Real Estate Tips

Why Get Pre-Approved For A Mortgage? by Chris Rocks

One of the most important steps in the home buying process is getting Pre-Approved as early as possible.

The Pre-Approval process involves you speaking with a Mortgage Lender about your financial situation, what you’d like to accomplish, and any concerns you have. Armed with that information, a Mortgage Lender can obtain an approval from a lender up to a specified loan amount and provide you with monthly payment information and closing cost information.

There are many benefits to getting Pre-Approved. First, Realtors will spend more time assisting you with your home search if they are confident you’ll be able to obtain financing once you’ve located a home you’re interested in purchasing. Second, Seller’s will take your offer more seriously since they know you will be approved for a mortgage — and they won’t risk taking their home off the market only to find out the deal is going to fall through 30 days later. Finally, since you know you’ve been approved and much of the paperwork has already been processed, you’re in for a much less stressful experience.

Why is it important to do this as early as possible?

Many loan officers report that over 50% of the credit reports they see have inaccurate information listed. This inaccurate information could be the difference between you getting a loan or not getting a loan - getting a rate of 5% or getting a rate of 7.0%. The earlier these errors are found, the sooner they can be corrected.

So, what do you need for the Pre-Approval Process?

Here a list of documents your Mortgage Lender will want to initially see copies of:

*W2’s from the last 2 years
*Tax Returns from the last 2 years
*Pay stubs from the last 30 days
*Bank & Brokerage Statements from the last 3 months

Additional documentation will be required depending on your specific situation and as the process progresses.

Your Mortgage Lender will go through a loan application with you, which covers questions related to your current residence, employment status, marital status, etc. There will be a series of disclosures you’ll have to sign as well - some required by the State or Federal Government informing you of your rights in the process.

With the application and disclosures signed, the supporting documentation you provided, and an understanding of what you are hoping to accomplish, the Mortgage Lender is ready to submit your “loan” through what’s called “Automated Underwriting”. Within minutes, unless your situation requires an underwriter to personally review your file, you will have an answer to your loan application.

Now that you have an approval, your Mortgage Lender will issue a Pre-Approval letter outlining the terms of your approval. Your Realtor will request a copy of this letter (typically before they begin showing you homes) and will include a copy with any offer
you make on a property.

Now it’s time for the fun part – looking for homes!

About the Author

Chris Rocks is a successful Mortgage Consultant and writer based out of Chicago, IL.

Website URL: http://www.loansbyrocks.com

Contact Email Address: chris@loansbyrocks.com

Sellers, Are You Having A Hard Time Selling Your Home? by Sue and Chuck DeFiore

Sue and Chuck DeFiore have the perfect solution for you – Lease Purchasing your home!

What is Lease Purchasing?

A Lease Purchase is a process that combines a basic rental lease with an agreement to purchase, or with an option to purchase the property. The Buyer (or Lease-Purchaser) pays to the seller a monthly payment that usually approximates a rental amount or a typical mortgage payment on the
home. A percentage of that payment is typically applied towards the purchase price. At the end of the term, the buyer has the right to purchase the property for the price and terms to which both parties have previously agreed.

Put another way, a lease purchase is essentially a rental agreement combined with a purchase contract with pre-negotiated terms. The buyer leases the property for a specific period of time and then purchases the property before the end of the lease agreement. Sales price, length of rental, rent credits, escrow instructions, etc., are all contained in the agreement.

A lease purchase is a wonderful way to control property without the headaches of banks, mortgages, taxes or immediate loan qualifying. Lease purchasing gives you the right to buy the property, but not the obligation to buy.

Following are just some of the benefits of Lease Purchasing for sellers.

1. Usually top sales price for the property.
2. Better quality tenants.
3. Higher rent than usual for the market area.
4. Non-refundable option consideration.
5. All minor maintenance is delegated to the tenant/buyer.
6. Seller remains on the deed.
7. Seller retains the tax shelter.
8. No fees to pay.

So, you ask, how do I lease purchase my home? Drop by our website and check out “How To Sell Your Home In 30 Days Or Less! Without A Realtor Or Realtor Commissions!”, Just click on the
link below:
http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com/products/lpsellermanual.htm

We will give you the ability to move your home in 30 days or less! This will allow you to move forward with your plans, whatever they are! Why not get started making those plans today!

