Working With An Agent Category

If you are selling your home, you should be prepared for the day your first offer comes in. When your real estate agent calls to say there is an offer on your home, you will naturally get excited. When your agent describes the offer, you will probably experience an adrenaline rush. Whether the offer is good or bad, you should just remain calm–and discuss a counter-offer with your agent. The negotiations of a purchase begin with the buyer’s ideal terms and a counter offer that communicates the seller’s ideal terms.

A good agent will look beyond the price when evaluating an offer. If the buyers’ financial qualifications are shaky or the offer includes potentially problematic terms or conditions, your real estate agent should be there to minimize any risk to you and to address these items in your counter-offer. Your agent’s job is not to make a decision for you, but to be sure that you understand fully what the offer includes and what is expected.

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Although every purchase of a home involves a degree of compromise, the process begins with the buyer’s preferences. When you are working with a real estate agent, it is important that you give your agent a clear idea which of your criteria are flexible and which items you really must have in your new home.

If you prefer a specific location, for example, discuss why you want to live in that neighborhood. The agent might be able to suggest alternatives areas which offer the same amenities or convenience to your office. How important is size? Do you really need four bedrooms or would three bedrooms work, if there is a den for your home office? How much are you willing to correct with redecorating or remodeling? Are you willing to expand your price range by using an adjustable rate mortgage to increase your buying power?

The agent will ask you a lot of questions so that they can use your time most efficiently by showing you houses that meet your criterion as a buyer.

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Negotiations for the sale of a home can be affected by emotional factors. For example, it is easy to be offended by someone who is making an offer on your property. Even if the buyers love your house, they are trying to negotiate the best possible price and terms. They probably will not let you know how much they want your home until they have negotiated a purchase agreement.

Buyers almost never write offers that please the sellers entirely. Offers and counter offers may be traded back and forth over days or weeks. Terms of the sale will be discussed and deadlines will be set. When there is finally a meeting of the minds, both sides may feel relieved but exhausted by the process. One of a real estate agent’s most important jobs is to act as the intermediary during such negotiations. With your agents knowledge of financing, negotiation procedures, and the tax laws affecting real estate sales, agents come up with creative solutions to the challenges that may arise.

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When you list your house with a real estate agent who participates in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), you get a lot of service for your money. Depending upon the MLS region, there may be hundreds of participating members.

The real estate agent who lists your home works to get it sold. This is done by marketing directly to home buyers, but an even more powerful tool is marketing your home to other agents who have buyers. Your real estate agent makes all the crucial information about your home available to the other members through the MLS. Information such as your home’s location, size, the number of rooms, the style of architecture, what personal property is included, and any other special features is posted. The MLS description will also contain information about any special financing that might be available, showing instructions, and special needs you may have with respect to closing. The MLS is a powerful tool for real estate matchmakers.

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When a seller lists a home with a real estate agent, a lot of brainstorming follows. Who are the potential buyers, where do they live and work? How can they be reached effectively with information that will attract them to this particular property?

In addition to advertising each home on the widely used Multiple Listing Service, professional real estate agents employ marketing techniques tailored to the individual home they are selling. An agent will review various buyer lists to find potential purchasers. They will use telephone and direct mail marketing, produce property flyers and advertise on the Internet, in the newspaper, in community publications and in real estate magazines. Contacts will be made to other agents who sell homes in the area to encourage them to show the home to prospective buyers.

Real estate agents combine pro-active marketing with realistic pricing to generate results for their home sellers.

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When you list your home for sale, you and your agent must work as partners to ensure it sells as quickly as possible, and for the best price. While you take the necessary steps to make your property look good inside and out, your real estate agent will go to work to make sure your home is exposed to qualified buyers.

Real estate agents work with each seller to develop a written marketing plan. This enables you to know what your agent is doing to sell your home and what you can expect to happen while your property is on the market. It will also include suggestions on how to make your home sell. There will be regular communication between you and your real estate agent from the day the listing agreement is signed. The agent will give you progress reports and feedback from the people who have seen your home. You will also have frequent opportunities to ask questions and discuss changes in the marketing strategy.

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Last summer your neighbors put their house on the market and had so many buyers that they were on the winning side of a bidding war. Now you are trying to sell your home, and there’s just no action.

The real estate marketplace is very unpredictable. Many factors come into play, the most important being interest rates and prevailing sales prices. In a strong seller’s market, prices tend to escalate until they reach a certain point where buyers begin to just say no and listing inventories increase. When this happens, sellers who price their homes at the higher level of previous sales prices must re-think their pricing strategies. If they don’t, their homes may not sell. Whether you are buying or selling a home, it is important to remember that the shift from a seller’s to a buyer’s market can occur very quickly. You can count on your agent for sound advice on what phase the market is in right now.

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Buying a home isn’t easy. You may have a good idea of what you want and how much you want to spend, but your search produces a wide array of homes on the market and a bewildering set of financing options.

As your real estate agent, my job is to minimize the confusion and help match you to the best home and loan for your needs and pocketbook. I will listen to your requirements and eliminate from consideration the properties that aren’t suitable for you. If there is a gap between your taste and how much you feel comfortable spending, I can help you decide where to compromise and can suggest financing plans to increase your buying power. When you have selected a home, your next step is to find a lender, a qualified structural inspector, and a termite inspector.

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If you are looking for a new home, it is important to communicate with your real estate agent about any special aspects of your lifestyle that will influence your choice. This information will help your agent to locate the perfect home for you and your family.

Are you a gourmet cook who loves giving lots of parties? Do you want space to accommodate hobbies such as painting, photography, or woodworking? Will your decision be influenced by the accessibility of a community gym, a golf course or tennis courts? Does your son need space to rehearse with his rock band? Do you need a home office? Are you planning to enlarge your family? Is there someone in your household who cannot climb stairs?

Knowing the significant factors that will influence your housing decision helps us to narrow the selection of homes on the market.

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The listing presentation is the first step most sellers take when they are looking for a real estate professional to market their home. They communicate what they expect from the real estate agent who will list their home, and the agent explains their marketing strategy, including pricing recommendations, advertising, and any special programs they or their companies offer.

A good listing presentation takes careful planning. A written market analysis will help you get a clear idea of local market conditions. Many real estate agents will include a marketing plan, as well as suggestions on how to make sure that your home shows well and is accessible to agents. If you are talking to several companies, resist the temptation to go with the person who quotes you the highest price for your house. Look for an agent who is well prepared, professional, and has the best ideas. The most successful transactions involve careful collaboration between the sellers and the real estate agent.

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