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Archive for the ‘Home Selling’ Category

Top 10 Mistakes Home Sellers Make

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

There are a number of reasons that people sell their home. They could be relocating to another area, they may have fallen victim to a layoff, or they just want to sell the home. Whatever the reasoning, as home sellers, they have to make sure that everything is in place so that their hone can sell.

In order to do that, you should avoid 10 top mistakes that home sellers make when they are trying to sell their home:

1. Make sure that you have a real estate agent that can properly represent you – There’s nothing worse than having an agent that doesn’t know what they’re doing. When you are looking for an agent, look for one that is seasoned and is educated on selling a home. They should be willing to show you what they’ve done in terms of selling homes.

2. Pricing the home out of your range – One of the mistakes that home sellers make is pricing their home higher than what it needs to be. This is a big turn off and you probably won’t get any takers. In order to price you home in a reasonable range, study the housing market. Find homes that are comparable to yours. Look at their selling price and how long they lasted on the market.

3. Provide incentives to prospective buyers – You must do more than lower the price of your home for prospective buyers to be interested. Another mistake that home sellers make is failing to include additional incentives that would attract buyers to at least come and view the home.

4. Negotiate a reasonable offer – Even if a buyer presents an offer that you think is too low, don’t turn away. You may be able to negotiate with them on the price of your home. Discuss your counter offer with the buyer and try to work with them.

5. The buyer should be pre-approved – In order to prevent an embarrassing situation, the buyer should already be approved to purchase the home. This is one of the top 10 mistakes that home sellers make by not checking the credentials of the buyer thoroughly. It ends up delaying the buying process.

6. Deceptive advertising – Refrain from making false statements about the condition of your home. Whether it’s you or your agent who provides the description, it must be truthful and accurate.

7. Make some photos available – More people are using the internet to conduct research, and that includes looking at homes for sale. The mistake that home sellers make in not having enough photos or any photos at all can pose a problem for prospective buyers. They want to know what their potential investment looks like.

8. Make sure the home is presentable. If you have repairs that need to be done, do it before you put your home on the market. The buyer will feel deceived if you have sold them the house and mask other things that need to be done.

9. Be available and accessible – When buyers are coming to see your home, the home seller should make it accessible to them and their agent. Have a key available so that they can get in your home and look around. This is one of the worst mistakes home sellers can make and it can ruin a potential sale.

10. Waiting for a recovering market (don’t do it) – Homes can be sold in a down economic period as well as an upward period. If you wait until the market is ripe again, you may lose money. You don’t know exactly when the upward period will be. So, it’s best to put your home on the market sooner. You could get a better deal.

Kwame Kuadey runs a discount gift card website and a popular gift card blog. He has written many articles on topics like Gift Card Ideas, Bankruptcy and Gift Cards, and gift card swap

Home Sellers Choose Flat Fee MLS Listings

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

The MLS, or the Multiple Listing Service, is a widely used database that contains listings of homes for sale. It is used by Agencies and home buyers who are searching for a new home. It can be accessed by almost anyone and is a great place to have your home listed. Listing your home with a flat fee MLS listing allows you the freedom to sell your home on your own and still get the benefits of a widely viewed listing service. Agencies often charge large fees to list your home for you, so if you are looking for a way to save money and still sell your home fast, flat fee MLS listings may be a good option for you.

Why do people choose to sell a home on their own? People have a lot of reasons for choosing to either sell the home on their own or for choosing to list their home with an Agency. Some people feel that they do not want to have to pay a real estate agent a lot of money to do the selling. This can save a lot of money, but if the seller is not knowledgeable about the market or what is needed when selling a home, it can end up being costly. It is important to be aware of all the details involved with the selling of your home. It is not only a matter of putting up a for sale sign and waiting for people to see your home. It also entails a lot of paperwork, legal fees and other document filing fees that can be complicated.

Still, a lot of people would rather tackle all of those challenges on their own and keep the profit from selling the home, instead of working with an Agency and paying them a large fee. A lot of people are turning to selling their homes themselves to avoid this fee. But if that is what you decide to do, you have to get your listing out there and advertised so that people can see it. One of the best ways to get your listing as much as attention as you can is to do a flat fee MLS listing.

