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4 Perks of Home Buying Once Kids Are Back to School

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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">As Featured on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/4-perks-of-home-buying-once-kids-are-back-to-school_us_57bfc388e4b0b01630de5cf1" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">HuffPost</span></a>  </span></b></div>
<b><br /></b> <b>You read that heading right.  There are actually benefits to buying a home once autumn is upon us and your children have returned to school. </b><br />
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Traditionally, most parents fear the juggling act of closing on a home, packing, moving, enrolling children into a new school and helping your children adjust to all of those changes.  Honestly, just hearing that sentence out loud may start your toe to tapping anxiously.  Yet, there are pros to moving during the back-to-school season that you simply have to spy out like Where's Waldo or Pikachu.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGA32dCbEhmTHBRz_AOCQkLyQEWZKmLpmotC-840cJaHWB9JfV_X2bQRZTNpu95eLelICjZwf80F12GCkuHXNf2xhsp_D3YqCBDxYlhBq7Le5FfDW2JxLjnNs5i-RbBKUkzcCLIVYRUfU/s1600/Is+Back-To-School+Timethe+right+time+to+buy+a+house-+%25287%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGA32dCbEhmTHBRz_AOCQkLyQEWZKmLpmotC-840cJaHWB9JfV_X2bQRZTNpu95eLelICjZwf80F12GCkuHXNf2xhsp_D3YqCBDxYlhBq7Le5FfDW2JxLjnNs5i-RbBKUkzcCLIVYRUfU/s400/Is+Back-To-School+Timethe+right+time+to+buy+a+house-+%25287%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>DIFFERENT INVENTORY FROM THE SUMMER</b><br />
It can be frustrating to see home after home but not have the winning bid.  Or, worse yet, to finally muster up the courage to place an offer only to learn it is "under contract".  Fall can give you a reprieve from the spring and summer home-buying rush throughout most of the country and present new opportunities with new home listings for home ownership.<br />
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<b>LESS COMPETITION</b><br />
Many other families are out of the running this time of the year because they do not know these perks :-).  Often, families resign to getting their children settled back into the school year routine and will resume their house hunting once the three Rs are well underway.  That can be a win for you because there may not be as many buyers looking at or writing offers on your dream home.<br />
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<b>POSSIBLY MORE MOTIVATED SELLERS = ROOM TO NEGOTIATE</b><br />
In many parts of the country, sellers are advised to wait for the spring and summer buying rush to get top dollar.  Those that are not on a quest for top dollar but need to sell sooner rather than later will have no qualms about listing as the market cools off when the holidays approach.  <i>Bingo!</i>  These are the very sellers that may have some wiggle room to negotiate, especially if you are the sole offeror.<br />
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<b>MORE HOME BUYING PRIZES</b><br />
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As the end of the year approaches, new home builders, bank-owned properties and extremely motivated home sellers may add bonuses, discounts, and other incentives to get the home sold before the new year.  That could translate into an upgraded kitchen appliance package (maybe now you can get that Viking range you had been eyeing), additional cash towards closing, or other goodies that you do not have to pay for out of your own pocket.<br />
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“If you are thinking of buying or selling a home this fall, don’t be intimidated by the market or process while kids are back in school; overall, the fundamentals of the market are strong,<span style="color: blue;"><b>” <a href="http://www.realtor.org/news-releases/2016/08/realtors-help-consumers-make-smart-back-to-school-home-shopping-decisions">said National Association of REALTORS® President Tom Salomone</a></b></span>, broker-owner of Real Estate II Inc. in Coral Springs, Florida. He continued, “A REALTOR® helps get sellers ready to sell and buyers ready to buy – whether or not they have children – and knows the ins and outs of the real estate transaction the market where you want to buy or sell.”<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sound off -</b> I would love to hear from you!  Give me a shout on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LearnWithLee.REALTOR/" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://instagram.com/learnwithlee.realtor/" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leedavenport8?sub_confirmation=1" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><a href="http://google.com/+leedavenport" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google+</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or by visiting </span><a href="https://www.learnwithlee.realtor/" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LearnWithLee.Realtor</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.  And, be sure to tell the real estate agents you know to get a copy of the 5-star rated workbook, </span><a href="http://amzn.com/1508652325" style="background-color: white; font-family: times; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plan to Win</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, to transform their real estate sales game plan. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Here's to your success!</span></div>

