If Your Home and/or
Property is not
selling give us a
call today, we can
help!
 |
 OUR
HiTech
GLOBALInternet
Program
markets
your
property
LOCAL,
STATE,
USA,
INTERNATIONAL
&
WORLD
WIDE!
|
Sometimes a fresh
approach is best!
One of the things we
do for our clients
is to offer fresh
ideas on how to
market their homes.
Today's competitive
marketplace demands
new ideas and modern
techniques/technologies,
consistent
advertising and
quick results. We
are the Leaders in
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Marketing Technology.
"Simply the Best"
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in West Alabama Real
Estate
ISN'T
it ABOUT
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!
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TIME is
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21 a Powerful Brand
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If YOUR HOME or
PROPERTY is not
SELLING
One of the main
reasons could
be your Real Estate
Office CHOICE!
Check the Tuscaloosa
News Sunday HOMES
(WEEKLY INSERT), and
The Tuscaloosa
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EVERY WEEK in the
(weekly insert) and
EVERY MONTH in the
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In the 21st Century, more American families than ever own their own homes—nearing
70% in recent surveys. But the makeup of those households and the technology is changing. Century 21 are "Agents of Change", with the "Gold Team" with the Gold Standards.
One of the things we do for our clients is to offer fresh ideas on how to market their homes.
Today's competitive marketplace demands new ideas and modern techniques. When you're ready, we can show you what works today.
Technology is transforming how Americans buy and sell homes in unexpected ways, including how they work with real estate agents and brokers, according to one of the largest surveys of real estate consumers ever conducted. The study was released today by the National Association of Realtors®.
Nine out of 10 home buyers use a real estate agent in the search process, but use of the Internet to search for a home has risen dramatically over time, increasing from only 2 percent of buyers in 1995 to 77 percent in 2005; it was 74 percent in 2004. The next largest source of information for buyers is a yard sign, mentioned by 71 percent of buyers.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
are
CERTIFIED
-
STATE
LICENSED
REALTORS®
and
are
member's
of
the
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF
REALTORS®
Sometimes
a
fresh
approach
is
best!
One
of
the
things
we
do
for
our
clients
is
to
offer
fresh
ideas
on
how
to
market
their
homes.
Today's
competitive
marketplace
demands
new
ideas
and
modern
techniques/technologies,
consistent
advertising
and
quick
results.
What's
on
the
surface
is
everything
-
Not
so
with
real
estate
agents
When
it's
time
to
buy
or
sell,
you
need
a
professional
whose
knowledge
and
experience
extends
well
beyond
the
surface.
When
you
expect
the
best,
choose
the
best.
Quick
results
are
our
specialty
Today's
homeowners
often
have
to
sell
quickly
for
a
variety
of
reasons.
If
you
ever
find
yourself
in
that
situation,
call
us.
We
will
respond
quickly
with
essential
information
about
the
market
along
with
a
plan
for
quick
action!
Call
CENTURY
21
PATTY
SNELL
&
ASSOCIATES
@
205-553-6858
Call
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
because
When
it
comes
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making
a
deal,
timing
can
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@
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1.
Thousands
of
Success
Stories
Each
Day
-
CENTURY
21
Gold
Team
help
people
buy
and
sell
thousands
of
properties
every
day
–
more
than
any
other
real
estate
sales
organization
in
the
world.
2.
Our
Image
Works
For
You
-
Thanks
to
over
$40
million
in
advertising
every
year,
9
out
of
10
American
homeowners
recognize
the
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
name
– a
name
they’ve
come
to
trust.
3.
We
Attract
More
Buyers
-
The
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
of
approximately
8,000
offices
gives
you
access
to
buyers
throughout
the
world.
4.
The
Right
Pricing
Makes
Sales -
Our
real
estate
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professionals
have
the
expertise
to
help
you
price
your
home
so
that
you
can
close
the
sale.
5.
The
Sign
You
Trust
-
Our
CENTURY
21©
sign
is
the
best
local
advertising
of
available
properties.
A
sale
can
occur
as a
result
of
someone
recognizing
our
familiar
name
on
the
front
lawn
and
knowing
it’s
a
name
they
can
trust.
6.
