Selling Home

MSN Money - 6 reasons your home isn't selling MSN Home Hotmail My MSN Sign In Money S earch MSN Money: Help Home News Banking Investing Planning Taxes My Money Portfolio Loans Insurance Banking Home My Accounts Bill Pay Mortgages/Loans Services Credit Reports Financial Tools Track your bills Resources Decision Centers Home Buying Guide Home Financing Your Credit Rating Financial Privacy Better Banking Credit Card Smarts Bankruptcy Guide Commentary Index Related Links Manage Debt More on Budgeting Print-friendly version Send this to a friend Tap your home for extra cash Mortgage rates in your area Your credit score in seconds Home mortgage FAQs Find It! Article Index Finance Q&A Tools Index Site Map Recent articles by Bankrate.com: • Will I lose my frequent-flier miles? , 10/6/2005 • Should you insure your airline tickets? , 9/26/2005 • 10 after-the-disaster do's and don'ts , 9/21/2005 More... Related Articles Speed your home sale with these fast fix-ups The hidden financial truth about remodeling Smart -- and stupid -- ways to pay for your remodel The Basics 6 reasons your home isn't selling advertisement So, you're in agony because your home has languished on the market week after week. Here are some culprits that may be keeping buyers away in droves. By Bankrate.com Has your lawn grown up around that "For Sale" sign? Have the wasps moved into the lock box on your front door? Did you just receive an invitation to your real estate agent's retirement party? If so, chances are your home sale fizzled. Here are the six most-common reasons why homes don't sell and what you can do about it. Your home is overpriced Optimistic home sellers love to parrot the old adage, "There's a buyer for every home." But they often leave off the qualifier: "at the buyer's price." Find a loan that's right for you at the Loan Center The fact is that buyers, not sellers, ultimately determine the market value of a home. You can ask for the moon and set your listing price well above comparable properties in your neighborhood, but at some point it will be up to you, the seller, to accept what the buyer thinks your home is worth. Overpricing is the most common reason homes don't sell. When you ask an unrealistic price, it sets in motion a process that often works against you. Here's why: Most real estate agents, and hence most qualified buyers, will see your new listing within 30 days. If it is overpriced by as little as 5%, it will be duly noted and interest in your property will wane, especially if you show no intention of coming off your asking price. You likely already priced out buyers who might have qualified for financing at a more reasonable price. Even if you manage to find a buyer at your inflated asking price, the property may not appraise at that figure and the financing will fall apart. Your real estate agent may have approved or even suggested the inflated asking price to secure your listing. Conversely, other agents often use overpriced properties like yours to help sell their own listings. ("Here's what they are asking. Now would you like to take a second look at that first house I showed you?") "If you have a house that really should be priced at $200,000 and you've got it listed at $260,000, you are trying to compete against homes that really are worth close to $300,000 and all of a sudden your home really is not competing well," says Jeri Fisher of Jeri Fisher Real Estate in Missoula, Mont. "You want to compete with what is available out there among homes similar to yours." If your home remains on the market for too long, agents and buyers may begin to wonder if there are other, perhaps more serious reasons why it isn't selling. "It becomes shopworn, the same as a jacket hanging in the store week after week," says Fisher. "People are aware that it has been on the market a long time and agents stop showing it." Your home doesn't 'show' well Your home is competing against shiny new houses in those pristine subdivisions out in the suburbs with their attractive prices, incentives and community amenities. Face it: Even the best old house needs a little makeover if it hopes to attract a qualified buyer. The good news is most of the work will be cosmetic and relatively inexpensive: a new coat of paint, a few attractive window boxes, a thorough cleaning of floors and carpets. Voila! The place may look good enough to reconsider. A good real estate agent can advise you on where your time and money are best spent. "Price and condition are two things that the seller can do something about," says Fisher. "I always give people my 'honey-do' list. I think paint is probably a seller's best friend because it makes things smell fresh and look fresh. If it's time to paint, it's time to paint. It's the best return on investment." You're in a bad location Nothing has a greater effect on your home's value than its location. Your humble abode might be worth a king's ransom were it located in Palm Beach, Aspen or San Francisco. It might even jump thousands in value just two streets over in the next (and far superior) school district. "If you're in one of the higher-ranked schools around here, you're going to add $50,000 to $100,000 to the price of the same house," says Lenn Harley, a broker with Homefinders.com Inc. in