autumn, back-to-school, buying a home, fall, homebuyer, real estate deals

4 Perks of Home Buying Once Kids Are Back to School

As Featured on HuffPost You read that heading right. There are actually benefits to buying a home once autumn is upon us and your...

Is Your Real Estate "Agent" a Fraud?

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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Originally written for and published by <a href="https://www.inmyarea.com/resources/mortgage-rates/is-your-real-estate-agent-a-fraud/" target="_blank">InMyArea.com</a></span></div>
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Professional website?  <i>Check</i>.  Realty firm business cards? <i>Check.</i>  Access to the home you are interested in? <i>Check.</i>  Those are typically the signs that you are working with a credible real estate agent, right?  <i><b>Not necessarily!</b></i><br />
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Unfortunately, this <a href="http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/28164625/man-posing-as-a-real-estate-agent-is-scamming-renters"><span style="color: blue;">South Carolina story</span></a> is not the first incident of someone falsely posing as a lawful real estate agent but hopefully with the help of this article, it will be the last.  <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv_j8Y0fg-vCmlsVXVqlfsvJBWbISQB75PqcFKJzTlgA8hk9SWmiJcJURQWu1jT8q-0vs4bpVOU_BXhFZj5It7wG3L87ktc5LA1CNEp2BvL_WiC6y7zLaz_Bkm0urz4NAQsv_OE-Tyow/s1600/CAESAR+SALAD+(2).png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv_j8Y0fg-vCmlsVXVqlfsvJBWbISQB75PqcFKJzTlgA8hk9SWmiJcJURQWu1jT8q-0vs4bpVOU_BXhFZj5It7wG3L87ktc5LA1CNEp2BvL_WiC6y7zLaz_Bkm0urz4NAQsv_OE-Tyow/s1600/CAESAR+SALAD+(2).png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Photo from </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/23905174@N00/2524306151/in/photolist-4R4JgR-jcmRXj-5KQyH9-drDqQG-drDqRA-9Qk7Mw-6yLCza-dYuqS-eiNALg-hfsoC4-p9pa7T-6pgicY-61tZf1-cNQQMu-rfcQYY-kGj1uH-jcjtuP-77cmv-79RqZA-8VETBF-rd1ir7-csNJqL-2WLSwU-fvd8h8-7weqDw-6wVNcx-6xdBVJ-p72iBS-pFgSQD-rkSygK-bo5qM7-eecaFv-5d5vjV-raXHLg-7cBqfn-muxhjM-muwETD-muwEnD-79Kh94-q62Qnd-kfawsy-4Hrq53-7E7C4U-9X7ogW-bAZiwc-pFjeHW-pXGDdi-pXwMTv-bo5rHS-bAZhU8" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>- modified with text</span></span></td></tr>
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Take this one-question quiz to see how savvy you are in your home search.<br />
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<b>If you are looking for a new space to call home and see an advertisement for a great home, do you: </b></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li><b>A. Call the number on the ad and arrange to meet the person as soon as your schedule permits. </b></li>
<li><b>B. </b><b>Call the number on the ad and offer to send a deposit to reserve the home sight-unseen. </b></li>
<li><b>C. Call the number on the ad and verify that person is a legal owner or representative of the home. </b></li>
<li><b>D. I would like to start doing C but I typically do A or B. </b></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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What did you select?  Since you do not have to turn in your answers (<i>stop having flashbacks to those gruesome school exams</i>), be honest with yourself because being self-aware just may save you from a precarious, unwanted situation the next time you are looking to move.<br />
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<i>The correct answer is C</i>.  I am sure this answer seems obvious in the line-up given but realistically how do you make sure the housing advertisement you are seeing is not a scam?  Well, here are two easy steps.<br />
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<b><i> >>Read more by clicking here.</i></b><br />
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By the way, follow me on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LeeDavenport/posts"><span style="color: blue;">Google+</span></a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant?"><span style="color: blue;">Facebook</span></a> for more tips and techniques. Also, if you are a real estate agent or manage agents, learn how to <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/p/about-us.html"><span style="color: blue;">GROW</span></a> or <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/p/buzz-around.html"><span style="color: blue;">RE|VAMP</span></a> your business with us today. <i><b>Here's to your success!</b></i></div>

