I'm Underwater

I think in this day many homeowners are like me, and bear in mind I'm a professional. I'm underwater on my home. I'm sure many feel a sense of betrayal because we bought in to the bank's presentation of the time. The idea was that things would continue to go up. Not up at a crazy rate of speed like the 2005-2007 period, but moderately, always up. I knew that my experience with real estate cycles indicated that there would be periods of downward valuations. So I was prudent. I always left a 30% cushion. Except this time, that didn't help. While I knew that the economy guided home prices, I never imagined the once prudent world of banking would go so nuts that it would crater our national economy in a perfect storm of failed bets, exported jobs, and outright thievery that came from "Free Market deregulation". But they did. Greed is a powerful motivator, and often we do things we know are crazy because of it. I know what to do, and what YOU should do: keep making your payments . If we can hold on another year or two, things will even out. They always do. But at the moment most Baby Boomers feel betrayed by the banks. Their main savings vehicle has been looted. Same with their parents. The estates of Boomers parents are often in the same situation. Parents pass away and leave a home underwater. Now what?
Steve McLinden of Bankrate.com offers up a few answers:

Must heirs repay father's underwater loan?

By Steve McLinden • Bankrate.com

Q: Dear Real Estate Adviser,
My father passed away with a conventional mortgage loan on his home -- a home worth far less than what he owed. The estate won't have enough to pay the difference. What should we do to get the house out from under the estate? Would the family become liable for this debt?
-- Diane M.


A: Dear Diane M., So sorry to hear about your father. It's always an enormous challenge juggling estate matters during a time of bereavement, and my heart goes out to you.
Unfortunately, you can't extricate the house from the estate at this point. However, the good news is you and any other heirs will have no liability for it, unless a family member or members co-signed the mortgage, which would oblige them to pay the original creditor. But as you correctly pointed out, your father's creditors would likely then pursue satisfaction of the note from the estate.
I am curious if you're still paying the mortgage loan. If so, there's probably no reason to do so, unless a family member wants to assume the loan. Not all lenders allow assumptions by family members following the death of original mortgagors, but many do, especially in this still-soft resale market in which tons of foreclosure inventory still sits on the books. If the mortgage is assumed, make sure the proper paperwork is filed immediately, and the death notice is presented to the lender.
Unless other arrangements are made, the lender will foreclose on the house if loan payments stop. As noted earlier, heirs have no legal obligation to pay off a house left to them in a will. Hence, the house would then become the lender's problem. The bank would then sell the house, probably at a loss, in which case the lender may enter a deficiency judgment against your father's estate -- a judgment that would, as you surmised, eat up any remaining estate assets and render the estate insolvent.
Your other option, and I don't think it's a very good one if the house is upside-down, is to try to sell it. If you do go that route for whatever reason, lenders typically give heirs a three-month period to sell the house, a period that's renewable for three months at a time, up to a year. During this span, lenders would want to see evidence that the house is being marketed. By the way, if a family member does want to keep the place, the loan could be refinanced by that party to settle your father's mortgage.
You'd best check with your father's lender to determine its policies and your options. You might want to at least consult with an estate or probate attorney, especially if additional challenges or complications arise.
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On Staying Still