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2005

About the Author

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 20 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com

The Listing Agent’s Role in Marketing Your Home
Advertising to the “Public”
Every home seller likes to be assured that their listing agent and or their real estate company will run ads featuring their home. Newspaper ads range from color photo ads to lots of listings reflected on a page with primarily only copy. Classified ads featuring your home are another tool. Ads may also appear in local real estate magazines and on the Internet (ideally on several sites).
Of course, Realtors and their brokerages will run ads featuring your house, but not necessarily for the reasons the seller expects. The primary motivation for advertising is to make the telephone ring. Advertising creates phone calls and some of those callers become clients of the agents answering these calls. This builds up a pool of homebuyers looking for property in general. Multiply this by all the agents and companies who also advertise homes, and there is a large pool of homebuyers in the market at any given time – all of whom have contacted a Realtor. The agents representing those homebuyers know about your home once it is listed in the Multiple Listing Service, has been on broker preview, and because your agent is also marketing directly to these agents.
Through, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the agents match up their clients (computer prospecting), with available homes, one of which may be yours. Realtors then show the selected homes to their clients, who ideally end up buying one. Although, ads do not typically sell your house directly, they create a pool of clients for Realtors; and one of these existing clients typically purchases your home.
Behind the “Advertising Scene”
When an Agent or their brokerage, advertise homes they have for sale, there is more than one objective. Certainly, the real estate office wants to generate phone calls and sell houses, but the advertising also shows other homeowners how effectively they market their listings. This impresses not only the seller, but also others who may be thinking of selling their home.
The advertising brings in more listings, which generate more ad calls, which produces more buyers…. Cross selling is often how your property is sold; someone calls on one home and the agent on the line tells that buyer about yours. About 5% of the time, you and your agent will get “lucky”; and someone calling on your house may actually end up buying it.
Neighborhood Announcements
When you first list your home many agents send “announcements” to all of the other houses in your neighborhood. This is typically done in the form of postcards, or letters. This too is has a double purpose: your neighbors might have friends who are looking to buy a house (but they probably would notice the for sale sign, anyway) and of course this hopefully impresses other area homeowners that might be contemplating a sale.
Open Houses
An open house can be also be helpful, but not for the reasons most homeowners think. Just like with advertising, most visitors rarely buy the house they come to look at. They usually do not even know the price of your home when they stop by– they probably just followed an “Open House” sign to your door. Often, the exterior of the home appealed to them, because the home is over their budget.
An open house reminds your neighbors that your home is for sale, and offers them an opportunity to “take a look.” Hopefully your neighbors will tell friends or family members about your house, creating “word of mouth” advertising.
However, there are other reasons for conducting open houses, too. Listing agents who “farm” a particular neighborhood use them as an opportunity to meet with other local homeowners who will someday be selling their home. Most of us, Agents hope to also list your neighbor’s homes in now or in the future.
Advertising to Realtors
Realtors are typically more comfortable showing clients homes that they are familiar with. The Broker’s Open House is a very effective means to quickly get a large number of Realtors into your front door. These realtors are hopefully working with prequalified buyers that are looking to buy a home similar to yours. To maximize attendance, veteran Listing Agents might provide refreshments or a raffle of some sort.
Property Brochure Distribution is another way that your Listing Agent may be marketing your home to other Realtors. These services hand deliver your property brochure to each individual agent in a specific geographic area. Other top Realtors employ an Internet program to email listing cards to the top local selling agents in your community.
Because Realtors are the ones with the “buyer pool”, It is much more productive and beneficial when your listing agent directs most of his or her marketing efforts toward other agents. It is an easy mistake to measure your agent’s effectiveness solely by counting the number of newspaper and magazine ads featuring your property. “Behind the scenes” marketing is the most effective and most difficult for the seller to measure.

About the Author

Phyllis Harb, a California native is a Realtor/Marketing Specialist at RE/Max Tri City in La Canada, California. RE/MAX Tri-City offers additional offices in La Crescenta, Glendale, Los Feliz and Pasadena. Harb has been assisting Los Angeles County home sellers and buyers since 1989 and additionally offers over 10 years experience in real estate lending. Harb has an award winning web site @ www.RealtorHarb.com & may also be contacted at 818 790-7325.

So, you want to get a loan?

Here are some simple tips that will help you make an
informed decision about what kind to get, and who to get it
from.

First ask yourself: do you really need it?

Can you manage without it?
Is it for something frivolous, like a holiday?
Could you get the money by other means: part-time job, from
a relative, the sale an asset?

Don’t put a monkey on your back if you can avoid it.

A loan varies according to:

The amount borrowed;
The interest rate;
The type of rate (fixed or variable);
The term (repayment time in months or years);
Deposit (downpayment);
Associated fees (broker, origination, prepayment etc.);
Insurance required by the lender.

You are buying money for more than it cost the lender.
Simple.

It’s a mistake to only care about the interest rate; there
are also arrangement fees and prepayment penalties to
consider. Many ‘no fee’ credit lines have a pre-payment
penalty. This is how brokers and lenders make their money.
Work out the total cost of your loan before committing.

To ensure you get the best terms, keep your credit-line as
small as possible. Loan officers tend to count the total
line of credit available as a liability.

Pay off small debts before the due date. Cancel credit cards
you are not using. Consider their interest rates and fees,
when deciding which cards to keep.

