Important Considerations When Hiring a Real Estate Agent
When you’re ready to buy or sell property, having a real estate agent to do the heavy lifting for you is a good idea. But how do you find an agent that’s right for you? You can start by doing an Internet search for agents in your local real estate area, and then checking out their company web sites. Alternatively, you can ask friends and family for names of agents they’ve successfully worked with in the past.
No matter which road you take, you’ll find agents with unique strategies and personalities. Before you sign an agreement with an agent, make sure you take the time to ask them a few critical questions to determine if they’ll be a good match for your personality, and whether they’ll be effective in helping you buy or sell your home.
One of the first questions to ask in an interview is whether or not the agent is a REALTOR® or a real estate agent.
REALTORS® and real estate agents are both licensed to sell real estate, but a REALTOR® has voluntarily become a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. To maintain membership in this organization, agents must adhere to a strict code of ethics that are intended to protect both buyers and sellers in a transaction. REALTORS® are also expected to have greater real estate expertise than their non-REALTOR® counterparts, and to ensure that their clients receive the highest level of service.
Knowing how long the agent has been in the industry is also a good indicator of the type of service you’ll receive with an agent. There are certainly new agents who can provide sound advice and first-class customer service, but generally speaking you want an agent who has experienced both the ups and downs of the realty market. If they can be successful even when the market has stagnated, it’s a good sign that the agent truly knows what they’re doing. Hiring someone new isn’t always a mistake, but make sure that you feel confident in the skills and experience of whoever you choose to hire.
In addition to hiring someone with experience, you also want an agent that works full time in the business. There are many part time agents out there, but it’s better to hire someone whose sole focus is on the real estate market. Working full time enables agents to be on top of the happenings in both the local and national markets, which is the kind of expertise you want your agent to have.
Ask the agent about their marketing strategies. If you’re selling your home, this is particularly important. You want to make sure that your property gets exposed to buyers through traditional print advertising and online marketing. If you’re buying, you want to know what the agent’s plan is to get you a great price on the home you want to buy.
If you’re selling your home, it’s imperative to find out how many houses the agent has sold in the last year, how many days the average property sat on the market for, and what the average difference there was between the listing price and the selling price. These figures will tell you a great deal about how effective your agent is at choosing the right price, marketing the home, and negotiating a deal.
You also want an agent who’s had a lot of experience in your local community. In order to really ’sell’ the property to prospective buyers, the agent needs to be ready to answer all questions about the neighborhood, the local school system, and nearby amenities.
It’s important to hire an agent who has an assistant who’ll be available for you when the agent can’t be. You deserve to have your inquiries answered quickly, and to be informed as soon as there’s a hot new property on the market, or an offer on your house has come in. Because your agent can’t be in two places at once, make sure that he has someone to back him up when he isn’t available.
Many people ask agents about their commissions. Some agents are quite flexible with this number, while others see it as a non-negotiable figure. Certainly if you can get a reduced fee with someone who meets all your needs, then do so, but don’t choose an agent simply because their commission is lower than the competition’s. You may end up hiring an agent with less know-how or negotiation skills, which could end up costing you money in the long run.
In addition to asking questions about a real estate agent’s skill set, it’s wise to interview past clients to see how satisfied they were with the service they received. And above all, trust your instincts. If there’s no rapport, or you think an agent is talking down to you, move on to the next agent. The process of buying or selling a home can be an emotionally trying time, so you need someone on your side that you can trust, who has your best interests in mind, and who supports you throughout the entire process.
Greg Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/important-considerations-when-hiring-a-real-estate-agent-730444.html
How to Buy a House : How to Qualify for a Home Mortgage
Watch as a real-estate professional explains how to qualify for a home mortgage in this free online video for novice homebuyers.
Expert: John Jackson
Bio: John Jackson has years of experience and has put together a professional real estate team known as John Jackson & Associates.
Filmmaker: Ross Safronoff
Duration : 0:1:6
Homes for Sale Santa Maria CA Erik Vasquez
Erik Vasquez
Phone: 805-692-2006
Email: erik.vasquez@cph-inc.com
Duration : 0:0:45
Making Money in Today’s Real Estate Market
The real estate bubble may have burst, but the fact remains that real estate is still an attractive investment. You just have to be able to look at the advantages that are presented in the down economy.
Some say that the real estate market is in a depression. Others call it a recession. Others are in complete denial. The third parties are usually those in politics or real estate agents. Anyone who is trying to sell a home knows it is bad out there. But the good news is that as bad as it is for sellers, it is a great market for buyers.
Anyone who has money to invest should invest part of it in real estate. There are three different reasons for this: The interest rates are rock bottom and not likely to get any lower, the housing prices are lower than ever and the market will eventually rebound. You can still make money today in real estate; you just have to look at the property as a long term investment instead of the quick buck.
The days of flipping real estate properties that are accumulating so fast in value that you cannot keep up with them are gone for now. They will most likely return, but not for a while. Now you have to work with what you have which is a real estate market in which there are a lot more sellers than buyers. This puts the buyer in the driver’s seat.
