It seems everyday now I am asked to do a market analysis for a homeowner in hopes of selling and moving on with their lives.  In so many circumstances, folks have no idea what has been going on around them in their own neighborhood – that prices have declined by 20% and that in order to sell they’d have to take a huge loss in the tens of thousands of dollars.  I guess I’m writing to suggest that you stay on top of your market value.  A good Realtor can run this data and analyze it for you at no charge.  Just like an appraisal, this info is only really valid for a short period of time (i.e. you wouldn’t want to use an appraisal from 6 months or a year ago – it needs to be recent).  It’s not all doom & gloom, but if you bought in 2006-2008, there’s a good chance you’ll be in a similar situation if you need to sell. 

I've spoken to numerous home owners that spent months if not years trying to sell their home after bouncing around from Realtor to Realtor, and often a large part of what they were concerned with was saving 1 or 2% on the real estate commission. 

Now, the commission is surely the largest expense of selling, but I always ask these sellers this:

'By listing with a Realtor that agrees to cut their rate 1%, what are you saving when they don't sell you house after 6 months?  You are saving exactly 1% of zero - nada!  Plus, you have wasted your most valuable marketing time while you days on market (DOM) have risen - often stigmatizing your property.'

Not to mention that a properly exposed & marketed home will help sell a home for more - far exceeding any marginal reduction of commission.  So, before you focus on potential 'savings' - think about the cost of not working with someone that will earn their commission and get you a faster result and higher sales price.

I just wanted to write a quick post to give my two cents about the day-to-day practices in Greensboro real estate that I see as gimmicks.  You'll often see the following in real estate advertising:

• Home warranty!
• Seller to pay closing costs!
• Job loss protection!
• No HOA dues for 6 months!
• Interest rate buy down!

Now, there's nothing wrong with any of these practices, but I always advise my buyers to be aware of these options and decide which are important to them individually.  Then, disregard who's offering what - find the house you want to pursue and try to negotiate the items you want on the property you want! 

There are segments of buyers that didn't capitalize on the tax credits and are still in the market to buy a house.  There are different reasons for this such as:

• They were tied to a lease during the tax credits.  I just got a call on one of my listings from some nice folks that have a lease up in November, and they are in the market to buy now. 
  
• They didn't have their finances or credit in order at the time.
• Maybe it wasn't the right timing due to the birth of a child.
  

The point is, as much as everyone would've liked to taken advantage of the tax credits last year and early this year, it just wasn't the right time for everyone.  So breathe easy sellers - people are still buying real estate in the Triad!

Just a quick rant about why first time buyers on through to savvy real estate investors should understand the difference between tax value and market value.
 
The tax value of a property simply tells you how much money you'll be spending in taxes per annum - nothing else.

The market value of a property tells you what similar homes have sold for recently - indicating what the actual value of the property is at this particular moment.

So often I get asked the following:  'Hey Zane, how much are they asking for that house?'  The next question is always 'Hey Zane, what's the tax value of that house?'.  The question is fine if you want to know how much the taxes will run you, but everyone asks for the wrong reason.  I'm guilty of it too, and it's human nature to want a deal, but these folks should be asking 'Hey Zane, what's the market value of that home'.  If you buy a house for tax value, you could be getting a steal of a deal - but you could also be paying too much - it's just not a good measuring stick.

In determining what the property is worth, you can decide if you are making a good purchase or investment.  This is just one factor in determining a good strategy for making an offer to purchase on a particular piece of real estate in Greensboro, NC.

I feel like I say this a lot, but it's worth repeating.  As a 1st time home buyer in the market to purchase a home in Greensboro, NC or the surrounding areas, you may not be aware that having a highly trained Realtor at your side through the process is generally going to be at no cost!  That's because the seller usually pays the real estate commission.  A good buyer's agent will:

1. Represent your best interests.  A good agent should be an asset in your home hunt, not simply a salesman!
2. Work at your pace.  It shouldn't matter if you are just getting your feet wet or if you're ready to sign an offer - the Realtor should understand where you are in the process and act accordingly.
3. Be objective.  A good Realtor will help you assess a potential real estate investment / purchase to look at it without emotion (although purchasing a home should be very exciting and enjoyable, you want to make an informed decision).

So, to re-cap, buyer representation or 'buyer agency' is *almost always at no cost to the buyer!  Why not call an agent (preferably me) and let them start earning their commission early on, and at the same time you'll get the most benefit from their expertise by having a Realtor by your side in the beginning of the home buying process rather than at the last minute.

*Buyer Agency Agreements could include provisions where the buyer would be asked to compensate the agent for any number of reasons such as: 1) The seller is offering less than the buyer's agent expects to receive or 2) The buyer decides to purchase a FSBO (for sale by owner) that will not agree to compensate your Realtor. 

P.S. I've represented lots & lots of buyers, and it has never cost any of my buyer-clients a dime to work with me!

My first blog!  Where to start?  I thought I'd start with the basics.  The things I seem to repeat a lot.  I mean a lot.  It's not that they're complex or hard to understand concepts.  It's just that I work in a field (like anybody else) that has it's own language and/or is overly boring until you are in the market to buy or sell a home.  So, I guess my first few blogs will be about the basics - working with a Realtor (me) as a buyer, as a seller, or as both.  We will cover:

• Buyer Agency - Hiring a Realtor in or around Greensboro, NC to represent you through a purchase.
  
• Seller Representation - Hiring a Realtor to assist you in the sale of a piece of real estate.
  
• Both - As a seller, you may decided to up-size, downsize, move across town (or country) - this is a good time to have a Realtor (I suggest the same Realtor) help you with selling your current home and acquiring your next piece of real estate.

So that's it - I hope you'll stay tuned for more, and I'll try my best to keep fresh articles posted regularly!