MyHouseValue.com

BUY NOW !!! Are you crazzzzzzzzzy … i can hear you saying.  I can tell you this one thing - when everyone else is panicking is exactly the time to buy!  When is the best time to by stock?  When the market is at 14,000 or at 7,000 … exactly 7,000. Well real estate and home values are the equivalent of 7,000 and even better than that mortgage rates are the lowest they have been - 5.25% are you kidding me!!!!   Ask your self this - could you go to the bank and say to the bank president “hey i want to by $200,000 worth of stock and i want you to put up $190,000 and i’ll put up $10,000, can i have the money in 45 days?”  You and i both know that he’d laugh you right out of the bank and yet they’ll lend you 95% of the value of a home in a blink.  Now is the time when a few risk takers will be rewarded in a large way as this market turns around. So, do the right thing, get a great realtor on your side, start looking at homes and pick out the right one and in about 7 years you will look like you are really really smart!!!

Thank You For Reading - Visit JIM BIM

How do you pick an agent to represent you?  That is a great question and i can tell you one thing after selling homes for over 20 years.  Many real estate agents will give you a high price on the asking price for your home in an effort to win your listing.  And here is the absolute truth of the matter - if your home is not price accurately in the market (right price), staged to sell (right condition) and marketed and promoted by a skilled and knowledgeable professional (right agent) the likely hood of selling your home for top dollar within a reasonable market time is about 1 in 100.   Personally, when i sell real estate i want a 100% chance of selling and when you do the right things to sell your home, it sells.  The very first step is to determine what your home is worth and if an agent cannot demonstrate the value with comparables and statistics … find another agent.  Remember, asking price is not always selling price … unless you have an agent who has done their homework and then is strong enough to represent you well by telling you the truth about your homes real value.  Be a smart seller and do not fall for the agent that bids high on your home just to get the listing.

Jim Bim - Buy a Home or Sell a Home in Maryland

Determining an acurate property value so that the house sells for top dollar while selling in a timely fashion is not easy.  In order to determine an acurate value you should compare several items :

1. Your Competition - other active listings - remember it is not just about your neighborhood.  You are competing against the entire market.
2. Current Pending Sale - look at what is currently undercontract.  If you home is on the market against these homes it is critical that you take a very close look adn determine exactly why the buyer selected this home over yours.  If you are not on the market, you should go by and view these homes to honestly compare.
3. Settled Properties - this is your best data because it is a real number.  A buyer actually paid money to make this home theirs.  Do not forget to adjust for time.  if the home sold 3 months ago and you are in a declining market … you must adjust the price down for time.
4. Square Footage Analysis - if you really want to get your home sold while obtaining what the market will bear, then compare square footage.
5. Tax Analysis - your local county government has set a price on your home and all of the other homes in your area.  When you look at what each home has been assessed for and then relate that to what the home is either on the market for, undercontract for or sold for, you will be able to come up with a varience.  With that number in hand you can now make an exact comparison between homes and then determine fairly what your home will bring in a competitive market.

By Jim Bim - Visit Jim at his website - jimbim.com

This has to be one of the most important issues (if not the single most important issue) when it comes to selling any product or item, let alone real estate.   Set it to low and you leave your equity on the table as a closing gift to your buyer.  Price it to high and you throw equity away.   Remember this one important fact - the moment your home hits the market it begins to depriciate.  Why you think … simple, days on market.  The longer you are on the market, the less the public thinks it is worth and worst as you lower the price, the public ignors your home because the most serious buyers have moved on to newer listings.   Knowing this it is absolutely critical to nail down the right price from day one.  There are many ways to determine price and with out a doubt, the best way is to higher a top notch real estate agent to do the work for you, next you may employ an apraiser to do the job at about $400 to $800 or you can go it alone and trust friends, neighbors and your gut for value … please do not do this, it is disaster in the making; Unless you define loosing money as fun.

Jim Bim - Visit Jim at his real estate website