selling a home: Do Sellers Need Buyer Feedback? Most Agents Don't Think So But I Do
- 05/13/12 11:34 AM
Last week I showed more than 20 properties and only 1 listing agent bothered to follow up. That agent send a generic email questionnaire and one of my answers probably should have prompted a call back. The questionnaire ask about pricing, giving me 3 choices--market price, under market, or over market. I indicated it was over market. Without calling or emailing me back, the listing agent will never know by how much my client thinks it is over priced. In my experience, the vast majority of listing agents do not attempt to get feedback from showings. I call every selling agent who has … (0 comments)
selling a home: Downsizing & Rightsizing are the Fastest Ways to Improve Your Financial Situation
- 08/19/10 08:51 AM
Downsizing and Rightsizing are the fastest ways to improve your financial situation, if that is what you truly want or need to do. Downsizing is usually buying a smaller home after the kids are gone and is often done to reduce housing costs and maintenance hassles. It's a no-brainer for many retirees and empty-nesters. But what is "rightsizing?" Rightsizing is to make a move purely to reduce your housing costs and improve your financial picture quickly. Rightsizing includes... --The same size house in a less-expensive area. --A smaller home in the same area. --A home that doesn't have all the luxury features of … (0 comments)
selling a home: Ways Prices Drop
- 04/10/08 08:23 AM
It seems common sense that the reason real estate prices drop is because there is too much supply and limited demand. BUT WAIT!! There are other factors at work behind the scenes. The housing market is not like your average retail store that puts products on the shelf and offers advertised specials. One way prices drop is when property is sold privately off the market. Believe it or not, some sellers would rather have either a private party buy it under market. This private party could be a family member or a friend, or maybe they have a friend in real estate who has a buyer … (0 comments)
selling a home: Buyers! Should You Wait for the Market to Hit Bottom?
- 12/11/07 02:24 AM
On Sunday I held one of my listings open, as I usually do on the weekends. And as usual, I had 5-6 buyers who love the house but are waiting to buy when the market hits bottom. A few buyers are making their move now but most are waiting. However, it occurred to me recently that each and every house offers a completely unique negotiating experience. Here's what I mean... This is a true example of a buyer couple I worked with recently: They found 5 houses they liked equally and all of them were priced nearly the same...around $500,000. The buyers were highly … (0 comments)
selling a home: Some Sellers Won't Negotiate a Penny!
- 11/30/07 05:35 AM
It is interesting to see how the sellers of newer listings, meaning those on the market less than 30 days, haven't quite caught on to the fact that it's not a seller's market anymore. I have presented several offers to "newbie" sellers and the counters came back at full price. These are not multiple counter situations. However, sellers who have been waiting for an offer or who passed up earlier offers and have now been on the market 60 days or longer are eagar to negotiate and are working for win-win outcomes. ATTENTION SELLERS! This is not a seller's market anymore. … (0 comments)
selling a home: Zillow.com is a BIG FAT Zero.com
- 11/11/07 06:10 AM
Zero accuracy that is. Let me explain... Three times this week I got calls from clients or prospective clients asking me why Zillow.com gave a particular home value and that it seems out of line. That's because it represents almost nothing! Zillow.com does base their "Zestimates" on data but it's like going to the doctor and you get a full diagnosis of your health based on only your blood pressure. You can't base a home's value on limited data because very few homes are exactly alike and very few homes have been sold over and over without modifications. For example, Zillow.com doesn't know that … (1 comments)
selling a home: Does the Sales Price Seem too Low?? It's Probably a Short Sale and that Means "NO" Sale!
- 11/11/07 04:58 AM
A client emailed two MLS numbers of properties she would like to see. They were priced way under market and she thought it would be an opportunity to get a great buy. Again I am reminded of the old saying, if something looks too good to be true it usually is. In this case the listings were both short sales. That means that the homes are listed at a price that is less than what is owed on the property. In these cases, the properties were listed $100,000 less what was owed. In a short sale the bank must agree to accept less than what … (1 comments)
selling a home: "Time is money and I don't want to waste time showing my buyer properties."
- 09/24/07 03:25 AM
A local agent called me yesterday afternoon about one of my listings he was thinking of showing his buyer client. He wanted to know if the seller would be interested in a lease option. I told him the seller would be very interested. He went on to ask me how much the seller would sell the house for. Hello?!? If I knew the seller's bottomline, I wouldn't tell him. I suggested he make an offer and we would see what happens. He also said he wasn't happy with the amount of commission offered (2.5%). I told him it is possible that could be … (6 comments)
selling a home: The Housing Market is Very Localized...Some Neighorhoods are DOWN and Some are UP!
- 09/17/07 05:43 AM
Listening to the media can be very confusing when you are trying to decide whether to buy or sell now. Not only are reports conflicting but they are usually based nationwide, statewide or regional statistics. In fact, the housing market is very localized, meaning that you can have a down market less than a mile from a stable market. In addition, neighorhoods that have fewer homes on the market, sell at a higher price. Basically, it's still a market economy driven by how much money a buyer is willing to pay. This is why it is important to work with an … (1 comments)
Last week I showed more than 20 properties and only 1 listing agent bothered to follow up. That agent send a generic email questionnaire and one of my answers probably should have prompted a call back. The questionnaire ask about pricing, giving me 3 choices--market price, under market, or over market. I indicated it was over market. Without calling or emailing me back, the listing agent will never know by how much my client thinks it is over priced.
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