Real Estate Broker Won't
Smartmoney.com: Consumer Action: Ten Things Your Real Estate Broker Won't Tell You Thursday December 29, 2005 3:28 PM ET U.S. Markets close in: :32 Search (choose an option below) Quote Charting Earnings Ratings Competition Financials Profile Key Statistics Insiders Site Search News (Enter Symbol) advanced search SmartMoney Select My Portfolio Tools Maps Stocks Advanced Trading Funds ETFs Personal Finance Autos Career Journal College Planning Debt Management Health Care Insurance Life LTC Insurance Real Estate Retirement Tax Guide Economy & Bonds Small Business SmartMoney TV SmartMoney Magazine SmartMoney University Business Travel Technology SmartMoney Mobile Holiday Survival Guide Select Homepage Stock Screener Market Map 1000 Fund Screener Stock Compare Fund Map 1000 Fund Compare XStream Quotes More... 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Editor's Picks Features Ten Things Real-Life Index Advertisement 4.25% APY with hsbcdirect.com Online Savings. Earn 8X the national savings average and make money into big money. No minimums. No monthly fees. Member FDIC. Email This Story Print This Story Save This Story Send Us Your Comments Add this column to your News Alerts (New!) 1. "Your open house is really a party for me." Hire a real estate broker to sell your home and one of the first things he'll likely suggest is hosting an open house, so potential buyers can casually check out your property on a weekend afternoon. While open houses are promoted as a great way of finding a buyer, a National Association of Realtors study found that their success rate is a mere 2%. No matter. Having an open house serves another important purpose — for the broker. "It gives him a database of clients," says Sean McNeill, an independent real estate broker based in New York City who says that he doesn't like open houses, preferring to match clients with appropriate buyers. "At open houses, you get all kinds of people walking in. Some are [trying] to see how much they should sell their own places for; others just want to get a look at what's out there." All are perfect pickings for a broker looking to increase his roster of buyers and sellers. "Think about it," McNeill says. "The broker is devoting a couple hours of a weekend. He won't do that unless it helps him in a big way." 2. "My fees are negotiable." Brokers like to make it sound as if their fees are engraved in stone, but that's rarely the case — especially in a brisk market, when brokers fiercely compete for properties they can unload fast. This past summer one broker in the Midwest says he lowered his fee by a full percentage point because there was so much demand for good properties that he needed leverage. Indeed, says the broker, who asked not to be named, sellers should shop around for broker's fees. He suggests these negotiating tactics: "If somebody's willing to commit to me for selling one place and buying another, I give a discount. If you're in a particularly desirable neighborhood with a house that will bring a lot of traffic" — say, at an open house — "that can be used, because the broker will use the flow of people to get potential customers. And with some [smaller] brokers, all you need to do is ask and they'll lower the commission." 3. "Think you've had no offers? Actually, there've been several." Legally, the broker you hire to sell your home is obligated to tell you about all offers that come in. In reality, some don't. Perhaps he thinks the offer is insultingly low for you, but more likely, "the broker thinks it's too low for his own purposes. He wants to hold out for a bigger commission," says McNeill. Or else there's an outside broker (or "co-broker") circling your house, and the primary broker is waiting for one of his own clients to make an offer so he can keep the full 6% to himself. "You must be clear with your broker that you want to be informed of all offers," McNeill says. "Otherwise, you may be leaving him to make decisions that you should be making." Check the listing agreement drawn up when you hire the broker; if the promise to disclose all offers isn't listed explicitly, insist that it be added. 4. "I talk about you behind your back." You spot your dream house as you're driving through a neighborhood and call the broker listed on the For Sale sign. That's how a lot of buyers stumble on a broker — who, in turn, happily shows you other houses, asking about your needs, laughing at your jokes. It's easy to get loose-lipped and forget whom you're dealing with: someone else's agent. "Legally, brokers are obligated to provide their sellers with any information that can help them get the best prices for their homes," says Stephen Israel, president of Buyer's Edge, a Bethesda, Md.-based company that represents homebuyers. "If you tell the broker that you're willing to pay $500,000 but want to offer $450,000, they'll pass that on to the seller. They have to." Also, some brokerage companies encourage prospective buyers to get preapproved for loans. While that can make a buyer more attractive to a lender, it also tells a broker whether a buyer can afford a $600,000 house when he's trying to haggle on a $400,000 property. "When somebody asks for [a preapproval], find out who they're representing," says Israel, acknowledging that such details can short-circuit your negotiating leverage. "If they represent a seller — or someone in their office does — they shouldn't have it. The broker may tell you she will be impartial, but how can she be?" 5. "Sometimes I forget whose side I'm on." The past 10 years have seen the proliferation of the buyer broker, agents who are supposed to work strictly in the buyer's interest, helping him get a fair price on a home as well as avoid pitfalls along the way. Unfortunately, things don't always unfold so nicely. While buyers may think they're getting a broker who isn't commission-hungry, many buyer agents are just that: They usually get about 3%, the same amount any broker typically earns when he gets involved with another agent's listing. "Buyer brokers are sometimes too focused on closing the sale and getting that commission," says Max Gordon, an Overland Park, Kan.-based real estate broker and attorney, so it's often in their best interest to see you pay as high a price as possible. Even worse, some brokers who call themselves buyer advocates are actually working for companies that also represent sellers. "Brokerages offer bonuses to buyer agents if they sell an in-house listing," says Israel. A good way to get a broker who has no such conflicts of interest: The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, whose Web site (www.naeba.com) can help you find a buyer agent near you who pledges to help you get the best deal possible and has no ties to sellers' agents; many even work on a fee structure rather than on commission. Page 1 | 2 Consumer Action Archive To license this content, click here ADVERTISEMENTS Click here to get your FREE report -- The Motley Fools´ 2 Top Picks. 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House Rent
Flat/House - Rent in Perth - Gumtree Perth gumtree.com.au > Perth > Flat/House - Rent -- Search for: $ -- -- -- How does this work? Flat/House - Rent houses/flats for rent | houses/flats for rent wanted post an ad edit/delete an ad | repost an ad | subscribe free | unsubscribe | What is RSS? Bookmark this Page Thursday 29th December Furnished Flat in trendy Mt Lawley (Mt Lawley) 08/02 Family with 2 kids looking for (2 3 bedroom house to rent in Fremantle area (Fremantle area) 01/01 Wednesday 28th December Single Room needed for rent (Subiaco) 02/01 house to rent (Wanneroo/Ashby) 01/06 Fully-furnished house (Perth) 15/01 Room Needed from 19 Jan 2006! (Subiaco, Claremont etc, Or close to City Centre) 19/01 Tuesday 27th December Flat wanted for 3 months (Perth) 03/01 Friday 23rd December Large Home in Top Location Close to River (Dalkeith) 01/02 Wednesday 21st December student accomodation (St James) 22/12 Tuesday 20th December Exclusive Sunset coast Resort (Scarborough) 20/12 Short or Long Term Fully Furnished Villas (Scarborough Beach) 04/11 Gorgeous 2 Bed Unit (Wembley 6014) 20/12 Granny Flat (Innaloo,Doubleview,Mounthawthorn,North Perth) 01/02 Monday 19th December Your very own Fully furnished Villa in a Resort Style complex. (South Perth) 18/12 Sunday 18th December Executive Fully Funished House close to Perth City and Beach (Floreat Western Australia) 20/01 flat/house wanted, furnished! (perth and surronding suburbs) 29/01 Saturday 17th December wanted house to rent (como) 20/01 Friday 16th December Character and Cafe (Mount Lawley) 23/12 hoilday let (two months) (perth and close to coastline) 24/01 SWedish family wants to rent house close to beach for two weeks in Perth or suburbs (Perth or suburb) 10/02 Wednesday 14th December Girl Share lovely quite home all inclusive (East Victoria Park) 14/12 Cottesloe sweeping ocean views (Cottesloe) 06/01 2 bdrm close to Freeway $150pw (Northern) 01/02 New Condo/Townhouse (Lawrence Ave. East /Markam) 01/12 Tuesday 13th December Wanted to rent 2/3 bed apart unit/r house (Joondalup area) 23/12 [ Next ] Flat/House - Rent Search for: $ -- -- -- How does this work? Adelaide | Auckland | Belfast | Birmingham | Bournemouth | Bradford | Brighton | Brisbane | Bristol | Cambridge | Capetown | Cardiff | Christchurch | Coventry | Dublin | Durban | Edinburgh | Exeter | Glasgow | Guildford | Johannesburg | Krakow | Leeds | Leicester | Liverpool | Lodz | London | Manchester | Melbourne | Middlesbrough | Newcastle | Norwich | Nottingham | Oxford | Perth | Plymouth | Portsmouth | Reading | Sheffield | Southampton | Swansea | Sydney | Warsaw | Wellington | Wroclaw | York |
Selling Home & Garden
Home Buying/Selling, Home Buying Basics - Profiles You are here: About > Home & Garden > Home Buying / Selling Home & Garden Home Buying / Selling Essentials 10 Things Home Buyers Shouldn't Do Best Tips for First Time Home Buyers "Must-Do" Tasks Before You Sell How to Buy a Home, Step by Step For Sale by Owner Advice Articles & Resources How To Buy a Home How To Sell a House Celebrity & Historic Credit Reports & Scores Design & Remodel Home Maintenance Inspections & Appraisals Investing & Foreclosures Modular & Manufactured Mold, Radon, Lead, etc. Mortgage Advice Moving & Relocation Real Estate Careers Real Estate For Sale Vacation Homes Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Home Buying Books Foreclosure Books Mortgage Books Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Home Buying / Selling newsletter! See Online Courses Search Home Buying / Selling Home Buying Basics Profiles Index Real Estate Closings - Western North Carolina A look at a typical progression from real estate contract to closing in Western North Carolina. Important disclaimer information about this About site. Advertisement Related Blogs Mortgage Fraud Blog The Real Estate Blog The Money Pit Most Popular Modular and Manufactured Homes Finding Your Best Place to ... Home Buying Don'ts First Time Home Buyer Tips Before You Sell Your Home What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews Related Topics Home Repair Architecture Credit / Debt Management Housekeeping Landscaping Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About Oprah's Life Vacation Ideas Shop Safely Online VIDEO: Craft Rooms VIDEO: Christmas Traditions What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews Headlines Getting Ready to Sell Your House Guests and lots of activities make it difficult to show... Before You Buy Gas Logs Gas logs are growing in popularity every year, so manufacturers... Pros and Cons of Becoming a Real Estate Agent You've decided you want to become a real estate agent,... Step-by-Step Directions Help You Measure Square Footage Each year, home owners discover that their new home's square...
Buy Property in a
How to Buy Property in a Retirement Community - eHow.com Clear Instructions on How To Do (just about) Everything Web eHow.com Home Finance & Business Center Real Estate How to Buy Property in a Retirement Community Seniors at all levels of independence may choose to buy property in a continuing-care retirement community. These communities can offer a vibrant social environment, a packed schedule of activities, help when needed, and the opportunity for transition into a more assisted living environment should needs change. They're also a good choice for people who simply want to live in an adults-only community. Steps: 1. Consider your present needs, and think about what lies ahead. Your goal may be to hold on to your independence for as long as possible. 2. Be aware of the costs beyond the cost of the home or apartment purchase (which may start at $150,000). Monthly maintenance fees can run into the low thousands. 3. Ask for referrals from your doctor, a social worker or a senior support group. You can also get lists of nearby communities online or in your phone book. 4. Tour as many properties as possible. Investigate the upkeep and safety of the facility. Find out about special amenities, from sports facilities to dining options. 5. Ask for a typical schedule. Does it offer activities both on and off the site? Does it reflect your interests? 6. Talk with the director about the staff. Is the facility properly staffed with well-trained and -screened people? What's the turnover? Talk to the employees, too. Are they happy? Do they enjoy working there? 7. Find out exactly what the fees include. If you have special meal requirements, ask if they can be met. Inquire whether the fees will change as residents find they need more assistance. 8. Chat with residents and ask for their honest opinions about the facility. If everyone is hiding in their home or apartment, that's not a good sign. Also, what is the average age of the people you see? Is that the stage you're at? Overall Tips: Check your contract to establish what happens if you decide to sell your home. In some cases, you may forfeit your entrance fee, which can be $10,000 and up. The monthly fees for some retirement communities are higher than for other types of assisted living. Get financial advice before signing on the dotted line. What to look for: Affordability Great facilities Well-trained staff A good fit with your lifestyle Please Share Your Tips with Us More Resources: Contribute to eHow: Write an eHow Article Suggest a Topic Give Us Feedback on This Article Related eHows: Buy a Tenancy-in-Common Unit Choose an Assisted Care or Nursing Home Find Out About Gay and Lesbian Retirement Communities Buy a Condominium Find a Continuing Care Retirement Community for a Senior Project Details: Skill Advisory: Moderate New! -- Related eHows: Buy a Tenancy-in-Common Unit Choose an Assisted Care or Nursing Home Find Out About Gay and Lesbian Retirement Communities Buy a Condominium Find a Continuing Care Retirement Community for a Senior Check out Thousands of How-To Solutions in eHow's Centers Automotive Careers & Education Computers & Home Electronics Family & Relationships Finance & Business Food & Entertaining Health Hobbies & Games Holidays & Traditions Home & Garden Personal Care & Style Pets Sports & Fitness Travel How to: --? Web eHow.com Home | Site Map | About Us | How To Books | Link to eHow Subscribe to the eHow of the Day Mailing List : Have the eHow of the Day appear on your My Yahoo! Page: Add the eHow of the Day to your RSS reader: © 1999-2005 eHow, Inc. How things get done. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy .
land for sale, Colorado
Colorado Mountain Land for Sale: Colorado Mountain Properties, Inc. Colorado Mountain Land for Sale: Colorado Mountain Properties Inc Colorado land for sale, Colorado mountain land and property, real estate, ranch land, vacant land, horse properties and acreages in Southern Colorado. The American West has always conjoured up images of freedom and new beginnings. Imagine living...today...in the solitude of a thirty-five acre property in Colorado. Relaxing on your deck, watching the sun sink over the southern Colorado Rocky Mountains. The magic of the natural surroundings fills your senses....the fresh clean air and warm star filled night... just melt away the pressures of our modern world. Here,in the southern part of Colorado, things haven't changed that much. You don't have to go away for the weekend...you can live it...today! Would you like to find a piece of southern Colorado land to call your own? A good sized piece of land, zoned for horses or other domestic animals, with an excellent year round climate..and that is protected from commercial development? We offer "lightly" developed land here in Colorado. Colorado land that has been scrutinized to eliminate surprises...land that offers communities, gently developed in harmony with the landscape...land that has been carefully selected to ensure the perfect balance between amenities and recreational lands....land that may come with sensible covenants in place to protect your investment, yet not restrict your passion for individuality. My name is Gina Gamma, Broker for Colorado Mountain Land Realty, Inc. here in Colorado...and I'd like to help you capture this vision. So if you are looking for a piece of Colorado land or property to call your own and are ready to start enjoying the wonderful lifestyle of Colorado... you will find this Web site a good place to start. To begin that process, visit my frequently asked questions page ...check out the images and descriptions of land currently available ...take a moment to view the websites at the information links page ...think about what you want and then contact me using the information request form ...don't forget to congratulate yourself....as you have already taken the first steps towards achieving your personal goals of not just acquiring land in Colorado...but, of capturing the Lifestyle of Colorado! Thank you for visiting today! I appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance...and...Enjoy your tour! - back to top - Homestead Properties Local Talk FAQ Info Links Information Request Form Colorado Mountain Land Realty, Inc. Vacant Land & Ranches E-Mail Gina Gamma Toll Free: 1-877-LANDPRO Contents of this Web site are for informational purposes only and deemed reliable. However, all property prices, descriptions and other information are subject to verification and possible changes. Web Design By: Artimbo Partner Links Contents of this Web site are for informational purposes only and deemed reliable. However, all property prices, descriptions and other information are subject to verification and possible changes.