For most of us it’s the biggest financial transaction we will ever be involved in . Selling or buying a house can be a complex process but that process can be made much easier with the aid of a professional realtor.
Yet how does someone go about sorting through the myriad listings of real estate agents? How do we choose a realtor qualified to handle the sale or purchase of our home ?
Midland Storage wants you to think about the following tips for finding a qualified realtor.
* Basic Credentials . You want an MD to take care of your health problems . (I know I would not want the guy from Wal-Mart photo lab doing my prostate exam just because he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I actually would not want anyone to do this sort of exam on me, so forget my prostate point.) You most likely want a CPA to take care of your tax problems . (You don’t want the Capone Brother Tax and Moving Company to do it.) So, make sure your realtor is a professional too . Is the person you are considering a member of the National Association of Realtors? Ask to see their license and any specialty certifications. The respectable ones will be more than happy to reveal to you they are trained and qualified to help you deal with this major life situation. The shadier ones will probably not deliver much more than a notarized napkin from the Lego company.
* Full-time? Nothing against people who do real estate on the side, but you will want someone actively engaged in the real estate business on a day to day basis. This will ensure that an agent will be familiar with current market conditions, selling prices, new developments and past histories of homes on the market. Full time agents are also current on existing laws and regulations, including any laws or code statutes particular to your local community. These “real estate rules” do tend to fluctuate and you want a full-timer who has the time to stay on top of the legalities so they don’t unintentionally get you stuck in a negative spot.
* Performance. Some Good Questions: How many homes and properties has this person sold in the past year ? What is the average time this agent’s listings have been on the market before selling? For the houses they’ve sold, has there been a large gap between the asking price and the selling price? How familiar are they with the type of home or property you have to sell ? A commercial property specialist probably isn’t the ideal choice if you’re trying to sell or buy a residential home.
* Know the letters and lingo? In real estate terminology, you’ll see these designations.
CRS = Certified Residential Specialist. Extensive training in residential real estate sales.
ABR = Accredited Buyers Representative. Additional certification in representing buyers in real estate transactions.
SRES = Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Specializing in the 50+ age market, such as retirement communities, etc.
Knowing these distinctions might aid you in making wise choices from the outset.
* Real Estate Experience? As one real estate expert put it, “If they’ve been in business less than five years, they’re learning on you.” Try to find a veteran agent who has a good number of current listings. In particular, listings that mirror the type of property you’re trying to buy or sell. If you have a luxury home to sell, find an agent with experience in that market. If you’re trying to buy farm land, find a realtor with a working knowledge and client base in the rural market.
Midland Self Storage wants you to get top dollar for the property you’re trying to sell.
The Seller And Realtor Relationship – What The Homeowner Should Expect
We all want the sale of our house to look smoothly. We all know that somewhere within sticking that sign right in front yard and packing inside the moving van, there are many of details that must be handled. Using these details comes stress, all included in emotion. Selling the home means greater than signing on the bottom line. This is where hiring the correct real estate professional may be invaluable, whether you’re selling for the Northern Coast MA real-estate market or even the Florida market.
Listing using a trustworthy real estate agent which you feel like you grasp can help to conserve lots of money and time, and also a great many headaches and heartbreaks. An educated, experienced agent understands the nuances of the real estate transaction plus the emotions in the sale within your home. It takes an exclusive comprehension of what happens relating to the seller, or sellers, and potential customers to keep everyone on target during potentially trying times.
Contacting an agent early in the operation will help alleviate many of the conditions that could arise in those first discussions about selling real estate. Once the right agent continues to be chosen from the seller, you need to make a start learning to develop a good relationship using client. This commences with learning about their customers and what give them the courage.
A house owner might be highly motivated to sell their property quickly. For such a imminent sale, time-frame could possibly be tight. What about a job transfer is on its way soon, or a new school year starts, or numerous reasons some pleasant plus some unpleasant. A great agent really wants to have in mind the motivation in order to better serve you. Be open and honest with all the agent you decide on. You shouldn’t have to overpower round the bush, your agent will find out relating to your personal life and finances than you’ll believe. For this reason choosing a realtor with experience and integrity is so important.
