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I have been hired over and over to faux paint the walls in million dollar homes to look like the ones they see in designer magazines. The number one requested faux finish is the „Old World“ look or Parchment.

If I say I have faux painted nearly 30 walls by now with the same color faux finish, I would not be exaggerating. So why not use a little faux painting yourself to help sell your home. Let’s face it, if your house looks like one of those expensive model homes in lucrative developments, you will sell it in no time. However, if your potential buyers see your home like some mediocre apartment with plain white or beige walls, they will most likely keep looking or offer you less than what your house is worth. Remember that first impressions can literally make your sale sink or swim.

You can literally transform your home to look like a million dollars with a little decorative adjustments. Faux painting is the fastest growing form of decorative painting. Just take a peek at some high end decorative magazines and there are faux painting articles and tips all over the place. There are many types of faux finishes these days.

Get ideas by viewing pictures of various faux painting techniques in magazines or websites. Some are more difficult to achieve than others, especially textured finishes. However, even applying a simple color wash on the walls can make a huge difference. Faux Painting bricks can really add dimension and interest to your home, too. You can even paint a faux marblelook on your counter tops to look like real marble and your cabinets to look like real wood. Save tens of thousands of dollars with this beautiful form of art instead of installing expensive slabs of marble and putting in all new cabinets.

You can learn how to faux finish, too.

Recently I received some pictures from first time DIYers in faux painting. What a difference! They did a great job and none of them had ever faux painted before. Why not give it a try? You never know, you might just be knocking on the door to a new career in faux finishing. That’s how I got started. I began by practicing on my own walls in my home and in my family’s, too. Then I began to get requests to do friend’s homes and word got around. Most of my clients come from recommendations from others. So begin now to add value to your home by doing the same thing. Do a Google search for „faux painting kit “ or faux painting tools to find a variety of sites that include a DVD that teaches various techniques along with their tools. It’s the best for your money.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

In order for an owner to sell his or her house, it is necessary to do the requisite homework if they want to save on the money that otherwise has to be paid to their real estate broker and also if they want to sell the property soon. While traveling by road, people come across boards saying ‚For Sale by Owner (FSBO)‘ before many houses. These boards mean the concerned house has been put up for sale by its owner without the engagement of any broker in the middle. The two prime advantages of deciding to sell a house without the help of any real agent is money that otherwise had to be paid as commission is saved and the house can also be quickly sold with the owner’s efforts. However, there are several reasons behind owners being unable to sell homes at proper prices and in less time. The article deals with how to effectively do the job.

Preparing the House

Before selling a house, the first thing the owner needs to do is ensure that the house is ready for the market. It is wise to take professional help in accurately assessing the condition of the house and deciding on steps for adjustments, renovations or repairs to remedy the situation. The essential home improvements and adjustments must also be carried out. To increase the home’s worth; it should be made to look beautiful.

Determining the Accurate Market Value

The asking price for the house on sale is to be decided upon. In order to get a house sold at the highest possible price, the current value of the house and real estate trends in the neighborhood need to be determined. The price should be kept within reasonable limits in order to appeal to customers.

Advertising

After fixing the selling price of the house, the real task of marketing has to be undertaken. An FSBO (For Sale By Owner) must immediately put up before the property concerned for this is the ultimate marketing strategy which will get the house to be noticed by passers by. essential information like the owner’s phone number, area inside the house, number of bed rooms, etc must be mentioned on the board. Advertising in newspapers and on the internet is also effective in generating results.

Inspection of the House by Potential Buyers

Potential buyers must make an appointment with the owner before coming to see the house. A pre-scheduled appointment gives the seller substantial time to make preparations.

Formalities and Paperwork

For an owner, selling the house by himself or herself also means getting all the paper work done. Once a deal has been made with the customer regarding the price, the paperwork and legal formalities roll in. to get them all done properly an experienced lawyer’s help must be enlisted.