buyer, buying a home, homebuyer, homebuyers, renters

Is Your Real Estate "Agent" a Fraud?

Originally written for and published by InMyArea.com Professional website? Check . Realty firm business cards? Check. Access to the ...

Buying a Home? 10 Questions To Avoid A Don't Ask, Don't Tell Stalemate

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With the start of the New Year, you may have made it your resolution to purchase a home, whether it is your first time or fiftieth time. Congratulations!  Yet, buying a house (particularly in today's market) may not seem like an easy task, especially when dealing with a completely unknown seller. It is often a difficult task to trust a completely unknown seller (and sometimes a familiar seller - like a shady uncle ugh) as you have so many questions that you want answers to. <i><b>The key is to ask away!  </b></i><br />
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Buying a home is, for many, a substantial purchase and investment so timidity should be thrown out the door. We have a compiled a list of 10 very common yet important questions that every buyer should ask when purchasing a home.  Have a look at them. <br />
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If you are a seller you can be fairly sure that these questions might come up from would-be buyers, inquisitively expecting answers. However, if you are a buyer make sure to ask these questions to your Agent+ (what we like to call a top-notch, diligent real estate agent) who can work feverishly on your behalf to find out from potential sellers these answers so that there is minimal confusion in the future. <br />
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Why are you selling the house? </h4>
This is the most common question that every seller should be able to answer. Every buyer is curious as to why you want to sell the house. If you want to sell in this market make sure to be ready to answer the question honestly. <br />
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What can you tell us about the neighborhood? </h4>
Buyers are often concerned about the kind of neighborhood they will be moving into since this will be where their personal time with their loved ones (from friends to parents to children and the like) is most likely spent. <br />
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What is the history of the house? </h4>
It is the buyer’s right to know each and every detail about a potential house purchase and a seller must be sure to provide the buyer with the pertinents. This typically can and should be referenced in the Seller's Property Disclosure form completed by sellers for potential buyers to review.<br />
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Was there anything that surprised you when you first moved in? </h4>
A buyer is always curious to know what will happen next once they move in. Whether it is surprising in a good or bad way, a buyer is always interested to know. So tell them your experience of moving in irrespective of what they were. <br />
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Is there anything that needs replacement or repair? </h4>
The seller should always let the buyer know before they even ask if there is anything in the house that would need replacement or repair. This way the buyer will be able to trust you and your chances of selling will increase. As mentioned earlier, this can be referenced on the Seller's Property Disclosure form.<br />
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Where to go? </h4>
If you are a buyer moving into a very busy, bustling neighborhood it can take a lot of time for you to figure things out and find the best places. Therefore, it is usually a good idea to ask your seller their recommendations on local hot spots before you move in. <br />
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How long have you been living here?</h4>
This can help any would-be buyer gauge even further why a seller is leaving a home, which may uncover more than meets the eye in their response from your first question.<br />
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Have you had any work done on the property recently?</h4>
Sellers, any maintenance done on your home is a vital selling point so share this answer loud and proud, and do not forget to include this on that trusty Seller's Property Disclosure form.<br />
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What fixtures and fittings are included in the sale?</h4>
Nothing can make a deal go sour faster than a buyer expecting items in a home to stay with the home when in actuality the seller plans to keep them. This can include things such as that sparkling crystal chandelier to the antique handles on the kitchen cabinets. As a buyer, if you receive the Seller's Property Disclosure form and certain fixtures and fittings are not specifically listed, you should not assume they were forgotten but are still include. Go back to the negotiating table and request an amendment to include what your desire to ensure all parties are clear.<br />
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<br />What did I forget?</h4>
As a buyer, this is the ultimate question to get past a "Don't ask, don't tell" standoff. Hopefully, the seller is willing to be open and honest to arm you with all pertinent details of your upcoming home purchase.<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Follow me on </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LeeDavenport/posts" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Google+</b></i></span></a><span style="text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant?" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Facebook</b></i></span></a><span style="text-align: justify;"> for more home buying and selling tips</span><span style="text-align: justify;">. Also, if you are a real estate agent, learn how to <a href="http://www.agentsaroundatlanta.com/p/buzz-around.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">RE|VAMP</span></b></a> your business with us today.  </span><i style="text-align: justify;"><b>Here's to your success</b></i><span style="text-align: justify;">!</span><br />
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buying a home, home seller, homebuyer

