home buyers: It's Not You - It's Me.
- 02/13/11 11:53 PM
A call over the weekend - an ex-client. Haven't talked to him in quite some time. He broke it off with me a couple years ago - and now he wants me back to help him buy a home. Or at least to try it again.
We met through a friend. Hit it off great. He had everything - down payment money, motivation, great job and great credit - already pre-qualified but could pay cash.
We met several times over coffee. We discussed his home buying goals, needs, and time frame to buy.
We started meeting at homes. After writing several offers, we … (128 comments)
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home buyers: Dream On! The Day Sleeper Seller.
- 01/31/11 09:54 PM
I listed a home last year. The Seller worked odd schedules and generally slept all day long. I was lucky -the Seller was easy to work with and made a few modifications to help during the showing process.
Having a day sleeper Seller can be a challenge - but if all interested parties involved make a few extra accommodations showings can go smoothly and help reduce interruptions for the day sleepers schedule:
Some tips for Seller's who are day sleepers include:
Be very specific about showing instructions, i.e., what hours the Seller isn't home
Provide as many options for showing times … (4 comments)
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home buyers: Sittin' In The Mornin' Sun, I'll Be Sittin' When The Evening Comes.. Waiting For The Late!
- 01/14/11 11:42 PM
If I was Otis Redding, sitting by the dock on a bay - I would have probably waited a little longer .... but instead, my view was a brown house next to a dirt road. So I just watched my hair get grayer yesterday waiting for Buyers to show up.
To pass more time, I got to wondering what is the reasonable amount of time one should wait for someone who is late.
For me, it probably depends on several things - if they call and let me know, I wait longer; if it's a friend who is always late - I wait until I don't … (27 comments)
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home buyers: Why Do Agents Call For A Showing Then Cancel?
- 11/02/10 02:30 AM
Who knows - but it happens. An agent calls to schedule a showing. If you are lucky, the agent calls to let you know the showing is being canceled. Sometimes a reason is given and sometimes not.
I can't speak for other agents, but reasons my Buyers decided not to see a house include:
They may have seen a home earlier and absolutely fell in love with it and didn't want to see anymore. Drove through the neighborhood and didn't like the area Felt, after seeing other homes, the home might be a little over-priced and decided it wasn't worth viewing. The exterior … (6 comments)
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home buyers: Discover All The Possibilities With Magic Eraser!
- 10/06/10 08:26 AM
This post is my very first entry in an Active Rain contest! The contest is by Charles Buell, called "Proof that I can blog about anything!" The basic idea of the contest is to provide an opportunity for all active rain bloggers to stretch themselves----to step "outside-the-box" a bit----and realize that there is stuff to blog about everywhere one looks ----even under the kitchen sink.
I looked under my kitchen sink. "Ugh. Am I a clean freak?", I wondered as I looked through all the stuff. So, I started throwing things out and stopped when I came to one product … (21 comments)
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home buyers: Just 'Cuz You Never Know ... Keep Your Buyers Aware and Protected
- 09/08/10 07:07 AM
Many of us are very meticulous about keeping our Buyers protected. If Buyers are working with an attentive real estate agent, things generally go just fine right to closing.
But even with the perfect agent, things can still go in a "not what we wanted" direction. So, "just 'cuz you never know" here are a few things to pay attention to:
Earnest money checks. Realtors tend to be copy freaks - we copy or scan every document related to transactions for not only our records, but for the lender, the title company, the Buyer, etc. But, protect your Buyers checking account … (4 comments)
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home buyers: Authenticity: Buyers Look For It In Homes Too!
- 02/08/10 11:59 PM
Authenticity. From Google:Define:
Truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, and intentions.
According to recent home buying polls, Americans are moving away from "show" and "looks" and "huge" and "just because" features in a home.
Rather, they are looking for more "authentic", "real" and "sharing" features that encourage togetherness with friends and family. It seems to really coincide with the online presence consumers have professionals and friends - through blogging, or Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc., it's about connecting in one big forum, being real and sharing.
After-all, when it's all said and done - no matter how tough things get - no one can ever take, and you can … (5 comments)
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home buyers: Realtors® Are Not A Protected Class
- 01/25/10 09:24 PM
Something I'm noticing in agent-only remarks on bank owned properties:
"No commission if Buyer is a real estate agent."
"No commission if real estate agent is related to Buyer."
And my favorite, "No offers considered if Buyer is the real estate agent or related to agent."
Some REO companies have a cover sheet with the question, "Are you an investor?"