These were some information for owner’s about how to sell their property by themselves. Following these advices will certainly increase their chances of selling their house at a good price and also save a lot on the fees for the agents.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

I had been trying to sell my house for over two long years before I discovered how to sell my house in 7 days or less. I had a house in another state in which I no longer lived. In addition to the house I lived in, I was paying a first and second mortgage, utilities, taxes and outrageous rates for vacancy insurance month after month while my house sat empty and unsold. The house was bleeding my bank account to death, especially when the real estate and credit market started to go downhill.

Before I moved, I tried to sell my house myself „For Sale by Owner“ (FSBO) with no luck. I had no idea how to effectively market my house to generate buyer interest, how to get them financed, how to complete the purchase and sale paperwork and the like. After I failed to sell my house myself, I listed the house with 4 different Realtors for six months each. They told me the that my house was beautiful, that they could sell my house fast and get top dollar. They promised me that they would market my house in the paper, magazines, on the MLS and do multiple open houses and more. In reality, they barely lifted a finger. They listed my house on the MLS, put a sign in the yard and forgot about my house. They did no open houses as promised, advertised in no magazines and never showed the house. I lost two years worth of mortgage payments, taxes and utilities that I will never recover.

Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. Perhaps you are making two house payments, trying to sell an ugly house, in foreclosure, bankruptcy, going through a messy divorce, dealing with the death of a loved one, lost your job, had an extended illness or just can’t afford to make your house payments anymore. Perhaps you too have tried to sell your house on your own or through a Realtor with no luck. Regardless of your reasons for wanting to sell your house fast, there is a better way to sell without trying to sell your house yourself or listing through a Realtor. You can sell your house in 7 days or less and here’s how…

I was searching the Internet one day looking for yet another Realtor to list and sell my house when I came across a local company that claimed to buy houses in 7 days or less. Perhaps you’ve seen some of those local „We Buy Houses“ people or companies in your neighborhood. I called the home buyer and he said that they were indeed a local, professional home buying company that buys houses in any area, condition or price range, in 7 days or less, for investment purposes. He said they could pay me all cash, take over my mortgage payments and close quickly if needed. He said that if my house qualified, they could buy my house fast allowing me to sell my house in 7 days or less!

We made an appointment for him to come out and inspect my home within the next 48 hours. He loved my house and said it was exactly the type of home that he and several of his customers were looking for. He made me 2 different offers to purchase my home on the spot. One was an all cash offer to buy my house below current market value. This offer would have netted me about the same amount I would have made had I listed and sold through a Realtor. The second offer was to give me some cash now, take over my mortgage payments and cash me out of my mortgage and remaining equity later when he was able to resell my house to a new buyer. This offer would give me a higher sales price, some cash now, immediate debt relief from my mortgage payments and the rest of my cash later. If I had not been trying to sell my home for two years, I would have taken the 2nd offer. However, because I had been trying to sell my home for so long, I took the cash offer and netted the same amount I would have likely made if I had sold through a Realtor. The home buyer handled all the paperwork and we closed later that week with a local real estate attorney. My house was bought and sold in 7 days or less! Man, I wish I had met these guys two years ago!

If you too have an unwanted house you need to sell fast for any reason whatsoever, I recommend you contact one or more local, professional home buyers in your area before you list your house with a real estate agent or try to sell „For Sale by Owner“. You owe it to yourself to see what these folks have to offer before you lock yourself into a six month listing agreement with a real estate agent and end up waiting two years and thousands and thousands of dollars later to sell your home for the same amount you would have likely netted to begin with.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

What Is a Sale & Leaseback?

Sale & leaseback is a commercial real estate transaction in which the owner sells his property and signs a long term lease with the buyer to become the tenant at close of escrow. The seller retains the building for his business and receives the proceeds of the sale. While restaurants are common sale & leaseback properties, almost any owner-occupied single-tenant properties, e.g. car repair shops (Christian Brother Automotive), Medical office building, etc. can become sale & lease back properties. When you see the phrase „new lease to be signed at close of escrow“ in the listing or property’s brochure, it’s likely to be a sale & leaseback.

Why Sale & Leaseback?

As an investor, one can speculate if the sale & leaseback is a sign that the business owner is in financial trouble and thus has to sell his/her most valuable asset. It’s a valid concern because a financially-strapped tenant may not be able to pay the rent down the road and you end up with a vacant property. However, there are many good reasons why the owner of the property wants to sell the property and lease back:

1. Finance business expansion.For example, Joe, a restaurant operator, has constructed 5 build-to-suit restaurants. All 5 restaurants are now open and have been running smoothly for the last 2-3 years. He now wants to build 3 more new restaurants. However, Joe will need capital for construction as the restaurant chain has its own unique building design such that he cannot lease just any building. He can apply for a construction loan which may take up to 12 months from application to funding,… a very time consuming process which requires lots of document from architectural drawings, permits, detailed construction bids, worker compensation insurance proof, to business plans. In addition, if lucky, he can obtain 70% financing of the total construction costs (not including land acquisition cost) of the projects if he can overcome the loan application hurdle. Alternatively, he can sell some or all of the existing restaurants at market value and sign 20 years NNN leases to the buyers. That way, he can cash out 100% of his equities in the 5 restaurants. So, sale & leaseback is a very quick, smart and effective way for Joe to raise capital so he can focus on his business expansion. He may even be able to sell the property for more than his cost and thus make a profit!
2. Pay down debts & improve balance sheet.Real estate owned by a company is a depreciable asset which means it has lower & lower book value in the balance sheet. The IRS does not allow the company to adjust the balance sheet to higher market value. By selling its real estate at higher market value, it can cash out all the equities. The money can be used to pay down debt to make the balance sheet stronger, or to expand business or to be used for research & development. This may have positive impact on the stock value. On a lean year, some public companies may sell its real estate assets to meet projected performance expected by analysts. Sometimes major shareholders may demand a company to sell its real estate assets to make the company more profitable in a short term.
3. Cut down income taxes.Walmart sells and leases back many stores from a real estate investment trust owned by Walmart as a way to reduce its income taxes.

What is important to investors?

Besides location and various other factors, there are other financial aspects you should look at to determine how risky your investment to this sale & leaseback property is. In general, the higher the risk, the higher the returns you should demand or expect from the seller.

1. Tenant’s financial statements: The seller may provide you with 2 to 3 years of past income tax returns. Ideally you want a tenant with a profitable business after paying rent and other occupancy expenses, e.g. property taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses. You also want to see higher & higher profits year after year. This will minimize the risk that the tenant may not have money to pay the rent. However, this may not be possible for a business, e.g. restaurant especially in a new location to be instantly profitable in the first few years. In this case, the risk is higher.
2. Tenant’s business track records: You want to find out how long the tenant has been in the business, and how many locations he currently has. Business experience really counts. As a general guideline, the few locations the operator has, the higher cap rate he has to offer to you.
3. Lease guaranty: The tenant often provides some kind of lease guarantee that if the tenant defaults the lease, then you can go after the guarantor’s assets to recover lost rental income. The long term lease is only good if the entity that guarantees rental payments has strong assets and/or good credit rating. A seller with multiple locations may structure his company such that each location is owned by a single entity, e.g. Limited Liability Company (LLC) to limit his liabilities exposure. All the single entity LLC’s are then owned by the parent company. In this case, the guaranty from the parent company is better than the guarantee of the single entity LLC. Sometimes you can also get the personal guaranty from the principals from the company. If the guarantor is a public company, then its S&P credit rating is a good indication that you will likely receive the rent checks in the future.
4. Lease terms: In a sale & lease back transaction, the lease terms are negotiable and could be different from what’s stated in the marketing brochure.

