We all have bought a home or are thinking of buying a home. I know when I bought my first home many years ago I renmeber the Real Estate agent saying to me I will see you on X day at the closing. If you need anything in the itnern call me. I thought wow this is easier than I thought it would be. Now, granted that was a lot of years ago. But, there are agents out there still doing that type of business.
Once an offer on a home has been accepted the process really only has just begun. Chances are (unless you are paying cash for a home) that you would have been in contact with a mortgage professional and woudl have had a pre-qualifed or pre-approval letter in hand. Well now that you have selected a home the mortgage process really begins. They start their process of getting the loan through the system and approved. They will order an appraisal, ask you for pay stubs, bank statements and other items they will need to ensure that the loan will be processed through without any issues.
The Real Estate Agent will (or should) help you locate a home inspector to make sure the home is in move in condition or if it is "as is" what is wrong with the house. Then the agent should be there with you when the home inspection is going on. It is our job to represent YOU the buyer throughout the transaction. How are we suppossed to convey any requests for repairs that may be needed on the home, if we are not there for them. in some cases you may ask for a termite inspection as well.
A closing attorney should be contacted and informed of the date for which you will close. It is their job to make sure you have a clean title and that all the papoerwork is in order. They scheudle the time for the closing and coordinate with the bank for the mortgage paperwork.
You will have to get Home Owner's Insurance for the home. This list is by no means complete. However; on every transaction you cna at least expect these things to have to happen to close. Our job as a Realtor is not over once you find a home...in fact I tell my clients it never is over...I will be there for them down the road as well.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Do Photos Sell A Home?
It depends on the quality of the photos and what you are taking pictures of. I am a strong advocate of taking quality pictures. There is an old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. That may not be more true than in Real Estate. Buyers today have a lot of choices availble to them in regards to homes to choose from. It is truly a buyer's market right now. So, how do you separate your listing from that of your competitor? How do you get the buyers that are in the market to consider your home? Take quality photos.
It may sound easier said than done. But to me photos tell a story. You can write the best narrative about a home and give the most graphic details about the custom work done in a home. However; a picture does not lie. People believe what they can see... it is natural human nature for us that if we visually see it we know it to be true.
I recently sold two of my listings because of the photos I took of the home. In fact, one of them mentioned to me they did not realize at first that they were looking at the same house they viewed a few months ago online from a previous agent. WHy? because the quality of the photos was not up to the standards of the house.
In this compettitve market, if you want your home to stand out from the rest make sure your agent is taking lots of pictures and showing your home in the best light. I have gone back to a home three times becuase I was not happy with the quality of some of the pictures I took. It was easy to tell my client I am coming back to reshoot certain pictures becuase I am not happy with the quality of them...than to put them online in a form that was unacceptable.
So, yes photos do help sell a home.....if taken properly. If not taken properly they can hinder the sale of a house.
Dave dicecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
It may sound easier said than done. But to me photos tell a story. You can write the best narrative about a home and give the most graphic details about the custom work done in a home. However; a picture does not lie. People believe what they can see... it is natural human nature for us that if we visually see it we know it to be true.
I recently sold two of my listings because of the photos I took of the home. In fact, one of them mentioned to me they did not realize at first that they were looking at the same house they viewed a few months ago online from a previous agent. WHy? because the quality of the photos was not up to the standards of the house.
In this compettitve market, if you want your home to stand out from the rest make sure your agent is taking lots of pictures and showing your home in the best light. I have gone back to a home three times becuase I was not happy with the quality of some of the pictures I took. It was easy to tell my client I am coming back to reshoot certain pictures becuase I am not happy with the quality of them...than to put them online in a form that was unacceptable.
So, yes photos do help sell a home.....if taken properly. If not taken properly they can hinder the sale of a house.
Dave dicecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Buyer's Agency Agreement--When Do You Sign?
If you have looked at a house in the past or are looking at a house now chances are your Realtor has asked you to sign a buyer's agency agreement. The question is not if you sign one; but when.
A buyer's agency agreement means that you as a buyer have hired me to represent you in locating a home. I now work exclusively for you. In North Carolina if you do not sign one then ALL agents work for the seller and your interests are not protected. When you sign one it is like an attorney/client privledge. What you tell me, I cannot without your permisssion, relate back to the seller or the seller's agent.
But when do you sign one? That is a question that I have given a lot of thought to. Once that buyer's agreement is signed you and I are locked in a marriage until we find the right home for you or it expires. I know some agents that will nto under any circumstances take anyone out until they sign the agreement. I know other agents that will show homes once and then the next time they want to go out and look at homes they ask them to sign the agreement. Last, I know agents who have waited until they have found a home before they have asked the buyer to sign an agreement.
But what is the right time? I guess it all depends. I, for one will explain in detail the buyer's agency agreement with somene when I first meet them. I will leave them a sample copy to look over and read. I tell them if they have any questions please ask me. And that if they sign this they are basically letting me represent them exclussively in their search for a home.
Then usually a few days later I will ask them if they have any questions or if there is anything on the form they like me to explain. I will ask at that time if they are comfortable enough working with me to sign the agreement. But, is there a right time or a wrong time? It all depends on you and your agent. But make sure you are comfortable working with that agent and that you feel they are working for you before you sign anything.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
A buyer's agency agreement means that you as a buyer have hired me to represent you in locating a home. I now work exclusively for you. In North Carolina if you do not sign one then ALL agents work for the seller and your interests are not protected. When you sign one it is like an attorney/client privledge. What you tell me, I cannot without your permisssion, relate back to the seller or the seller's agent.
