Liz Landry

Many homebuyers do not understand that the sales price on a home already includes the commission. Working with the listing agent directly doesn't reduce the price. That commission has already been agreed upon between the seller and the listing agent. Eliminating a buyer's agent just means a buyer does not have someone looking out for their best interest, and the listing agent gets the entire commission.

It's even more important when purchasing new construction! The builder has a budget in place that includes paying a real estate commission. Of course they are more than happy to work with a buyer directly, because they know they are dealing with someone who lacks the skills and experience to negotiate. Agents know that builders can do a lot of things that a buyer may not even think to ask for, simply because they don't have the experience.

Buyers working with an agent have someone on their side, working to help them get the right home and the right terms. There are not very many transactions in life that you can hire professional help and have someone else pay for it! Take advantage of it.

To find out more about how we can help YOU find the right home, and why you should work with a buyer's agent from the Landry Team, click here!

There is a difference between finding the "perfect" house and finding the RIGHT house. No home, anywhere, no matter what the price, is going to have every feature and detail or be in the perfect location. Even someone that builds a custom home will find things they might have done differently, once it's finished.

Finding the right house is a lot easier than you might think! It starts with a serious analysis of your needs, lifestyle, hobbies, family, and finances. There is a lot more to a house than three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a fenced backyard.

As a buyer's agent, one of things I enjoy most is putting all the pieces of a puzzle together and finding the right house for a buyer. It's about listening, and paying attention to the deeper reasons people want a fenced yard, or a big open kitchen.

Searching and looking for homes is a big part of the process. You can do that any time, from our website. Check it out.

To see how some of our customers have benefited from our approach, watch these video testimonials! To schedule your personal buyers consultation, email me today! melissatolson@kw.com.

I look forward to helping you find the right house!

There are a couple of questions I get from almost every buyer when they are looking at a listing online. Most of the time, the only way to answer these questions is to go out and see the property. The thing is, it would not be that hard for the listing agent to put this information in the listing!

For example...

1. Does this house have a fence? If the property has a fenced yard, take a picture of it and put it in the MLS.
2. Do you have more pictures? I know that each board is different, but in NE Florida, you can put something like 50 pictures up with each listing for no extra fee. If an agent cares about selling a home, especially a short sale, they need to put lots of pictures. As a buyer's agent, I look at pictures before I decide to preview a house, which I do before I decide to take a buyer out.
3. What's the status of the short sale? I know that this can be a touchy subject to address in the listing, but if there has been a BPO, or any kind of update on the file, this would really help encourage more showings. I really hesitate to show property to a buyer when I'm not sure of the listing agent's experience with short sales.

As a buyer's agent, I screen property in a couple of different ways before I show it to a buyer. It'd be really helpful if listing agents put a little extra effort into making their listings easy to use for us buyer's agents.

Best Regards,

Melissa Tolson, the Landry Team

Rates on 30 year mortgages rose to an average of 5.29 percent, the highest weekly average in nearly 3 months. Interest rates make a HUGE difference in how much home a buyer can afford.

For example, for an FHA loan with 3.5% down on a $175,000 home, at a 5% rate the principal and interest payment would be $922.42. At 6%, the P&I payment goes up $1030.21. That's an 11.6% increase in the monthly payment!

In other words, you can buy more house for the same payment right now! The increase in rates plays a much bigger role in affordability than a slight drop in prices.

If you're thinking of buying, DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER!

Best Regards, Melissa Tolson

Landry Team Buyer's Specialist

Now that we're officially in Hurricane Season 2009, let's brush up on our hurricane trivia!

What's the difference between a "watch" and a "warning?"

• A HURRICANE WATCH issued for your part of the coast indicates the possibility that you could experience hurricane conditions within 36 hours.
  This watch should trigger your family's disaster plan, and protective measures should be initiated, especially those actions that require extra time such as securing a boat, leaving a barrier island, etc.
• A HURRICANE WARNING issued for your part of the coast indicates that sustained winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 24 hours or less.
  Once this warning has been issued, your family should be in the process of completing protective actions and deciding the safest location to be during the storm.

Do you know why more than 63% of deaths attributed to tropical cyclones occur in inland counties?

More people have died from inland flooding from 1970 up to 2000. Intense rainfall is not directly related to the wind speed of tropical cyclones. In fact, some of the greatest rainfall amounts occur from weaker storms that drift slowly or stall over an area.

In a study from 1970 to 1999, freshwater flooding accounted for more than half (59%) of U.S. tropical cyclone deaths.

Source: www.NHS.noaa.gov.