Pricing Your Home Off The Market

Hi Folks,
   I hope you've had a great week, thus far.

   If you've seen the Real Estate news from this week, we had some incredible news, with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) stating that "Pending home sales rose in July to the highest level in over two years and remain well above year-ago levels" (Up almost 2.5% from June 2012 to July 2012 and almost 2.5% from July 2011 to July 2012). With this fantastic news, we also heard from the Standard and Poors/Case-Shiller folks that Home prices are on the rise, showing, "positive annual growth rates for the first time since the summer of 2010", and also, this is the second consecutive month where "all 20 cities and both Composites recorded positive monthly gains."

   So if you're selling a home, where do you even begin to price it? Emotions usually dictate the offer price that a seller will choose, as opposed to solid, fact-based reasoning. HomeGain.com ran a survey earlier this year that uncovered the following: "76 percent of homeowners believe their home is worth more than the list price recommended by their real estate agent."

   "Homebuyers usually have a better grasp of current market value in the area where they're looking to buy than do sellers who own and live there", says Dian Hymer, a veteran real estate broker, author, and a nationally syndicated real estate columnist, in a recent story on the Inman News website. Hymer says that "Buyers look at a lot of new listings. They make offers, know what sells quickly and for how much, and what doesn't and why." HomeGain reported that "homebuyers still think sellers are overpricing their homes."

   Hymer says that if a home lacks features from recent sales comparables ("comps"), "it's time to subtract value". She reminds us that a home is worth "what a buyer will pay for it given current market conditions", which may conflict with your opinion on price or what you are hoping for. With a spot-on comment on this dance, Hymer says that "Relying on emotion rather than logic when selecting a list price can lead to disappointing results."

   As for timing, Hymer says that it's the "prime opportunity for selling a home" when it first hits the market, as there are buyers who wait for these new listings, and as she writes, these listings "receive the most showings and have the busiest open houses during the first couple of weeks they are on the market". With that rule in mind, that is the time to show off your home at an attractive list price, and she aptly says, "Listings that sell today are priced right for the market". Very simply, Buyers want to feel they are getting a good deal, and will not overpay in a market that is still dropping or struggling, and Hymer says that in areas of strong sales, "buyers may shy away from multiple-offer situations if they feel the recovery is fragile and that prices may slide further before stabilizing", thus, effectively, it seems they would step away from engaging in a bidding war.

   As most of you are aware, real estate agents and appraisers use "Comps", or sales of similar homes in your area, to help establish a price range for offering/selling your home. Hymer says that if your home does not have a feature of a specific Comp (i.e. a remodeled kitchen), value is subtracted from the value of your home, and if your home has a feature that a specific Comp does not have (i.e. an easily accessible, level backyard), value is added to your potential sales price.

   With that being said, we're all human, and emotions play a factor.

   As Hymer says, "It's difficult for sellers to step back and take an attitude of detached interest in their home", and adds that it's "essential to do so if you want to sell successfully in this market.". She suggests selecting a "list price that undercuts the competition to drive buyers" (and offers?), to your home. She also says that if Comps show prices moving up, you can take a "more aggressive stance on pricing". "But don't list too high", cautions Hymer, who says that it's better to "stay in the range shown by the comparables and expose the house to the market before accepting offers", since the market will drive up the price if it's warranted.

   As a final note, Hymer cautions us not to rely on rumors about home sale prices that circulate in the neighborhood, as they tend to get inflated when "passed from one person to another", and suggests that you, "Select your list price based on hard facts."

   What are your thoughts on this? Have you sold a home before? Have you overpriced it? Did you underprice it? We'd love to hear about your experience, good or bad.

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Happy Birthday to my son, who turned 6 today !

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #HomeSales #HomePrices #RealEstate #homebuyer #homeowner #salescomparables #Comps #Appraiser #NationalAssociationofRealtors #NAR

Licenses Revoked At Record-Levels Industry-Wide

Hi Folks,
   With the Real Estate market starting to bloom again in many parts of the country, this is a much-anticipated time for many folks in our industry to shake off the pain of the past few years, put our chins up, and keep the market chugging.

   For those of us who have worked within the guidelines that are mandated by all-levels of the Government, as well as the State Real Estate departments, we will start to reap the joys of an up market. However, the actions of some folks who walked outside those lines, are now showing up in license revocations in multiple sectors of the Real Estate industry.

   "The California Department of Real Estate said it revoked a record number of real estate licenses in the recently completed fiscal year", states a recent article from Mark Glover on the SacBee.com website. The figures from fiscal 2011-12 showed a jump of 14% in revocations, along with a record number of "license surrenders from licensees facing disciplinary action", and these figures jumped to 1109 suspensions from 553 suspensions about 5 years back (Just about the time things took a bleak turn in the market). Indeed, as Glover writes, the California Department of Real Estate attributed the "collapse of the real estate market" as a contributor to the jump in revocations and suspensions.

   These actions are not confined solely to Real Estate Agents.

   A Real Estate Appraiser in Maine just recently had his appraisal license revoked, per an article on the website, BangorDailyNews.com. As a matter of fact, the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation issued a press release regarding this particular case, in which they stated that the Board "has received indications" that this individual may be "continuing to conduct appraisal work, and may also be committing the same violations of Maine law that led to the revocation.” These violations came to light after complaints that the appraiser had a pattern of "taking money from property owners but failing to provide a promised appraisal or submitting an incomplete appraisal months late", per the article.

   Another such revocation involved an Auctioneer in Evansville, who was accused of, "colluding with two people to bid up the price of a house, even though neither of the two had any intention of buying the property", per a recent article by Jim Leute on the website, GazettExtra.com. The violation stems from a real estate auction in 2008 when the auctioneer allegedly asked relatives of the sellers to bid on the house. One relative opened the bidding, and the other bid several times, according to the state order against the auctioneer. In this case, the State agency said that he (The Auctioneer), "knowingly escalated or attempted to escalate bidding through collusion with another".

   So, the market is turning around, but as always, keep your head in the game.

   As the California Department of Real Estate stated in the article by Glover, "the large number of financially stressed homeowners set the table for scammers involved in foreclosure rescue and short-sale scams". Bill Moran, DRE enforcement chief and acting chief deputy real estate commissioner, said that "Consumer education is the key piece to really protecting consumers". Similarly, in the Maine case, the Board Administrator "encouraged property owners to report any appraisal dealings they have had" with the Appraiser in question.

   Be Vigilant!

   What can you suggest to make sure folks don't become victims to scams, theft, collusion, and other crimes?

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #RealEstatemarket #California #departmentofrealestate #license #revocations #suspensions #agents #appraiser #Maine #propertyowner #auctioneer #collusion #bid #foreclosurerescue #shortsale #scam

The Appraisal Industry In The Post-Housing Meltdown Period

Good Morning,
   Glad you can make it with us on this Friday, and I hope your week has been outstanding.

   In the tumult of the Housing Crisis (or "meltdown", if you prefer to call it that), the Government has taken a stern look at all of the moving pieces of the Real Estate and Banking industry(ies). One vital piece included in this is the Appraisal Sector.

   "Appraisal companies must do more for less in today's market. In today's market they must be highly competitive and with foreclosures distorting comps, they are both rushed and pressured to bring in business.", says Robert Shemin, a NY Times Best Selling Real Estate Author-Expert. Shemin says that for example, "you'll find one block in a neighborhood where 3 home-buyers have paid $200, then 2 foreclosures happen at $110, and its a difficult business"

   Another professional, James Manning, says that "The banks & ABCs still control the appraiser by means of Appraisal Management Companies who distribute the appraisal orders and take a huge slice of the fee." He says that, "If you don't play ball, you are off the roster. I don't see how the industry can survive."

   Despite the market upheaval, Melinda Crump with Sageworks, Inc, has pointed to some private sector data for industries related to real estate, and said that, "sales in a number of industries trended downward alongside the housing market as expected. Sales, though, have increased now for the appraisers".

   Are you an Appraiser? How have recent changes and trends effected your business?

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

Crazy Hazy Appraisal Madness

Hi Folks,
   Hope your week is coming along great, so far.

   Well, considering the fact that we put a man on the moon and that we have found cures to a vast amount of the illnesses that have plagued mankind, you would think we would have this appraisal thing licked by now, right? Well, not exactly !

   To bolster this argument, this morning, I read a story on Yahoo Finance about a couple that were looking to purchase a specific home, and who shelled out $1600 for 7 appraisals, each of which was different than the other...and some of them by substantial amounts. Ultimately, due to this fiasco, the couple wound up renting the home that they actually wanted to purchase, but could not due to the scattered and lower appraisal(s).

   Since a majority of the trades on the stock exchange are done via computer, isn't there a way to have a universally-accepted appraisal program that spits out a figure? Perhaps there can be 3 programs (as with credit scores/FICO), with a Low, Middle, and a High. In that case, lenders can choose to accept the middle price, an average, or some other computation. I realize that my Appraiser friends are turning bright red with anger, but it should be a system that is created, organized, and computed by Appraisers, and they would still need to go on-site to verify all features of the property.

   Please don't yell at me for this one...but I am a stickler for automating procedures to minimize variation and errors. What are your thoughts on this proposal?

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com


Tags: #appraiser #appraisal #finance

Top 5 Things NOT TO DO When Selling a Home

Hi Everyone,


Hope you're having a great week thus far.

Quite often, we hear from people who have had their home on the market for 6+ months, and true, the market is bad, but when they send over the photos for their Ad, it sometimes can raise some Red Flags.

So, our lesson for today is, "Ask before doing !".

Before you paint a wall, do infrastructure, or anything else to a home that you are selling, ask an agent, an appraiser or someone who can give you advice.

This list of the Top 5 things NOT to do when selling a home falls into two categories, which are "Bad Decisions" and "Inept Craftsmanship", and the following items will criss-cross both of these categories:

1. Do Not Paint your walls Red, Green, or some other flamboyant Color. A fresh coat of white paint will freshen up the walls and give off that nice new paint smell.

2. Do Not Put up wallpaper or paneling, unless you are filming a Brady Bunch Sequel.

3. Do Not paint over wallpaper. Remove it first using one of the many products that are out there, but do it professionally or you will wind up with lumpy walls.

4. Do Not undertake any infrastructure jobs that you cannot complete. Once you open a wall to do wiring, it needs to be Spackled, and once again, you need to avoid "lumpy wall"

5. Do Not invite "Huge-bush-asaurus", in other words, do not plant trees and shrubs that block the front of your home and windows. People are leaning towards the more well-manicured look of homes/landscaping, so don't hide behind a tree!

If you follow these tips, you should be steps ahead of the game. If you have followed these rules and you still are sitting and waiting for a sale, re-examine your pricing, and don't rule out a creative idea to sell your home, such as Rent to Own.

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !