Picture this: You are a Realtor. You have been in the business 20 years. You not only have years of experience, but you have taken your career to the next level and have your Broker’s license. You get a call to go meet some people who need to sell their house. You ask when they are available and they want you to come tonight. You quickly scan your calendar and decide that you can move your gym appointment to after the meeting. You’ve never met them and you want to give them a great first impression. You arrive at the house with your material and are ready to take all the necessary notes so you can be armed to sell it. They walk you around the house, telling you why it is the best in the neighborhood and that it will sell quickly. They ask your opinion on any work that needs to be done and how they should stage it. You ask to sit so you can get to know each other and to go over the numbers. The rest of the “conversation” goes something like this: “I want you to sell my house fast and for the most amount of money possible. I want you to pay for the professional photos and top-quality marketing. I want you to advertise it everywhere reasonably possible and get it in front of as many people possible. I want you to have a Broker open house so agents that may have a buyer can see it. I want you to have at least two public open houses per month until it sells and I want to be able to reach you 7 days a week, at least 14 hours a day if I need to reach you. And I want you to reduce your commission by 50%.” As you choke on your own saliva, you are thinking that you just wasted a quarter tank of gas and an hour of your life. You think to yourself, “I sell houses. Did you hear that? I SELL houses. I have been selling houses as a full-time Realtor for 20 years. I have continued my education every year I have been licensed. I spend a lot of time and a lot of money on making sure that I market houses as much and as professionally as they can possibly be portrayed. You just met me. You don’t know what value I can bring to the table and you’re asking me to work for half price? Would you go see a doctor for the first time, ask him to evaluate your symptoms, give you something to solve your issue and tell him you only want...

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You have a house. You want to buy another one. You can’t afford both payments so you have to sell your current house before you can buy a new one. You can sell it and then look for a new one but where will you live in the meantime? Will you pack and store your belongings and rent an apartment or stay with a friend or family member? Sometimes that’s the only option. Sometimes that is best to save more money and to give you an advantage over the competition, but it can cost you money to move and store your things. Another option is the home sale contingency. So what is it and what are the pros and cons? The home sale contingency is a stipulation in a real estate purchase and sale agreement that the buyer’s current property must sell in order for them to be obligated to buy the new one. The property doesn’t have to be a primary residence. Often times a buyer is wanting to buy a house on the beach but they want or need to sell their lake house prior to closing on the beach house. It is a point of negotiation. A Seller doesn’t have to agree to accept the contingency. A Seller can agree to it with stipulations of their own. The Seller can give the Buyer a certain amount of time (typically 24-48 hours) in which to remove the home sale contingency if the Seller receives another acceptable offer. If the Buyer cannot remove the home sale contingency, then the Buyer must terminate but in most cases, they will receive their earnest money back. Pros: The pros are mostly all in favor of the Buyer. The Buyer can move forward with the purchase of a new home without theirs being sold yet. This prevents them from having to move twice or being “homeless.” For the Seller, in a Buyer’s market, this may be the only way certain homes will sell. If the Buyer is in control, a Seller may be lucky to get any contract and may be very willing to take a home sale contingency. Some Sellers actually agree to the home sale contingency because they haven’t found a new home and it gives them time to get one under contract as well. The risk of this is having all the dominoes fall when they’re supposed to. Cons: Depending on the terms of the contingency, the buyer’s house could get under contract too late and the Seller may not extend the closing date, ultimately, making it necessary for the Buyer to go find another house or any number of variables. A Seller now has to wait for another...

