How To Recognize Winning Real Estate Agents That Will Get Your House Sold

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Real estate agents may sound the same, say the same things and even be equally as enthusiastic – but the telling fact of whether an agent is successful or not is the number of homes sold.  There are some surefire signs of a good Realtor that if you can specifically seek when searching for an agent to hire, there is a good chance you will be successful in your home selling endeavor.

Ten Percent of All Agents are Selling Ninety Percent of the Homes while …

Ninety Percent of All Agents Are Selling Ten Percent of the Homes

Which side of the fence do YOU want to be on?

As long as you can weed out the top performers, you can bet on a home sold with less Days On Market , at a better selling price and with less hassle. 

Past Performance Is a Good Indication of Future Results

Every agent has a track record and every potential client should examine the track records of agents they are considering before deciding on which one to hire. Even though the average number of home sales is two to four per year, the question is more about how does the person or team manage the sales on their roster.  Even though often you will end up working with an organization, it is the reputation and performance of the individual Realtor you should focus on.  The key factor that will illustrate the agent’s viability is how successful they are in today’s challenging real estate market. 

A Solid Marketing Plan Is The Cornerstone Of Successful Selling

Some would say that “marketing” is a fancy word for sales – but that is hardly true. While marketing entails some sales within its realm, it covers a bigger picture that includes promotion, awareness, publicity, and of course ultimately, sales. 

In real estate especially, there are two basic brands of marketing that are used primarily – passive and active. 

PASSIVE MARKETING

This is the traditional way that Realtors have sold properties.  They list the home in the newspaper, on the Internet and in magazines.  They utilize Multiple Listing Services and conduct traditional open houses and walk-throughs.  Essentially, though the agent lists the home in several mediums, they are waiting for the property to sell itself on its own accord.  When it comes to the selling price of a home in these instances, the highest possible price is not necessarily realized.

ACTIVE MARKETING

Professionals who utilize this extra dimension of marketing are far more apt to achieve the success they set out to achieve – as they are building complex strategies that include many angles of reach to potential buyers.  Active marketing in terms of real estate is when Realtors go out and grab potential buyers for the homes they have listed, using tools and techniques that involve venturing outside the box.  The actively seek to fill gaps and literally work on matching properties to prospective buyers by calling their agents directly.  Agents in this scenario are far more successful in getting higher selling prices on the properties they sell.

Having Viable Current Clients Vouching For An Agent Shows Credibility

It is no secret that most references provided by a real estate agent (or any professional for that matter) will be hand picked and carefully selected to put forth the best image possible.  If you think about it, that is not the most reliable source of a person’s credibility because they can easily conceal a number of bad experiences other clients may have had with them.  A better approach is to request a list of current or most recent clients with closed or pending sales in the last 30 to 60 days.  This will not only offer a glimpse into the way the agent is handling today’s issues but it will also demonstrate performance on various levels, depending on where the current stage is for each client. Questions to ask include “does the agent follow through with the promises they make?” and “does their marketing plan provide results?”

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The importance of having is a solid professional presence, with a proven track record of an agent who has worked and can demonstrate valuable marketing skills and techniques is paramount to real estate selling success.  One strategy many homeowners adopt is to carefully conduct their own “market study” to determine exactly which of their neighborhood Realtors fits the bill according to their specific needs.  The key is preparedness and knowing what to look for.

Buyers Who Wait Too Long May Live to Regret Missing Out On This Historic Opportunity!

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You simply can’t go wrong by buying a property these days if you are even remotely in the market to do so.  In fact, we are seeing an influx of existing property owners getting into second, third and rental homes to take advantage of the great savings in terms of interest rates and the awesome choice in terms of inventory.  Here are five solid reasons why you just can’t go wrong by buying now:

INTEREST RATES HAVE NEVER BEEN LOWER

We are looking at historically low interest rates and this will simply not last.  The thing about most mortgages is that they are typically 30-year or 15-year fixed rate loans.  What does this mean to the savvy buyer who opts to seize the opportunity that lies before us now?  It means that you will lock in interest rates that the industry has not seen since when your parents were in high school!

FORTUNE MAGAZINE:  “Forget stocks, don’t bet on gold – after 5 years of plunging prices, the most attractive asset class in America is housing”

INVENTORY IS SKYROCKETING

There is a plethora of homes to choose from today!  Be it because of distress situations, relocations during our ever evolving job market or simply other homeowners wanting to cash in on the fabulous chance they have at hand and buy up into a newer, bigger or better home.  You can’t go wrong when you have a huge selection to choose from and what this means to many buyers is that regardless of demographics, chances are the right home is out there.

SO LOW PRICES THAT YOU SHOULD GO FOR IT!

While this can be a bad thing for homeowners who are not savvy during this market and choose to hold on to their property as they watch it plunge in value, in this case, what goes down WILL come back up.  Housing is no exception.  Trading into a better home and leveraging the current low prices is a fantastic way to move into a home that you may not have been able to afford otherwise.  Even though we may still see a further dip of up to 10%, the post slump period will give us a stretch of stability.  Housing prices will creep back up, but ever so slowly.  Why not live better in the meantime?

