Advice on Picking an Estate Agent

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The ideal agent is not always the one with the most sales under his or her belt, or the most years on the job. The ideal agent is one who listens to you, is easy to get along with, and has the tools and skills to address your unique situation.

Every home buyer is different. Some have credit issues. Some are buying from out of area. Some need help selling their current home in addition to buying a new one. Just as buyers have different needs, estate agents have different skills and specialties.

Here's how to find the agent who's right for you:

1. Ask friends and family for agent referrals.
Nobody knows you as well as your friends and family do. So they're often in the best position to recommend an agent who is well-suited for your needs. You can also trust a referral from friends or family more than one that comes from a stranger.

2. Talk to multiple agents.
I once saw a statistic that 84% of home buyers choose the first estate agent they contact!!!!. This means one of two things. Either most people are choosing wisely the first time, or they're just rushing into things without looking around. Probably a little of both.

You don't have to exhaust yourself interviewing agent after agent, but at least talk with two or three to see who you're most comfortable with (which leads to the next point).

3. Consider the vibe factor.
Professional expertise is an important critera when choosing an estate agent. But interpersonal skills are equally important. After all, you'll be working with this person anywhere from 2 to 12 months, so it helps to get along with them. We all have unique personalities, and that's the way it should be. But when working with someone professionally, it helps if their personality "meshes" well with your own.

4. Ask how they Market.
When deciding on an estate agent, ask how they market their properties. Some agents have their own preferred listings that they favor. But you want what's best for you, not what's best for your agent. You're paying them, right? So make sure the agent is willing to list your property in as many areas as possible, that includes using a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) such as run by the Independent Network of Estate Agents (INEA) as well as their own personal network.

5. Read paperwork carefully.
This advice is heavily used for a reason. It's critical that you examine all documents during the home buying process, and that includes your agent agreement. At some point during the relationship, your agent will probably ask you to sign an agent agreement. In most cases it's a simple contract, just be sure to read it carefully and ask questions.

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Checklist for Buying a Home.....

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Buying a home can be one of the best feelings in the world. Nothing beats that feeling of security and satisfaction when you open the door to a new home and are happy with your purchase. The question is, how can you best ensure that feeling is going to happen? There are a lot of pitfalls in the property world and naturally you want to be able to avoid them and end up with a great home. Here are some great tips on how to streamline your home purchase and keep those little headaches from cropping up.

Enough cannot be said about being financially secure and aware. If you spend some time organising your finances before making an offer the process becomes much less stressful. Take some time and research your credit history and find out if there are any outstanding issues or problems and get them taken care of. This can negatively affect your chances of getting a good mortgage, so it's in your best interest to clear any credit issues up before the buying process starts. Most mortgage companies will offer you a pre-qualification, now this is nice to have but you are better off to take it a step further. Obtain a pre-approval for your mortgage. The pre-approval gives you an absolute number to work with. Not only does this make shopping for a home easier on you, but it gives you a significant amount of leverage in the actual sale.

The next logical step is to begin working with your Estate Agent on finding homes that suit your needs. Let you agent know what things you cannot do without and those things that you would like and let them come up with a list of fitting homes. During this time you can also research the available homes in your chosen area on the Internet and find places that appeal to you. With this ammunition you and your agent should be able to view homes and properties with confidence and easily find a place that is agreeable to your needs, wants, and wallet.

Once you have located the perfect property, have a survey done. The survey is an extremely important step in ensuring your protection as the new owner. After all, this is going to be home, don't ever sell yourself short.

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Property File - "our advice is free but our knowledge is priceless"

Adrian Fallart - Director - Property File

10 Tips to Buying property without Breaking Your Budget:

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If you want to buy a home, but aren’t sure if your budget can handle soaring property prices, we’ve got good news. There are things you can do to stretch your buying power. With the help of your Estate agent and with these 10 tips you can become a savvy home buyer without breaking your budget.

1. Get pre-approved for your Mortgage. This means, fill out a loan application and go through the process of securing financing. That way, when you’re ready to seriously evaluate real estate, you’ll know exactly how much home you can afford. And you can prove to a seller that your offer is sincere.

2. Explore creative financing options. During the home loan pre-approval process, ask about ways to get creative with your financing. Low down payment options, first and second mortgage combinations and first time buyer programs might help you afford more funding. Many lenders are now offering interest-only home mortgages; just make sure you thoroughly evaluate the terms for this type of home loan. Down payment grants are also available in some instances and might be worth investigating or discussing with your Estate Agent.

3. Sell your existing home first. Although selling your existing home before finding a new property to buy can be a little nerve wracking, any inconvenience will be offset by your ability to make an offer with cash in hand. Contingent purchases are not the best when negotiating to buy a home. Having your financing in order and your bags packed will give you the advantage in a competitive market.

4. Look for vacant or chain free property. Perhaps a seller’s job has transferred him out of the area. Or maybe a family purchased a new home before putting their existing one on the market. In any case, a vacant home could be just the deal for a savvy home buyer, so have your Estate Agent look for vacant property in your preferred neighborhoods. And keep in mind, the longer a house stays empty, the greater your negotiating power will be.

5. Consider cosmetic fixers. If you’re handy with a paintbrush, a toolset and gardening equipment, consider buying property in need of cosmetic fixing. Property that lacks curb appeal needs minor handiwork or the Garden overhauled could end up being the home of your dreams for a price you can afford. You just need to see the bigger picture to see the potential of a cosmetic fixer.

