Home Seller Home Buyer

WHY WOULD A REALTOR® FIRE THEIR HOME BUYER CLIENT You wonder how the buyer would handle the situation if the roles were reversed. The home buyer client(s) can also fire the real estate agent. If the agent does not submit properties that meet the pre-determined criteria that a buyer has outlined. The criteria could change after the first few showings but if the criteria continually changes or the client(s) just cannot come to agreement then it's time to hear those words YOU'RE FIRED In the ever changing markets...like the one we currently face...it's difficult to find new clients. Why would you even consider firing a client? Purely and simply, even the best client relationships can turn bad...and when they do, it's time to end them by firing the home buyer client. Most of us are too busy to allow deteriorating client relationships to drain time and energy from attracting new clients and serving existing clients. With that in mind, here are 5 reasons for firing a client. 1. Perfection Obsession These are the buyers who are obsessed with finding a perfect home, in a perfect location and at a perfect purchase price. Or they are sellers who insist on selling their homes on the terms and conditions that they consider perfect. Perfection rarely exists in our world, and besides, your responsibility is to give clients the best possible service, helping them find the best possible deal...not the perfect one. 2. Lack of Trust This can cut both ways. For whatever reason, you no longer trust your client or vice versa. Since trust is a key element, of all client relationships, once the trust is gone for either party, the relationship is essentially over. 3. Miscommunication Sometimes miscommunication is inadvertent or accidental. Others times it is deliberate. In either case, when miscommunication becomes a common element it represents a problem to be addressed. If the problem of miscommunication itself cannot be resolved, it's time to end the relationship. 4. Conflicting Advice We all have advisors who offer opinions and suggestions on our decisions. Some of these people are professionally trained, qualified and well informed. The second group are well intentioned but otherwise poorly informed and miss-direct friends relatives and acquaintances. It is the second group of advice-givers that have the most potential for causing problems in client relationships and the completion of a home buyer transaction. When home buyer clients start to be guided more by this second group than by your professional advice, it's best to reserve your time, energy and expertise for home buyer clients who value it. If clients do not value what you offer them...fire them. 5. Indecision Certainly changed circumstances result in changes in clients needs and wants. However, when clients continually change their minds for no obvious reason, it's hard to be sure of what they really want. If they don't know what they really want...how can you help them? Is it not better to devote your resources to helping home buyer clients achieve what they know they want?

You've heard the usual home selling tips. Clean the place up, get the help you need and price it right - all good advice. But what about the more direct part of the sales process: advertising, marketing and talking to prospective buyers. Do you know what your agent will say in their advertisements, flyers and in person? You should let buyers know almost everything. Of course don't reveal your motivations, how low you'll go on the price, or anything else that hurts your negotiating position. But tell them everything else they might want to know. If you think about this for a moment, you'll understand. Do you prefer shopping where the products have no prices on them? Of course not! And if you were looking at a list of vacation packages, you might pass over those that neglected to name the destination, right? It is no different in shopping for a house. Of course, you may have noticed that some real estate agents sometimes advertise homes with no price, or fail to say where a home is located. Why? Because the agent wants curious people to call. When a $130,000-buyer calls on an ad for a $250,000-home which is listed no price, the agent hopes to sell him any house he can. If a buyer thinks an advertised home is in a town they are interested in, they then can be steered to one that is. In other words these are just tricks that help the agent, not the seller. Ask your agent if they use this type of tactic, then decide for yourself how you want to proceed. Of course the sellers of the homes advertised lose potential buyers, because many people won't waste time on misleading ads, or those that list no price. Usually there are enough other houses advertised with prices and decent information to look at. The first of these home selling tips then, is that more information is better. With decent information, a buyer either knows you have something they might want, or they don't waste your time. Essentially, they prequalify themselves for you. What information do they need then ? Home Selling Tips - Information To Include When Selling Always mention the price and terms (if any) in written information, as well as the location, style, livable (Under HTG/AC) square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and room dimensions. Look at newspapers, real estate guides and the internet from your area to see what things others are advertising. Try to have as much information given as you possibly can. Have additional information ready for interested buyers that preview your home in-person. You want to remove as much uncertainty as possible. If the buyer will need to replace the roofing in a year or two, for example, have a quote ready. A buyer might accept a poor roof - if he knows what he's getting into. He'll likely walk away if the cost of this is unknown. Nothing kills interest like uncertainty or finding out about during the home inspection phase. Of course, hiding problems can be illegal as well as unethical. It is better to either resolve them, or get quotes on what it will cost to resolve them. Once again, it is a matter of resolving uncertainty. A buyer is less frightened by the idea of paying $1,900 for new carpet than by the idea of paying an unknown amount for it. All of this probably fits your own experience. You are more likely to buy a house or anything else when you have more information, right? You may even pay a little more for less uncertainty. Most buyers will, so why not put this home selling tip to use and have that information ready? Is Your Home Ready For Its Close-Up? So you think your home has "curb appeal"—that all-important quality that stops buyers in their tracks? That's great, but can your home's allure hold up once it's reduced to a photographs posted online? It had better, citing a recent National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey of buyers and sellers. A NAR survey found that over 90% of people across the U.S. who bought a home used the Internet while house hunting,

