Olena Keene's (olena) Blog

5. Stop Calling Ads! A word of caution - agents create ads solely to make the phone ring! Many of the homes have some drawback that's not mentioned in the ad, such as traffic noise, power lines, or litigation in the community. What's not mentioned in the ad is usually more important than what is....

4. Don't Be Pushed Into Any House Your agent should show you everything available that meets your requirements. Don't make a decision on a house until you feel that you've seen enough to pick the best one. Go to the Multiple Listing computer with your agent to make sure that you are getting a COM...

3. Play the Game of Nines Before house hunting, make a list of nine things you want in the new place. Then make a list of the nine things you don't want. I call this "NINE OF THIS AND NONE OF THAT". You can use this list as a scorecard to rate each property that you see. The one with the biggest ...

2. Sell First, Then Buy  If you have a house to sell, sell it before selecting a house to buy! As the market heats up you don't see many contingent sales work for a buyer, unless it’s with a new home builder who has other houses to sell and can afford to put one on a contingency. Let’s pretend th...

1. Don’t Get “Pre-Qualified!  Do you want to get the best house you can for the least amount of money? Then make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible. Price is only one bargaining chip in the negotiations, and not necessarily the most important one. Often other terms, such ...

REDUCES ACTIVITY: Agents won’t show the property if they feel it is priced too high.LOWER ADVERTISING RESPONSE: Buyer excitement will be with other properties that offer better value.LOSS OF INTERESTED BUYERS: The property will seem inferior in amenities to other properties in the same price rang...

FASTER SALE:  The proper price gets a faster sale, which means you save on mortgage payments, insurance, and other carrying costs.LESS INCONVENIENCE: As you may know, it takes a lot of time and energy to prepare your home for showings, keep the property clean, make arrangements for children, and ...

What you paid for your property does not effect its value.The amount of money you need to get out of the sale of your property does not effect its value.What you think it should be worth has no effect on value.What another real estate agent says your property is worth does not effect its value.An...

 MYTH:A “discount” broker can do just as well and save me money.TRUTH:Successfully marketing a property in the competitive marketplace takes skill and resources. All of the promotional costs such as photos, brochures, printing, signs, advertisements, MLS fees, direct mail, etc. are paid for by Yo...