seller: Foreclosure Stripping? - 11/15/09 12:16 PM
Clark Howard was talking about this a couple of days ago, and Fox News is talking about it today. And it doesn't involve a pole...
Foreclosure Stripping...
In effect, some folks that are losing their homes are "fighting back" in their own little way. Prior to departure, these folks are looking … (12 comments)
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seller: Staging with Storage - 11/08/09 11:24 PM
One of the things that is challenging for families selling homes is dealing with toys and other things that clutter up the house. We still have to live in the home, but we also need to make it attractive for buyers. In the video are some great tips for … (4 comments)
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seller: Let's increase the Home Buyer Tax Credit to $100,000... - 10/03/09 11:40 PM
And while we are at it, why don't we expand it to cover everyone. Do you think the NAR would get behind this?
Honestly, I bet that they would see that this would be ludicrous. Not that it wouldn't be GREAT for real estate agents, we would be rolling in it. … (143 comments)
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seller: Water, Water, Everywhere... Trashing the House... - 09/17/09 08:40 PM
Water is essential for life. Without it, everything dies. But... sometimes it can be a pain in the butt... like when it is in the wrong place in the house... or outside of the house...
I have a buyer that is under contract on a beautiful home... or more accurately, a … (6 comments)
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seller: Sellers, Are you ready to compete for Buyers? - 08/30/09 10:12 PM
Image via Wikipedia
That's right...
Buyers are looking at homes, and they still have a choice.
Don't get me wrong, there is competition among Buyers for some homes, but the competition goes both ways.
Buyers that don't snap up the deal fast enough might find that they lose it … (6 comments)
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seller: Police Response time... 15 minutes. - 08/22/09 11:45 PM
The listing said to call before visiting the home. The listing sheet said that the alarm code was in the lockbox. I called... the agent reiterated that the alarm code was in the lockbox.
The house had a keypad deadbolt. The lockbox contained a code that accessed the deadbolt.
It was … (15 comments)
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seller: Video is the tool, and these are the artists... - 08/06/09 09:50 PM
For buyers, getting to know a home is part of the process. Seeing it, feeling it, walking around the taking it in... That is great if you are around the corner, or even across town... but what if you are unable to take that time to tour scores of properties before … (10 comments)
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seller: All the World's a Stage... but there's only one Angel - 08/02/09 10:53 PM
Have you met my friend Angel Walker? If you are an agent or a seller, you should. She is a staging professional. In fact, she is Staging Professionals.
First, let's talk about staging...
Homes for sale need an edge. Vacant homes, or even homes that are less than optimally presented … (4 comments)
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seller: The Story of a House... - 07/30/09 11:05 PM
Earlier today I read a blog my Anne Rains about a house she took a buyer to see... it was a mess. It had smells. It had clutter. They left.
It reminded me of a house.
I was six. And it was a cool house... in that 70s sort of way. … (6 comments)
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seller: REEP and Cap & Trade - 07/05/09 09:46 PM
Changes might be coming... and they aren't good.
Buried in the 1500 page bill is a very long section on the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance program, REEP for short.
It calls for varied provisions such as "Green Guidelines" for new and existing homes, Federal Code Inspectors for those provisions, … (6 comments)
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seller: Listing Options... Just so you know. - 06/26/09 04:09 PM
Yesterday I posted about how some companies are adding junk fees to the traditional sales fees for both buyers and sellers. I think this practice is just plain wrong... especially the way it is usually presented.
In order to give my clients options and help them save some money, I … (4 comments)
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seller: Broker Fees? - 06/25/09 10:15 PM
I’ve seen an annoying new trend. Buyer and Seller “Broker Fees”. It may go by various names, but amounts to the same thing… what Clark Howard would call a Junk Fee.
These are quite different from the other fees that may be involved in a real estate transaction, and there are … (9 comments)
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seller: How much earnest money is enough? - 06/21/09 10:23 PM
This is a common question from both buyers and sellers...
For Sellers...
The object is to get enough that it would be painful for the buyers to walk away without cause after the contingencies are settled. For instance, $100 is obviously too low. Just about anyone would be willing to walk … (3 comments)
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seller: Pricing isn't about price. It's about... - 06/10/09 11:41 AM
I can almost hear you say, "Pricing isn't about price? Then what the heck is it about?"
Here is the bottom line. Just about every home on the market has a narrow range it WILL sell in. Whether it is priced at $50,000 or $500,000, there is a price at which … (5 comments)
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seller: Stop YELLING at me! - 06/09/09 02:35 PM
This is a simple question... I have asked it before and the answer has always been a resounding "because that is how we have always done it." What am I talking about?
Why is it that MLS entries are ALL CAPS?
It doesn't make sense. It is common knowledge that ALL … (6 comments)
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seller: I don't care WHAT the instructions are... you WILL submit the offer... - 06/03/09 12:01 PM
I am getting pretty tired of seeing...
Offer will not be submitted to seller unless buyer prequalifies with ___ Mortgage.
Let me give you a clue... Yes, you WILL submit the offer. It may be rejected by your client, but you will submit the offer. If you don't, feel free to … (15 comments)
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seller: Get you Pic on... - 05/31/09 11:26 PM
I have done a couple of surveys of photos on listings in Lilburn, GA. It is pretty interesting to see how many pictures are included on local homes for sale. It is also a bit annoying... because there are still WAY too many homes that aren't being represented well.
Here is … (11 comments)
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seller: Exceptionalism - 05/24/09 11:18 PM
There are a lot of real estate agents. The NAR reports over 1.2 million members, and the Atlanta area alone has more than 40,000. It is hard to NOT know a real estate agent. Regardless of where I go and who I talk with, they know an agent. Today at the … (0 comments)
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seller: Sign, sign, everywhere's a sign... - 05/23/09 10:27 PM
Real estate listings need a sign. They all have one, right... or at least most... But there is one problem with the ubiquitous real estate sign... it is boring!
I don't like "normal"
I like EXCEPTIONAL...
Real estate signs aren't an exception. I have long been tired of the same ol' … (6 comments)
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seller: But Zillow Says... - 05/09/09 11:23 PM
I know... most sellers at some point take a look at the 'Zestimate' that Zillow produces for their property. And there is almost always one of two reactions...
"Those people are on crack, my house is worth way more than that" (if the Zestimate is lower than expected)
"Wow, I didn't … (0 comments)
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