Real Estate

5 Places You Forgot Potential Buyers Will Check

By Guest Blogger
October 15, 2015
This was originally published on the official blog of Century 21® on October 14, 2015 *

An open house is a crucial component of the home sale process. Start with these tips for staging an open house, but don’t stop there. Potential buyers are likely to inspect all areas of the house. Yes, even your “junk drawer” and closets. Here’s a list of five often forgotten places that potential homeowners may check.

The sides of your house

When you spruce up your front yard and backyard, pay attention the sides of your home as well. Potential buyers will likely look at the exterior of your house from all angles. One unkempt side may turn them off from the rest of the home. Make sure the paint and landscaping is in good condition from all angles.

Inside your closets

Don’t stuff everything in your closets and hope no one will open them. Even if the potential buyers aren’t fashionistas, they may still care about closet space. Show it off by organizing it. You wouldn’t want a potential buyer to open a closet just to find a hodgepodge of the belongings you stashed there.

Under your bed

Removing the bulk of storage from your closets is a great way to make closet space appear bigger, but that doesn’t mean your stuff should be shoved under the bed. Not only is it an eyesore, but the potential homebuyer might also see it as a sign that there is not enough storage space. Your best bet is to invest in temporary external storage space so that your open house has all the space it needs.

Inside the shower

Chances are no one wants a small, cramped bathroom. Create storage solutions that may make your space appear bigger and brighter to buyers. For example, stash toiletries and cleaning supplies in a separate closet, a dresser, or under the sink.

Your drawers and cabinets

Potential buyers will probably open drawers and cabinets. Spend time getting inspired by these home organizers. Think about all of the details like your spice rack, whether your dishes match, and finally taming your “junk drawer.” In need of more inspiration? Our Pins may help!

Go the extra mile, and don’t get caught off guard. You wouldn’t want to scream a slow motion “nooooo” as a potential buyer innocently reaches to open a closet.

*Article reprinted with permission of Century 21 Real Estate LLC.

Dealing With Multiple Offers

By Jim Stearman, Attorney at Law
August 27, 2015

In a hot real estate market, it is not uncommon for multiple offers to flood into the listing agent’s inbox. Effectively dealing with multiple offers is the sign of a good agent who is looking out for the best interests of his or her sellers. When you receive multiple offers, it is wise to get your manager involved. If a mistake is made, your clients may be put in the position of selling their house twice so you should take the extra step of protecting you and your clients before they start making phone calls to you to find out what went wrong.

By making a counter offer to all offers received, accusations of discrimination or unfairness can be avoided. The sellers, of course, have the option of accepting one of the offers or negotiating with only one or two of the buyers but, in most cases, issuing a counter offer to all prospective purchasers will usually result in a better price for the sellers.

To avoid selling the house twice, it is recommended that you use C.A.R. Form SMCO, Seller Multiple Counter Offer, when counter offers are going to be made to multiple offers. This form contains the necessary language to protect the sellers by informing the buyer that sellers are making multiple counter offers to other prospective buyers and that certain conditions must be met by the buyers for the counter offer to be deemed accepted. Many agents feel that you should not counter back on price but, instead, should ask all buyers to bring back their “best offer”. At that point, the sellers would hopefully be in a position to accept at least one of the multiple counteroffers. You can always negotiate upon terms other than price but you may lose buyers if your sellers counter with another price in response to the buyer’s “best offer” price.

When you’re representing the sellers of a home that will likely receive multiple offers, you can really help them out by getting them ready to make a good decision. Some of the things that could help them would be a review of their financial situation and to find out what is important to them. It could be that your clients would rather receive a lower offer with no contingencies that will close quicker than a higher priced offer that won’t close for several months. Just remember to tell your clients that you are there to guide them through the process and to help them get the result that is best for them but that they are the ones that will ultimately make the decision on which offer is best for their needs.

DISCLAIMER: This article has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information in this article is not legal advice. Since legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation, please contact an attorney for a consultation on your matter if you have any questions.

About the author: Jim Stearman is an attorney in North Orange County, California with over 35 years of experience. His areas of expertise include real estate transactions, general civil law disputes, business and commercial transactions, partnership law, corporate law and enforcement of judgments and collections. For more information about Mr. Stearman please visit his website www.jamesstearmanlaw.com.

Mobile Apps for Real Estate Agents

By Stephanie Goedl
July 30, 2015

Mobile Apps….what would we do without ‘em? As REALTORS® we have a multitude of apps to help us in our business. Here are some of my favorites that I recommend to the agents in our office:

Open Home Pro
This app that you download to your tablet device allows you to capture contact info of the visitors that come into your Open House. After you upload photos of the home into the app it provides a slide show of the property for your open house visitors to view. It also has a feature that allows you to automatically send a thank you email to that lead after they leave the Open House. I suggest you place the tablet with slide show running on the counter or dining table near the entrance so visitors can sign in.

