Tag Archives: experience matters

These Things Are Sure to Give Buyers “The Ick” and Could Jeopardize Your Home Sale

18 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the world of dating, there’s a term called “the ick.” It’s used to describe the feeling of disgust a person experiences when their date does something they consider to be a major turnoff.

But “the ick” doesn’t just happen in dating. It can also happen in real estate,and if your home gives potential buyers “the ick,” it could put your home sale in jeopardy.

So what, exactly, are potential turnoffs that could give buyers “the ick” and ruin your home sale in the process? A recent article from realtor.com outlined common things about a home that could activate buyers “ick” response, including:

  • The smell of cigarettes. The smell of cigarette smoke is just about universally disliked — even by smokers — which is why the lingering smell of cigarette smoke is a surefire way to give potential buyers the ick. If you or someone in your house is a smoker and there’s a distinct smell of smoke, make sure to do whatever you need to do to get the smell out (for example, getting your carpets and upholstery professionally cleaned) before you start showing your home.
  • Bugs and/or vermin. For many people, any evidence of bugs and/or vermin (like mice or rats) is an immediate ick, and could turn them off from buying a home. If you have any issues with bugs or vermin in or around your home, you should strongly consider hiring a professional exterminator to get rid of the problem before you try to sell.
  • Bathroom carpeting. Bathroom carpeting had a moment back in the 70s, but today most buyers view carpet in the bathroom as unhygienic and extremely ick. If your home has carpet in the bathroom, consider ripping it out and replacing it with more bathroom-friendly flooring (like tiles) before showing it to buyers.

We are not “ick”…we really aren’t. Get in touch today! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORs, SRES. Luxury The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 HanleyHomeTeam.com

7 Times a Real Estate Agent May Come Across as Pushy to a Buyer, When They’re Really Just Trying to Help

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nobody likes a pushy salesperson, especially when it’s a big ticket item like a house. And unfortunately, many home buyers come prepared to brace themselves against the slick sales tactics of real estate agents who they think will be pulling out all the tricks in their sales book to get them to buy as expensive a house as possible, as quickly as possible. 

To be fair, there are some pushy, money-hungry agents in the business. But most aren’t like that at all. The majority of agents just want to make sure you find a house you love, within your price range, and help you get it for the lowest price possible, in whatever amount of time it takes to help you do so.

But even the most laid-back, least “salesy” agent in the world may still come across as pushy to a buyer at times, when in reality they’re just trying to help you avoid making a big mistake, or help you achieve the best result possible. 

So let’s take a look at 7 times a real estate agent may come across as pushy to a buyer, when they’re really just trying to help you: 

1) Pushing You to Get Pre-approved

The pushiness seemingly starts the minute you start even looking for a house! Buyers often get frustrated by agent after agent they come into contact with asking if they’ve been pre-approved for a mortgage yet. Many buyers feel this is pushy because they just want to see a house, and aren’t even sure if they’ll want to buy it, and they’ll just get approved once they find a house they want to buy. Yet many agents a buyer speaks with won’t even show them a house unless they get pre-approved. 

While this may feel like an agent is just trying to find out how much money you can spend so they can sell you as expensive a house as possible, agents are actually trying to make sure you don’t make a huge mistake. If you start looking for a house without knowing if you can get a mortgage, or how much you can afford, you can waste a lot of time, or end up very disappointed when you find a house you love only to find out you can’t afford to buy it.

2) Pushing You to See a House Quickly

When you first start looking at houses, you may not be in a rush to buy. But when a great house, at a great price hits the market, the sellers aren’t going to wait around for you to be ready. A desirable, well-priced home will be scooped up by a serious buyer within days (or even hours!) of being listed. 

So even though it may seem pushy if your agent is calling you the day a house is listed pushing you to go see the house that day, it’s really just to make sure you don’t miss out on a house that’s perfect for you. And depending on the market, that opportunity may not come around all that often…

3) Pushing You to See Houses You Don’t Want to See

The internet has made it easy for home buyers to see pretty much any house that’s for sale online. So you can more or less just browse through them all and tell your agent which ones you want to actually see. 

But sometimes agents will push you to go see a house that you didn’t want to see because you didn’t like the style or location. When they do that, it’s because experienced agents can often assess what you’d like better than you can for yourself. Trust that they think it’s something you’ll like and humor them. The worst that can happen is you don’t like it after all, but the best case scenario is that your agent made sure you didn’t miss the house of your dreams based upon your initial reaction to what you saw online.

4) Pushing You to Make an Offer on a House

When you find a house you like, it’s normal to want to “sleep on it” before making an offer. But sometimes you “sleep” on a house, there’s a good chance you’ll never sleep in it! 

Agents know from experience that even a house that’s been sitting on the market for months can get bought by another buyer in the blink of an eye. Going through that heartbreak with just one client in their career teaches them to give the rest of their buyers that little push they need to make an offer ASAP, to avoid seeing them get heartbroken too.

5) Pushing You to Make a Higher Offer

Everyone dreams of getting a great deal on a house, and many buyers think they can do that by coming in with a low offer and some tough negotiating. But the truth is, getting a deal happens more often with houses nobody else wants. 

Low-balling a seller is the quickest way to lose any chance you have at getting a house you want. So if your agent is encouraging you to increase your offer, it isn’t because they don’t want to help you try and get a deal, it’s because they don’t want you to lose any hope of getting the house at all. If getting a bargain is your goal, your agent will be glad to help you find a house you can get for a steal… but it won’t necessarily be on any house you like. You’ll have to look specifically for the ones that there’s an opportunity to make a deal on.

6) Pushing You to Use Their Mortgage Person, Inspector, Etc.

