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Real Estate News - by Oliva

Real Estate News - May 2007

Many homebuyers make the mistake of assuming the price listed with a home is somehow related to the actual value. In fact, the price often is not.

What is the fair price of a home? Many would argue the fair price is the one agreed upon between a buyer and seller when negotiations conclude in the offer and counteroffer process. While this is certainly one approach to the situation, many buyers make the mistake of assuming the listing price on a home has some inherent relationship to the appraised price. This is sometime incorrect because of issues involving the seller.

Obviously, the first issue to consider with pricing is the natural tendency of the seller to try to get as much as possible for the property. In practical terms, this means the property will almost always be priced above what the market will support. It may be just above or well above, but it will definitely be above. The only exception to this situation is if the seller is motivated to sell fast for some reason such as divorce. In said situations, the seller may price the property at or below what the market will support.


A less obvious motivation for overpricing a property boils down to simple financial numbers. If you own a home, you are bombarded with offers for home equity credit lines. The credit line is essentially a way of liquefying the equity in a property. Many people use these lines to pay a wide variety of bills. When it comes time to sell the property, however, they suddenly realize their profit from it is going to be very small. In such a situation, the natural reaction of the seller is to ask for price at the high end of the local market. In such a situation, the seller is unlikely to be amenable to negotiating down the price because they simply cannot.


When looking at homes it is important to understand the motivation of the seller when setting the asking price. Doing so allows you to determine if the price is negotiable or the seller is stuck.




About the Author:

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - FSBO homes for sale by owner.

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

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With any good piece of advice on house selling, there’s always some sort of evidence behind it that shows that it can work. “Spend two thousand dollars on gardening and you’ll increase your sale price by $15,000!” Sometimes you will. Other times you’ll just blow through $2,000 and still have to settle for below market rates on the sale. “I sold my house by auction and got $20,000 over asking!”; That person probably did just that, but did they mention what happens when the auction doesn’t fetch a high price?

The one piece of advice that we, as real estate professionals, always hear is “I’m going to try to sell it myself and save the realtor commission” – and sometimes, wouldn’t you know it, such a tactic actually works.

But other times, it doesn’t, and the homeowner is left watching the value of their home drop, while the mortgage ticks up.

So what’s the inside scoop – should you try to ‘sell by owner’? Is it worth it to save a 6% commission? The honest truth is, ‘sometimes’ - but there’s very little chance of actually figuring out when that ‘sometimes’ is going to happen.

Real estate agents do provide a valuable service for all the money they take off you. They’ll guide you through the sales process, tell you what the weaknesses in your property are, they’ll run ads for you online and in print, they’ll handle the paperwork, negotiate a price… there’s a reason they take as much cash for their time, and that’s that they’re good at what you’re not – the inside info.

Added to that, more than a few property owners have found their sale harpooned at the last moment because they didn’t have all the paperwork done, or the buyer hadn’t been properly checked out and backed out late, or the property inspection revealed something was wrong that would require big money to fix… At the same time, there are plenty of happy ‘sale by owner’ sellers for whom everything went great, but do you really want to take the chance on something going wrong… and do you really want to give all those thousands of dollars to a realtor driving a Lexus, while you’re getting by on a 14-year-old Toyota?

There is another way. More and more, home sellers who know they’re going to make a profit on their sale are deciding to forego the realtor route, as well as the ‘sale by owner’ option, and are choosing to sell instead to companies that buy properties fast, for a slightly lower price than a realtor would be looking for, and have money in your hand – today – instead of in six months time.

These companies like AsIsNow.com, look at what your property is worth – as is - give you that price for it, and then they spend the thousands of dollars and months of time, and weeks of labor and sweat, to bring the property up to its maximum value. For companies like these, they have the resources to sit on a property for months – of even years – waiting for the house to reach its potential; something that many home owners simply can’t afford to do.

So if your property price isn’t moving like you’d like it to be, and your house requires a lot of money spent to bring about a decent price in return, think about exploring that third option, and get the money you need today, so you can upgrade to a new home tomorrow.




About the Author:

We will buy your house As Is Now in any condition including Ugly Homes. If you need to Sell Your Home Fast Orlando, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, For Lauderdale, Houston, Tampa and Fort Myers. Visit us at Really Long Link Call 1-800-AS-IS-NOW (800-274-7669).

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

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Young retirees looking out for the best cities in the U.S. to retire young but still be engaged in an active lifestyle may take a look at the top ten cities that have been chosen by the Money Magazine with Bert Sperling of Bestplace.net this year. The best cities have been selected based on important factors for an active lifestyle such as population growth, cost of living, economic health, recreation opportunities and leisure activities. The city's proximity to a large metro area, college presence in the vicinity and housing costs that are below $350,000 have been taken into account. However, the study also made a few exceptions for cities that offered unique benefits and did not strictly fit the criteria.

1. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: Pronounced as 'Core da lane', this city offers a wonderful ski environment, stunning scenery and a flourishing golf culture. The city is picking up in the tourism sector. The median home price is $311,700 and the population is 38,246.