So, I’m going over a couple of new listings, and I’m struck by something; these listings are all, according to the listing agents, “hidden gems”. I don’t know what it is about this term, but it just bugs me. I’ve written before about code words in real estate (i.e. “needs TLC” = bring your bulldozer) and some brokers are just basically not very inspiring when it comes to ad copy. If I see the term “casual elegance” one more time I’m going to scream. What does that even mean? It was shopworn in 1993. Surely someone can come up with better copy here in the 21st century. “Legal Steal”? OK, now you’re working my last nerve. But the ultimate one that ticks me off is.........(drum roll)...“Priced To Sell”!!! Really? How else do you price your listings? “Priced to age on the market? “Priced to never get an offer”? “Priced to scare you away?” While we’re on the topic of pricing let me tell this right now. My apologies in advance to those of you who belong to or list with a company that might use it. I HATE “Value Range Pricing”. It seems so antithetical. It’s gimmicky Sellers market stuff. The last sellers market (2005-2008½) was without a doubt the most obnoxious I have had the displeasure to participate in. List price is supposed to be a median of the market range, not an auction opening bid. Suggestions that the sellers enjoy Puerto Vallarta or that “bids under 20% over list price will not be considered” have no place in the MLS agent notes. Now I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings folks, but the halcyon days of the buyers market have also made an appearance in the rear view mirror. Good Riddance. I’ve lost count of the number of offers I’ve had to present that were 40% off the list price. This thinking is left over from the dark days of the Resolution Trust Corp, because of the sheer numbers of assets. Then, crazy offers were sometimes accepted just to break up the logjam. During this time, because I had experience with commercial development, my esteemed Broker asked for my guidance on a 750,000 sq. ft. Retail Shopping Mall he was bidding on. 10% occupancy. Note was over 3 million. His winning bid? $285,000.00, because you couldn’t GIVE away retail at that juncture in 1990. I think the sand used to make the concrete in the walls cost more than that. In fact, THAT was a “legal steal” if ever there were one. In case you’re wondering, you might be able to afford $285,000 but the common area maintenance, taxes, insurance, repairs, utilities, advertising, and janitorial on the that building surely came to half again as much per year, so you still needed deep pockets to play. The good news is today that center is fully occupied and worth close to forty million if you use a CAP rate of 8%. Don’t worry about what a CAP Rate is. I can explain it to you briefly by saying it’s an arbitrary figure used to compare different investment sectors and the return on investment. The point of the story is to strike when the iron is hot. In real estate, you can often look around and realize values are at a low ebb. That’s when it’s the best time to buy. Always, without fail. If you were around in the early 70s this was true. Same with the late eighties. Again in the 2009-2011 market. What you learn as an investor is that sentiment gets really bad. Things are never going to recover, and if they do it will take fifteen years to get rid of excess inventory. Things are always going to be this bad like it is today. This happened every time at the low point in the cycle. These lessons are helpful if you’re looking for a home. It’s not just retail centers that end up in the trash bin. Residential values do as well. We are currently at one of these crossroads. In some parts of the country, there well may be another down leg to property values. In my area, the west coast and the Sun Belt, things have begun to turn around. If you’re waiting for home values to go down, just take a look around. They already have! Back to the buyer’s market. Here in Southern California, a lot of formerly smug buyers are suddenly faced with the very real possibility that the fantastic environment they have enjoyed for four years is coming to an abrupt end. If this cycle is like the rest, the pace of sales will suddenly pick up much faster than was thought possible and we’ll all be off to the races again. So take heed, buyers. Have your ducks in a row when your go out to look at property. Be ready to “pull the trigger”. Season your down payment if it’s coming from relatives. This means get it in the bank now, or add your name to their bank account, which eliminates a lot of hassle. Know your credit file; work with your mortgage broker to clean up any issues that may cost you a quarter point in your rate. That’s tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Be aware of your price range. You don’t want to fall in love with something only to find out you don’t qualify. And PLEASE stay perfectly still! What do I mean by this? Do not put a nickel on your cards for the next 90 days that you don’t pay off the same month. Do not buy a new car, appliance, riding mower, or motorcycle until you close escrow. Not even a fancy Barbecue. Just don’t move. Stay perfectly still. Or you might not move, if you get my point. You can thank me later.

HOUSING CRISIS TO END THIS YEAR

There's a lot of these articles popping up all of a sudden. A sure sign we have bottomed out in the cycle. From past experience, I would say we're in a period comparable to the 1992-95 window. How long this period will last is anyones guess. My take is banks HATE to leave money on the table and will gradually loosen credit again. Couple that with the largest population bulge in history(Bigger than the Baby Boomers)reaching the beginnnings of household formation age and scarcity of product since all the builders stopped building for five years, and you've got the formula for another strong up cycle for property values.