When you are ready to start house hunting, you may want to consider new home construction so as to broaden your options. “There will be many opinions as to whether a new home or a resale home is better. Let’s look at a comparison of some of the factors used to make that decision. New Homes • For a newly constructed home, you will have the option to customize upfront which would include kitchen appliances, flooring, counter tops, color-scheme, and possibly alternative floor plans. • There is less maintenance to worry about because all materials are new. • The materials used are less of a health risk compared to older constructed homes that were built prior to 1970 in which you have to worry about lead-based paint. • Most homebuilders provide a home warranty in the event of defects as well as warranties on your individual appliances. • New homes are usually prewired for the latest technology such as surround sound speakers, high speed internet, multiple phone lines, and cable outlets. • New homes are built with added security in mind such as burglar systems. • New homes tend to be energy efficient in design. They have better windows, insulation, and more efficient heating and cooling systems. If you want a more modern look, a new home is the way to go. The master suites tend to be larger in size as well as the kitchen which is always going to be your selling point. And if you want to purchase something that is clean, untouched, and undamaged, then a new home is your best fit. Resale Homes • The beauty of resale homes is that they are older and more likely near the metro areas so your city commute is closer. • If you are the DIY person and like to do renovation projects, then resale homes is your best fit. Resale homes tend to have larger lots and larger secondary bedrooms. • The neighborhoods are established and you don’t have to worry about extra levies such as CDD's for the new construction of streets, traffic lights, and libraries. • Mature landscaping adds to the charm of resale homes as well as traditional and more custom looks. • Buyers tend to have more negotiation power with resale homes than new homes as new home builders tend to be set on price but may throw in extra incentives. • Taxes and closing costs may differ between new homes and resale homes. As you can see, there are many advantages to both resale homes and new homes; the choice is yours…”

