Why You NEED A REALTOR When Buying a House

The internet is great. Never before have home buyers been so empowered. With the internet it is possible to research homes in another town, compare prices, size, features, etc. without ever speaking to a real estate professional.
If that’s the case, why should anyone ever use a Realtor to buy property? Isn’t that a waste of time? Not if making a good buying decision is the main objective. The internet can offer data but it can not interpret it. That’s the big advantage of working with a Realtor. Realtors not only know the market but they know how to interpret it.
A Realtor doesn’t just spend time working with buyers and sellers. Realtors study market trends. Which areas of town are appreciating fastest? Where are properties turning over quickly and where is inventory piling up? What features are buyers looking for that they are willing to pay more for? What features make a home dated in buyers’ eyes?
All of these are questions that Realtors research every day. With over 7000 resale properties on the market in the Naples area at any given time, and thousands more being built it is a full time job to stay on top of this ever-changing market.

Features that might be considered standard in one neighborhood could be overbuilt in another. Knowing that properties are taking longer to sell in one area than in a comparable area might make a difference in what price a buyer might want to offer. Even knowing what government or environmental regulations are new or pending can make a difference in a home’s value in the future.
Most new communities are not found on the internet through the same sources as resale homes. It makes it difficult for a prospective buyer to compare apples to apples. Realtors tour new communities on a regular basis and track their sales as well.

This market demands constant education. Realtors work with appraisers, home inspectors, lenders, and other professionals on a regular basis. These become sources for market information as well.
Buyers can use the internet to save time and to get ideas. They can eliminate homes that do not meet their needs and explore areas that look interesting. A good realtor will not talk a customer into or out of buying a home, but will make sure it is an informed decision that results in satisfaction for years to come.

Realtors Can Help Sellers Market Their Homes!!

Posted by J.J. Chapa under For Buyers, For Sellers, General Information
Though there are other avenues available, experts consider it critical that someone interested in selling a home locate a Realtor to make sure the matter runs smoothly. A real estate agent should have a good working knowledge of the marketplace as well as the asking price of comparable homes. Realtors also should be able to provide a competent marketing strategy for your home.

When evaluating real estate agents, ask how they plan to market your home. Marketing your home includes ensuring that other real estate agents are exposed to it – statistics show that in some markets as many as 50 percent of real estate sales are cooperative efforts, that is a real estate agent other than the one you’ve hired brings in the buyer.

A real estate agent also will know the most effective ways to advertise your property. It may be listed in the local newspaper or featured on a home show. The agent also will know how much to advertise the home because too much advertising can, according to experts, give the impression the property has some problems.

The real estate agent provides many consolatory services to the seller. The agent will help you choose the best proposal or assist you in writing a counteroffer. An agent also can smooth the way for the appraisal, inspection and financing processes, help set up the closing and recommend reputable service providers. The seller also can rely on an agent to work in his behalf on paperwork that can be taxing if an unforeseen snag develops in the negotiating process.

Finally, a real estate transaction typically averages $100,000, a huge financial undertaking. Experts say it is as wise to have an agent help with the process of one of your biggest financial transactions.

Buying vs. Renting

The question that every person comes across at least once in his or her lifetime.

My husband and I moved to the DFW metroplex 4 and-a-half years ago. He worked, and I got to stay at home. We decided to rent when we came up here because

1. We didn't know the market, and

2. His job was just a stepping stone, and we didn't want the commitment if he took a better job somewhere else. (Which, by the way, he did!)

After a year-and-a-half of his job, he received a much better offer for another job. So. . .we moved from Grand Prairie--which is South of Fort Worth-- to Plano--which is North of Dallas. At that point, I was very glad to be able to get out of our lease without having to worry about who would take over payments of "our" apartment.

At this point, we still were unsure where life would take us, so we went through the apartment management company to find another complex managed through them.

At this point, though, there were now three of us, so we had to upgrade to a 2 bedroom, and my husband paid for the best so we wouldn't have to stay home in a high-crime area. We'd learned though that if you plan to rent long-term, you'd better lease long-term because each time you re-sign, they WILL up your rent.

After a year of living in the apartment community, we had a major business go up across the road that brought in a LOT of employees, so. . .

My husband and I decided that when our lease went up for that year, we would buy our first home. So, we began looking. . . .EVERYWHERE. . .ALL the time!!!

We found some land and set up with a builder in the small town of Anna--north of McKinney, which is north of Plano. The plan was to close on the house

December 23rd, 2005.

~~~~~~~~~~Talk about nervous.~~~~~~~~~~

We were going to go from about $300 of credit card debt to over $100,000! This was huge! But, we were right in our judgement. Our rent was going to go from $800 a month to $1100 a month if we renewed!

In the end, our monthly mortgage was less than $1100!! And, the best part, we actually have something to show for that monthly payment:

1. An entire structure in OUR name

2. A front yard w/ a porch, trees, and shrubs

3. A back yard w/ a patio, a fence, a lots of play area for the new puppy.

4. Three bedrooms, two baths, a living room, 2 dining areas, a huge kitchen

5. Our own outer walls, where we don't have to listen to the neighbors TV or other activities. AND they don't have to hear our's.

6. No worries about whether or not to renew a monthly or annual contract, Nor if our monthly payment will go up.

But, really, everyone has their own reason for getting out of the "rent race." These were just some of ours.

Now, I encourage you to sit down and write all the pros and cons of

Buying vs. Renting

~Latisha Huckins, Administrative Assistant

J.J. Chapa Real Estate Team

Positive Real Estate Outlook for Texas Over the Next 25 Years!!

The long term outlook for Texas is substantially POSITIVE over the next 25 years!! Why is that? Well, mostly because Texas is one of the states in the country that is projected to have continuous job growth over the next 25 years and is one of the more desirable states to live in. Yes, I said one of the more desirable. Let me expound on that a little–it is one of the more desirable states to live in that are projected to have continued job growth over the next 25 years. Which of course is great news for those of us in the Real Estate industry!!
Let me start with a demographic overview of Texas(according to the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University): - It is the fastest growing state in the absolute number of people- Texas is a “younger” state than the U.S. as a whole- The single major contributor to the population growth is immigration, both foreign and domestic. It is also probably signifcantly understated.- The racial/ethnic mix will reverse in the next 25 years- Aging Boomers represent a primary force
If you average the projection results, there will be an increase of 13.6 million people in Texas by 2030. To put that number in perspective, this would be equivalent of adding (to the current population of Texas):
another Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex, plus another Houston metroplex, plus another San Antonion metrolex, plus another Corpus Christi
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is anticipated to grow by 2.8 and 6.7 million more people by 2030.
All of this can only be positive for home sales in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. 2007’s home sales are anticipated to end the year slighly above 2005 by about 2.8%. However, this is certainly below sales in 2006 by 5.4%.

FEATURED LISTING

601 Loch Lane

Coppell

With a beautiful layout, lots of land, and an excellent location, you just can't go wrong with this one-of-a-kind home!