Don Taber

That is a question you will almost always hear me ask if you contact me about looking at real estate. Why is that an important question? It is important because as a REALTOR we are supposed to respect other agents work and not set out to take their customers or clients from them.

Twice in the last few days I have seen it happen. An agent gets a call and the buyer wants to see a house that they have listed or is listed in their office. So, we ask the question, "Are you currently working with another real estate agent?" The prospective buyer says "No" so we meet them and show them a house. Well in my case I got out on a Saturday morning and met "my buyer". He and his wife spent well over an hour with me and I sold them on the house. In the process we talked about agency and how I would be working in this transaction. He told me he liked the house and would decide by the first of the week. The next day, Sunday, he came to my Open House with his wife and mother and stayed and talked for quite a while. He still never said he was working with another agent. Before he left he said he would get with me by Tuesday to write the offer. He asked me for a little more information which I got for him the next day. Monday afternoon another agent called me and told me he had an offer for me on the house. I called "my buyer" to let him know that an offer was coming and if he wanted the house he needed to make an offer immediately. He still didn't tell me until he called me back later that the "other" offer was from him.

If you are a consumer, please do not do this to your agent or any other agent! It is not fair to either one of them. Obviously, I would not do anything to hurt the sale of my seller's house, but I am clearly the procuring cause for this sale. The other agent had not even shown the house to this buyer at that time. Of course, he feels that he has an ongoing relationship with this buyer and so he should get the sale. What makes no sense is that the buyer when asked the question, "Are you currently working with another real estate agent?" said "No". If you are an agent, please, please, please educate your buyers to tell other agents that they are working with you. If this buyer had told me his agent was out of town or unavailable, because it was my listing, I would have still made a way to get him in to look at the house. That being said I am glad the house is under contract and will work as hard as I can to see that it closes.

I get asked this question frequently. People will ask, "How hard is it to buy a house in Wilson, NC?" The truth is that it is just as hard to buy a house here as it is anywhere else in the country. The advantage is that our prices are generally moderate in comparison to other areas of the country. The biggest drawback lately has been finding qualified buyers. The investors are still buying as long as they have cash or a very good cash flow. Individual buyers on the other hand don't seem to understand what they need to understand when it comes to credit. I have watched people be absolutely floored and flabbergasted when they could not qualify for a loan that they would have easily qualified for 2 years ago. I have seen credit scores drop from over 700 to under 600 in one month because of what seemed to be a very small oversight. Sometimes things like that can be handled and sometimes they cannot. The bottom line is that right now credit is one of the most important things you need to protect if you have any plans on buying a home in the future. And remember, once you have your dream home under contract, do not buy anything that would change your ratios or do anything that could negatively affect your credit scores. Buying a home does not have to be hard. It should be fun and enjoyable. To see our listings in the Wilson, NC area go to www.nchousehunt.com . To see listings all over the USA and the world and to ask for our help or just to browse a lot of useful information go to www.dontaber.remax.com .

What is keeping you from buying your new home? Is it pricing? It shouldn't be! Pricing, even in our area, is down. Is it available properties to choose from? It shouldn't be! We have many more homes on the market than we have had at any point in a long time. Is it the prospect of financing problems? It shouldn't be! If you have good credit and verifiable income and down payment and closing costs that should not be an issue either. In some of the rural areas we can still get 100% financing for qualified buyers!

So what is it? Fear of the unknown? Fear of being turned down for a loan? Whatever it is, just remember that we have a great inventory and great pricing and great rates. It is rare for all these things to be available at once but that is the market we are in today. That may not be the market tomorrow. If inventory goes down pricing will go up and rates will probably follow. So get off the fence and get out there and find your new home! Let's get this economy rolling again!

As always you can go to our web site at www.nchousehunt.com to see our listings. Let us know what you think!

Hey everyone! I hope everyone has enjoyed this week of almost beautiful weather! This has been a great week for real estate in the Wilson area. I have had potential clients and clients from as far away as California and Mexico! All coming to Wilson for a variety of different reasons. We still have the retirees and the halfbacks but our locals are also starting to get back into the picture a little bit more. I am seeing many more sign calls and internet inquiries than the past few months. This is encouraging!

Interest rates in our area are still running around 5.5% for someone with good credit and 5% down. Some ARMs are coming back into the market and even the occasional 100% loan and an interest only loan or two can also be found. The key has always been, if you want the best rate and terms, you need the best credit. That has not changed!

For those of you who have not been to my website, go to www.nchousehunt.com to see all of our listings. You can also click on the "Search Wilson MLS" tab and see everything on the market in our local Wilson MLS. If you are looking for a fairly secluded home on 1.9 acres on the water, you really need to look at this home. It is approximately 3200 square feet and has beautiful views of the water. You can see it at www.nchousehunt.com/2856 . Check out the virtual tour, it will be up in a few days, to get the best look at the property. This would be a great spot to get away from the hustle and bustle and relax!

If I can ever help you with real estate on I-95, half way between New York and Miami, just let me know. As always, my passion is helping people find their place to call home! Remember, "The finest compliment I can ever receive is the referral of your friends, family and business associates. Thank you for your trust."