Buying a Home? 10 Questions To Avoid A Don't Ask, Don't Tell Stalemate

With the start of the New Year, you may have made it your resolution to purchase a home, whether it is your first time or fiftieth tim...

3 Way's to Avoid Regretting Your Next Real Estate Deal

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You just struck a deal on some prime real estate you own or want to own but now you have a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.  Beads of sweat cloud your brow.  You imagination runs wild and you faintly hear what could be the weeping sound of a violin "strumming your pain".  Your mind starts racing over the numbers of the real estate sales offer and you are overcome with an unpleasant sensation... regret.<br />
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There are three main types of regret that Laudon and Traver (2012) ascribe to auction sales but we in the real estate sales world know these sentiments are common among the various versions to construct a home sales deal, including but not limited to auction sales format (p. 738).  </div>
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Many are familiar with the term <b>buyer's remorse</b> in relation to purchasing goods that cannot easily be returned (at least not at the same value that it was sold) such as when buying a car.  Buyer's remorse (also know as <b>winner's regret</b> in instances where the buyer is in a multiple offer situation where one or more other potential buyers are vying for the same real estate property) is a sensation that washes over a buyer after the thrill of trumping the other buyers' offers fades and the buyer comes to the realization that he has overpaid.  </div>
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Or, maybe the buyer distrusts the process and believes that the multiple offers from several other buyers is a hoax.  Sometimes the seller may enlist a fraudulent ploy under the guise of having "several offers from very serious buyers" to boost what is offered on a particular home but in the cases where the seller spoke the truth, buyers may suffer from <b>loser's lament</b> once the buyer of the home is announced to be some other bona fide buyer.  Loser's lament is when a buyer is faced with the stark truth that their offer was bested by someone else. But worse yet, is that the buyer was willing to submit a better offer but did not because he expected the seller to engage in a back-and-forth, dance-like negotiation with him, regardless of the other alleged, viable offers.  This can be a heartbreaking experience that leaves a buyer comparing every other prospective purchase with "the one that got away".</div>
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There is also <b>seller's lament</b>, where the seller accepts a purchase offer for his home but later wonders and is remorseful that he went with "bird in hand" instead of waiting to see if the "two in the bush" would offer and net him a higher profit from the final sale.<br />
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Obviously, buyers and sellers can emerge from the dust of a real estate deal with regrets and feeling like they got the "short end of the stick".  But this does not have to be your fate for your next real estate transaction, whether you are the home buyer or home seller. Here are three important ways to not regret your next real estate deal.<br />
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<h4>
Trust But Verify</h4>
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We love our neighbors.  They can be great sources of security, friendship and even information on the latest real estate sales in the area.  But they may not always have the most accurate real estate scoop.  Accordingly, the Russian proverb "doveryai, no proveryai", which simply translates to "trust, but verify" should be heeded!<br />
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Don't list your home or make an offer, with out understanding the <b><i>accurate</i></b> prices of recently sold similar real estate.  Verify recent home sales prices, days on market, closing costs paid and other transaction deals (i.e. a Market Analysis) for FREE through your local real estate Agent+ (<i>what we like to call a professional, savvy agent who is likely a REALTOR</i>).  Your local Agent+ will happily prepare a custom market analysis based on the most up-to-date public data for you that can help you eliminate the guess work of knowing what is selling in your neighborhood. <br />
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Most importantly, this market analysis will arm you with the most superior publicly available data and no, I am not talking about Zillow Zestimates.  Sidebar: Zillow blatantly, self-proclaims to <a href="http://www.zillow.com/zestimate/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">all its website visitors</span></a> that its Zestimates are not perfect and even gives (for many locations) the degree of inaccuracy - <i>yikes</i>. Due to its margin of error, it's best to skip Zillow to probe the values in a neighborhood you are considering purchasing in or for your own home's evaluation and go straight to the source, the public tax record and your local Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which is what your Agent+ typically will base your market analysis on unless there are truly no comparable homes.<br />
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<h4>
Now Use Those Numbers!</h4>
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Once you know the numbers in your local market, devise a plan on what numbers are specifically acceptable to you for this real estate deal.  You can and should do this whether you are buying or selling. <br />
