Month: December 2016

Please come in! Some thoughts on Open Houses

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Open houses are an integral part of selling a home but also a nice part of driving around on a Saturday and scoping out a neighborhood. People visit open houses for all sorts of reasons and that is perfectly fine! But, as a realtor, there are just a few things I would ask you keep in mind.

Yep! I am going to ask you ALL the questions — Look, I am not here for my health….I am here to sell my client’s house. So yes, I am going to ask you a lot of questions but please, don’t freak out. Most agents giving an open house will ask a few questions of everyone that walks in the door. Here are some popular ones:

  1. How long have you been shopping for a new home? — This is for us to know how serious you are about buying. If the answer is “I am just here because I saw the sign and was curious” great! Look around all you want and I will probably ask you what your impression of the home is when you are finished. If the answer is “We just began looking and like the neighborhood so dropped in” also great! Knowing a little about what a neighborhood can offer is a great place to start….but I am going to follow this up with:
  2. Are you already working with a real estate agent exclusively? — Here is the thing….I’m not asking this so I can immediately pull out a contract and ask you to sign in blood so you are beholden to me for all the rest of your days….I am asking this because I don’t want to be a jerk. Real estate agents respect other agents and would rather not break a few understood rules, and a major one is “thou shalt not steal another agent’s clients.” or “don’t be a jerk!” If you are working with someone, awesome! I will probably ask you who so I can call THEM to get your feedback on the home. If you are not working with anyone, then yes of course I would love to be your agent, but please see my last post here. I don’t believe in anyone just willy-nilly signing a contract but I will try for your business and hope that you decide to work with me!
  3.  How do you feel about the price? — Hey, I get it, we were all told early on that you never “let ’em know you like it” when negotiating. The old trope that you are a sucker if you let on that the price might be fair doesn’t exactly work here since the owner of the house, NOT the agent, makes all decisions on offers. I mean, yes be discreet about your financial situation and don’t loudly announce to other buyers that you might be making an offer but I would love a thoughtful answer if you can. If you are a neighbor just dropping in, let me know you haven’t shopped enough to know. If you truly think it is overpriced, let me know what you have seen in other houses in the area to back that up. If you think the price is completely fair, awesome! It is always nice to know I am doing right by my sellers. 

Please feel free to ask ME all the questions — Heck yes you should have a list of things you want to ask an agent at an open house! Heck no you are not bothering us! If you are truly  interested in the house, make a list of those things that are important for you to know before making an offer. Some good ones to keep in mind:

  1. How long has this property been on the market? — Yes, you can ask your agent or do the research yourself BUT a great thing about asking the selling agent is that we can put some context to the information. Has it been on the market for a few months in a super hot area? Maybe the sellers had an offer fall through and you are just in time! Did it just go on the market this week and maybe already has 5 offers today? That will help you to decide how badly you want to make a competing offer. 
  2. How much do utilities cost? — Okay fellow Coloradans, I know you are with me here. There is a huge difference between winter and summer water bills in this area since we tend NOT to water our grass when it is snowing. Knowing what the bill might look like before you decide on two acres of beautifully manicured lawn might be the difference between filet mignon and mac n’ cheese. Knowing that the heating bill is astronomical might clue you into the fact that the beautiful historic house you are looking at needs new windows real quick like. This can be a goldmine of information and help on that “should we make an offer?” question.
  3. What can you tell me about the neighbors/neighborhood? — This is a great place to start to get a feel for the neighborhood. Kid friendly? A lot of paths for long dog walks? Minutes to the best sushi place ever? If you are lucky, one of those neighbors might just be looking at the open house at the same time. I think it is fantastic when a neighbor can tell a prospective buyer how wonderful the neighborhood really is, after all, they are the ones who live in it daily. 

Last but not least, please be respectful. You are touring another person’s home and it is important to take care. If your shoes are muddy, take ’em off. If your children are young, keep ’em with you. Yes, we have invited everyone in. Please, treat the home as you would want your home to be treated. No, we don’t need to know everything that you hate about the space. YES, we want you to have a great time and hopefully see the house of your dreams! 

Tips on Finding Your Perfect Real Estate Agent

/ perfecthomescolorado / 2 Comments

Hooray! You are finally ready to start your journey into buying or selling your home (or both!) and want to hire an amazing real estate agent. After all, you definitely want someone you like and trust since you might be spending many months together. But liking your agent is not the only factor that is important for a good relationship, your agent must also be willing to work assertively and competently towards your goals. This means that you want an agent with good credentials as well as a likable personality. This can be a tough balance to find.

