Friday 8 March 2013
Tuesday 5 March 2013
Monday 4 March 2013
HOW TO BUY A HOME AND SAVE MONEY
How to buy a home and save thousands of dollars.
Buying a home is unlike purchasing anything else. Armed with the right information, you'll have a tremendous edge in the marketplace. If you are considering the purchase of a home, whether it's your first home, or your family's dream home, the more you know, the more money you'll save. I hope this information will be helpful to you. If there are any questions you might have after reading it, please feel free to contact me anytime. Thank you.
Factors you need to consider when buying a home
Many home buyers who are considering the purchase of a home are interested in three things:
Finding the home they want
The best possible price
The least amount of trouble and inconvenience
Unfortunately, there is much more involved in the process. For example: timing, terms, financing options, and accessibility to the market are all important considerations.
Where to get started
The first thing you need is TOTAL ACCESS to the TOTAL MARKET. You wouldn't go car shopping without looking at everything on the dealer's lot, but when it comes to home shopping, you might be surprised to learn that very few people give themselves the advantage of getting total access to the market, or seeing everything that is available to them.
The first thing you'll need is a competent real estate professional to help you. Since "the seller" pays the commission, the services of your real estate agent to you as a "buyer" are completely FREE. There is no intelligent reason to shop for a home without the services of a professional agent.
Some important reasons for using the services of a real estate agent
Your agent has access to information on EVERY home available on the market. Every single day homes are listed for sale and your agent has instant access to the information about each one. If you wait for an ad to appear in the paper, it may be too late.
Good agents are constantly searching their computers for information on new listings. A smart buyer will take the time to sit down with an agent, tell them what they are looking for, and just as importantly, what they aren't looking for. The agent will then go to work to find the perfect house for the buyer. Again, remember, this is a FREE service.
It's also true that only a fraction of the homes available are advertised on any given day, which means that when you limit your search for a home by looking in the newspaper, you're really only seeing a tiny piece of the whole picture.
Also, consider that in many instances, the best buys are sold almost as soon as they come on the market, mostly to people who are working with a savvy real estate agent who is looking out for their best interests.
So, without question, the most important step in finding that special home at a special price, is to begin by selecting a real estate agent to work with you. If you're serious about finding a great buy on a great home, why don't we find a time when we can get together, discuss your alternatives, and let me begin looking for you. Feel free to call anytime.
Narrowing your selection and looking at homes
Once I have a clear picture of what it is you're looking for, together with what will fit your financial needs, the next step is to actually go look at homes that fit your parameters. I believe this should be a stress-free and fun process. After all, buying a new home is a big step. Together we'll take a personal look at each and every home. I'll answer any questions you might have, and gather any other necessary information. When you find a house that meets your needs, we'll go to the next step in the process.
Negotiating an Offer to Purchase
Once you've selected a home, I'll help you negotiate the offer to purchase. This is a particularly important step and one that requires experience. In negotiating an offer to purchase, there are many details to be covered. For example, the price you'll offer, closing dates, possession time, down payment amount, personal property to be included, and repairs to be made are just a few examples. We'll sit down and prepare an offer that is most advantageous to you, but fair to the seller. Once your offer has been presented, I will help you with any further negotiations.
Finding and Securing Financing
This is another area of purchasing a home where a professional real estate agent can help you. In fact, for most people, finding the right financing is every bit as important as finding the right home. I work closely with many local and national lenders and can put you in touch with the right lender for your situation, saving you both time and money.
Why you save money and time buying through an agent
Many studies have been conducted by both independent consumer groups and real estate industry trade organizations over the years that convincingly indicate that buying a home without the services of a professional real estate agent, in the vast majority of cases, takes longer and costs more.
The choice is certainly yours, and I hope this information has been helpful. If you feel you'd like to sit down and discuss your home buying alternatives, please feel free to call me at your convenience.
Sandra Duncan, BA, MBA, REALTOR®, CCS
CIR REALTY
168, 8060 Silver Springs Blvd. NW
Calgary, AB T3B 5K1
403-512-1939
©1995-2013 ProspectsPLUS!®
Buying a home is unlike purchasing anything else. Armed with the right information, you'll have a tremendous edge in the marketplace. If you are considering the purchase of a home, whether it's your first home, or your family's dream home, the more you know, the more money you'll save. I hope this information will be helpful to you. If there are any questions you might have after reading it, please feel free to contact me anytime. Thank you.