Keep in mind that no matter which way you decide to get your home listed and on the market, listing it with MLS is one of the best decisions you could make. Without being on MLS, it can be hard for home buyers to find your home and it may be exactly what someone is looking for, but if it is not listed, it is not likely to be seen.

John is the author of Chicaqo Flat Fee MLS articles for Chicago Flat Fee MLS Listing. You can find more information at Chicago Flat Fee MLS.

Making a Quick House Sale the Easier Way

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

The traditional method of selling your home is of course getting in touch with an estate agent. You have to have your home valued and then they come and stick up a for sale sign in the garden. You then sit back and wait for potential buyers to come flooding in and snap up your home. However in the majority of cases a rush to buy your home does not materialize, in fact your home can be on the market for many months, if it should sell at all. If you want a quick house sale then you could look at taking an offer from a reputable company who offers to buy your home fast.

Taking this option means that you would find a company online and then answer a few questions relating to your home such as the type, the area you live in and the average price of homes in your area. You will then get a rough idea as to how much you would be able to sell your home for to the company. Of course this amount would generally be below what you might be able to sell for yourself however you would need to take into account that you would be guaranteed a quick sale, often in just a couple of weeks. You would also not have fees to pay to an estate agent or solicitor which can add up to a huge amount.

There could be many reasons why you might want to sell a home quick and an ethical company would buy your home for any reason. A quick home sale could be needed if you and your partner are going through a divorce and neither of you wishes to remain in the home. As divorce can be stressful enough without having to put your home up for sale and see would be buyers walk around it, if you got any, you could sell within just a couple of weeks and begin your new life with cash in the bank which you can split 50/50.

You could need to sell your home fast if you are relocating. Rather than have your home sit on the market for many months, even assuming you made a sale, you could sell quickly and have no loose ends to worry about or to have to come back for. You would be able to use the money from the sale in your new life and not have any fees to payout to an estate agent or solicitor. You might also choose to use this option if you need to get your hands on a large sum of money quickly. You could use the equity in your home and have cash in just s couple of weeks from the sale. In this situation you would be able to rent back the property with the option of buying back in the future.

Another reason where a quick sale of this nature could come in handy is if you have been left inheritance property. You would be able sell without hassle and without the costly fees associated with selling and split the proceeds if needed with siblings.

Real estate expert Oliver Wingrove will offer to buy house cash so that you can payoff your existing mortgage and avoid repossession. Alternatively if you are looking for another way out of debt you could find a debt advisor who will be able to answer all of your debt questions.

5 Magnificent Techniques to Guarantee Your Property Sale Today!

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

There are some fundamental things that you could do to guarantee a sale of your home today! This article will present to you a No Gimmick guaranteed guide to achieve your goals of selling your home and moving on with you life!

Regardless of what the media is saying you can sell your property today if you implement some techniques used by a few elite property investors who continue to buy and more importantly sell property at will regardless of the current credit crunch or market conditions!

Before I start to give you a 5 point fast track guide to selling your property- I have got to tell you exactly how powerful the information you are about to receive is! The information you are about to receive will not only show you how to sell your property today it will guarantee that you will never pay anyone to sell your property! Yes..I will say it again you will never pay anyone to sell your property! No Estate Agent Fees, No Legal Fees, No Home Improvement Pack. If you implement these powerful techniques you will learn how to only deal with cash rich, no nonsense buyers, who guarantee to complete. You will not have to take days of work for constant viewings and have to deal with time wasters who, even though they have no real intention of buying your home, will insist on pointing out every indiscretion in the house you have loved and taken care of saying things like…” Its quite small in here isn’t it!….” and “Mmm im not sure about the wallpaper ..or the carpet!” If you had any viewings without a result I am sure you know exactly what I mean!

Hopefully the next thing I’m about to say will not offend any of the ‘mainstream so called property professionals’ who, in light of the countries plight, insist on coming up with cliche’ programs instructing you how to install new kitchens, redecorate from top to bottom in magnolia or banish belongings to £70 per day storage houses in the hope that the agent marketing your property may instantly use a little imagination and actually start marketing your property to buyers who have the power to buy! …Forget them! They neither have the knowledge or capacity to actually sell property in a market place that has changed radically in the last 12 months (hence, why all of our trusted estate agents focusing on sales have or will, disappear of our high streets).