You normally want to get:

• A reasonably long-term lease, e.g. 10-20 years so you don’t have to worry about finding a new tenant for a while. In addition, longer lease makes financing of the purchase easier.
• Triple net lease in which the tenant pays for all operating expenses. This will minimize your investment risks as you don’t have much control over the property taxes, insurance and especially maintenance expenses. Ideally, you don’t want any landlord responsibilities or have to take care of anything, e.g. roof, HVACs, or parking lot replacement.
• Some kind of periodic rent increase, preferably 2% annually or 10% every 5 years to keep up with inflation. Besides, the rent increase also ensures the property will go up in value when you sell it.
• Rent at or below market. This motivates the tenant to stay there for a long time since he will pay higher rents somewhere else. Should the tenant vacate the property, it’s always easier to find a new tenant for the property when the rent is below market.
• Some level of approval over possible construction or remodel of the property in the future. Franchised restaurants are required to remodel the restaurant to a new format to reflect changing consumers‘ taste. And so the lease should be flexible to allow this to a certain level. For example, the lease should state that any structural changes will require landlord’s approval.
• Tenant’s financial statements, if needed, especially for the location you buy. When you need to refinance or sell the property later on, a tenant’s financial information, e.g. sales revenue, profit and loss statement will be very crucial for lenders to provide favorable financing and potential buyers for making the strongest offers.

Preferably, you don’t want to have these in the lease:

• Right of first refusal (ROFR): This gives the tenant an option to buy the property each time you receive the offer by matching the same price. The ROFR makes the property less desirable when you need to sell it later on. The buyer, after making an offer, has to wait for the tenant to decide whether it wants to exercise the option. This discourages some buyers to make an offer as they are hesitant to spend time to negotiate and find out later they cannot buy it because the tenant exercises the option. In addition, if you have an all-cash offer from a buyer, you still give the tenant and option to buy it and time to apply for the loan which may be turned down later.
• Early termination rights or kick out clause: This allows the tenant to terminate the lease when the property is partially damaged, e.g. 20% by fires other perils or if the sales revenue does not reach a certain figure. As a landlord, you want a property that will continuously generate income. And so, you don’t like a lease with early termination clause. You want the tenant to make every effort to repair, rebuild the property and re-open the business quickly. If you cannot remove this right from the lease, then try to keep the damage percentage threshold as high as possible, e.g. 50%.
• Landlord’s responsibilities to environment matters. This is mainly because you are just a passive investor and have nothing to do with these issues.
• Ability to get favorable financing.It does not make sense to get a good deal on a property and have to pay an excessive amount for financing. Of course, if you buy a property in a tiny city at the middle of nowhere, acquiring a loan would be challenging and would include a very high interest rate. If you buy a property with a non-franchised tenant with weak or unavailable financial statements, then you will have tough time borrowing money. Please refer to „What Investors Should Know about Commercial Loans“ written by the same author.

Do’s & Don’ts

1. Hire a CPA to review financial documents. Some of the financial information may be very complex. The tenant may have a very good accountant to prepare its tax returns to show to the IRS that its taxable income is low so it does not have to pay lots of taxes. The revenue of a franchised tenant is probably more accurate due to contractual obligation to the franchise for royalty collection purposes. For non-franchised tenant, the reported income could be lower than actual income as the tenant might not report cash income. The CPA should be able to give you an opinion about the tenant’s financial strength.
2. Hire a commercial real estate attorney to work on the lease. You want to make sure the lease addresses all the potential legal issues that might arise in the next 10-20 years. The lease may be revised several times between seller and buyer during the negotiation process. And so, you may want to work with an attorney who has a flat fee, e.g. $2500 instead of one that charges per hour.
3. Have a broker with experience in sale & leaseback representing you. Sale and lease back is a very complex transaction that requires an experienced broker, together with the CPA and attorney to guide you through.
4. Look at tenant/seller’s background.Since you will have a fairly long term business relationship with someone you don’t know much about, it’s probably prudent to do a back ground check on the owner for business and even criminal records to see if there are any red flags. A simple Google search should be the minimal.

Out-of-the-box Thinking

Currently most, if not all, of the sale & leaseback transactions involve with properties owned by individuals, private and public companies. However, there are no good reasons why public properties, e.g. libraries, schools, governmental office buildings cannot be structured as sale & leaseback transactions. This can be a way for cities, counties, states and even federal government to raise money for critical projects or to address the budget deficits without raising taxes. After all, government is a major tenant everywhere in the US.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Real estate as a profession has been around as long as there has been a United States and yet many people have little idea how Realtors actually function. This understanding is exasperated by the fact that no two Realtors practice in the exact same way. While the aim is the same, the methods employed are often quite different. Still, the basic process remains unchanged.

This matters because both buyers and sellers are often challenged by their living situation–or lack thereof–to the point of severe stress both emotional and financial. Understand the process can be a great help.

Buyers, for instance, tend to think of real estate sales persons as someone who wants to sell them a house, that they will even try to talk a person into buying a particular property in order to make another commission. While some new licenses may start out like a glorified used car salesman with this idea they rarely last. Over 70% of new agents fail in the first year.

What actually happens is the Realtor learns all they can about a person’s needs and finances and combs the market for a home to fit those needs and financial limitations. This last issue is usually the toughest. Buyers strive to get the most home for the least cost and sellers strive to sell for the highest price. Add direct competition from other buyers and the landscape can be challenging at best.

This is where a good Realtor is worth his or her weight in gold. Well, maybe not their weight in gold, although this may be true in some cases, but a considerable amount of money at a time when financial resources are usually stretched to the limit.

Helping a buyer into the right home at the right price is the job and Realtors have been doing just that for as long as there have been Realtors. If they didn’t they would have gone extinct ages ago especially in today’s computer driven markets.

Once the right home is found the job is just beginning. The best price and terms must be negotiated. This is an art in itself and can save the home buyer a sizable fortune. Here’s where the network of Realtor affiliated with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) comes into play.

Both the buyer and the seller are typically represented by separate agents, each legally required to serve their client’s needs and no other. Buyers and sellers do not directly interact. This single factor facilitates successful agreements more than any other means since Realtors as experienced negotiators can put together deals that individuals usually cannot as witnessed by the staggering rate of negotiation failures experienced by FSBOs (For Sale by Owner sellers working without representation)

Once the deal is struck the next challenge is getting to the closing table through financing, home inspections, attorney and title hang-ups and even timing. The previous owner must leave at the same time the new owners are ready to move in. This is often on the same say, the day of the closing. Here too expertise pays off while sellers who manage to strike a deal experience major fall-through issues and failed closings forcing them to start over with all the accompanying costs and missed opportunity.

Realtors facilitate successful transactions not by pushing their own agenda but by expediting their client’s needs and goals.

Not only is trying to sell someone a home counterproductive in a world of cautious buyers it undermines an experience agent’s foundation for continues success in the profession: repeat customers.

Sellers too often labor under misconception about the process of selling their property. If they gave it any consideration at all they might think that what doesn’t really happen to buyers actually does. No successful agent goes out and tries to talks someone into buying a house.

What actually happens is much like marketing any product or commodity. Simply put, the Realtor promotes the listing to the buying public in the best possible light. This process too is greatly facilitated by MLS associations as a repository of homes for sale. The MLS is the single best source for home sales in the country where over 90% of buyers find their home through agents affiliated with a regional MLS. The goal is that no one interested in buying a home is left unaware of the seller’s offering. And that the best possible light means the place must show well and the price must be competitive with other similar homes since buyers will always choose the best home at the best price.

