The bottom line to selling your property/home is - the maximum exposure in the advertising market in addition to correct pricing yields the best and highest price possible for your property.  This means you need to pay attention when choosing your REALTOR to who has the best marketing plan and who is the most thorough when providing a Comparative Market Analysis for you. 

Look around and see who is doing the most business and who is the busiest REALTOR in the area.  The two best ways to investigate this is by paying attention to the number of yard signs you see and the amount of advertising on the internet.  The best website to go to and look at the advertising is www.Realtor.com.   Realtor.com is the number one real estate website and generates up to 40 times more traffic than other real estate websites.  Visit this website and see who has Featured Home Listings, who has Enhanced and Show Cased listings and who has up to 25 pictures on each listing. 

Also, check out the individual company’s website.  Who has the best website?  Check out our website - www.EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com.  It was used by a national lending institution in a seminar as an example of one of the best real estate websites on the internet today!

1.  The REALTOR that you are considering, how many listings do they have and how much volume have they sold during the current year?  How does this compare to other REALTORS in the area?

2.  Does the REALTOR you are considering work full-time?  Have they earned any designations since they obtained their real estate license?

3. What is the marketing plan your potential REALTOR has to help you sell your home faster? The best real estate agents will have a marketing plan that will cover the main information sources used in home searches:

• Internet - 87%
• Real Estate agent - 85%
• Yard Sign - 62%
• Open House - 48%
• Newspaper ad - 47%
• Home book or magazine - 30%

4. Ask for a written commitment of the services the REALTOR will provide for you during the marketing and during the closing process of your property.

5. Ask for the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the last three (five) Sellers you have represented? Call these people and ask the following questions:

• Was the REALTOR available to you in a timely manner when you needed to get a hold of them?
• Was the final selling price of your home close to the original price the REALTOR suggested that you list at?
• Did the REALTOR live up to their marketing plan?
• Did you feel that this REALTOR was a strong negotiator?
• Did your REALTOR listen to your concerns and do their best to address them?
• Would you recommend this person to your friends?

6. Does the REALTOR offer to do a Comparative Market Analysis before suggesting a List Price?

7. Does the REALTOR know the current rate of absorption?

8. How does the REALTOR handle negotiating commissions?

9. Does the REALTOR’S company have a large market share?

10. Does the REALTOR’S company have a plan for helping you to avoid litigation?

Now that you have decided to sell your home and are ready to emotionally detach from it and de-personalize it, it is time to get started and prepare your home to sell.  Before you even think about contacting a REALTOR, you need to go over the checklist “What You Should Do to Prepare Your Home to Sell.”  The more of these things you will do on this list, the more you will maximize the price you will be able to sell your home for as well as minimize the length of time it will be on the market.  Take a look at the list and get to work checking the items off.  Go over this list before you call a REALTOR or an Accredited Home-Staging person.

So you have decided to sell your home.  The key word here is “decided.”  Before you put your home on the market, make sure you have really decided you are ready to sell.  If you have not made this decision emotionally, you will set yourself up to lose money on one of your biggest investments in life.  Staying emotionally attached to your house means you will more than likely not prepare your home to sell, you will not de-personalize the transaction and you will tend to over price your house.  In the long run this will cause you to lose money.  Know that you are ready to detach and let go of the emotional tie to your house.  You will then be in a position to start researching your REALTOR and be ready to listen to the advice of the expert.  How will you know when you have detached and are emotionally ready to sell?  You will know this when you are okay with de-personalizing your house in preparation to sell.  You will also know you are ready when you are willing to find out what a Comparable Market Analysis says the fair market value is of your home and you are willing to list it within 5% of the value.  Then, you know you are ready to sell.

Happy New Year everyone!  It is 2010 and I believe it is going to be a good year in the real estate world.  I have made my New Year’s resolutions and one of them is to write real estate tips for you.  This is the first week of January and my first tip is for real estate buyers. 

TIP #1:  STOP!  Stop - do not pick up your phone and call a real estate person you don’t know just because they have a particular property listed for sale.  Just because you drive by a sign or see a name on a property - do not assume you have to call this person to see the property. If you are serious about buying a home, FIRST shop for your REALTOR.  Not all REALTORS are the same.  Do you know what MLS means?  MLS stands for “Multiple Listing Service.” The MLS is a means by which real estate agents are informed of the properties offered for sale by other agents.  It is also a current and comprehensive listing system for relaying property information to REALTORS. This service offers the widest exposure to properties listed for sale.  REALTORS pool their information on properties and then share their fees/commissions.  The first thing to do once you know you want to buy a piece of real estate is to shop for your REALTOR.  Once you find the REALTOR you are comfortable with and who you believe will work for your best interests, then start looking for properties.  Most REALTORS are members of MLS programs.  Therefore, pick your REALTOR first.  Then s/he will help you research for the best property.  Don’t make the most common mistake in real estate of calling the first name you see off of a real estate sign and then feel stuck with this agent regardless of their skill level.  Worse yet, don’t call five different REALTORS to show you five different properties.  REALTORS know who is bouncing around from REALTOR to REALTOR and their trust level will soon be as low as your initial trust level of REALTORS.  (52 Weeks of Tips will be posted to the Eufaula Lakeshore Reatly website. If you miss one week you will be able to find the tip under the buyer and seller section of our website.)

I hope everyone had a very special Christmas this year.  I was in Dallas and had a white Christmas!  With Christmas over and as we begin to wind down 2009, there is still time to take advantage of the tax credits for first time home buyers and for those of you who have owned a home for 5 years.  We, at Eufaula Lakeshore Realty, will be open Monday, December 28 - December 30th and will be glad to show you property.  Just give us a call at 918-452-3184.  Need help finding out about property on the Multiple Listing Service?  We can help you with that, too.  We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon.

During the Holiday Season our thoughts turn to those who make our business possible. A sincere thank you for trusting us with your real estate needs.  May the joys of Christmas fill your home with many happy memories. 

We bring you smiles and laughter with our Christmas song.  We hope you enjoy. (click on the picture to the left)

Merry Christmas from all of us at Eufaula Lakeshore Realty:

Karen Weldin, Broker/Owner, MA, GRI, ABR, e-Pro, AHWD

Susanne Bain, REALTOR/Owner

Stephanie Fine, REALTOR, ABR

Priscilla Bradley, Broker-Associate

Donna McRee, Accredited Home-Staging Specialist

For those of you who like to look at statistics - here is a glimpse of the housing market in Southeastern Oklahoma comparing 1st and 2nd Qtr data of 2009 with the past several years.  I think you will find it interesting.  Take a look:  southeasternok.pdf  While the number of houses sold is down 13% and the average price is down 3.2% all in all I believe Southeastern Oklahoma has done well considering the state of the overall economy.  So, if you are looking for a “steal” in real estate in Southeastern, Oklahoma you might have to look elsewhere.  Real estate remains a great investment here!

I was on an appointment today meeting with a buyer and going over inspections at the house he has made an offer on.  When the inspector was through and gave his report to the buyer, the buyer started asking questions about how long certain systems and appliances should last.  When looking to buy or sell a home it is important to think about the life span expectancy of home systems and appliances.  This will greatly affect the listing or purchase price.  It should also make a big difference whether or not a seller or buyer purchases a home warranty on the property.    Below is a summary of life expectancies of certain systems and appliances.  Check it out and take the list with you when you are looking to purchase a home.  This might also make a difference to you about wanting a home warranty on the home you are about to sell or purchase.According to the National Association of Builders the life span of home systems and appliances is as follows:

Item                               Life Expectancy

Central A/C                                 15+

Window A/C                          10

A/C Compressor                     15

Electric Water Heater             14

Gas Water Heater                  11-13

Forced Air Furnace                15

Gas or Oil Furnace                 18

Trash Compactor                   10

Dishwasher                           10

Exhaust Fan                          20

Dryer                                   14

Disposal                               10

Freezer                                16

Microwave                            11

Electric Range                       17

Gas Range                            19

Gas Oven                             14

Refrigerator                          17

Clothes Washer                     13

One question many buyers ask me as we look for real estate at Lake Eufaula is “What are the taxes on the property?”  People need to know the answer to this question in order to budget monthly and/or annually for things like taxes and insurance.  For some people the difference of $50 to $100 a month can be a big deal.  Many people ask what the taxes are and real estate agents answer with the current tax assessor’s information.  This usually is very deceiving and just plain inaccurate.  If the property in question has not been assessed lately, or the current owner’s taxes have been frozen, then the amount shared with the buyer can be way off.  Every area has a different tax levy and formula used to figure taxes.  This formula can be obtained from the County Assessor’s office.  I have a chart of the communities around the lake with each of their individual tax levies and the formula to figure the taxes on the listed price or the contract price.  It is important to me to provide this information to my clients so they can know and plan their expenses.  If a real estate agent does not know the formula or is unable to perform the math, they should call the County Assessor’s office and find out for their customer what the anticipated taxes will be.  The buyer will be grateful.  If you need to find out what your taxes are on a piece of property you are looking at - just contact me, I will figure them for you.  Karen@EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com or 918-605-7405