real estate agents

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  • Real Estate Agents – Choosing the Right One

    Posted on February 5th, 2010 admin No comments
    Matthew Hick asked:


    If you are in the market to sell your home, it is important to choose a real estate agent who will do his or her best job and provide the most excellent services to you. After all, you are looking for quality, honesty, timeliness, and dedication. So how do you go weeding out the good real estate agents from the bad real estate agents? There are a few ways that you can do this.

    To start with, you will want to know how long the real estate agent has been in practice, and if their licensure is kept up to date. Several years of practice under their belt has given them a world of experience to make a good sale. Also, check what hours they work. If they don’t work nights or weekends, then this schedule will fail to accommodate most working people in the mindset to buy. A part-time realtor may not have the time to adequately market your property.

    In the line of work experience, find out how many properties they have sold in the last year, and the average sale price of them. Ask them what percent of their listings have sold, and if they can provide you with references from homeowners, whose houses have sold, and those who haven’t. It is important to find an agent who is willing to disclose facts. If they are a good agent, they won’t have anything to hide. Find out how many current listings they have. The fewer the better for you, since an overloaded real estate agent won’t have the time to devote to your sale. If they have a full load already, this is the time to say goodbye.

    Since advertising is key to selling your house, find out if they will commit to a certain amount of money spent each month to this area. An unadvertised house will be too unnoticeable to sell. Request a thirty or sixty-day contract agreement time. This will provide the realtor time to sell, but gives you an opportunity to move on if you are unhappy with them. If they refuse, by all means question why. You really don’t want to be locked into an agreement for years, only to find out the real estate agent is not a good one. Also find out if the property will be on the Multi Listing Service, and what their policies on open houses are. These are all key items in getting your house in the viewing area of potential buyers.

    Question the real estate agent as to how long the property will take to sell at suggested price. Your house may be worth the amount advertised, but quite possibly the area will not get you that price. You need honesty in this matter. Most importantly, do not overprice your house. You may not get any potential buyers attention with this maneuver.

    The real estate agent will be your home’s best opportunity to be sold. It is important to ask questions, and pay attention to detail, when making this selection. You need someone who is able to provide care, time and effort in selling your house. Remember, you are entrusting this individual to handle probably one of the biggest financial transactions of your life. Making the right choice could be the difference between that “SOLD” sign going up or not.



    Holly
  • Real Estate Agents: How do B&B’s affect real estate values in the area?

    Posted on January 31st, 2010 admin 1 comment
    456 asked:


    I would have to get a special permit to open a B&B and the abutters will be informed. I have heard that B&B’s usually help the area’s real estate values…Does anyone have any information on this?

    Angela
  • How much should I charge for designing flyers and brochures for real estate agents?

    Posted on January 24th, 2010 admin 1 comment
    waterprincess_1982 asked:


    I use to design flyers, brochures, etc. for real estate agents but then got laidoff from the company. Many of them are asking me how much would I charge to design things for them. I wouldn’t have to print them, just design them. I don’t have any experience in this at all. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Amy
  • Is it legal to use multiple real estate agents at the same time to help sell my house? Or must I chose 1?

    Posted on January 22nd, 2010 admin 4 comments
    SupMid asked:


    I know I can meet with multiple potential agents to evaluate my house before putting it on the market. But when I am ready to sell, is it legal to use the services of multiple agents to sell my house at the same time (considering that the agent who finds me the buyer leading to a successful sale will be compensated by commission) to increase the number of possible buyers and the possibility of selling at an optimum price?

    Elaine
  • How to Find Real Estate Agents?

    Posted on January 18th, 2010 admin No comments
    Roberto Luongo asked:


    While looking for a profitable real estate transaction, it is imperative to look for a qualified and experienced real estate agent. A real estate agent can help you to secure the most profitable deal and you can save a great amount of money as well. But, how will you find a real estate agent? In this article, we’ll discuss factors that can help you to find the real estate agent.

    Use Referrals:

    Fro getting the best deal, you can use referrals given by your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. In fact, through this medium, you can get services from people who have already satisfied the needs of your acquaintances and family members. Hence, ask people and enquire about their experiences and then, make your decision.

    Search through Online Agent Listings:

    Many websites offer real estate agents’ listing. The list comprises of real estate agents who have paid to be listed in the directory. You can search the list and gather full information about a realtor who can meet your requirements. Check their years of experience and read customer testimonials to choose the best help. For getting better services, you can visit realtors’ offices and ask for more details on their services.

    Attend Open Houses:

    Visiting open houses is the one of the easiest ways to be in touch with real estate agents. Go there, meet new people and get their business cards. Through inter-personal meeting, you will get to know about the behavior of a particular person well. Think if you are comfortable working with the person or not. Choose a person whom you think can provide your service as per your expectations.

    Advertising:

    Nowadays, realtors advertize their services through newspapers, internet, magazines and other sources. Hence, if you are want to hire a realtor, try searching the one in the local newspaper or go online.

    Finding the right real estate agent is not a tough job if you know exact places to satisfy your curiosity.



    Vanessa
  • Why does it seem that most real estate agents?