Want to sell YOUR Home FAST - Think Like A Buyer. Most sellers expect their home to sell quickly, at the best price possible. They believe their home is the best in the area and that their improvements demand top dollar. How can you trust that this is true? Just ask any seller and they he will tell you. Many sellers hire a listing agent, but do not want to take their advice. They consider themselves or their neighbors or friends as experts. Often they tend to negotiate their listing price with their agents rather than looking at the facts. Then they wonder why their home is sitting while others are selling. Beware sellers, buyers today are smart! Sellers need to realize that they cannot sell their home if no one looks at it. Today's buyers are extremely tech savvy and do their homework before considing a home. In this age of technology, a buyer will not look further if they there is no virtual tour or at the very least, multiple photos of the property. What else are buyers looking for? Web presence - If buyers do not find your home on the internet, odds are they will not see it at all. Today, print ads are the least effective way to market a home. Make sure that your listing agent is just as tech savvy as the typical buyer, if not more so. Of course, the buyers agent will search the Multiple Listing Service and present homes, but again, the buyer wants to see what your home looks like before they consider it. For your home to be considered you will need the BIG 3 - PICTURES AND MANY OF THEM, INFORMATION ON THE HOUSE INCLUDING ROOM DIMENSIONS ON MAJOR ROOMS AND A VIRTUAL TOUR. Price - Buyers want the lowest price, while sellers want the highest price. When buyers search, they know what they can afford. If they consider your home over priced, it will not be considered. Be sure your home is competitively priced. Have your agent do an analysis of similar homes and you price your home within the range of the results. If you price too high, odds are you will need to reduce it. When buyers see that, they think "how low will they go?" Curb Appeal - first impressions are lasting. If your home is not immaculate and well maintained, odds are the buyer will not cross the threshold. Remove the gardening tools and kids toys. Think landscaping, paint, and a manicured lawn. Less is Best - Clutter and family items detract from your home. Buyers need to picture your home as theirs. How could they place their furniture? How functional is the kitchen. Do not distract the buyers if you are there (BETTER YET DO NOT BE THERE WHEN THE BUYERS COME TO VIEW YOUR HOME, ESPECIALLY IF YO WANT TO SELL THE HOUSE). An Empty Home Shows Blemishes - Clutter is bad, an empty home is worse. Bare walls and floors magnify flaws such as minor stains on rugs, slight dents in walls, or small scratches on floors. Buyers need decor to help envision the home as theirs while distracting them from minor imperfections. We have a service that is FREE to the sellers if they must leave their home vacant. We know of a company that has a Home Staging and Maintenance Program. Home Staging and Maintenance Program that includes: 1 Placing Certified Home Managers (NOT Tenants) with great looking furniture into vacant homes on the market. Keep in mind, this is a great for selling homes the owner must leave. 2. FREE HOME STAGING WITH BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE 3. FREE LAWN CARE 4. FREE POOL CARE 5. UTILITIES ON AND PAID FOR 6. FREE INSURANCE LIABILITY COVERAGE 7. WHEN HOME GOES PENDING OUR HOME MANAGER MOVES OUT QUICKLY (as there is no landlord tenancy law and no lease term) This is a FREE service to the Seller(s). The company makes their money from the Certified Home Manager who occupies and maintains the home as their own. * GOOD FOR SHORT SALES AND TRADITIONAL SALES STATS: Home Staging sells homes for 7-17% more money and 2x as fast. SHORT SALE SITUATIONS: Owners of Short Sales are experiencing falling credit scores.

I am often asked, "should I use a real estate agent when purchasing a new home from a builder"? The short answer is an absolute Yes! In many states, home builders encourage real estate agents to show and sell their new homes! However, the real estate agent must be with you on your first visit to the site. Why do you need a real estate agent for a new home purchase? Because the site salesperson is representing the builder, not you! This disclosure is in the sales contact which you will be required to sign, acknowledging that you have no representation. Most home builders have pledged themselves to a 'Single Price Policy', which means that their published prices shall be the same whether sold by the builder or a real estate agent. You will not pay more when you use your own real estate agent to represent you. Additionally, the real estate agent will represent you and their primary responsibility is to protect you and your interests. They can give you unbiased information on neighborhoods, schools, nearby shopping, dining and entertainment. Did you know the advertised price is not always the final price? Depending on market conditions, new home prices are often times negotiable. This is even more true today because of the changing market conditions of the last year or so. Builders must turn inventory and they are increasingly more flexible than ever. Want slate counter tops or marble floor tile for free? Hiring an experienced agent, one who has a successful track record, can help negotiate a better price, discounted upgrades, and more. In actuality, upgrades are not free, but it is possible, with a good negotiator, to get a lot of them thrown in as an incentive. Hiring a real estate agent will not only save you money, they will help provide you piece of mind too. Give one a call today

