Selling

In a previous post, I talked about the how and why I think that good single property websites can help to market our listings. At that time, I had really just implemented them for all of my listings and wanted to get back to something that I said I would do about what some best practices might be for reusing them. Before I get that far, I do want to say that I can in fact say that it was one of the single property websites that sold a listing that we closed on this past week. The story, as re... Read Full Post

Consider this a warning for you if you are selling your home - Get rid of your wallpaper or many buyers will get rid of your home from this list of possibilities. This is more serious than many sellers think and it affects homes at all price points the same way. Wallpaper is unchangeable in the minds of most buyers and they will leave your house because of it. I was showing homes to a couple this past weekend who had plenty of money to have a contractor remove the wallpaper and apply custom f... Read Full Post

One of the most important factors relating to the housing market is called the absorption rate. The absorption rate tells us how long it would take, based on statistics, for all homes to sell, if no new homes came on the market during that time. To find the absorption rate you must divide the number of homes available by the number of homes that have sold. Currently there are 5,400 homes for sale in the city of Atlanta and, according to the Atlanta MLS, the FMLS, 486 homes sold during the mon... Read Full Post

A comparative market analysis (CMA) is the most important,and, should be the first skill that any real estate agent learns how to do well. A CMA should be used to determine fair market value for a home based on certain conditions. The conditions for determining fair market value are that you have a willing buyer, a willing seller and no undue pressure on either party. This is market value. Not what the seller or agent or buyer feels like the value is, but instead, what buyers and sellers have... Read Full Post

EIFS, Dryvet, or synthetic stucco, as it is often called, can create a real problem if you are trying to sell your home. From the outset, many buyers will overlook your home without giving it a second thought no matter what you have done to protect your home from the potential problems that are associated with the product. This is unfortunate for many homeowners who have taken good care of their home because might have a difficult time selling because many Alpharetta buyers will simply not ev... Read Full Post

From time to time while negotiating a real estate contract, an agent might try to make a verbal offer on behalf of their client. This is not only bad practice, it is not enforceable. Many reasons can be given why an agent tells you that they need to make an offer verbally - none are good enough to not have it put in writing. During the course of negotiating a sale of real estate, many smaller items do arise and information exchanges can take place to help either party decide what their next c... Read Full Post

We have all driven by a house that seems to just sit on the market forever. At some point we all wonder what's wrong with that house. Why have other houses around sold and this one hasn't? Is it the price, location, what seems to be the problem? Before I get to what the real problem is with why some homes don't sell while others around seem to sell in a reasonable amount of time, I would like to talk a little bit about some mitigating factors. I know it should go without saying, but I will sa... Read Full Post

Here are the Alpharetta real estate market conditions for January, 2007. The information gathered for this report is furnished by the FMLS. Alpharetta Real Estate Alpharetta January Active 1760 Pending 407 Sold 130 Expired 201 Withdrawn 105 High $1,843,000 Low $152,900 Average $400,352 LP/SP 96% DOM 87 The list price to sales price does not reflect costs paid by the seller on behalf of the buyer. The actual ratio is slightly less than the 96% reflected in these statistics. Active Listings - C... Read Full Post

About 15 changes have been made to the Purchase and Sale Contracts for residential real estate in Georgia for 2007. Some of the changes are more significant to parties involved in the transaction so we will cover the important changes here. The biggest change that was made is in the method of payment section of the contract. Under the old sales contract, a buyer had until up to the day of closing to qualify for the loan and this did not provide any protection for the seller if the buyer could... Read Full Post

Possibly the most contentious part of a discussion between a seller and a real estate agent happens over the suggested price for a home. Certainly this is understandable, as the ultimate sales price reflects how much money a seller stands to net when the transaction closes. When you list your home for sale, the most important factor for determining whether your home will sell is the list price. Here are some important reasons why: The First Week is Very Important - When your home first goes o... Read Full Post