Maryland and Virginia. The point is, location rules in real estate. If your home's location is less than desirable, your options are somewhat limited. A good real estate agent will do his best to help you accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative of your circumstances, say by using foliage to screen off offensive adjoining properties or dampen traffic noise. The best way to compensate for a poor location is to reduce your asking price or offer attractive incentives such as seller financing or a lease option with rent credit. You have a lousy listing agent Yep, they exist: Real estate agents who mislead, misfire and misbehave. Their bad advice can cost you plenty in time, money and the sheer hassle of keeping the place show-ready 24/7. The agent from hell will allow you to overprice your home ("Here's what I can get for you if you list with me!"), not market it properly, fail to screen for qualified buyers, be unresponsive to interest from other agents (if they sell their own listing, they don't have to split the commission) and keep you totally in the dark throughout the process. What's more, if your agent is abrasive, arrogant or otherwise difficult to work with, other agents may not want the hassle of showing any of their listings to prospective buyers. You are battling competition or market conditions We've all heard the terms "buyer's market" and "seller's market." In real estate, market conditions are affected by any number of external forces, some of them predictable (the weather, sort of), some of them unpredictable (the local economy, interest rates, public optimism or pessimism). In a "hot" or seller's market, homes go fast. Inventory (homes on the market) may be low, meaning less competition for you. Chances are better that you will get your asking price in a hot market; in fact, it is not uncommon to even be offered more than your listing price. But in a "flat," "cold" or buyer's market, sales slow to a trickle, inventories grow and buyers can find bargains, especially when they know the seller is motivated (i.e., paying on two mortgages). If you're trying to sell in a flat market, you're not only competing against all that vacant new construction, but against rentals as well. In this case, be prepared to settle for less than top dollar, or wait to sell until the pendulum swings once again in your favor. You have ineffective marketing Gone are the days when an agent could simply place your listing with the local multiple listing service, hold a halfhearted open house and wait for another agent to bring forth a buyer. Today's top performers launch a multilevel marketing plan that includes listing tours for area agents, newspaper and even TV ads, weekend open houses, listing fliers and placements in local real estate publications. Computers and the Internet also have changed the face of real estate. According to the National Association of Realtors, today more than one-third of all home buyers use the Internet for house hunting. The best real estate agents are computer-savvy. They have your listing in color on their laptops to show clients and communicate frequently via e-mail, a particular boon when working with out-of-town buyers. Suffice it to say that if your real estate agent isn't listing your home online through the company Web site as well as with the local MLS, you may not be getting the exposure necessary to find a buyer. "There are those who just put the listing in the multiple and pray it will sell and those that put a lot of effort into marketing their listings," says Fisher. "Unfortunately, with this weird system of compensation we have, they all get paid the same, whether they know nothing or have many years of experience." Editors' choice Don't get scammed by your mover Safeguard your Social Security number 5 ways to tap into the onshore drilling boom Your checkbook just became obsolete Turn $1 a day into $67,815 Readers' choice Ratings Top 5 Articles 9.30 Zombie debt collectors dig up your old mistakes 9.24 Keep thieves out of your bank account 9.22 Credit reports now free for entire U.S. 9.19 10 ways to avoid outrageous hospital overcharges 9.17 Tax breaks for Katrina victims -- and all of us View all top rated articles More Resources · E-mail us your comments on this article · Post on the Your Money message board · Get a daily dose of market news S earch MSN Money tips advertisement MSN Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas. Our articles, columns, message board posts and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by Microsoft of any specific security or trading strategy. 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Property Listing

