Donna Ruffino

Absotively, Posolutely!!!! If you are calling yourself a listing agent in this present day Real Estate Buyer's Market and you don't know what at short sale is, you are missing out on a Great portion of the market!! All too many sellers nowadays are upside. Upside down sellers are sellers who owe more than the current value of their home. Hence, making it impossible to sell their home and pay the bank off in full without bringing 10's or thousands of dollars to the closing table. If a seller must move with this being their case, in many cases the bank will allow the seller to sell at market value which is less than what they currently owe. This is a short sale.

There are many stipulations that surround a Short Sale, first being that the seller will have to prove hardship to the bank (a change that has occurred making it impossible or extremely difficult to make their current mortgage payment i.e. loss of a job), how the the current value of their property has changed,and they will have to get an approval from the bank to list the house with an asking price less than what they currently owe. Be mindful that the seller has to be ready to supply the bank with current documentation to prove they are in need of a Short Sale. Once you and the seller have gotten written consent from their mortgage company for a short sale be aware that all offers will be contingent upon 3rd party bank approval. Also keep in mind that all Short Sales must be divulged to the public in any advertising on the property.

So, an offer comes in, the seller signs the Agreement of Sale. The Agreement of sale is sent to the bank for approval which is most cases takes 4 to 12 weeks plus or minus (I've seen it take longer so please be sure if you are selling a short sale that your buyers are in a position to wait and understand that they can wait that long and then have their offer denied eventhough the sellers have signed and accepted their terms and conditions).

So you can see that having knowledge as a listing agent or as a buyer's agent on Short Sales is curcial to helping seller's sell and a Realtor's success in today's Real Estate Market.

This is it, it's here, the final crunch to get your Buyer's off the fence and in contract for a home with a closing scheduled to be on or before November 30th!! With all the new changes in the mortgage process the average time now to close on a mortgage is from 45 to 60 days. We all need to have our First Time Homebuyers who are qualifed to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity of getting the $8,000 Tax Credit in contract within the next 3 weeks or so in order to be safe for a proposed closing before the 1st day of December 2009. Are you ready?

Educate every First Time Homebuyer you can find. Put them in your car, find them that perfect home and experience a lifetime of the referrals you will see from these happy buyers who will not only get the $8,000 Tax Credit from the government, but they'll also see historic low interest rates on their mortgage and available homes at great reduced asking prices as well as foreclosures and short sales. But, beware of those Short Sale transactions, they just may not close in time for November 30th so make sure your Buyers are fully aware of that fact.

It seems the month of May has come in with a bang! All those buyers who have been waiting, sitting on the fence, waiting for the perfect time to buy, are finally jumping in and buying. Wth the passing of Tax Day April 15th it appears clear that accountants did their job in informing first time homebuyers of the $8,000 Tax Credit and Why the Perfect time To Buy Is NOW!

So go after those First Time Homebuyers that you couldn't get to make a decision as I believe you will find that they are NOW ready. Time is running short for the $8,000 Tax Credit, interest rates are still Low as are home prices. Good Luck to all of you, the Buyers are NOW Ripe to BUY!

If you are considering getting your license to become a Real Estate Agent there are some things to consider:

In the state of Pennsylvania a person can go to school or take the Real Estate Licensing course on line. It's a 60 hr course. Once the 60 hr course is completed you take the licensing exam and Shazam you are licensed! But, because becoming licensed can occur that quickly, many folks think this to be a great option to make a quick and easy career change. They're right, the potential for success and income is limitless and getting licensed is fairly quick and easy. But, the falicy of making a successful career on a part time basis is just that, a falicy and an unliklihood. I'm not going to say that it cannot be done, but those who do succeed on a part time basis are few and far between from what I have observed in my career.

Understand that when a Seller entrusts the sale of their home to you as their listing agent, they expect you to be available 24/7. The sale of their real estate is extremely important to their next move in life and they will make you earn your commission. Those Agents who are willing to commit to their Sellers and work hard will have success in this business. When a Real Estate Agent represents a Buyer understand that the Buyer will also want your undivided attention. This is likely the largest investment they will ever make in their lifetime and they will want you to be available 24/7 if they have a question or want to see a house. Au contraire to most people's understanding, a career in Real Estate can be demanding, you will work most if not all weekends, and your phone will continue to ring in the evenings. Closing day is rewarding with a commision check larger than most people's paychecks, but you may not be gettin one every week. The better service you provide and the more time you put in is in direct correlation to your income.

So, if you are ready for a career change and a challenge and are willing to work hard, it is a great business to get into. Make sure you get with a Real Estate Co. that will train you because the course will not teach you to list or sell. The course teaches law, contracts, agency, etc. You'll need to get a Mentor, a licensed person experienced in the business to teach you the listing sna selling end of the business. I am a great Mentor and have personally trained and mentored quite a few Top Producers. I also have Top Producers in my office who are willing to Mentor new licensees. Please feel free to contact me for more information on becoming a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in PA and to find out what the Weichert opportunity can offer you once you are licensed. Call me at my office 570-296-7570 ext. 102 or e-mail me at druffino@ruffinorealestate.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you are considering getting your license to become a Real Estate Agent there are some things to consider:

In the state of Pennsylvania a person can go to school or take the Real Estate Licensing course on line. It's a 60 hr course. Once the 60 hr course is completed you take the licensing exam and Shazam you are licensed! But, because becoming licensed can occur that quickly, many folks think this to be a great option to make a quick and easy career change. They're right, the potential for success and income is limitless and getting licensed is fairly quick and easy. But, the falicy of making a successful career on a part time basis is just that, a falicy and an unliklihood. I'm not going to say that it cannot be done, but those who do succeed on a part time basis are few and far between from what I have observed in my career.

Understand that when a Seller entrusts the sale of their home to you as their listing agent, they expect you to be available 24/7. The sale of their real estate is extremely important to their next move in life and they will make you earn your commission. Those Agents who are willing to commit to their Sellers and work hard will have success in this business. When a Real Estate Agent represents a Buyer understand that the Buyer will also want your undivided attention. This is likely the largest investment they will ever make in their lifetime and they will want you to be available 24/7 if they have a question or want to see a house. Au contraire to most people's understanding, a career in Real Estate can be demanding, you will work most if not all weekends, and your phone will continue to ring in the evenings. Closing day is rewarding with a commision check larger than most people's paychecks, but you may not be gettin one every week. The better service you provide and the more time you put in is in direct correlation to your income.

So, if you are ready for a career change and a challenge and are willing to work hard, it is a great business to get into. Make sure you get with a Real Estate Co. that will train you because the course will not teach you to list or sell. The course teaches law, contracts, agency, etc. You'll need to get a Mentor, a licensed person experienced in the business to teach you the listing sna selling end of the business. I am a great Mentor and have personally trained and mentored quite a few Top Producers. I also have Top Producers in my office who are willing to Mentor new licensees. Please feel free to contact me for more information on becoming a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in PA and to find out what the Weichert opportunity can offer you once you are licensed. Call me at my office 570-296-7570 ext. 102 or e-mail me at druffino@ruffinorealestate.com. I look forward to hearing from you.