:53 AM
A question on many people's minds these days is whether you buy a home or wait until home values fall even further.
We know that home values will continue to decline over the next several years.
And we also expect that these historic interest rates will not last forever.
In an attempt to bring clarity to the "buy a home or wait" debate, I have set up a real estate model that will help most people understand that the answer is fairly simple, but it varies for each person's unique situation.
Do You Buy A Home Or Wait - The Model … (8 comments)
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buy a home: How To Guage Real Estate Customer Preferences In 2012 - 01/04/12 09:19 AM
2011 is over, and as we look forward to the recovery of the Tallahassee housing market, let’s take one last look backward to see which blog posts were the most popular last year. The top 10 real estate blog posts for 2011 gives me an idea of what our readers most enjoy seeing at the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, and I will use this as a reference for what is written here in 2012.
The long-time readers of the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog know that I monitor our traffic (statistics) on a very regular basis. I like to know what is … (2 comments)
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buy a home: Mortgage Assignment Sales: Don't Believe The Hype - 09/01/11 07:49 AM
I was reading a blog post this morning from another real estate agent who was seeking input about a creative solution for homebuyers with bad credit that involves the assumption of existing loans. This technique is commonly called a mortgage assignment sale and it simply involves the seller granting the deed of the property to the buyer subject to the existing liens on the property.
The topic of mortgage assignments is very hot among real estate investors, with many claiming the mortgage assignment sale as a great way to acquire a lot of property with very little money. If the seller … (4 comments)
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buy a home: How To Avoid Over-Priced Home Seller Traps - 04/26/11 08:43 AM
If you are thinking about buying a home in Tallahassee, you better beware the trap that many overpriced home sellers hope to set for you. I always urge our buyers to read an article I wrote on How To Buy Overpriced Home Listings, but despite my best advice, they are still willing to walk into the trap, so I thought I would reiterate a few of the reasons to beware the over-priced home seller.
The way most real estate contracts work, when buyer and seller have come to terms on a transaction, is that the buyer goes into a period … (2 comments)
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buy a home: How To Find A Buyer's Agent - 11/05/10 09:51 AM
I was recently in communication with somebody looking to buy a home in Tallahassee when I was pleasantly surprised by a request for a buyer’s agent. Having been in the real estate business for 20 years, I can count on one hand the times that I have received the specific request for somebody who specializes working with home buyers.
Most real estate professionals do not really specialize in working with “just buyers” or “just sellers,” though don’t be surprised to hear somebody telling you they do. The ability to take a home buyer through all the hurdles that will fall in … (1 comments)
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buy a home: Home Buyers: Beware Of These Common Mistakes - 08/05/10 01:43 PM
One of the benefits of working in a real estate office that utilizes a team approach to customer service is that I get a whole bunch of feedback from our great real estate agents. During our past company business meeting, we were reviewing some of the common mistakes that we see homebuyers make in the Tallahassee real estate market. With this fresh information on the top of my mind, I figured it would make for great blog content this morning.
Based upon our conversation, here some key observations from a Tallahassee real estate office and it’s agents regarding mistakes being … (2 comments)
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buy a home: Getting Creative With HomeBuyers - 07/30/10 08:28 AM
The past two blog posts have been dedicated to thinking outside of the box and using creative real estate solutions for home sellers who are having a tough go at selling their homes in the Tallahassee real estate market. Yesterday, we posted two riddles and asked readers to respond with the correct solution, and “Bill” was the first to respond with both correct answers.
The correct answers for our creative real estate riddles were:
He was a lighthouse keeper. The other three were women. So, thanks Bill and everybody who commented and emailed their answers to us.
Creative Solutions For Homebuyers … (0 comments)
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buy a home: How To Triumph In Home Sales Negotiation - 06/24/10 09:39 AM
Understanding how to triumph in home sales negotiation should be simple to understand, but I find that is not always so.
If I were to ask 100 home buyers “how much are you willing to pay for the home,” when they found the right home to buy, most would give me an answer that would work against them. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate for home buyers and home sellers the smartest way to negotiate during a home sale.