2. Charlottesville, Virginia: The Blue Ridge Mountains, University of Virginia, and variety of entertainment and recreation, makes Charlottesville an attractive option to retire in. This is also a city with a strong historical background. All these positive features offset the slightly high median home price of $398,400. The population of Charlottesville is 41,425.

3. Logan, Utah: Home to the Utah State University, Logan is a popular city that offers various recreational activities including plenty of water sports at Bear Lake. Logan has a historic downtown and the scenic Logan Canyon Scenic Byway is a great attraction. The city has a median home price of $205,400 and population of 44,599.

4. Blacksburg, Virginia: A town that has been growing steadily over the last 4 decades, Blacksburg is home to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute also known as Virginia Tech, a very vibrant college community and lots of scenic beauty. The median home price is $233,400 and the town has a population of 39,915 residents.

5. Burlington, Vermont: A college town through and through, Burlington boasts of being home to four colleges - the University of Vermont, Burlington College, Champlain College and a Community College of Vermont campus. The median home price is $378,000 and the town has 37,884 residents.

6. Anacortes, Washington: An awesome place if you want to enjoy your retirement with a lot of fun and entertainment. The jewel of Fidalgo Island, Anacortes is favorably located near British Columbia. There is no limit to the water sports that the sea offers or to other outdoor activities such as golfing, bird watching, camping etc. The median home price is $347,600 and the town has a population of just 15,514 with a 15-year growth rate of 24.5 %.

7. Sarasota, Florida: You would love this spot for its exquisite architecture, pure white sands and wonderful beach sports. The medium home price is a little expensive at $423,400 and the population is at 53,477. Being the hub of architectural marvel Sarasota in the State of Florida might not offer much for the home buyer in terms of housing bargains.

8. Hanover, New Hampshire: Also known as the "Upper Valley", Hanover in New Hampshire is a peaceful place to settle in, for its wonderful valley setting. Located at driving distance from Boston, Montreal and New York City, Hanover also offers great skiing activity. The median home price is at $297,400 and the population is 8,305 with a 15-year growth rate of 13.2 %.

9. Manhattan, Kansas: If one wishes to settle in a city that offers year-round entertainment, Manhattan in the State of Kansas would be the perfect choice. The city offers golf, art, shopping and some of the country's best music festivals during the month of June. The median home price is $188,600 and the population is 44,630.

10. Ames, Iowa: This can be the perfect choice for the one who wants a laid back lifestyle and a quiet life. The city offers some of the most affordable housing options and the crime rate is also quite low here. The city also is home to the Iowa State University. The Median home price is at $176,700 and the population is 54,817.




About the Author:

San Diego Condos La Jolla Condos Mission Bay Real Estate

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

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Investing In 'Fixer-Upper' Houses

May 28th 2007 22:12
Thanks to the booming real estate market, right now is perhaps the best time ever for property speculators and developers to make substantial profits from investing in ‘fixer-upper’ houses. By buying an older property that is in need of renovation, doing the work, and then selling it on at a much higher price, it is possible to make fantastic returns on a relatively small initial investment with little risk.

The key to making money from investing in fixer upper houses is that you can make the purchase at a price much lower than the standard market rate for similar real estate, and then by carrying out the necessary work, make it into a much more desirable place to live, and sell it at a higher price


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Retire Young With Real Estate

May 26th 2007 22:01
There is no one in the world that wants to work a day longer than he has to. But with economic instability leaving many of us worrying about how our future and retirement will be paid for, it is ever more tempting to invest in something concrete and allow ourselves to retire young with real estate investments.

There are two main ways of making money from real estate. The first is to buy older and dilapidated properties at prices below the market value, then renovate them and sell them on at a profit. Property development can offer significant returns in the short term, and allow you to enjoy a higher standard of living, although it may initially require a lot of work and there may be a lot to learn


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Perhaps you’re a homeowner in need of some quick cash.

Maybe you want to consolidate your debts so you have better control of your money


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Newspaper Ads Reads Poor Leads

May 24th 2007 20:21

Newspaper ads are convenient sources of real estate leads. The top reason why real estate agents put out advertisements by the hundreds and thousands of dollars in newspaper ads is this: they need to acquire listings. The simple fact of the matter is, most home sellers look at these newspaper ads. Via this route, they then ponder and get to decide who or which is the real estate agent and company that does a great job of marketing homes.

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You’ve been thinking about buying your own home for quite a long time, and now you’re ready to take the plunge. You’ve been saving money for a down payment, and you know the next step is preparing to apply for a mortgage.

But where do you start


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Shop at a flea market in Oaxaca, Mexico. Trade with a vendor in London, England. Or sport your wares to collectors in Geneva, Switzerland. You can virtually do just that when you shop or sell goods at an online auction site. You know those global auction Web sites, the ones that allow you to bid on thousands of items against millions of other competitors. Sure, they allow you to expand your world and uncover cool knickknacks from around the world. But these very same sites also open the door to you getting ripped off by someone four thousand miles away. More than 8 billion dollars were spent on auction sites in the last three months of last year, but how many dollars were lost along the way?


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