Referral
System
Works
For
You
-
With
the
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
Referral
system,
you
have
the
nations
largest
network
of
real
estate
professionals.
7.
Local
Advertising
Targets
Prime
Prospects
-
Once
our
national
advertising
attracts
consumers
to
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team,
our
local
advertising
brings
them
to
you.
Neighborhood
newspapers,
directory
and
classified
ads
go
to
work
for
you.
WE
ADVERTISE
MORE
CONSISTENTLY
THAN
ANY
OTHER
REAL
ESTATE
OFFICE
IN
TUSCALOOSA.
8.
Financing
Expertise
Makes
the
Difference
-
Financing
for
your
home
is
critical.
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professionals
can
help
answer
important
questions,
such
as
how
much
down
payment
you
need,
and
how
and
where
to
go
for
financing
–
questions
important
to
buyers
and
sellers.
9.
We
Have
the
Marketing
Tools
That
Make
the
Difference -
Our
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
office
has
an
array
of
marketing
tools
designed
to
bring
buyers
and
sellers
together
and
allow
you
to
be
competitive
in
the
real
estate
marketplace.
10.
Professional
Training
Keeps
Us
On
Top -
On-going
training
opportunities
give
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professional
access
to
the
latest
marketing
techniques
and
the
newest
financial
tools.
11.
The
CENTURY
21©
Name
Means
Results
-
Independent
CENTURY
21©
GOLD
TEAM
offices
across
the
nation
have
helped
sell
millions
of
homes. CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professionals
is
ready
to
go
to
work
for
you.
12.
We’ll
Handle
the
Details -
Your
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
sales
associate
has
the
contacts
to
take
care
of
the
many
details
associated
with
the
sale
or
purchase
of
your
home
–
from
title
insurance
to
termite
reports.
We’ll
save
you
time.
13.
Relocation
-
The
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
system
is
actively
involved
in
corporate
relocation
–
working
nationwide
with
major
companies
who
transfer
employees.
If
your
home
is
on
the
market,
it
could
be
just
the
place
for
one
of
these
transferring
employees. CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
is
the
CENDANT
Principle
Relocation
Broker
Office
for
West
Alabama.
14.
Skilled
Negotiations
Close
the
Sale
- A
skilled
negotiator
is a
critical
element
in a
real
estate
transaction.
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professionals
make
things
move
smoothly,
negotiating
to
help
get
the
right
terms
and
the
right
price
for
your
property.
15.
We
Can
Help
With
Other
Services -
Need
help
finding
insurance
coverage
for
your
new
home?
We
Can
help.
The
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
system
has
business
relationships
with
companies
who
can
service
your
needs.
16.
We
Take
Care
of
The
Paperwork -
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professionals
have
the
knowledge
and
experience
to
arrange
documents
associated
with
your
sale
or
purchase.
We
handle
the
busy
work
so
you
can
start
packing.
17.
Teamwork
for
You -
When
you
work
with
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
office
you
have
access
to
other
CENTURY
21©
GOLD
TEAM
professionals
–
locally,
from
surrounding
areas,
and
even
from
across
the
world.
We’re
here
to
help
you
make
your
real
estate
dreams
a
reality.
18.
We
Keep
You
Up
To
Date -
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professionals
know
how
important
it
is
to
keep
you
informed.
We
make
it a
point
to
let
you
know
what’s
happening
at
every
stage
of
the
buying
or
selling
process.
19.
We
Offer
Proven
Success -
Many
homeowners
who
try
selling
their
own
homes
fail. Your
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
professional
can
help
you
avoid
the
myriad
of
pitfalls
you
face
in
marketing
your
own
home,
including
the
disappointment
of
selling
your
property
for
less
than
it’s
worth.
20.
You
Have
Our
Promise
- We
don’t
just
tell
you
what
we’re
going
to
do –
we
give
you
our
word
on
it. Our
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
Associates
SELLER
SERVICE
PLEDGE©
and
CENTURY
21©
GOLD
TEAM
BUYER
SERVICE
PLEDGE©
Certificates
put
our
promises
to
you
in
writing.
21.
We
Care
-
Our
clients
are
our
most
important
asset.
When
you
work
with
a
CENTURY
21
Patty
Snell
&
Associates
"Quality
Service
Awards",
Gold
Team
sales
associate,
you’ll
receive
the
quality
of
service
you
want
and
deserve.
YES,
I
DESERVE
TO
HAVE
THE
BEST
"QUALITY
SERVICE"
OFFERED
BY
ANY
REAL
ESTATE
ORGANIZATION
-
LIST
MY
HOME
&
PROPERTY
AND/OR
CALL
CENTURY
21
PATTY
SNELL
&
ASSOCIATES.
When
it
comes
to
making
a
deal,
timing
can
be
everything
@
205-553-6858
Buying or Selling a Fine Home & Estate
Buying or Selling a luxury home & Estate is a unique real estate experience requiring special tools and skills. CENTURY 21®Fine Homes & Estates professionals understand that luxury homebuyers and sellers are looking for a home reminiscent of their own signature style. Selling your luxury property or finding one that suits your needs can be a time consuming process, and time is often a luxury most of our clients don't have. Through our access to a global referral network and a keen understanding of the luxury real estate market, we help bring more luxury home buyers and sellers together.
BUYING or SELLING Call CENTURY 21 Patty Snell & Associates today. When it comes to Fine Homes & Estates, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Preparing Your House to Sell
Consider what happens to a used car when it is traded in at a dealership. Almost the minute the deal is made, the car is whisked away for a thorough detail job, mechanical inspection, and repairs so that the dealer can sell it for top dollar. Somehow, the next buyer ends up believing that the spotless interior means that the car has been immaculately maintained for all of its 93,999 miles. Just as a few hundred dollars can reap, perhaps, thousands more for a car, your home deserves a detail job in preparation for hitting the real estate market.
What can you do to show it to best advantage? Start by asking your agent for suggestions. Better yet, walk through some model homes and see some of the more inexpensive touches professional furnishers and decorators use that make a huge difference to potential homebuyers.
If you are selling on your own, call in a brutally honest friend. You want someone who will view your house with a fresh eye. After all, you may have learned to live with that broken front step, perhaps even having stopped noticing it altogether. But anyone else approaching your home will notice it instantly. You can go over the house and grounds yourself with the checklist. SEE TIPS on SELLING your HOME below.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Tips on Selling your Home
10 Deadly mistakes
- Overpricing: Done to allow negotiating room, or for over improvement.
- Not having a Lock Box: This limits the showings by agents, due to the inconvenience.
- Condition of the property: Not considering painting, carpets, bushes, cleaning etc.
- Staging of the home: Not getting rid of clutter, removing excess furniture, closets, etc.
- Odors: Not ridding the home of odors from pets, smoking, food etc.
- Cleanliness: Not cleaning the kitchen sinks, baths, appliances.
- Inadequate lighting: Dark homes are depressing, turn on lights, open drapes, cut back trees from windows, wash windows & light fixtures.
- Choosing the wrong agents: An aggressive agent will have faster results.
- Rejection offers outright, without negotiating: The first offer is usually the best one.
- Emotions! Sellers have to be objective and consider their home like any other product and realize different people have different tastes.
Staging the Home for Sale
Consideration of these questions might help get a higher price for the home on a shorter period with fewer problems:
- Does my house or any part of the house need painting?
- Should I reseed the lawn and get my landscaping in top shape?
- CWhat about the screens? Any holes in them?
- What about the windows and doors? Do they work well?
- Does the carpeting need cleaning or replacing?
- Are pets under control?
- Are all the appliances clean and in good working order?
- Should I take some of the clothes out of the closets to make them look bigger?
- Is there any furniture I could store or dispose of to make the rooms look bigger?
- Do any of the cabinets need to be touched up or refinished?
- Are the garage and storage areas as clean and neat as they should be?
- What will be the buyer's first impression of the interior of my house?
- What can I do to improve it?
- If I were the buyer, would I buy my home over the other houses similar to mine, that are in the market?
Make a good first impression
First impressions count with buyers. In today's age of consumerism, every buyer is comparative shopping. A small investment in time and money can give your home a solid advantage over competing properties. Therefore, by paying attention to details now, you can enhance the perceived value later. The following are some suggestions for preparing your home to show to its best advantage.