    Posted on January 12th, 2010 admin 4 comments
    set apart asked:


    have gotten plastic surgery?

    I have many friends in the business of real estate and each one of them have had a nip tuck or other.

    Are you not allowed to age if you’re in the real estate business?…
    Rita: Some of my friends are males who have also had work done… this is a sad industry if a good real estate agent has to look young. I would rather an experienced older aged person.

    I am in California if that makes any difference.

    Sandra

  • Friend or Foe: Building Relationships with Real Estate Agents

    Posted on January 1st, 2010 admin No comments
    Iman Yusef-Yahya asked:


    You don’t have to be in the business of real estate investing for very long before you hear the ongoing controversy – should you work with real estate agents or not? Some will tell you, absolutely not. The reason is that real estate agents are unfamiliar with the real estate investing side of the business; therefore they will not be receptive to creative deals.

    While that may be true, the real truth may be that real estate investors have not always shown their best side when working with an agent and therefore have created their own bad reputation. If you approach agents as you would any other business venture and work to build a relationship on trust, in the long run such a relationship could possibly net you thousands of dollars in profits.

    Give Value First

    Find an agent that has a number of signs up in the neighborhood where you primarily work. Contact that agent and lay the groundwork for a relationship. In your business – if you are marketing correctly – you will be getting leads that aren’t suited for your real estate investing business. Perhaps they are not flexible on terms or price. Pass that contact information on to this agent. If you start out by giving value rather than demanding that this agent bend your direction, you will build trust.

    As you get to know one another, explain the types of properties you are looking for. You are looking for the fixer uppers that the agent would be embarrassed to show to any retail buyer. Of course the agent understands now that you are going to resell. If you are the rehabber and will be the one selling to the end-user, you stand to gain if you then list the property with this agent. Even if you could make more by selling it yourself (by owner), in this instance, paying the commission would be a wise investment. Now you have offered the agent two ways to profit on one property. Additionally, you can offer a short closing date. What agent wouldn’t like to close in a ten-day time frame?

    Reasonable Earnest Deposit

    As a real estate investor, if all you are going to put down as earnest money is a few bucks, don’t bother with an agent. Why take the chance of offending him or her? Be ready to hand over at least $500. Again, if you do business in an ethical and trustworthy manner, that agent will bend over backward to return the favor.

    Expired Listings

    Ask your agent ally for the information on expired listings. These are properties that didn’t sell but the listing with the agent has now expired. Oftentimes these owners are more motivated because of the long delay with no sale. They are great candidates for you to contact and see if you can put a deal together. There are bargain properties in these listings. If you are able to help that owner get out of the property, then everyone wins.

    Information at Your Fingertips

    When you are out in the field, you may need property information quickly. If your relationship with this agent is well established, now you will feel at ease in calling and asking for your friend to look it up for you. You might need to know rent prices in the area, or comps of nearby sales. This is a tremendous benefit to your real estate investing business when that kind of information is yours for the asking.

    Conclusion

    As you can see, working with a real estate agent is no different than any other kind of business relationship that is built on trust. To view real estate agents as your competition, or even as the enemy, is totally self-defeating and can eventually cost you dearly. Essentially you are in the same business and each of you can benefit from the other.

    Make it your goal to cultivate a select group of agents with whom you can work closely. After a few years of this type of relationship building, you will look back and see the thousands of dollars worth of deals that have come your way that you would never have found on your own.



    Edgar
  • are brokers, real estate agents and/or banks required to tell their clients about a counter offer by another?

    Posted on December 23rd, 2009 admin No comments
    worldwide surprise asked:


    are brokers, real estate agents and/or banks required to tell their clients about a counter offer by another party? if there are two customers interested in the same property and they go into a bidding war, and say i offered 95k but was told that the other party made a higher offer BUT doesn’t tell me, and instead tells me i need to bid HIGHER, are they lying to me? are they required to tell me what the other party is offering so that i have a baseline price to counter offer?

    Lucy
  • How to Find a Good Real Estate Agent in Bend Oregon

    Posted on December 23rd, 2009 admin No comments
    Jim Johnson asked:


    Choosing a good real estate agent in Bend Oregon can be a sticky proposition. There are currently a little over two thousand members of the Central Oregon Multiple Listing service. Out of these two thousand members there are approximately 1,500 active real estate agents. The rest are part time agents, real estate appraisers, lenders or others associated with the real estate business.

    Oregon law recently changed however and agents are now called Brokers and Principle Brokers. Brokers are men and women who sell real estate for a Principle Broker who is responsible for their activities. The Principle Broker can also sell and list properties. For the purposes of this article we will call Brokers and Principal Brokers who actively sell and list homes “Agents.”

    When searching for an agent to assist you in buying or selling a home it is a good idea to choose one that is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). There are over one million Realtors in business today. So if you want to find that one-in-a-million Realtor start with the over 37,000 that hold the Certified Residential Specialist Designation. CRS is the symbol of excellence in residential real estate.

