Friday, April 20, 2007

The Importance of Real Estate Agents

Experience
You don’t need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. We’re all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring a real estate agent gives us that time.

Agents Are Screeners
They filter through the lookers and bring you the serious buyers who are ready, willing and able.

Market Condition Information
Real estate agents can inform you and sometimes predict market conditions, which will help you make better decisions during the selling or buying process.

Negotiation Skills
Unlike most buyers and sellers, good real estate agents can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction.

What is My Home Worth?
Agents control many things in a transaction, pricing is NOT one of them. What they are in control of is their marketing plan. Another part of their job description is to provide you with a marketing plan that creates demand for your home.

Keep the Transaction Together
Sometimes getting a contract on a home is the easy part. Keeping the deal together is the hard part. Most problems that occur happen later in the transaction, sometime between the initial sales agreement and closing. A real estate agent is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing.

These are just a few things to consider when hiring a real estate professional.
It’s no wonder less than 15% of all home sellers even try to take on the task of selling their own home. The majority of home sellers take on the task with an ally: a real estate agent.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Time to "Move Up"?

Whether your family is growing, you’re earning more money than you were five years ago, or you just want a larger house, you might be considering selling your house and "moving up." There are many things you should do as you consider whether the time to move up is now, including the following key points:
  • Make Sure You Feel Good About Your New Home
  • Ask a Real Estate Professional for a Market Analysis
  • Get Pre-approved for a Loan
  • Be Specific About Your Needs and Decide With Logic, Not Just Emotion
  • Consider the Neighborhood, as Well as the Individual House