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Lori Lincoln- Taunton to Attleboro MA Rehoboth, Dighton, Swansea, Attleboro

The Day The World Changed As We Knew It.

I remember this day all too well, you probably do too.

I was on the road, crisp September morning about 9:00 am. and needed to go to the bank. I didn't have my car radio on. I walked into the bank and the teller said to me, a plane hit the world trade center, she further stated "probably a drunk pilot".

After finishing my banking business, got back into my car on my way to my first appointment, turned on my radio.. daydreaming, listening to the news on the radio.. sort of.. and thought, oh.. I need to go to the post office. As I proceeded down Route 138 towards Dighton, I turned the radio up and heard about the first crash.. then breaking news about the second plane... I started to worry.

I pulled up to the post office, waited in a small line. The postal worker said to me, I think there was another plane that just hit the Pentagon.. so now.. shaken and stirred, I get back into my car, pick up my children from school and go home. Like most people, eyes glued to the television, with extreme sadness, to hear and see all of the events unfold. All we could do is cry...and pray.

I'm sure most people remember the details of where they were and what was happening in their world too. Most of us just wanted to be with family. Most of us were in constant prayer for those who were involved in this horrific tragedy.

Compassion and continued prayers and thoughts go out to the families of the victims of 9/11.

Lori Lincoln

It's A Buyers Market -Not a Waiters Market

Simply Stated, and pardon my direct demeanor.. but what are you waiting for?

So now comes the government to bail out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Now what happens?

First.. in case you didn't notice, interest rates are now in the 5's!

Second, our government is now considering bringing back the seller assisted financing. Seems that our government is determined to stabilize this market.( my opinion)

Third- Buyers, you have so many choices.. AND.. Prices are low low low!

There are several homes in Taunton in nice neighborhoods starting at $130,000!

Buyers, you are wondering where the bottom is, it could be now or 1 year from now or 4 years from now.. but hear this..

Over time, not only does buying real estate give you a place to live, it gives you some great tax advantages where you can write off your mortgage interest and some closing costs ( check with your accountant on this).

I know of a family who in 1993, bought their first single family home for $122,000 at an 8% interest rate!, sold for a $40,000 profit in 2000. In 2001 bought their second single family home..for $175,000, sold in 2004 for a whopping $140,000 profit and then bought their dream home.. where they live now... I have to say, with all of the home buying and selling they did over the last 15 years, they told me that not once did they "time" the market.

Don't be so scared. If you are renting, you are just making your landlord rich. Even if prices come down more, it really doesn't matter because you probably will not sell your new home for at least 7 years. and again, real estate historically, though not guaranteed has proven to be a profitable investment over time for those that decide to buy.. in any market.

Over the past week, we have already seen some strong activity from buyers who want to take advantage of their market.. what about you?

Thank you for viewing my blog.

Lori Lincoln is the leader of Lincoln Team Real Estate and sells homes and real estate South of Boston including Taunton, Rehoboth, Berkley, Assonet, Fall River, Swansea, Somerset, Easton, Norton and more.

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Labor Day Weekend- Off to the Races in Real Estate

Lori Lincoln, Real Estate Pro in Taunton Written by Lori Lincoln, Real Estate Professional in Taunton August 31, 2008 9:00 PM in Home Buying | Taunton

Shew, This weekend has been busy, busy, busy. From Friday evening on, non-stop buyer calls on listings and several scheduled showings. Open Houses, Offers etc.

Which reminds me of a quick story I wanted to share with you:
I worked an open house today. One of the potential buyers found a small garden snake in the back yard.. he picked it up and of course, I shreak. I would not let him back in for a second look at the house until he put the snake back... he finally obliged. The only living creature on God's green earth that I loathe is the snake.. Am I the only one? Even this buyers wife laughed at me for being foolishly scared of the little guy...
I digress..

Lots of activity. Home Buyers are realizing that they really should buy before next year. Interest rates are creeping up.

So now we have a race to the finish line of 2008. Several well priced homes are receiving multiple offers. In some of our cities and towns like Easton inventory didn't increase this month... it shrunk!

Bank owned properties seem to be selling quicker in the Taunton Area.The banks that own these homes have become motivated sellers. Buyers for these homes are usually real estate investors looking to fix and flip to another buyer for a profit.

Some areas of Massachusetts especially in the 495 belt are even seeing some signs of stabilization.

Wouldn't you agree that it's time to get off the fence, get in the race and get serious about your home buying and selling goals?

Thank you for reading my blog.

Lori Lincoln- Realtor Lincoln Team
Keller Williams Realty
508-878-0917
http://LoriLincolnTeam.com
email lorilincoln@kw.com


Lori Lincoln is the lead consultant of Lincoln Team Real Estate- Keller Williams Realty
Serving the home sellers and buyers in Dighton Massachusetts, Rehoboth, Massachusetts,
Taunton, Seekonk, Somerset, Fall River, Berkley, Assonet and Southcoast Ma real estate listings and mls search in Ma

For Sale By Owner..

Preface: As some of my readers know, I can be pretty darn direct, not because of ego or wanting to be right, but because I genuinely care about people.

If you saw someone about to jump off a bridge wouldn’t you try to help too? So forgive my directness, and understand it is because I care.

Mr and Mrs FSBO,

You want top dollar for your home, who can blame you.

