Fayetteville, AR

Inspectors and (inspectors)

The other day we had a home inspection for a closing soon. The inspector had a reputation as an honorable person so I was pleased to hear the clients had chosen him for the job. The home was newer and should have had only a few minor problems. When we got the report there was a host of minor issues but only three had my clients worried.

Well we agreed to let all the minor items pass and focused on three. The first two were no problems but the last on concerning the (lintel) over the garage door was another thing. The owner, my clients’ daughter and her husband, plus the agents involved met at the home and the inspector explained his case. After he left the owner tore away some of the metal and the sheet rock surrounding the door. Turns out the inspector was wrong. The (lintel) was an engineered one and the deal will be closing.

I know people make mistakes and in defense of the inspector he apparently saw something he thought was worth mentioning. However after causing such a problem with the inspection I don’t think I will be recommending him again should I be asked to give future clients a list of inspectors. Come Monday I will be doing a happy dance….

As the story goes a young pastor at finishing one of his sermons announced to the congregation this would be his last one. He stated Jesus had spoken to him and we was moving on. As soon as the last words got out of his mouth the choir director got up and announced “Let’s all sing “What a friend we have in Jesus”.

Now I wonder when a client fires us do they rejoice as did the congregation? What do you think?

Interesting listing appointment…

I send out a letter to the expired listings I receive through our MLS. It has proven to be successful in the past but for some reason I was in a slump. I took the letter to my PB and with some adjustments I had a new letter.

Anyway not long afterwards I received a call and showed up for a listing appointment. I as a rule usually look around the home before we get to a comfortable place to talk about a number of things, like why they want to sell, motivation etc. I had printed out the expired MLS sheet along with comps and we started talking about why the home did not sell. During this portion of the conversation I learned some interesting facts.

Fact #1 the client has a home approximately 1918 sq. ft. with 21 acres of land. He told the agent to market the property at 259,000.00. If someone wanted the home and 10 acres the price would be 219,000.00. I showed him the MLS printout and it clearly had the home and 10 acres for 200,000.00.

Non-factors, I did not ask and he did not volunteer to show the original listing agreement. We talked some more and I gave him the comps I had ran just a few hours before our appointment. The price was below the 200,000.00 the previous agent had on the home. Another non-factor since I was not the original agent I don’t know if the agent went over the real estate listing agreement and explained it to him or just had him sign the form.

The client is going to talk to his wife and we’ll see about the outcome. Will keep you informed but the reason for this post is to (for me anyway) always and I mean always go over the listing contract so there is no misunderstanding so you and your client or on the same page.

Ready, Set, Stage! recently had the privilage of working with an owner occupied home located in Fayetteville, AR. The homeowner had great items to work with and we were able to highlight the features of the home!

In todays society we are often pushed to believe that what we want, we need. We believe that what we feel is "fact". We are under the impression that having it "now" is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, this is something that is turning our financial ability into a huge mess.

While buying a home is the American dream, losing one is a nightmare! Choosing your agent as a buyer has never been so important. Buyers agents have been trained to slam people into submission with a sense of loss if a property sells before you get a chance at it. This is rediculous.

Knowing the market, understanding value, and moving towards your dream of home ownership with direction, knowledge, and purpose is what shaped home ownership into the American dream. What has been practiced over recent years is more like buying an appliance on sale.

Make sure you know your market, make sure you have an agent that will talk to you about value and resale potential. Then make sure the agent can follow that up with some facts.

I have a friend who taught me a great practice. I was in his office one day and heard him on a telephone conversation. He said, "I don't really have all the facts yet, so if you need an answer now...I have to say, "no". If you decide to wait a couple more days I might be able to give you a, "yes"."

What wisdom! He was able to put the ball in their court and save face. It was as if he wanted to say yes, but couldn't. Waiting is not a waste of time. It could mean thousands of dollars. The best negotiations I've ever made for a buyer have been over weeks and even months of submitting an offer...then waiting. The last home I sold was at a 22% reduction from the list price because the buyer took the time to wait.