OK now take note!

1. Assess the reasons You need to sell your property. Can you afford not to sell now? Can you ride out the storm which some experts say me last at least another 3 years! If you can, by all means do! However with this point I must say that you must remember that if your property has fallen in value its more than likely so has that dream property you want to move to! So in the scheme of things have you lost out Or have you potentially bought the same property you have always dreamed of with now, either less of a mortgage to pay or more money left in your pocket after the sale!

2. Dehumanise your property. Believe it or not many buyers see their property not as bricks and mortar but like a member of their family. Something they have loved and taken care off and in-turn ahs taken care of them it is combined with memories, emotions and endless possibilities. This mentality acts as a hurdle to achieving your goals. It means you will never be satisfied and always believe your ‘lovely home’ deserves better! This will cause you to miss opportunity and dream about realities that do not exist instead of dealing with realities that exist to allow you to achieve your dreams!

3. Only ever deal with cash buyers! Believe it or not regardless of what you may have heard in them media the main obstacle preventing the average guy from buying property is the fact that mortgages have become an endangered species. Lenders literally no longer know how to lend! ..It is, to be honest, ridiculous! Therefore those individuals that are cash rich and do not need to rely on a lender to purchase property are Your Best Friends! My research has shown that a real cash buyer can buy your property at a better price than if you were trying to sell on the open market whilst saving you time, money, and hassle!

4. Put things into perspective..Fast! I have encountered so many individuals that due to the lack of enforcing this point have either lost their property to repossession, missed that chance of a lifetime opportunity, lost their wife families to stress, gone bankrupt, even driven themselves to illness. It is sad when you think but this paralasis can ultimately erase your dream whatever it may be!

5. Take Action Now! This is one of the most important points you must take action now! This current market is for the brave you must be swift and decisive in your actions. Every day that passess is a day’s opportunity lost. The facts are; property prices are still falling rapidly every day, Debts still continue to compound, over 50,000+ homes will be repossessed this year. Unfortunately the concept of job security has disappeared for most of us and Job lossess are set to rise in the next 12 months! With these factors considered you have to know your options asap!

If you want inside information of exactly how to find reputable cash buyers who can Guarantee to complete on your property within days and insure you pay absolutely No Fees whatsoever you can download my 100% FREE 10 Step guide which not only gives you top secret detailed info on all of the above but teaches you expert techniques of how you can achieve a better price dealing with a cash buyer than from selling on the open market plus learn how to sell your property without having to move out and pay absolutely nothing in rent or mortgage payments!

Download it free here: http://www.sellpropertyinstantly.com/

Andy Swinton is a powerful coach online mentor and one of the UK’s elite professional property investors.

The Most Magnificent Technique to Sell Property Instantly!

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Since 2008 the British property market has been hammered by a combination of unique economic factors that has seen property prices plummet, mortgage products vanish and consumer confidence fade as the media circus make predictions and counter predictions of when the property slump may or may not end! But what does this mean for people like you and me who are trying to sell? What about if you need to sell due to repossession, divorce, or financial difficulty?

You see, there are ways though unconventional, to beat the crunch and guarantee the sale of your property whenever you decide.

The first and most difficult concept to understand is the price to sell at! This is always a sticking point for most. I have literally seen people who go bankrupt, miss that once in a lifetime opportunity, allow themselves to be repossessed by the greedy banks and even fall ill over the thought of not getting the price they imagined they would get for their property!

The easiest way to quantify the price you should sell at is by first understanding that your property is not the home that you have loved and taken care off it is not a family member ‘that deserves better’ you must dehumanise it and make it a commodity. It is a commodity that will provide you with a means to an end whether that is a long-term, short-term or even immediate end.

I will explain. When I invest in the stock market I have no emotional attachment to the stocks I buy. I simply assess the speed of which I can sell (get out) to achieve my goals and balance this with the reasons I have for my decision.