Capital Economics expects the housing crisis to end this year, according to a report released Tuesday. One of the reasons: loosening credit. The analytics firm notes the average credit score required to attain a mortgage loan is 700. While this is higher than scores required prior to the crisis, it is constant with requirements one year ago. Additionally, a Fed Senior Loan Officer Survey found credit requirements in the fourth quarter were consistent with the past three quarters. However, other market indicators point not just to a stabilization of mortgage lending standards, but also a loosening of credit availability. Banks are now lending amounts up to 3.5 times borrower earnings. This is up from a low during the crisis of 3.2 times borrower earnings. Banks are also loosening loan-to-value ratios (LTV), which Capital Economics denotes “the clearest sign yet of an improvement in mortgage credit conditions.” In contrast to a low of 74 percent reached in mid-2010, banks are now lending at 82 percent LTV. While credit conditions may have loosened slightly, some potential homebuyers are still struggling with credit requirements. In fact, Capital Economics points out that in November 8 percent of contract cancellations were the result of a potential buyer not qualifying for a loan. Additionally, Capital Economics says “any improvement in credit conditions won’t be significant enough to generate actual house price gains,” and potential ramifications from the euro-zone pose a threat to future credit availability.

5 Smart Upgrades for Underwater Homes

From perennial favorite Tara Nicolle Nelson: In Staying Put: Remodel Your House to Get the Home You Want, architect Duo Dickinson gives new meaning to the term ‘housebound.’ He uses the term to refer to homeowners who have decided to stay put instead of moving up to a larger home, including those who made that decision because they are upside down on their mortgages: they owe more than the place is worth.

The premise of Dickinson’s book is something I’ve long believed myself: that staying in even an underwater home can be a smart move - and it doesn’t have to involve making do with a home that no longer works for your needs. Blinging out an upside down home with every gadget and doodad known to man can constitute throwing good money after bad, but there are a handful of upgrades that might make sense for homeowners facing negative equity.

For the most part, sensible upgrades to upside-down homes can all be described as things that either:
•make life in the place much more comfortable for the long term - alleviating the want or need to move
•boost the home’s sagging value or saleability for a relatively small investment, and/or
•begin saving the homeowners money - or even earn tax credits - immediately.

Here are five upgrades that might have upside for your lifestyle or bottom line, if you own an underwater home:

1. Cosmetics that boost curb appeal. When your home is mired in negative equity, chances are good that you might have been investing your dollars and cents into keeping your head above water and the property in sound functioning condition - not necessarily keeping the exterior at its most pristine. But if you are looking to boost your home’s value to hit an appraisal mark for refinancing, or even just trying to lure in a buyer to purchase the place as a short sale, primping your home’s exterior cosmetics can be a smart investment. Keep costs down by doing it yourself, or even hiring a reputable handyman to tackle small, but impactful tasks like:
•painting the shutters, eaves, doors and other trims - if you can paint the whole house, great - but if you can’t afford all that, painting the trims and accents can make a massive visual difference in the look and feel of your home, very inexpensively;

•adding fresh, new hardware like a mailbox, house numbers, and a front door or door knockers and kick plates; and

•landscaping - planting lush or fragrant flowers or trees, trimming up overgrown shrubs and even installing low maintenance ground cover can also transform the entire look of your home from the curb.

And while curb appeal is priority number one if you are trying to get your home sold, interior design projects of a similarly small scale can also create massive benefits for your emotions and comfort level for the buck if you’re planning to stay put for the long haul. It’s amazing what a basic paint job in your bedroom, opening (or ditching) your window coverings or installing lighting or shelves can do to make your family happier at home!

2. Economical expansion. If you crave more space and your home can be expanded within its existing footprint, consider an economical expansion - having a professional convert your garage or basement into a rental or mother-in-law type unit can be an especially good investment if you can house more family members or bring in some income within the new living space. In a similar vein, consider adding a prefab unit in your large backyard or even building on additional square footage, if you can afford it and truly need the space. Before you do, though, make sure you get permits and check in with your local real estate pro to be sure that you’re not just overimproving the place vis-a-vis the neighborhood, digging your negative equity hole beyond your financial or emotional tolerance level or even an extended timeline you might have in mind for selling the place.

