Gary White FlexIt Realty~Real Estate & Updates, Grand Rapids & West Michigan

Selling and Curb appeal

Did you know that most people start their home search on the Internet,of course you did, you are here.  The number is over 80% of buyers start their initial home search on the Internet.  So just like having a good presentation of your home on a website and MLS listing services you're "Curb Appeal" should be given some very close attention.

Did you drive by your last home before you set and appointment or did you just look at the brochure?  Some people do only look at brochures and the Internet and then contact their agent to get an appointment to view the home of interest.  Many buyers also do a drive by.  If you do not have your yard clean, mowed, bushes trimmed or sidewalks or driveway shoveled in the winter and the rest of the neighborhood is kept up, guess what....they keep on driving.  Right now we have too many choices for buyers.  That means you have to invest in some of the sweat equity of making sure your home is ready when people drive by.  You want them to call your agent or their own agent and make an appointment to see your home.

Look at your home like you are the new buyer.  Get in your car and take a drive by.  What do you see?  The key is noticing anything that detracts from the home.  Sometimes stains from sprinkler systems, dirty windows, paint chipping or pealing, tennis shoe on the roof!  Parents don't notice posters on windows but buyers do!  Take a few minutes and do your own drive by....it could be the difference in a sale.  Buyer's look at homes that make them feel like it would be a great place to live.  It may be cold outside but your home still has to look warm and inviting.  Curb appeal is the first step to a showing!

I hope this helps you attract the next buyer that drives by your home.

Need Help?  Over 30 Free Reports  to  download just visit www.FlexItRealty.com they could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction.

How many times have you offered your advice to buyers and sellers only to have them do something completely different?

I had a seller ask me to help them sell.  I gave them the correct advice based on the market and they ignored my advice and came up with a price based on friends comments!  (We used the price the seller wanted for one month and adjusted to my suggested price when they had no showings)  Selling and buying can be much easier when a licensed professional is offer solid advice to pave the way.

I have known these sellers for a long time...the issue is friends have told them how nice their home is compared to others...that is true....but!  The friends don't sell homes...they don't know the market, they don't take an analytical look at what needs to be done.  They are friends!

How many times have you heard the sentence..."a friend of mine said".  I put these sentences in perspective for clients.  These may seem sarcastic but it is not intended to be and never is said in a condescending manor.

• How many homes did your friend sell that year?
• Would you trust your friend to sell your home?
• OH, I didn't know you had a friend in real estate. (everyone does or they used to be!)
• Is your friend licensed...and has current market data to provide you?

You get the idea...always with a smile but it is very important to know that "everyone has a friend".  That is one of my favorite responses....but people call me when they want professional representation, just like you did.

People rely on advice given them by friends...that is not bad...but usually not good either.  The information is from a non-professional point of view.  It means you must clear up or at least address the misconceptions presented by friends in a tactful manor.

Sellers and buyers tend to discuss the process among their friends before contacting a professional.  Sometimes they seek the advice of parents, friends even investment counsellors (that is rare) and of course the Internet and TV show like "Sell This House", "Flip This House" and other programs that throw a slant on the subject of buying and selling.  Websites can create just as many questions as answers with the spin they put on information to get prospects.

So handling these questions and removing the spin is a new marketing and sales requirement the presentation process for buyers and sellers needs.  The new information age of the Internet has allowed anyone to become an expert without training or background.

How are you handling the spin?  Are getting the right advice?

Professionals can help you understand the spin...and make your buying and selling process easier.

Disclosures are a legal requirement yet they are treated as though they have little to do with the selling process.

I had a seller as me if the disclosures were like the military..."Don't Ask Don't Tell"?  NO that is not quite how this works.

So when filling out disclosure do you really have to tell the truth?  That is another one of my all time favorites to be asked.  Sometimes the question is asked by the buyer and sometimes by the seller but this is asked at least once every other month.

I asked a seller if he believed the seller disclosures on the home he purchased?  He said he did but once in the home found that the seller has lied about a variety of issues.  So he thought they were only for honest people and really didn't have much validity.  Again...this misconception can be very costly.  People have been awarded thousands of dollars for information on disclosures being omitted or misrepresented to help the property sell.

Agents never fill out the disclosures...why simple, it is not their property, how can they attest to the condition?  They also do not want to take the liability of mis-statements.  The seller is the party that fills out the disclosure documents.

The inspection process can help verify the accuracy of the disclosures, like estimated roof life, furnace condition, water heater, insulation, plumbing and electrical can also be inspected.

Are disclosures supposed to be accurate YES!...can you rely on them 100% NO...it is to the best recollection and understanding of the seller.  Do you believe everything you hear in a court room?  The seller attests that the information is factual but...it still is your purchase...do what you have to do to make sure you feel comfortable.