You see the amount you make doesn’t really matter it’s the goals you are trying to achieve that do! If you simply look at your decisions from a monetary angle and the “coulda, woulda shoulda’s” you would never achieve your immediate goals.

Now in regards to property these goals could be anything from; avoiding repossession so your family can remain living in their home. Clearing mounting Debt that is causing you constant stress an affecting your well being or liquidating assets to stop the heartache of drawn out dealings with a spouse. Or possibly simply owning that dream property that has just come on the market at a fantastic price!

Once you have understood this concept of using your property to achieve your immediate goals all that is left to do is sell and if you have access to the expert techniques used by professional property investors of how to find buyers who can guarantee to buy your property no matter where is or what the condition and more importantly, no matter what’s happening in the market, you can achieve your goals of selling your property whenever you decide within days!

You see in the last 6 months in the so called property slump when, if you believe the media, no property is being bought I have sold over 30 individual properties from my own portfolio with absolutely no hassle and no stress to people who can buy! I sell to people who guarantee to complete allowing me to reinvest my cash elsewhere or simply move on with my life with ease.

Did I mention that I also Pay Absolutely No Fees which are normally associated with selling property. That means I pay for No Home Improvement Packs, No Estate Agent fees and absolutely No Legal Fees, and it normally takes just 1 phone call or a few click of my mouse…It’s that simple!

Do you want to learn exactly how I do it?…thought so! Well I have just completed a powerful new guide on ‘How to Sell Your property Instantly’:

Download it FREE here: http://www.sellpropertyinstantly.com/

Andy Swinton is a powerful coach online mentor and one of the UK’s elite professional property investors.

How to Determine If You Are in a Seller Or Buyer Market

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Buyer or Seller Market – How Do You Know & What does it mean to you? It’s an age old question – How’s the real estate market? Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market?

First a quick definition:

According to the National Association of Realtors a housing market in balance is roughly 6 months of supply – once you have less than 6 months of supply, the pendulum swings toward a sellers market & anything over 6 months moves towards a buyers market. The more you slide from the 6 month mark, the more extreme the market either way.

Supply: Number of homes on the market

Demand: How many buyers are purchasing each month

Here is the formula:

# of homes for sale divided by # of homes selling each month yields the # of months of supply

The formula works the same either for a city or subdivision etc – if you are looking for market conditions as compared to your home it would look like this:

In order to understand YOUR market, then you need to look at how many homes in your price range, in your area, are for sale and then compare that with how many of those homes are selling each month. In real estate terms this is called ‘absorption rate’

Example:

You own a home in Cary, North Carolina in the $300,000 – $400,000 range

Does it really matter to you what homes in Cary in the 800k range are doing? No, not directly – at this point as a home seller you would be ‘competing’ against other homes in the 300-400k range, not 800k homes

Assume there are 200 detached (not townhomes/condos) single family homes for sale in Cary in the 300-400 range

What does that tell us? Nothing yet.

Assume in the last few months an average of 20 buyers have closed on a home in Cary in the 300k-400k range each month

Now we are getting somewhere – if there are 200 available homes with an average of 20 buyers per month, then we know there is roughly 10 months of housing supply in this range.

So in this example, in Cary, in the 300-400k price range it would be a buyers market. (because it’s more than the 6 month balance point)

This is a basic example of understanding your market – it boils down to how many homes like yours in your area are for sale, compared to how many available buyers are available. This is only one of many factors you would consider in determining a marketing strategy if you were selling your home.

This example does spotlight the fact that if you needed to sell your home and were facing 10 months of supply and competing with 200 other homes for 20 buyers each month the importance of understanding your market conditions and pricing your home strategically.

David Williams is the Broker/Owner of CaryRealEstate.com in Cary, North Carolina

If You Know How Selling Property is Easy in Any Market!

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

In this current climate many of us need to sell our property fast. It could be for various reasons which may include financial difficulty, divorce, emigration, repossession or just relocation but the common factor is of that speed is of the essence.

Unfortunately if you were aiming on using the traditional means to go about selling your property you will be hugely disappointed. The current climate has made the average buyer who you would normally consider selling too, an obstacle to selling your home!

