Elkhorn, NE

Fence Sitting Defined: A person that doesn't know when to make the decision he/she wants to make so rather than make a decision to go forward or back, they do nothing. Just keep sitting, waiting for what they hope will be a gleaming, blaring sign that they should make a move...

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I AM YOUR BLARING LIGHT! If you live in the Omaha, NE area and have been considering moving, but don't want to sell your house because you have been hearing all the horrors of the market, and yet you are rapidly outgrowing your house or wanting something else. NOW is the TIME people.

Let me break it down to you...If you need to sell a house, well it should have been on the market in February when we started to feel the pull of an upswing in showings and activity. March, April, May became huge months for those lookers that were out in February began closing on the homes they found.

1. Obama's stimulus package of the $8000 credit, completely FREE money that a first time home buyer is getting after buying their first home has made the buyers creep out of the corners to make their move. It was time to strike. This stimulus only goes until November 2009 as of right now. First Home Buyers are on the prowl.

My house isn't a first home buyer price, your response might be...Really?! Really?! I just sold a $750,000 home to first home buyers...They were both newly graduated DOCTORS. Trust me, there are first home buyers in every price range...While it is more normal to see it below the $200k mark, yes that is true, but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th home buyers that are getting out of their house to sell to the first home buyer are now in the higher price range and looking for their move up. This stimulus is helping everyone get out and move up.

2. Home prices of homes in Omaha that are for sale, they are still at low prices. You are not going to overpay for a house if you are smart. There are still too many distressed homeowners that have to dump their house, so you can still see lots of options for getting a bargain on the buying...

Let's see, so far we have covered that it is great time to sell because there are more buyers in the market right now than we have seen in years AND for buying prices are still low... And the number 3, but also equally number one reason is...

3. Low interest rates. DO NOT be blase about interest rates...They MATTER! For each 1/2 percent difference that rate goes up, you qualify for thousands less of a home than you would if your rate were 1/2 a percent lower. This means low rates, a fixed low payment AND you qualify for a bigger, better house.

So what in the world are you waiting for??? Get your house on the market NOW...Because in all truth, it should have been on yesterday, as in like a month or two ago! Quit giving excuses and ACT. Now. Stop reading this, get off your bum, have a conversation with your loved ones and start decluttering your house, call me to get a FREE market analysis and overview of what selling your home will entail and let's get a sign in the yard already!

www.ColleenWoodward.com

Selling Real Estate for the Cure

REMAX The Producers

402.571.5887

I went to do a search under the domain name registry, low and behold found the agent, Mr. Dirk Blume to own the domain bouncemylisting.com, which I am sure you may have seen one of their many, polluting, illegal mini billboard (yard signs) along a street you drive. Unless they are seriously paying the permit to put all the signs around town, eek, that is illegal. I mean, we as agents really aren't even supposed to put our two little signs at the entrances of the neighborhood (and they almost always get taken, so we leave them down), so while I don't speak with righteousness completely, I also don't put up hundreds of signs around town, polluting the scenery of every corner and open space along the road.

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Aside from that, bouncemylisting.com claims to put you in contact with 3 "top agents" in the Omaha Area, here is the problem I have with this website and its facade...

1. My guess is the the agents that collaborated on this are really using the facade to get listings of their own.

2.I saw a few agents I would hardly call "Top" because how much an agent sells does not mean they will offer you top service, care about you, may be kind of shmucks to work with, and they may not care about your needs, just closing a deal so they get paid... Especially if they are taking on more of a workload than can be handled to service clients properly.

3. I did not see MANY of the true top agents in our area that I personally have worked with, respect, and know serve their clients well. (My definition of a TOP Agent is not one who lists lots of houses, but sells them... Someone that offers top notch service...Someone that cares about their client because this makes every move they make one that is truly in their clients best interests, not on getting the deal closed- Make no mistake, there is a difference here : )

4. And if they were really sending you the "top agents" this site is one that charges a fee to these agents. If the agents are really getting that much business on their own, they would not be interested in paying someone a fee to give them business they could likely get on their own, without paying anyone a referral fee and sneaking dollar bills out of their back pocket.

***But Most of All, "Top Agents" using this site for referrals really doesn't make sense... It costs them money AND they get forced into competing with 2 other agents (that are supposedly good)...the statistics tell us most people don't interview 3 agents, let alone have to compete against a good competitor when they do. I mean if I were to compete, put me against any of the other 1000 mediocre agents, ya know, the ones that have other full time jobs...Or the ones that just started and haven't sold a lick...J/K but you see my point, right?

Instead, Find Your Agent on Your Own Accord: Research agents, interview them, read their on-line blogs, websites, take a peek at their listings to see if they do a good job marketing them, ask for referrals from people who are same minded as you (family, friends), talk to agents to see who you fit with and most importantly TRUST.

You have to trust the person they will do you right no matter what. Real estate transactions are tricky and honestly, consumers do not see or hear the negotiations that go on behind closed doors. You have to trust the person above all else, is truly working in your best interests ONLY. If your sister is in real estate, sells several homes a year but may not be the highest producing, well she is going to look after you better than any stranger. Selling the most homes is not in direct correlation to being a "great, outstanding, top agent" so please do not be fooled by this website and choose an agent for yourself that fits your needs.

Sorry, I just like truth and think the public should know what's really going on behind the curtain....Is it truly a real estate wizard or just a guy with a slick website, calling out over a loud speaker with smoke and mirrors...You decide for yourself...I'm just sayin : )

If you would like to interview or talk with myself about any real estate questions or needs, I am more than happy to accommodate. Learn more about my by visiting my website: www.ColleenWoodward.com. Colleen Lang Woodward

Selling Real Estate for the Cure (in partnership with the Susan G. Komen foundation)

To All Buyers and Sellers Out There Wanting to Negotiate for Their Best Interests:

Negotiating From Whichever Side You Are on Really Needs to be Approached in the Same Way. If You Have Ever Played Poker, Well Then this Metaphor Will Really Speak to You....Don't Show Your Cards!

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Number ONE:

DO NOT show you cards (aka: motivations): This is probably the number one problem with doing FSBO. The buyer asks point blank, "why are you moving?" and the seller usually answers. No, no, no, you do not show your cards like that when you are playing a game. Motivation determines everything in real estate because time is money. As soon as the buyer or seller catches a whiff of your time-frame OR need to move, well the jig is up. That information can be manipulated for the other party to exploit the position of their counterpart.

Number TWO:

Be objective and do not show urgency: Even if you are in love with a house OR you are in desperate need to sell it, let them know that there are still buyers and sellers out there who are equally capable to like the home, so if you want the best price, stay objective, know what your bottom lines are and if they are realistic, then stay relaxed about it, blase even, that you like the house/buyer BUT there are others...Get it?

(I don't care if you do a dance while your in it thanking the Gods for sending you this buyer OR for sending you this house of your dreams) when you are presenting to the buyer OR seller, it ain't that special. You like it, you want it, but if you can't get it for a fair price, you can always find another house/ person...

Caveat: If they do walk, you can always re-approach them and bring them back to the negotiating table with a new set of cards that you are willing to play : ) Play your best hand first. If it doesn't pan out, then pull out the reserves. Hey, at least you tried and will sleep better knowing you did.

Number THREE:

Let them think you are money stretched, as in 'stretched thin':

If you are the seller, well don't let them know you have oodles of equity you are just waiting to get your hands on. You have plans for every dollar, so even if aren't hard pressed for money, every dollar counts to you and let the buyer know every dollar they are asking off is a dollar less in your pocket. Don't get caught up in the negotiations of thousands... Let them know the dollars count to you.

If you are the buyer, NEVER, EVER provide a pre-approval letter that says you qualify for more than what you are offering. I know this sounds silly to some agents reading this, but yes I will bug the lender if we write five offers to make me a pre-approval for the offer we write... This is a psychological war we play. Think if you show a letter saying you can get $250k and you write an offer for $190k, see my point? This lets the seller that you are offering to, know you are a good buyer with funds at the ready, but you really can't move much on that price : )

Number FOUR:

You attract more bees with honey, so talk kindly even if you are telling them to go shove it: Working well with the agent AND client on the other side is so incredibly important. Even if at one point you walk away and tell them to go to hell...Best if done with tact, respect, and kindness so that if you do on a whim decide to come back to that person, you did not burn that bridge.

People want to work with people they like and I will work harder for an agent/ seller/ buyer if I like them. If they have been an A-hole, well I will not be doing them any favors. That is just life. We are ALL humans that want respect, love, and caring. Show that you appreciate where they are coming from...And do appreciate it...But then stick to your interests. This may actually cause a little break in their front to let you in and like you. I share personal tidbits about my clients (if they allow) and I make everything personal so the buyer/seller on the other side will understand where they are coming from. We are in a one on one business. These are people's beloved homes, appeal to their good nature. Be personal and you may get the upper-hand.

Number FIVE:

Every detail does count, so act like you care about every little thing (while keeping it all in perspective in reality): This mainly applies to all the little annoying stuff that comes along with the house purchase, the appliances, the repairs shown on the home inspection...I know some agents don't bother with this little annoying stuff, but its what deciphers a decent or even good agent from a GREAT one!

All these little things, even if my client is really okay with them, let's say taking the refrigerator even though it was in the contract, trust me, when I go to the other party, I am personally upset that they would be trying to underhand the contract, but out of the kindness of our heart, we will concede the refrigerator (if my clients really don't care about it) in exchange for something they do care about.

The details are what make me good. Fighting for my clients takes more time, energy, and care...But it makes them happy and I know I am doing my best for them and WE ALL sleep better at night. The little things count in getting the best deal overall! So stomp your foot, even if you don't care about that, act like you do and get something out of it. This is not acting even, you should care about the details and if you don't, I will do it for you as your agent. That's what you hire me for!

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Quite Simply: Hide Your Cards and Play Them Well and You Will Take Home the Pot and Win in This Wild World of Negotiating Real Estate!

Contact me anytime with your real estate questions or needs:

www.ColleenWoodward.com

402.571.5887

"Selling Real Estate for the Cure & with Heart"

REMAX The Producers

I DO NOT feel sorry for the banks that are finding themselves in a situation where they are taking short sales (as in eating the difference between what they lend-ed to the seller and now that the property cannot sell for that, they lose some money).

It is so incredibly common, my last two listing appointments in the last week were both done where the buyers HAD equity at one time, but then they went and took out a "Home Equity Line of Credit" to pay off debt and the DARN appraisers, ya know, the bank approved appraisers, are the ones who say what the homes potential market value would be...And I always gasp and I mean gasp, at the price the appraisers say the home could go for. I mean in what stratosphere did they think a home that is not even 1000 square feet in an old, not highly coveted area could go for the amount they appraised this sellers home at???

Now this poor seller, who was clearly not money savvy when they are taking out a loan to pay off another loan (red flag bank, help them get back on track) is sadly, painfully upside down on their house. And then I have to come in and tell them they were screwed by their bank...Except I could never say that...After all, they were the ones that accepted and used the money/ loan, so they would feel I was secretly blaming them.

I come from the mind though that you cannot blame the people. We, as the people, can simply not know it all. People specialize: doctors, lawyers, teachers, because we simply cannot as humans know everything we need to know about every subject. That is why we trust, hire, and use professionals. Appraisers. Mortgage Lenders. Financial Advisers. Banks. It is their profession and we take their word that they are doing the best for us and helping us find the best product for our needs, but even more importantly, our best interests if our said needs are not good for us. A person may need $20,000 to pay off bad debt, but if their house can't be sold for that amount, then that is not their equity. The banks are taking high appraisals from their "approved appraisers" to get the go ahead to put more bricks of debt on this unsuspecting person.

I am telling you. People have no idea what the market value of their home is. Why should they? It is not their job to watch and know the market. It is why we have a profession. I spend all day analyzing the market and working up reports on it, reading, writing, talking about it. It is a full time job. Homeowners ALWAYS think its worth way more than what a true buyer would buy it for. But the banks, they should know better. Be conservative. Do right by their client and only lend them what they are absolutely positive they could sell their home for and that is their true "equity"...But on top of that, they have to account for all the fees and costs associated with closing and selling a home, so they shouldn't lend them the full amount of their equity because please, please help these people keep a little cushion to be able to sell their home comfortably. Hardly anybody has "equity" anymore, even after owning the home for 10 years.

You cannot tap equity twice. If you take out a home equity loan, a second mortgage, refinance to draw out cash, your equity is gone. And that alone is one thing that is hard for some to wrap their head around. You already used your equity, so they come to me and are shocked, appalled, and broken that they don't have equity. How are they going to pay for an agent? How are they going to sell it when all the buyers practically work with agents and now they can't afford one?

It all comes down to not thinking ahead, not being financially savvy, and they listened/ trusted their professionals that helped them take on all that debt. Surely they wouldn't lend it to them if they couldn't afford it? And that is the ultimate mental breakdown. Nobody could believe that someone would lend them money that they didn't think they could not pay back. It would be stupid. It would be bad business. Ah, and yet that is exactly what happened and unfortunately is still happening, even after all this...Can you believe it??? I CAN'T, which is why I hope this enrages you, sickens you, makes you take action in your own life, in your community, with your votes. Something has to be done here and the leak has not been fixed. We are still hemorrhaging. Banks are still overstating equity that people are still taking out. When is it going to stop?

Just another real estate rant by your vigilant, citizen who wants us to improve this world...Oh, and who also happens to be a real estate agent : ) in the Omaha Metro. If you would like to use my services... I am kind, considerate, and work my buns off to help you through this real estate cycle. I'd be happy to help.

www.ColleenWoodward.com

RE/MAX The Producers

"Selling Real Estate for the Cure and with Heart"

It is shocking...APPALLING, how insanely slow the short sale process is. I just had buyers write up a stellar offer, one that honestly, I didn't really even condone because they wrote it for more than the home sold for in 2008 (of course they were asking for thousands in closing costs, but still)...They were going against another offer, really wanted the house, so chose to write a pretty amazing offer...

Let's take a step back and explain what a "short sale" is: The seller owes more on the home than the home can be sold for due to market conditions, so they ask the bank to eat the difference because the seller is broke. This definitely will ding the seller's credit for future credit needs, but everyone gets out with the least cost

We waited 3 weeks with absolutely no word. I obviously know how this process works and that most people can wait as long as 3 months to even hear a single thing on where their offer stands, which naturally I always let the buyer know about this little caveat. Short sales are great in theory, to avoid the dreaded foreclosure, but very few buyers have the patience to wait that long, in limbo, about where they are moving, whether they should be planning on it...It's just not easy on a person to withstand. (Are you listening bank executives, the process has a serious, fatal flaw!)

For any buyer I am first taking out, I always explain short sales to them so they can decide if we should even bother looking at them. Most of the time, the buyers opt out because of the time issue. Short sales do offer the allure of being (usually) a great deal, so there is some incentive there...But time is money, and if the deal isn't going to go through, the buyer doesn't want to lose out on the opportunity that another "great deal" of a home is passing them by. Days, weeks, and months of waiting usually breaks the person. There are some really great deals in homes that aren't short sales, which is exactly what my buyer found, rescinded their offer, and now will get the exact same home for less, without the hassle. I feel better for my clients. They are happier all around.

This particular mortgage was held by Citibank. I am always shocked over and over that the banks have not streamlined this process to allow for a timely transaction. I can understand giving them a week, even two, but months is really too long. For as many times Citibank or any bank has to go through this, you would have thought they would have figured out a better system! The issue of short sales has been exacerbated by the recession and crash, but there are always short sales in any market, so this is not some new ballgame they are trying to figure out.

It is best for everyone, the bank, the seller, the buyer to buy the home through a short sale rather than foreclosure...So come on bankers, let's figure out a way we can allow a buyer to buy, a seller to sell, and the bank to cut their losses, where everyone wins.

Short sales in my opinion are far better for the bank because...

They usually sell the home for more. The seller is still living in it, taking care of it, so the cost alone of the home still being in good shape is paramount. Anyone that has been around for a while has seen one too many foreclosures that have their pipes burst from not being "winterized" in a timely manner from when the property is vacated, here in Nebraska where we have very harsh, drastic changes in weather...

Mold then flourishes, smells, damaged interiors all result...If the water penetrates the foundation then we have a structural issue. And oh the smell of mold... Its a smell imprinted on my brain. They all smell the same, those foreclosures. I get the great joy of being reminded of its true potency every time a happy, jolly, naive buyers takes a peek through a foreclosed home and shudders as they step through the entrance.

Short sales are such a great idea to cut the banks losses, retain some dignity of the property, give the buyer a good deal, relieve the seller from the burden of their home...Except the process is fatally flawed to allow for a smooth transaction. What is taking the banks so long to figure out that their system needs revamping???

Just another rant on real estate provided by your local Omaha stellar, amazing, beautiful, hilarious, confident, top notch, real estate agent.. (no stop, now I'm blushing...oh wait, I'm writing it ; )

Colleen Lang Woodward

REMAX The Producers

www.ColleenWoodward.com