Along with the fact that it is a buyers market, you can also work with the fact that the mortgage rates are lower than ever. So you have an opportunity to buy low because the market is saturated with homes for sale and not enough buyers as well as an opportunity to get a good loan package because the rates are low and lenders are dying to make loans so that they can stay in business.
If you have money to spend on real estate, you are in a great situation today in the real estate market. Look at the real estate investment as a long term investment instead of a short, get rich quick scheme. You can make money when the bubble begins to grow again, and it will. The real estate market goes up and down like the stock market. It will rebound.
You can make money today in real estate but you have to make smart choices. Purchase property in areas where the housing prices have remained stable. Also look at the growth in your area. Where is the next boom likely to hit? This is speculation, but if you track trends in the real estate market and do a little bit of a study, you can see the next area where developers will likely target. This is a good place to buy real estate, even if it is just a vacant lot.
Real estate is usually always a good investment, especially if you plan to live in the property. However, it should be looked upon as a good long term investment and not a way to get rich quick.
Heather Seitz
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-ideas-articles/making-money-in-todays-real-estate-market-428349.html
18 Santa Maria, Lake Forest, CA
For more information about this property, please contact First Team Real Estate at 866-938-5812.
View all our videos at http://www.youtube.com/FirstTeamProperties
Company website http://www.firstteam.com
MLS ID: S586266
SPECTACULAR SHOWPLACE.Highly sought after ROXFORD CREST Tract in the Wonderfull Hillside Community of FOOTHILL RANCH.Fabulous 4 bedroom 3.5 bath w/a downstairs bedroom & full bath,office w/beautiful wood floors,and a Enormous Bonus Room.SIMPLY GORGEOUS.Grand entry with 2 story ceilings,dramatic wrought iron staircase,elegant livingroom & formal diningroom w/two stunning chandliers.Extensive use of marble thru-out w/marble floors,baseboards & two marble fireplaces.REMODELED GOURMET KITCHEN includes custom cabintry,granite countertops & backsplash.Top of the line stainless steel appliances,and wine chiller in the center island ajacent to a spacious familyroom with marble fireplace.Impressive Master Suite boasts a sitting area,step up to a ROMANTIC ROMAN TUB & shower with travertine floors & upgraded cabintry and granite countertops in bathrooms.Pool size backyard perfect for entertaining with stone walls and accents..Hurry on this one..EQUITY SELLER can move fast.
Duration : 0:1:25
The Truth About the Real Estate Bubble
One of the reasons people shy away from real estate is the fear of a potential real estate ‘bubble’. These same people buy stocks, knowing the volatility of them, and say, ‘Buy stocks and hold on to them for the long-term.’ We do not believe the ‘bubble’ theory in real estate has any merit. Even if there was a ‘bubble,’ we would consider it a great buying opportunity and we would market that much harder!
Don’t get us wrong. There are times when the real estate market may ‘cool off,’ and property doesn’t appreciate in one year as much as it did in a previous year. There may be certain areas where prices even flatten out, but this is a far cry from a ‘bubble.’ Also, there are certain markets that witness extremely high appreciation for a number of years, such as Las Vegas or San Francisco, and may actually experience a small decline because they simply can’t keep up with the pace. But unlike the stock market, you can’t base what may happen in real estate on a national scale just by evaluating a few local economies. Whereas stocks are based on the national (or even the world) economy, the real estate market is based on local (or even micro-local) economies. There really isn’t a ‘national’ real estate market where one can predict what will happen across the board.
The term ‘bubble’ traditionally implies an artificially inflated valuation that is likely to ‘burst,’ such as the dot.com bubble we experienced in 2000-2001. Before the ‘pop,’ those stock prices weren’t based on intrinsic value, but on mere speculation of future potential values.
Real estate will always have inherent value because someone can live in it. Would you move if your neighborhood went down 10% in value? Probably not. But compare that to the stock market where millions of investors can sell off their stocks in moments by clicking their mouse.
So while it is possible that a local real estate market can reach a peak and flatten out, this doesn’t mean it is collapsing, which is what the media tends to portray. Maybe the real estate values in your city have appreciated 20% or so for the past few years, but this year it is projected at only 10%. We are led to believe that the bottom is falling out, even though 10% is still great! In this scenario, we see headlines stating, ‘Average Real Estate Prices Falling,’ and we question the validity of real estate investing. We can’t give in to those manipulative and deceptive tactics!
Buy real estate and rest in the fact that you won’t lose, if you buy it correctly. Your real estate will be around five, ten, and thirty years from now. Will that company you invested in be around in that period of time? Maybe – maybe not. With the numerous recent corporate failures and buy-outs, the chances are fairly large your company will no longer exist.
The bottom line with real estate, however, is that the market has little impact on your wealth-building plan.
I call you blessed!
Billy O’Neal
Billy O\\\’Neal
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/the-truth-about-the-real-estate-bubble-706642.html
Homes for Sale Santa Maria CA Erik Vasquez
Erik Vasquez
Phone: 805-692-2006
Email: erik.vasquez@cph-inc.com
Duration : 0:0:51