What Do Home Buyers Want? Now here is the grail of home sales! What is it that buyers actually want? Well, agreeably this will differ with each buyer but it's pretty easy to generalize about the things that buyers look for in a home and it's also just as easy to say what they don't want. For starters we will look at some general things that buyers like to see when looking for a new home and then we will move on to the "NO" list. The most important thing that can be stressed here is that buyers want to see a clean home. Not just everyday clean either, they want "show home" clean. This can be hard to achieve while actually living in the home as living on a daily basis creates a mess. It may be slight depending on how you live day-to-day but it is still going to be there. So the name of the game here is maintenance. A good idea is to get some professional cleaners in to do the initial work and then you simply have to keep the home in the same shape throughout the showings. The other major areas of interest for buyers are the appliances that come with the home. Rickety old appliances from 1970 are not likely to cause a positive reaction. Buyers like to see shiny, new, matching appliances. Another thing buyers look for is a new paint job. Take that old tired paint job and chuck it away. Nothing brings out the charm and character of a home like a new paint job. It will also drastically increase your curb appeal and the buyer's first impression of the home. Now, what is it that buyers don't want? Most of all they don't want to have to do any additional work after moving. Most will not want to have to spend hours hacking through overgrown gardens and lawns, shampooing dirty carpets or replacing broken fixtures. It is understandable that some homes are sold in this condition as "fixer-uppers" but that is another thing altogether. Most buyers are looking for a home where they will have to put out as little money and energy as possible in making your old house into their new home. Keep these things in mind and the home selling process should be much more fulfilling, and profitable. What Home Buyers Look For In A House When you sell your house you are usually looking to make some profit in the deal and close the deal as quickly as possible. The key to selling your home quickly and getting your asking price in any real estate market is to know what buyers look for in a house. Once you understand the features that can sell a home, you can get your house sold more quickly. Rooms Families looking to buy a home are looking for wide open spaces in a house where the whole family can get together, according to Dana Dratch, writing on the Bankrate website. Wide open areas such as finished basements and garages will help to add appeal to your home. The one room that many buyers do still want to see is a large dining room. Family entertaining for the holidays is important to many people, and having an area where friends and family can gather for a meal is appealing when selling a home. Comfort When people look to buy a home, they want to have as much comfort as possible. That is one of the motivations behind many homebuyers saying that central air conditioning, a patio and an open porch are important factors they consider when buying a home, according to Robert Freedman, writing on the Realtor website. People also like the comfort features of a fenced-in yard, which allows homeowners to enjoy the outdoors without interference from outsiders, and separate showers to help get their morning shower just the way they like it and then leave it that way. Generic Features Personalizing your home is something that many homeowners enjoy doing. But creating strange floor plans by splitting up rooms or painting a mural of your favorite movie poster right on your living room wall can decrease the chances that you will sell your home, according to the Appraisal Today website. If you want to personalize your home,

Are you gearing up to buy your first home, a move-up home or a second/vacation home? Shopping for a home is exciting, exhausting and a little bit scary. In the end, your goal is to end up with a home you love at a price you can afford. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, many people make mistakes that prevent them from achieving this simple dream. Arm yourself with these tips to get the most out of your purchase and avoid making 11 of the most costly home buyer mistakes that could put a hold on that sold sign going on the home you want. 1. Not Knowing What You Can Afford As we've all learned from the subprime mortgage mess, what the bank says you can afford and what you know you can afford or are comfortable with paying are not necessarily the same. If you don't already have a budget, make a list of all your monthly expenses (excluding rent), including vehicle costs, student loan payments, credit card payments, groceries, health insurance, retirement savings and so on. Don't forget major expenses that only occur once a year, like any insurance premiums you pay annually or annual vacations. Subtract this total from your take-home pay and you'll know how much you can spend on your new home each month. If you end up looking at homes that are outside your price range, you'll end up lusting after something you can't afford, which can put you in the dangerous position of trying to stretch beyond your means financially or cause you to feel unsatisfied with what you actually can afford. You may even learn that you can't afford the type or size of home that you desire and that you need to work on reducing your monthly expenses and/or increasing your income before you even start looking. 2. Skipping Mortgage Qualification What you think you can afford and what the bank is willing to lend you may not match up, especially if you have poor credit or unstable income, so make sure to get pre-approved not, pre-qualified, for a loan before placing an offer on a home. If you don't, you'll be wasting the seller's time, the seller's agent's time, your buyer agent's time and your time if you sign a contract and then discover later that the bank won't lend you what you need, or that it's only willing to give you a mortgage that you find unacceptable. Be aware that even if you have been pre-approved for a mortgage, your loan can fall through at the last minute if you do something to alter your credit score prior to the closing transaction on the home, like finance a car purchase, apply for credit for furniture for the new home. If you cause the deal to fall through, you may have to forfeit the several thousand dollars that you put up when you went under contract. 3. Failing to Consider Additional Expenses Once you're a homeowner, you'll have additional expenses on top of your monthly payment. Unlike when you were a renter, you'll be responsible for paying property taxes, insuring your home against disasters and making any repairs the house needs (which will occasionally include expensive items like a new roof or a new furnace). Also HOA fees if you are in a development that the HOA is mandatory. If you're interested in purchasing a condo, you'll have to pay maintenance costs monthly regardless of whether anything needs fixing because you'll be part of a homeowner's association, which collects a couple hundred dollars a month from the owners of each unit in the building in the form of condominium fees. 4. Being Too Picky Go ahead and put everything you can think of on your new home wish list, but don't be so inflexible that you end up continuing to rent for significantly longer than you really want to or never find a home you could like. First-time homebuyers often have to compromise on something because their funds are limited. You may have to live on a busy street, accept outdated decor, make some repairs to the home, or forgo that extra bedroom. Of course,

