Kathy Hyatt

Buyers are like Dogs, but hey that's not Fair I actually like my Dog!

With the massive amount of "Foreclosures" being listed by the Banks, It just seems that more and more Buyers think they are going to "Steal a House". I mean it is getting to be ridiculous. But are these the Buyers we really want?

I worked with this one particular Buyer and during our time together which was well over 6 months (I know, don't even get me started) I would show her property after property and she was just so unrealistic. She would finally find a property she liked, bring the whole family (Oh-how-fun) and then turn around and offer 50K below the list price and all she would say is that Prices are falling and this is what she wanted to offer.

I did this routine with her three times. On the 3^rd contract, we again found another nice house; we visited this same house 3 times along with the whole family. I shared with her Closed Sales and she turned around and offered $75,000.00 below list price! Then she got completely annoyed that the Seller refused to counter back, they just flat out rejected her offer.

I am literally so upset with this Buyer, but I feel I have so much time invested in her that I don't want to let go. So the following week, the perfect house hits the market. This house has everything she wants, and in her Price Range. I tell her on the phone upfront that you are not going to be able to steal this house. So we go see the house and of course she loves it. But tells me she wants to think about it and will call her parents later to come look.

Right there I knew there was a problem because in the past she calls the parents right on the spot. Anyway two days later it went under contract. So now I am beyond upset and call the buyer who just gives me the "well it must not have been meant to be" attitude. The following week goes by and I call the Buyer and she tells me that is going to take a break on house hunting until school is out. (She was a Teacher)

So I follow up and call her, email her and text her and the Buyer finally emails me back, Thanks for your time we bought a house and the offer was accepted!

I know when it comes to Real Estate that you cannot take anything personally. But seriously, at $4.00 a gallon driving all over town for well above 6 months I have to tell you this sucks! As a Realtor I work strictly on commission and spent hours and hours away from my children and my family. I should have told this Buyer to hit the road long ago.

Tony Robbins spoke at a Mortgage Seminar I attended and lectured on how you have to move forward and not get stuck. He gave an example of that "One Loan Officer" who kept living the dream that his loser client could get a mortgage. Instead of focusing on new business, he just kept working on the loser client.

Here I am and I did the exact same thing. After the second low ball contract I should have move on. So everyone, make me feel better and share with me if you have had a similar experience and what was your outcome.

Kathy Hyatt, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Don't Forget the Kids When You Move!

Buying a Home in 2008 is very much different than in years past. Today many Buyers have to work multiple jobs and most households are a 2 income family. With that said, Kathy Hyatt with ERA Ace Realty & Investments is proud to announce ~ERA Kids~

This is a new and exciting web-based interactive Game Application you will find on our website of ERA.com and Kathy Hyatt.com. This Website is geared towards engaging the entire family in the home buying process. Kathy Hyatt together with ERA has discovered that more than 73 million households have children under the age of 18, and the importance of involving children in the process is critical. Kathy Hyatt explains that ERA Kids includes a variety of activities and games that makes children feel a part of the process which is important

With ERA Kids, the children of prospective families are encouraged to participate in activities related to the home buying process. Kids will love the down-loadable features, and are also provided activities ranging from simple coloring and sticker books to interactive programs from "Connecting-the-Dots" in real estate images and the unique and very popular "Paint your House" program that enables children, through the Web site, to paint and change the color of the homes that Parents are considering when searching for homes with Kathy Hyatt.

As an industry leader, ERA Real Estate together with Kathy Hyatt, are long time believers in the critical role that children do play in the moving process. Whether at my Office Meetings or Neighborhood Open Houses, more Families are involving their children in the Home Buying process. With the often emotional impact of leaving the familiarity of surroundings, friends and schools, ERA Kids stresses the positives of new horizons, better surroundings, new friends and the advantages of new schools. Kathy Hyatt invites you to check out ERA kids at: http://www.era.com/erakids

For More Information give Kathy Hyatt a call at 954-347-0244 or email me at:Kathy@KathyHyatt.com

Fabulous 4 Bedroom, 3 Bathroom Home with over 3,000 square feet under air!

• Homes sits on a Wide Canal and has a Huge Yard and Heated Pool
• Seller Will Pay Closings Costs!! Seller will Hold Mortgage!!!

First Time Homebuyers are Eligible for a Tax Credit up to $7,500.00 on the purchase of this Home. Call Kathy Hyatt at 954-347-0244 for Details or email Kathy at: kathy@kathyhyatt.com

So many more wonderful features and details to tell you, so call Kathy at 954-347-0244 to find out more about this Magnificent Home and for a Private Viewing. Please also check out my website of: http://www.KathyHyatt.com

Buyer's take note, Seller may Consider Financing!!!

Custom Financing for all Types of Buyers! Best of all ,this Home is participating in the "Homes for All Program" which allows Buyers to put little money down. For Complete details call Mark Hyatt with Platinum Home Mortgage at 954-658-7893 or email Mark at mhyatt@ephmc.com

SPICE UP THE KITCHEN

As a Real Estate Professional for ERA Ace Realty I am constantly advising my Clients on how to prepare their house to look its best in order to achieve the highest net sale. Often lack of monies are to blame for many homes selling under market value simply because they were not "Dressed to Sell".