PREPARING the EXTERIOR - FENCE, DECKS, PATIOS
- Replace missing slats and posts.
- Repair Broken hinges and paint or stain the fence
- Make sure are clean and in good repair
- Check all railing and fencing to make sure it is in good repair. Paint if needed
YARD
- Weed flower beds and replace dead plants
- Be sure that shrubbery is kept trimmed
- For a touch of color have seasonal plant.
- Keep lawn cut
DRIVEWAY, GARAGE, CARPORTS
- Clear driveways and clean up oil spills
- Clean out garage
- Items should be neatly stored in wall units
- Garage door openers are properly working
- Keep garage door down at all times
FRONT ENTRY
- Make sure door bell works
- Clean cobwebs
- Make sure porch light works and fixtures are in good repair
- Fresh paint or varnish on front door
- Polish door handles and knockers
SIDING & TRIM
- Consider painting the highlight features of your home
- Paint shutters, gutters, down spout, and railing
- If necessary add fresh coat of paint to exterior siding
Before you start on the inside of the house, walk across the street in front of your house and look back (like your buyers will it). Does it present an appealing appearance?
PREPARING the INTERIOR
SQUEAKY CLEAN
- Clean and freshen bathrooms
- Clean fridge and stove (in and out)
- Clean around heating vent
- Clean washer and dryer
- Clean carpets, drapes and windows blinds
- Make sure your sinks are clean at all times and free of dirt.
- Check all faucets and shower heads to make sure are spotless
- Clean all light switch places by taking them off and replace if needed
- Make sure all bathrooms are spotless
- Make sure all bedrooms are spotless
Benefits of Proper Pricing
Faster sale: When your home sells faster, you save carrying costs, mortgage payments and other ownership costs.
Less inconvenience : If you have moved before, you know the energy it takes to prepare for showing: keeping the home clean, making childcare arrangements and altering your lifestyle. Proper pricing reduces this demand on you, by helping your home sell faster.
Exposure to more prospects: At market value, you open your home up to more people who can afford the price. Sellers who list at a high price in the hope that they will find the one purchaser, who will pay it, often do not realize that they have discouraged many potential purchasers who could have afforded the price they end up accepting at a later date.
Increased salesperson response: When salespeople are excited about a home and its price, they make special efforts to contact all of their potential buyers. Knowing that it is priced properly for its market, they expect it to sell soon and encourage their prospects to act quickly. Their excitement is contagious!
Better response from advertising and sign calls: Ad calls and sign calls to Realtors turn into showings when price is not a deterrent. Most serious prospects are well educated about asking prices in the areas they are seeking and will not waste time on a home they consider overpriced.
Attracts higher offers: When a home is priced right, buyers fear they might miss a good home, so they are less likely to make "low ball offers."
Means more money to sellers: If a home is priced right, the excitement of the market produces higher sales prices. You net more both in terms of actual sale price and in less carrying costs.CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Real estate professionals agree that first impressions count!
Whether you are buying or selling your home, count on us to help create a welcoming look. Keeping up with home maintenance is just one way to enhance the value of your home. Call CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES for more ideas @ 205-553-6858
When staging a home for sale
Clutter can be a messy problem. If you keep up with clutter, you'll enjoy a more organized life and home. Let us you show you more ways to enhance your home's value @ 205-553-6858
Decorative touches can mean a lot to prospective homeowners
There many ways we help my clients make sure their homes show well when they are on the market. For more ideas to enhance your home, give CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES a call @ 205-553-6858
Lighting choices can really enhance your home's value
Lighting is just one of many ways we can help you upgrade your home to add comfort and value. When you need help selling or buying a new home, please call CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES @ 205-553-6858
Your kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home
Why not add fresh new flooring and other updates to enjoy, and that will return their value when you resell .We have plenty of other ideas to enhance your home's value. Give CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES a call @ 205-553-6858
It's easy to brighten a bathroom!
However, in today's competitive market, you can benefit from a local real estate professional. We can show you how to enhance your home for maximum value. When you need help buying or selling a home, be sure to call CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES @ 205-553-6858
Colorful plants are attractive and invite prospects into your home
As any real estate professional will agree. Need more ideas to enhance your home's value? We are eager to assist you with any of your real estate needs. Call CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES we are ready to help @ 205-553-6858
A fresh color in a room can make a big difference
And it's easy to do-it-yourself. One of the things we do for our clients is to offer fresh ideas on how to market their homes. Today's competitive market requires a seasoned real estate professional. Call CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES today @ 205-553-6858
Be prepared so you're not left in the dark!