If your spending is out of control, don’t put your home at
risk by getting a home equity credit line to pay off your
credit-card debts.

Shop for rates when the market is calm. Rates change from
day to day, so compare lenders. The quotes you get should
all be from the same time period.

Submit a neat application form; it shows you’re
business-like and efficient. It will be read and assessed by
a human being; appearances count.

Only pay up-front fees to well-known institutions, or ones
highly recommended by trusted sources.

Don’t sign documents without reading them. As soon as
possible, before you close the deal, review the documents
you’ll be signing, and make sure you understand them, so you
won’t have to sign them in a hurry.

Keep a copy of every cheque you write for your loan. If you
call your lender about your loan, make sure you get the full
name of the person with whom you speak. Make a note of it.
You may be dealing with a large bureaucracy, and will need
to refer to this conversation later.

If you find yourself in a dispute with a lender, don’t send
correspondence to the same address you send your payment.
You need to deal with the decision-makers, not the account
clerks.

About the author: T. O’ Donnell
(http://www.tigertom.com/personal-loans-uk.shtml) offers
personal loans, advice, an ebook and a loan calculator, in
London, UK.

No Hotel Loan for You! by Cameron Brown

Meeting the requirements to get a decent hotel loan from your local lender can be difficult but not impossible. Let’s face it, what lender wants to put money up for a roach infested dump in downtown Detroit? You’d have to get a separate loan just for the insurance.

Most lenders will only finance hotel properties that are “flagged”. In other words, most banks, public and private lenders will only provide hotel loans to individuals who are starting a franchise under certain major hotel/motel chains such as Best Western, Hilton, Super 8 and other well-established hospitality brands; Sid’s Sleep Shack need not apply. In addition to being a virtual nation-wide brand, the particular establishment in question needs to show a profitable operating and occupancy history.

Even if you want to build a new hotel/motel from the ground up, forget about starting your own brand; most lenders will only provide hotel loans to build the same “flagged” hospitality companies as they will for the purchase of an existing property. Besides having a well-known flag, getting a hotel loan for a new property is possible provided it is well located and can be provided with strong management.

Lenders reserve the best hotel loan rates and terms for properties that are well cared for, attractive, and have pleasing amenities like pools, wireless internet, cable, and complimentary continental breakfast buffets.

Hotel loan terms will, of coarse, vary from lender to lender, but most banks and other investment capital institutions provide 5, 10, or 20 year loan terms for amounts up to $2,000,000. These loans can carry an interest rate ranging from 7% to 8% and typically carry a recourse clause, although some lenders are more flexible than others in this regard.

Just a brief note on recourse loans; this type of loan hold your personal assets liable in the event you default on the hotel loan-seriously bad news if your franchise doesn’t turn out to be as successful as you originally thought. This is the lender’s way of protecting its assets by separating those who are serious about the hotel business from those that just want to try something new. If you’re not familiar with the details of this loan, you should either educate yourself thoroughly first or look around for a non-recourse loan. The terms of a non-recourse loan simply hold the hotel, or whatever else you spent the loan funds on, liable in the event you default.

If you’re planning on borrowing over $2,000,000 to build or buy a larger hotel/motel, the interest rates may be a little better, although not much. Interest rate lows can be more favorable by up to a half percentage point, while to current ceiling is still hovering around 8%. With a larger hotel loan comes a longer loan term, usually 20 to 25 years. One boon of a larger loan is that most institutions offer limited recourse in the event of a default.

Meeting hotel loan requirements can be difficult, after all, this is unlike any other kind of real estate loan and as such has its own rules, terms, and procedures. If you think the hospitality business may be for you, make sure you choose a lender who will take the type to answer questions to your satisfaction. With how the market is these days, there are plenty of lenders out there competing for your business. Take your time and choose carefully from the several loan products they offer; if you’re not satisfied, move on. The hotel business can be both challenging and rewarding. Depending on your location, service, and financing, it can be a great way to build long-term wealth.

About the Author

Cameron Brown is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For information on hotel loans , visit Security National Capital .

Reinventing Real Estate by Charles Warnock

Reinventing real estate, Part 1:

How online and empowered consumers
are taking charge and paying less.

For decades, the real estate world turned in a predictable manner. The roles of buyers, sellers and real estate professionals were fairly well defined and transactions followed a predictable path of yard signs, newspaper ads, open houses and miles of paperwork.

Recently, online and empowered consumers have changed the game. Real estate professionals now face issues similar to the ones that have transformed the retail, personal finance and travel planning industries. As technology advances and new business models evolve, the real estate industry has begun to transform itself from providing traditional, carefully controlled “agent-centric” transactions to new “consumer-centric” practices. The following is a look at some of the recent industry trends and how buyers, sellers and investors can expect to benefit. The “Five Ds” that are driving change in real estate are:

1. Disruption – Over the past 10 years, the Internet has matured into a powerful platform for delivering real estate information, forever changing the interaction between buyers, sellers and real estate professionals.