This can be as much of a challenge for sellers as it is for buyers. Again, the seller is looking to maximize their investment which does not usually include fixing the place up. If they wanted to make improvements or repairs they wouldn’t be selling in the first place and for the price they are getting the buyer should be willing to accept less than picture perfect–at least that’s often the common thinking. This is just as reasonable as buyer’s being put off by homes that need work and in their opinion overpriced but not conducive to anyone getting what they want and need.

What results is conflict–almost every time. Solving these innate issues is what Realtor do best: Finding the right home for the buyers based on their needs not their own. Or market the seller’s home effectively to bring in a ready, willing, and able buyer. Then making it work for both parties all the way to the closing table and a fine new home for the buyer and a big check for the seller to enhance their bottom line as well as their living situation. Not bad, not bad at all.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Selling real estate is a tough proposition, whether you are a home owner or a realtor. However, there are some tools that you can use to improve your chances of a sale by attracting the attention of potential customers. Once you decide you want to sell a property, you have the gigantic task of getting the word out there so everyone knows that the house is available. Putting up real estate signs near the property and at other relevant locations is an effective way to spread the word.

Some homeowner associations may have rules pertaining to putting up these signs in your yard. It is important to ensure that you are not breaking any size or placement restrictions while putting up the For Sale signs.

Signs by Owners

For Sale by Owner signs are put up by home owners who do not want to take help from any realtor. These signs are generally simple as they have little information that needs to be included.

For Sale Signs by Agents

Real estate signs put up by realtors have to include much more information. Such signs serve the dual purpose of attracting a potential customer’s attention toward the property, and of promoting the brokerage and agent. Generally, these signs contain the name and address of the brokerage, office phone number, company logo, and web site information. Some signs may also include additional panels with information such as price reduction, actual asking price, and agent’s cell phone number.

Placement of Signs

The basic reason for putting up the sign is to gain the attention of any potential buyer or interested party. Once you have designed the perfect sign, it has to be placed well for it to have a maximum effect.

• One vital aspect to remember is that the sign has to be visible from the street. While placing the sign, you need to factor in the existence of parked cars, trees, and even telephone poles that might affect the visibility of the sign.
• It is a marvelous idea to place the sign near the sidewalk.
• For homes located at corners, it might be prudent to install two signs – one on each street.
• There is no point in placing signs at places that do not attract too many visitors. If the house is at a faraway location where traffic is limited, consider asking home owners who live closer to busy streets whether you could place directional signage in their yard.

Signs that give real estate information are an effective and inexpensive way to advertise the property. You can customize these signs to meet all your requirements.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

This is probably the biggest investment in your life; who can you trust to help you make an informed decision?

It may not be the person you would first assume!

There are three main players in this buy/don’t buy scenario: You ( the home buyer), your Realtor and the Home Inspector.

You, the home buyer, are obviously the most important party in this scenario and everyone else should be supporting you in this decision. The Home Inspector is next important because he is the one responsible for giving you important and critical information to help you make this very important decision. The Realtor is least important in this equation, although, they may not agree. The Realtor is a key player in locating properties and helping facilitate the intricacies of the legal aspects of the transfer of property. But, the Realtor knows nothing about this particular property you are considering and therefor the need for a home inspection. This report may sound very negative, which it is not intended to be, but there are conflicts of interest you should be aware of.

Know your Realtor!

It is an inherent part of the real estate business that the Realtor has a basic conflict of interest with the home buyer. The Realtor makes his commission only if the sale of the property goes through. And the less time Realtors spend on finding properties, writing contracts, negotiating, and the myriad chores the more money they make. Hence, the conflict of interest: if a home inspection has a lot of what the Realtor regards as „negative“ information the less likely the deal will go through, more time will be required for negotiations, and a lower rate of return for the Realtor and the Realtor’s broker. You must know that your Realtor is unequivocally behind you, is trustworthy, and has your best interests first and foremost.