Advice to help you find ways to protect your family in an emergency. We are full of ideas about enhancing and protecting your home's value. If you are buying or selling, count on CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES for expert advice @ 205-553-6858
Prospective homeowners look for quality details to make a decision
We can help you with other ways to showcase your home for the best value. Call CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES for more ideas @ 205-553-6858
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Your Buyers Financing
You may think that financing is the buyer’s concern, but it is of vital importance to you. How will you respond to these questions?
“Are you willing to consider an FHA offer?”
“Will you hold the mortgage yourself for high interest and a five-year balloon?”
“Can I take over your VA loan if I’m not a veteran?”
“Would you drop your price $15,000 for all cash?”
Preparing to judge the buyer’s financing proposal requires homework on your part. Become familiar with the possibilities. Ask a mortgage consultant for a briefing on the current alternatives. Find out about new and innovative loan programs as they become available locally. Some lenders are more than pleased to provide a spreadsheet or flier for you to give to prospective buyers, showing several possible lending scenarios for your particular home in exchange for the marketing exposure they receive.
There is no single best financing plan out there. More than a hundred different mortgage plans are available from lending institutions in almost any given area. Each of these plans is there because it fits a certain situation best—buyer’s need, seller’s convenience, type of property.
Asking, “What’s the best mortgage around right now?” is like walking into a drugstore and asking, “What’s the best medicine you have?”
A broker, working with a customer, develops a financing strategy for that buyer within the first few minutes of conversation. Recent bankruptcy? Better search for an assumable mortgage. Two young professionals with gradually increasing incomes? Suggest an adjustable-rate mortgage starting them out with the lowest possible monthly payments. A small business owner just getting established? Find a portfolio lender who is more generous with its loan program guidelines.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
The Listing Process
This chapter deals with the process of listing your home for sale through a broker. Read it even if you are selling on your own, because without an agent, you will be listing the house with yourself, and your first task will be carefully gathering the information detailed here.
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The Day of Reckoning
In your area the process may be called settlement, transfer, closing escrow, or passing papers. It may be held in the county courthouse, the lending institution, a title company, a real estate office, or an attorney’s office. No matter what terminology is used, it’s the fruit of everyone’s labors and the time when the transfer of ownership finally takes place.
What does a typical settlement look like? In one city, buyers, sellers, attorneys, brokers, and a paralegal from the lending institution may gather around a long table. In another area, there may not be a meeting at all; details are handled by mail, courier, or electronically through an escrow company. In no aspect of real estate does local custom vary more.
Whatever the practice, however, the skeleton of the transaction remains the same:
1 The seller proves marketable title.
2 The buyer pays for the property.
3 The seller delivers the deed.
If new financing is involved, settlement includes the signing and delivery of a bond and mortgage or, in some states, a trust deed.
The deed is a bill of sale for real estate. You do not want to sign and deliver the deed until you receive your money. The buyers, on 12 / The Day of Reckoning 151
the other hand, cannot pay you until they receive their mortgage loan. The lender will not turn over the money without receiving a mortgage. But the buyers cannot sign a mortgage until they own the property. It is obvious that the various transactions must take place at one time and in precise order.
If it is customary in your area for the seller to attend the closing and you are unable to do so, arrangements can be made for you to sign the deed ahead of time; this one act is your major contribution to the ceremonies. In many eastern states, it is at this point that front-door keys may also be handed over. In other areas, buyers must wait to hear that they are “on record” (the deed has been entered into the public records) before getting the keys, garage door openers, and security codes for the house.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Some Legal Matters
Even if no broker is employed, most home sales are covered by the federal fair housing law, and sellers must be aware of the regulations involved.
This chapter also discusses the special legal obligations between principal and agent. Too few sellers or buyers are aware of these obligations.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Showing Your Home
Put some cookies in the oven, send the kids and the dog to the neighbor’s, and set the stereo on low, easy listening music. Buyers are on their way!
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Pricing Your Property
If you offered your house for sale at $2 million, it would never sell (or it would remain on the market until inflation caught up with your price). If you asked $100 for it, you’d have a sale before your advertisement even hit the papers. (The supervisor of the newspaper’s classified ad department would be at your door five minutes after you called.)
So you need only search for the figure, somewhere between $100 and $2 million, that will attract buyers and at the same time bring you the most money. One point is clear: If you can sell for $100 in five minutes, and for $2 million in 20 years, obviously time and money are related in real estate sales.
If you are under no pressure to sell, you have the luxury of exploring the market, experimenting with price, and Accepting an offer without pressure. This process is likely to yield the highest price.
If, on the other hand, you are working under a deadline, a no-nonsense price, slightly under true market value, will bring immediate action. When such a listing comes through the daily computer printout, one agent, idly reading, says to another, “Listen to this. A three-bedroom house in Suburban Heights for $270,000.” And the other says, “Aren’t they going around three hundred over there? Won’t last.” Both reach for the phone to give the news to penny-pinchers they’ve been working with. The scene is repeated in any number of MLS offices, and that’s one way houses are sold in a day.
A one-day sale, though, does not meet the standards set for
fair market value of property. The concept of fair market value
comes from the field of appraising.
Fair market value has been defined as the most probable price a property will bring if it has been widely exposed on the market, if sufficient time is allowed to find an informed buyer, and if neither party is under undue duress.
Pricing your property involves an attempt to estimate fair market value, depending on circumstances.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Negotiating Your Sales Contract
The word broker derives from an old Middle English word for go-between, and nowhere is this more evident than when the agent brings you and your buyer to what is legally known as a meeting of the minds. A successful agent develops valuable skills in negotiation, and a new salesperson will call upon the broker’s experience in this matter. With both parties under stress, tact and diplomacy are called into action. The broker knows enough of law and finance to make suggestions for dealing with difficulties. In the end, your salesperson derives the most satisfaction from a “win-win” situation, in which both parties feel they have achieved their goals and made a good deal.
With no broker involved, you must deal face-to-face with the would-be buyer. Always remember that oral agreements for the sale of real estate are not binding. The buyer could offer you $280,000 cash in front of five witnesses; you could shake hands on the deal and even accept a $20,000 deposit. And the buyer could still back out of the deal the next day and demand return of the deposit. As far as the law is concerned, there was no contract.
The statute of frauds demands that certain contracts be made in writing to be legally enforceable, and one of those is any contract for the sale of real property.
This makes negotiation particularly delicate, for you will only give yourself away if you engage in too much oral dickering.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
Moving and Tax Considerations
One of your first assignments when you move is to collect a stack of change-of-address cards from the post office. You’ll want to notify everyone in your address book, including the following individuals and offices:
Accountant
Attorney
Credit card companies
Church clubs and organizations
Dentist
Insurance company
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Magazine subscriptions
Physician
Social Security Administration
Stockbroker
Voter registration
The post office will forward first-class mail for one year, but
if you want parcels and publications forwarded you must agree to
pay additional postage.
Be sure the buyer of your home has your new address and, if
you know it, your new phone number, so any mail that gets
lost in the shuffle can be sent on to you promptly.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
In the Tunnel - “We’ve sold our house!”
When can you joyfully spread the news to your friends? Is it the day someone first expresses an intention to buy? The time when you reach written agreement on price and terms? After all of the contingencies have been removed? Or the final settlement session, when the money and the front-door key change hands?
Although most transactions do proceed smoothly from contract to eventual transfer of title, you, the agent, and the buyers all have responsibilities while the sale is “in the tunnel.” All of you can help ensure the successful outcome of your mutual plans.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
To Sell or Not to Sell
Americans move around a lot. Statistics from the National Association of REALTORS® indicate that the average household in the United States moves once every seven years. Whether you are selling a home for the first time or are a seasoned home selling veteran, putting your home on the market is frequently a time of mixed emotions, among them anticipation, anxiety, uncertainty, and sometimes relief.
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
CALL CENTURY 21 PATTY SNELL & ASSOCIATES. When it comes to making a deal, timing can be everything @ 205-553-6858
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