2. Displacement – The popularity and acceptance of self-service and consumer-direct business models is being felt by real estate professionals, who are striving to develop attractive new offerings for Web-savvy consumers.

3. Demanding consumers – You now have more real estate knowledge, tools and resources at your fingertips than ever before. More savvy consumers tend to be more independent and demanding.

4. Downward pressure - Traditional real estate commissions of 5-6 percent of a property’s sales price are facing downward pressure.

5. Developing alternatives – The real estate industry is transforming itself to provide targeted services and exciting new options that add value for consumers.
Disruption

“We are going to see our industry go through dramatic transformation via the Internet and consolidation of agents and companies.” – eRealty Times Columnist Dirk Zeller

Some industry observers have adopted Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen’s term “disruptive technology” to explain recent developments in real estate. Though it’s easy to point to the World Wide Web and advancing technology as the main changes in real estate, that’s only part of what’s shaking things up. Essentially, the real cause of disruption is not just technology, but technology-enabled real estate consumers.

Web-enabled consumers

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), more than 72 percent of homebuyers now begin their home search online. The popularity of online real estate ads surpassed newspaper property listings back in 2001, and the gap is widening. Less than one percent of buyers first learned about the home they purchased on the Internet in 1995, while in 2004, that number passed 20 percent.

According to a California Association of Realtors (CAR) survey, 97 percent of respondents said the Web helped them understand the buying process better and 100 percent said using the Web helped them understand home values better. Web-enabled homebuyers like you are taking a more active role in researching homes and neighborhoods. You also now spend less time with real estate professionals once you have completed your research. Internet homebuyers also used the Web effectively to filter out properties that did not interest them, visiting 6.1 homes on average versus 15.4 for traditional buyers.

Today, you can view photos and detailed information for hundreds of properties in the time it used to take to visit a single one. And the Web provides much more opportunity than simply moving print listings online. The growing availability of residential high-speed Internet connections has boosted the popularity of virtual tours and interactive maps, providing consumers with powerful and flexible visual search tools.

In addition to making home searches easier, automated valuation model (AVM) software is making a big impact in how properties are evaluated. AVMs, which generate valuation estimates by analyzing and comparing property information data, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and accurate. While not considered a substitute for human appraisals, AVMs are gaining popularity because they are inexpensive, easy to use and produce valuation estimates in minutes. Now AVMs, used extensively in electronic mortgage approval processing during the recent refinancing boom, are becoming available on real-estate Websites aimed at consumers. This is a significant development for independent sellers, who often find it challenging to price their properties correctly when selling on their own.

The MLS goes public

“In real estate, MLS data sits at the apex of the change, specifically the MLS information that is pushed to the Internet every minute of the day.” – Bradley Inman, Publisher of Inman News

Once an exclusive tool for real estate professionals, the multiple listing service (MLS) has in recent years become a very public platform for real estate listings. The MLS is the nation’s most comprehensive database of properties for sale – four out of five homes sold in the United States are listed on the MLS.
MLS properties are available to agents and brokers worldwide, and are now accessible via consumer Web sites such as Realtor.com, WSJ.com, Excite, Netscape, AOL and MSN. MLS listings also appear on local, regional and national brokerage Websites through Internet Data Exchange (IDX) agreements that allow participating Realtors to share listings and display them to consumers. Even though only licensed realtors can list property on the MLS, the system has begun to figure prominently for the $110 billion independent seller (for-sale-by-owner or FSBO) market. About 13 percent of real estate sales are now FSBO, conducted without a broker’s assistance.

Type “flat fee MLS” into any major search engine, and you’ll see dozens of real estate professionals willing to list your property in the MLS for a fee. If you are willing to pay a commission of 2-3 percent, you can attract the attention of thousands of agents who will show your property to prospective buyers. You can then reduce the cost of the sale to about half a traditional 5-6 percent sales commission, plus the cost of the MLS listing. If you find an independent buyer working without an agent, you could make a sale with no commission at all and pay only an MLS listing flat fee.
Displacement

Currently, about 2.4 million real estate licensees operate nationally, according to the Association of Real Estate License Law officials. The NAR has more than one million members, up from about 760,000 members five years ago. Many real estate professionals and industry observers expect a significant decline in this number because some tasks traditionally performed by agents and brokers can now be done more quickly and easily by Web-enabled consumers.

“Historically the fundamental driver of the real estate industry was the control of information. The real estate agent and the real estate office were the only sources of comprehensive information on which properties were for sale and those who might be interested in buying them. With this control revenues were practically guaranteed.