2014 The Home Search Process per NAR • For 43 percent of home buyers, the first step in the home-buying process was looking online for properties and 12 percent of home buyers first looked online for information about the home buying process. • Ninety-two percent of buyers use the internet in some way in their home search process and 50 percent of buyers use a mobile website or application in their home search. • Real estate agents were viewed as a useful information source by 98 percent of buyers who used an agent while searching for a home. • The typical home buyer searched for 10 weeks and viewed 10 homes—this is two weeks shorter than the previous year’s report. • Approximately nine in 10 recent buyers were at least somewhat satisfied with the home buying process. • For more than half of buyers finding the right home was the most difficult step in the home buying process. What Buyers Valued Most Were • Photos (84%) • Detailed property information (82%) • Virtual tours (63%) • Real estate agent contact information (46%) • Interactive maps (43%.) Characteristics of Home Buyers Tightened credit standards for home buyers has suppressed the level of first-time buyers in the market. Among primary residence home buyers, only 33 percent are first-time buyers, while the historical average is 40 percent. First-time home buyers are more likely to be single females and single males and typically have a lower income than repeat home buyers. Due to the lower share of first-time buyers, the data shows a market with a higher share of married couples who have higher household income than seen since the last report. Thirteen percent of recent buyers purchased a multi-generational home. The reasons for purchasing this home type vary from children over 18 moving back into the house to cost savings to the health and caretaking of aging parents, as well as wanting to spend more time with aging parents. Demographic Characteristics of Homebuyers The demographics of home buyers in the last three years have been reflective of tightened credit conditions. Buyers tend to have higher incomes and there is a higher share of married couples in the market. The median age of home buyers rose to 44 years old from 42 years old. The largest share of home buyers is in the 25 to 34 age group, who account for 28 percent of recent home buyers in the market. The 2013 median household income for home buyers rose slightly to $84,500 from $83,300 in the last report. Buyers in the Midwest region tend to be younger, while buyers in the West and South regions tend to be older. Buyers in the West region had the highest incomes followed by buyers in the Northeast. The share of married buyers remained nearly flat from the past year at 65 percent. The single buyer share remains suppressed. Single female buyers only made up 16 percent of buyers while the share of single male buyers is nine percent. In past years, single females made up more than one-fifth of the market place and single males made up more than one-tenth of recent buyers. This suggests that while tightened lending conditions continue married couples are better able to provide the purchasing power needed to buy a home. Thirty-five percent of recent buyers had children under the age of 18 in the household. Thirteen percent of recent buyers purchased a home for a multi-generational household—a home that had adult siblings, adult children over the age of 18, parents, and or grandparents in the household. One-quarter of these homes were bought for cost savings and an additional 23 percent due to children over the age of 18 moving back into the home. Eighteen percent of multi-generational households purchased this household type because of health and caretaking of aging parents, while one in ten purchased this type of home to spend more time with aging parents. Characteristics of Homes Purchased