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As a seller, you should determine what is the least amount you are willing to take based on fair market value from the market analysis your Agent+ created for you. Your absolute minimum should not be abstractly based on what you paid for the home, what you have invested in the home and what you always wanted to sell the home for - yes, these things are factors but let your Agent+ help you to attribute the proper value to your improvements to the home or anything else that may affect its value. <br />
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For example, your home may be in a popular live/work hub, allowing residents to reach restaurants, work, shopping and transportation all within just a few steps - and this may be more so than the comparables.  This is where your Agent+ can truly become a valuable resource helping you to further quantify beyond the public records.  By the way, if you are an agent looking to be able to fine-tune these type of assessments, be sure to check out <a href="http://bit.ly/Nov112014Webinar" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">our next no fee webinar</span></a> where we review a fee mobile app that can help.<br />
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As a home seller, you should also identify what your real estate "sweet spot" is (i.e. the offer price that you can happily walk away from your home).  In identifying this sweet spot, be sure to stick with it!  Sometimes, we as sellers, can become greedy and keep holding out for more but many times we lose out because either the home stays on the market longer and the delayed time may be equivalent to or greater than the additional profit made, or the buyer with the best offer bales for something else.<br />
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As a home buyer, you can determine from the market analysis if the current price the seller is asking for is fair, a bargain or a price gouge. Then using your market analysis, you can submit a reasonable offer to the seller.  If the seller has priced the home excessively, sometimes a logical presentation of why the home is overpriced, using the concrete data of the market analysis, can sway the seller to meet you at your desired price or at least meet you somewhere in the middle.  As a buyer, remember the seller is probably emotionally attached to the home (maybe it is where children were raised, etc.) so having numerical evidence of similar homes sold recently will be a key, persuasive strategy.<br />
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<h4>
Let Pre-Approval Rule</h4>
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The final blow to real estate seller's lament is forged when sellers refuse to ignore a prospective buyer's qualifications, which should be analyzed just as much as the buyer's offer on the home.  This means that the buyer should present with his home purchase offer either a bank statement or letter (signed on bank letterhead) attesting to his ability to purchase the home cash that is no older than the past 30 days.  Or, if the buyer needs financing, the buyer should present a lender pre-approval letter.  In either instance for cash or financing, the bank representative listed should be called to confirm the veracity of the letter because sadly in today's electronic world with various PDF editing apps around (I won't name names lol), such documents can easily be tampered with, extending dates and changing amounts, making this fraudulent practice more common than you may believe.<br />
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On the home buyer's side, nothing can be more disappointing than having been told you were "pre-qualified" to buy then following suit by negotiating a savvy deal, spending money on inspections and appraisals and being told the week of closing there is a problem with your getting the loan. <br />
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Therefore, make sure you go beyond a pre-qualification letter (where the lender may just <i><b>ask</b></i> you for your income and credit score without actually examining your bank statements, pay stubs, credit report and the like) and get a pre-approval letter (where the lender has delved much more thoroughly into your finances).  Yes, this is obtrusive when you have not even found the home you want yet.  Yes, this can be annoying to have to hunt down and then copy front and back of every page of your bank statements and other financial documents.  But these short-term inconveniences will hopefully save you the heartache and monetary lose of having your moving truck outside of the closing office while the lender is unable to give you the funds to close, leaving you to scramble to arrange other housing (<i>this does happen!</i>).<br />
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Regret is "minimized when sellers and buyers have a very clear understanding of the prices" (Laudon & Traver, 2012, p. 738).  Thus, to avoid the buyer/seller blues later, real estate buyers and sellers must take the emotion out of the house hunting and selling process to examine accurate (instead of speculative) market values, strategize on how to use those numbers and then make sure financing or cash is available to close the deal.<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Follow me on </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LeeDavenport/posts" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Google+</b></i></span></a><span style="text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant?" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Facebook</b></i></span></a><span style="text-align: justify;"> for more business growth tips and musings</span><span style="text-align: justify;">.  </span><i style="text-align: justify;"><b>Here's to your success</b></i><span style="text-align: justify;">!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />Reference: Laudon, K. C. & Traver, C. G.  (2012).  <i>E-commerce: Business. Technology. Society</i> (8th ed.).  Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.</span></div>