Sometimes, a move just isn’t imminent. A home-owner might want to test the marketplace for future decisions. As opposed to guessing, homeowners should utilize a broker’s expertise to determine the true value of their house. It prepares them better for making decisions for the future. Put simply, guessing what your house is worth isn’t method to plan for a future sale in your home, or acquisition of another. Your agent would want to know if this describes the situation so they may do some projecting in the future markets for you. There isn’t any reason to ‘fool’ a realtor into thinking it is time to list your property if you are not. A good agent wants that may help you determine the value of your own home regardless of whether you’re ready to list.
If the sale of your home is planned soon or in the foreseeable future, it is advisable to contact a qualified agent early in the operation. An experienced agent will help by permitting the info straight right in the first place to counteract mistakes ahead of time. The best agent helps the owner in defining the most important thing during the process, give a sounding board for ideas, and after that help customize a plan of action.
Once you’ve interviewed several agents, asked your questions, lastly chosen usually the one perfect for you, it is time to the agent to turn the tables and ask you a few questions. Anything good agent will make sure you ask a prospective client these a quick question:
Do you need to sell your property soon?
Is there a reason you’re selling your property now?
Are you considering available to negotiation having a buyer?
Have you been prepared financially to correct things that show up on the property inspection?
Are you currently listing your home now to be able to sell later on?
Do you think you’re pricing your home in an effort to test the market for the next sale?
Have you ever experimented with sell your home alone? If you do, whoever else tried?
Are available back taxes owed?
Exist liens for the property aside from a mortgage?
What are the reasons that could prevent you from accepting a proposal, besides price?
Of course a number of this document will be found because the paperwork is prepared, but hearing it in the seller first matters. If these questions seem intrusive, these are only made to avoid an awkward, or worse, situation later on. Be prepared to share your story this is just a short list in the questions you will expect an excellent real estate agent must a client.
There is a bit more to selling real estate than having the paperwork done. A real estate agent has to learn first in regards to the homeowner’s basis for selling, how desperately they need to sell, and just how much they are prepared to sacrifice as a way to sell. This is especially true when getting Boston’s North Shore MA real-estate. These questions may feel very personal, but a fantastic agent might help their client know that this confidential info is necessary to acheive their property sold as smoothly as you can.
The plans by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to scrap its Financial Investor Scheme (FIS) are not likely to diminish foreign investors’ appetite for Singapore residential properties.
Singapore property agents said the reason behind is such property investors add less than one per cent of overall residential property transactions in Singapore.
The scrapping of the FIS may be visualized as yet an additional measure to curb Singapore’s red hot property market.
The provision of the scheme provides that foreigners who desire to apply for permanent resident status can decide to invest up to S$2 million in properties in Singapore, out of a total investment of at least S$10 million in Singapore assets such as bonds or equities for at least five years.
Mohamed Ismail, chief executive officer of PropNex, said: “The FIS…was actually never intended to target foreigners to come in to buy the S$2 million property. It was more towards a PR status. What we have realised here is that foreigners are interested to invest in Singapore properties for its right fundamentals, regardless whether they get PR or not.”
However agents acknowledge Singapore could lose a little of its attractiveness from foreign investors whose primary motive for investing properties in Singapore is to acquire a permanent residency status.
Tan Kok Keong, director for Research and Consultancy at OrangeTee, said: “There are still a lot of wealthy people who believe in the growth of Asia and the growth of Asia’s economy, so in that light, I think Singapore would play a very important part of their asset allocation, which means that over the medium and long term, we still think that all these rich people will still find residence properties worth investing in to ride on the growth of Asia.”
Some realtors are instead more concern as regards to changes in the Global Investor Programme (GIP) that is run by the Economic Development Board (EDB).
Angela Lee, managing director of Lianco International Property, said: “They are more concerned (about) taking it as a platform and bringing their children here to study. At the same time, they are doing a one-stop service by bringing the business back to China as well. So, S$2.5 million is a lower platform for them to start with…”
Under GIP, a foreigner has to invest S$2.5 million in a new company in Singapore or expand an existing business that has an annual turnover of at least S$30 million.
These changes are projected to be announced by EDB on April 15.