All transactions have different requirements and stipulations that are dependent on the buyers and sellers and State Purchased in The general the process to buy a home (real estate) in the USA is basically as follows: 1) Identify the property you want to purchase. 2) Make an offer on the real estate you have decided to purchase, and place your signatures on the offer to purchase forms supplied by the buyer's agent. 3) At the time of signing the offer to purchase you will need to wire/send over $1,000.00-$5,000.00 USD minimum (depending on the purchase price this can be a larger amount) as a security deposit to the title company/attorney of the seller’s choice to secure the property (check with each state/country for their requirements) this is showing your good faith in that you want to purchase the property. Once the buyer and seller have signed the offer to purchase this then becomes a contract. Between the signed contract and the security deposit this removes the property from having other offers accepted to sell the property to someone else. If the offer is not accepted and there is no agreement this amount is refunded to the buyer, minus any wiring fees if the buyer wants the funds wired back or sent to them. 4) Once you have signed the offer to purchase and sent (wiring is preferred) the escrow money deposit, The signed offer to purchase will be given to the seller’s agent. 5) Seller’s agent presents offer to purchase to the seller for his acceptance or counter offer, if accepted signatures of all sellers are required. 6) Seller’s agent sends a copy of the signed offer to purchase which is now a contract between the buyer and seller back to the buyer's agent. The buyer's agent will then send a copy to the buyer for their records. 7) The title company/attorney gathers all legal documents together and verifies all information. 8) The title company/attorney sends you and the seller a package of legal documents for each to sign and return. 9) You sign the documents and return to title company/attorney and wire transfer or as direct by the title company/attorney the final amount to them. 10) Once that is completed, then all documents signed by all parties and the money has to be wired to the title company/attorney. When funding has taken place then it is considered a completed transaction and the house is yours. 11) All the paperwork can be emailed to you so you don’t even have to be at the closing. 12) The keys are sent to whoever the buyer has selected to receive them or the buyer receives at closing. 13) If it’s a loan or cash purchase on a bank owned or regular sale (not a short sale) it’s possible to close/complete in as little as 3-6 weeks! 14) A short sale can take a longer time to complete and could potentially be anywhere from 6 weeks to ? months. The time frame will vary from lender to lender and their requirements will determine the time frame to complete the transaction. Normally they are in the 2-7 month time frame which will be determined by the number of loans on the property. Again this is the general process and can vary dependent on the seller - buyer - and other facts.

The Risks of Selling Your Property Yourself 1. When you sell your home yourself, you have limited exposure to qualified buyers, who are working with real estate professionals to find their dream home, which theoretically means your home will take long...

• Refer you to a lender or lenders to get a loan pre-approval, if required, so that any offer you make will be from a position of strength. This is the first and most important step in the home buying process. The buyer's agent will require a copy of the pre-approval for their records if a loan is involved or a copy of the proof of funds if this is going to be a cash transaction. • Shorten the home search time using a buyer process survey. • Email you property to preview at your leisure to determine those that you will be interested in seeing. • Help you understand the entire purchase process. • Help find the right home to purchase. • Point out unnoticed features or faults in the property that are visible. • Make sure you see the best available homes for sale. • Prior to you making any offers they should prepare a comparative market analysis to determine the fair value range of the property. A price asked by the seller might bear little relationship to the actual current market value. • Make recommendations as to the price to be offered with the goal of obtaining the property that suits you best at the best possible price: of course, all decisions will be yours to make as to how the offer is to be made. • Will assist you throughout the negotiating process. • Before you sign anything will make certain you fully understand your obligations when making an offer on a property. • The offer form will be explained. • The offer form should have a financing clause and an inspection clause, as well as any other contingencies that may be required, so you can cancel the offer based on any situation that would make it unfeasible to continue with the purchase. Remember many of these contingencies may have time frames/completion dates that are applicable and once the date has passed you no longer can cancel the contract without consequences. • Monitor the closing process to make certain everything is accomplished as agreed and make sure to avoid any problems during the closing process. • Provide a list of service providers if required. The buyer may be expected to sign an "EXCLUSIVE BUYER BROKERAGE AGREEMENT" for the agents services to the buyer. Many agents will require this of the buyers, which gives the buyer an agent that the agents fiduciary responsibility is to the home buyer and no one else during the entire home buying process until the transaction is completed.