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It’s the 21stcentury. I would guess most Americans have at least one computer in their household. Most have multiple wireless devices and carry them just about everywhere they go. We have access to so much information, literally at our fingertips. So much has changed because of technology. YouTube has “How-to” videos for pretty much anything you can think of. You can fix things, find things, sell things and buy things. So, how has technology changed real estate? Buyers can find houses online.Buyers can shop and apply for a loan without ever putting a pen to paper.Buyers can read blogs about everything from appreciating neighborhoods to decorating.Sellers can list and market their homes for sale online.Sellers can watch videos to learn about home staging.Sellers can even find general real estate contracts online.Buyers and Sellers can listen to podcasts on the art of negotiations. So, if technology can give Buyers and Sellers so much information, what does the professional real estate agent bring to the equation? Time: Since most homeowners only buy or sell a property every 5-7 years, you would need to brush up on new laws, Codes, and trends. A professional real estate agent helps clients buy and sell many houses each year so they are up to date on current laws and education, saving you hours upon hours in research. They hold open houses – saving you time on a weekend when you likely would rather be with friends or family. Your house will likely sell quicker or you will get the right one under contract quicker using a professional real estate agent.Experience: Because of the amount of real estate transactions a professional real estate agent has been involved in, it is likely they already know pitfalls and how to avoid them. They know what is important to Buyers and Sellers, helping their client have a leg up in negotiations. It is common for agents to have worked with each other and can make the deal that much smoother because of the professional relationships they have built over the years. They are great resources for everything from painters to inspectors, stagers to title companies. They also have built-in networks of people that share un-listed properties, and that they market to as well, something you would likely never have access to. There isn’t much that technology can do to beat a professional real estate agent who has been involved in hundreds of real estate transactions.Money: It is true, you can find just about anything you need online and you can do it all yourself. Besides time, you can most likely save money by hiring a professional real estate agent. They pay for photos, videos, digital and print marketing, dues...

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Did you make some resolutions for 2020? The biggest resolution is based on health – eating better and exercising. Next on the list is personal finances. I see plenty of friends on social media talking about what books they want to read and places they want to travel this year. You might wonder how buying a house can help you keep those resolutions. Well, let me tell you. Save More and Spend Less: When you buy a house, you have to save money for the down payment and a lot of buyers put themselves on a budget in order to save before and after their big purchase. So, buying a house will help you save more and spend less.Get Organized: When you move, you pack up your belongings. This is the perfect time to donate unused items, recycle, and get rid of things you just don’t need anymore. You don’t want to take all that stuff to a new house. Getting organized is a by-product of buying a house.Reading More: If you have ever bought a house, you know there is a ton of paperwork to be completed in order to make an offer to purchase and finalize the sale. Now, it may not be the self-help type books you were thinking of, but I guarantee you will learn something. You can’t buy a house without reading, so check that one off the list, too.Getting Healthy: There are a few ways to get healthy by buying a house. First, you will likely be much more physical than normal, due to packing and unpacking, lifting, moving, etc. Second, many people eat more meals at home after they buy a house which is typically healthier than eating at a restaurant (you’ll also save money). Third, you will be so exhausted from the whole process that you will sleep great. Eating better, exercise and adequate sleep are the main ingredients of getting healthy!Learning New Hobbies: Chances are, there will be things that need to be put together, hooked up, and set up at your new home. You may find that you like being handy. You may also need the perfect art piece or photograph to go in the new living room and instead of buying it, you may paint it or use camera skills you didn’t know you had. And, that bathroom that needs to be re-tiled might be a great opportunity to learn that skill. Arts, crafts, photography, landscape architecture, decorating, and handyman projects are all things you may find you really enjoy.Live Life to the Fullest: Most Americans have a goal of owning their own home at some point. For most, reaching goals is part of living life to the...

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For many, the new year is a time that we focus on goals. Some want to get into better shape – eat healthier and exercise more. Others will quit their job and follow their passion. There are those that will get out of a bad relationship and heal. Then there are those that have been patient and have been saving their money for a house of their own. They want to stop renting and make an investment in real estate for themselves. They are excited to scream, “New Year – New Home!” I can help those people. There are a few general things you want to have in place for the new home you will be getting in the new year. Loan approval. Get with a local, reputable lender. If this is your first home, you will have a lot of questions and you want to make sure you are working with someone who is knowledgeable and will take the time to make sure you are comfortable with the huge investment you are about to make.Purchase. Hire a Realtor you trust. You will likely be spending a lot of time with them. You will communicate your wants and needs and look at several houses that fit your criteria. You want to make sure you have someone that not only listens but can read in between the lines of what is important to you and will stay within the budget you have set. You also need someone who is willing to take the time to explain what you are signing. Buying a house can be very scary and the contract makes it even more daunting. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to before moving forward.Move. Please do your research and save enough money to hire a well-reviewed mover. Your friends don’t want to help you move for pizza and beer anymore and the valuables that you have won’t be worth anything if they get ruined by careless workers. Accidents can always happen but read reviews of how companies fixed issues when they arose. Also, make sure to schedule in advance and confirm a couple days ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about them showing up on moving day. There are so many details that go into buying a new home. If you do these three things, you won’t have to deal with many of those details yourself. Hire the right people from the beginning and you will be glad you took the extra time and maybe spent the extra money. Happy New Year and Happy New...

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