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March 2007

• Mar. 17, 2007 - Real Estate Strategies: Buying Strategy 5

5. STOP CALLING ADS!
Whether you decide to work with me or not, pick an agent you feel comfortable with and stay with that agent if he or she is doing the job. Agents work on commission and are paid by the seller, NOT THE BUYER! I charge NOTHING for my time when I work for you. To get 100% effort from me, I have to know that you value and appreciate my work on your behalf. Get your own personal representation by using a Buyers Brokers Agreement. It is your right to have your own representation when buying a home. You do not have the same representation when using the sellers agent to buy the house. If you see a sign or an ad that interests you, call me and I can get all the information for you. I can get information for you on any property you are interested in: homes, condos, new development homes & condos (contractors require that I accompany you the 1st time you visit), mobile homes, land, leases, FSBO’s (for sale by owner),apartments, income property, commercial and industrial property.

How I help you get your dream home. I have a program called PBS for Preferred Buyers Search. It is a program for those people who are serious about buying a property now. We get you pre-approved with a lender so you have the bargaining power of a cash buyer. Then I program your parameters into the PBS Program and search the MLS computerized listings on a daily basis so you can be one of the first people to know when a property comes on the market.

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• Mar. 17, 2007 - Real Estate Strategies: Buying Strategy 4

4. SELL FIRST, THEN BUY.
If you have a house to sell, let me help you sell it before selecting a house to buy! I have seen few contingent sales work in the last 3 years, unless it’s with a new home builder who has other houses to sell and can afford to put one on a contingency.

Let’s pretend that we go out looking for the perfect house for you. We find it and you love it! Now you have to go make an offer to the seller. You want the seller to reduce the price and wait until you sell your house. The seller figures that’s a risky deal, since he might pass up a buyer who DOESN’T have to sell a house while he’s waiting for you. So he says OK, he’ll do the contingency but it has to be a full price offer! So you see, you paid more for the house than you could have because of the contingency.

Now you have to sell your existing house, and in a hurry! Otherwise you lose the dream house! So to sell quickly you might take an offer that’s lower than if you had more time. The bottom line is that buying before selling might cost you TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars. I always recommend that you sell first, then buy.

If you’re concerned that there’s not a house out there for you, then let’s do a little window shopping. We can identify possible houses and location without falling in love with a specific house. If you feel confident after that, then put your house on the market.

Another tactic is to make the sale “subject to seller finding suitable housing”. Adding this phrase to the listing means that WHEN YOU DO FIND A BUYER, you will have some time to find your new home. If you don’t find anything to your liking, you don’t have to sell your present home. This strategy can make your home less desirable to both buyers and agents because they are not sure when you will find the new home.

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• Mar. 17, 2007 - Real Estate Strategies: Buying Strategy 3

3. PLAY THE GAME OF NINES.
Before house hunting, make a list of nine things you want in the new place. Then make a list of the nine things you don’t want. I call this “NINE OF THIS & NONE OF THAT”. You can use this list as a scorecard to rate each property that you see. The one with the biggest score wins! This helps avoid confusion and keeps things in perspective when you’re comparing dozens of homes.

When house hunting, keep in mind the difference between “SKIN & BONES”. The BONES are things that cannot be changed such as the location, view, size of lot, noise in the area, school district, and floor plan. The SKIN represents easily changed surface finishes like carpet, wallpaper, color, and window coverings. Buy the house with good BONES, because the SKIN can always be changed to match your tastes. I always recommend that you imagine each house as if it were vacant. Consider each house on its underlying merits, not the seller’s decorating skills.

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• Mar. 17, 2007 - Real Estate Strategies: Buying Strategy 2

2. DON’T BUY ANYTHING ON CREDIT!
Please check with your lender before you buy anything on credit or apply for ANY credit. In most cases you can buy the same car, furniture, vacation, etc. after you buy your home. BUT, if you buy it before the close of escrow you may significantly impact your ability to buy your new home.

At today’s interest rates, a new monthly debt of $70 could reduce your purchase price by $10,000. A new lease on a car for $350 per month could drop your buying power by $50,000. Depending on your price point, that could be a significant difference in the homes that are available for you.

Applying for credit other than your home loan could take you out of your desired price range or even completely eliminate your chances at a quality loan. Lenders look at how many credit checks you have had in the last 6 to 12 months. More than 2 and you could be in trouble. That includes cell phones and “no payment till anytime” deals. Refuse offers to increase existing credit lines. Pay off and close accounts with finance companies if possible-they are viewed negatively. Maintain at least one of your oldest cards to show a long credit history.

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• Mar. 17, 2007 - Real Estate Strategies: Buying Strategy 1

1. DON’T GET “PREQUALIFIED”!
Do you want to get the best house you can for the least amount of money? Then make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible.

Price is only one bargaining chip in the negotiations, and not necessarily the most important one. Often other terms, such as the strength of the buyer or the length of escrow, are critical to a seller.

In years past, I always recommended that buyers get “prequalified” by a lender. This means that you spend a few minutes on the phone with a lender who asks you a few questions. Based on the answers, the lender pronounces you “prequalified” and issues a certificate that you can show to a seller.

Sellers are aware that such certificates are WORTHLESS, and here’s why! None of the information has been verified! Often unknown problems surface! Some of the problems I’ve seen include recorded judgments, child support payments, accurate and inaccurate glitches on the credit report due to any number of reasons, down payments that have not been in the clients’ bank account long enough, etc.

So the way to make a strong offer today is to get “Pre-Approved”. This happens AFTER all information has been checked and verified. You are actually APPROVED for the loan, the only loose end is the appraisal on the property you want to buy. This process takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on your situation. It’s VERY POWERFUL and a weapon I recommend all my clients have in their negotiating arsenal.

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• Mar. 17, 2007 - Building your new home: Common Mistakes

Decided to Build a New Home?  Here are some helpful suggestions and common mistakes when building a new home. 

  • Exhaust fans in all bathrooms including entry and basement
  • Windows or Peep holes in the front and back doors
  • Electrical outlets at various elevations for outside use, such as christmas decor, deck lighting, etc...
  • Enough of a roof overhang at the front entry so guests can get out of the rain
  • Electrical outlets on the kitchen island
  • No breezeway or shelter protection from a detached garage to the house
  • Windows placement in rooms which don't allow furniture placement in bedrooms and living areas
  • HVAC venting directly under windows, this is both a condensation issue as well as future restriction for a doorway or expansion hallway
  • Utilities such as HVAC ductwork and plumbing in the basement directly in the middle or in direct access areas.  This creates a choppy layout for future design in the basement.
  • Enough storage space
  • More electrical outlets in the garage (workbench area with adequate breaker support)
  • Surround sound pre-wiring in designated areas
  • Stairway lighting for steps

 

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