Hip, Hip, Hooray! 

If you are a buyer who can effectively pinpoint a house that is a possibility and one that is out the window, then give yourself a pat on the back!  You will find the house your looking for and won't tie up your every waking moment searching guides, going to open houses and dragging your REALTOR around town for 6 months.  And most importantly, you won't ever be faced with the "one that got away" syndrome.  You know, the house that you saw six months ago that you like but would not commit until you saw 60 more houses.........only to find out that that your REALTOR was telling you the truth when he/she said that this house is unlike any I've seen on the market and is a good fit for what you told me you needed!

Interestingly enough, I'm working with a buyer who is exactly that and it is refreshing!  We have not gone in a house yet that did not meet their 3/4 bedroom criteria.  Which means they are doing their homework.  They know what they need and they are not viewing every house in the tri-state area just to say they have seen that house.  Are they ready to buy?  Not yet.  Do I wish they were?  Heck yeah!  Am I concerned?  No way, they are realistic and unwilling to waste their limited time on listings that are not in line with their criteria.  They can go in a house for 60 seconds and immediately know if they want to continue on or leave. 

Buyers need to understand that these are people's lives they are rearranging by making them leave their homes each time someone wants to see it.  Pets have to be taken to other places, cleaning has to be done, kids and family have to find something to do for an hour or more while buyers are leisurely meandering through their homes.

These types of buyers do not make the home buyer decision any faster than the others.  The decision making process is the same.  Their minds are just not cluttered with useless facts about other homes and some that they cannot even remember. 

Ever see so many houses you cannot remember one from the other?  Chances are your looking at too many houses! 

So, KUDOS to the buyer who knows what they want!

West Virginia first time home buyers have a fantastic opportunity to finally own a home!  WV Housing Development Fund now has a 4.99% interest rate available for first time home buyers.  If your a renter and you've been waiting for those interest rates to hit the right number, now is the time.  I expect many West Virginians to take advantage of this rare opportunity to make one of the biggest investments of their life.    I'm excited about the announcement and I hope WV REALTORS have to opportunity to help many families get into their first homes this year.

If your ready to buy your first home CLICK HERE for more information!

Ever had the same question pop up over and over and think SOMEONE is trying to tell you something?  I'm new to the real estate business having only started my business 10 months ago, but I keep getting the same question over and over again.

"Aren't you ever afraid to show houses by yourself?"

I thought I would now ask my most frequently asked question to the ActiveRain community........

Aren't you ever afraid to show houses by youself?  What else can I do to show homes safely?  What ideas do you have?

Ever had someone call you out of the blue to see a lisitng and after several minutes of questioning them, you get the feeling that they aren't telling you the WHOLE story????  Well, this happens every day to some extent, but recently I got burned on a less than forth coming client.

It seems like you only get 20% of the story during the first conversation and maybe by week 2 or 3 you've heard about 50% of the story.  Recently, I encountered this issue with a buyer who admitted he was fed up with his agent and wanted to work with someone else.  Of course I wanted to know if he signed a buyer agreement!  And of course, he said he didn't sign ANYTHING.  And of course...that was only 20% of the truth, well it was really a lie.  He may not have understood what he was signing, but he did sign SOMETHING.

So, I showed him the house.  Then the next day I got a call from his original real estate agent.  Well, I'm not one of those people who likes alot of drama, so I just let it go and let the original sales person show the house to the client the next day and she got the sell.

Long story short, I've learned a valuable lesson.  I'll know the next time to call the original sales person just to see if the story the client is telling me is true.  It's much better to take the time to call that person just to see if they have really parted ways with the client first before you waste your Saturday afternoon.

This situation brings back something that was taught to me when I was in the insurance business........people lie.  They may not intentionally do it, or they may just "water down" the truth.  I can't put a number on how many people said they had clean driving records, but when we ran their number through the DMV, something almost always came back.  

The bottom line is to always question if what your being told is the full story or just 20%.

Live and learn.

West Virginia has a great first time home buyers program with great interest rates and 100% financing.  I work with alot of first time home buyers as well as relocations.  Get in touch with me to get more information.  I can even set you up on my automated email which will give you instant updates as soon as a home that meets your criteria hits the market here in WV.  I don't hassle people with sales calls.  I feel that most people prefer to seach from their computers and call me once they are ready.  I use several different internet tools to use to market all of my listings.  If your interested in buying or selling give me a call or email and I can tell you more!