5 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Professional

by The KCM Crew on May 14, 2014 in For Buyers, For Sellers

Whether you are buying or selling a home, you need an experienced Real Estate Professional to lead you toward your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and Internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or FSBO.

The 5 Reasons You NEED a Real Estate Professional in your corner haven’t changed, but rather have been strengthened in recent months due to rising interest rates & home prices as the market recovers.

1. What do you do with all this paperwork?

 

Each state has different regulations regarding the contracts required for a successful sale, and these regulations are constantly changing. A true Real Estate Professional is an expert in their market and can guide you through the stacks of paperwork necessary to make your dream a reality.

2. Ok, so you found your dream house, now what?

 

According to the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association, there are over 230 possible actions that need to take place during every successful real estate transaction. Don’t you want someone who has been there before, who knows what these actions are to make sure that you acquire your dream?

3. Are you a good negotiator?

 

So maybe you’re not convinced that you need an agent to sell your home. However, after looking at the list of parties that you need to be prepared to negotiate with, you’ll realize the value in selecting a Real Estate Professional. From the buyer (who wants the best deal possible), to the home inspection companies, to the appraiser, there are at least 11 different people that you will have to be knowledgeable with and answer to, during the process.

4. What is the home you’re buying/selling really worth?

 

Not only is it important for your home to be priced correctly from the start, to attract the right buyers and shorten the time that it’s on the market, but you also need someone who is not emotionally connected to your home, to give you the truth as to your home’s value.

According to the National Association of REALTORS, “the typical FSBO home sold for $184,000 compared to $230,000 among agent-assisted home sales.”

Get the most out of your transaction by hiring a professional.

5. Do you know what’s really going on in the market?

 

There is so much information out there on the news and the Internet about home sales, prices, mortgage rates; how do you know what’s going on specifically in your area? Who do you turn to, to tell you how to competitively price your home correctly at the beginning of the selling process? How do you know what to offer on your dream home without paying too much, or offending the seller with a low-ball offer?

“When getting help with money, whether it’s insurance, real estate or investments, you should always look for someone with the heart of a teacher, not the heart of a salesman.” – Dave Ramsey

Hiring an agent who has their finger on the pulse of the market will make your buying/selling experience an educated one. You need someone who is going to tell you the truth, not just what they think you want to hear.

Bottom Line:

 

You wouldn’t hike up Kilimanjaro without a Sherpa, or replace the engine in your car without a trusted mechanic, why would you make one of your most important financial decisions of your life without hiring a Real Estate Professional?

If you are ready to buy contact us. Learn about our past clients experiences and see why we have sold over 150 houses in 9 years in real estate.

Noemi Cardoso
William Raveis Real Estate
Serving MA & RI
2014 Fiver Star Real Estate Agent
Fluent in Portuguese and English
Cell: 508-558-1945
www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com

A Home’s Cost vs. Price Explained

by The KCM Crew on April 2014.

We have often talked about the difference between COST and PRICE. As a seller, you will be most concerned about ‘short term price’ – where home values are headed over the next six months. As either a first time or repeat buyer, you must not be concerned about price but instead about the ‘long term cost’ of the home. Let us explain.

Recently, we reported that a nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists projected that home values would appreciate by approximately 8% from now to the end of 2015.

Additionally, Freddie Mac’s most recent Economic Commentary & Projections Table predicts that the 30 year fixed mortgage rate will be 5.7% by the end of next year.

What Does This Mean to a Buyer?

Here is a simple demonstration of what impact these projected changes would have on the mortgage payment of a home selling for approximately $250,000 today:

Predictions for 2014: Sales Will Surge

by The KCM Crew on January 6, 2014
 
Many housing pundits are calling for home sales to do slightly better in 2014 than they did in 2013. To the contrary, we strongly believe that home sales will skyrocket with increases of 10-15% in 2014. Here are the three categories of buyers we believe will create this strong demand.

The First Time Buyer

 

The Urban Land Institute recently released a report, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2014, projecting that 4.48 million new households will be formed over the next three years. Millennials will make up a large portion of these new households. With the economy improving, we believe they will finally be moving out of their parents’ homes and, when they compare renting versus buying, many will choose homeownership.

The Move-Up Buyer 

 

Over the last several years many homeowners were trapped in their home by negative equity. This prevented them from moving up to the home of their dreams. Zillow has just revealed that home equity increased by $1.9 trillion dollars in 2013 an increase of 7.9% in the last twelve months. With home values rising, this pent-up demand will finally be released and move-up properties will be in high demand.

The Immigrant Buyer

 

No one knows what will happen with immigration reform. However, we do know what such reform would have on housing demand. A recent study released by the Immigration Task Force of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) found that immigration reform, if passed, would dramatically increase demand for housing units; increasing residential construction spending by an average of $68 billion per year over the next 20 years.

We realize that our projections are based on three situations that are still uncertain. However, we believe that these issues will come to fruition and thereby dramatically increase demand for homeownership.


It is up to the builders and real estate agents in each community to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Luxury Housing Market Beginning to Surge

The KCM Crew

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) in their last Existing Home Sales Report revealed that sales of homes over $1 million dollars in the country increased 44.1% over the same period last year. One of the reasons for this increase is that financing in the jumbo mortgage market is becoming more readily available.

In an article last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that sales of upper-end homes are increasing by a larger percentage than the rest of the housing market. They came to this conclusion by looking at mortgages in this sector. Here is the breakdown:

• Home sales using a jumbo mortgage* had year-over-year growth of 7.9% through September, compared with 2.7% for non-jumbo sales
• Homes sold in major metro areas with a loan of $1 million or more were up almost 28% through September compared with the same period last year. Similar sales with loans of less than $1 million rose 8.5%.

The luxury market is again emerging. It may be time to buy the home you have always dreamt about.

 

To receive up-to-date information on homes for sale in your area please visit www.distinctivehomes-ne.com and sign up to receive valuable real estate information.

If you are thinking of buying a home in Westport MA or in the surrounding towns visit us at www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com for a free list of homes for sale.

If you are thinking of selling your home contact me for a FREE Current Market Analysis and to learn about our Market Plan to get your home SOLD!

Noemi Cardoso

Local Office. Local Agents. Local Knowledge.

William Raveis Real Estate

911 Main Rd - Westport MA 02790

Cell: 508-558-1945

www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com

Noemi.Cardoso@raveis.com