That’s right!, I’ll repeat that one more time in-case you thought it was a typo!.. “The average buyer you would normally consider selling too has become an obstacle to selling your home!”

You see 95% of people rely on a mortgage to purchase property and currently a multitude of factors have caused mortgages to become a scarce commodity! The times of old are long gone and the average guy will not only see his mortgage application turn in to a long and drawn out process which will guarantee to become a ‘ Who wants to be a millionaire’ style event between you, your broker and the lender, with you’re the trend settling with mortgage offers being withdrawn by lenders due to any blemish on an applicants credit propfile which the deem risky behaviour!

So with that said…more and more savvy property owners are assessing their current situation and future goals and selling their property through more creative and guaranteed methods.

What are these methods you ask?…..well in a nut shell, savvy property owners have learnt how to market their property to only those people who can guarantee to buy. This elite few are cash rich property investors who have the ability to buy property no matter the location, condition or circumstance in amazing speed!

You see savvy property owners have realised that if they wish to achieve their immediate goals any time soon (ie within the next 3-5 years) they will need to think outside the box. To achieve their goals of stopping repossession, beating financial difficulty, emigration, buying their dream home, settling assets or releasing cash fast they must go around the usual inefficient and costly traditional methods which guarantee nothing and ultimately prevent them from moving on with their life!

So are you a property owner trying to sell, do you have mounting debts, are you facing possible repossession do you need to settle assets quickly, have you had enough of the disappointments well …get on with it ive told you exactly how to sell , fast!…. Confused?

I will repeat it one more time for those of you that didn’t catch it. “You must market your property to only those people who can guarantee to buy!….You must sell to cash rich individuals who do not have to rely on a mortgage and have the ability to buy with amazing speed ,no matter the location, condition or circumstance!”

I have written a FREE 5 Step Report of how to do exactly that! My Report will provide you with direct contact details of recommended and trusted cash buyers who will guarantee to buy your property in days! The contacts exposed in this report will also guarantee to pay All Your Fees to ensure a successful sale!

Download this powerful Free Report here: http://www.sellpropertyinstantly.com/

Andy Swinton is a powerful coach online mentor and one of the UK’s elite professional property investors.

Distressed Property Sales in Mallorca – A Comment on the Market For Distressed Mallorca Property

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Due to the economic climate we are accessing for clients an increasing number of distressed Mallorca property opportunities. These forced sale opportunities offer investors the possibility of excellent long term returns or for lifestyle purchasers the chance to buy luxury Mallorca real estate at very low prices.

While we maintain that the Mallorca property market and the wider national and international economic backdrop remain “complicated” we feel that some buying opportunities are emerging particularly where current owner have over leveraged, have cash flow difficulties and are coming under pressure from the banks.

Amongst the opportunities now available in the market are – a spectacular 5* boutique hotel enjoying some of the best views in Mallorca; a luxury designer villa in Pollensa, a house with sea views in Costa de los Pinos, a luxury finca in South West Mallorca close to Andratx and a wonderful front line house near Porto Cristo.

The key for buyers is the availability of funds for the purchase as banks in Spain still have the lending tap firmly closed or at least loan to value ratios requiring equity inputs of around 40%, after costs, for non residents and 30% for residents.

Although unlike the luxury market, where asking prices are often far in excess of underlying values, asking prices reflect the urgency for a sale, thorough market research and due diligence is still required as not all forced sales are “cheap” especially where outstanding loans are in excess of the underlying value for the property. In these cases awaiting bank foreclosure may be the only option even if the paperwork is that much more complicated.

David Novi BA MPHil MRICS, is a Chartered Surveyor offering private clients specialist advice on the acquisition, development and investment of residential and commercial property in Mallorca. He is owner of Mallorca real estate business Novi Property Mallorca (http://www.novipropertymallorca.com) and subsidiaries, Mallorca Chartered Surveyors, The Mallorca Mortgage Business, Mallorca Real Estate Search and Properties International Mallorca a specialist agency offering property for sale in Pollensa and Alcudia (http://www.propertiesinternationalmallorca.com).

How Sellers Lose Thousands of Dollars Every Time They Sell a Property

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Selling a home can be a very stressful situation for most people and you hire a real estate agent to relieve the stress from you. Unfortunately a common practice in real estate is to charge the vendor upfront marketing and advertising money which puts the financial commitment straight onto the vendors shoulders. This is done to make sure the vendor is committed to selling and the agent can easily condition the vendor down in price.

The question is if you are an agent that has been operating in the area for any amount of time shouldn’t you have buyers already? So why do I have to pay for you to find more, and why would I pay advertising and then pay commission once the property is sold, that sounds too much like double dipping to me. You will find that the biggest part of any real estate advertisement is the name of the agency and probably a photo of the agent so you are actually paying for the agency to advertise their own profile.

Aside from advertising, another common trap is not putting a price on the property which you see way too often. The agent will say “its hard to tell in this market, its best to leave the price off and let the market tell us what its worth” This is a cop out because the agent is frightened of scaring you by telling you the truth about price and losing your business. Research shows that at least 50% of buyers overlook properties with no price, so in effect you are cutting out half of your inquiry.

That leads me to the next point which is over quoting the property value to get the business. Agents call this buying the listing and will then go through a process of conditioning the vendor in price which they refer to as “educating the vendor” There are many more practices in modern real estate which damage the value of property and cost home sellers tens of thousands of dollars each time they sell a property.

Sell Your Property in 3 Easy Steps

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

I guess you’re wondering how on earth could it possible to sell any property in just 3 steps, when the financial world is in a state of meltdown, unemployment within the UK is at an all time high and to make matters worse the government who is supposed to lead us all out of this situation seem to enjoy spending our hard earned money or more important things like their second home allowance.

Seriously though for me and the 500 plus individuals who I have come in to contact with, the whole process of home selling has never been so easy. Well that’s the feedback I have been receiving since writing this report. Say goodbye to broken chains, estate agents commissions, mass viewings with no results, time wasting so called buyers & months & in some cases years of waiting around. Say hello to the future a simple, free, easy & effective 3 step process that will give you all the insight & knowledge you will need in order to sell your property.

Step 1
Sorting Out any Debt

If you are like 95% of British homeowners you will have a mortgage with your home. You will need to contact your mortgage lender and find out how much you owe on your property including any penalty charges, if you do have a penalty charge for clearing your mortgage early it is worth while asking your lender how much it is and when it ends, as you may find out that for the sake of waiting a week or two you could save thousands of pounds in costs.

Step 2
Assess Your Savings

You now know exactly how much you need in order to clear your mortgage. If you have not done so already you will need to decide on what you plan to do when you move financially. Have you found a property to move in to? Do you need a mortgage? How much deposit do you have if any? Maybe you’re going to rent or move back with your parents what ever you intend on doing questions like these will need to be answered. One of the main reasons I see people experience difficulties when trying to move is cash or lack of it, especially when in today’s information age job security is a thing of the past. You must ensure that you’re finances are in check & that you can with stand your move for at least the next six months.

Step 3
Find the Buyer

This is the easiest part of the process if you know where to go and what you want from the sale. When I sold my property over four years ago the whole process was as simple as making one phone call to someone who understood my situation and actually knew what to do and the rest as they say was history. After I contacted the buyer they sent two individuals to my house within 24 hours, which I much stress was a free visit. When they arrived they were polite & spent no longer than 20 minutes walking around my property taking notes, before they made me a firm and final cash offer there on the spot. I accepted the offer with a hand shake, and was then given a contract which stated that they will complete on the purchase of my property within a maximum of 14 working days, they also paid my legal fees in full. Even though this deal took place over four years ago when financially things were a lot better it took the whole process has not changed in fact it has got easier. It turned out that 7 days after I accepted their offer the deal was done and the remaining funds were in my account.

My name is Steve McCall & I am a professional property investor, since the sale of my property over four years ago I have since helped over 500 homeowners get the best possible price for their property within the quickest possible time at no cost to them. If you are thinking about selling your property or would just like to know more download this report which will give you all the information you need.

http://www.sellpropertyinstantly.com