Moreover, because this exclusive control was akin to a monopoly by virtue of the multiple listing service (MLS) any firm of any size could serve the customer equally well. As a result, the number of real estate companies grew without regard to market efficiencies.

Simply put, the traditional model is too inflexible. Consumers are seriously questioning the value of a real estate agent. They frequently feel that many of the traditional tasks undertaken by the agents are now either no longer required or can be done by the consumer themselves.”

– Swanepoel & Tuccillo, Real Estate Confronts Profitability

The quotes above, from a popular report on emerging real estate business models and dwindling profit margins, highlight a number of issues traditional real estate professionals are now facing. And if the real estate industry has grown historically without regard to market efficiencies, the issue has only been compounded since 2001, as new agents signed on in droves, lured by low interest rates and skyrocketing home prices in many areas. It’s likely that the number of traditional real estate agents will decline, while new types of real estate jobs will be created to deliver value to Web-savvy customers.

End part 1

About the Author

Charles Warnock is Marketing Communications Manager at South-Florida based Homekeys. He writes often on the topics of real estate, finance, interactive marketing and business development. He can be reached cwarnock@homekeys.net, or visit www.homekeys.net for more information.

Negotiating real estate deals to win-win by Charles Warnock

If you’ve spent some time on homekeys.net, you probably noticed we generally don’t carry a torch for tradition or conventional wisdom. Having said that, the well-worn cliché above still holds true, especially in real estate transactions.

Many buyers and sellers put in countless hours carefully searching properties or preparing their homes for sale, only to see their sweet deals vanish at the negotiating table. Even if you’re not an experienced negotiator, there are steps you can take to improve results whether you’re buying or selling property. Negotiation doesn’t need to be a confrontational process if you set priorities, plan ahead and stay focused on issues, not personalities.

By far the largest expense related to traditional real estate transactions is the agent/brokers’ commission, and independent buyers and sellers should take advantage of this fact. Without the “overhead” of a 5-6 percent commission, both buyer and seller have a little more flexibility to come to an agreement that’s acceptable to both parties. Here are some negotiation tips for independent buyers and sellers.

Seller negotiating tips:

Set realistic priorities before you start.

When selling, be sure to outline realistic goals before negotiations begin. If you’ve decided that you need to sell your home for at least $250,000, expect to have very different negotiations than if your goal is to sell within 30 days. If money is your primary concern, be prepared to turn down some offers as you wait for the right buyer. If time is more important to you than money, be sure to include some flexibility in your asking price.

Ultimately, the market sets the price.

Set your price too high and your house may sit on the market, becoming less attractive to buyers (some sources estimate a monthly decline of 1.5 percent). Price too low and you’ve got less room to negotiate and may be leaving money on the table. Homekeys.net Subscribers can quickly obtain an objective estimate of property value using our online valuation tool before listing. Another option is to hire a professional property appraiser prior to listing. You may find the cost of either option to be modest compared to making an expensive mistake in your selling price.

Take inventory and take advantage.

Typically, property sales include anything that’s installed or built in to the home. If you’ve got appliances, furniture or fixtures you’re willing to part with, you may be able to entice prospective buyers by including them in the deal. Would buyers be interested in your BBQ grill or pool equipment? It can’t hurt to ask.

Buyer negotiating tips:

Clean up your credit

A great way to strengthen your case as a buyer is to demonstrate excellent credit. The time to check credit is well before negotiations begin so you can square away problems. Many credit issues are not difficult to fix and can be straightened out fairly quickly. Here’s how to check your credit.

Get pre-approved, not just pre-qualified

Pre-approval is another way to flex your buyer muscles because it lets you demonstrate to a prospective seller that your lender is prepared to give you a loan. Many sellers will choose a lower offer from a pre-approved buyer over a higher one from one who hasn’t been pre-approved. Pre-approval is free and can prevent that worst-of-all situation where a buyer successfully negotiates the purchase of his or her dream home and then cannot complete the purchase when financing falls through. Get pre-approved today.

Look for areas other than price.

Even though independent sellers can avoid some or all commission costs, there are still other fees that might apply: property and termite inspections, escrow or attorney’s fees, a title search, insurance costs and applicable taxes. Even if sellers don’t offer much flexibility on asking price, they may be more willing to make a deal with buyers who offer to share the costs of necessary repairs or transaction expenses.

Be prepared to compromise.

Approaching negotiations with a confrontational “win-at-all-costs” attitude is unlikely to yield positive results. Many professionals who teach negotiation skills to executives say a more realistic goal is to find a mutually beneficial solution in which both parties can “win.” This means being aware that you may have to sacrifice something to reach agreement at some point. In this case, be sure to identify in advance what you will and will not give up to ensure you’re happy with the deal in the long term.

