Sell House

Boston.com / Real estate Buying Renting Recent sales Place an ad Luxury Living Community data Financing Commercial Moving Guides THE RIGHT LISTING AGENT Tips for home sellers to find a listing agent -- Interview at least three or four agents before making a choice. Sometimes a good agent can be found through recommendations from friends or relatives who have recently sold property. Many burrow their way through the Yellow Pages. Some pick up a name at the office water cooler or a health club. It's fine to happen onto names this way, as long as you follow up by screening candidates. Ask the right questions: • What is my home worth? The broker should prepare a market analysis recommending a selling price for your house. You should insist that the agents you interview provide detailed market information supporting whatever price they propose. You want to see "comparable sales" – that is, the selling prices of properties similar to yours, located in the same or similar neighborhoods, that have sold recently. You also want the agents to provide detailed information about current conditions in your market area. That information should include the average time properties are on the market before they sell, and a listing of homes similar to yours that are for sale. How are those homes priced and how does the broker explain the speed – or lack of speed – with which they are selling? You are not going to select the broker who recommends the highest selling price, tempting though that may be; you're going to select the one who seems most knowledgeable about your market, who gives you the most realistic assessment of how much you should ask for your house, and who can articulate the factors that are likely to enhance or impede its sale prospects. • What is your marketing plan for my home? Insist that the brokers you interview submit a comprehensive marketing plan, explaining precisely what steps they plan to take to sell your home. The plan should specify, among other details: - How, where, and how often the broker will advertise your property. Bear in mind that the major daily newspapers are not the only, or necessarily the best, advertising media. Depending on the property, the location and the market, community newspaper, direct mail and even handbills may be equally appropriate. - Will your broker list your house in the Multiple Listing Service, and if so, when? (The answers should be, "yes," and immediately after the agreement is signed.) - Will the broker hold one or more open houses for other brokers to introduce them to the property? (Definitely a good idea.) - How many buyer open houses will the broker host and how will those be advertised? - What repairs or improvements, if any, does the broker think will be needed? You should be concerned if the broker recommends a gut rehab, but listen carefully to suggestions that you do some repainting, trim the hedges, and repair broken railings. • What are the terms of the contract? Once you've selected your broker, pay careful attention to the terms of the listing contract. Make sure it obligates the broker to implement the key components of the marketing plan and allows you to terminate the agreement if the broker fails to do what the plan specifies. You also want to require the broker to report periodically, preferably in writing. Don't agree to an unnecessarily long listing term. TYPES OF CONTRACTS Exclusive right to sell. Most sellers use this. One agent is assigned your property to sell; if that listing broker sells the property, he or she gets the whole commission. If another agent sells, the commission is shared, usually equally. Exclusive agency listing. One agency gets the contract, but if you sell the property, you don't pay a commission. The disadvantage is that brokers may lose some incentive to sell, since you are competing with them. Open listing. Anyone can sell, including the owner, with only the selling broker getting a commission. Some brokers may want you to commit to a six-month listing, but you shouldn't accept a term any longer than 90 days. You always can renew a listing if you're satisfied with the broker's efforts. Also make sure you understand the listing terms. Most brokers will require what is known as an "exclusive agency" agreement. That means the broker will be entitled to a commission if the house is sold any time during the listing period (and for a specified period of time after it expires), even if the broker is not directly responsible for the sale. You should expect to pay a commission of around 6 percent. Although the fee is negotiable, as a practical matter, you won't find too much variation. • What are your references? Rarely do those signing on with a real estate agent check references the way they would when hiring an office employee. Any prospective agent should provide references readily. Goyeau said you should ask any reference you call, "Would you hire this agent again?" To gather accurate information on an agent, limit the references you use to those who have worked with the agent within the previous two years. "The agent could have been great five years ago, but slacked off lately for a variety of reasons," said Joan McLellan Tayler, the author of two real estate books. • Show me the statistics. Brokers should be able to present prospective clients with a computer printout that shows the number of sales they had in the last 12 months, the listing price, the selling price, and the length the homes stayed on the market, said Carol Brenner of Carol Brenner Realty in Newton Highlands. The difference between the initial listing price and the final selling price should be no more than five or 10 percent, she said. Also, an average home should not be on the market for more than three months, she said. What to look for in an agent: • A good reputation. Verify the reputation as well as the competence of any agent with whom you deal, so check with both the Board of Registration for Real Estate Brokers and Salesmen and the Better Business Bureau to see if there is a history of complaints against the broker or the broker's firm. Also contact friends, acquaintances and references the broker provides. "Sellers should look at the reputation of the firm and the integrity of the agent to be sure they are represented ethically and professionally," said Nora F. Moran, former president of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. • Certification from a professional organization. There are a lot of real estate agents in the field, but not all of them are "Realtors," and you want to deal only with agents who have that (R) designation. That indicates the agent belongs to the National Association of Realtors, which implies a level of professional training and commitment, and adherence to ethical standards that you can't otherwise assume. Ask brokers if they have "board designations," or certification from professional organizations. For example, CRS stands for certified residential specialist, and is the toughest level to achieve in residential sales. It's awarded by the Residential Sales Council, a group with the National Association of Realtors, and requires the completion of course and a certain level of experience. The National Association of Realtors also certifies brokers as having completed the GRI – graduate realtor institute – a less-arduous set of courses, brokers say. • Someone you feel comfortable with. When choosing a broker to list a home with, you need someone you feel comfortable with, said John Neale, a broker with Sprogis Real Estate in the South End. "If you get a good feeling from a broker, a buyer is going to get that same good feeling, too. That's going to help you sell your house," he said. • An agent who specializes in your community. You could hire a perfectly good agent from across town. But unless that agent is well-known in your area, he may fail to fulfill the potential of your home sale. Why? Because real estate is a cooperative profession, and the odds are good it will be a local agent who brings you the right buyer for the best price and terms. More tips: • Try to work in concert with the agent you choose. Homeowners are sometimes resistant to the suggestions of their listing agents on matters as basic as keeping their property clean and their beds made. A capable, committed agent is worthy of your respect and cooperation. As Tayler explained, "The relationship between an agent and a client is supposed to be a partnership. That's how you sell your property fast and for top dollar." • Consider asking for an agent who meets your specific needs. Are you a young mother compelled to sell your home due to a divorce? Then perhaps you'd be most comfortable working with an agent who has a similar background. Likewise, a senior might wish to seek an older agent who understands the art of downsizing. One way to locate an agent whose background mirrors your needs is to call the owner, broker or sales manager of a realty office in your area. Be candid about your situation and ask for several names, said Tayler, who operated her own real estate company for 17 years. • Don't give your business to someone as a favor. With more than a half-million Americans involved in real estate sales, chances are you have a friend or relative in the field. Don't engage an agent solely on the basis of friendship or to do a favor. There's too much at stake. This article was compiled from the Boston Globe archives. feedback | help | site map | advertising | globe archives | rss © 2006 The New York Times Company Real Estate Guide - Massachusetts Home Builder - New Home Construction

Real Estate Prices

Hawaii Real Estate Central - Honolulu Board of REALTORS Third Quarter 2005 Median Sales Prices by Area Island of Oahu, State of Hawaii, USA T he Median Prices shown in the chart below are the prices paid for existing residential properties reported sold through our Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system during the stated time period. The columns labeled Change indicate the direction of price change from the prior time period (NC is no change). (Click HERE for the most recent ANNUAL prices.) GEOGRAPHIC AREA SINGLE FAMILY HOMES Change CONDOMINIUMS Change Entire Island $ 615,000 $ 280,000 Metro Oahu (Town) $ 730,000 $ 270,000 Diamond Head $ 930,000 $ 500,000 Hawaii Kai $ 925,000 $ 543,500 Kailua $ 862,000 $ 395,000 Kaneohe $ 690,000 $ 350,000 North Shore $ 880,000 $ 466,500 Central Oahu $ 565,000 $ 280,000 Leeward Coast $ 354,600 $ 160,000 Ewa Plain $ 512,000 $ 270,100 Makakilo $ 587,000 $ 285,000 Waipahu $ 549,500 $ 279,000 Pearl City $ 565,000 $ 242,500 Median Sales Price means the midpoint of sales prices, where half of the sales were at prices above the given amount and half were below. Click OAHU MAP to view the geographical references used above. Honolulu Board of REALTORS 1136 12th Avenue, Suite 200 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 USA Phone: 808-732-3000 Fax: 808-732-8732 Email: hbradmin@hicentral.com 1995-2005 Honolulu Board of REALTORS. All rights reserved. Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Real Estate Investing Sites

Real Estate Investing and Information Sites THE SOURCE FOR INFORMATION ON FORECLOSURE OUR MOST POPULAR PAGES Bank Foreclosures - REO Pre-Foreclosure Homes Foreclosure Help Foreclosures Discussion Real Estate Investing Sites FORECLOSURE ARTICLES Ready to Invest? Foreclosure Investing 101 Foreclosure Investing 111 Buying at Trustee's Sale Finding Foreclosures Determining Property Value Real Estate Foreclosures FORECLOSURE RESOURCES CA Foreclosure Time-Line Investment Tools Sources for Comps CA County Resources Real Estate Definitions INFORMATION & LINKS Foreclosure Industry Links Avoiding Foreclosure Scams Equity Buyout Scams Trustees and Posting Co.'s "How To" Information Curb Appeal Importance HOME MAIL Real Estate Investing and Information The following sites provide a wide variety of articles and information about property, mortgage notes and various legal aspects related to the purchase of real property. Many sites will have articles specific to their area of expertise, some will have discussion boards where you can ask questions and receive specific answers. Innovest Resource Management Training for the purchase of foreclosure property. Includes Foreclosure Forum discussion board . Foreclosure Focus - New Jersey A discussion board specific to New Jersey foreclosure International Real Estate Digest The World's Foremost On-line Real Estate Magazine National Mortgage Note & Contract Buyer We pay premium prices for 1st lien position real notes and contracts, nationwide. All property types. We pay all closing costs and related fees. Free online or phone-in quotes. LegalWiz.com Bill Bronchick's site, good information and articles. Real Estate ABC The ABC's of Real Estate and Finance. Solid Information. Real Estate Center Texas A&M's Site, be sure to check their publications link. Real Estate Link.net Information and tools. Includes Discussion Boards . The Real Estate Library Foreclosure based, information and articles. Includes Foreclosure Talk discussion board. The Paper Game All about notes and investing. Lots of articles. Realtor.com The Official Internet Site of the National Association of REALTORS Yahoo! Their Real Estate section. Some good tools available. The Carlton Sheets Alternative An inexpensive guide to property purchase and resale Simply Foreclosures A free beginning guide to foreclosure investing Remove your mortgage PMI & Save $$$ RE/MAX College Park Realty Providing Services to Los Angeles & Orange County. 4 Convenient Locations to serve you. Southern California Appraisal Services Real Estate Appraisal If you have found other quality sites providing interesting information and articles that you feel should be included on this page, please forward the site address to relinks@all-foreclosure.com Sites are first considered for the quality of the information available on the site, then by how appropriate the information is for a wide audience. Sites specific to a small community, even if they have very good information on the community probably won't be included due to the limited applicability of the information. Statewide type information sites are much more likely to be appropriate for a wide audience, specifically information for Texas, California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio and other high population states. All sites are manually reviewed, but will not necessarily be included.

Texas Land Trusts Top

TPWD: News Release — Nov. 24, 2003/Texas Land Trusts Top 1-Million Mark in Acres Conserved Maincontent Local Navigation print friendly search Regulations Publications Outdoor Learning Kids Game Warden Grants Get Involved Shop FAQ Calendar Español Experience Texas Fishing & Boating State Parks & Destinations Hunting & Wildlife Land & Water Doing Business Home Land & Water Land Private Tltc News Articles Links: What's a Lone Star Land Steward? Preserving Texas's Cultural Heritage Turning Brownfields Green Private Landowners Wildlife/Agricultural Tax Exemption Nov. 24, 2003 Texas Land Trusts Top 1-Million Mark in Acres Conserved AUSTIN, Texas -- Private landowners working with Texas land trusts have now conserved more than 1,307,681 acres of land, according to new statistics from the Texas Land Trust Council. The new acreage total sets another record, an increase from last year’s record total of 995,122 acres, a figure roughly comparable to the size of the entire Texas State Parks system. There are 39 land trusts in Texas. Some are national organizations with active Texas chapters, such as The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land. But most are regional groups unique to Texas, such as the Katy Prairie Conservancy and the Valley Land Fund. “Land trusts have sometimes been behind-the-scenes players, working quietly but effectively to protect open space and wildlife habitat,” said Robert L. Cook, TPWD executive director. “But today the visibility and conservation role of land trusts in our state is growing. These organizations are increasingly important to private landowners who are looking for help to address our biggest threat to wildlife, which is loss of habitat.” According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s 1997 National Resources Inventory, Texas led the nation during the 1990s in converting rural prairies, forests and coastline into shopping centers and houses, farms and factories. Texas loses about 283 square miles of rural open space to development each year. Land trusts join ranchers and other landowners together to combat these threats, and they represent the fastest growing conservation movement today, according to Carolyn Vogel, who works with the Texas Land Trust Council at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “With Texans searching for ways to address conservation at the local level, the number of land trusts has multiplied with 22 new land trusts established in Texas in the past 12 years,” she said. The Protected Lands Inventory Survey asked Texas land trust members about acres conserved in their operating area, conservation methods used, and conservation purposes such as providing wildlife habitat or protecting water quality. Lands conserved include cactus-studded deserts, mile-high mountains, sunny coasts and dense forests. “Today Texas has close to 21 million people,” said John Hamilton, Texas Land Trust Council board president. “In 25 years, the population is expected to grow by 50 percent to more than 30 million people. Our open spaces are under tremendous stress that is only going to multiply.” For a directory of Texas land trusts, plus information about tools such as conservation easements and links to other resources, see the Texas Land Trust Council Web pages ( http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/private/tltc/ ). TH 11/24/2003 Contact Us | Help | Accessibility | Media | Site Policies | Complaints | Intranet | State of Texas | TRAILS Search | TexasOnline | Compact with Texans Texas Parks and Wildlife Department , 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744 Toll Free: (800) 792-1112, Austin: (512) 389-4800 Content of this site © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department unless otherwise noted. Last modified: October 12, 2005, 12:46 pm

real estate listings. You

Missouri Real Estate MultiList - Homes, Land, Farms and Commercial Property For Sale Missouri Real Estate MultiList Homes, Land, Farms and Commercial Property For Sale Search Missouri MLS Real Estate For Sale Search for Real Estate in other states Home List of Agencies Agencies By City Agencies By County Missouri Info Real Estate Services Interesting Links Contact Us U.S. Lots Visit Our Blog! Welcome to the Missouri Real Estate MultiList - an independent searchable MLS database for Homes, Land, Farms and Commercial Property. The Missouri MultiList contains a wide selection of Missouri homes, land, farms and commercial property for sale . Search listings from many different MO Real Estate Agencies - farms, ranches, land, homes, rural, commercial property. We have Southern, Southeast, Southwest, Northern, Northeast, Northwest and Central real estate for sale in Missouri. Under the description of each listing, we provide a website link to the listing agency having the property listed. We encourage you to visit the individual agency web sites having properties you might be interested in, or you can request information directly from the information page on each real estate listings. You can find additional local area information and Missouri Maps and Information on the many agency sites listed here. Thanks for visiting the Missouri Realestate MultiList . If you have questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Real Estate Term of the Day for Thursday, December 29, 2005 Net Effective Income: The borrower's gross income minus federal income tax. Link to Us ©1998-2005 U.S. Cybertek, Inc., All Rights Reserved U.S. Cybertek, Inc. 350 W A. Suite #104, Casper, WY 82601 Phone: 417-967-2011 Website: http://www.uscybertek.com E-mail: webmaster@uscybertek.com The Missouri Real Estate Multi List, is an advertising resource for real estate agencies and is not involved in any real estate transaction. "Missouri Real Estate MultiList" and "Missouri MultiList" are Trademarks of U.S. Cybertek, Inc. Real Estate MultiList