In Real Estate not all things are created equal when a person wants to sell, just as not all agents are created equal. There 27 important things a seller needs to know and do before they list their home on the market.
When a person is thinking of selling in most cases they either look in the phone, paper, Internet or ask a friend to find a Real Estate Agent who will let them know what the agent thinks they should list the home for and what the agent thinks what it will sell for if it sells.
The real problem is when someone calls and agent they think the agents know all and see’s all like a psychic. This is nothing short of the truth not all agents just because they have a license know what they are doing.
In fact it my opinion; that you can train a money to pass the real estate examine this does not make a person a good agent. Many agents advertising what they have done in the past and I’m the best or the best one “Million Dollar Sales Agent” this is the biggest joke of all. Selling a million dollars of real estate can and has been done in the past just by default not by skill.
The true meaning of Realtor does not mean licensed, it means highly trained and an expert in the profession. Unfortunately many agents pay their dues and never receive much training or at best just a few hours of continuing education that is forgotten as soon as it is over.
A true real estate agent as I see it is one that has many designations which means this person believes in education and follows and using the education in everyday business. A good agent is a professional who should be as important to a seller or buyer and their attorney or CPA.
So what are the important issues and steps a Seller should take before they call a real estate agent. There are actually 27 issues and steps you should take before you even pick up the phone and call anyone if you want to receive the information in a positive light.
But here are the top 15 issues for every seller.
15 Things a Seller needs to know before they list.
1.You must understand why you are selling! Your motivation to sell is the determining factor as to how you will approach the sale. It affects everything from what you set your asking price at to how much time, money and effort you're willing to invest in order to prepare your home for sale.
2.Keep the Reason you are selling to yourself! With this tip there is a caveat’ if you are in trouble and need to sell, you need to be honest with the agent once you make your decision who you are going to hire to sell your home.
3.Before setting a price- Do your own homework! When you set your price, you make buyers aware of the absolute maximum they have to pay for your home. As a seller, you will want to get a selling price as close to the list price as possible.
4.Setting your home price!
A.If you live in a Subdivision - If your home is comprised of similar or identical floor plans, built in the same period, simply look at recent sales in your neighborhood subdivision to give you a good idea of what your home is worth.
B.If You Live in An Older Neighborhood - As neighborhoods change over time each home may be different in minor or substantial ways and you will probably find that there aren't many homes truly comparable to your own. In this case you may want to consider seeking a Realtor ® to help you with the pricing process.
C.If You Decide to Sell On Your Own - A good way to establish a value is to look at homes that have sold in your neighborhood within the past 6 months, including those now on the market. This is how prospective buyers will assess the worth of your home. Also a trip to City Hall can provide you with home sale information in its public records, for most communities.
5.Do some Home Shopping Yourself! The best way to learn about your competition is to go out and discover what turns buyers on and off. Visiting open houses is a good first step, by take the time to go around the area and see what other sellers are offering. Particularly note not only the asking prices but what they are actually selling for. Remember, if you're serious about getting your home sold fast; don't price it higher than your neighbor's.
6.Understand Tax Assessment and what they really mean! Some people think that tax assessments are a way of evaluating a home. The difficulty here is that assessments are based on a number of criteria that may not be related to property values, so they may not necessarily reflect your home's true value.
7.Deciding upon a Realtor! According to the National Association of Realtors survey, nearly two thirds of all sellers who have tried to sell their home there self said they would never do it again. The primary reasons are setting a price, marketing handicaps, liability concerns, and time constraints. Remember not all agents are created equal there are many questions you should ask, make the time you spend deciding on and agent just like you are interviewing a person to take care of your child.
Ask Questions!
8.Insure you have room to negotiate! Before setting your price make sure you leave room in which to bargain. Think of a number that you feel comfortable with and what you are willing to offer the buyer as an incentive to buy. Remember this is a business decision; many people get emotional and lose sight of the prize which is closing.
9.Appearances do matter more than anything! Appearance is so critical that it would be unwise to ignore this when selling your home. The look and "feel" of your home will generate a greater emotional response than any other factor. Prospective buyers react to what they see, hear, feel, and smell even though you may have priced your home to sell.
10.Invite honest opinions from others! The single biggest mistake many sellers make is not asking other people what they truly think about the home. Do not rely on just you feeling of the home because what you feel has nothing to do with what a buyer is going to think, feeling and thing are two entirely different issues.
11.Get Your Home Spic and Span fix everything and clear out the clutter! You need to step back and take a good look at your home, make sure everything is looking like you could eat off of it. Get rid of all clutter, declare war on dust, dirt and junk what you don’t need any more or you don’t use either donate it to charity or place it storage but get it out of the house. This way when a buyer comes through your home you are not making excuses or it does not look like something is hiding something. Not to mention; it will always make your home look bigger then it is actually.
12.Allow perspective buyers to visualize themselves in your home! The last thing you want perspective buyers to feel when they come to your home is that they are intruding, get out of house and let the agent do what they are getting paid to do.
13.Deal Killer odors must go! You may not realize but odd smells like traces of food, pets and smoking odors can kill deals quickly. If prospective buyers know you have a dog, or that you smoke, they'll start being aware of odors and seeing stains that may not even exist. Don't leave any clues.
14.Be a smart Seller disclose everything! A very important part is disclosure, don’t be afraid to order a presale home inspection this one step can increase your value and help you sell faster than the house down the street. When you get the inspection fix the issues you can or expect to credit the buyer for the repairs.
15.Check your title for any defects! This is a really important step many people do not know if there is anything on the title that could pop up and stall a sale. Have your agent go to the title company and have them run a title and deed search to make sure that nothing is on your title that you don’t know about this could kill your deal.
These issues are the top issues when a seller has their home for sale anyone of the issue can stop the process dead in it tracks. There are addition issues that you may address, but remember the very most important issue is the hiring to the right agent or broker to do the job is do they have a detailed marketing plan and have you really priced your home correctly.
If the agent gives you a selling price do not get insulted especially with the market conditions of today and always get more them one price opinion. When you are selling Real Estate either residential or commercial never ever keep your personal emotion in the deal it’s not personal it’s business.
For more information in New Jersey visit http://njbuyersonestop.com or call Tim Robbins at 800-610-3599
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Why the FHA is Going to Send Real Estate Markets in a Tail spin
In the past Real Estate agents would inform the sellers of the cost that could potentially cost them by the tough appraisal format? The appraisers would enter a property with the mindset that they, had to be a Home Inspector and find deficiencies in the home. Some of the problems that the appraisers would call out in their inspections would cause the deals to just fall apart.
The problem was really agents just did not want to go through all of the hoops, when they could just conventional.
The other issue that was brought light in the years, from the late 90’s to 2005 was the sub-prime market had placed a major hit on the FHA loans the market shares went from around 48% of the lower market to just 32% in and around 2004. Since the FHA seen this fall taking place the appraisals inspections let up and were no longer calling things such as painting a railing.
Some f the other issues were that the MIP had been reduced. These issues and that FHA was really not credit score driven, made it easier for people to receive a mortgage. Not to mention; the money that the buyer could use could be 100% gifted by a relative.
This made the FHA more attractive to many buyers who never thought they could even purchase a home! Now that things are starting to change around and the market is showing signs of recovering in the real estate market, the experts in Washington are at it again. They want to change what is working and try to break it again, so they can drive the market in reverse.
This brings up another point; the Reverse Mortgage also has MIP “mortgage protection insurance, which at this time has a surplus in the fund and they also want to raise this one at the same time. If all programs are working to help stimulate the market why not just sit back and seen where it goes!
The biggest problem; is that the people in Washington who are making these changing are the same people that got us here in the first place. Now I can see maybe raising the down payment to maybe 5% of the purchase price, but to limit the seller contribution this is something that has helped more people own a home than any single issue in real estate. The closing cost and using some of the money maybe to buy down the rate can make the difference in a home selling for more money or even selling at all in and all ready struggling market.
In professional opinion as an Exclusive Buyers Broker for over 15 years, this has been the difference in a sale in many cases. The buyer may have the money for the down payment but fall short when it comes to the closing cost. In some areas of the country like in Florida where the buyer and seller have to pay a mortgage tax and the intangible tax these can significant additional fees to the buyer.
If you want to get the markets flowing again then we need to come up with creative ways to make the sale, and providing these additional items does make the difference. This few but significant changes in the FHA/HUD will have a dramatic impact on real estate markets around the country and send the real estate markets back into a tail spin.
You would think since the FHA has seen a dramatic increase in the market shares that they had lost over the years with stupid issues just to close that they could come up with a thought process that would keep the continuing up swing working.
The problem was really agents just did not want to go through all of the hoops, when they could just conventional.
The other issue that was brought light in the years, from the late 90’s to 2005 was the sub-prime market had placed a major hit on the FHA loans the market shares went from around 48% of the lower market to just 32% in and around 2004. Since the FHA seen this fall taking place the appraisals inspections let up and were no longer calling things such as painting a railing.