Factors you need to consider when buying a home
Many home buyers who are considering the purchase of a home are interested in three things:
Finding the home they want
The best possible price
The least amount of trouble and inconvenience
Unfortunately, there is much more involved in the process. For example: timing, terms, financing options, and accessibility to the market are all important considerations.
Where to get started
The first thing you need is TOTAL ACCESS to the TOTAL MARKET. You wouldn't go car shopping without looking at everything on the dealer's lot, but when it comes to home shopping, you might be surprised to learn that very few people give themselves the advantage of getting total access to the market, or seeing everything that is available to them.
The first thing you'll need is a competent real estate professional to help you. Since "the seller" pays the commission, the services of your real estate agent to you as a "buyer" are completely FREE. There is no intelligent reason to shop for a home without the services of a professional agent.
Some important reasons for using the services of a real estate agent
Your agent has access to information on EVERY home available on the market. Every single day homes are listed for sale and your agent has instant access to the information about each one. If you wait for an ad to appear in the paper, it may be too late.
Good agents are constantly searching their computers for information on new listings. A smart buyer will take the time to sit down with an agent, tell them what they are looking for, and just as importantly, what they aren't looking for. The agent will then go to work to find the perfect house for the buyer. Again, remember, this is a FREE service.
It's also true that only a fraction of the homes available are advertised on any given day, which means that when you limit your search for a home by looking in the newspaper, you're really only seeing a tiny piece of the whole picture.
Also, consider that in many instances, the best buys are sold almost as soon as they come on the market, mostly to people who are working with a savvy real estate agent who is looking out for their best interests.
So, without question, the most important step in finding that special home at a special price, is to begin by selecting a real estate agent to work with you. If you're serious about finding a great buy on a great home, why don't we find a time when we can get together, discuss your alternatives, and let me begin looking for you. Feel free to call anytime.
Narrowing your selection and looking at homes
Once I have a clear picture of what it is you're looking for, together with what will fit your financial needs, the next step is to actually go look at homes that fit your parameters. I believe this should be a stress-free and fun process. After all, buying a new home is a big step. Together we'll take a personal look at each and every home. I'll answer any questions you might have, and gather any other necessary information. When you find a house that meets your needs, we'll go to the next step in the process.
Negotiating an Offer to Purchase
Once you've selected a home, I'll help you negotiate the offer to purchase. This is a particularly important step and one that requires experience. In negotiating an offer to purchase, there are many details to be covered. For example, the price you'll offer, closing dates, possession time, down payment amount, personal property to be included, and repairs to be made are just a few examples. We'll sit down and prepare an offer that is most advantageous to you, but fair to the seller. Once your offer has been presented, I will help you with any further negotiations.
Finding and Securing Financing
This is another area of purchasing a home where a professional real estate agent can help you. In fact, for most people, finding the right financing is every bit as important as finding the right home. I work closely with many local and national lenders and can put you in touch with the right lender for your situation, saving you both time and money.
Why you save money and time buying through an agent
Many studies have been conducted by both independent consumer groups and real estate industry trade organizations over the years that convincingly indicate that buying a home without the services of a professional real estate agent, in the vast majority of cases, takes longer and costs more.
The choice is certainly yours, and I hope this information has been helpful. If you feel you'd like to sit down and discuss your home buying alternatives, please feel free to call me at your convenience.
Sandra Duncan, BA, MBA, REALTOR®, CCS
CIR REALTY
168, 8060 Silver Springs Blvd. NW
Calgary, AB T3B 5K1
403-512-1939
©1995-2013 ProspectsPLUS!®
Saturday 2 March 2013
WHAT IS MY HOUSE WORTH
One of the first things a real estate agent does when helping a homeowner determine list price for their home, or to determine if a house a buyer is interested in is priced at fair market value, is to use comparables to see what other similar homes in the area have sold for.
It’s not always apples to apples — but experienced agents know that some common sense factors such as being in the same neighborhood, school district, house size, property size, age of home, and similar features all play a part in separating the "good comps" from the bad.
