Home Buying Selling Financing Relocating Local Info Resources

By using state of the art technology and integrating the Internet into our marketing, we can get results that other realtors can't match. We are often contacted by buyers over the Internet looking for a home in Southern California, and by using this new technology, we can have pictures, detailed information, and videos emailed to them within minutes. This lets potential buyers get to know your home conveniently even when they are thousands of miles away, extending our marketing reach to the entire country. We like to work with sellers closely to make sure we provide options and a marketing plan that meets their objectives. Please call, send us an email , or send a WEB Message with any questions you have about selling your home. We can put together a package of sellers information and send it to you. Search jeannieshomes.com

Whether you are selling, refinancing, or just wondering what your home is worth in todays market ... We can do the market analysis by surveying the currently listed and recently sold homes in your area . We will provide you with a Current Market Analysis (CMA) Report to help you determine the estimated value of your home. Click here to request a CMA Report. Home Marketing Service Please allow us to create a customized marketing plan which will price your property at todays market value and provide a strategic marketing plan to expose it to the right buyers . A real estate professional will work with you and assist you in meeting your goals for selling your property. We have added the power of internet technology to our traditional realtor support and personalized service. The seller will have the benefits of our professional marketing, sales, and negotiation skills. Click Here

Reasons To Use A Real Estate Agent When Selling An Agent is more aware of the tastes and requirements of buyers, and has first hand knowledge of competitive values. An Agent is familiar with writing a detailed contract that is valid, legal and binding. You may accept an insincere offer and then spend months in litigation, to free your property in order to put it on the market again. You may find buyer's and seller's personalities conflict, thereby losing a good sale. The Agent, as a third party, can diplomatically negotiate and consummate the sale. You do not have time to leave your job during the middle of the day to coordinate or attend to the activities associated with selling your home. You don't have the experience or expertise to negotiate the price with a buyer or their agent. An Agent, can work out the negotiations. You may make needless outlays to improve your property for selling; the Agent's experience can save you needless expense. You may show your home to 100+ would-be buyers, spend your time, money and effort and eventually pay a commission to an Agent who has brought their buyer to you. In dealing directly with the buyers, you may encounter a personality conflict and prevent the sale. Also, you might not "follow-up" with each prospective buyer since this at once might be interpreted as ' you must be in a hurry to sell ". The Agent will enlist the services of fellow real estate salespeople, giving the owner the advantage of his entire local and national sales market. The Agent will price the property to sell at a fair market figure. The average owner sometimes overprices, but more often accepts a price far below the market value. "For sale by owner" sign or ad says curiosity seekers and " low ball offers " welcome. Your Agent will screen the people just looking from the qualified buyers.

Determining the Selling Price We determine the best possible selling price for your home by considering the following: the state of the local market lot size, square footage, and the condition of the home sales of comparable homes in your neighborhood special features, views, or other desirable amentities The selling price you set for your home should also consider what a lender will loan based on their appraisal criteria. If your home is priced above the lenders appraised value, the new buyer will have to make up the difference. Your realtor will advise you on the key stragegies setting the sales price and negotiating an offer to get the target price you have established. You may already have an idea of what your home is worth based on information from well meaning friends and neighbors but it is important to get a current and accurate assessment. The market conditons at the the time you want to sell will be different. Even a few months can make a difference in the supply and demand for homes. Some of the conditions which generally do NOT affect the price of your home are: how much you have spend on improvements what you originally paid for the home how much profit you would like to make how much you owe on your home Please call, email , or send us a WEB Message to ask for assistance in determining a sales price and sales strategy. Let us assist you in getting the best price for your home.

Preparing To Sell Once you have made a decision to sell and have set a selling price, you will want to start preparing to sell your home. How your house looks will have an impact on how quickly it sells. Here are some tips on making good buyer first impressions: Remove clutter, clean stains from the driveway, touch up exterior paint. Trim the lawn, shrubs and flowers Have carpets professionally cleaned Clean windows, repair any cracks, holes, smudges, peeled paint, etc. These are generally easy fixes that you can do yourself which will give your home a fresh new look. Major improvements are not recommended since the cost and time involved usually outweighs any increase in yours homes selling price. If you would like help in preparing your home, we can recommend many good service and repair people in the area. Please call, email , or send us a WEB Message to ask for a home repair/service recommendation. Search the business directory for home repair services. You may also want to offer the new home buyer a home warranty which will provide valuable protection on major systems and appliances including, home heating, plumbing, electrical and central air conditioning systems. These policies are inexpensive and protect the buyer and seller against unforseen repair/replacement costs. For more information, go to the American Home Shield WEB Site . You can also email Pamela Jager at pjager@mindspring.com or call 800-800-8880 ext. 6235 to get more information on home warranties.

Showing Your Home and Open Houses During a showing, you may want to step out for coffee or run a few errands. The buyer will feel more relaxed if allowed to view your home without any distractions. You can set restrictions on the available times to allow buyers to view your home, although the more available your home is, the more potential buyers you will have. A showing can take a little as 10 minutes and buyers may request to see a home at any time. Most open houses are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Sundays seem to get a better attendance. It is important to make your home as appealing as possible. Here are some tips to help get your home in ready-to-show condition: Make the beds, remove any clutter, put dishes put away Turn on lights and open drapes to give a brighter look Place flowers in vases and hang guest towels in bathrooms Keep pets confined or in an out-of-the-way place during a showing Homes are shown only if accompanied by a Real Estate Agent but it is wise to put away your most valuable items, such as jewelry and collectibles. Please call, email , or send us a WEB Message to ask any questions about showing your home. We will be happy to do a walk through and give you ideas and suggestions for things you can do to get it ready to show.

Dealing with Offers As a courtesy to the buyers and their representing agents, it is customary to set up the date that offers will be presented ahead of time and to let them know when the offers will be presented. All information in each offer is confidential. The agents representing the interested buyers will typically call to get details on some of the preferences and terms before writing up an offer to avoid counteroffers due to corrections. All offers must be presented to the seller and it is usually more convenient to wait until several offers are collected and then presenting them all at one time to the seller. This allows the property enough time on the market to solicit multiple offers which usually results in obtaining a better price. The offer presentation date is usually 1 - 2 weeks after the property has been listed on the MLS. When someone prepares an offer, they advise us and we then let the seller know that the request has been made to present an offer. We receive the offer and review it to get clarification and questions answered by the agent representing the buyer. If the buyer does not have an agent and would like us to represent them, we verify that it is acceptable to the seller to also represent the buyer. In most cases, representing both the buyer and sellar can result in savings to both parties and can make a difference in making the transaction go more quickly and smoothly. At the time we present the offers, we read through each one and explain it to the seller. You can ask for clarification of any questions of concern. We explain any clauses and conditions and advise the seller what is normal wording and what is unusual or may be of concern. Offers are on standard forms provided by the local real estate board with many standard clauses to satisfy the lawyers. Besides identifying the parties and properties the offer lists all the items the buyer wants included in the sale and any fixtures to be excluded. There is an irrevocable date and if the seller doesn't accept it by that time the buyer may revoke it. The seller may either accept the offer as is, reject it, or make changes and sign it back to the purchaser to see if they are willing to accept the changes. If the seller makes any changes, they have rejected the original offer and they are no longer bound by it. The buyer may either accept your changes, reject them or come back with a counter-offer. This process continues until either a deal is reached or negotiations terminate. The buyer makes a deposit with the offer which is usually turned over to the listing broker once an offer is accepted and is held in their trust account to be applied to the purchase price on the closing date. The agent's commission is usually deducted from this deposit on the closing date. Once agreement is reached and any conditions are waived, an escrow account can be to handle the title recording and the exchange of funds to purchase the property.

Typical Selling Costs Paid By The Seller Documentation preparation fee for deed Documentary transfer tax, if any Any city transfer/conveyance tax ( according to contract) Payoff of all loans in Seller's name Interest accrued to lender being paid off Statement fees, reconveyance fees and any prepayment penalties Termite inspection (according to contract) Home warranty (according to contract) Any judgments, tax liens, etc., against the Seller Tax proration (for any taxes unpaid at time of transfer of title) Any unpaid homeowner's dues Recording charges to clear all documents of record against Seller Any bonds or assessments (according to contract) Any and all delinquent taxes Notary fees Escrow fee (one half) Title insurance premium for Owner's policy Real Estate commission Commissions are usually paid by the Seller. A portion goes to the Listing Agent and a portion to the Buying Agent. From these commissions each agent must pay for things such as marketing, broker fees, agency services, and other agent costs. Remember that the amount of money you try to save on commissions is outweighed by the higher price a good agent can negotiate and sell your house for. The marketing and sales services of a top producing team and the price they can negotiate is well worth their commission. Call (310) 259-6570 or email jeannie@onlinehomeservices.com to request information on buying, building, developing, and selling your properties.