Most often, Monies are better spent in the heart of the Home which is the Kitchen. For Clients on a budget or who need a little help visualizing how they could revitalize an older kitchen? Here are five inexpensive tips that will make a Significant Difference:

Replace the flooring. Install laminate floor over old linoleum, vinyl or chipped tile. It costs just $1 to $5 a square foot and resembles wood, stone or tile.

Replace the lighting. A new ceiling fixture costs less than $100 and will brighten up the place. Adding some under-the-cabinet lights illuminates work surfaces.

Give the cabinets a new life. A coat of paint and new knobs is the cheapest way to go. If you're able to spend $2,000 to $3,000 on the project, hire a refacing company to replace the doors and drawer fronts.

Refinish the appliances. For a few hundred dollars, use an appliance paint refinisher to re-enamel your stove, refrigerator and dishwasher door in the color of your choice, including a stainless steel look-alike.

Update the backsplash. Replace the space between your cabinets and the countertop with fashionable stone or inexpensive wallpaper.

For more information on Tips and Ideas on how to improve your Home call Kathy Hyatt at 954-347-0244 or check out my Web Site of http://www.kathyhyatt.com

As a Real Estate Professional, I have always advised my clients of the hazards of "Lead-Based Paint" and more recently, "Mold". While these issues continue to be potential deal-breakers that must be dealt with, We now have another big issue that has recently entered the scene: CLUE Reports. If you aren't familiar with these reports or how they can throw a deal off track, here is the scoop.

CLUE - Is an acronym for "Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange" - Which is a National Insurance industry database with more than 40 million personal property claims. A CLUE report is the equivalent of a credit report for a house, (Yes that is right) and this examines all claims reported to the insurance company for a given property over a five-year period, including Water Damage, Fires, and the scary "M" Word which is MOLD. Reports show the date of loss, type of loss, and amounts paid out.

Traditionally, the insurability of a property was a topic left to the insurance company. But now real estate practitioners and their clients also must pay close attention to a home's record of insurance claims to make sure secrets of the property's past won't come back to haunt them.

Insurance Risks Uncovered

CLUE reports also let potential buyers know about Water Damage, Mold, and other Issues that can make it difficult or even prohibitively expensive to insure the home. Without viewing the report, big trouble may be brewing for buyers who wait until the day before closing - or even the day of closing - to get a paid insurance receipt.

Let's say the property closes, ownership is transferred, the buyers get the keys, and the real estate practitioner gets paid. Life is good. But then in about two weeks, the Transaction turns nasty, if the buyers get a letter from their insurance company rescinding the policy due to a previous claim. Most mortgage documents implicitly state that a property must remain insured. If homeowners can't find insurance elsewhere, they can be forced into paying the mortgage company's premium insurance rates, or worse, foreclosing on the home because they can't afford the hefty payments. Then of course the law suits soon follow. Buyers will sue the Sellers for non-disclosure, then The Home Inspection Company and even the Realtor is he or she did not insist upon obtaining an inspection or report for their client.

I believe it's only a matter of time before every state will have included CLUE reports as a mandatory part of their seller disclosure documents. Mortgage companies already are starting to order these reports as standard procedure because they don't want to be stuck with an uninsurable property and so many deals are blowing up over insurance issues.

How to Help Your Clients

Until CLUE reports become a standard Disclosure in any home sale, you don't want your clients to become a test case. Kathy Hyatt explains how you can help:

When Working With Sellers:

Ask sellers to order their home's CLUE report before listing the property. This will make them aware of potential problems in selling the home and will give them a chance to correct any wrong information in the report. You can order a report online through ChoiceTrust, a unit of Alpharetta, Ga.-based data provider ChoicePoint Asset Co.

• Educate buyers by providing them with a CLUE Home Seller's Disclosure Report from ChoiceTrust, available online at no charge.

• A clean CLUE report can be used as a selling point. Make sure potential buyers know that it's available for them to view.

• Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, property owners can order one free report every year.

When Working With Buyers:

• Ask the seller to present you with the home's CLUE report. Like a credit report, CLUE reports only may be obtained by the current property owner.

• Make the purchase contingent on viewing a CLUE report, or on the buyer obtaining affordable insurance. Check with your state REALTOR® association or real estate commission to see if it offers a rider or an addendum that you can include with the contract.

• Ask the buyer to apply for insurance immediately after a signed contract.

• Educate yourself and your clients. Go to ChoiceTrust's CLUE Reports page to view a sample CLUE report, to learn how to read reports, and to download a brochure for homebuyers or call Kathy Hyatt at ERA Ace Realty.

Real estate practitioners should take CLUE reports very seriously, especially at a time when insurability issues are so often snagging sales. Make it a habit to tell buyers to view the CLUE report for the homes they're interested in buying, and educate them about the risks of not doing so. It will reduce your liability as the real estate salesperson and help to avoid property or insurance problems down the road and isn't that what we all want!! Have a Real Estate question, call Kathy Hyatt at 954-347-0244 or check out my website: http://www.kathyhyatt.com