Before you start interviewing agents, here are a few tips:

  1. Look up their license information — I know this one seems kinda obvious but a lot of people never look up license information on the agents they are interviewing. You want to make sure that they have an active license in their state with no unresolved complaints. For Colorado, you can go here to see status and information on licenses. There should be similar websites in each state.
  2. Pay attention to each proposal — Again, might seem a little obvious but there can be some pitfalls here. Is one agent telling you they can sell your home for a lot more than anyone else? Be wary, they should be providing a comparable market analysis for your area to back up a suggested selling price. Properties priced too high will not even garner a look from prospective buyers. More is not always better, you want an agent with realistic findings who can sell your house quick and easy. When buying a home, is the agent knowledgeable about the area you want to live in? Can they tell you about schools and any hidden drawbacks? Are they listening to what YOU want? You deserve an agent who truly listens and works with you but will also be honest about what you can expect from the process.
  3. Ask about their plan — Whether you are buying or selling or both, your agent should have a plan to get you there. Just putting some ads in the local paper is not good enough anymore, there is a lot of work that goes into meeting your needs! According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), most people start their home search online,  “Thirty-eight percent of buyers that were 35 and younger, 43 percent aged 36 to 50, 47 percent aged 51 to 60, and 53 percent of buyers aged 61 to 69 looked online for properties for sale.” (see full report here). What this means is that the internet plays a HUGE role in buying and selling! Ask your prospective agent how they use this channel to sell or find potential homes. Are they computer savvy? Do they know how to take advantage of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Are they willing to take you to houses on a schedule that works for you? An agent that is only available on Wednesdays when the moon is full may not be the best choice. There is so much that goes into this process that you want to have a concrete, workable, and realistic plan to get you to the finish line. 
  4. Ask about updates — How will you be getting updates and how often? One of the most frequent complaints I hear on agents is “they never call back or update me on anything!” Make sure the agent you choose is willing to give you updates as often as you want (even if the update is nothing new) and using the method you like. Are you a texter? Then ask for texts! Do you adore email? Well, your agent should be willing to email updates! We work for you and a good agent should want to keep you in the loop as much as you want. Make a plan with the agent you choose to get regular updates, maybe once a week on Wednesdays or twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. This will help you to know that your goals are being worked on and your agent is taking their responsibilities seriously. 
  5. What are their expectations for you?  — A good agent will have some honest feedback and expectations for you. Selling or buying a home is not a one way street (on either side) and the agent you choose should be honest about what you need to contribute to be successful. Do you need to take your bundle of furry love on a long walk every time someone looks at the house since buyers often are turned off by a barking, crated dog? Would it help to update some fixtures in your bathroom even if you truly love that custom faucet made from old pipes from your last car? Do they honestly let you know that it is going to hurt your selling chances if you can only show your house on Tuesdays from 12-1? As much as we wish this process to be quick and painless, there may be some tough love that your agent will impart and it is nice to know that the agent you choose is willing to make sure you hear the truth to find success.
  6. Who else do they bring to the table? — A great agent will surround him or herself with equally great partners. Can your agent recommend three knowledgable lenders for you to interview? Do they have a good general contractor to help with repairs? If they are newer to the business, do they have an experienced team behind them ready to help with those weird situations that inevitably pop up? New is not always detrimental (we are all new at a job sometime) but new, alone, and unwilling to ask for help, now that is nerve-racking. One of my favorite quotes by Matthew Kelly says, “No man becomes great on his own. No woman becomes great on her own. The people around them help to make them great.” (full quote here). The agent you choose should have trustworthy people around them, people who can help when your agent may not know the answer or is not experienced in that area. Not one of us knows everything, but combining a whole lot of experts sure does help!

Finding clients the home of their dreams or selling a house for an amazing price is one of the most rewarding pieces of our job. The right agent will make this a fun, albeit sometimes stressful, but ultimately a truly worthwhile endeavor. The list above only touches on some of the areas to investigate and you will certainly add your own as you start the process. Good luck and have fun!

Hello!

/ perfecthomescolorado / Leave a comment

Hello readers!

I am going to use my first post to tell you a little about me. My name is Lyndsey and I am a licensed real estate broker in the state of Colorado. I am starting my first ever real estate blog to offer advice, awesome tips on home buying, and anything else I feel is relevant to people looking to buy or sell a home.

Real estate can be a scary place but I would like to make it easier. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stressful if you have the right tools and information. I am here to answer questions and will post whatever I think will help the most.

I currently work for RE/MAX Professionals in Littleton, Colorado and just love my job. Hopefully I can help you to love real estate adventures just as much as I do!