6. Buy a home that’s a major remodel project. If you want to live in a top location but can’t afford a £2M home mortgage, consider buying a dilapidated property on a fabulous plot in that same ocation. In time you’ll need to gut the existing home and build from the ground up or contract significant home improvements. But in the end your property value will skyrocket. And if your carpentry and other building skills are well-developed, you can save even more and accrue “sweat equity” during your remodel by doing much of the work yourself.

7. Don’t discount bank repossessions. One person’s loss could be your gain if you buy property thats been repossessed. Although the search for a decent property may take a while, your Estate Agent should be able to help.

8. Land with a manufactured or mobile home. Sometimes, to buy a home on a budget, you need to look beyond convention. Even if your wish is to buy property, you may have to settle for a piece of property in an outlying area with a mobile or manufactured home. Discuss this option with your Estate agent and try to keep an open mind about this possibility.

9. An older, smaller home. Older homes are typically priced much less than new builds and don’t tend to create buyer bidding wars. If you can enjoy life in an older and smaller home in a location or area off the beaten path, this could be your ticket to property ownership.

10. The cheapest house in the best location. You have your heart set on a specific and expensive location. Maybe it’s the schools that you’re interested in. Or perhaps it’s the close proximity to town or the waterfront. In any case, a budget-savvy buyer will look for the least expensive home for sale in the neighborhood. If you’re not in a hurry, you can even play the waiting game to see what properties come on the market. Your Estate Agent can be a real asset in this case by investigating potential sellers.

Buying property without breaking your budget will require research and compromise. On moving day, however, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your homework paid off!

Adrian Fallart - Director - Property File 

 








"our advice is free but our knowledge is priceless"

Three Tips to staging the outside of your home like a pro

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Are you considering putting your house up for sale, but not sure where to start? Afraid it will take too long to sell, or that you won’t get the price you want? Think about “staging” your home, or in other words, setting the scene for immediate buyer interest in your property.

This is a follow on to my previous blogg about staging the inside of your property but once you have done that you can now look at preparing the outside too. Here are three tips to get you started with the outside of your home so you get the all important "Kerb Appeal"

1. Go stand on the street to see what clients see when driving up to the house. Be aware that any negative impressions they get outside the house like landscaping not maintained or non-existent or peeling paint, etc is just going to make them think that the house itself has not been well taken care of. So even if you have spent the time and money to fix up the interior, it would all be wasted if the clients get a bad first impression as they drive up to the house.

2. Next, step outside your front door and close the door; then stand on the stoop and look around for 5 minutes. While the Estate Agent fumbles for keys and tries to figure out how to open the door, the clients are standing behind and looking around. So what are they seeing? Dead plants, old Christmas decorations in the middle of January, cobwebs?  Again, not a good first impression!

It’s definitely worth it to take some time and clean it up. Want to go a step further? Try a new coat of paint or some new furniture or accessories.

3. Don’t forget the back garden. While that might not be part of the potential buyers’ first impression experience, you still should make sure it’s in the best condition possible. Pull up weeds, water plants, do some sweeping (if that’s applicable in your case) and maybe even purchase new furniture or accessories (plant pots, bird houses, etc.)

And the biggest tip of all? Imagine yourself as a potential buyer looking at your property for the very first time. What impressions are you getting? Would YOU buy your house? What would you like to see changed before you put an offer on your house?

And don’t worry about spending money to get the outside of your house ready to sell – you’ll get it all back when its sold. Proper staging helps you sell your house in a shorter time and at the price you want.

Adrian Fallart - Director - Property File 

"our advice is free but our knowedge is priceless"

Three Top Tips to Staging the Inside of Your Home Like a Pro

www.propertyfile.co 

Are you considering putting your house up for sale, but not sure where to start? Afraid it will take too long to sell, or that you won’t get the price you want? Think about “staging” your home, or in other words, setting the scene for immediate buyer interest in your property. To be really effective, you need to look at both the outside and the inside of your home but here are the three tips to get you started with the inside.

1. De-clutter. This is one of the most important things you can do. It might be easier to think of de-cluttering like this – you’re moving anyway, so why not start packing now?

Pack up everything you don’t need and store the boxes out of sight in the garage or consider temporarily renting a small storage lockup.

2. Organize your closets - put similar colors together, Trousers together, skirts together, shirts together etc. Why? Because it will make the closets look bigger. An organized closet appears bigger, and you want your closets to look as spacious as possible.

3. Make your home look like a model. You want to de-personalize as much as possible so potential buyers can imagine themselves and their own belongings occupying the space in your house. That means minimizing – putting away everything you don’t need or use. Clear off kitchen counters as much as possible – stash all those appliances you don’t use, and put miscellaneous small clutter in a few attractive baskets or boxes

And the biggest tip of all? Imagine yourself as a potential buyer looking at your property for the very first time. What impressions are you getting? Would you buy your house? What would you like to see changed before you put an offer on your house?

And don’t worry about spending money to get your house ready to sell – you’ll get it all back when your house is sold. Proper staging helps you sell your house in a shorter time and at the price you want.






Adrian Fallart - Director - Property File

"our advice is free but our knowledge is priceless"