Realtors, Brokers, Agents 
There are currently 9 blog entries related to this category.
Four Steps To Consider Before Meeting a Realtor
Monday, February 28th, 2011 at 2:06pm. 1613 Views, 1 Comments.
Looking to buy your dream home? Then you have to have a plan. Before making this major purchase, there are 4 steps to consider before meeting with a realtor that can save you and your realtor time, and keep all parties focused.
Get Pre-Approved
The first step is to get pre-approved by a reputable mortgage lender. Few people can buy with cash, with nearly 9 out of 10 buyers financing the purchase of a home; this is especially true for first time home buyers. By having mortgage financing in place prior to meeting with your realtor shows your realtor that you have your ducks in a row, are serious about purchasing, and know how much you can afford. Looking at the various loan options also allows the borrower to find the best loan program suited for their…
The Ins and Outs of Realtor Open House Marketing
Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 2:52pm. 1006 Views, 0 Comments.
The debate rages on about whether or not open houses are effective at selling homes. Some Realtors avoid them, stating that they are a waste of time, while other agents tout their ability to connect with buyers in the area and sell their listings. If you are a proponent of open houses, then you undoubtedly understand the importance of marketing your open house. After all, you likely have a number of things you’d rather be doing than sitting around for hours, waiting for potential buyers who never show.
With that said, here are a few of our favorite tips for marketing your next open house so you can be sure it is as successful as possible:
- Before you pass go, make sure the property in question is in open house-ready condition. Make sure the house is clean…
The Future of Mortgage Interest Rates and What It Means for Housing Recovery
Sunday, February 6th, 2011 at 12:49pm. 2711 Views, 3 Comments.
A lot of attention has been paid in recent weeks to mortgage rates: after plunging last spring and staying at historic lows for six months, they started to rebound in November. With rates up to 5.11% at the beginning of the year according to HSH Associates and fluctuating since, many have been wondering what the future holds for mortgage rates, and how they will impact the tenuous housing recovery.
When mortgage interest rates originally dipped last May, many hoped it would spur home buying and help continue the mini-sales boom caused by the homebuyer tax credit. Similar to the tax credit - which pulled in the summer buying season and arguably didn’t actually create many new buyers - the lower mortgage rates had a muted effect on home sales. Instead,…
I Love My Pet but My Home is For Sale - Pet Quandaries
Monday, December 20th, 2010 at 1:48pm. 2362 Views, 0 Comments.
It's a good thing Jesse and Butterfinger didn't mind car rides.
No way was I going to leave them in the house when someone was coming to see it. The hamsters had colorful cages, and were really quite cute. But, they're rodents. They stink, they kick wood chips through the bars of the cage, and they get noisy running on the squeaky wheel.
I had nightmarish visions of a Realtor opening the door to my house, potential buyers sniffing the air, or even worse, witnessing the cat pounce on the hamsters for a mid-day snack should they get loose.
Indeed, as much as we love our pets, they are unpredictable and can kill a house deal.
Realtor Carol Knott of Remax in The Woodlands said sometimes people won't even look at a house if they know pets have been living in…
Will The Paperless Real Estate Transaction Ever be Possible
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 at 12:46pm. 2383 Views, 2 Comments.
Sign here. Initial here. Sign, sign, sign… From the moment a house goes on the market all the way through to closing, one thing that hasn’t changed much is the endless trail of contracts. And with those contracts comes paper. Lots and lots of paper. Real estate brokers, title companies and mortgage lenders all send and swap whole forests of documents in a single day.
In this new environmentally conscious era where green principles are a hot topic, paper is one material that this industry has had a tough time eliminating. However, paperless technology is ever-so-slowly finding a foothold with brokers, lenders and title companies.
“Real estate has always been paper intensive,” said Prudential Gary Greene Realtor Judson Tate. “Houston agents are slow to…
All The Single Ladies - Put a House On It
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 at 10:47pm. 3360 Views, 2 Comments.
Beyonce told all the single ladies to put a ring on it. Well, Houston Realtor Suzanne Sprayberry is telling all the single ladies to put a house on it, "it" being their name.
"Home ownership is something I feel strongly about for single women," Sprayberry said. "It’s a very positive thing to do, especially now when interest rates are so low."
Houston Realtor Claudette Toomey said exact stats on single female homebuyers are hard to come by – and in fact the Houston Association of Realtors told me they do not keep that kind of info.
But according to a May 2010 article on www.marketwatch.com, with references to the National Association of Realtors, unmarried women accounted for 21 percent of home purchases in 2009, while unmarried men accounted for 10 percent.…
Contingency is a Fancy Word for Condition
Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 at 10:35am. 1030 Views, 1 Comments.
"Contingency" is really just a fancy word for "condition," but in real estate contracts there are plenty of them, and they are things that let the buyer or seller cancel the deal.
Some contingencies are par for the course, like home inspections and appraisals. While others are complicated, particularly in contracts that are contingent upon the sale of an existing home.
"We see more of those when the market gets slow, which is usually December through February," said Houston Realtor Doug Scott of Gary Greene Prudential. "People get more anxious to get a contract. It's one way to hopefully get something moving."
But proceed with caution when dealing with the contingent sell of the potential buyer's existing home, Scott said, and something Spring Realtor Tish…
Nostalgia Invokes Real Estate Emotions
Monday, October 25th, 2010 at 9:44am. 1127 Views, 2 Comments.
Buying a home is an exciting time for homebuyers and Houston Realtors alike. What is often overlooked in the real estate market is the percentage of buyers on the market searching for their second home. In “Nothing Sells Homes like Nostalgia” Steve Bergman investigates the motivation homebuyers may have for purchasing a second place to call home.
Who’s on the Market?
Baby Boomers are most often targeted for second home sales. As they near retirement age and are generally financially stable, it is the perfect population for Realtors to target. Not to mention that (according to Bergman) the 50-and-over crowd control over half of the discretionary income in the country.
However, in these economic times selling a luxury such as a second home can be a hard sale,…
Do Realtors Earn Their Commissions?
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 at 5:48pm. 1890 Views, 1 Comments.
Ah, the life of a Realtor ... show up, unlock the door, parade people through, lock up – then sit back and wait for a big, fat commission to line the ol' wallet. Easy peasy, right?
Wrong. Misconceptions about the role of a Realtor are a dime a dozen.
Houston-area Realtor Candy Ferrer said commissions aren't as great as they might seem. "Rates are not fixed, but most commissions are six percent," Ferrer said."But, the consumer typically thinks the Realtor they are working with is the person that gets to pocket the entire commission."
Based on a $100,000 sale, a six percent commission totals $6,000. Of that amount, the commission is usually split in half – with three percent for the office of the agent who represents the buyer, and three percent for the office…
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