January 2013

Is it really worth it, to let strangers tromp through and have your agent sit there for 3 hours reading a book and hoping someone comes? If an agent merely plops up a sign or two and sits there with a book - you're right, it's best to stay home and relax. Here are some ways my team at Urban Properties has successful open houses that not only result in traffic but a better chance to find a buyer.

Neighborhood Blitz! Our team personally delivers fliers to 75-100 homes in the neighorhood to let people know ahead of time. We also use massive online resources to announce the date and time. When we meet your neighbors, going door to door and at the open house, we encourage them to think of anyone they know who wants to move to the neighborhood. It's

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People have a hard time believing that their lender can cost them their home purchase. It's easy to assume that a lender just provides the documents for financing - as if that is cut and dry. Not so. To help you see what I mean, here are some live examples from my experience. My hope is that clients will consider our advice on which lenders are best to work with.

My client's short sale failed because of the buyer's lender. Why? The buyer's lender could not close on time and when pressed for an explanation, proved that they had issued an approval letter for that buyer when in fact the buyer's credit was sub-par from the start. The seller's bank (who had to approve the short sale) denied the sale based upon buyer's failure of financing, although by the time

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Selling rented properties, I've found, has some interesting challenges. The sellers greatest concern is losing a tenant once the tenant finds out the home is going on the market. It's a great inconvenciece to most of them to have buyers tromping through the house, no matter how much notice the tenant has been given. (And by the way, 24 hrs notice is the rule but some tenants are flexible.) Here are just a few of the options I review with my sellers: Don't tell the tenant the home is for sale - but check your City codes first! This won't fly in Seattle. But if possible, in this case the buyers won't go through the house and have to make an offer sight unseen. No need to upset a tenant if you're not even sure the place will sell. Then, depending on the

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When is a home sold? Is it when you see a SOLD flier on the yard sign? No. How about after you get an offer signed? Not yet. Many clients get confused about that word, thinking that once they have an offer accepted (either as the seller or buyer) that the house is sold. The house is only sold once title has been recorded with the County - transferring ownership from one owner to the other. There is much that happens between an accepted offer and the "sold" status. The technical term in real estate for a home being sold is when the agents or escrow say "closed." Listen for that word as well as watch for it on your documents you sign. The Purchase and Sale Agreement will note a Closing Date and you may also have updates to that date on a later addendum,…