Betty Hesaltine

After last weeks blog about Lunchtime Open Houses (11-1 during the work week) I wanted to follow up with what I have learned.It has only been two weeks and eight hours of my time, but I am going to continue to hold Lunchtime Open Houses. And since I have sold all of my listings this year I am using fellow Realtor's homes open to find buyers !

• First - more people are discovering them as I have had a 60% increase of web traffic looking for the open house information

• Second- location makes a difference. If it is a desirable location the more people will come.
  

• Third - I have gotten great leads, new buyers, and information on the neighborhoods where the houses are located by neighbors and other Realtors who have stopped by.

Plus, with wireless Internet I can work at a home just as well as sitting in an office! And still have time for afternoon appointments! All in all a win win situation as far as I am concerned!

AND sellers love the fact that I have started something new to try and find buyers in a market that they perceive is down.

I started something new today and I am excited about the future!

Thinking that more businesses are open seven days a week, making weekends difficult for some to come to open houses, I started my Lunchtime Open Houses. Starting at 11 and ending at 1 these are in different locations throughout the week, allowing people to come on their lunch hour! And today, first day out,someone loved the house and is bringing the spouse back to see it!

The reasons for coming to an open house during the week include:

• Parents are often running around after work and on weekends with their children activities
• College sports take up Saturdays, and National sports take up Sunday
• Children are in school so parents can come without children if they desire
• Something different to do!
• Because you can!

Hope to see you at my Lunchtime Open house tomorrow! Go to my website www.BettySellsHouses.com to see what is open this coming week!

One of my first time homeowners asked a really great question - How does a Realtor get paid? And another client, who had not purchased a home in quite a while, asked a similar question "Is a Realtor still paid by the seller? "

The majority of Realtor's work on commission. The rate of commission is determined, and agreed to in advance of a sale, or transaction, by the Realtor and their client. This should be a signed agreement so there is no confusion in the future!

Most Realtors are paid their commission by the seller's closing costs after the closing of a home. BUT, if a buyer of a home, and their buyer's agent, have agreed to pay their agent a certain commission, and the seller does not agree to meet that commission price, the buyer's closing costs may reflect the difference. The seller does not have the right to change the commission offered in the Multipe Listing Service (MLS), after an offer is made by a potential buyer.

Buyer's agents may work with For Sale by Owners (FSBO) in finding the right house for their client. In doing so many FSBO's may not pay a commission to an agent. This is when a buyer's agreement would kick in and the Realtor would be paid by the buyer's closing costs.

Realtors' are not allowed to be paid directly. Closing attorney's send all checks commission checks to the brokers, who in turn pays the agent.

People don't use libraries as a resaon to move into one county of another, but when you look at the Richmond Virginia area it may be something to consider!

Henrico County Libraries are amazing. The local government spent millions of dollars on new libraries that offer everything you would find at an upscale national book chain store.

Tuckahoe library offers a small cafe/coffee shop when you enter. Even though you can't take the food into the library with you, it is great to be able to bring a book out to the cafe and read!

New release books are not allowed to be "reserved" and instead are on a first come, first served basis. To give everyone an opportunity to read them soon, the normal 4 week borrowing time is cut in half for the new "book list" books.

From the drive up window, to the quiet only study room these libraries are truly state of the art! Offering 110 computers (two hour limits), wi fi and plenty of outlets, the number of people it can accomodate is impressive. You can reserve rooms for meetings, or attend book clubs. Young henricoans are not forgotten with their storytime schedule and the great librarians who are there to help find just the right books to read!

If you want to see what a library should be, come and visit a Henrico County Library today!

I am beginning to get calls from people who are thinking of putting their house on the market next year. Their question is usually " What should I do now?".

Call a Realtor today. There are two reasons for doing this:

• You can get opinions and suggestions on what needs to be done to get your house ready to sell.

Your Realtor should go through your house with a fine tooth comb. Talk to you about what you are planning on fixing, and make you aware of problems you may have overlooked.

• You can get an idea of what your home might sell for today. That gives you a good starting point, and with some people an eye opening experience. More than likely you will discover your home would sell today for less than you thought.
• You also get an idea of what your Realtor is going to expect from you to sell your house. A good Realtor will care enough to take time to give you good advice, create a to do list, and even contact contractors and others on your behalf to help you get the jobs completed. Often I even meet the contractors for the homeowner due to work or understanding what needs to be done.
• Your Realtor should bring all paper work that you will be signing so you can read them, ask questions, and be prepared when the time comes to list or purchase a home.
• You need to know what houses have been selling for, how many days have they been on the market, how many have been taken off the market without selling. What are the trends in your neighborhood? What does your Realtor see happening in the next six months that would change the price you are given today?

After getting all of this information you have several choices:

1. Stay where you are and don't do anything (Not a good idea!)
2. Start to get your house ready to sell! De-clutter, paint, fix things that are broken, and update items to add appeal to your home.

It may take time to get your home ready to show from both the inside and outside and you may wonder if the time and energy is worth it. But when your house sells it will all be worth the effort you put out!