Real estate blog entries tagged with selling by Miriam Bernstei

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selling: Being One of Many - Take a Number Please! - 01/13/12 05:57 AM

This is a story that a friend of my mine related to me yesterday. It seems not a day goes by where somethng someone does doesn't just amaze me.
My friend got a call from an agent who had moved to another state. This agent had been in the business in her original state for many years and was well networked. She called my friend and told her she had resesarched her and like what she saw, that she was looking for an agent to refer clients to and would like to send a referral. My friend was flattered and said … (2 comments)

selling: Some Things to Consider When You Sell - 08/12/10 02:13 AM

There are many things you have to know when you decide to sell your home. Which agent? What kinds of marketing? What is the job of the listing agent? How will buyer's agents access your property to show it? Where will you be moving? What if a buyer comes along sooner than you thought do you have contingency plans and a place to go?
I have been selling real estate for almost 20 years and just like any other profession the longer you do it the more experience you have. Just like any other profession you can learn something … (4 comments)

selling: Pricing Your Property - 11/28/09 05:24 AM

As a seller do you think that you can price your property where you want to price it? Do you believe that buyers will pay you what you want and/or need to move? Do you believe that what you sell your house for will be your mortgage plus your credit card debt, plus your tax liability, plus your child's college education plus a down payment on a new property?

Do You Believe That is the Way It Works?????

Would you believe me if I told you that buyers do not pay sellers the amount that the seller wants/needs. Would … (2 comments)

selling: Do You Know Where Your Listing Is? - 11/16/09 09:04 PM

In this market there are several reasons that a house might not have sold. Overpricing is the one you hear about overwhelmingly. Seller's complain about their agents rather than lower their price, buyers are really fussy and have lot's of choices, main street, not the right school district, corner property, too much work needs to be done, taxes too high and a myriad of other reasons not to buy a particular house.
There is currently a house on the market in Westchester County that is on the MLS and is listed as being in the wrong town. The house is … (7 comments)

selling: Bernie Madoff's House in Montauk is on the Market, But Where? - 09/06/09 12:17 AM

All over the news this past week I have been watching reports of Bernie Madoff's home in Montauk coming on the market. If looks like a terrific house which is waterfront in Montauk and has just the most magnificent views. So here is my question. I have been searching the multiple listing sites out on Long Island and I can't find the listing. I searched REALTOR.com, I searched the Long Island MLS and a variety of other sites. I can't imagine that a house like this where certainly the best and most extensive marketing must be done to insure that the … (4 comments)

selling: A "Free" Market Analysis? - 09/05/09 07:06 AM

The phrase "free" market analysis really rubs me the wrong way. Do we use the word free as an enticement for a homeowner to have us come into their homes and have a discussion about what their home is worth? We are saying it won't cost you anything, it is free so why not, you might as well.

It's Free, We Might As Well!
I don't know about all the other agents out there but I know that it takes me hours to fully analyze a property, to carefully consider the market, to position a price so it … (47 comments)

selling: But You Live In Alabama and I'm in New York - 08/31/09 10:11 AM

Two nights ago I got a call from a gentlemen who has some land to sell in Alabama. Several years ago he had this property listed and claims that the agents in his area were unable to help him that they hardly brought him a buyer. He needs to sell now and he is thinking outside of the box. He is calling agents all over the country and asking us to contact our wealthy buyers and send them to him. He will honor the commission and he knew what he was talking about. He had done his homework.
He ran an … (0 comments)

selling: Remarks on Listings are Really Funny at Times - 08/23/09 12:29 PM

I had a difficult day today. I am tired and had to go through loads of listings for a buyer reading remarks and more remarks looking for certain characteristics for this buyer. If you have ever gone through lots of listings at a time you will know what I am talking about when I say that they start to run together and some of the remarks are so interesting. Here are just a few:
"Owner Says Sell!" I guess that's why the house is on the market. Agent says price it right and it will sell.
"Roof was Done in 1990" … (1 comments)

selling: Ooops, I Should Have Listened - 07/26/09 10:42 PM

Several months ago I had an offer on a house in Westchester County. My buyer was preapproved and very qualfied, very qualified. We presented a low offer. The owner said that my buyer needed to come up on their offer before they would counter. The offer was just too low.
The house was asking $625,000 and the offer was $530,000. The offer was too low, too low to counter. So they didn't. Now, I know that my buyer wanted to negotiate. They wanted a response to their offer, they wanted to hear from the seller a response. There was no response. … (4 comments)

selling: You Are Late! - 05/25/09 10:22 PM

I have been busy with showings. I do my best to judge the amount of time each buyer will take in a property and plan accordingly. What I can't plan is if the buyer gets stuck in traffic and is late. Or if the baby sitter doesn't arrive when they said they would and that makes the buyer late. Or if they get a flat tire on the way. We agents do our best but things happen that are out of our control.
It would be nice if we could call each home owner and explain we will be late but … (84 comments)

selling: Selling, A Real Estate Tip - 02/14/09 08:32 PM

Before you list your home for sale, take a careful look around. Are there some items you will want to take with you? There may be a dining room chandelier that has been in your family for three generations, a ceiling fan in the master bedroom, or the bookcases in the den that look built-in but are not.
Normally all fixtures are conveyed to the new owners when a house is sold. This includes anything that is attached to walls or ceilings and, in some areas, all major appliances that are installed in the house. If you have fixtures that you … (0 comments)

selling: A Buyer Calls a Listing Agent to See a Property? And Guess What! - 12/20/08 10:15 PM