Some f the other issues were that the MIP had been reduced. These issues and that FHA was really not credit score driven, made it easier for people to receive a mortgage. Not to mention; the money that the buyer could use could be 100% gifted by a relative.
This made the FHA more attractive to many buyers who never thought they could even purchase a home! Now that things are starting to change around and the market is showing signs of recovering in the real estate market, the experts in Washington are at it again. They want to change what is working and try to break it again, so they can drive the market in reverse.
This brings up another point; the Reverse Mortgage also has MIP “mortgage protection insurance, which at this time has a surplus in the fund and they also want to raise this one at the same time. If all programs are working to help stimulate the market why not just sit back and seen where it goes!
The biggest problem; is that the people in Washington who are making these changing are the same people that got us here in the first place. Now I can see maybe raising the down payment to maybe 5% of the purchase price, but to limit the seller contribution this is something that has helped more people own a home than any single issue in real estate. The closing cost and using some of the money maybe to buy down the rate can make the difference in a home selling for more money or even selling at all in and all ready struggling market.
In professional opinion as an Exclusive Buyers Broker for over 15 years, this has been the difference in a sale in many cases. The buyer may have the money for the down payment but fall short when it comes to the closing cost. In some areas of the country like in Florida where the buyer and seller have to pay a mortgage tax and the intangible tax these can significant additional fees to the buyer.
If you want to get the markets flowing again then we need to come up with creative ways to make the sale, and providing these additional items does make the difference. This few but significant changes in the FHA/HUD will have a dramatic impact on real estate markets around the country and send the real estate markets back into a tail spin.
You would think since the FHA has seen a dramatic increase in the market shares that they had lost over the years with stupid issues just to close that they could come up with a thought process that would keep the continuing up swing working.
How You Can Turn Your Retirement Portfolio Into the Positive Even With Losses From the Bad Economy
How You Can Turn Your Retirement Portfolio Into the Positive Even With Losses From the Bad Economy
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tim_G_Robbins]Tim G Robbins
Most people who have or had a 401k or Ira had some doing the investing for them, the company or person who is suppose to be and expert made bad choices or the selection just plain crashed on the market. Many of the 401k's where invested even in the company that they worked for at the time and the company lost their shirts and shoes. In many cases people had placed the IRA's with high risks or low return investments and did not see any growth.
The one thing that most people do not even know about and the investment gurus who make a fortune watching over your fortune good or bad, are that you can control what your money goes. There are options that they are not going to tell you about because they will not make commissions on your portfolio and that makes them keep it a secret. Many investors listen to their financial advisors who have taken hits on their own investment because they made bad choice for themselves, so how can they tell you what to do if they can't do it for their own investments.
These gurus will tell you that they have what you have for your investments; the real part is they make income even when you lose money they get paid on the up and the down. The only one that gets hurt is you and if you have short time until you need it you are in the hole. Right now you do not have much time to get back what you have lost by having someone else watch your investments you have to take control of them yourself. Well I am sure now you are saying to yourself I can't do this I am not and expert and they know more than me so they must be right. Wrong you do not have to be an expert to make big increases in your portfolio without having the so call expert doing the work for you.
So what is this way you can make your money work harder and smarter for you with all of the turmoil and loses that have happen in the market today. I know you see the stock market going up and then dropping over night. There is a way to actually make secure returns on your investments and be guaranteed anywhere from 12% to 15% secured. Ok now you're saying to yourself here we going with a Bernie scheme where everyone who got in got destroyed and lost everything. No this does have anything to do with any schemes of any kind; it has to do with capitalizing on losses' that are happening all around the country today.
What most people do not know that there was more money made by a few during the great depression then anytime in history and you can do it too. There is a part of the IRS tax code that lets you take control of your portfolio and make sound investments in real estate. As you are aware there are many pieces of real estate that are being offered and prices that are at a 10 year low or better.
I know right about now you are saying why I would want to invest in real estate when values are at the lowest they have been in years. Well it really very clear if you want to make money buy when everyone else is selling and sell when everyone else is buying.
So what is this opportunity that can make you wealthy in such troubling times!
Well if you have a 401k or a traditional IRA you a going to keep losing and you will never really get back what you lost over the last few years, unless you make a change in how you invest. The program that is available is called the self directed IRA! Yes by taking your 401k or current IRA and rolling over into a self directed IRA, you can purchase distress real estate and make big profits. But this is just the beginning!