Back up your offer

When offering to buy a property, you don’t have to explain how you arrived at a particular dollar amount. But you may fare better in negotiations if you have some objective basis, such as examining comparable sales. If you’re a Subscriber, try Homekeys’ ValueKey valuation tool for an objective estimate of value. If you’ve got a substantial down payment that you’re ready to put into escrow, now’s the time to mention it.

All participants in a negotiation should be prepared to walk away from unacceptable terms. You may be reluctant to give up after all the time you’ve invested in the buying or selling process, but emotionally tense negotiations can sometimes benefit from a cooling-off period. Walking away (or watching the other party walk away) may be uncomfortable, but it is always preferable to accepting terms you can’t live with.

Finally, remember that there’s often value in being direct. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to learn more about the other person’s concerns and objectives. “What do you need from me right now?” “What’s making you uncomfortable?” “It seems we are stuck on this particular issue. Can we set it aside for a moment and see if there is somewhere else we can gain agreement?” Questions like these can help signal your good faith and may help to restart negotiations that become bogged down in details.

About the Author

Charles Warnock is Marketing Communications Manager at Homekeys, a South-Florida based real estate and technology company. He writes often on real estate, finance, interactive marketing and business development.

Reinventing real estate, Part 2 by Charles Warnock

How online and empowered consumers
are taking charge and paying less.

Demanding consumers

“Internet buyers tend to be better informed on market conditions and better prepared to act on the home they want when they start working with a realtor. Luckily for realtors, these changes don’t necessarily hurt, as long as they are able to adjust to the new relationship and realize that the new-style buyers value speed and efficiency over guidance when finding a home.”

– E-marketer, Internet Home Buyers Changing the House Rules

Thanks to the Internet and other technological innovations, more real estate information is freely available than ever before. As a result, consumers are demanding new choices, improved services, faster transactions and lower prices. According to a recent NAR survey, the number of sellers stating that they didn’t want to pay a sales commission fee rose from 46 percent in 2003 to 61 percent in 2004. In 2004, 23 percent of Florida home sellers opted to sell independently without an agent, up from 14 percent in 2003 and nearly double the 14 percent national average, according to Planet Realtor.

And Web-enabled consumers are demanding a high digital IQ when working with real estate professionals. In addition to being well-versed on their own industry-specific technology, real estate professionals now are expected to utilize laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants and global positioning systems to keep pace with Internet buyers and sellers.
Downward pressure

“If consumers are going to do their own home-shopping online, they expect to save some money, just as they would for using the self-service lane. That’s why they are susceptible to online discount brokers and the new affinity companies that are promoting lower commissions if only the consumers will use their agents. These business models promote the idea to consumers that they ought to be paying less money in commissions.”

Realty Times Columnist Blanche Evans

Traditional real estate commissions, typically around six percent of a home’s selling price, are facing downward pressure from consumers and competition. Some consumers claim traditional real estate commissions don’t reflect:

Today’s home prices. Years ago, when median-priced homes sold for $25,000, real estate commissions were typically five percent, or $1,250. Today, with South Florida median home prices around $300,000, the cost of a six percent full-service real estate commission becomes $18,000. Some brokers even charge additional fees to cover administrative costs. When you consider that today’s average homeowner sells a home every five to seven years, real estate commissions can dramatically impact your personal savings and net worth.

Owner equity. When selling properties, most homeowners calculate the cost of selling as a portion of sales price, though the commissions are paid out of owner equity. (Equity is the difference between the value of your property and amount of mortgages owed.) Consider this example: You decide to sell a property for $250,000 in which you hold 10 percent equity, or $25,000. After paying a six percent commission of $15,000, you are left with $10,000 before any applicable closing costs. In this example, the $15,000 commission is six percent of the selling price, but 60 percent of the $25,000 equity.

Services performed. Under today’s commission structure, selling a $100,000 house at six percent typically costs $6,000, while selling a $500,000 house costs $30,000. Does selling the more expensive home really require five times more effort? Your cost is the same whether the agent spends one hour or 100 hours marketing your home. This is one reason many real estate consumers find fee-for-service real estate so appealing.
Developing alternatives

“Consumers want what they want, when they want it and will gravitate to the most cost-effective source to obtain it. Why? Because our “one-size-fits-all” approach to working with sellers and buyers is archaic and won’t allow consumers to access various segments of help they need in a timely fashion. That’s why .com Web start-ups are finding a receptive audience in real estate consumers and why for-sale-by-owners are burgeoning.”

Julie Garton-Good, Author of “Real Estate a la Carte: Selecting the Services You Need, Paying What They’re Worth”

Until recently, you have had few practical alternatives to the traditional full-service, full-commission real estate transaction with a broker. Most sellers paid a single commission fee for a full range of real estate services, whether they needed them or not. Now traditional real estate agencies face the challenge of identifying new services that have value to today’s sophisticated online and empowered consumers.