buyer's remorse, home seller, homebuyer, loser's lament, real estate, regret, seller's lament, winner's regret

3 Way's to Avoid Regretting Your Next Real Estate Deal

You just struck a deal on some prime real estate you own or want to own but now you have a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. B...

Have You Given Up Your Negotiating Power?

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As a homebuyer, I am sure you crave the best deal on your next home purchase.  Yup, you want to save money and be able to brag to your co-workers and friends about how your home find was the best priced in your new community. <br />
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Well, all the work you spent interviewing and finding your <b><span style="color: blue;">Agent+</span></b> (<i>what we around here like to call professional, savvy real estate agents</i>), stampeding with your Agent+ through home after home, and completing what could amount to a financial dissertation to obtain loan approval or show proof of cash funds, can be impaired by 1 miscalculation.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">What is the 1 thing that can undercut all the time you have diligently spent on your next home purchase?</span></b><br />
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Check out the short video below to learn why this 1 omission can <b><u><i><span style="color: blue;">cost you potentially thousands</span></i></u></b> of your hard earned cash.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zW_Ke_DKgzc?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Do you have other questions about your next real estate purchase or sell?</span></b>  We can help!  Contact us at <a href="mailto:info@AgentsAroundAtlanta.com"><span style="color: blue;"><b>info@AgentsAroundAtlanta.com</b></span></a>.  <i><b>Here's to your success!</b></i>

home inspection, homebuyer, negotiations

Have You Given Up Your Negotiating Power?

As a homebuyer, I am sure you crave the best deal on your next home purchase. Yup, you want to save money and be able to brag to your co-...

Are You C.L.U.E.LESS When Buying a Home?