With a self directed IRA you are going to be able to invest in real estate and buy homes or even commercial properties at 20% to 30% of the value and in some cases even less. The best part of using a self directed IRA is you are using tax deductable dollars to purchase and the growth is tax deferred. Unlike traditional real estate investing; when you invest and you sell you have to pay capital gains on the growth, or the difference between what you invested and what you sold for this is the gain.
In a self directed IRA you are using the funds that you deposited in the account that were tax deductable to purchase real estate and when you sell it all of the growth goes back into your account and no tax is paid on it. The best part of this is you can go and do this over and over again and keep deferring the tax on the growth until later in life. There is one little caveat; that you need to know and it's really not a big deal, you can't own the real estate in your own name it must be held in trust in your name. You still own it but the trust has to control the property. This means you purchase the real estate and the trust pays all the bills and when the property sells the trust takes care of everything for you. But the best part is you are in complete control by deciding what, where and how you are going to purchase and when you will sell.
So what can you do and what can you not do with a self direct IRA
First there are a few things you cannot do when using this investment option!
You cannot use your IRA to purchase
• Collectibles (purchasing art, antiques, rugs, coins, stamps, wine, cars, etc.)
•Life Insurance Benefits (purchasing life insurance benefits from a policy holder)
Now here is what you can do with your IRA to make big profits! Other than the exception listed above that's it.
Now if you purchase real estate which I recommend single family homes or income producing properties such as multi-units apartments or commercial income properties or real estate notes. Here is the rules when you purchase real estate for your IRA!
1. The IRA owner; his or her ancestor; his or her lineal descendents (i.e., parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren)
2. The spouse of the IRA owner
3. Financial advisors and other fiduciaries
4. Any entity owned 50% or more by a disqualified party (such as a business half-owned or more by the IRA holder's daughter)
Some examples of prohibited transactions include:
1. Renting IRA-owned property to lineal family members or a spouse
2. Lending IRA cash at a below-market rate to a friend
3. Paying yourself from income derived from an IRA investment
4. Personally guaranteeing a loan to an IRA asset
So now that you know all that you need to know about what you can and cannot do with your IRA go out and start making back the loses that took away your retirement. Go buy rel=nofollow [http://njbuyersonestop.com]distressed properties or great income producing real estate!
Tim Robbins a Long time professional Real Estate and Mortgage financing specialist in New Jersey. I have spent the better part of 20 years helping people make great choices in their real estate purchases. Along with working with my clients to help them understand the opportunities that are available in today's markets I have also taught many people over the years with education on how to make sure you make the right decisions and how to invest. To find out more on how you can have a profession broker who will only work for you in New Jersey go to http://NJbuyersonestop.com or call 800-610-3599 I am here to help. Also do business with me and I will give a year of access to a professional attorney and protect your identity for thieves who want to take it away from you. I will also make sure you make the correct purchase and the best deal possible.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-You-Can-Turn-Your-Retirement-Portfolio-Into-the-Positive-Even-With-Losses-From-the-Bad-Economy&id=3650424] How You Can Turn Your Retirement Portfolio Into the Positive Even With Losses From the Bad Economy
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tim_G_Robbins]Tim G Robbins
Most people who have or had a 401k or Ira had some doing the investing for them, the company or person who is suppose to be and expert made bad choices or the selection just plain crashed on the market. Many of the 401k's where invested even in the company that they worked for at the time and the company lost their shirts and shoes. In many cases people had placed the IRA's with high risks or low return investments and did not see any growth.
The one thing that most people do not even know about and the investment gurus who make a fortune watching over your fortune good or bad, are that you can control what your money goes. There are options that they are not going to tell you about because they will not make commissions on your portfolio and that makes them keep it a secret. Many investors listen to their financial advisors who have taken hits on their own investment because they made bad choice for themselves, so how can they tell you what to do if they can't do it for their own investments.
These gurus will tell you that they have what you have for your investments; the real part is they make income even when you lose money they get paid on the up and the down. The only one that gets hurt is you and if you have short time until you need it you are in the hole. Right now you do not have much time to get back what you have lost by having someone else watch your investments you have to take control of them yourself. Well I am sure now you are saying to yourself I can't do this I am not and expert and they know more than me so they must be right. Wrong you do not have to be an expert to make big increases in your portfolio without having the so call expert doing the work for you.