    You should also make sure your agent is a Realtor. Not all agents are Realtors. A Realtor is pledged to adhere to a strict code of ethics. Whether you are buying or selling a home, you can count on your Realtor to be honest with all parties in the transaction, not just you, as his or here client, but also with the other real estate practitioner and his or her clients.

    For example, if Realtors represent a buyer with a spotty credit history, they can’t be dishonest with seller about this fact. At the same time, Realtors can help their buyer clients collect and assemble information, such as credit reports and audited tax returns, to demonstrate that the buyer has addressed the problem and improved their situation.

    He or she will put your interests ahead of his or her interest at all times. He understand the needs of his or her client, thoroughly researches available inventory and shares all relevant information with the buyer so that he or she can make an informed decision. This service is provided regardless of the compensation available.

    She or He will disclose all pertinent facts regarding the property and the transaction to both buyer and seller. If a Realtor believes information provided by a seller is questionable, the Realtor is obligated to investigate. Realtors should recommend that buyers consult their own experts, such as home inspectors, to address concerns.

    For example, if a home seller asks his or her Realtor to conceal the fact that the roof leaks, the Realtor cannot comply. If the seller insists, the Realtor should end the business relationship with that seller.

    He or she will be truthful in all communications with the public. When Realtors distribute newsletters, create Web sites, or place advertisements, they must be careful not to represent other real estate professionals’ work product as their own. If recently sold or listed properties in the community are publicized, it must be clear whether the Realtor was actually involved in the transaction or whether that data came from the local multiple listing service or other source. This ensures that the public understands the Realtor’s experience and they can make an informed decision when choosing real estate representation.

    All Certified Residential Specialists are Realtors. So if you are looking for an agent in Bend Oregon or any place in the United States for that matter, you can search the internet with any browser for Certified Residential Specialist. Go to “Find a CRS” and fill in the city and state where you want to buy a home and need an agent.

    You will then have a list with pictures, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of some of the best agents available. At this point it is good to contact the agent and ask him or here how long he or she has lived in the area you are going to be buying a home. You will be better served if you choose someone that has lived in the area for more than twenty years.

    There are many factors to consider when choosing the agent you want to work with. Take your time and be sure the broker you choose is some you like and trust.

    It is a buyer’s market in Bend Oregon today. It is a good time to buy a home. If you follow the steps outlined in this article you should find an ethical, experienced profession to help you find you new home and negotiate a good price.



    Alfred
  • The Real Estate Market is Devistated. Real Estate Agents are Looking for Other Income Streams Like Highly Leveraged Global Resorts Network

    Posted on December 22nd, 2009 admin No comments
    Jeff Goodman asked:


    With the lagging real estate market many Real Estate agents are looking for ways to create additional income with an online marketing business like Global Resorts Network. A lifetime Membership to GRN gives a person 52 weeks per year at over 5000 4-5 star resorts worldwide for prices of betwwen $298-$799 per Week per room. A huge saving over normal room rates and timeshares. On a $2995. sale there is $1000 retail commission plus a $1000 retail override.

    Do you hear what I hear? The sound of money going down the drain as Real Estate agents drive buyers round from house to house, putting gas in their car, chasing around trying to find the rock bottom deal of the century because that is what the buyers are insisting on in this market today. Don’t get me wrong, buyers are what most Realtors want to work with, especially since it is a buyers market right now, and they are the key to keeping the real estate market afloat. But the more educated and sophisticated buyer of today knows that this is the time to snatch-up a home at 10 %- 20% off market value. But in order to find these steals, you may have to write several offers on several homes before you can actually get a seller interested in negotiating. This all takes time and money, and in many cases, the buyer stops the negotiations because the seller cannot or will not sell for rock-bottom pricing.

    Many Realtors are asking themselves, if I choose not sell Real Estate, what else would I do? Having a background in sales and marketing, it fits to look for a automated marketing system online that pays large commissions instantly.

    Many Realtors are searching the internet for a home based business one that would allow them to use the skills they learned from the real estate, and that would inspire them to want to keep learning and growing all the while earning a substantial income. Having done the research, spent the sleepless nights, I am here to tell you, I have found just that. I am happy to report that there is one specific home based company that stands out from the rest.

    I discovered the hottest new way to make money online. A home based business where people with no previous experience can earn $1000. per sale and $1000 override every sale your direct sales make. The system does 98% of the selling and telling for you. All you do is market the business We have people who call your prospects and close the sales for you. When you combine the amazing comp plan with a mentor who will show you how to drive massive amounts of traffic to your website free, its no wonder why so many people are jumping to this Automated Home Business System.

    The number one most important factor in your being able to earn a six figure income in this or any business opportunity is your commitment to your own success. You must be 100% determined that you will do whatever it takes to be successful and will never give up. You must be willing to learn and put in effort.  If you find a superior mentor who has high integrity, and the drive to see you succeed, YOU WILL succeed. The limits we impose on ourselves are the toughest ones. The right mindset is essential for success. If you feel skeptical about your success from the start, you will never achieve anything.

    So choose your business wisely, but more importantly, you must get involved with a solid mentor that will help you get into profit as quickly as possible.



    Ruby