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Be Careful - A Real Estate Agent Could Lead You Astray
The real estate agent is a valuable source of potential deals for you as an investor. They have access to the multiple listing resources and of course, have a monopoly on this information so they have to be part of your game plan as an investor. Working with real estate agents can be difficult depending on the agent. Some of the factors that you should take note of include the following:
One way of getting an agent to take you seriously is to offer a fast closing date. There are a few things that make an agent more excited than the thought of getting their commission within the next 14 days. If the agent has another offer presented to him/her they will usually advise the client to take the offer and close than accept an offer that is higher in price. One of the reasons is because it is better to have "a bird in the hand, rather than two in the bush". If you have an offer that needs to be explained in a fashion to the owner which brings out all its great benefits, then you may have to assist on presenting the offer in person or with the agent. If you present that type of offer to an agent, it may not even reach the owner and certainly will be given less priority than other offers. Agents in general do not like creative offers because they are more interested in conventional offers from solid buyers. Be suspicious of any agent who tells you what a great deal you are getting on a property. The fact is, if it is such a good deal, why he/she didn't buy it. Don't take their word as to value. Ask for a comparable sales printout to show what other properties in the area are selling for. If comparable sales information shows the same square meters as the house you are looking at, then take a drive by and see if it is correct. Don't leave the homework to your agent; make sure you do a little bit of your own assessment. Don't be afraid to speak openly with your agent if something is being done that is not to your advantage. Unfortunately there are some agents who are unethical, and work only to ensure that they get their commission. Sometimes they will refuse to present your offer to the owner when it is their obligation and duty to do so. Many times an agent will lie and tell you to your face that your offer has been rejected, when in fact, it was never presented. If you feel that this may be the case, don't be afraid to go over the agents head and see the owner of the agency. If you find a broker is uncooperative or not acting in your interests, then the best thing is to go to another agent. The new agent will approach the same owner on your behalf. Arrange to meet the agent and discuss fully what you are looking for. Do this before he/she takes you around to see some properties. Ask them to find a number of properties that will suit your requirements and make sure you are clear on exactly what you want so no time is wasted. The good agent will make an appointment for you to inspect properties very quickly so they can get a feel for what you are looking for. They will take you to all the properties and they will rearrange their times to suit your timetable. It is a good idea to take someone that you trust with you when you are looking at properties so you can get another opinion. Indicate to the agent that you are serious about your search and that if the right property is found, you would definitely be interested in proceeding. It is a good idea to take your check book with you so that the agent can see that you are serious about finding the right property. Sometimes buying a property from a typical agent can be difficult. Many of them will tell you not to call them by to check the properties from the advertisements that they place. These are the agents that would rather place an advertisement than call the right buyer so it might be wise to use other agents. Note: The above points do not apply to all agents. We are talking about the disreputable minority out there. Most agents care about their work and they labor to represent their client efficiently and professionally. Those are the ones to look for.
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MORE RESOURCES: There is something emotionally charged about the buying and selling of New York high-end real estate. How else to explain the juggernaut of reality TV shows about high-end brokers? After 30 years of marriage, Sharon and Michael Newman decided it was finally time to move from the Catskills to New York City. On blocks near Kissena Park streets are quiet, houses are small, and the electricity that charges the atmosphere in downtown Flushing is nowhere to be found. A five-story, seven-bedroom house in Brooklyn Heights has sweeping views of New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline. Demand is so intense that there are waiting lists in some buildings, and a few landlords report that eager renters are even bidding up rents. Sales at the very high end of the market barely missed a beat in the recession. But that prosperity hasn’t yet trickled down. More borrowers are opting for fixed-rate loans with terms other than the standard 30 or 15 years, especially when it comes to refinancings. Insurance coverage for a co-op unit; when a tenant is ‘blacklisted’; a co-op is smaller than estimated. A shaky real estate market means more sellers are providing buyer concessions, from gift cards to help with paying property taxes. Nearly two million Americans could benefit from mortgage relief from the nation’s biggest banks, as part of a broad government settlement to be announced on Thursday. A cold war-era satellite relay station is for sale in California after a Silicon Valley mogul gave up on plans to turn it into a weekend home. Court hearings meant to protect New York homeowners from foreclosure are hopelessly slowed by endless paperwork and requests for additional information. The Bay Area and Silicon Valley expect the windfall from the Facebook stock offering to make their in-demand region even hotter. Trinity Church is the largest landlord in Hudson Square and is part of the effort to rezone the area to residential from manufacturing. Rising oil prices and a boom in shale exploration are leading companies to add office space in the Houston area, most notably Exxon Mobil. Ms. de França is the president and chief executive of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, which focuses on new residential developments. Meet the real estate broker’s interns: an ambitious group willing to do anything, earn nothing and wake up early on a Sunday to fluff the couch cushions at open houses. Plants that light up the winter garden can be found at Broken Arrow Nursery in Connecticut, which has long been a favorite of gardening geeks. A sister in need drew the painter Beverly McIver back home to North Carolina, unaware that a new beginning was in store for both of them. Timothy Sakamoto and Jochen Repolust are part of the small but growing niche making mobile apps focused on specific works of architecture. To promote an auction of 20th- and 21st-century design, the interior designer Stephen Sills has created a preview exhibition in an apartment at the Apthorp. Fishs Eddy now sells plates acquired from the archives of the now-defunct Syracuse China Corporation, many more than 100 years old. The designer Russell Greenberg creates custom baby rattles with ends shaped like profiles of mom and dad. |
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