So what is this way you can make your money work harder and smarter for you with all of the turmoil and loses that have happen in the market today. I know you see the stock market going up and then dropping over night. There is a way to actually make secure returns on your investments and be guaranteed anywhere from 12% to 15% secured. Ok now you're saying to yourself here we going with a Bernie scheme where everyone who got in got destroyed and lost everything. No this does have anything to do with any schemes of any kind; it has to do with capitalizing on losses' that are happening all around the country today.
What most people do not know that there was more money made by a few during the great depression then anytime in history and you can do it too. There is a part of the IRS tax code that lets you take control of your portfolio and make sound investments in real estate. As you are aware there are many pieces of real estate that are being offered and prices that are at a 10 year low or better.
I know right about now you are saying why I would want to invest in real estate when values are at the lowest they have been in years. Well it really very clear if you want to make money buy when everyone else is selling and sell when everyone else is buying.
So what is this opportunity that can make you wealthy in such troubling times!
Well if you have a 401k or a traditional IRA you a going to keep losing and you will never really get back what you lost over the last few years, unless you make a change in how you invest. The program that is available is called the self directed IRA! Yes by taking your 401k or current IRA and rolling over into a self directed IRA, you can purchase distress real estate and make big profits. But this is just the beginning!
With a self directed IRA you are going to be able to invest in real estate and buy homes or even commercial properties at 20% to 30% of the value and in some cases even less. The best part of using a self directed IRA is you are using tax deductable dollars to purchase and the growth is tax deferred. Unlike traditional real estate investing; when you invest and you sell you have to pay capital gains on the growth, or the difference between what you invested and what you sold for this is the gain.
In a self directed IRA you are using the funds that you deposited in the account that were tax deductable to purchase real estate and when you sell it all of the growth goes back into your account and no tax is paid on it. The best part of this is you can go and do this over and over again and keep deferring the tax on the growth until later in life. There is one little caveat; that you need to know and it's really not a big deal, you can't own the real estate in your own name it must be held in trust in your name. You still own it but the trust has to control the property. This means you purchase the real estate and the trust pays all the bills and when the property sells the trust takes care of everything for you. But the best part is you are in complete control by deciding what, where and how you are going to purchase and when you will sell.
So what can you do and what can you not do with a self direct IRA
First there are a few things you cannot do when using this investment option!
You cannot use your IRA to purchase
• Collectibles (purchasing art, antiques, rugs, coins, stamps, wine, cars, etc.)
•Life Insurance Benefits (purchasing life insurance benefits from a policy holder)
Now here is what you can do with your IRA to make big profits! Other than the exception listed above that's it.
Now if you purchase real estate which I recommend single family homes or income producing properties such as multi-units apartments or commercial income properties or real estate notes. Here is the rules when you purchase real estate for your IRA!
1. The IRA owner; his or her ancestor; his or her lineal descendents (i.e., parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren)
2. The spouse of the IRA owner
3. Financial advisors and other fiduciaries
4. Any entity owned 50% or more by a disqualified party (such as a business half-owned or more by the IRA holder's daughter)
Some examples of prohibited transactions include:
1. Renting IRA-owned property to lineal family members or a spouse
2. Lending IRA cash at a below-market rate to a friend
3. Paying yourself from income derived from an IRA investment
4. Personally guaranteeing a loan to an IRA asset
So now that you know all that you need to know about what you can and cannot do with your IRA go out and start making back the loses that took away your retirement. Go buy rel=nofollow [http://njbuyersonestop.com]distressed properties or great income producing real estate!
Tim Robbins a Long time professional Real Estate and Mortgage financing specialist in New Jersey. I have spent the better part of 20 years helping people make great choices in their real estate purchases. Along with working with my clients to help them understand the opportunities that are available in today's markets I have also taught many people over the years with education on how to make sure you make the right decisions and how to invest. To find out more on how you can have a profession broker who will only work for you in New Jersey go to http://NJbuyersonestop.com or call 800-610-3599 I am here to help. Also do business with me and I will give a year of access to a professional attorney and protect your identity for thieves who want to take it away from you. I will also make sure you make the correct purchase and the best deal possible.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-You-Can-Turn-Your-Retirement-Portfolio-Into-the-Positive-Even-With-Losses-From-the-Bad-Economy&id=3650424] How You Can Turn Your Retirement Portfolio Into the Positive Even With Losses From the Bad Economy
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Timrobbinssr Just got a new program that I think everyone will want It's Free and will open your social world http://www.Ping.fm
Thursday, December 17, 2009
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- Hello I am a 59 year old marketing professional who holds a degree in real estate and marketing. At this stage of my life I use all of my past talents to background to help people grow and realize their potential in business.
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