R.E. Options, LLC

Follow along as we go through some great insight to selling Real Estate..

Chapter 1: What To Do When Your Home Isn't Selling _____________________________________________________________

When you sell your home, the process is almost like going to a job interview. Selling a home involves presentation, which is one of the key factors that determine the outcome.

Although this may sound a bit weird, presentation is a way of life in the world of real estate. Buyers in today’s market look for good presentation – many basing their final decisions on it.

If the property you are selling comes with a garage, you’ll need to go through your garage before you sell your home. Chances are that you store things in your garage, which can easily pile up over time before you realize it.

If your garage is in a messy condition, you’ll obviously want to clean it up. Buyers look for homes that are in perfect condition, and anything less than perfect will look bad in the eyes of the buyer.

Most homes have some truly outstanding features inside of them. You should always do your best to highlight the best features of your home, instead of just hoping that the buyer understands what they are. The ideal way to bring out the best features of your home is to use the proper lighting.

If your home is clean, you can use lighting to bring out the best features in your home, and ensure that they stand out to the buyer.

When a potential buyer first pulls up to your home; the first thing he will see is your lawn. If your lawn is trimmed and well taken care of, he will get a good impression right off the bat. If your lawn is a wreck, he may immediately pull away. To give the best impression to the buyer, you should put some thought into how things look. You can always plant flowers around the walkway and throughout the yard, which will look great to a potential buyer.

You should also make sure that the entrance into your home is a positive as well. The front door should be in great shape, as well as the entry area into
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the home. You can add some plants, paintings, and rugs to ensure that your buyer gets a good impression. When the buyer walks through the entry way into your home, you should make sure that the view he or she takes in is a good one. Your biggest goal when showing your home is to ensure that the buyer is pleased.

Keep in mind that it may take some time to sell your home. These days, homes can sit on the market for months at a time before they actually sell. If you are having trouble selling your home, you can always reduce the price or simply go back to the basics. Eventually you will sell your home – although it may take more time than you think.



Selling Real Estate

Chapter 2: Things To Know Before Buying A Home _____________________________________________________________

If you are taking the next step in life and purchasing a home, chances are that you are feeling the pressure and the anxiety that goes along with this difficult decision.

Those who buy homes are very anxious, eager to get any information they can about real estate. Before you buy a home, it always helps to learn all that you can.

The first thing you’ll need to do when buying a home is to find out just how much you can qualify for or afford to borrow. You should also make it a point to check your credit and know where you stand. If you have any problems, you should strive to correct them for you attempt to borrow money for a home. The higher credit rating you have, the lower your interest rates will be.

If you can, you should always attempt to get pre-approved by a mortgage broker or lender, as this will show your commitment to the mortgage. Also make sure to look for any payment or prepayment options that can help you take a few years away from your mortgage. Once you have been preapproved for a mortgage and know where you stand with your monthly payments, you can start shopping for property.

When you shop for a home, you should only buy real estate that is perfect for you. Before you start looking, you should always make a list of everything you want your home to have, based on what you want and what you actually need. You should also make sure that you mark out any areas that you are willing to come to a compromise on, just in case you have to.

To assist you with finding the perfect home, you should enlist the services of a reputable real estate agent. When you meet with your agent, you will go over how much you are willing to spend, and what type of home you are looking for. Your agent will know where ideal properties are, and help you find the home that is best for you.

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Your agent will supply you with a list of potential properties that meet your budget and your features. Once you get the list, you should drive by the homes and check out both the home and the neighborhood. You should consider the appearance and location of the home, safety, access to the freeway, schools nearby, commute time to work, local shopping, and even recreational activities.

If you don’t find something that interests you the first time, you should keep looking until you find the home that is best for you. Your agent can help with tours of homes and such, even tell you information about neighborhoods that you aren’t familiar with. If you have chosen a good real estate agent, he will care about helping you find a home and go out of his way to ensure that you get exactly what you want.

To get the most from buying a home, you should always hire a real estate agent that you can trust. Your agent will go a long way in helping you buy a home, from finding properties to giving you pointers and tips along the way. Good real estate agents will care about your satisfaction, and will do all that they can to help you find the home of your dreams.

You can always buy a home without a real estate agent, although it will take you longer and you won’t get the help and other amenities that a real estate agent will bring to the table.

6/5/19
So on this installment we will look at two more chapters to consider while selling your Real Estate.

1) Selling in a Sluggish market
2) Termite damage and how it can efficect your RealEstate.

Chapter 3: Selling Real Estate in a Sluggish Market _____________________________________________________________

Real estate is one commodity that many depend upon to get them through the rough times in their investment strategies.

The problem is that unlike stocks and bonds, real estate is not the most liquid of assets to turn into cash when the going gets rough and money is needed immediately. This may be the one large drawback when it comes to real estate. You cannot rely solely upon real estate to get you through the financial rough patches, as real estate is a very fickle market.

There is only one way in which real estate can truly be sold in a sluggish market such as the one that is rocking the real estate world at the moment and that is not always a way that is ideal for investors. However, by offering an exceptional value to consumers, you can almost always manage to sell real estate.

This is by far not the method of choice for investors. Investors are often encouraged to hold onto properties during the rough patches by any means possible (and ethical of course) in order to get the maximum profit, they are hoping to achieve in the endeavor. When this is not possible, make sure the property being offered and sold is the best value for the money that is currently on the market.

Play up the attributes of any given property and offer several properties for sell at once (assuming you own more than one). More importantly, offer different types of properties rather than one style of property. If you own a few rentals, a couple of vacation homes, time shares, and perhaps a corporate office building or two put one of each on the market and see which sells more quickly.

Another thing that must be considered in a sluggish market is that you cannot attach an emotional value to the price of the property. This is simply bad business. No matter how much sweat, tears, and blood have gone into the property you must realize that just as it is a business transaction for you, so it is for the person placing the bid. You cannot afford to run off potential bidders by becoming insulting or feeling insulted by their bids.
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Make a counter offer and see what happens rather than letting emotion rule the day. In a buyer's market there will be low offers.

There are many who make livings (like most investors are attempting to do) by buying low and selling high. This means they will make an insultingly low offer the first time around to see where the seller stands. This doesn't mean they are the scum of the earth only that they are in this for the greatest possible profit.

Do not take their actions or attitudes personally. They are not insulting you or the property only attempting to gain the most money in the process. Most businesses operate that way no matter what they claim.

Selling property in a sluggish market can be a disappointing and gutwrenching process but it is often necessary for one reason or another. Unexpected expenses arise and money is needed when it is needed. This is after all why we make these investments in the first place, to be able to handle the unexpected twists and turns that life tosses our way.


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Chapter 4: Termite Damage And Real Estate _____________________________________________________________

Termite damage, no matter how small it may be, is never good for a home.

During a real estate inspection, if any termite damage is found, it will affect the outcome of the home. In most cases, the buyer is told that the seller will fix the problem. Although this may sound good to some buyers that the seller will treat for termites, other buyers often wonder.

Of course, it’s nice that the seller will pay to have the termite problem treated, which will normally cost around $1,000 or so. Even though the termites will be gone, you have to wonder about the damage to the structure.

In the more severe cases, damage to the structure can cost up to 50 times the cost of the treatment. The last thing you want is to move into a home that you know has been treated for termites, only to find the structure to be in very bad shape.

If any type of damage was done to the wooden structure of the home, you may need to get immediate repairs. While some damage may be visible, there are other types of damage that may seem invisible to the naked eye. To find out just how bad the damage is, carpets and rugs will need to be lifted, furniture and appliances moved, walls and ceilings will need to be opened, and even some types of excavation may be needed.

This is the only way to tell the extent of the damages, especially in cases of termites. If you don’t inspect every area of the home, you could be moving into a home that has severe structural damage - which can cost you thousands to repair.

There could also be latent damage present as well. To determine this, you’ll need to have invasive and destructive testing performed on your home, which will have performed by qualified contractors and specialists. This will help to determine the extent of the damage and the cost of any needed

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repairs. This can be very costly however, although it’s the only way to find and repair any latent damage.

Destructive and invasive testing can cost you an arm and a leg, although you’ll need to have it done if you suspect termites or know for a fact that the home was treated for them. To protect yourself, you should always get a treatment and repair history before you purchase the home.

If you are renting the home, you’ll need get written documentation from the specialist that details the damage to the home and cost of repairs.

Before you buy a home, you should always have it checked for termites. There are a lot of termite inspection companies out there, many of which go above and beyond to check the home for any type of termite damage. You don’t want to buy a home only to find out that it has been infested with termites. If you have the proper inspections performed before you make the purchase, you’ll know for a fact that you don’t have to worry about termites or termite damage.

If the inspector or contractor doesn’t find any termite damage, you should always have it documented. This way, if termite damage does exist, you’ll have the documentation to back you up.

Termites can be very destructive to your home, especially if you are looking towards a log home. Termites can destroy wood in little to no time at all, which is why you should always do what you can to have your home treated as soon as you suspect any type of damage.

If you know a home has been infested with termites before - you should really make sure that the structure isn’t damaged and the termites are gone before you commit to buying.