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 for Home Buyers... what most buyers don't know!
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1. Terms... Did you know that it is to your advantage to pay $1,000,000 for a $200,000 home if you can name whatever terms you want? Be careful, "terms" are very important and can help you a whole lot, or they can hurt you!
2. Commissions for bringing in the buyer are built into the price of most real estate transactions. Whoever writes up a contract for you gets the buyer's agent's commission, even if it is the sellers' agent. In most cases you can get your own Buyer Broker for the same price, and have someone representing you, instead of the seller.
3. Zero Down is now possible for non-vets, as well as vets, on most any home in most any price range.
4. Government Foreclosures can be purchased with little or no down payment if you plan to live in the home. If purchased for use as an investment rental property, these can be purchased with as little as 10% down.
5. Credit problems are not a big hindrance to buying a home if you qualify on all the other usual requirements. However, it is unlikely you will get the interest rate you want.
6. Quick Qualifiers are loans that allow you to buy a home with minimum requirements. Most of these require only a loan application, a 25% down payment, a good credit report, a preliminary title report and an acceptable appraisal. Usually there is no verification of employment or funds. Lenders are not worried about the possibility that you are unemployed or under-employed when 25% of your cash is put into the transaction.
7. Lease-Option possibilities dry up in a hot sellers market. Sellers can get their homes sold quickly at top price in a hot market, whereas a lease-option locks them into selling downstream at today's prices. There is no motivation for sellers unless the market is very depressed or the home is ridiculously over-priced.
8. Competing for the sharp home you want in a hot sellers market with other buyers who are usually willing to pay over the asking price? You are in a group representing 95% of all buyers in the area. Go down the street to the ugly fixer-upper that needs paint, carpet, landscaping and in need of other "tender loving care" (TLC). You won't have much competition there. You will be among the other 5% of the buyers in the market, and you will have a large selection of homes with minimum risk of multiple offers.
9. A like-new home can be made out of most any fixer upper during the escrow period at the sellers expense. When escrow closes, it is like moving into a newly refurbished home. And you won't have the competition during the negotiations because the seller could not, or would not, fix it up before the sale. It is all in the negotiations, after all.
10. When you "sign-in" at a new subdivision model home, you are signing away the commission that may have been reserved for your agent. If you come back later with your own agent, your signature is proof to the developer's agency that you were attracted to the property without your agent's influence. The developer's agency will keep the commission for themselves. If you intend to use a buyer broker, and you should for your own protection, the fee will have to come out of your own pocket. Don't even sign in if you intend to have your own buyer broker assisting you in the transaction.

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 for Home Sellers... why would a seller contact us?

Here are some reasons why you should contact us:

• It is likely we have had buyer clients purchase in your area. We can probably tell you of an agent or two who did a good job of representing their sellers wholeheartedly.
• The important thing is to weed out those who are in it only for the money. There are good listing agents out there who will go to every possible length to get the very best price and terms for their seller client, you.
• There are also agents who will put your listing on MLS, then forget about it until you call to complain. Then they will ask you to lower your asking price.
• There are agents who will not put your listing on MLS, at least not right away. They will hold open houses and try to sell it themselves without having to share the buyer's side of the commission with another agent. They push the term "dual agent" to the limit, often at your expense. You may not get as much for your home because buyers working with other agents may not be aware that your home is for sale. They won't get a chance to make higher offers.
• Once you pick an agent, don't try to negotiate every nickels' worth of commission out of them as long as their fee is realistic. You need a motivated agent to do the best job for you. A good agent will more than make up for their commission. Even "For Sale By Owners" do not do nearly as well as their next door neighbors who did a good job of selecting a listing agent properly. Would you select a low price attorney to defend you in a serious matter?
• 2. It is important to get some knowledge about interviewing and the selection process:
  a) Get a good book on the subject. There are lots of them. For example, try Ilyce R. Glink's "100 Questions Every Home Seller Should Ask". Another good one is "Bought, not Sold" by Ray Wilson. If you can't find one of these, call us. We probably have a copy we can loan you.
  b) Plan to interview at least 3 agents for the job. One of those will hopefully be someone we have suggested.
  c) Be very careful about inexperienced, part time or cut-rate agents.
  d) Select an agent who is experienced and has the time to devote to the marketing of your property. That eliminates part-timers who sell one or two a year, and it eliminates the high volume agents who only put your property on MLS and do little to promote the property.
  e) Don't select an agent just because they "know" the neighborhood, or have the best presentation, or are the best dressed, or have an expensive car, or wear lots of expensive jewelry, or have sold more homes than anybody else in the whole world, etc. etc.!!
  f) Call up people who recently sold through the agent you are thinking of using. Try to talk to at least three people whose home is now on the market for sale or just sold as a pending sale.

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