Bernie Moats

Can unintentionally insult the seller. I recently noticed that in this "buyers market"some missguided buyers are writing offers for hundreds of thousands of dollars below the listed price of a home they are pursuing. I understand the desire for a good deal, however most reasonable people are upset by an extreemly low offer. The question you really need to ask yourself is how much do I want this property? An experienced agent will help navigate you and suggest what might be an acceptable offer. Hiring a real estate professional and listening to their advice can be more than worth your time and money. On the buying side ask for advice on what might be too low and follow your agents advice. Sellers lean on your agent for recommendations about what is reasonable for this market. Working together and being open to the wisdom of real estate professionals can lead to mutual acceptance of an offer and happy clients all around!

Those who are in a position financially to purchase Real Estate at this time are discovering

the tremendous opportunities in the market place. The national search engines like www.Realtor.com

are great sites to hunt for out of area second homes. There are also great local real estate search engines

like www.VanDorm.com in Olympia Washington that equip buyers to search all local listed properties with

ease. My real estate site www.olyrealtor.com helps with various tools to make you real estate adventure

easier. Check out these sites and enjoy the hunting.

During this incredible time of reduced real estate values, position yourself to be ready to purchase. The first thing to do is find out what your credit score is and improve it if necessary. Pay off any debt you have accumulated on credit cards and start saving for closing costs. Thinking about buying a new car, wait until after you buy the new home. Set goals with a lender on how to position yourself for success.

Some buyers are holding back hoping to purchase when and if prices get lower. My response is don't wait ! Now is the time to take advantage of the current opportunities. The interest rates are at an all time low. Lots and land are "dirt cheap" and short sales have driven the single family residential market to new lows in Washington state. Strike while the iron is hot and you won't kick yourself later for having hesitated. When the stock market crashes $$$ disappears, not so with real estate, you can sell, rent or put a tent on it.

This is the time to buy, don't be shy. All the negative press about the rotten economy and housing slump tends to paralyze people. There are screaming deals all over the country. Do you have a little nest egg of money pegged away that wasn't hit by the stock market crash. Now is the time to aggressively purchase Real Estate across the country. The "short sales are driving down prices and the interest rates are incredibly low. Are you a risk taker, now is the time to buy a second home in Florida or Arizona or collect rentals, GO FOR IT! Your time to prosper has come!