Videolicious
This app allows you to create and edit videos on your iPhone or iPad. You can email the video directly from the app or publish to Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. With this user-friendly app you can create agent profile videos, client testimonial videos and property or community videos. They have an amazing customer support team that responds quickly to email questions. It’s a great way to connect with your clients via video.

Dropbox
This service allows you to take your documents, files, photos & videos anywhere and share them easily with other people. This service is available as a desktop and a mobile app so you can access it anywhere. The nice part about this app is that it lets you share files that would be too large to email. Dropbox offers 2 GB for free. You can purchase more storage space if needed. This is a must for professionals on the go.

Typic
This app allows you to add filters, effects and text to photos. My favorite feature is the ability to add your logo to the photo for a small upgrade fee. This is great if you are using photos across multiple social media platforms. Your photos will have your logo embedded on them and will look like they were professionally done.

Below is a short video with an overview of 4 additional apps that will help you in your business.

About the author: Stephanie Goedl is the Chief Operating Officer of CENTURY 21 Discovery. For more information about CENTURY 21 Discovery you may call (714) 626-2000.

Homeowners Insurance Purchasing Tips

By Stephanie Goedl
July 21, 2015

I recently had the opportunity to interview Michael Williams of Williams Insurance Brokers as part of our Community Conversations Series. He offered some great insight and tips on what to consider when purchasing Homeowners Insurance. Watch the full interview below. Remember, when purchasing Homeowners Insurance always consult your professional insurance agent when you begin the home buying process.

About the author: Stephanie Goedl is the Chief Operating Officer of CENTURY 21 Discovery. For more information about CENTURY 21 Discovery you may call (714) 626-2000.

The #1 Threat to Real Estate Industry

By Joe Lins
June 29, 2015

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently released the D.A.N.G.E.R. Report which stands for Definitive Analysis of Negative Game Changers in Real Estate. You can download a copy of the report HERE. NAR commissioned Swanepoel | T3 Group, an outside management consulting firm, to conduct an analysis of the threats, opportunities and trends in the real estate industry.

While there were many threats to the industry and our profession from outside the industry, there was one huge threat mentioned in the 160+ page report that comes from within the industry. According to the DANGER Report, the #1 threat to real estate professionals and the industry as a whole are other agents who are unqualified and/or incompetent. The Report says, “The real estate industry is saddled with a large number of part-time, untrained, unethical, and/or incompetent agents. This knowledge gap threatens the credibility of the industry.”

The Report cites the low state requirements to become a licensed real estate agent. The national average to get a license requires a measly 70 hours of training. Having the bar set so low to enter the profession or even remain in this profession is a recipe for trouble. Agents are allowed into the business with a very basic knowledge. That’s okay, you have to start somewhere. The problem is the brokers who hire these agents without providing any additional training or oversight and just letting them loose on the streets.

I see it firsthand every day. In California we have many forms and requirements that are constantly changing. What happens when the broker does not provide the ongoing supervision or training or insist the agent get it from through their local association? I can tell you from experience with agents from other firms, at times it isn’t pretty.

We recently had a new Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA) roll out in California. Our Executive Leadership team knew it was coming and prepared our agents over the course of several months by providing training on the new RPA. About a week after it went into effect, I got a phone call from one of our agents who was in a transaction with an agent from another firm. That agent knew nothing about the new RPA and didn’t know how to complete it. Our agent asked if we would be willing to train the other agent on the new RPA. I said “Absolutely!” A well-trained agent is good for everyone involved including the industry.

I’m not looking forward to the roll out of the new TRID requirements later this year. Not because it’s a new requirement. We’ve been talking to our agents about this for weeks and they will be receiving training so they are ready for the change. I’m dreading it because I know that most agents on the other side of the transaction will not have a clue. When that happens the person who will be the most vulnerable and frustrated will be the client. Their dissatisfaction is a negative impact on our profession and industry.

Yes, the training to become a license real estate agent is minimal. That is why it’s up to each broker and real estate association to have higher requirements to be affiliated with them. Every market and state is different but there needs to be a consensus from the leaders in this industry to raise the bar and hold the Brokers who don’t, accountable.

For those of us who believe this is a true profession and one that we consciously chose, this should be a no-brainer.

About the author: Joe Lins is President and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team contact Joe at 714.626.2069.

Understanding Your FICO Score

By Courtney Lynch of New American Funding*
April 15, 2015
Originally published on March 24, 2015

Many of your financial investments depend greatly on one small three-digit number. Your FICO score dictates what kind of loans you receive and ultimately the purchase you can handle. It is important to be cognizant of your FICO score and know whether you need to make improvements to your credit.

What is a FICO score?
The National Association of Realtors noted that aFICO score determines your creditworthiness and it ranges between 300 and 850. Lenders consider borrowers with lower scores to be at a higher risk and those with higher scores to be at a lower risk. NerdWallet noted that your interest will correlate with your FICO score. Keeping your credit score low will save you money in the long run.

To determine how your credit score compares, speak with your financial adviser and know what is considered to be a good or bad score. Experian, a credit information service company, released its fifth annual credit study and 2014 showed the national average credit score increased two points from 664.

How is a credit score calculated?
The scoring model used by most lenders to determine your creditworthiness was developed by the Fair Isaac Corporation. There are a number of types of credit scores, but NAR reported most lenders prefer referencing FICO scores before providing a loan.

According to MyFICO, the scoring model uses five different categories to calculate a score. These include:

Types of credit used
New credit
Length of credit history
Amounts owed
Payment history

The types of credit used only accounts for 10 percent of how your FICO score is calculated while payment history makes a much larger and profound impact at 35 percent. Knowing which elements have the most profound effect on your score is important – especially when you want to improve your creditworthiness.

MyFICO also noted that your scores are not contingent upon your age, salary, current interest rates or whether you are enrolled in credit counseling.

Where is your score relevant?
When submitting a loan application, your credit score is always at the forefront of a lender’s mind. Given that creditworthiness determines how likely you are to pay back your loans, a good score is incredibly important when applying for a loan of any sort. Whether you are trying to obtain an auto or home loan, your FICO score can make or break you.

Freddie Mac reported that your credit is one of the most important and necessary elements of applying for a home mortgage.

What other factors may lead to a rejected loan application?
Opening multiple lines of credit and cosigning history are two additional elements lenders could potentially view as red flags, according to Bankrate.

Signing up for multiple credit cards in a short amount of time could alarm some lenders.

“That would raise some questions,” said Norm Magnuson, the vice president of public affairs for the Consumer Data Industry Association. “It could be an indicator of something that’s going on. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of any consumer to go out there and be a collector of credit lines.”

Cosigning is an additional factor that could impact whether you are approved for a loan. While you may not have to pay money when you help someone become approved for a loan, you may pay in other ways. When you cosign, you are also taking on that individual’s line of credit. If he or she does not have a good credit score, that can now be associated with your own creditworthiness.

In addition, if the individual you cosigned for decided not to make payments or turned them in late, these behaviors would count against you.

*Article reprinted with permission from New American Funding. Licensed by the California Department of Business Oversight under the Residential Mortgage Lending Act – License #4131117 Broker Solutions Inc. dba New American Funding (NMLS #6606) Corporate Office is located at 14511 Myford Road, Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. 800.450.2010

For more information about loan options contact
Chris Smith NMLS# 253394 at Chris.Smith@nafinc.com
Bill FitzMaurice NMLS# 290216 Bill.Fitzmaurice@nafinc.com

Why should real estate agents attend sales meetings?

By Joe Lins

September 3, 2014

During my 37 years in real estate I have heard every excuse in the book from agents on why they don’t need to attend a sales meeting. Well, here are some reasons why you SHOULD. You are either in the business of selling real estate or you’re not. Professional REALTORS® are engaged in all activities that surround the business. One of those activities is attending your firm’s sales meetings.

Attendance at sales meetings establishes:

The culture of the real estate office

Every real estate office has a unique culture and vibe. One of the best ways to see if a particular firm is the right fit for an agent is to attend a sales meeting. This allows you to see the interactions between the agents as well as management and staff.

A consistent message to the public regarding the business of real estate

The message you are delivering to your client may not be consistent with your firm’s vision or even relevant to what is really happening in the market. A sales meeting should provide you with reliable information that aligns with the reality of the industry.

A forum for cooperation promoting clients needs and interests

Sales meetings allow the agents to interact and share the needs of their clients. Here’s an example: You have a Buyer looking for a 3 Bed, 2 Bath home in a particular area. One of your co-workers may know of a perfect home that’s getting ready to go on the market. If you had never shared that information at a sales meeting, that listing might have been sold before you were even aware of it.

A format to communicate the latest trends in the industry

Sales meetings should have some sort of educational component. There are so many changes in the real estate industry that it’s hard to keep up. Your broker should be providing consistent updates on the latest trends, tools and requirements within the industry.

You owe it to yourself as a professional and to your clients to remain on the cutting edge of the real estate industry. The easiest way to do this is to attend your company sales meetings. Plus, they usually have some pretty good donuts and coffee as well!

About the author: Joe Lins is President and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team contact Joe at 714.626.2069.