Sellers are obligated to fill out disclosures and most do it completely...some will not.

Your best bet is to use a professional to help you through the process of purchasing and selling.  The legal tangles can be many...Realtors are not lawyers but are licensed and trained to meet the needs within the real estate market.

Want to know about your obligations when dealing with disclosures before you list or buy a home?

Give me a Call Toll Free 877-667-4699(Michigan)  Email ~ GaryWhite@grar.com Website: www.FlexItRealty.com

Want a HUD or Foreclosed Property?  Looking for a great deal in Kent County? 

Bargains are out there...so are some very big pitfalls.  Deals are just waiting for buyers to take advantage of them. 

Then again you should only venture into these shark infested waters of "Deals" if you have someone on your side that understands the paperwork involved.  Someone who Can guide you safely through the non-MLS paperwork.  Foreclosures and Hud owned properties offer people a real opportunity to find a "Great Deal" but they may find they have spent money without getting a home!

How can this be?  Simple the Banks and HUD do not have to accept you offer.  Now you could have spend money on appraisers, inspections even credit reports to show your credit worthiness and given the $1000.00 dollar down that many "Foreclosures" are requiring by the Bank only to be told a better offer has come along. 

Did you know you could lose the foreclosure home that had your "accepted" because the owner of the "Foreclosure" can change their mind right up to close if they get a better offer!

FlexIt Realty is a local source of representation for HUD and Foreclosed homes.  We help guide you every step of the purchase process.  HUD and Foreclosed homes can be a real source of Bargains but you need to have someone that has worked with these types of Properties.  Some websites refer to these properties as REO (bank) owned.  Whatever the term proceed with caution.  There are some great buys for the savvy buyer.

Looking in Kent County for a great deal in a HUD or Foreclosed home?  We can help you find a great deal.  We represent buyers in the transaction process dealing with the mound of documents banks and HUD bids require.  We help buyers with the bid process on HUD homes, we help you process REO or (Bank owned foreclosures) documents to make sure your offer is seen and taken seriously.  Looking for a great deal...in KENT COUNTY call Flexit Realty we can help you in most cases.  Our goal is helping you reach your goal with a great deal!

Call ~ FlexIt Realty ~ Toll Free 877-667-4699 or email us GaryWhite@grar.com  Website: www.FlexITRealty.com

We have over 30 "Free" documents you can download to help you with your next purchase of sale at our website.

You can download them right from you computer to have you own personal copy.  They could save you thansands of dollars on your next real estate transaction.

I met someone over the weekend that asked, why anyone would want to be a Realtor?

My immediate response was surprise...which was follow-up with a question...."Why do you say that?"  The person questioning the professional standards and practices of Realtors...says.  Realtor's have a terrible reputation, they fit right in there with car salesmen and pushy telephone solicitors and Politicians.  The last one really hurt!

We do have a hard time regulating who can become Realtors.  Just like other professions Realtors have personal control over only one person...themselves.  You find bad Policemen, Doctors, Nurses and yes shockingly politicians too!

I went on to explain that we are not all a like even though that may be the public perception.  Just like you have that one car mechanic that can fix anything and do it reasonably priced...Realtors have to spend time gaining knowledge beyond the license process.

Most people with a few bucks and a little time can get a license for most anything.  I held a builder's license for 15 years but I never swung the hammer.  So do I understand the quoting, elevations drawings, cure rate of cement or drainage issues, codes, insulation factors, costs and construction concepts yes.  Does that mean I could frame and construct a home....NO.

Laymen, non-licensed individuals look at Real Estate with a knowing eye.  I have heard more than once, "How hard can it be?"  People do not understand all the twists and turns real estate can have.  They do not know all the pitfalls that lay ahead because of a disclosure not completed properly.  They do not know the liability advertising incorrectly can create.  They do know homes...to a point.  They are in and out of them everyday.  They live in them!

The one thing that is always remembered in any profession by the public.... is the actions that wronged them or someone they knew.  The wrong is shared with whoever will listen and gets a bit more embellishment as the wrong gets re-told.

When out in public Realtors have to always be on guard...you are representing yourself and your profession.  Having a colorful conversation using inappropriate language could be overheard by your next prospect!  Cutting corners because it may not get caught and the client won't know anyway....may not show up today but the next transaction or conversation with someone knowledgeable could cause that shortcut to be exposed.  Is it worth it?

Being a good ambassador to our profession is worth it's weight in gold for you and your clients.  Are you one?

Deleting posts made to others blogs.

The owner of blogs delete comments for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes it as simple as they are offensive to the blog host.  If that is the case they probably should not have been posted in the first place. At least in the format that could be seen as offensive.  Other reasons can be more complex.

Here are some reasons why your comments can be deleted from a post.

Your comment was advertising.  This is a simple issue...you can advertise all you want on your own blog...don't expect to post a comment and plaster you contact information all over someone else's post...that is a big NO NO and mostly likely you just lost someone that would normally comment on your posts.

You posted your logos and contact informaiton all over someone esle's blog....for personal gain.  You are very likely to have your host hit the delete key....with authority.

Don't take issue on a personal basis and attack someone for what they post.  You may not agree with the post and can express your disagreement without being aggressive or openly hostile.  All it does is make you look bad and people tend to push people away from your blog.  Thus making your blog ineffective and lose the impact that it was intended to achieve.  We have all seen where comments were meant to hurt and demean the host.  That is like walking into someone's home with muddy shoes.  Your are the guest and should act appropriately.

Post comments can be correct and honest and still get deletedbut they may not meet the image of what the person that posted the blog wants.  Political issues sometimes cause a mixed response.  If you are from another area and do not know the politics and make a comment that seems to be analytical based on the post...yet the person posting thinks your comment may inflame the clients within their market it is likely your comment will be deleted.  They are protecting their own business and interests.  Who can blame them?

You can have your comment deleted because you hit the blogand posted for points and didn't read the blog and posted a comment that didn't make sense for the blog.  Then the host of the blog is helping you not look silly and maintaining the integrity of the blog.

Blogs are meant to achieve different things for different people.  If it is a professional blog sticking to the topics at hand may not be what the many subscribers do.  So think of why your post has been and can be deleted. 

Remember you comment is to create dialog and add to the blog not take away.  You are the guest on someone else's blog.

How did you feel when you comment was deleted?

It seems that this winter is not as mild as I have seen in the past.  I know we are due when the years roll by and we don't have the snow quite a deep or often.

I know we should be thankful...no one has slide in the ditch, crashed a car or been stuck to the point of having a tow truck required.  I know the snow if only knee deep in spots when a client wants to walk around the house and expects you to walk with him!  Does winter seem to tease you....we have had thunder storms, rain, warm weather followed by ice, snow and bitter cold...and yup still showing homes.

We have been very fortunate, no twisters, or community emergencies...as few closing from time to time, expected in Michigan...but gee...I am over this!  Moving back from Florida for family reasons after 5 years of winters there this is really just YUCK!  It didn't seem to bother me before I left...it is more of an inconvenience than a bother but I am over this...did I say that?

Plastic boot trays, salt all over the cars,heavy coats, removing shoes...I like snow...in some other state!  Doesn't the photo just look cold with the dark snow sky? I know part of our economy depends on snow with skiing, so I am happy for them.  I know people actually drive here for the trails to use snowmobiles...another way to help our economy.  I know people snow shoe, cross country ski and the kids love to play in it....not me.

I have a feeder that provides corn for the deer who wait patientlyfor the timer to go off to dispense more corn.  I enjoy watching the young deer frolic around the backyard.  I have even enjoyed a squirrel that tried to scale the aluminum legs of the feeder to get to the allusive prize of a corn dinner.  He hasn't made it yet but he has set on branches looking down wondering if the 10 foot leap would be worth it.

So...I guess it isn't so bad seeing the change of seasons...showing houses in the snow...  At least buyers can not complain about the roofs...they have snow on them too!  I point out the home is well insulated when snow is on the roof.  When it is toasty inside after coming from the cold the buyers are eager to stay longer to warm up....so they do look at the homes longer.  I guess winter isn't that bad.

Have I talked myself into feeling better about winter?  NO!  But I do like showing homes and real estate, so I take the good with the bad and do what I do....

Have you had enough of winter?  Go a head tell me it is 80 where you live...you might get a snowball in your mailbox!

We all have life experiences that differ from each other just like homes.

Track homes can look the same from the outside but as soon as you step in the door they have their own character and nuances.  As soon as someone buys a home they start putting their own character into the home. 

Once people have lived in homes for a period of time they learn all the little flaws.  People have character flaws and homes have them too.  What is amazing you can see this in cars, homes anywhere there is an enclosed surrounding that creates the sense of security and privacy.  People forget what other people can see.

I have watched people sing to the radio like they are a pop star.  I have seen make-up that a salon would be proud to display...I have even seen people changing cloths going down the road.  In homes I have seen photos that were in bedrooms...more personal than should be openly displaced for showings.  Garments hanging in closets that needed to be moved for photos, laundry stacked...big oil spots on the garage floor that a remnant of carpet covers nicely.  These are just a few example of things owners look past.