WorldProperties.com - where you find Distinctive International Real Estate Brought to you by REALTOR.COM® -- Over 3 million properties around the world WORLDPROPERTIES.com, the place to find International Properties. Member Login Username: Password: Forgot your password? New User? Click here. ICREA Countries Select a Country Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Greece India Ireland Italy Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Russia Spain Sweden United Kingdom United States Venezuela Resources International Properties -- Find a Professional Find a Transnational Referral Certified (TRC) Professional Events Calendar National Association Data ICREA Member Center Global News ICREA News International News Abstracts Asia/Pacific Rim North/South/Central America & Caribbean Europe Africa/Middle East About ICREA Who is ICREA? International Principles of Conduct Value to the Real Estate Practitioner Value to the Consumer Value to Real Estate Associations ICREA Structure Joining ICREA Search Distinctive Properties : View all Properties: REGION Select a Region Andean Balkan States British Isles Caribbean Central & Eastern Europe Central America Central Asia Mediterranean North America Northern Europe Oceania Patagonia Riviera Scandinavia South America South East Asia/pacific/pacific Rim Western Europe COUNTRY CITY Select a Country Argentina Australia Bahamas Belize Brazil Canada Costa Rica Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Finland France Germany Greece Honduras India Ireland Italy Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Norway Panama Poland Portugal Russia Spain Sweden United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Venezuela CURRENCY PRICE MAX AUD - Australian Dollar VEB - Bolivar BRL - Brazilian Real CAD - Canadian Dollar CZK - Czech Koruna DKK - Danish Krone EUR - Euro HKD - Hong Kong Dollar INR - Indian Rupee MXN - Mexican Peso NZD - New Zealand Dollar NOK - Norwegian Krone GBP - Pound Sterling RUB - Russian Ruble SGD - Singapore Dollar SEK - Swedish Krona USD - US Dollar KRW - Won PLN - Zloty No maximum 100,000 300,000 500,000 700,000 1,000,000 3,000,000 5,000,000 7,000,000 10,000,000 15,000,000 20,000,000 50,000,000 More Search Options | Maps RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES Select a Country Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Greece India Ireland Italy Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Poland Spain Sweden United Kingdom United States Venezuela COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES Select a Country Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Czech Republic Finland France India Ireland Italy Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Spain United Kingdom United States Venezuela WorldProperties.com is the official web site of the The International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA) , a Consortium of the world’s leading real estate associations committed to the right to own and transfer real property.  ICREA sets standards for international real estate practice and facilitates worldwide real estate transactions through its website, WorldProperties.com. Contact ICREA at consortium@realtors.org . Learn More About ICREA Who is ICREA? International Principles of Conduct Value to the Consumer Value to the Real Estate Practitioner Value to Real Estate Associations Joining ICREA Site Map |-- Find a Home | Find a Professional | ICREA Member Center | Country Information Contact ICREA | Email Technical Questions | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy . © 2002-2005 International Consortium of Real Estate Associations All rights reserved. *

Real Estate Broker License

California Department of Real Estate: Real Estate Broker License California Home DRE Home What's new About DRE Careers at DRE DRE Records Consumers Escrow Violations Examinees Licensees Subdivisions Real Estate Law Regulations Publications Forms FAQs Links Index Department of Real Estate My CA Real Estate Broker License indicates an item is in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Reader (or an Adobe Acrobat product) to view it. Click on the icon below to download a free copy of Adobe Reader. Click here for information about using Adobe Reader. Minimum Requirements to Apply for the Broker Exam and License To obtain a real estate broker license, you must first qualify for and pass a written examination. Those who pass the examination are provided a license application which must be submitted to and approved by the DRE. For complete statutory requirements and qualification patterns, see Instructions to License Applicants . Age : To apply for a license, you must be 18 years of age or older. Residence : License applicants must provide Proof of Legal Presence in the U.S. If not a California resident, see Out-of-State Applicants . Honesty : License applicants must be honest and truthful. Conviction of a crime may result in the denial of a license. Failure to disclose any criminal violation or disciplinary action in an applicant's entire history may also result in the denial of a license. For further information, see Help Avoid Denial of Your License Application and Application Eligibility Information (RE 222) . Experience : A minimum of two years full-time licensed salesperson experience within the last five years or the equivalent is required. For further information, see Documenting Experience Requirements for the Broker Examination . Education : Applicants for a real estate broker license examination must have successfully completed the following eight statutorily required college-level courses: Real Estate Practice Legal Aspects of Real Estate Real Estate Finance Real Estate Appraisal Real Estate Economics or Accounting And three* courses from the following group: Real Estate Principles Business Law Property Management Escrows Real Estate Office Administration Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate Advanced Real Estate Finance Advanced Real Estate Appraisal Computer Applications in Real Estate Common Interest Developments * If both Real Estate Economics and Accounting are taken, only two courses from the above group are required. Continuing education offerings do not satisfy the college-level course requirements for this examination. Each college-level course must be a minimum of three semester-units or four quarter-units. The courses must be completed prior to being scheduled for an examination. Copies of official transcripts are generally acceptable evidence of completed courses. Transcripts of other courses, submitted as an equivalent course of study in lieu of the statutory courses, must be accompanied by an official course or catalog description in order to be evaluated. Broker qualification courses must be completed at an institution of higher learning accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or by a comparable regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, or by a private real estate school which has had its courses approved by the California Real Estate Commissioner. Courses completed through foreign institutions of higher learning must be evaluated by a foreign credentials evaluation service approved by the Department of Real Estate. See Examination Applicant Foreign Education Information (RE 223) . NOTE: Applicants who have completed the eight college-level courses statutorily required for the broker examination and license are eligible to take the salesperson examination without providing further evidence of education or experience. Back to Top of Page Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Tech Problems 2003 State of California This page last modified on Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Land for Sale Final

Land for Sale UK | Self Build Land for Sale Home | Self Build | Buying Self Build Land | Planning & Building Information | Directory | Forum | Site Map | Buying Self Build Land Location Land Agents Land Auctions Assessing Building Land for Sale Final Checks Land for Sale - Information Plots of Land for Sale Plot Finder A Self Builders Experience of Buying Land Land for Sale UK There are two types of land for sale in terms of self build homes - land for sale with planning permission and land for sale without planning permission. Each type of land has pros and cons but ultimately it comes down to time and money. Land without planning permission Land for sale without planning permission is much cheaper than land with some type of planning permission . Buying a plot of land for sale without planning permission does carry an element of risk - in terms of self build it might be wise to consider this more of an investment rather than guaranteed building land. There are many companies offering land for sale without planning permission in areas of housing shortage, ripe for development and, in some cases, the government have specified green belt land for development. This type of land for sale is often referred to as strategic land. Strategic land for sale is often next to existing development and over time may become enveloped in the boundaries and may be considered for development. Once planning permission is gained the value of this land is much greater. A plot of land without planning permission may cost around £15,000. An equivalent plot of land with planning permission may be sold for around £100,000. The land may not be considered for development now, but with the UK government putting their foot down and forcing local councils to build more homes more land may be released or reconsidered at any time. A couple in London purchased a plot of land without planning permission - yet just seven weeks later Islington council had given planning consent! Plots of land for sale can never be guaranteed to get planning permission in the future - nor can it be guaranteed that the land will not gain it. There may be money to be saved and money to be made in the medium to long term from plots of land for sale without planning permission. Read a buyers experience of land for sale without planning permission Land with Planning Permission Land for sale is also available with planning permission . The planning permission may range from simple outline planning permission to detailed planning permission. The degree of planning permission is reflected in the price. A plot of land with planning permission is an easy, if costly route to ensuring that you can build on the land. But in the case of land with full detailed planning permission you need to be sure that the plans submitted match your plans for self build. This type of land is expensive and the end result may be far from your 'dream house'. If you purchase land that has outline planning permission this may give more scope to get your own plans approved, but there are no guarantees that the changes you propose will be accepted. When buying land for sale with planning permission it would be wise to have an informal chat to the planning authority to discuss your plans to see that they are not rejected. Read a buyers experience of land for sale with planning permission More on plots of land for sale...

Real Estate Loans

Real Estate Center RECON Newsletter Name: E-mail: Subscribe Unsubscribe It's Free. Texas Cities... Texas Real Estate Confidence Index 4th Qtr 2005 % Chg Last Qtr .60 -0.04 Apartment Complex Sold SAN ANTONIO (mysanantonio.com) – Blue Star Apartment Management Inc. has purchased Sutter’s Mill Apartment Homes at 11955 Parliament St. from Delta Court Apartments LLC and Tabor Villa LLC of San Francisco for an undisclosed price. More RECON » Holiday Gift Speaks Homebuyer's Language COLLEGE STATION, Texas Have a friend, neighbor or relative who is in the market forbuying or selling a house this holiday season? The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University has a unique gift idea for less than $10 a glossary of realestate terms that makes real estate transactions easier to understand. More » More News Releases » Events Calendar Season's Greetings ! The Real Estate Center will be closed from December 22, 2005 until January 2, 2006 for the holidays. Instructor Training Courses , May 18-19, College Station, Texas.The Legal Update and Ethics instructor training courses include credit for the required 3-hour Legal Update course and the required 3-hour Ethics course. In addition, each instructor training course will include a brief orientation to the teachers manuals for each course as well as a discussion of training issues.Registration will open in January 2006. More Event Information » What's New • Software Directory Updated • Austin Recovers • Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac? • Homeownership Programs • Urban Big Boxes • Is Texas Land Overpiced? • Housing Affordability Index Revised • Property Tax Court Cases • Brokerage-Related Cases • Growth of Texas Cities • Depreciable Land Improvements • Monthly Review of the Texas Economy (Oct.) • Texas Homebuyers Get More Home . . . • Video: Real Estate is an Attractive Investment • Video: Texas Foreclosure in Perspective • Real Estate Confidence Drops Slightly • Family Violence Victims . . . • Numbers Pop Housing Bubble Talk • It’s Going to Cost More to Keep Cool • Consumers: "More Informal Space" • Hang on After Boarding the Homebuying Ride • Beware of ‘Gotchas’ in Home Warranties • Can’t Stand the Heat, Retire Some Place Else • Hallelujah for Hardware Heaven • Why Builders Say Your House Costs So Much • Signing Away Mineral Rights Forever • Lust for Luxury • Young Buyers Making Big Impact • Home Threats are Closer Than You Think • Lamenting Fragmenting Publications Tierra Grande is our quarterly magazine with timely research and analysis of the trends and events shaping Texas real estate today. Experts on appraisal, housing , finance, law, demography, economics, investment and other areas share insights unavailable anywhere else. Terminology associated with home buying or renting can intimidate anyone. When one party’s native languageis Spanish and the other’s is not, communication can be extra challenging.The Real Estate Center’s newly revised English-Spanish Real Estate Glossary addresses this problem by defining 700 real estateterms in English and Spanish. Now also a software program on CD. Thinking about a real estate career? Click here for a free online copy of Obtaining a Texas Real Estate License . The report includes the steps to take, types of licenses, qualifications, required educational courses, getting credit for previous class work, who offers classes, fees and much more. The Real Estate Software Directory , updated for 2005, features 977 software packages from 617 companies. Created as a resource for anyone whose business relates to real estate, the directory describes programs that design advertising, evaluate budgets, manage contacts, generate legal forms, help with loans or create web pages. More publications » Solutions Through Research News :: Publications :: Data :: Software :: Education :: Cybersites :: Site Map Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas