Margaret Hickman, REALTOR®, ABR®, SRS

I'm sure most REALTORS®, lenders, and closing agents have seen an increase in activity as time for the tax credit for 2009 draws to a close. However, good news to the housing market and to buyers who missed the window is the fact that Congress and the president signed a bill extending and expanding the tax credit. News from the National Association of REALTORS®, yesterday:

"More people are now eligible to take advantage of the law, which includes a $6,500 tax credit for buyers who are current home owners and have lived in their home for five of the past eight years.

"Income limits for eligible home buyers were also expanded to $125,000 for single buyers and $225,000 for couples, up from $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples. Qualifying home prices are capped at $800,000."

As I understand it, a contract has to be in effect by April 30, 2010, with closing prior to June 30.

First-time home-buyers have another chance to take advantage of the tax credit, and those needing to move up now get some benefit as well. Interest rates are still very low, so now is definitely the time to make a move!

I'm looking forward to helping many buyers in the coming months. I like to work with buyers!

Are you moving to the Alexandria, Louisiana, area? Whether coming back home or moving through a job relocation, I will be happy to work with you to find a home in your price range. If you are targeting a particular neighborhood, I will provide a list of all available homes from all area companies. If you don't know where you want to live, I can list the particular subdivisions by price range and location for you.

I am a certified relocation specialist through USAA, CARTUS, Weichert, and others. Ask to be referred to me. You'll be glad you did. Read my mission statement on my profile page. This is the level of service you need.

I work in an area with businesses and federal agencies who constantly move people in and out. People are relocated from all areas of the country, meaning that they come from different markets. Some come from markets where the median home price is much higher than ours, so they are delighted with what they find. Others come from markets where the median home price is lower, so it is difficult for some of them to find housing that is satisfactory to them within their price range.

Relocation buyers, please don't try to impose your market on ours. It just doesn't work. Listen to your agent, and follow his/her guidance.

Here is what you will get if you contact me* in advance--either through your company or independently:

• We will discuss your housing needs in terms of location, size of house, price range, etc.
• We will discuss the need for you to get your financing arranged in advance, and I can assist with finding a local lender if necessary.
• Once pre-approved, you will receive a private web page on my web site on which I will place properties matching your search criteria as they come on market. You may make notes as well as mark your favorites, possibilities, and rejections to assist us in narrowing your search for your house-hunting trip to the area. From my control panel, I can access your notes. You can also search independently, and save your results to your web page.
• You will receive E-mail notifications when a new property matching your search criteria comes on market.
• My web site contains links to newspaper, television stations, schools, and area attractions to help you become acclimated to the area before you arrive.
• Once you advise me of your house-hunting trip dates, I will arrange my schedule to be available for viewing homes as well as showing you some of the area.
• Once you find your new home, I will find comparable properties and provide statistics for low, average, median, and high prices for the area in which your home is located assisting us to arrive at a reasonable and defendable offer price. I will also show you the current tax records. It is important for you to objectively analyze these statistics and craft your offer within these parameters, rather than from what the same type of house would sell for in your current market or what you have decided it is worth.
• I will assist you with all paper work for the offer and any counter offer negotiations.
• Once we have an accepted contract, I will provide names of home inspectors. Those with whom I deal most frequently will make every effort to schedule the inspection while you are still in town, so that you can attend the summary.
• I will assist you in getting the contract to your lender and in adhering to the contract dates regarding final loan application, inspection, inspection responses, final loan approval, and closing date. I will prepare extensions to these dates as needed to keep the contract valid and to prevent you from going into default.
• I will work with your lender and you to select a closing agent.
• I will review the settlement statement with you for accuracy.
• I will do a final walk-through inspection of the property the day before or the day of closing to ensure that you are getting everything you expect BEFORE you sign the final documents, while there is still time to correct repair deficiencies or missing fixtures.
• I will attend closing with you.

*Most relocation specialists and trained buyer's agents follow the above steps or an acceptable derivative thereof.

Listen to your agent's advice, follow these steps, and you will have a successful and satisfying relocation experience. Don't listen, and you just might wind up relocating with no place to live. Don't blame the agent! YOU DID IT! You didn't listen to your agent.

Taking a cue from this month's REALTOR magazine in the article on "Recession Busting Techniques," I am following the suggestion of writing a paragraph about what makes me a good REALTOR, or as they say real estate practitioner. It all goes back to my mission statement, which is a derivative of The Golden Rule. My mission is to provide the same quality of real estate services to my clients as I would expect to receive.

When I first went into the real estate business, my broker told me that real estate is relational. It is building relationships with people. If you can do that, the people will come back to you and refer their friends and family. Well, that was right in line with what I believed anyway. I came from a state government service-oriented background. I am myself with people. "What you see is what you get." No phony sales scripts for me! I hate them. A client once told me he had listened to me very carefully over the course of the afternoon as I showed houses, and he did not hear the "canned" speech from me. Everybody can spot it! They might help some newbies learn what to say in certain situations, but my goodness! Ditch the canned element ASAP!

Another thing that makes me a good REALTOR is my willingness to learn. "The times they are a-changing." If a real estate practioner doesn't read and keep up with the changing times, they stagnate and will soon be left behind because today's buyers and sellers are on the web. Technology classes tailored for real estate are out there! The internet is used both to market and to network. It's fun! As my sales manager says, "work smarter, not harder." I get more business these days from my internet presence than I do from any other form of marketing. By the time someone contacts me, they feel they know and can trust me.

Oops! I think I more than fulfilled the suggestion of writing a paragraph, didn't I?

Is my REALTOR doing his/her job if he/she doesn't show my house? Maybe yes, maybe no! What is the role of the listing agent?

The primary role of your listing agent is to market your home. Is your home being shown by other REALTORS? Is your home being marketed in all the areas promised to you during the listing appointment? If your answer is yes, until your home is under contract, your REALTOR is at work whether showing your house or not.

The whole purpose of entering your home in the MLS and marketing it widely is to attract as wide a pool of buyers as possible. Your REALTOR may not have a buyer for your price range, location, or size of house. However, if marketing is being done correctly, other agents will. If your state allows dual agency (an agent representing both buyer and seller in the same transaction), your REALTOR will show your house to buyers who call the agent directly from the sign or the various advertising media.

The role of your agent during the listing period is also to keep you apprised of changes in the market and to give you feedback following showings. If there are negative comments from potential buyers, you need to know so you can correct those things that can be corrected prior to the next showing. If your home is not selling, you need to know why. Is it price, condition, or location? Some things can be changed, but others can't. Often a price adjustment will compensate for some of this.

During a buyer's market, the home must be as perfect as you can make it. It may also take longer to sell your home, so if you are cooperating with your agent, following advice, adjusting price and conditions as needed, don't change agents at the end of the listing period. Renew it, and wait. If your agent is not marketing, and your house is not being shown at all, then you might try another agent and/or company.

The role of your agent once you receive an offer for your house is to present and negotiate the offer in your best interests. Your agent is your seller representative all the way to closing, ensuring your understand and adhere to the terms of the contract. If certain inspections are required by the seller, your agent will assist with this.

I've heard sellers say that their agent must not be working on their behalf because he/she never shows the house. I hope you will take a look at the other activities that are being done to market the house and get it maximum exposure before making that assumption.