Real estate blog entries tagged with selling homes by Robin Rogers, CRS, TRC, MRP - Real Estate Investment Adviser (Robin Rogers, Silverbridge Realty, San Antonio, Texas)

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selling homes: Implied Agency, Procuring Cause and The Impact on Home Buyers - 11/27/12 12:01 AM

This situation continues to crop up from time to time. Now that many housing markets are recovering and there is more real estate sales activity, it's a good idea to revisit this issue. Check out this informative post from Loreena Yeo:

An implied agency in Texas is a broker and buyer relationship where there is no express agreement for broker to act as agent for the buyer. The actions, conversations and activities may lead to an "implied agency". However, the buyer may have a different set expectations from that meeting. than the broker performing the service.
When a broker/ agent have … (0 comments)

selling homes: Showing feedback - please! - 07/14/12 11:57 PM

Dear Buyer's Agent:
I don't care how busy, or tired, or important you are, my sellers are anxiously awaiting feedback from your showing of their property. They want to know how it looked, what your buyers thought, and if there is anything else they can do to improve its appearance.
Nothing is more frustrating to a seller when they have gone to all the trouble of tidying up, putting away the pets, and rushing out of the house than not knowing how it went.
Even though feedback is not always useful, I think it's the mark of a professional to respond … (11 comments)

selling homes: Let's List High To See What We Can Get for Our Home - 03/23/12 09:05 AM

I lost a listing in Rogers Ranch (not named after me, at least as far as I know) because I didn't succeed in making the owner see that his house would not sell for what he wanted. At least, that was my understanding. I was referred to him by a friend, so I thought he would be open to my advice. However, the seller told me he chose another agent because he had a better "rapport" with her.
That listing agent put it on the market for about $70,000 more than what the sales comparables I showed him indicated would be realistic. Six … (0 comments)

selling homes: Woman's Day Leads Home Buyers and Sellers Astray - 02/29/12 10:18 PM

This article is just as inaccurate, misleading, and offensive as a similar one published on Yahoo.com a few years ago. Strangely enough, only one word in the title of this piece is different from the previous article.
So very many things are wrong with this article. Read the comments in Leslie's post and on the Womans Day site to find out more.
I just came across an article called 10 Things Your Real Estate Agent Won't Tell You published on womansday.com. Ms. Sarah Stebbins, a free lance writer, seems to have cobbled together negative bits and pieces from other works, including the The … (2 comments)

selling homes: Dear Agent: It's not your call! - 01/23/12 10:09 AM

I wrote a post a couple of years ago about some San Antonio real estate agents overstepping their bounds, in my opinion, by requiring all home sellers to purchase a new survey, even if the existing survey is acceptable.
Something along the same lines happened just the other day. In talking with an agent whose listing in north-central San Antonio has been vacant for months, I suggested that my buyers might want to sign a temporary lease for a few days. They are crammed into an extended-stay motel, and would love to start moving their items out of storage and cleaning the house. In addition, … (8 comments)

selling homes: I wish I hadn't sold that house now - 11/18/11 01:26 AM

Recently I sold a home for some wonderful clients who moved out of state to fulfill their dream of retiring to a golf course community where they could be closer to their friends. I met the buyer during the transaction and she seemed very nice.
But you know what is not nice? Her obnoxious dog. Four times in the last couple weeks since she moved in, he has dug under the fence and popped up on our deck, scaring the cats out of their wits and getting mud on the patio.
Yes, the dog lives behind me now, along with its … (11 comments)

selling homes: How to get rid of telltale furniture dents in carpet - 11/18/11 12:52 AM

I just sold a house with carpet in the bedrooms and family room. The tenants who lived there previously apparently had some very heavy furniture. The dents in the carpet were still there, even after the carpet was shampooed and steam-cleaned--twice. I wish I had known about these two methods of removing the dents so I could have passed it on to my client. Thanks to Barbara, I will know next time. Check it out:

At Design2Sell Interiors and Home Staging we are often ask to share tricks of the trade. One is how to remove dents. When a leg … (5 comments)

selling homes: Effectively Preparing a Home for Market, Part 3 - 11/12/11 08:37 AM

This blog post encompasses just about everything a seller (and an agent) would need to consider before putting a listing on the market. It's a very impressive and useful checklist from a creative mind indeed. Thank you for taking the time to write this, Sebastian!

How to Effectively Prepare a Home for Market
A Market-Ready Series, Part 3

In "How does the Home look from the Street?" you were instructed to begin taking a look, a serious, in-depth look, at the house you either currently have on the market or about to place on the market for sale and to ask … (1 comments)

selling homes: Sold! Retirees move into their new home near the Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas - 11/10/11 01:27 AM

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a closing with another happy seller. He was one of my first property-management clients, back in 2004, and I leased his former home for him when he was transferred overseas. Later, he was transferred back to Austin and took over managing the house himself.
My client contacted me again a couple of months ago and said he was ready to sell the house, since his folks no longer lived in the neighborhood and his tenants had moved out. Now he has his sale proceeds and he is ready to move on with his life.
The … (4 comments)

selling homes: Home sales falter in February - 03/24/11 02:45 AM

It's not just my imagination. February seemed slower than the previous months, perhaps due to Spring Break. Nationwide, home sales dropped 9.6% in February after three months of gains in a row.
As Lawrence Yun, the economist for the NAR, puts it:
Housing affordability conditions have been at record levels and the economy has been improving, but home sales are being constrained by the twin problems of unnecessarily tight credit, and a measurable level of contract cancellations from some appraisals not supporting prices negotiated between buyers and sellers.
A high number of resales were for cash. Home buyers have been finding it … (3 comments)

selling homes: Fit for a chef: Home for sale at 178 High Oak, Universal City, Texas 78148 - 02/21/11 09:16 AM