Some Listing Agents find no joy in taking listings, but they do find it extremely rewarding when they sell and close on houses. Like a bank's primary focus is to make loans and not hold inventory, the same applies to a Real estate agent. Over the years...

I Find No Joy In Taking Listings Yes, I said it.... I find no joy in taking listings, but I do find it extremely rewarding when I sell and close on houses. Like a bank, its primary focus is to make loans, not to hold inventory. Same applies to a Real estate agent. Over the years, I tried to perfect my selling strategy, and the Systematic Home Selling strategy to all my homes. If I cannot meet all the criteria's, I will not take the listing. Can I Go It Alone - What It Is Like To Be A FSBO The Risks of Selling Your Property Yourself How Do Buyers Shop For Homes If you’re wondering what you REALTOR® is going to do to market your home, you should know that the effectiveness of advertising has changed. What Do Buyers Want Now here is the grail of home sales! What is it that buyers actually want? Well, agreeably this will differ with each buyer but it's pretty easy to generalize about the things that buyers look for in a home and it's also just as easy to say what they don't want. For starters we will look at some general things that buyers like to see when looking for a new home and then we will move on to the "NO" list. What Buyers Look For In A House When you sell your house you are usually looking to make some profit in the deal and close the deal as quickly as possible. The key to selling your home quickly and getting your asking price in any real estate market is to know what buyers look for in a house. Once you understand the features that can sell a home, you can get your house sold more quickly. Want to Sell Your Home Fast? Think Like A Buyer Most sellers expect their home to sell quickly, at the best price possible. They believe their home is the best in the area and that their improvements demand top dollar. How can you trust that this is true? Just ask any seller and they will tell you. Many sellers hire a listing agent, but do not want to take their advice. They consider themselves or their neighbors or friends as experts. Often they tend to negotiate their listing price with their agents rather than looking at the facts. Then they wonder why their home is sitting while others are selling. Beware sellers, buyers today are smart! Sellers need to realize is that they cannot sell their home if no one looks at it. Today's buyers are extremely tech savvy and do their homework before they consider a home. In this age of technology, a buyer will not look further if they there is no virtual tour or at the very least, a photo array of the property. What else are buyers looking for? Buying A Home On the Internet When tax time rolls around, I sometimes think about the consequences of using TurboTax versus hiring a professional CPA, and how that kind of thinking also relates to home buyers and sellers who don’t want to hire a real estate agent. Some think that finding homes online or selling by themselves is so easy why bother with an agent. I’ve used a CPA and have watched our tax liability shrink incredibly before my very eyes. It makes me feel like I should have hired a CPA years ago. Saving a $400 tax preparer fee actually ended up costing money in the long run when I could have saved $4,000 in taxes. Duh. Home Selling Tips - The Info Buyers Need You've heard the usual home selling tips. Clean the place up, get the help you need and price it right - all good advice. But what about the more direct part of the sales process: advertising, marketing and talking to prospective buyers. Do you know what to say in your advertisements, flyers and in person? You should tell buyers almost everything. Of course don't reveal your motivations, how low you'll go on the price, or anything else that hurts your negotiating position. But tell them everything else they might want to know. 90 Ways To Sell Your Home Faster And For More Money The rule of thumb is, if something needs repair, fix it! There are probably many things in your home that you have simply become used to over time,

11 Worst Home Buyer Mistakes Are you gearing up to buy your first place, move-up, second/vacation home? Shopping for a home is exciting, exhausting and a little bit scary. In the end, your aim is to end up with a home you love at a price you can aff...