One result is an “unbundling” of traditional one-size-fits-all real estate services for consumers who want more control over real estate transactions and their associated costs. If you’re willing to take on some tasks traditionally performed by agents and brokers, you could receive lower transaction costs. You might benefit from the following emerging alternatives:

Fee-for-services

“Consumers want assistance from real estate professionals, but don’t want to pay for it in the form of traditional commissions,” says a la Carte real estate Pioneer Julie Garton-Good. Garton-Good has been preaching the fee-for-services gospel for more than 20 years. As the name implies, you can choose which tasks you feel comfortable performing and hire qualified real estate professionals to do the rest. Many traditional real estate brokerages are beginning to offer a more menu-based service plan. For example, you may not mind listing your home and holding open houses, but you may want assistance with contracts and closings.

One-stop shopping

In response to dwindling margins and the rising costs of technology and lead generation, some real estate companies are attempting to combine traditional and Web-based services to provide consumers a single source for all their real estate needs. One-stop shopping sites generally provide or partner with lenders, insurers, title companies, real estate attorneys and others to facilitate all aspects of buying and selling. In addition, some sites are adding home-improvement and related services to stay in touch with consumers between buying and selling transactions.

Web-based discounters

Although many Web-based real estate companies flamed out in the dotcom era, scores of new companies have emerged to take their place. By offering targeted services such as flat-fee MLS listings, buyer rebates and AVM tools, these sites are appealing to independent buyers and sellers who prefer to take a more active role in transactions. In addition to listings, some sites also offer how-to articles and advice for those who choose to go it alone.
Tradition + technology + turbulence = opportunities

So, given the trends, changes and ongoing industry evolution, what can independent buyers, sellers and investors expect in this new era of real estate?

• The Web and other technologies will continue to evolve and transform the $1.3 trillion real-estate industry. Technology will continue to reduce the time, expense and complexity of manual processes, and increasingly sophisticated search and valuation tools will play a more strategic role.

• Free and low-cost real estate resources will continue to be available and even multiply on the Web. In real estate, knowledge truly is power. Consumers will try to use their power to gain more control of the real estate process and subsequently expect to be compensated in the form of reduced and fee-for-service commissions.

• The role of traditional real estate brokerages will evolve as Web-enabled consumers become more knowledgeable. This likely will trigger some restructuring and consolidation of traditional brokerages, but will also drive the development of innovative new practices targeting online and empowered consumers. Real estate professionals will focus more on promoting their local knowledge and industry expertise, while consumers will perform some buying and selling tasks on their own.

• Traditional real estate commissions and profitability levels will continue to face downward pressure from various sources. The future will be profitable for brokerages that are able to extend their core expertise of neighborhood and industry knowledge into flexible new consumer-centric offerings.

• The traditional high-touch, full-service real estate agency is evolving, not disappearing. Real estate professionals who provide exceptional service and value to their customers will always be in demand.

You now can find more real estate knowledge, tools and resources on the Web than ever before, enabling you to buy and sell with increased confidence. For real estate professionals, reinventing the industry means making hard decisions, changing processes and managing new opportunities. But for consumers, reinvention in real estate is a winner, hands-down.

Homekeys is coming soon. Be sure to look for us on the Web at http://www.homekeys.net
Feedback, ideas or input? We would like to hear from you! E-mail us at: info@homekeys.net

About the Author

Charles Warnock is Marketing Communications Manager at South-Florida based Homekeys. He writes frequently on real estate, finance, interactive marketing and business development.

The Art & Science of Property Valuation by Manuel Iraola & Charles Warnock

The Art & Science of Property Valuation

It is no secret that sellers want to sell high and buyers want to buy low. But they often arrive at the negotiating table with very different ideas on price. A fair and objective property valuation can help buyers and sellers find common ground and streamline the negotiation process.

In the end, the property is worth what a buyer is willing to pay. But to help both buyers and sellers achieve their goals, both should have a fair and objective estimate of property value. Unfortunately, even objective estimates are still estimates, and there is no way to assure 100% accuracy:

* Appraisals performed by a certified appraiser are not 100 percent accurate.

* CMA’s (Comparable Market Analysis) and BPOs (Broker Price Opinions) performed by a licensed broker or agent are not 100 percent accurate.

* AVM (Automated Valuation Model) technology is not 100 percent accurate.

All these methods, when properly executed, can provide a good indication of value. Estimating value is a combination of art and science. Regardless of how scientific the approach, the actual sale price is subject to the unique variables of each property transaction: property condition, upgrades, current market conditions, circumstances of the sale and individual tastes.

For property owners, pricing correctly is a key to a successful sale. Under-pricing can result in a fast sale, but carries the risk of leaving money on the table. Sellers who price too high may find their properties lingering on the market, and statistics show that values can erode at a rate of about 1.5 percent per month. Longer sales also increase the likelihood of a “distressed sale” when sellers become frustrated or encounter difficult financial circumstances.

