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monthly news letter

By Howard Sumner

Industry Observer with Howard Sumner Consulting

August 01, 2010 12:23 PM

Your REALTOR: Howard Sumner

Howard Sumner

August 2010

Your Real Estate Source, Your Results Solution

How To Make Buyers
Want Your Home

  Whether you're a buyer or a seller you want to succeed in the realty marketplace. That's natural and reasonable, but what are the steps you need to triumph?
      Negotiations are a complex matter and all transactions are unique. Both sides -- buyer and seller -- want to feel that the outcome favors them, or at least represents a fair balance of interests. In the usual case there is a bit of bluff, some give-and-take, and neither party gets everything they want.
      So how do you develop a strong bargaining position, one which will help you get the most from a transaction?

Mortgage Rates

U.S. averages as of July 29, 2010:

30 yr. fixed:   4.54%
15 yr. fixed:   4.00%
1 yr. adj:        3.64%

View current rates

Experience shows there are five basic keys which will determine who wins at the negotiating table.
1. What Does The Market Say?
At various times we're in a "buyer's" market, a "seller's" market, or a market

CONTINUED >>>

Wondering What Your Home Is Worth?

Let me show you.

How to Recognize
A Sellers Market

     As a homeowner, and a prospective seller, you may be wondering if now is a good time to put your home on the market. But how can you tell if the market is in your favor at this time? Will you lose money or make money? Is it a "sellers market"?
      These are all very important questions. And the answer is in the market statistics.
      As a seller, one of the first things you must evaluate is the desirability of your location. Market conditions are extremely localized statistics. While the national economy and housing market tie every area of the country together to a certain degree, markets and their conditions range widely from state to state, community to community, and even neighborhood to neighborhood within a community.
      You must ask yourself, and your real estate agent, "Is my neighborhood up and coming or has it already come and CONTINUED >>>

Most Neighbors Still Connect The Old Fashioned Way

     Online social networking doesn't do it for neighbors wanting to keep in touch with neighbors.
      Internet tools are gaining ground, but face-to-face encounters and phone calls rule as the most common methods of interaction in the hood.
      Pew Internet & American Life Project's recent "Neighbors Online" study found that many neighbors haven't made the transition to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and other online social networking tools.
      "For many Americans ignorance might have been bliss during the boom times but today people want to be actively engaged at both the local and national levels to stay informed about what¹s happening and how it affects them. Being left in the dark could prove to be downright dangerous, particularly when it comes to something that may be happening right in your own backyard," said Nancy Osborne, chief operating officer of Erate.com, a Santa Clara, CA-based financial information publisher and interest rate tracker.
      In a recent poll, Pew telephoned 2,258 adults, age 18 and older and asked about online connections to communities and neighbors and found that in the CONTINUED >>>

Available Homes For Sale

Information on ALL available area properties

Too Much To Store and
Too Little Space

Do you have too much to store and too little space? If you're like many homeowners, finding enough storage space can be a challenge. Thankfully, remodeling professionals can help you create new ways to tuck away your family's treasures in a resourceful and sophisticated way, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).
Finding storage solutions doesn't always mean undertaking a major remodel. Sometimes it's about using the square footage you already have. Remodelers can help you plan and reallocate storage to accommodate your family's changing lifestyle. Getting creative with storage can improve daily living and boost the resale value of your home.

CONTINUED >>>

Local Market Conditions

Daily News and Advice

Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.

More Articles

July Round Up:

Making Your Home Appealing
On A Budget

Final Walk-Through Tips

Real Estate Outlook: Federal Reserve Weighs In

Howard Sumner
E-mail: howard@realestatemontana.com
Web: http://www.realestatemontana.com
Phone: 406-245-6890
Direct: 406-698-3051
Toll Free: 800-317-5769
Fax: 406-254-2972

Howard Sumner Real Estate
406-245-6890
404 North 31st Street #130
Billings, MT 59101

Equal Housing Opportunity

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