IT’S NOT GOING TO GET ANY EASIER TO SECURE A LOAN

Banks are tired of the reasons that created the mess that we’re in these days to begin with, in part.  The last thing they want to do is to make hasty and ill-informed decisions about mortgage approvals.  Before the government further regulates the real estate market and before we see the belt tightening even more on lending parameters and standards, it is a good idea to borrow money now, when varying types of lenders are still in the game.  If it reaches a point, which is highly likely, that only private lending institutions are those that provide mortgage loans, then the going is going to get real tough for borrowers.

BARGAINING AND NEGOTIATIONS ARE IN FULL SWING

One thing we are currently seeing with sellers wanting to get out of their homes and buyers looking for the best deal among a sea of options to choose from is a mutually beneficial negotiation and bargaining stance taking place between both parties.  This means that there are more concessions and additional perks that sellers are throwing in to sweeten the deal so that their home sells.
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Just like sellers who have chosen to sit the market out and now regret not seizing opportunities that presented themselves in the past few years, the same thing could easily happen with potential buyers who do not jump on the bandwagon in time and grab the home of their dreams while it’s available with these great terms.  It will not last forever, but there is still definitely time to get out there and buy now.  And we’re not just saying this because we’re Realtors!

Five Valuable Steps That Will Get You Through the Short Sale Buying Process

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Most of the time short sales are a seller-centric phenomena that comes up as an option one step better than a foreclosure. But not too much attention is often paid to the other end of the transaction – the buying end. When a buyer is interested in a short sale property, there is much to be aware of a lot that they must consider, heading into it. Literally, the process of buying a short sale property can be a long, drawn out journey. By keeping in mind these five key aspects, the process will be smoother and easier throughout.

Put Your Strongest Virtue Into Play: Patience

Short sales run on anything but a short time frame. The single most valuable trait you can have as a buyer of a short sale property is patience. The level of ups and downs experienced in a typical short sale journey can be harrowing for anyone but the patience required can make all the difference. From start to finish, the entire process can take several months and sometimes even longer. Agents often expect homebuyers to commit to 120 days for the entire negotiation and deal process. The opportunity is an incredible one and if you’re one of the lucky ones, the deal you will secure will be worth all the extra time and frustration that ensues.

Expectations And Predictability; Strangers In A Short Sale

A very normal expectation would be to know each and every stage of a home buying process. To understand exactly what is going on at what time and to be able to get regular updates. With short sales, things are so unpredictable that often none of these normal expectations are fulfilled. Repeated calls to your agent will prove counterproductive and end up in frustration on all sides. Keep in mind that at any given time a loss mitigation officer or loan negotiator will have up to several hundred applications on their desk at one time. In a nutshell, things take time.

Knowledge Is More Than Power; It’s Leverage

A listing agent often represents sellers and it is essential that the agent understands the short sale process entirely. With the plethora of applications on the negotiator’s desks, the need for sellers’ listing agents to be fully aware of all that is entailed in the transaction is very important. When something is needed to be submitted, it is the listing agent’s job to make sure the sellers provide that information on time and in its entirety. Having a listing agent who does not have enough experience can be detrimental to your experience.

There Are No Guarantees, But Often Worth The Wait

Yes, short sales can be a great opportunity to pick up a property for less than the market value. But this is not a simple feat. You must remain patient and willing to accept that it is not a surefire guarantee that the price you end up getting is the best deal possible. Keep in mind that the very nature of this process is volatile. One day a price might be agreed on with the seller, but the next day you both are unable to see it through after the lender reviews it and comes back with a different answer. The way it works is that the application is made to the lender, after which they have an appraisal done and depending on what the Broker’s Price Opinion (BPO) is they come back with an answer. The frustrating part is how long this can take. It has happened that a buyer is let down at the last minute after hearing back from the lender that the price is unacceptable.

Lenders Have Their Own Way Of Thinking

In this time of many homes risking going under, and after a period of many foreclosures, banks are very cautious. Now, more than ever, they have very stringent and careful loan approval processes. The thing that remains most challenging for buyers and sellers in a short sale transaction is that lenders do not operate in a way that makes logical and practical sense to the rest of us. In looking out for their own interests, they often appear removed from the human and emotional aspects of the deal. The best way to handle this is to fulfill all requirements as quickly as possible, including lending inspections, securing funds for the deposit, etc. As soon as the lender issues an approval, they want the money fast – anywhere from two weeks to one month from the approval date.
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All in all, you stand to get a great deal! Just be sure to follow our guidelines and keep your eye on the prize. Be prepared for blips in the system and if things don’t turn out the way you’d expected them to, know in advance that there is a chance for that to happen. No one more than your trusted real estate agent knows how frustrating this process can be, that’s why it’s important to maintain a solid relationship with