I appreciate these disclosures. Knowing it ahead of time is more appreciated, since from first-hand experience - this information is often disclosed after the fact.
Discussing this with an REO agent/friend, he told me that certain banks decided to develop this … (68 comments)
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home buyers: Are You Letting Your Buyers Commit A Crime?
- 01/20/10 09:58 PM
This post is a follow up to my previous post on "AS IS" - What does that really mean?". One of the individuals who commented on the post said that he lets Buyers in to the AS IS home to make repairs if it's necessary for financing.
A very common thing that happens: the Seller won't do repairs - but repairs need to be made for financing. What do you do?
You let the Buyers go in to the home and make the repairs that are needed! Solves the problem right?
It does - if you've asked for permission. Otherwise, it's a … (15 comments)
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home buyers: Out With The Old And In With The New - Updating Your Realtors Tool Box!
- 12/26/09 10:46 PM
Back in the day - which wasn't too long ago - real estate agents (at least in Tucson!) needed to keep many items handy to prepare Buyers to enter a bank owned home: gloves, face masks, hand wipes, shoe covers, etc.
Lately, I've noticed a whole new "picture" of a bank owned home: clean, no trash around, broken windows either fixed or boarded up securely, yards are maintained - and you can just about get away without needing a face mask! And did I mention clean-er??!!
So I've updated my tool box for showing homes - and replaced the "gas mask-safety" … (11 comments)
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home buyers: There Isn't A 'Morning After Pill' For Buyer's Remorse
- 12/18/09 07:17 AM
This is the time of year to find bargains! Spending weeks price searching, I finally bought "that right" gift. Only to see, it went on sale 3 days later at a different store. Ugh. Do I return it and buy from the other place? Do I just make peace with the gift at the price I got? What to do what to do ...!
If only Buyers remorse was that easy when it came to buying a home. But the morning after you spent your first night in the home, there are no refunds or exchanges.
"Did you pay too much??! What … (3 comments)
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home buyers: Rites of Passage: From Nerves To A House-Warming Party
- 10/07/09 11:02 PM
Realtor.org wrote that now is a historic time for first home buyers.
So the big hurdle is getting the first time home buyer past their nerves and to the closing table. Add the mad rush to buy something before the $8000 tax credit ends on November 30th -- and it can get crazy!
People often "need" to go through phases of emotions, trial and error, etc., in order to find their passage to the next step of a new venture. It's our job to help these types of first time home buyers stay focused and calm.
How?
Let them vent, be "know-it-alls", anxious, excited, … (5 comments)
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home buyers: There are 88 Happy - and 106 Almost Happy Home Buyers in Tucson Today!
- 10/02/09 09:11 AM
Here's a little twist on this weekly Tucson Arizona Real Estate update!
Making the graph this morning - the stats are wonderfully positive!! A whopping 88 people closed and moved into their brand new homes - in the last 24 hours!
So here it is - the 24-Hour Tucson Arizona Real Estate Market - October 2, 2009 - In the last 24 hours this graph shows what has happened with Tucson home listings and sales in the Tucson real estate market!
Here is the summary:
New Listings - 150
Price Drops - 93
Back On Market - 28
Inactive/Seller Release - 48
Under Contract - 106
… (1 comments)
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home buyers: 2009 HomeBuyers Tax Credit - "More" Common Questions & Answers
- 07/13/09 01:08 AM
COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO THE 2009 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit
Once I have closed on my home and how do I file for the tax credit? Pick up tax form 5405 at your local CPA/Tax Preparer office or go online at www.irs.gov. You will need your date of closing and new address along with your other tax information. Once the form is completed, it can be filed with the IRS.
Do I really get $8,000 back from the IRS? Yes, it is an actual $8,000.
If I am already getting a tax refund back, do I get the $8,000 in addition … (7 comments)
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home buyers: Buyer Education: Are We Making An Offer Or Is This More Practice For Writing One?
- 02/12/09 02:05 AM
Seems these days - when I am not selling real estate, I am educating Buyers about it. Especially the Buyer that is tired of trying to get a bargain!
Whether it is the listing agent who educated their Sellers correctly, or the Seller having already failed the test a few times and finally priced their home right -- Buyers are discovering the hard way that the ... bargain really is the listed price!
Reasons the student buyer failed the class on "The Reality of Buying in a Buyer's Market":
"They just filled in fake names on the sign in sheet so it looks like people have shown the home."
"They … (6 comments)
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A call over the weekend - an ex-client. Haven't talked to him in quite some time. He broke it off with me a couple years ago - and now he wants me back to help him buy a home. Or at least to try it again.
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