When it comes time for you to apply for your mortgage, get a home inspection, or any other home buying related service, your agent may seem to be pushing you to use someone they recommend. Some buyers wonder if it’s because they’re getting kickbacks, or if they’re in cahoots in some other way.

The truth is, most agents will give a list of people they recommend for you to choose from, but will rarely push you to use anyone specific. Their list of recommended service providers is simply to help you choose someone they trust because they have a history of doing a good job (and at a fair price) for their clients. 

7) Pushing You to Not Make a Big Deal About Certain Home Inspection Items

A home inspection report often has an endless list of “problems” the inspector found, and a lot of buyers treat it like an all-inclusive list of things to ask the seller to repair or replace. There are certainly things that you should ask a seller to repair, and ultimately you can decide to ask for whatever you want based upon the home inspection report. But what (and how much) you ask for will also affect how the seller reacts to your requests. You have to take into consideration the overall market conditions, how much you paid for the house, and if there are any other potential buyers ready to scoop the house up if your deal falls apart.

So if your agent seems to be pushing you to not ask for certain things to be repaired, it’s based upon their experience and insight into what a seller will be (and should be) agreeable to fixing, based upon the entire situation.

We promise to NOT be too annoying! Try us! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORs, SRES. Luxury The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 HanleyHomeTeam.com

Home Buyers: Be Aware of These Red Flags to Avoid Getting Scammed by Fake Home Sellers

04 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There probably hasn’t been a house hunter in history who didn’t want to get a great deal on a house. But in the current market, even finding a house you want and successfully getting it under contract can be a difficult task. 

So if you were to find what seems to be an incredible deal, or an under-the-radar listing that nobody else is aware of, it’s understandable why you might want to throw caution to the wind and scoop it up, even if there are some red flags.

But, as the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is…

10 Signs You May Be Dealing With a Fake Owner

Scammers aren’t new to real estate; they’ve been around for years in different forms. But according to this Fortune article, seller impersonation fraud is on the rise. Fraudsters are pretending to own property and putting it up for sale.

In the least, they’re hoping to get their hands on someone’s down payment money before the buyer realizes they don’t own the property. But they could also get away with the entire purchase price of a house, if a buyer never realizes it’s a scam. 

Unfortunately, even a homebuyer who is typically cautious and logical can fall prey to them because they use fear-of-loss tactics, like listing the house for below market value, or suggesting that they’ll accept a lower price if you can close quickly.

You’re more likely at risk when a property is not listed through real estate agents, and is being marketed for sale by the alleged owner online, but a scammer could possibly sneak past a listing agent’s scrutiny and get listed on the MLS. 

To protect yourself from this scam, here are some red flags that should trigger you to be extra cautious:

  • The property is vacant.
  • There are no liens or mortgages on record, and the property is owned outright by the actual owner. 
  • It’s priced below the market value of any other house like it in the area.
  • You’re not allowed to enter the home to see it in person. 
  • The seller says they prefer cash offers. While most sellers would certainly love an all-cash offer, pushing for one, and enticing the buyer to pay cash is another thing altogether.
  • The seller says they want a quick closing and will give you a better price if you can close quickly. 
  • They’re quick to accept an offer with little or no negotiation.
  • All communication with them is through text and/or email.
  • They want to sign all documents remotely, and use a notary who is also remote and doesn’t insist on the seller being in-person to notarize their documents.
  • When pushed to do things in person, the alleged owner claims they will be out of the area for an extended period of time.

While those red flags could occur when dealing with a legitimate owner of a property you want to buy, it’s still better to be safe than sorry. 

4 Things You Can Do to Protect Yourself From Fake Sellers

Working with a reputable buyer’s agent that you know and trust, or has been highly recommended by others, will go a long way in protecting you from getting scammed by a fake seller. He or she will help you discern if something seems off based upon their experience, and look into it more thoroughly. 

But if any of the above warning signs are present, or you just get a sense that something isn’t quite right, here are some things you and your agent can do to put the “owner” to the test:

  • Communicate to the seller if you have any reservations or concerns, and say that you need to be extra careful for your own good, as well as theirs… because sellers are also hurt if their home is fraudulently sold to someone. A true owner will understand your desire to be careful when you’re buying something worth as much money as a house is, and will appreciate that you’re concerned about them as well. If they get angry or resist, it’s a sign they aren’t truly the owner.
  • Ask the seller questions that would be impossible for them to answer if they never truly lived in the property, or trick questions to see if they answer something in a way that’s an obvious lie.
  • Make sure to have a title search done, and buy a title insurance policy. Don’t be pushed into using a title company the seller insists upon using. Hire your own title company or attorney to handle the closing, and work with professionals your agent has experience working with and trusts.
  • Scammers have been known to obtain the social security and drivers license information of the homeowner. So make sure to request proof of their identity, and that it needs to be verified in person, or through a trusted third-party identification verification company if they truly cannot travel back to the area where you are buying the house. 

As hard as it is to feel like you might be jeopardizing your shot at getting a home you want, or a great deal by demanding any of the above, you’re better off taking that risk than risking losing money you may never be able to recover, and still not ending up with the house you thought you were buying.

The Takeaway:

Scammers have been taking advantage of the low inventory and high buyer demand in the current market to prey on buyers who are desperate to buy a home by pretending to be the owner of a home they have no right to sell.

Make sure you work with a buyer’s agent you trust — and the services and professionals he or she trusts — to help you gauge whether or not a seller is the true owner of the property you’re buying. When a deal seems too good to be true, or there are other tell-tale signs that the seller isn’t truly the owner, dig deeper and require proof. An actual owner of a property will understand your need to protect yourself and provide the proof you need to proceed with confidence.

Trust us with all your real estate needs – Experience Matters! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORs, SRES. Luxury The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 HanleyHomeTeam.com