Andy Raffle, Yardley, PA Real Estate

I'm talking about the Seller who follows you from room to room, even when asked nicely and repeatedly to allow you to tour the property without interuption.  I was out with a Buyer a couple of days ago and at one of the homes that we visited the elderly owners were still at home.  We said hello, I offered a card and we came in.  I began to show the property to my Buyers and Mr. Seller tagged along.  I asked him if we could tour the property on our own at our own pace and he said "oh sure, I'l stay out of your way".  Apparently that meant two steps behind us.  I then explained nicely that we'd really like to view the home alone and he said "ok, I won't bother you"...and stayed right with us.

I gave up.  We had a good laugh abotu it when we got back to the car.  I really don't know what more I could have done to make my point to this gentleman and, frankly, I don;t kow that it's my job to do so.  When the Listing agent called me for feedback the following day, I mentioned what happened and he seemed to think it wasn;t a big deal.

I've had this happen before but, I've always been able to communicate to the Seller that if we have any questions or need anything, we'll let them know but, that we'd like to view the property alone.

I always tell my Seller's to leave the home whenever possible.  I also tell them to remove anything of value and also any prescription drugs, etc and I explain that the Buyer of their home has the right to open things like closets, medicine cabinets, pantries and the like and that they are unlikely to do so  with them in the area - people are uncomfortable with others thinking they are being invasive.

Have you dealt with this?  Any horror stories or suggestions?

Andy Raffle sells Bucks County Real Estate.  Check out my website for Yardley homes and information, search for properties, read my informative Real Estate Articles and read my Bucks County Real Estate Blog

Andy Raffle

www.askAndyRaffle.com

Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors

70 West Afton Avenue

Yardley PA   19047

215.493.9080x130

Two of my daughters spent the day on a fundraiser, not for their sports or dance teams or even a club at school. No, they instead spent the day raising funds for a group of people that they really don't know at all.

Today was Harvest Day in Yardley, Pennsylvania. Harvest Day is a tradition where merchants and crafters and the like set up tables and sell their wares throughout the town. There are also games and food and some great entertainment. The town is typically busy with people and my daughters saw it as an opportunity that has benefited from the generosity of others after being hit with several large floods in recent years.

This article details the fiundraising effort that my daughters and a group of their friends undertook and what was a pretty yucky days here in Yardley. The girls were in and about town from 8:30 to 4PM and they were able to raise nearly $400 for the victims of Hurricane Ike. They will do a "tag day" at school next week, where they hope to double the total.

If you can't tell, I'm awfully proud of them.

Andy Raffle sells Bucks County Real Estate. Check out my website for Yardley homes and information, search for properties, read my informative Real Estate Articles and read my Bucks County Real Estate Blog

Andy Raffle

www.askAndyRaffle.com

Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors

70 West Afton Avenue

Yardley PA 19047

215.493.9080x130

I dedicate at least two hours of my day to prospecting, mostly over the phone, sometimes knocking on doors. I find that I get a tremendous return from that prospecting and I am considering adding another hour but, I'm wondering what others do.

I used to think it would be impossible to carve two hours out of my day, put on my DND and start making phone calls. I could always find little "emergencies" to stop me form getting started but, now I jsut put everything aside and go to it. I've found that I am actually much more productive because I have to schedule the rest of my day, as well and I don;t leave myself time to simply wander through meaningless, non-productive tasks.

What do you do? What's your prospecting routine, if you have one> Do you let anything interfere with that routine?

Andy Raffle sells Bucks County Real Estate. Check out my website for Yardley homes and information, search for properties, read my informative Real Estate Articles and read my Bucks County Real Estate Blog

Andy Raffle

www.askAndyRaffle.com

Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors

70 West Afton Avenue

Yardley PA 19047

215.493.9080x130

Is it just me or is this a foolish question? I hear this all the time as agents ant to fax or email or deliver an offer to me, are they all jsut trying to save gas? In our listing contract it says "Cash Or Check at signing of this agreement", if the offer is faxed, hoe do I get the check? WHen do I get the check?

I'm in a market where the average sales price of a single family home is about $550,000. I don;t have any listings that pay less than 6% commission. This means that the agent who presents the offer is going to earn, on average, between $8250 and $16500 - depending on their arrangement with their Broker. Can they not manage to drive an offer to my office for that? If they're really that busy, they can even have their assistant, or one of their assistants, drop it off.

Is it JUST me???

Andy Raffle sells Bucks County Real Estate. Check out my website for Yardley homes and information, search for properties, read my informative Real Estate Articles and read my Bucks County Real Estate Blog

Andy Raffle

www.askAndyRaffle.com

Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors

70 West Afton Avenue

Yardley PA 19047

215.493.9080x130

THE ART OF THE DEAL:

TIPS FROM ANDY RAFFLE

Buying Your Home In A Buyers Market

Different markets require different strategies both for Sellers and Buyers of Real Estate. Shedding the ideas of the past and embracing current, proven strategies will allow you to stand out from the crowd and buy the best home for the least price.

Don't Try To Time The Market: When home prices are lower, ir can be very tempting for potential Buyer's to wait as long as possible, waiting for the perfect opportunity to buy the home of their choice. This strategy often proves to be fruitless as; by the time we recognize the bottom of the market, it has already passed. When we find a home that meets your criteria and it is priced well, it is time ot make an offer. The lesson is that, even in a Buyer's market, well priced homes will sell.

Take Your Time...To A Degree: Each market is unique but it is without question that less homes are selling in the Bucks County Market this year. Buyer's have the ability to be diligent and consider carefully before making an offer but, procrastination will cause the home you want to be bought by somebody else. Once again, keep in mind that, even in a Buyer's market, well priced homes will sell.

Don't Expect To Steal A Home: With the amount of information available to Buyer's and Seller's today, it is very unusual for homes to sell at significant discount or premium to the value of the property. Just as it is important for Sellers to price homes realistically, it is important for Buyer's to understand that their offers must have some relationship to the VALUE of the home.

Know The Value Of What You're Trying To Buy: Related to the above suggestion, know what a home is worth BEFORE making an offer. Too often I hear Buyer's who want to make an offer that is 10% below the asking price, even though the home is priced at either 20% above it's value or 5% above it's value. Asking price is no indication of anything other than a Selelr's desire for a certain amount. if a home is WORTH $300,000 and it is listed at $350,000, it does not help you to offer 10% below listed price ($315,000), because you're still paying too much. If the same home is listed for $290,000 and worth $300,000, making an even lower offer may preclude you from buying a well priced home. Negotiate hard but, be realistic.

Negotiate The Options: Sometimes it makes sense to pay the Seller what they're asking for and do your negotiations on some other items. such as new carpets, renovating a kitchen or bathroom or some other item that may not be indicated as part of the listed home but, that you'd like to have done. Remember, we're talking about a Buyer's market and you can certainly negotiate strongly.

I hope oyu found this and some of my other tips helpful. If you have any questions or if I can help in any way, please contact me. I'm available to help you Buy or Sell in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and my referral network allows me to help you move ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Please explore my fully interactive Real Estate website, where you can search thousands of properties, read my real estate articles, my Bucks County Blog, sign up for my email newsletter and find other useful information.

Andy Raffle

www.AskAndyRaffle.com

Coldwell Banker Hearthside. Realtors

Yardley, PA 215.493.9080