Much of my advice on real estate negotiation is counter intuitive, but that is why I believe most people … (0 comments)
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buy a home: You Should Not Buy A Home Right Now - 01/12/10 08:08 AM
It does not take more than a minute (if you do a search on Google™) to find a blog or article written by a REALTOR® which extols the virtues of buying a home. And there is a better than even chance that “Now is the Time To Buy” will be included in the first paragraph or title of the article.
With this in mind, I thought I would write about the counter argument, why Now Is Not The Time To Buy A Home. You see, I believe that buying a home is not the right answer for everybody. There are … (8 comments)
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buy a home: Buyer Considers Lease Purchase As Creative Solution To Housing Problem - 09/29/09 06:55 AM
One of the more popular blog posts that our readers have enjoyed is called “What Sellers Should Know About Lease Purchase Agreements” and it was posted back in March of this year. The reason that I wrote the article about alternative home selling processes is that I suspected that market conditions and the glut of homes would require different solutions in the coming years. Those times are definitely upon us.
Another popular blog post titled “Creative Financing Offers Challenged Home Buyers Potential Solutions.” was also posted in March as a way of explaining methodologies other than traditional bank borrowing to buy … (6 comments)
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buy a home: Search The Same MLS As REALTORS Do - 08/10/09 06:23 AM
When I first got into the real estate business in Tallahassee, the multiple listing system (Tallahassee MLS) was not computerized. We all submitted our listings and every three weeks or so, a new “MLS Book” was published. Sorting through this colossal printed assembly was not fun. We would sit with buyers and show them grainy black and white photos of what was available.
Sorting through homes for sale in Tallahassee was another problem. One section of the book contained all the three bedroom homes, the next four bedroom homes, etc. So if a homeowner wanted to properly market their 4 … (4 comments)
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buy a home: Cautious Home Buyers Find Opportunity In Tallahassee - 06/20/09 07:13 AM
As we go into the Fathers Day Weekend, I thought I would do a quick check on home sales in Tallahassee to see if anything new was shaking. If you have been following the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog for any time, you know that we have been tracking the changes in Tallahassee home inventories here on nearly a daily basis.
We know we must see a change in home buyer activity in Tallahassee before the market change can occur. With some great programs that have been launched to provide free money for first time homebuyers, we were hoping that we would … (0 comments)
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buy a home: Doesn't That Come With The House? - 06/17/09 10:16 AM
It seems that the best real estate blog articles are born from the comments and questions of the readers and subscribers. It makes sure that the content is not only fresh, but it is also based upon the current interests of people active in the Tallahassee real estate market.
Recently, a reader had a question about an offer she is making which concerned the difference between an offer and a real estate contract. She asked:
When we looked at the house we put an offer on, the seller’s disclosure indicated that, among other things, the washer and dryer conveyed with the … (4 comments)
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buy a home: Business Roundtable Wants Tax Credit For All Home Buyers - 06/12/09 06:20 AM
In yesterday’s edition of the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, it was reported that a group of business executives issued a set of recommendations for the White House and Congress that are aimed at jump-starting the housing market in order to stimulate a broader economic recovery. How is this important in the Tallahassee Real Estate Market?
Business Roundtable Wants Tax Credit For All Home Buyers We have written quite a bit here lately about the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit, so this is directly related to that program. The Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading … (0 comments)
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buy a home: Home Buyers Must Choose Between Tax Credit Or Falling Prices - 06/11/09 06:29 AM
Last week we discussed home affordability in the Tallahassee real estate market and we found that home affordability was similar to levels seen in 2004. We discussed the elements that made up home affordability, but we left out a crucial point.
Fortunately, long time reader “Doug” was there to point it out for us. Doug reminded us that for First Time Home Buyers, the new federal tax credit made it a “no brainer” to buy today. The first time home buyer would be able to receive an $8,000 credit against future taxes as well as take advantage of today’s lower interest … (2 comments)
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