3. Greening it up. Upgrades that improve your home’s energy efficiency have inherent value in terms of scoring you points as a good citizen of the planet. But they can also improve your day-to-day living comfort - and decrease your utility bills. Buying solar panels can eliminate your electric bill entirely with an upfront investment; leasing the panels can cost you nothing upfront and keep your energy bills fixed for as long as 20 years! And on my own personal home improvement wish list is a tankless water heater - they eliminate the need to pay to keep that big old tank of water hot, and they produce endless hot water - no matter how many showers you take. Endless hot water! (As a side benefit, if you happen to live in earthquake country like I do, you don’t have to worry about strapping the tank or checking to make sure it’s still secure after every tremor or aftershock.) In many states, green home improvements like these and dual-paned windows, adding insulation or installing efficient heating and cooling appliances might qualify you for tax credits; check with a local tax pro to see what tax advantages you might earn by going green at home.

4. Combining quarters. A home improvement show would be nothing without someone pointing out how gloriously spacious the kitchen/dining room, master bedroom or even two smallest bedrooms could be if they could just (say it with me, folks): “knock out this wall.” If you’ve uttered those very words about your own home, consult with a contractor - many interior walls are relatively easy and inexpensive to remove, even if you might need to leave in and finish off a support beam if the wall does turn out to be load bearing.

I know it’s anathema to some agents to even think about combining two bedrooms into one; for resale purposes the rule of thumb is the more bedrooms, the better. But, here’s the deal:
(a) two teeny-tiny, unusable bedrooms are not better than one, in the eyes of most homebuyers, and
(b) most walls that are easily taken down can be equally easily put back up when it’s time to sell.

If you’ve decided to stay put in your underwater home for the next 10, 20 or even 30 years, there’s no reason resale considerations should stop you from taking down a wall that is preventing you from fully enjoying your home.

5. Built-ins that make things work. Built-in work and storage spaces in your office, garage, craft rooms, kitchen and even otherwise unusable nooks and crannies are uber-useful and can give you the feel of a highly customized luxury home without moving - and without spending much cash. (And window seats? Don't get me started - who doesn’t love a window seat?!) Similarly, functional furniture like loft beds, Murphy beds, pot racks, pantries and armoires can create a highly customized feel and convenient lifestyle, but you can move them around the house - or even take them with you whenever you do decide to move! Investing to improve a home that is upside down should be done very carefully, and only once you have your personal endgame firmly in mind. The budget you set to spruce up a home you need to divest of via a short sell might be vastly different from the investment you’re willing to make to enlarge a home you plan to house your family in for the next 20 years. So be intentional: get clear on your finances and your future plans for your family and career before you start spending on home improvements in this market climate.

Then, you’ll be in a position to create a regret-free home improvement plan. Homeowners and agents: What home improvements do you think make the most dollars or lifestyle sense for those who have decided to stay put in their upside down homes? For more info or to get an opinion of what your home is worth in today's market, give me a call or text-----Michael

Reminder: place your cellphone on the Do Not Call List!

Block Your # From The Soon To Be Released Public Listing REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month. REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

6 Ways to Turn Off Your Home's Buyer (or Seller!)

Tara Nelson, a Realtor in San Francisco, has written an excellent article on things we Realtors often see that tend to turn off a potential buyer or seller. Are YOU guilty of any of these faux pas?

In the wild world of dating, when you encounter a “turn-off,” you can just pack it in and not to go on another date with that guy or gal again. But turnoffs can be much more detrimental when they come up in the realm of your real estate goals. Indeed, turn a buyer off, dear sellers, and you risk not selling your home - period - or getting a lower price than you might have otherwise. And, contrary to what you might assume, the same goes for buyers. Even in today’s ‘buyer’s markets,’ multiple offers do happen. And even in cases when you’re the only buyer on the scene, having a cooperative seller goes a long way toward everything from getting access to the place for inspections to getting a price reduction when the appraisal comes in low. Thus, the potential still exists for buyers to turn sellers off, and risk having their dream home slip right through their fingers. As you proceed on your quest for drama-free real estate, factor in these frequently occurring gaffes that turn off buyers and sellers, and my tips for avoiding them.

Top 3 Ways to Turn a Buyer Off: If you’re a seller courting buyers, here are 3 faux-pas to avoid:
1. Hanging out when buyers are viewing your home: Buyers stalk properties online and off, checking obsessively for price reductions and the like. But buyer-side home stalking is unobtrusive to sellers. On the other hand, buyers can feel personally stalked and stifled in their ability to fully explore or verbally process their impressions of a home when you, seller, hang out inside your home while it’s being shown.

As soon as a buyer sees you in the house, it instantly becomes much more difficult for them to” (a) envision themselves living there (it’s your house, after all), (b) be comfortable opening up drawers, closet doors, etc., and (c) express their thoughts about how this house might be exactly what they’re looking for, if they can knock out that wall and get rid of those cukoo murals you so lovingly painted in your children’s rooms.

Sellers: If you want to sell your home, it’s best to not be around when buyers are looking. Give them some breathing space and a chance to truly walk around and consider what they like and/or dislike about your home without lurking and looming (and, let’s be real - eavesdropping) nearby.

2. Showing a messy house: Life gets hectic, and it’s easy for things like laundry, dishes and other house cleaning tasks to fall by the wayside. It’s also difficult to keep the home in which you and your 4 kids, 3 gerbils and 2 Labrador Retrievers live perfectly spotless for months at a time, while you’re waiting for an offer. But when you decide that you’re going to sell your home, it’s imperative that you make a pact and a plan with yourself and your family that the place will be in tip-top shape when buyers come knocking.

Remember: your home is competing with dozens of others, as well as with buyer’s HGTV-infused visions of what their next home should look like, so first impressions really count.
Sellers: Stuffing the closet is not the answer. (Buyers will be opening that closet door, after all.) Pack up your personals like you were moving (best case: you are), and put all but the essentials in storage, if needed. Get the carpets cleaned, do the dishes, make the beds, mow the lawn, dust, sweep and mop. Ask your agent to give you a gut check on whether your idea of clean is clean enough (better yet - ask them for the number of a house cleaner who you can engage to get the job done to showable standards).

This might all seem obvious, but agents and buyers alike are constantly amazed at the condition of some of the homes they walk into. Take my word for it; I’ll spare you the ‘ewww’-inducing stories.

3. Overpricing your home: Buyers already have lots to do before making the largest purchase of their lives. They have to wrangle their finances into order, jump hoops to qualify for a loan, collect the cash for down payment and closing costs, and invest sometimes hundreds of hours into market research and house hunting. With all of this already on their plates, the prospect of trying to negotiate down a crazily high asking price is just too much work (and too outside their comfort zones) for most buyers to deal with. The average buyer won’t even bother looking at your home if the asking price is clearly high and off base compared with other similar, nearby homes for sale; they’d rather sit tight and wait .

Sellers: Price to sell from the beginning. Work with your agent to determine a price that is supported by the data on how much nearby homes have recently sold for. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and anguish and get a lot more legitimate bites from serious, qualified buyers.

Top 3 Ways to Turn a Seller Off: Buyers, if you want a home’s seller to play ball, best practice is to avoid these 3 pitfalls:

1. Unjustified, extreme lowball offers: It’s no secret that buyers have the upper hand in many markets right now. (To be clear, I said ‘many’ - not ‘every’ - your agent can help you understand what the dynamics are in your market.) But let’s be realistic, here. No seller can afford to give away their home at a price far below what it’s worth on today’s market. Lowballing a seller at a price far below the recent sales prices of similar homes in the neighborhood on the ‘let’s-take-a-stab’ plan, is highly likely to turn them off. And that, in turn, will cause the seller to view your offer - and you - as disrespectful and wasteful of their time.

Not only will they turn down your offer, but they may not even bother with a counteroffer, rendering your efforts at securing that particular home dead in the water.

Buyers: Review the recent sale prices of similar homes in the neighborhood (aka “comps”) with your agent before you make your offer. Also, ask them to help you factor in other market data, like the average list price-to-sale price ratio and the average number of days neighborhood homes stay on the market. It’s all right to come in lower than asking, if the market data supports such an offer; just be sure your offer is based on reality - and not your fantastical hallucination about scoring the bargain of the millennium.

2. Buyer-side mortgage fails: Plenty of employed buyers with decent credit and cash in the bank have been turned down for a mortgage these past few years. That means buyers can’t assume (a) that they’ll be approved for the amount of loan they need to buy the house they want, or (b) that they’ll be approved for a loan at all. Your inability to get approved for a home loan can create all sorts of problems not just for you, but also for your home’s seller. The average seller’s worst case scenario is that they accept your offer only to find out a few weeks, or months, later that you can’t get the loan you need to close the deal.

Buyers: It’s not overkill to start working with a mortgage professional as far as six months or a year in advance of starting your house hunt to get pre-approved for a loan. Make sure you get a clear understanding of the amount you qualify for, then work with your real estate agent from there to determine the price range you should house hunt in. And whatever you do - don’t buy a new car, open new credit cards or even change your line of work before your escrow closes, unless you consult closely with your mortgage professional before you make that move.

Tip for Sellers: Work with your agent to vet buyers before you sign a contract. Factor in their down payment and earnest money deposit, and feel free to counteroffer these items, not just the offer price. It’s not overkill to have your agent contact the buyer’s mortgage broker to see how reliable the buyer’s pre-approval really is.

3. Bashing the seller’s home: Home bashing happens when buyers start bad-mouthing (aka “trash talking”) the place and/or the neighborhood in hopes of getting a lower asking price. Examples: pointing out all the foreclosures in the area, saying the house down the street just sold for much lower than the asking price on this house, saying you’ll need to rip out the entire kitchen before you even consider moving in - saying any of these things to a seller who happens to be at home during the showing or the inspection is probably one of the fastest ways to turn them all the way off.

Buyers: Bad-mouthing a house or neighborhood won’t work to get you a lower price. Instead, it only serves to irritate the seller and motivate them to come up with all sorts of reasons why they shouldn’t sell their home to you! Remember: homes hold incredible emotional experiences for owners. Make an offer you’re comfortable with and keep the negative comments to yourself.
If there are legitimate, factual reasons underlying your decision to make an offer at a price the seller might see as a lowball, ask your agent to respectfully communicate those facts to the seller’s agent.

Buyers, sellers, agents: What are the biggest turnoffs you’ve encountered during home buying or selling?

Housing is showing signs of having FINALLY bottomed!

Here are the facts: Distressed sales are now 32% of the market. ALL cash buyers are 31%. Home sales INCREASED in December. I think this is not a small point. When was the last time that housing sales INCREASED in December? (never) The overall supply of homes has dropped from 11 months to 6.2 months. National Association of Realtors is calling this a substained recovery. Meaning, we have seen consistently positive housing reports over the last 90 days. Granted, these positive reports have been mere blips on the radar. We will take all the positive blips- positive momentum we can get! Diana makes a point that does put some water on the optimistic fires of recovery: 6,000,000. Thats the number of homes currently being held in the banks shadow inventory. One way or another those will become listings for REALTORS (YOU?) For the housing market to truly turn the corner we must clear that inventory. Banks finally realizedthat it does not help their other holdings in the same neighborhood to "dump" properties on the market. The "shadow inventory" idea has been around through good times and bad depending on your proclivity for conspiracy theory. While I know that banks are holding homes, I think you'll find in most cases it is for purposes of surveying them, and then packaging them for investors. I have seen this already, in fact for several years now. There is investor demand and the banks are vetting properties and selling them in large offerings of $5 million and up. So the numbers get a bit skewed.

Top 10 Questions To Ask Before Listing Your Home

Austin Texas Real Estate Blogger Tim Thornton (who is THE MAN if you're shopping in Austin, Texas) posted thsi on his blog and I thought I would relay it to you here. Q1: What is the most significant challenge to getting my house sold? A: Pricing your home to market value. Yes, I know it seems obvious and possibly self-serving, but pricing a house at it's competitive market value is one of the biggest advantages that you can have over sellers who are priced above market value. Q2: What is the second biggest challenge to getting my house sold? A: First impressions. Buyers want "move in ready" homes these days. Only investors typically are willing to make significant changes to a home and investors don't like paying "move in ready" prices. Q3: How do Buyers find out about my listing? A: Online. Very few buyers will find out about your listing in any other way. It is what you are doing right now, and it is what buyers do to find a home. Having the very best online presence and online marketing is critical to getting your home seen and then sold. Q4: How many Open Houses should I have? A: One or possibly none. In this day and age, Open Houses are not a strong vehicle to sell your house. When a buyer can see dozens of homes online in less than an hour, homes that fit the size, price and features of their search, why would they drive through communities looking for open house signs to see one house that probably meets very few of their specific needs? The odds are better at hitting the Pick Three Lottery than this lottery gamble. Q5: Does the Listing Agent sell my home? A: The Listing Agent's job is not "Salesman", but is tasked with role of marketing your home. The Buyers Agent is the industry expert who works directly with potential buyers to find and "sell" your home. The best thing that a Listing Agent can do to "sell" his client's listings is to provide good pricing, staging, listing and online marketing information for his seller. When an offer comes in--the Listing agent is your trusted adviser, coach and negotiator--but this part of the process does not start until buyers start crossing your threshold. My advise: Hire a Realtor who is a good marketing professional--not a good "pitch-man" to sell your home. The Listing Agent is not going to be talking to buyers--having a good pitch-face won't help. Q6: Should I hire a Professional Stagger? A: Yes. Yes. Yes. Ask your Realtor who he recommends. Every Realtor should have industry professionals that they know, trust and recommend--including a great Stagger. Q7: What about the competition? A: Know what is going on around you. Similar priced homes with similar features and size will bring more attention to your listing--if you do everything else (above) correctly. Q8: How important are the listing details? A: Critical. We live in a digital age where information is the key to everything. A MLS listing is a digital database with information about your property for sale. Missing pieces of information mean that the person who was looking for your home will not be able to find it because the database did not have enough information to point that buyer to your home. Database data is one business case where more is almost always better. Q9: How important are photographs? A: Critical. Photos need to depict the home and property as it is. Wide angle lens and missing photos will only lead to buyer disappointment and Realtors will start to boycott your listing agent. If your Realtor becomes known for making things look bigger and better than they are in real life--this is only a recipe for disaster. Yours and theirs. Get as many photos as the MLS will allow. Make sure the photos reflect the true look of the home. Use a professional photographer--Realtors seldom make great photographers. Make sure buyers are not disappointed with the real house compared to what they see online. Q10: What about selling FSBO? A: My professional and personal opinion is that while FSBO sellers were a fad in certain Seller's Markets where and when buyer traffic was on Auto-Pilot, I think FSBO homes sales have faded into the shadows. My own personal experience with FSBO marketing tells me that it is expensive (you pay hundreds of dollars whether you sell your home or not), it has limited or no marketing, there is very little coaching and advise (seminar style--one size fits all), and very, very time consuming. If you would like to hear about my own first hand experience with FSBO marketing--give me a call. Let's Talk.
In Summary. Price to market. Make sure your home shows better than anything around you. Make sure you have the best possible online marketing presence and database coverage. Make the photographs count. Put the best Realtor you know on your team. Posted by Tim Thornton, Greater Austin Area Realtor® ZipRealty, inc. at 12/12/2011 GREAT ADVICE, TIM!