Some Red Flags

If your Realtor wants you to use their preferred home inspector be sure to do your research before complying. If the Realtor suggests that you don’t need a comprehensive inspection and that a limited, restricted inspection should suffice know why they feel that way. Some less that reputable Realtors may indicate that the only items of serious concern are items of „health and/or safety.“ WRONG! The items of importance and concern are whatever you think they are. Based on the information from the home inspector you decide what is important, what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. If the Realtor frequently criticizes the home inspector or argues with the inspector this is another red flag. Especially important is if the Realtor recommends a regular home inspector who is not a true professional and is not a structural engineer. A regular non-engineer home inspector may miss significant structural problems. A furnace can be replaced, a water heater can be replaced but if structural problems arise after you’ve purchased the home it could be financially devastating. Always use a professional structural engineer home inspector!

Again, if is unfortunate that this article sounds like Realtor bashing; it’s not meant to be that. There are great people who are Realtors and there are less than great people who are Realtors. We just want you to be confident about who you are working with and be careful if some red flags appear. Of course, temper these comments with the property you are purchasing. If you’re purchasing an obvious fixer-upper, needing a lot of TLC, you’ll need to be flexible and the inspection can be more limited. If you are wanting to by a nice move-in-ready home, not needing significant repairs or remodeling, you need to know as much as possible and it is recommended that you pay the extra money for a comprehensive inspection. But most importantly, stay strong about what is acceptable and important to you. Your opinion is the one that matters.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

When it comes to Real Estate Sales there is an old saying about wanting the best of both possible worlds, full service with discount prices. We’re not sure exactly where that came from, however we do know that home sellers now are able to experience that in an increasing number of markets. Simply stated, For Sale By Owners, FSBO’s, can now try to sell their homes on their own, and be allowed to enter the multiple listing service. What does this accomplish? It is a proven fact that the MLS is the most successful way to sell a home. The cooperative of agents in the MLS service interfacing with the internet gives the seller the greatest avenue to expose their home in the marketplace.

Many sellers say I would like to use that service, but I don’t want to pay 6 or 7 % to do it. Those same sellers say I am wiling to pay 3 % to someone who brings me a buyer, but I do not think the listing agent deserves 3 %. Now a number of companies offer this service. For a small flat fee of around $500, the seller gets into MLS and other local and national websites and still can advertise on their own to get a buyer. If the seller is successful on their own, a small fee or even no commission is due the listing agent depending on the agreement and services desired.

Why would an agent do this, to get more business. If they sell the home, they get the 3%. They can get other buyers from the listing to buy other properties and can get more listings. Everybody wins. The seller can have more flexibility in pricing, offer bonuses to the selling agent, or closing costs trust us, it works. Neighbors see their neighbor’s houses selling and it all generates more business, and it allows seller to have more flexibility to sell their home and make more money on their sale.

The Seller can use this savings to help the buyer with closing costs or lower their sales price or they can pocket the savings and use it as the down payment on the purchase of their next home. Bottom Line with Flat Fee Multiple Listing Services, For Sale By Owners, are give the marketing power of the MLS without paying full price for both sides of the Real Estate Commissions and allowing them to save thousands of dollars on their sale of their home.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

If you are looking for Royal Oak Michigan real estate and you have bad credit, you may think that you are only daydreaming, but homeownership is a very real possibility. In fact, most people can own their own home. It may take a little time and a little help from the right people, such as experienced real estate investors like us, but it can happen.

Royal Oak, Michigan is a suburb of Detroit. It became a city in 1921 and shares it’s name with nearby Royal Oak Charter Township, although the two have separate local governments. The city’s population was over 60,000 at the last census, but the surrounding metropolitan area, which includes Detroit, is home to more than 5 million people.

As with many cities, the downtown area had suffered from neglect during the 1980s and early 90s as more and more residents moved farther and farther away from the city’s center. But, in the past ten years, the Royal Oak city council and business investors have made efforts to revive the downtown area.

Six high-rise buildings were recently constructed and numerous restaurants, clubs, shops and theaters line the streets. The city is somewhat famous, for both it’s trees (named Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation) and it’s nightlife (frequented by both the famous and the infamous).

Royal Oak Michigan real estate listings have something for everyone, from lofts and condos to modern single-family homes and historic Tudors. Prices range from less than 100 to over 800 thousand. The median income for a family is around $70,000 per year, but many sellers wait for months and months before they see their homes sell.

A suffering economy has made it difficult for many people throughout Michigan. Royal Oak is no exception. If you are reading this and you are a property owner, having trouble selling your home, you should know that a large number of potential buyers are generally overlooked.

Past economic problems in Michigan have left many people with credit problems. Lay-offs and factory closings left many people unemployed for a time. In some cases, it was necessary to relocate or reeducate. And, whether a paycheck is coming in or not, the bills do not stop. If you are reading this and you have been turned down for traditional bank financing, because of past credit issues, you should know that there is a group of real estate investors in Michigan willing and able to help.

If a person can afford to rent, he or she can usually afford to own, but all that most lenders look at is the credit score, a number. Even people who have worked hard to pay off their debts may still find that their credit score is not high enough to qualify for even a high interest loan, much less the better ones. You need to remember that the credit bureaus are not concerned with accurately maintaining your credit record. That’s your responsibility.

A good strategy for buyers and sellers is a lease option agreement. More commonly known as the „rent-to-own“, a lease option is a simple understanding drawn up between the potential buyer and seller.

The potential buyer agrees to lease the home for a time with an option to buy it. The option term is usually a year, but terms can vary, and a portion of the rent he or she has paid goes towards the eventual purchase of the home….creating a feeling of true home ownership.

If you have problem credit, but have a job, a small down payment and the desire, you can own your own home. Whether you are looking for Royal Oak Michigan real estate or elsewhere.

Come visit us to learn how experienced real estate investors can help both buyers and sellers.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Selling a house quickly and for the desired price is what every seller aims for. However, considering the complexities of the selling process, achieving this is certainly not a piece of cake. Preparing the house before the potential buyers come to check it out is something that may not cost you an arm and a leg but definitely plays a critical role in appealing them. For those who think that working on the appearance of their house might cost them a fortune, here are some affordable improvements they can make to sell their house quickly.

* Clean up the backyard to boost up the curb appeal of your house. You may see lower offers and decreased interest among buyers if you have hideous trash bins, old greenhouses, rusting patio sets or some compost bins which emanate odors.

* Try to keep your house odor free, especially if you have any pets. The pets emit odors which can be quite easily detected by the buyers on entering into your home. So, air out your house and instead of using artificial flowers, put fresh flowers in the vases and use room fresheners. If your carpet is where the odor comes from, consider using carpet fresheners and vacuum. If nothing works, you can get the carpets washed by professionals before placing your house in the market.

* Painting the walls is an efficient and easy way to prepare your house for sale. If you do not wish to hire professionals for this job, you can even consider doing it on your own. However, you need to make a good choice of colors. Neutral colors work best to paint walls. They appear a lot more soothing when compared to bold and bright colors. So, stick to natural colors, like while, off-white, beige etc. It is a little investment which may help you to sell your property faster.

* To create a relaxed and warm atmosphere for the buyers, you can burn candles and put a lovely vase with fresh flowers on the table.

* If you have advertised your house, then potential buyers can turn up any time to view your house. So, before they reach your place, do not forget to take a round of your entire property to set things which are not at their place. For instance, if the kitchen counter top is cluttered with small appliances, which you had forgotten to put back into the drawers after use, put them back right away. A cluttered and messy place not only takes away the appeal of the place, but also makes it look smaller than it actually is.

* Small kitchen and bathroom updates can lead to big returns, both in the appeal as well as value of your house. You can buy new towels to be kept in the bathroom or new appliances for the kitchen. Also remember to clean the untidy area under the sink and organize the junk drawers.

So go ahead, make these affordable improvements and get set to sell your house quickly.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg