Selling home on your

Alaska Journal of Commerce: Selling home on your own can prove costly 04/22/02 [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Home Focus In this Issue Calendar Bulletin Board Movers & Shakers Business History Archive Around the World Legals Viewpoint Profile Cartoons Contact Us Advertise with us Subscribe About Us Classified ADs Oil & Gas Special Sections Wealthbuilders Fish Factor Travel Insight Property Wise Tech Watch Law Page Philanthropy Health Book of Lists -5° 17° 9° 8° 27° 33° 35° 41° 44° 39° 35° Choose City Anchorage Barrow Bethel Cordova Deadhorse Denali Park Dillingham Dutch Harbor Fairbanks Galena Haines Homer Juneau Kenai Ketchikan Kodiak Kotzebue McGrath Nenana Paxson Petersburg Pribilof Islands Sitka Skagway Soldotna Talkeetna Valdez Wrangell Yakutat Email Newsletter Palm Pilot Delivery Letter to the editor Comments Locate a copy [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] 042202 prop_wise 2 Alaska Journal of Commerce Late night television and local radio programming is rife with infomercials and advertisements touting how easy it is to buy and sell your houses, buildings and businesses all by yourself and save staggering amounts of money to boot. -- Web posted Monday, April 22, 2002 Selling home on your own can prove costly By Ken Jelinek For the Journal Late night television and local radio programming is rife with infomercials and advertisements touting how easy it is to buy and sell your houses, buildings and businesses all by yourself and save staggering amounts of money to boot. They can be rather insulting to those of us in the real estate industry because they attempt to make us sound unnecessary, unethical and expensive. But the fact is, you really can do it yourself successfully. Cynically speaking, however, you can also fix your own car, generate your own electricity, defend yourself in court, trade your own stocks and never visit a doctor. You could probably do your neighbor's job too. One day, when everything is perfectly computerized and digital, you probably won't need a real estate agent. But for now, for the rest of us, we need the help, and that help is going to cost us. So, before you go spiraling off in your declaration of independence, ask yourself, "If it's really so easy, then why aren't all real estate transactions conducted without an agent?" You might also ask yourself if you would want to eliminate the real estate agent and take on all of his or her responsibilities when you are already bogged down with your own life in general, and especially if you haven't done it enough to do it right or do it well? Then, listen closely to your answers because we professionals in the industry are often patching up real estate transactions gone sour behind the well-meaning do-it-yourselfers. Keep in mind that I'm referring to all professionals in the industry including agents, attorneys, loan originators, title officers, processors, surveyors, tax assessors, appraisers and inspectors. But I'm referring specifically to the agent because he or she is the center in this wheel. Nationally, only three to five of every 100 home sales consists of successful "For Sale by Owner" transactions. The vast majority of those that attempt it end up hiring an agent within the first 30 days after they have realized the true cost, time and demands required for marketing and showing a home. Locally, the statistics indicate 15-17 percent of FSBOs are successful. While there are a lot of reasons for this, one of the main ones is that we have a robust seller's market with relatively low inventory. This can be quite tempting for sellers to strike out on their own because it looks easier than it is. But even the owners that sell their own homes usually sell to a buyer who has an agent paid for by the seller. The truth is that the vast majority of all real estate transactions are completed with agents involved on at least one side of the sale, and for this reason, most transactions go very smoothly. But sometimes they don't. One recent seller took the advice of a local FSBO program on pricing his home. Several programs will give you limited service for a set fee. He put an ad in the paper and sold it within three days. When the appraisal report came back he learned that he priced his home too low but was still committed to that price. Sure, he might have saved 6 or 7 percent in brokerage fees but he lost a lot more than that to the happy buyer because his FSBO consultant didn't know the market well enough. In a similar incident, a very excited couple heard of a perfect home on the market For Sale By Owner in their neighborhood. The sellers told them that they didn't want to pay any brokerage fees and proceeded to negotiate down the asking price by $9,000, which made the buyers feel special. A market analysis revealed that the starting price was already about $10,000 too high. And yet, it's going to be sold at the same market price to the buyers whether or not they have an agent paid by the seller. Recently a buyer made an offer on a duplex that was accepted with a counteroffer to increase the earnest money. Both buyer and seller agreed verbally and the only thing lacking was the buyer's signature on that change. In the meantime, the seller sold the duplex to a second buyer to get a higher price and quicker closing. He now has two accepted offers on the same property at the same time. Which party in this potential lawsuit would you like to be? Not all sellers innocently try to save money on real estate commissions. Some choose to "overlook" disclosing pertinent and sometimes legally required information to buyers because doing so might lower the final sales price or prohibit a sale indefinitely because they can't afford to fix a deficiency. How would you protect yourself without the watchful eye of an expert? Agents usually take on quite a bit of risk in marketing your house for sale or driving you around looking at homes to buy. They pay for everything up front and often don't get paid until the day it is recorded, which makes him or her, actually, quite a bargain. On the other hand, you could do it yourself. Ken Jelinek is an associate broker with RE/MAX Properties in Anchorage. He can be reached at 907-257-0196. [an error occurred while processing this directive] © 2004 The Alaska Journal of Commerce and Morris Communications Corp.

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VA Loans (Veteran's Affair Loan) contact us home Useful VA Loan Information More than 29 million veterans and service personnel are eligible to receive VA loans. The federal government recently improved the VA loan program, which makes the program even more attractive to our nation's veterans. The changes enacted in Dec. 2004 have increased the loan limit to $359,650, tied the future loan limit to a fluctuating index, and reinstated VA adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs). The VA ARMs will feature interest rate adjustments on an annual basis, which will be limited to a maximum increase or decrease of 1 percentage point. In addition, the interest rate increases are limited to a maximum of 5 percentage points over the life of the loan. The increase in the VA loan guaranty amount comes at an appropriate time for the nation's veterans. While national home prices have appreciated nearly 75 percent since 1995, the VA guaranty amount has only experienced one increase of approximately 18 percent since that time. The U.S. national average purchase price for a single-family home reached $264,540 in October 2004, according to figures released by the Federal Housing Finance Board. This figure is more than 10% over the maximum that lenders were previously willing to provide for a VA loan. With the new VA loan guaranty increase, most lenders will be willing to loan a maximum of $359,650, which indicates that more veterans will now be able to afford a home at the national average purchase price. Veteran's Affair Loan Advice If you are looking to get additional advice regarding a VA Loan, or if you want to speak with someone about prequalifying or even refinancing your home with a VA Loan, you can visit the VA Mortgage Center . They specialize in Veteran's Loans and can assist you through the entire process. They can even prequalify you online. The VA mortgage Center is not associated with the Government's Veteran's program, but they do specialize in VA Loans and can help you get the best rates and advice on your loan. You can also visit the Veteran's Affair Home Page which is the official site for Veteran's Affair Programs. This site will give you additional information regarding the loan, but will not be able to actually help you obtain or get pre-approved for a loan. However, you can find some financial forms at the Veterans Affairs Administration site. Other VA sites: Veterans can more advice on VA Loans and VA Refinances from bankrate . The site can help answer any questions you may have including interest rate questions as well as advice you on whether or not a refinance is your best option. Other sites such as Military Connections.com have some information regarding various benefits and you can find a VA Benefit List that gives Veteran's a list of benefits including information about VA Loans. The VA site also has information about the GI Bill or you can get information about Canada's Veterans Programs . Mortgages VA Loans Home Loans Debt Consolidation Refinancing Apply Now!

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Bob Bruss Real Estate Center An Audio Message from Bob Bruss Subscribe to Bob's Weekly e-mail update and get this Free Report: 2005 Realty Tax Tips: 8 Chapters of Tax Savings for Homeowners and Investors First Name: Primary E-mail Address: >> Order Bob’s Special Real Estate Reports only $4.95 each! >> Ask Bob a Real Estate Question >> Subscribe to Bob’s Newsletters NEW REPORT! “Foreclosure and Distress Property Profit Secrets” >> Order Why pay upwards of $300 per hour for real estate legal, tax or investment advice? Bob Bruss, America’s most trusted real estate expert, offers Special Reports on a wide range of real estate topics for less than $5.00 each! Bob’s columns appear in over 150 newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. Bob draws on more than 25 years of real estate writing, teaching and investing to bring you unbiased information that will help you make smart real estate decisions. Click above & get a free 6-month newsletter subscription! Bob's Notebook SIX KEY REAL ESTATE NEGOTIATION TIPS FOR BUYERS, SELLERS Determining other party's motivation paramount to success The year 2005 has been very good for most property owners and realty sales agents. Home sales prices appreciated handsomely in most communities and the sales volume of new and resale homes were near-record. But 2006 promises to be more "normal" as mortgage interest rates slowly rise, resulting in a modest new home construction volume decline with a corresponding residence market value appreciation and sales volume slowing. Having been through many real estate market ups and downs over almost four decades, both as an investor, sales broker, and realty writer, I've learned that success in a slowing real estate market requires paying greater attention to negotiation skills. NEGOTIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO NEGOTIATE . As a lifelong student of real estate negotiation techniques, because there is always more to learn, I've discovered it usually is a waste of time to attempt to negotiate with people who are not highly motivated to make a change. Most experienced real estate agents hate the situation when a home seller lists their desirable property for sale with a top price but they really don't have a good motivation for selling. These sellers often have the attitude "If we can get our price, we'll sell. Otherwise, we won't sell." Their homes often take "forever" to sell. But in 2005, many homes sold for above their asking prices because buyers wanted to purchase more than sellers wanted to sell. A strong motivation for many buyers was to beat the long-predicted rise in home mortgage interest rates. The result was a "seller's market" in many communities with more qualified buyers than motivated sellers. However, as the number of residence listings for sale has risen recently and is expected to continue rising in early 2006, especially after the customary holiday 2005 year-end lull in home sales, many real estate economists are predicting a more normal balance of motivated sellers and buyers. The result should put a premium on negotiation skills for home buyers and sellers, as well as their realty agents, to conclude successful sales. HOW TO ACHIEVE A SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION . Whatever your role in a home sale, as buyer, seller or realty agent, you can't ask too many questions. Of course, the best negotiators inquire in a friendly manner interjected with compliments. Here are the six key questions to get answered for a successful home sale negotiation: 1. WHY IS THE SELLER SELLING THIS LOVELY HOME? One way or another, successful home buyers and their realty agents need the answer to this key question so the buyer can make a purchase offer which meets the seller's needs (of course, buyers should leave out the word "lovely" if the place is a dump!). As a long-time investor in rental houses, and my personal residences, I always try to tailor my purchase offers to meet the seller's needs (and mine too). For example, several years ago I bought a house from an elderly lady who was retiring. So I offered her 10 percent cash down payment and a 90 percent seller carryback mortgage to provide for her retirement income. When she saw my offer and how much she would receive from my payment each month, she accepted (although the listing agent previously told me she wouldn't carry back any mortgage financing). Another time a listing agent told me the retired sellers of an "el dumpo" house were living in a boarding house and needed cash. As a result, I figured they wanted an all-cash sale so I arranged 100 percent financing at a community bank. The sellers immediately accepted my low purchase price offer for cash. 2. WHAT WAS THE HOME SELLER'S PURCHASE PRICE? Buyers who don't find out the answer to this key question, either from the listing agent or their buyer's agent, are at a severe negotiation disadvantage. Here's why: If the seller purchased the home many years ago for a low purchase price compared to today's market value, that seller has lots of negotiation room. However, if the home seller bought within the last few years for a price not far from today's market value, there isn't much negotiation flexibility. Of course, if the seller has a high-motivation reason for selling, as disclosed by the answer to the first question, even a recent home buyer is often willing to sell in a quick sale for close to the seller's purchase price. Such a situation is an ideal candidate for the buyer to take over payments on the current mortgage with the lender's permission. 3. DOES THE OTHER PARTY HAVE A TIME DEADLINE? This is a question both home buyer and seller should ask of their realty agent. To illustrate, if one party has a job transfer, then purchase or sale of the home can be very important. But if the seller is moving to a retirement residence, time usually isn't so critical. However, if the seller already bought another home and needs to sell the current home to produce the down payment, then closing time is ultra-important. As experienced real estate agents know, the worst home buyers and sellers are those without any time deadlines. Those folks can take forever to make decisions. 4. HAS THE SELLER OBTAINED A PROFESSIONAL HOME INSPECTION REPORT? Today's smartest real estate agents suggest their sellers obtain a professional inspection report at the time of listing the home for sale. Then the seller is fully aware of most home defects and can either have the defect repaired or fully disclose it to prospective buyers, thus averting future lawsuits. Sharp home purchasers, and their buyer's agents, understand this trend. When a buyer is seriously interested in a house, always ask if the seller has already obtained a professional inspection the buyer can review before making a purchase offer. Even if the seller has obtained customary professional inspection reports, smart buyers should always include in their purchase offers a contingency clause for the buyer's approval of their own inspection report obtained at the buyer's expense. Most states now have some form of required seller disclosure statement revealing known home defects. However, many sellers are not aware of all their home's defects, or they might "forget" to disclose a defect. The old days of "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) have disappeared. Today, the new rule seems to be "let the home seller beware of the buyer and his lawyer." 5. WHAT IS THE BUYER'S MOTIVATION TO PURCHASE MY HOME? Just as home buyers need to know the seller's reason for selling, to create a harmonious negotiation situation, home sellers should ask why the buyer wants to purchase. Of course, there are many home purchase reasons. However, if the buyer has indicated a key reason why that particular house is under consideration, such as its great condition, outstanding school district, or need to move in quickly, the seller can use that information to enhance their negotiation position. 6. ASK AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION, SUCH AS WHAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE MAKING A DECISION? There are many variations of this question home sellers and buyers can ask, especially of their real estate agents. To illustrate, a home buyer might ask their buyer's agent "What else should I know about this house?" Or the seller might ask their listing agent "If you were in my situation, would you accept or counteroffer the buyer's purchase offer?" SUMMARY : When negotiating a home sale, sellers and buyers can't ask too many questions to enhance their negotiation position. The prime reason is to determine how motivated the other party is to buy or sell. If there is weak motivation, you aren't in a strong negotiation situation. However, if the other party is highly motivated, then you are in a strong circumstance to negotiate your strongest price and terms. More details are in my special report, "How to Become a Super-Successful Real Estate Negotiator," available for $5 from Robert Bruss, 251 Park Road, Burlingame, CA 94010 or by credit card at 1-800-736-1736 or instant Internet PDF delivery at www.bobbruss.com . Back to top © 2005 Inman News Home | Real Estate Reports | Real Estate Newsletter | About Bob Bruss | Site Map

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COLORADO SPRINGS REAL ESTATE, REMAX CONNECTIONS, ANN HEIRING - MILITARY REBATE, FREE ACCESS TO ALL AREA MLS HOME LISTINGS - RELOCATION SERVICE, FORT CARSON, PETERSON AFB, SCHRIEVER AFB, CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, MONUMENT, WOODLAND PARK, BLACK FOREST! Select Page About Me Airlines Listings Search Calculators Auto Rental Census Info Churches Colleges & Schools Colorado Info Community Info Consumer Links Cost of Living Custom Homes El Paso County Free Reports Home Finder Hotels/Motels Gazette News Golf Jobs Links Link To Me Loan & Lender Info Military - Local Moving - REMAX Map/Neighborhoods Newsletter Outdoors Property Inquiry RE Links Report Cards Resource Center Restaurants Seller Tips Sports State Parks Tourist Info Useful Tools Visitors Bureau Europe Trip Ski Colorado Realtor Network Colorado Springs Real Estate & Relocation All Pikes Peak Area Neighborhoods & Subdivisions, incl. Black Forest, Monument, Woodland Park, Manitou Springs, Fort Carson, Peterson AFB, Schriever AFB, Cheyenne Mountain AS & the Air Force Academy Be sure to check drop-down menu above for extensive, local information (Register for free and easy access to ALL Colorado Springs regional MLS property listings) * Free Buyer Agency - Military Appreciation Rebate & On-Call Service * The Colorado Springs area is in strong growth with over 4000 new construction and resale homes on the market in all neighborhoods and price ranges. Specializing in Internet relocation (incl. corp & mil) assisting customers from around the world settle in our beautiful Rocky Mountain foothills. * * * * * Let me know what you're looking for, and I will start by emailing you MLS links to properties that match your requirements! * * * * * Presold homes or new construction - working with me guarantees you professional service provided with integrity and genuine care! * * * * * No matter what your current location may be - I will oversee every detail of your Colorado Springs property transaction from this end ! * * * * * * * * * * Send me an email if you are moving/retiring to Colorado Springs - or PCS'ing to Carson, Peterson, Schriever, Cheyenne Mountain or the Academy ! * * * * * *Dream Vacation Info* Re / Max Ann Heiring, Realtor "Heiring & Associates" GRI, ABR, Notary Public Member, Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Re / Max 100% Club Re / Max President's Club Re / Max Executive Club Multi-Million Dollar Producer Toll Free Cell: 800-246-8978 Local Cell: 719-440-1010 (Same day response - usually within hours !) Re / Max Connections, Inc. 6825 Silver Ponds Heights, Colorado Springs, CO 80908 * * LOAN INFO * * Hoping to Help You Find Your Dream Home ! Visit My Newsletter Real Estate Agents Directory Real Estate Agents Directory. Find Real Estate Agents, Reall-Estate-Agents.com offices and real estate related services. Colorado Real Estate Please email me at: info@annheiring.com All Copy Rights Reserved ! Relocation Network & Partners Click here to link with this site! Web Site Design and Hosting Provided By: Advanced Access © 1998-2005

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Countrywide Financial - Real Estate Mortgage Lender - Home Loans - Equity Loan Mortgages contact us | careers | sitemap | help | log in Homepage Home Loans Home Loans Main Page Today's Rates Purchase a Home Refinance Your Home Use Your Home Equity Less Than Perfect Credit Loans en Español Start Your Application Calculators Your Home Loans Accounts Customer Service Banking Banking Main Page Today's Rates Certificates of Deposit (CD's) Money Market Accounts Savings Accounts View All Banking Products Open an Account Your Banking Accounts Financial Centers Insurance Insurance Main Page Homeowners Condo Home Warranty Life Disability Auto Health Commercial Employee Benefits Other Products Planning for Life Insurance Checkup Get a Quote Your Insurance Policies Your Accounts With over 35 years of service and one of the widest selections of loan programs , Countrywide Home Loans is an expert at finding solutions for all kinds of situations. log in to manage all of your Countrywide accounts username: password: destination: my account summary my home loans make a payment view transactions view loan details view statement my banking view account details my insurance view account details register | help forgot password forgot username Find more ways to : See what our customers are saying. purpose: Purchase Refinance Home Equity loan amount: property ZIP code: ZIP code finder Check today's high yield CD and Money Market rates Compare your rate Compare your coverage Get a free online quote home insurance calculator rate watch home loan calculators learn about our loans your credit report I want to: Purchase a home Refinance my home Use my home equity Click here to learn more about our great CD rates. SPECIAL ALERT: If you live in the areas affected by hurricanes, and need information regarding loans-in-process, new loans, or information on your account, please log in or call our customer service line: 1-800-669-6607. Click here for FAQs . PURCHASE REFINANCE HOME EQUITY for more information about new loans 1-800-556-9568 LESS THAN PERFECT CREDIT Countrywide Home Loans' Full Spectrum® Lending Division 1-800-871-1756 Customer service on existing loans 1-800-669-6607 BANKING top CD and money market rates , compare rates and terms 1-800-817-4383 INSURANCE homeowners , home warranty , auto , life , individual health , disability , commercial and employee benefits 1-800-262-4240 Countrywide Financial offers these products through our family of companies.* home loans | less than perfect credit loans | home loans en español | we house america | banking | insurance | investments | your accounts | log in contact us | site map | about us | investor relations | careers | privacy and security | licenses and registrations Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. and Countrywide Bank, N.A. are Equal Housing Lenders. ©Countrywide Financial Corporation. Trade/service marks are the property of Countrywide Financial Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. If you use a pop-up blocker, you should disable it while using our sites. * Countrywide Financial offers these products through our family of companies. Home Loans provided by Countrywide Home Loans; Banking services provided by Countrywide Bank, N.A., member FDIC; Insurance services provided by Countrywide Insurance Services, Investment Services provided by Countrywide Investment Services.