Other factors play a key role as well. It’s not enough to have similar homes — timing plays a big factor in the credibility of the comp. House A and House B may be nearly identical — but if house A sold two years ago or even two months ago in a volatile market — that price point is more than likely not still viable. So a wise agent uses all the tools at their disposal to come up with the closest possible comparison, and determine the fairest market value mapping out factors such as the ones above, plus date sold, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, and amenities such as pools and fireplaces.
One thing agents do have to caution home sellers on when choosing price is the dollar value they put on the improvements they’ve made. Some are wonderful, upgraded kitchens and bigger bathrooms, etc. Some are more individual tastes. Ultimately the market price of a property is determined by the market — what a buyer will pay in that market at that time.
If you want to learn how much your home is worth in today’s market or how it compares to others — give me a call. I can help map it all out for you!
403-512-1939.
It’s not always apples to apples — but experienced agents know that some common sense factors such as being in the same neighborhood, school district, house size, property size, age of home, and similar features all play a part in separating the "good comps" from the bad.
Other factors play a key role as well. It’s not enough to have similar homes — timing plays a big factor in the credibility of the comp. House A and House B may be nearly identical — but if house A sold two years ago or even two months ago in a volatile market — that price point is more than likely not still viable. So a wise agent uses all the tools at their disposal to come up with the closest possible comparison, and determine the fairest market value mapping out factors such as the ones above, plus date sold, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, and amenities such as pools and fireplaces.
One thing agents do have to caution home sellers on when choosing price is the dollar value they put on the improvements they’ve made. Some are wonderful, upgraded kitchens and bigger bathrooms, etc. Some are more individual tastes. Ultimately the market price of a property is determined by the market — what a buyer will pay in that market at that time.
If you want to learn how much your home is worth in today’s market or how it compares to others — give me a call. I can help map it all out for you!
403-512-1939.
PUTTING SOME SPRING INTO SELLING YOUR HOME
Prospective buyers are much better able to visualize your home as their home when there’s no clutter. A little bit of spring cleaning could mean money in the bank for homeowners anxious to sell in today's shifting market.
Through my experience as a REALTOR®, I have learned what’s important to prospective home buyers. Although many factors ultimately play into the purchase decision, let’s begin with the buyer’s ability to visualize.
There’s a good reason why most model homes have minimal furnishings and wide-open spaces: so buyers can easily see how their family will fit. Providing that same open landscape when selling your own home allows people to put themselves in the picture. The result? You will likely sell your home in a shorter period of time and for a better price.
Whether you are just considering a move, already have the “for sale” sign up or aren’t planning to go anywhere for a long time, spring cleaning is a great way to combat the clutter. Simply take stock of what you have, decide what you don’t need or want, and clear out the unnecessary items by hosting a yard sale or giving them to charity.
If you’ve definitely decided to sell your home, get packing early! The benefit of boxing your cherished possessions and other “space takers” is threefold: It will keep them out of harm’s way while your property is being shown, it will give you a jump start on packing for the big move, and it will provide the “clean slate” that helps prospective buyers visualize.
If you’re on the fence about moving or just need to clear some clutter, start by getting rid of the things that truly don’t matter. Go room by room, and gather the “dust collectors” that have no sentimental value. Magazines, newspapers, old binders, worn linens, chipped dishes and that third set of measuring cups all are candidates for the first cut. Remember to lift that dust ruffle and pitch the forgotten-about items under your bed. Then use the long arm of the vacuum to eliminate those hard-to-reach dust bunnies!
Tackle the bathroom cabinets and medicine chests next. With a garbage bag in hand, toss those old prescriptions, half-used products, bobby pins, outdated makeup, etc. As a general rule, if it is expired or hasn't been used in three months—or if you’re not even sure what it is—out it goes! When you’re done, put new liners on your shelves and in your drawers for a fresh feel and sense of accomplishment!
Next, open your closets and get rid of anything that hasn’t been worn in two years, broken/scuffed-up shoes and other items that are simply taking up precious room. Storage areas such as closets rank high in the minds of buyers, so showing space will surely make their faces light up as they consider how much of THEIR stuff will fit!
When you’re ready to begin, be sure to get the family involved! Make a game of it for the kids, or make it a contest for the whole family. Turn the music up, offer incentives, and get into the spirit of spring cleaning. Whether or not you are selling your home, decluttering will make you feel refreshed, revitalized and ready for the new season!
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