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If you are in the process of purchasing a home, whether you are buying it to live in or as an investment, I am sure you are being asked to verify your ability to purchase by providing proof of funds (particularly if you are a cash buyer) and having your credit pulled (if you are financing).  This may be an exhausting process requiring you to submit and re-submit various documents, including bank statements, pay stubs, credit reports and so forth. You comply because you respect that the seller or lender has a right to understand your fiscal fitness before turning the home's keys over to you.  <b><span style="color: blue;">But what are you doing to verify the home's ability to be lived in?</span></b><br />
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Hopefully, you are planning to have a home inspection, survey (when applicable) and appraisal done, which by working with an <i>Agent+</i> (<i>what we like to endearingly call an outstanding real estate agent</i>) I am sure you have been apprised of the merits of these by reputable and certified professionals.  Besides these reports, if the home is part of a homeowner's association (HOA), you and your <i>Agent+</i> should also be taking a fine-tooth comb to review HOA financial statements for at least the current fiscal year (but try to get a couple of previous years), meeting minutes, bylaws, FHA/VA approval status (when applicable) covenants, conditions, restrictions and the like.<br />
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Don't stop there though!  <span style="color: blue;">You should also ask the Seller to provide you with a <b>Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.®) Home Seller's Disclosure Report</b></span>. <i> Huh? </i><br />
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The <b>C.L.U.E.® Report</b> chronicles a home's loss history, as reported to insurance providers, for the past 5 years.  This can give a potential buyer additional peace of mind that the home has not had a REPORTED flood, fire, burglary or other hazardous event  for the last few years.  <b><span style="color: blue;">The C.L.U.E.® Report is essentially the buyer's way to run a "credit report" on their future home</span></b>; and, since the Seller and Lender are checking up on you, you should do some checking up as well!  Of course this does not mean that the home has never had these issues (<i>because all incidents with the home may not have been reported to the owner's insurance or the reports may be older than five years</i>) or will not have them in the future, but at least you know more about your prospective "dream" home.<br />
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It can be crushing for any homebuyer (whether a first-timer, investor, relocator or downsizer) to be faced with a discoverable defect with the home in which she now lives (that may cost thousands of dollars to repair) and can't return to the seller (<i>unfortunately most homes do not have the same return policies found at Nordstrom's :-/</i>).  Along these lines, it is fitting for homebuyers to learn as much as possible about their soon-to-be home before the point of no return.  You owe it to yourself before making such a large investment!  Thus, the <b>C.L.U.E.® Report </b>can be one more arsenal item to add to your home-buying checklist of essential items to require from the home seller during your due diligence period (<i>which is simply the time period identified in your contract to investigate the home's quality and terminate the agreement if not satisfied</i>). <br />
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<i>Do you feel C.L.U.E.less?  Get a C.L.U.E.!</i><br />
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<b><i>Authenticity Check:</i></b> The <b>C.L.U.E.® Report</b> will not divulge the homeowner's personal information (like social security number or date of birth) so sellers and buyers alike should make sure that such confidential information is excluded.  Contact your local <i>Agent+</i> to learn how to obtain this helpful report. <br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Do you have more questions on purchasing a home or finding an <i>Agent+</i> in your area? </span></b> We can help!  Contact us at <a href="mailto:Info@AgentsAroundAtlanta.com"><span style="color: blue;">Info@AgentsAroundAtlanta.com</span></a>.  <i><b>Here's to your success!</b></i>

CLUE home report, homebuyer

Are You C.L.U.E.LESS When Buying a Home?

If you are in the process of purchasing a home, whether you are buying it to live in or as an investment, I am sure you are being asked to...

Can You Afford to Be A Real Estate DIYer?