"Now here is a situation that really chaps me! I buyer calls me to see my listing. I show it and either at that time, or later, find out that they are working with an agent outside our MLS and a long way from us. That agent want full compensation as a buyer agent.
What do you think?"
Barbara
The above is a comment on my previous post about referrals. So since she asked here is what I think.
They used you unfairly and didn't disclose the relationship. Part of marketing and listing a property to get it sold may … (12 comments)

selling: How Smart is this Seller - 09/19/08 10:49 PM

A segment on CNN Headline News that just came and went was about a home seller who ha not been able to sell his home. He is advertising a contest to sell his home. For $500.00 buyers should submit an essay to him and in this essay explain why they want to buy his house.
Here's the kicker. He will only sell his house if 2000 people submit essay which would mean he sells for $1,000,000. His house is worth $200,000.
How Smart is He?
… (10 comments)

selling: He Will Sell it Himself! He Doesn't Need the MLS. - 09/08/08 10:08 AM

The following two sentences are quotes from a website of an agent. I would guess that we all check out what others are doing on the internet from time to time. This agent is bragging that he will sell your listing on his own so I guess he doesn't need the multiple listing service or any of the 7000 other agents in Westchester County, he can do it himself.
How does this benefit the seller. How does this benefit the buyer? is there some advantage for anyone except him to do business this way. This must mean that he is a … (21 comments)

selling: The Agent Said What? Selling and Things You Should Know - 09/03/08 03:32 AM

If your property is on the market or you are thinking of listing your property there are some things you need to know about your listing agreement. When you discuss the commission you and your agent will arrive at an amount of commission. You and your agent will then need to decide how to split that amount between the agent representing you (the listing agent LA) and the agent that brings the buyer.
There are three ways on the Westchester Multiple Listing agreement that you can split the commission. You can agree to pay a sub-agent, a buyer's agent or a … (5 comments)

selling: Access for Brokers to Show Your Home - 08/24/08 10:54 PM

If you are thinking of selling your home you will have a discussion with your Agent about how to provide access for showings. The easier you make it for buyer's to see your home the more showings you will get.
In Westchester County our Multiple Listing Service uses the Sentrilock System. Each member of the MLS has a card that is about the size of a credit card. We have to "renew" this card every three days through a card reader. The showings are recorded on this card which is encoded and when we renew it on the interenet it records … (5 comments)

selling: Let the Buyers and Sellers Decide - 08/02/08 10:54 PM

There are quite a few posts about agents being frustrated with buyers who want to put in what they consider a low ball offer. So if you have shown the buyer the comparables and you both have decided that the property is priced correctly and the buyer still feels they want to put in a lower offer seems okay to me. They are buying the property, it is their hard work that will pay the mortgage, it is their life. They have decided that is what the house is worth to them. The seller can say no. The seller has to … (11 comments)

selling: Yes, I Know - 08/01/08 09:51 AM

We are in a buyer's market. A lot of properties that are on the market are getting many showings but not a lot of offers. Properties can sit on the market for a while in this market. When offers are presented on these properties I hear a lot of frustration on the part of the agent presenting the offer. Like they already know they are wasting their time.
Yesterday I got a very long voice mail from one of these agents. This agent had a buyer who had seen a property seven months ago and had some interest but felt it … (2 comments)

selling: Accuracy Matters on Listings - 06/27/08 11:50 PM

I recently had a buyer who put a bid in on a co-op. A really lovely apartment walk to Hartsdale Village, the train to the city and shops. It was a tudor apartment with high ceilings and renovated beautifully. The owner has great taste and did a great job.
My buyer is relocating from out of the area. The listing state that this co-op was a certain square footage. When my buyer's and I first walked into the apartment we looked at each other and questioned that it was this amount of square feet. It just couldn't be I said. I … (8 comments)

selling: Appointments and Feedback - 06/18/08 01:05 AM

When you go to see a property with your agent, did you know that the listing agent is most likely going to contact your agent and request feedback about the showing. They want to know if you had any interest and if not what did you think.
In this market with some properties lingering feedback is becoming more and more important. It can help a seller and the listing agent make changes to a property so that it will make a better impression.
For instance if several buyers all say that the property seemed dark, the seller can make it a … (2 comments)

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