Likewise, buyers should avoid emotional purchases. Overpaying because of “falling in love” with a home is common. Homekeys’ ValueKey Technology can help establish an objective, unemotional baseline for buyers and sellers so distressed sales and emotional purchases become the exception, not the rule.

The science of AVMs

To determine a good baseline value for a property, use Homekeys to search thousands of property records for comparable sales or “comps.” Homekeys’ ValueKey tool uses advanced statistical models and proprietary algorithms and formulas to find the best comparable properties available. In addition to property characteristics, the system evaluates how recent comparable sales are and how close properties are from the property being evaluated. Once a base property value estimate is determined, it’s time to check active listings to see what similar properties are selling for. ValueKey searches both owner- and broker-offered active listings to find the most comparable properties available.

The art of AVMs

The art portion of estimating value begins with understanding how comparable sales and active listings compare to the property being evaluated. Since they are nearby, it’s a good idea to drive by comparable sales and listed properties to see how they compare. To help you stay organized, you may want to use a buyer checklist when visiting properties.

After researching comparable sales and active listings, it’s time for the personal touch. Sellers know their own property and neighborhood better than anyone, so they are able to adjust base values according to individual property characteristics. Buyers can make similar adjustments as they visit properties to help formulate an asking price.

Depending on your research, a “market adjustment” may be warranted. If active listings are priced higher than your base estimated value, an upward adjustment may be appropriate. If prices are lower, a downward adjustment might be in order.

Finally, ValueKey enables buyers and sellers to make other value adjustments based on individual property characteristics and condition. Based on a seller’s knowledge or a buyer’s research, appropriate value adjustments can help both parties arrive at a fair selling price.

And though no property valuation system is perfect, AVMs can provide objective valuation estimates quickly and inexpensively, and the technology is improving all the time. As AVM technology continues to evolve and improve, it may prove to be a key to less-stress, more enlightened real estate transactions in the future.

Learn more at http://www.homekeys.net

About the Author

Manuel Iroala is President and CEO of Homekeys. Charles Warnock is Marketing Communications Manager at Homekeys, a South-Florida based real estate and technology company. This article can also be found at www.homekeys.net

Investment Property Part 2 of 2: What You Need to Know Before You Buy by Cameron Brown

Welcome to the second portion of a two-part series on investment property. In the first installment, “How Not to Become a Slumlord”, we discussed a little of what it takes to own and operate a property as well as some of the do’s and don’ts of the property management trade. In this second segment, we will be discussing some pre-investment principles that will help you maximize your ROI.

There are three basic principles of investment property that you should know before you buy an investment property in order to avoid overpaying:

Time
How long do you plan on owning the investment property? As with stocks and bonds, the value of your investment may change significantly during the time you own it. While most real estate will appreciate in value over time, there are frequent fluctuations in the short-term market. If you plan on selling your investment property after less than five years, be prepared to accept the investment risk inherent in a shorter time horizon. This is especially true if you bought your property in an overheated real estate market. If this is the case, you could find yourself losing money if the market has taken a temporary downturn, especially if you’ve had to make major repairs to the property.

If you plan on owning the property for the next twenty to twenty-five years, it’s almost certain that your investment property will appreciate in value. There’s also a good chance, however, that you’ll have to make major repairs like replacing the roof, wiring system, or major appliances like a water heater or refrigerator. Of course, these repairs will be offset by the fact that you’ve had/will have twenty plus years to recoup the cost. If on the other hand, you’re only planning on owning an investment property for the next five years, buying a “fixer up’er” can eat up all the profits you would have made during your shorter investment horizon.

Networking
If you want the best deal possible on an investment property, than there are some people you’ll want to be friends with. City hall clerks and bank employees may know what properties will be available on foreclosure and when they will go on the market. Real estate agents usually know everything real estate related within their respective territory. Some prospective landlords even run ads in local newspapers.

Many individuals interested in entering the investment property market may even join local landlord or investment property owners organizations. These types of organizations hold regular meetings where you can get the inside scoop on what’s for sale in your area. The National Real Estate Investors Association is an online organization that provides a wealth of information and resources to potential investment property owners.

Financial Preparation
Get your finances in order. The less debt you have when you walk into your local lending institution, the better loan you’ll get. This is common sense, but it’s even more true for those seeking financing for an investment property. This is because lenders know that people are much more likely to default on a rental property than on their own homes. This means that the bank will demand a larger down payment and higher interest rates that you may have expected. It’s also a good idea to have some extra cash left over to make unforeseen repairs should they arise.

By wisely choosing an investment property time horizon, making contacts in the investment property community, and preparing proper financial means, your investment may become a significant means of supplementing retirement and other savings accounts.

About the Author

Cameron Brown is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For information on Investment Property, visit Security National Capital.