About Tazewell County, IL

I have heard about the 3 P's for a year now, they are Put up a sign, Putin the MLS and Pray. but I believe there is a fourth P - Put in the Newspaper.

If over 80% of home buyers are stat ring their search for their new home on the Internet, why do we insist on advertising Real estate in the newspaper? Many of the buyers who I have successfully help find homes started their searches in places like Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com or any of the other real Estate web site. Yes, I have even got clients who have found me here at Activerain.

These site are easy to use, and in many cases they are free.

If you are thinking of putting your home on the market in this area and want to learn more about marketing your home on the Internet, come see us at http://www.WeSellPekin.com or http://www.TonyBrust.com see what an e-PRO can do to help you with your Real Estate needs.

Now there is a phrase I am hearing all of the time! I start working with a client and the next thing I know, they are calling me telling me about the advice they are getting from friends, family, neighbors, gas station attendants, etc....... Ok maybe not the gas station guy! The point is, as soon as you start looking to buy or sell your home, it seems everyone you know is an expert in the field.

I know that they are only doing this because they care about the other person and want to give them their advice. They mean no harm, but the fact is they are not the experts in the field. Many agents work long and hard to keep up with market trends and local statistics. Family and friends know what they hear on the news.

I called a client just the other day after she sent me a text about family advising her on her real estate need. I ask her "How many of the people close to are now EXPERTS in Real Estate now that you are looking to buy a home?" She laughed out load and told me she couldn't believe the number!

Friends and family mean well, heck even the gas station guy means well, but your agent will give you the best advice......Provided you did your homework and picked the right agent!

The 4 key things you need to know about your Agent:

1. Is he or she Full Time? Now more than ever with the market the way it is, a major factor in having a successful and rewarding real estate experience is having a REAL pro, not your cousin Larry who does it for a little extra cash.

2. Skill Set. Does your Realtor have the skills required to help you with your particular situation? If you're facing a short sale, you want a short sale specialist, relocating, you need someone with the skills to help you make your move successfully and easily, etc.

3. References. What do the people who have worked with your Realtor in the past have to say about him or her?

4. Market Knowledge. Notice I said market knowledge instead of length of time in the business, the two are not mutually exclusive. There are unfortunately plenty of practitioners who have been in the business in the for years who have no clue what is going on in the market now. They can however tell you the latest gossip from the local coffee shop. My point is, market knowledge is about studying what the market is doing now and recent historical trends. Quiz your Realtor, for market statistics and choose based on who knows the market now, not then.

I'm often surprised at the number of buyers and sellers that are surprised at the fact that they can be fired by their Realtor. Oh yeah it can happen, that street does go both ways. Now keep in mind, Realtors are typically a very forgiving and tolerant lot. We will put up with quite a bit to get a sale, but even the most patient of us has our limits and when they are reached it becomes time to end the relationship. Sellers who refuse to keep the home clean, make the home available for showings, and not taking price drops to match the market (especially in the current economy) can have you soon find yourselves on the outs with your Realtor. Buyers not getting your pre-approvals, no shows for appointments, and not respecting boundaries(i.e. there is probably never a good reason to call your Realtor at 11p.m. unless you are negotiating a contract) can have you soon interviewing new Realtors. Now both buyers and sellers can get the pink slip for shear disrespectful treatment of their Realtor for sure. I have had the great pleasure of working with many buyers and sellers over the years who have been nothing but a joy, a few who were kind of tough, and the couple that I've had to let go were the exception not the rule.

Did you ever hear the saying the heart wants what the heart wants? It's a great saying, and so very true, sometimes. Unfortunately, selling your home has very little to do with what your heart wants and everything to do with what the market demands. You may want to sell your home for X amount of dollars but if the market is only justifying Y amount of dollars that is all you are going to get. Imagine if you bought stock in XYZ inc. at $100 a share and now you "wanted" to sell it for $150 a share, but the current stock market price per share was $125 a share. How many investors do you think would be lining up to purchase your stock?