The sellers of this home bought it just a few years ago and promptly updated the kitchen, which is fabulous. Now they are moving out of state to a new job and town that will bring their kids closer to the grandparents. That should help them get over the sadness of leaving their house and saying goodbye to all the friends they've made here.
Meadow Oaks is a small, established neighborhood on the northeast side of the San Antonio metro area. It is within easy commuting distance of Randolph Air Force Base and Fort Sam Houston, but tucked away from traffic. … (5 comments)

selling homes: Red, red walls: love 'em or hate 'em, here's what to do - 02/10/11 01:18 AM

I work with both home buyers and sellers, and I look at a whole lot of houses. I try to keep up with decorating trends in various neighborhoods and price ranges, too, since a couple of my clients are involved in remodeling homes for resale. One trend that is starting to fade away, at least in San Antonio, is painting accent walls or even whole rooms in shades of red, orange, or dark green. Bold colors were all the rage for a while, but lighter and brighter shades of green, pink, and turquoise are becoming more common.
But there is still a place for red … (8 comments)

selling homes: Realtor professional conduct issues - need your advice - 02/02/11 11:39 AM

No matter how long you've been in the business of selling real estate, I think you should always be willing to learn new things.

I think I might be getting a little set in my ways. I've tried these various approaches over the years, but I'm not 100% satisfied with the results, so I welcome your feedback. Here are some of the situations I've struggled with:
1. What should you wear when meeting new clients for the first time?
a. Dress as a trusted advisor in a dark, conservative suit and tie; and for men, subdued makeup and classic jewelry
… (47 comments)

selling homes: SOLD! Gorgeous updated home at 1 Camden Oaks in Inwood, San Antonio, Texas 78248 - 01/22/11 02:37 AM

My client did a fabulous job updating this home in the gated neighborhood of Inwood on San Antonio's north side. It is situated on a corner lot, with a greenbelt in back and a large lot next door. There are lots of beautiful live oak trees surrounding the home, and the patios and rooftop terrace take advantage of the shade they bring. My favorite is the master bathroom; it is sumptuous, with marble floors, a whirlpool tub, separate granite-clad vanities, and a large walk-in shower.
Check out the Real Estate Show below or click this link to see it if your browser … (5 comments)

selling homes: What to do when you get a crappy lowball offer on your house - 01/11/11 09:47 AM

With the real estate market these days, even in San Antonio, it seems that no matter how nice your home is or how well priced, you might still get a lowball offer on it. Buyers are hoping to find a seller who is desperate to sell and will cut them a screaming deal.
But if you're a seller on the receiving end of a lowball offer, don't take it personally--it's actually good news. Somebody liked the house enough to go to the trouble of making an offer on it!
So here are some things you should think about, instead of wadding up the offer … (7 comments)

selling homes: 8 ways to give your home more curb appeal (and add value) - 12/31/10 08:46 AM

Maybe one of your New Year's resolutions is to sell your house. If so, here are some ways to make it more appealing (and valuable) to future home buyers. With the short, mild winters in San Antonio, you could even get started this weekend!
8 Tips for Adding Curb Appeal and Value to Your Home
By Pat Curry
Appraisers and real estate agents offer advice for adding curb appeal that both preserves value and attracts potential buyers.
We asked real estate agents, appraisers, home stagers, landscape designers, and home inspectors which curb appeal projects offer the most value when your house is on the … (3 comments)

selling homes: Horrible FSBO Mistakes... Greg's list of 26 Examples from A-Z - 12/30/10 08:03 AM

As a buyer's agent I have been retained a few times to present my clients' offer to a seller. It never works. It is incredibly difficult to negotiate with the seller directly, having to explain forms and trying to diplomatically explain why their house is not worth what they want to sell it for. Greg has a pretty comprehensive list of what sellers are up against when they try to sell their home without hiring an experienced, professional real estate agent.
After reading Greg's post, if you are still determined to do it, get the book How to Sell Your … (1 comments)

selling homes: Seller mistake of the week: turning the third bedroom into a Sex and the City-style closet - 11/14/10 05:43 AM

At the conclusion of his post, J. Philip shows the floorplan of an overimproved master bedroom in his market.
I see this a lot in San Antonio, Texas, too. For example, one of the most popular floorplans in many KB-built neighborhoods from the 1990s features a ballroom-sized master bedroom. It's situated upstairs, of course, because that's the only place it can fit, over the living space downstairs. Home buyers still love those bedrooms, which accommodate their sleigh beds, nightstands, dressers, big-screen TVs, and exercise equipment. You could just live in them.
The point is, however, that converting a three-bedroom home to a two-bedroom, even to make a … (4 comments)

selling homes: Some listing agents apparently just want to sell family homes - 11/06/10 04:49 AM

One of my pet peeves is when an agent specifically refers to their listing as a family home, or a home perfect for raising children, in the MLS description.
What if buyers don't have kids (or grandkids)? Wouldn't that description turn them off from some homes and neighborhoods?
It is appropriate to use the space in the Remarks to describe the property you're marketing, not the kind of buyers you want to attract. If you even put in the word "family," except when referring to a "family room," you are sending the message that your listing would not appeal to, or the … (8 comments)

selling homes: More wordy fun: property descriptions on the MLS - 11/05/10 03:05 AM

In my blog post yesterday about Tea Party signs that Alan May found, I compared them to listing agents' remarks that I come across on the MLS. Sometimes a misplaced letter in a description of a property can make all the difference between clarity and amusement. Other remarks just need some editing because the agents are not saying what they think they are.

The price is right, no need to guess (No CMA needed here then.)
Wall clock kitchen (I have always wanted a kitchen I could put my wall clock in!)
Home features marble floors, antique tube in master … (9 comments)

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