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<b><span style="color: blue;">Are you a real estate DIYer?  </span></b></h2>
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We live in the Age of Information, thankfully!  For most, gone are the days that we have to rely solely on libraries and professionals to complete our daily tasks from things as simple as replacing a blown fuse to the more complicated things of building a computer.  Thanks to the plethora of information just a click away through Google, for many, our innate desire to be self-sufficient has flourished and <b>we proudly (and may even pop our collar a little) admit to being a "Do-It-Yourselfer" (DIYer)</b>.  Probably like you, I have found online articles and Youtube videos that have helped me fix various items around my home (including repairing my air conditioner unit and replacing the keyboard on my laptop) and learn assorted skill sets.  </div>
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<b>But being a DIYer can go amuck! </b> Last week I replaced a faulty hose on my toilet myself after following the instructions online and from the Lowe's store clerk.  I thought it was a success until a few days later I started to hear the sound of running water... yikes!  It was as if I heard the trumpets of surrender as I dialed the number to the plumber.  My sense of victory (mankind against toilet lol) waned with just a couple of strokes on my phone's keypad.  I was told by the plumber that the model of flusher I had required an additional piece to prevent leaks.  </div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: blue;">I learned a valuable lesson in my DIYer attempt: just because I can find <b><u><i>general</i></u></b> answers to "everything under the sun", it still takes a professional to address the <b><u><i>specific</i></u></b> issues I may be facing, especially since it is usually down the road that we encounter problems from our inexperienced actions.</span></blockquote>
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Similarly, I have chatted with many homebuyers, home sellers and real estate investors that enjoyed the satisfaction of being DIYers.  <b><i>I get it. </i></b> There is an initial satisfaction in accomplishing a task and seemingly saving a buck.  </div>
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One lady in particular proudly told me how <b>she found a bargain priced home in the area that she desired to live in without a real estate agent</b>, which gleefully meant to her that no commission had to be paid (but it was to a professional that would have represented her interests as a homebuyer yikes!).  In her next breath, her countenance saddened as she proceeded to tell me all of the problems she has had with the home in the year that she has been there.  She shared that within just a few weeks of closing on the home, she was not able to get the home insured until the roof was replaced for thousands of dollars.  She discussed how dead trees in the backyard had collapsed and caused property damage.  To top it all off, she has had constant repairs made to the plumbing but may still have to gut it and replace it all!  </div>
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I was very sad to hear her predicament and offered information to help from this point onward but I could not help but notice that all her problems began with not using a real estate professional to represent her.  The <i><b>right, properly-trained</b></i> real estate agent (what I refer to as an "<i><b><span style="color: blue;">agent+</span></b></i>") would have informed her about the merits of a home inspection (which she did not know) that would have exposed the items in disrepair.  Furthermore, the <b><span style="color: blue;">agent+</span></b> would have likely <b><u>negotiated</u></b> the repairs noted in the home inspection report to be paid by the Seller or helped the woman find a more suitable home if the Seller was unyielding.</div>
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<b>As a DIYer home buyer, home seller or real estate investor, you may <i><u>unknowingly</u></i> face issues in your real estate sale or purchase that may not cost you today but may cost you in the long-run.</b>  We may relish in our ability to do-it-ourselves but when we are dealing with transactions that can effect substantial sums of our earnings, savings, investments, etc., maybe just maybe we should involve the proper professionals.  To this point, the founder of ForSaleByOwner.com, a prominent website that encourages real estate DIYers, <a href="http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/08/09/forsalebyownercom-founder-uses-agent-sell-home" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">used a real estate agent</span></a> to sell his home after unsuccessfully attempting for six months to DIY!  <b>The ForSaleByOwner.com founder's condo sold with the help of a real estate agent for $150,000 MORE than what he attempted as a DIYer.</b></div>
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Follow me on <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LeeDavenport/posts" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Google+</span></a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YourRealEstateInformant?" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Facebook</span></a> for more tips and check out our <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/o/agents-around-atlanta-plus-real-estate-trainers-7326445619" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">upcoming events and FREE webinars</span></a>.  <i><b>Here's to your success</b></i>!</div>

diy, diyer, ForSaleByOwner.com, Google, home, home inspection, homebuyer, investor, Lowe's, plumbing, real estate, real estate agent, realtor, seller

Can You Afford to Be A Real Estate DIYer?

Are you a real estate DIYer? We live in the Age of Information, thankfully! For most, gone are the days that we have to rely sol...

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Can You Afford to Be A Real Estate DIYer?

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