People do not recognize the flaws because they live with them.  It may be so simple for agents to see but the clients have no clue until we point out issues that may impact showing the property.  We use a showing guide and provide it free to our clients.  We point out that not all the items on the showing guide will pertain to them but following the guide as it pertains to issues that affect them may make the difference in a sale and a showing.  I tell clients it is only money, theirs,  so use the guide if they want!

Recently I signed a client that is hyper...to say the least.  He is more than willing to do anything I ask....   He needed a lot done...being a bachelor his place looked like it!  I asked him to paint the walls, clean up the garage, re-hang a cabinet false door front.  The list was a bit long. 

This is all good except....he tries to do it all at once...now I have little projects all over the home and none done.  I called his daughter...she and I reviewed the projects and I had her agree to supervise dad.  One project only until it was done then move on to the next. 

Today I go back for a review to see how the projects are coming.  I am bringing some coffee and donuts just in case we have to have another talk.

Showing guides help people understand the issues to help them sell faster.

Do you use a showing guide?

The new word for lower home values...."Declining Market" Designation. 

We know that credit has been changing....well not long ago Kent County was designated as a "declining market".  We can say all the words of wisdom and denial we want about the market but the truth is you need more that a sign in the yard to get your home sold!

FHA has designated Kent County and other counties in Michigan and many other states as a "declining markets".  That means, in a nutshell, a buyer who once qualified for a 100% loan now has to come up with 5% down. 

This means for most first time buyers who were looking for home ownership without bringing any money to the table in the form of 100% loans, those days are gone!  At least for now during the restructuring of the credit market.

I was also informed by a neighbor that the home equity style loan that they had with Countrywide has been frozen because of declining home prices in Kent County.  That is the reason Countrywide gave the home owners.  This may put a real hurt on some folks while others have a silver lining.  This also may only be an issue with Countrywide because of the way the corporate buy-out was structured.

The truth is home equity loans are not as easy to get either because of the second position they take on the note...anyone being forclosed and the second is gone and the lender that wrote the second has lost it all!  So the interest rates on the second have gone up and getting one is much harder even for equity fat borrowers.

Those with cash or enough down to buy homes may find some real bargains in Kent County.  Other areas of the state are seeing the same issues.  So when you hear the phase it is a "good time to buy" that is not just a slogan.  If you have some money that was going to be used for a stock investment....maybe...just maybe you should look at the market with a keener eye.  Since some of the properties are real bargains the short term issues with investing in stocks versus property may be one that would require a closer look.

FHA has also raised the limits on how much they will finance under the FHA program....so now you might find a real bargain that you didn't think you could afford that is now within your range.

Nobody has found the money tree but it might be the house next door you just didn't notice!  Interest rates are still very good.  It takes good credit to get loans but the lenders are certainly trying to help people with good credit purchase homes.

So thinking of investing a little cash for some big rewards....it might be the time!

If you have some interest, give me a call, we'll chat and see how this type of market can increase your wealth!

Call~Gary White~Toll free 877-667-4699 or locally 616-821-9375 "Help is only a call or click away!" copyright 2008
email: GaryWhite@Grar.com On The Web: www.FlexItRealty.com

Have you ever asked this question?  How long will it take to sell my home?  The other one is....when will you be bringing buyers through?

A good way to gauge the length of time to sell has two main issues.  How long have other homes in the price range with the same geographic area been on the market before they sold?  The market in our area requires constant monitoring, researching back more than four months may not give you good information. 

I think it is very important to take this DOM information into consideration before answering with a stock answer.  The other issue is price.. IF your listing is over priced in our market you might as well slit your wrists as answer the question!  Because when you tell the truth...you are going to be shot anyway, or fired....which might be the best you can hope for at this point.

It is much easier to tell the seller the truth on the front end and not take an over priced listing that lingers on the market helping to sell other homes and not your clients.  I like the phase..."I would rather disappoint you now by telling you the truth than disappointing you later when your home doesn't sell".

We do not create the home market values a buyer does by what they are willing to pay for the property.  As soon as Kent County was ear marked a declining market it hurt every sellers home value.  It changed the amount FHA was willing to lend but still requires credit with higher credit scores to buy.

The truth is your home is going to sell based on the average home sales dates for the average home...sure there will be exceptions to the rule some will take longer and some will sell faster but the average for your price range based on DOM (days on market) will give you a good estimate of time.  Your price will either improve that number or lengthen the time it takes.

I hope this has given you an answer to a very important question all sellers ask.  The other question of when are Realtors going to bring buyers through...I'll answer this question next time.

Unless you call me to list your home...I tell you when we meet!

Gary White,  FlexIt Realty  toll free 877-677-4699 or garywhite@grar.com  or www.FlexItRealty.com