There are two basic types of realtors: a listing agent and a buyer’s agent. A listing agent focuses on marketing, promotions and getting homes sold. A buyer’s agent is concerned with moving people in and out.
Both types of realtors are needed to complete a transaction, but today I wanted to tell you how to choose the best listing agent. I have a list of 9 things to keep in mind when choosing who you want to represent you!
Find out their track record. How many homes have they listed and sold? Get a written list and do your due diligence.
Do they have a written action plan to give you?
Check out their company. Set up the second meeting at their office. Are they a reputable company?
Are they well connected? Check out their LinkedIn and other social media profiles.
Do they have endorsements and testimonials for their service?
Check out their website. Do they have a great website to list your home on?
What is their proven system that goes above and beyond other agents?
Do you have chemistry with the agent? You will be working with this person for 6-12 months!
Ask around your neighborhood. Are there signs up? Have they worked with people in the neighborhood before?
These are nine things that you should consider when hiring your listing agent. Thank you for watching. If you have any questions, please call me. Together my team and I have more than 60 years of experience! We’d love to help you
Hello, everyone. This is the second part of my series on design and renovation. If you recall, the last video talked about how to give home buyers more power. My number one tip was organization to help you find the best contractor and designer in your area.
Today, I have seven important questions for you to ask your builder, architect or interior decorator to ensure you are choosing someone who not only produces quality work, but who will work well with you.
What have you done that’s relative in size and scope and monetary value to what I am proposing to you? Whomever you are interviewing should have a list of past projects with addresses and phone numbers, as well as before and after pictures.
Who is going to be working on this project with me? If you want a specific person at their company to work for you, make sure you tell them in the initial interview.
When are they available? If you work during the day and want them to work in the evenings or weekends, it’s important to say that upfront.
Is there a bond, a connection? There needs to be chemistry. You’re going to be working with this person for 6-12 months.
Where are they located? You want to find someone who lives close so they can come over and work frequently and with ease. You also want someone in your local area because they will know the building codes and regulations.
Do they understand what you are talking about? Have they grasped your idea? Can they see your vision?
How is the budget process going to work? This is perhaps one of the most important questions. If they make an error, how are they going to fix it? Can they stay within your budget?
These are seven of the most important questions to ask when you are considering hiring someone to help build your dream.
Keep a look out for our third video in our series on renovation and design. I’m going to go over some tips and tricks to help you purchase land and avoid some unpleasant surprises.
Thanks for watching! If you have any questions at all, please call me at 786.581.1134!
If you are looking to buy or sell a home, contact us!
Thank you for coming back to my video blog!
My background is in construction. I have a degree from the University of Florida School of Building and Construction. I went on and built homes for five years and then got my state certified contractors’ license.
The only reason I really got into real estate was because of construction. I wanted to know what features really worked. What floor plans were best? Which designs worked well? I then wanted to take that firsthand knowledge and use it in my construction.
Something happened, though. I have been in real estate for 16 years now!
I get to talk to a lot of people, a lot of contractors about design and I decided to do a video serious on remodeling. In the videos I’ll give you tips to give you more power as a homebuilder!
The number one tip I can give you is organization. On my website you will find some questionnaires for contractors, correspondence logs and a comparison chart.
I want you to print these off and then find three builders, three architects and three interior designers that you know do quality work.
How do you find such people or companies?
Drive through neighborhoods you like; look for signs from companies or if you find a particular house you like, ask the owner who they worked with.
Another way to find quality work is to check your chamber of commerce; find what builders have been around for a while.
Ask them the questions from the questionnaire. Then what? Tune in to next week’s video and I’ll tell you the next step in building your dream home!
People from all over the world want to live in Miami. As a buyer, you need to be knowledgeable about how to buy a home in such a hot market. What Can I Expect with $500k in Palmetto Bay and Pine Crest?
In Palmetto Bay, half a million dollars can get you a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home that is somewhat upgraded. We just listed and sold a house in two days in Palmetto Bay!
The farther North you go, however, toward downtown and South Miami, the more expensive homes become. In Pine Crest, $500k will get you a very basic home. Pine Crest’s price range goes up to $5 million.
Both are great areas, with great schools and other amenities. What Do I Need to be Aware of as a Buyer in the Current Market?
A lot of buyers want to know how to go about buying a home in the Miami market.
It is important to be prepared for competition; last week there was an open house where 40 couples were waiting on the realtor to unlock the door.
Have your finances in order before you look at a home.
Work with a realtor you trust that is on top of the market.
If you have any questions or want to a buy a home, please contact me at 786.581.1134.
It is an interesting time to be a seller. No doubt you have heard reports that homes are flying off the market.
While that is true, there are also homes that sit because of improper pricing. To sell your home quickly, your home needs to be up to par with the others in the same price range.
As an example: if you live in a $750k neighborhood, a buyer will be expecting real hardwood cabinets, solid surface countertops, stainless appliances, etc.
One of the most important things to remember when selling your home is to compare yours to homes that have sold in your neighborhood, rather than active homes on the market. The reason for this is often times properties are overpriced and sit unsold for long periods of times.
You need an experienced realtor that has knowledge of the market and can point you in the right direction. Please call me at 786.581.1134 if you have any questions about selling your home.
It seems ages ago when there were not enough buyers to snatch up the overabundance of homes for sale on the market. Today, it is an entirely different story. With inventory at its lowest in years, more and more buyers are having to resort to their best offers, pulling out all stops right from the start. But how can you expect to win a bid when you are competing against many other buyers vying for the same property?
We’ve shared four tips on buyer savvy during a highly competitive real estate market.
Know Your Financial Outlook Before Getting Started
The very first step all homebuyers should take is to evaluate their financial situation. Whether this means taking a closer look at cash reserves on hand, deciding how much money to put down on the purchase or considering an affordable monthly payment amount to stay within. You will benefit greatly from a consultation with a mortgage consultation. They will examine your debt-to-income ratio and pre-qualify you for a loan. When you present an offer with proof of financing (or proof of funds for cash transactions), sellers will likely take your offer far more seriously than other offers without these assurances. It’s also critical to hold off on any big spending.
Take Competitors’ Timing Into Considerations
In a market when very few well-priced homes in good condition pop up on the market, it goes without saying that time is of the essence. These days, buyers almost flock to new listings following the frenzy that listing agents attempt to create in today’s selling environment. Be sure to make every attempt to view a new listing that interests you as quickly as possible to avoid missing a chance at the property altogether.
Don’t Procrastinate On a Decision to Make An Offer
If you see it, if you like it, don’t hesitate to make an offer on it. This may sound hasty but as long as you are sure you like the home, why wait to make an offer only to find that someone else beat you to it? Once again, having a preapproval in place helps to thwart other buyers’ attempts but keep in mind you will have plenty of competition to contend with, so the faster the better. It helps to obtain advance knowledge of neighborhood details such as school system information, property tax averages or neighborhood amenities.
Present Your Best Offer To Begin With
A best offer does not automatically mean more money. In fact, sellers often base their decision on other factors such as the contingencies placed on a contract, as well as the simplicity or complexity of an offer. Savvy buyers have already reviewed the contract in detail and know what they are getting into, asking any questions of their real estate agent ahead of time. Make your offer as clean, simple and straightforward as possible and if you can be flexible with things like closing dates or inspection periods – do it.
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If you would like to learn more about how we can help guide you through a successful home buying process, contact us today. We look forward to making your real estate goals become a reality.
South
Florida is definitely experiencing a sellers market right now and with that we
are seeing a lot of interesting things happening in our marketplace. Just a few
short years ago, we had an overabundance of properties on the market but here
we are today with sellers finally enjoying the upper hand.
But
now that you do have an edge in the marketplace, how do you handle the multiple
offers coming in on your home? This is a time to be savvy, be careful and to thoughtfully
scrutinize every aspect of offers. Here is a list of six things to look for in
an offer:
Is It a Valid
Purchase Agreement Contract?
In
Dade County, there are one of two contracts that you should reasonably accept;
either one written on a CRSP or a Florida Association of Realtors® contract.
Anything else is questionable and could raise serious concerns later on for you
without the protections in place as included on these known contracts. Also,
never accept a verbal offer – always operate solely on offers that are in
writing.
Are Disclosures and
Addendums Completely Filled Out?
The
risk of not having a completely filled out disclosure or addendum is that
someone could easily fill those items out after the fact, which could therefore
render your contract completely different than what you were expecting.
Is the Buyer
Pre-Qualified By a Reputable Lender?
The
last thing you want to happen is to find out you have accepted an offer only to
learn the buyer was never qualified to borrow the funds needed to buy the
house. Before taking the home off the market, be sure to call the lender and
confirm the buyers’ financing – and request a letter stating that fact. Local
lenders are always a better choice as you can easily communicate with them if
needed.
How Much Money Will
They Be Putting Down?
These
days there are many options for financing and with that you can expect a wide
range of buyers looking at your home. With that expanded buyer pool however,
there will be some buyers financing most of the purchase while others will
bring more money to the table. Try to work with buyers that have more money to
put down, mainly because it is an indication of stronger financial capacity
which could help to avoid them needing seller concessions.
Are the Buyers Tied
Down By The Sale of Their Own Home?
Very
often buyers are out looking at homes before their own property has sold and
then without adding that contingency to the offer, end up faltering on the deal
if their home does not sell in time. To avoid this from happening, try to find
out as much as possible in advance so you are armed with that knowledge ahead
of time and can decide whether you are willing to allow that risk.
Do They Have a Past
Short Sale or Foreclosure on Record?
Banks
aren’t the only ones that should be concerned with the creditworthiness of
buyers. As a seller, you stand to suffer the loss of time on market if a sale
falls through due to an undisclosed item on their credit history that results
in a delay or worse, a terminated transaction. Find out as soon as you can
whether the buyers are qualified and approved with a lender.