But when do you sign one? That is a question that I have given a lot of thought to. Once that buyer's agreement is signed you and I are locked in a marriage until we find the right home for you or it expires. I know some agents that will nto under any circumstances take anyone out until they sign the agreement. I know other agents that will show homes once and then the next time they want to go out and look at homes they ask them to sign the agreement. Last, I know agents who have waited until they have found a home before they have asked the buyer to sign an agreement.
But what is the right time? I guess it all depends. I, for one will explain in detail the buyer's agency agreement with somene when I first meet them. I will leave them a sample copy to look over and read. I tell them if they have any questions please ask me. And that if they sign this they are basically letting me represent them exclussively in their search for a home.
Then usually a few days later I will ask them if they have any questions or if there is anything on the form they like me to explain. I will ask at that time if they are comfortable enough working with me to sign the agreement. But, is there a right time or a wrong time? It all depends on you and your agent. But make sure you are comfortable working with that agent and that you feel they are working for you before you sign anything.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Monday, August 16, 2010
What Questions Should You Be Asking A Realtor and Them Asking You?
Once you feel you have found a Realtor whose perosnality will work best with you; what do you do next? Ask questions and lots of them. One thing you want to be sure of when you hire a Realtor is that they understand exactly what it is you are looking for and what your needs are. To many times I hear from prospective clients that the other Realtor did not understand what I wanted or the Realtor was never availble for me when I called them. Was that becasue you did not tell them, or did they not ask you probing enough questions to get to what it is you desire in a home. Is the Realtor spread a little to thin with multiple clients at the same time? Are they working a second job to supplement their income in this economy? These are important questions you should be asking and they should be asking you.
When you are talking with a Realtor you are in essence interviewing them for your business. But ,they should be asking you questions as well. In essence you should both be interviewing each other. Whenever iI meet a client my first question usually catches them off guard slightly (not intentional). I ask what they are trying to accomplish out of this meeting today. From there I answer their questions.
Some of the common questions I receive or should be receiving are: I am looking in X area or certain neighborhood. How well do you know the area? What can you tell me about the area? We all sell homes pretty much in a certain area. Within that area there are probably pockets we are more comfortable with than others. You want to make sure you have an agent who is comfortable with that area and knows the area well. For one, they will be able to tell you right away if a home you are looking at is a good deal or not. They will be able to provide you with material facts about the area that soemone who does not know it as well might not be able to. Those facts can be a deciding factor if you are looking to purchase there or not.
Other questions I hear or tell people when i am talking with them are; This is my full time profession. I do not hold another part time job and am available to answer your call between this time and this time this many days a week. If I am on another call or with soemone I will return your call within a few hours. You want to be sure the agent you hire is availble for you on your scheudle (Now this is not going to always happen) but it should not be because they are working a second job.
How much experince do you have? A good question that sometimes can go either way. if you get soemone with little experince they may be a little more aggressive because they do not have many clients to work and want to prove themselves. On the otehr hand, their lack of experince can eb a hinderence if they do not know the area. Someone with a lot of experince can be to overwhelmed with other clients to service you as you need or want. Or their experience can help you find that perfect home at the right price.
As an agent, I ask every potential client what they expect out of me. If I feel their expectations to what I know I can deliver are unrealistic I let them know. Sometimes, I have lost clients because of that. But, am a beleiver in the adage under promise and over deliver. There have been clients that expected more out of me than I was able to give at a certain time. I gracefully told them so becuase I do not want to have any misunderstandings.
There are probaly hundreds more questions you can ask a Realtor and a Realtor should be asking you. But a lot of it depends on how the converasation is going. A good Realtor will not only answer your questions for you but will probe and interview you as well. You both need to be a good match for one another to make the realtionship work.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
When you are talking with a Realtor you are in essence interviewing them for your business. But ,they should be asking you questions as well. In essence you should both be interviewing each other. Whenever iI meet a client my first question usually catches them off guard slightly (not intentional). I ask what they are trying to accomplish out of this meeting today. From there I answer their questions.
Some of the common questions I receive or should be receiving are: I am looking in X area or certain neighborhood. How well do you know the area? What can you tell me about the area? We all sell homes pretty much in a certain area. Within that area there are probably pockets we are more comfortable with than others. You want to make sure you have an agent who is comfortable with that area and knows the area well. For one, they will be able to tell you right away if a home you are looking at is a good deal or not. They will be able to provide you with material facts about the area that soemone who does not know it as well might not be able to. Those facts can be a deciding factor if you are looking to purchase there or not.
Other questions I hear or tell people when i am talking with them are; This is my full time profession. I do not hold another part time job and am available to answer your call between this time and this time this many days a week. If I am on another call or with soemone I will return your call within a few hours. You want to be sure the agent you hire is availble for you on your scheudle (Now this is not going to always happen) but it should not be because they are working a second job.
How much experince do you have? A good question that sometimes can go either way. if you get soemone with little experince they may be a little more aggressive because they do not have many clients to work and want to prove themselves. On the otehr hand, their lack of experince can eb a hinderence if they do not know the area. Someone with a lot of experince can be to overwhelmed with other clients to service you as you need or want. Or their experience can help you find that perfect home at the right price.
As an agent, I ask every potential client what they expect out of me. If I feel their expectations to what I know I can deliver are unrealistic I let them know. Sometimes, I have lost clients because of that. But, am a beleiver in the adage under promise and over deliver. There have been clients that expected more out of me than I was able to give at a certain time. I gracefully told them so becuase I do not want to have any misunderstandings.
There are probaly hundreds more questions you can ask a Realtor and a Realtor should be asking you. But a lot of it depends on how the converasation is going. A good Realtor will not only answer your questions for you but will probe and interview you as well. You both need to be a good match for one another to make the realtionship work.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
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