First you try to list it For Sale by Owner, only to realize that even with the cheap MLS listing, and a few open houses the house isn’t receiving offers. Months pass, maybe years… then you goals and plans have to be revised due to the unsuccessful attempt to sell on your own. In the meantime, the market is losing 3% per month.. 3%! , but you don’t reduce your price.. or hire a realtor or even seek the advice of a professional..

Somehow, the media and/or others have mislead those who want to save money by not paying a realtor commission.

You see…Before I was in real estate sales, I sold my house myself, only to realize ( after the fact). After my house went under agreement I received a call from a buyer who was going to give me more, but since I was under a binding contract, there wasn’t anything I could do.. So I could have sold my house for $30,000 more! Even with a Realtor Commission, I would have made $20,000 more on the sale of my house… minus the headaches. Not to mention, my husband I had to deal with all the minor and major items from the home inspection. If I had a Real Estate Professional, he or she might have saved me the trouble.

For Sale by owners mis-price their homes more times than not.

Most of them overprice thinking that a buyer can make an offer and they can “negotiate”. The truth is that this isn’t the way it works anymore ( as if it ever worked this way). Buyers stay within $10,000 of the price they will pay.

Also, nearly 90% of home buyers use buyer agents. Buyer agents are reluctant to show For Sale By owner homes due to the risk involved and that quote end quote “generous” 2% commission isn’t enough and isn’t worth the hassle.

I saw an ad one day boasting on how the seller will pay the buyer agent 1%-2%, like it was going to get a buyer agent to run red lights to bring their buyers there!. Preposterous!

My unsolicited opinion: If you cannot sell your home for market value because you need more money, then sell in a few years IF the market turns..

…OR.. if you owe more than what the house is worth and can make your payments.. wait to sell.

If you cannot wait to sell and you are in a financial debacle, then see if you can sell it on a short sale.

But PLEASE, PLEASE, talk to professionals before you put your home on the market. Talk to 3 Realtors, get the facts of record first.

If you need information on how to sell your home on your own please contact Lori Lincoln at Keller Williams Realty.

You can also visit http://www.LoriLincolnTeam.com for Facts of Record and comparable sales in your area.. FREE.

Lori Lincoln sells homes in Bristol County Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Search the MLS for Taunton, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea, Dighton, Assonet homes and real estate

Sellers- YOU MUST READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR HOME FAST!

About 2 months ago, I listed an expired listing which was on the market for awhile and listed for a much higher price which the market also rejected. I listed the home below the previous price, but still too high. So yes, you guessed it.

We had 2 showings in 2 months. Lots of open houses, marketing to buyer agents, 30+ websites and frustrated sellers ( and agent). Every week during this time, I informed my sellers weekly of sold homes and homes that were under agreement.

After exhausting all of my efforts, I approached the sellers with some real concrete market data and statistics, most of which was shared in our first meeting at the time of the listings, but the sellers needed to "try the high price. Sometimes market value news is tough to hear, tough for me to communicate to my sellers as well. Finally they reduced the price.

After one week, at the reduced price, we had 5 buyers preview and consider purchasing the property. All 5 buyers through their agents submitted an offer! I have to admit, I was absolutely shocked!. We now have one accepted offer and one back up offer.

The sellers of this home are very smart for reducing their price. Now they can move on with their lives, buy a home that suits them for a great price..

The buyers also won. They will likely gain equity if they stay in the home for 7 years or more.

I am so grateful to my company for providing the knowledge to help my sellers get what they needed.

I also have even more insight on how important it is urge my sellers to price just slightly below market value.

So many times, I see sellers make the mistake of pricing to high when they first list the home. Then they every other months they keep reducing the price down just a bit, but still over market value...chasing the market down. Eventually they sell for a really low price because they cannot keep up the pace of the declining market with the small price reductions.

My advice to sellers.. PLEASE..refrain "Neverland/Fantasy" pricing. If you want your high price, you might want to consider selling it in a different market.

If you owe more than what the home is worth, this a completely different blog. Speak to an educated experienced agent regarding this matter.

I digress.. All of the marketing in the world will not convince buyers to buy your home if your home is out of the range of true market value.

Just to illustrate. I like to shop at Macey's, say I find a dress, my size, my color etc.. I see the dress at Macey's for $150. then I see the same dress at Penny's for $95.00. All things being equal, which one do I buy? This is how buyers are thinking today. They're greatest fear is paying too much and right now, with all of the inventory, real estate, in my opinion, is about price.

You may say " but I have a unique home". Sad to say, but in the current market, there aren't unique homes, that buyers will pay over market value for.

Lori Lincoln, Realtor/Partner with Keller Williams Realty. If you would like more information on selling your home. Lori lis a Real Estate Expert in Bristol County Massachusetts. If you would like a free market valuation of your home without cost or obligation, call Lori Lincoln who knows the facts, the neighborhoods and will help you achieve your goals and sell your home.

Lori Lincoln and her team sell homes in Taunton Massachusetts, Berkley, Assonet, Rehoboth, Somerset, Freetown, Bristol County MA and surrounding cities and towns.
For a Free MLS Search for the entire state of Massachusetts go to Massachusetts Real Estate

Thank you for viewing my blog.

Lori Lincoln

http://www.Lincolnteamrealestate.com

508-878-0917