Real Estate Agents - How much money do they really make?

Often times, a home owner will say they don't want to work with a realtor because they don't want to pay them AND they can do all that "stuff" on their own.

How much do realtors really make?

If you look at the graphic, you'll see the commission based on the sale of a home that represents the national average of a home in the United States of $240,000.00.  In this area, the usual split is 3% (6% total).  What many consumers don't consider is the time and money spent on marketing.  Yes, realtors might spend time doing "free" advertising, but someone has to input the data and make the marketing flyers.  Someone has to post to Twitter, Pinterest, FaceBook, Instgram and any other social media site.  This doesn't just happen.

Other types of marketing: we send out flyers, emails, postcards and hold open houses.  To hold a successful open house takes time, too.  A good realtor will have done some pre-work to ensure people are aware it will be happening.  This also takes time and money.

Phone calls. When a home is listed, the agents number is on the marketing information.  If an agent or any other prospective buyer has questions, they contact the agent and the agent answers the questions. This doesn't take money, but it does take time.

A successful agent is diligently working on ways to market your home and get that buyer for you.

Trust our knowledge, expertise and training.  We are here to support you and get the most value for your home.

Garage door upgrade

When doing upgrades and improvements around your house, you want to get the most bang for your buck and I think I have found the mother load of them!

Most of us have a simple, no decoration garage door.  However, for approximately $15 (up to $45) you can jazz up your door!!  Who knew?  Not I!!

They make hardware kits that have the pieces to add that spice to your garage door! (The picture says $10, but I couldn't find that one. Still a good price.)

How nice does this look?  I love it!  Think I'll head to Home Depot shortly....actually, I order most stuff online and you can too right here.

This is one update any realtor will say is an EXCELLENT move!

Thanksgiving

We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!  Gobble, gobble my friends.

So you are having an open house?

Open houses...strangers coming into your home to check out your home.  How do you prepare for this?

Shoving everything into closets and under the bed is NOT the way go!




Here are some steps to getting your home ready for an open house.

Clutter: get rid of it.  Work on it, take a break and then work some more.  Nothing shows clutter like a picture.  Take snap shots of your living spaces and then look at them.  You'd be surprised what you see. Closets, cabinets and drawers....one never knows if someone is going to open something or not.  Be on the safe side, have it all neat and tidy.  Remember, you are wanting to move, so start the cleaning process now.

Cleaning Service:  a professional can really get down and dirty and get your house super clean.  You want to give the impression that this is a very, well maintained house (because it is!), but dirt takes away from this impression.

Personal Photos: you should have already done this for the listing photos, but somehow they seem to sneak back out.  You want your home to be fairly generic.  Some people have trouble envisioning living in your home when the family portrait of YOUR family is smiling at them from the entry way.  So, remove as much as possible.  Think of it this way, you have to pack it all up anyway, right?

Odors: But my house doesn't smell?  Are you sure?  You live there so you won't necessarily smell it.  So, ask your realtor to come over and smell your house. You want it clean and fresh.  Citrus, linen are always good.  I've read suggestions about baking a pie or cookies....it can go either way.  You just want it to smell good.

Repairs: Oh I meant to change out that light bulb.  Potential buyers look at it as if you don't take the time to fix minor things, what major things don't you take care of?  It could be nothing, but they don't view it that way.  Walk through your house with a fine toothed comb and make a list of things that need to be fixed and get on it!!

Staging: Someone will be able to tell if you have children as he/she walks through your home.  However, your living room shouldn't look like a toy store.  The bathroom isn't the drug store.  You want your house to look picture perfect.

Curb appeal: some deals are lost based on when the potential buyer pulls up to your home.  Even if you aren't a green thumb sort of guy, invest some time and money and fix up those flower beds, add some potted plants, and maybe even a small garden flag.  Again, it goes back to "if they don't take care of the yard....what else don't they take care of?"

Don't be there: When it comes time for your open house, don't be there.  That is the job of your realtor.  Potential buyers will feel uncomfortable knowing the owner is there.  The realtor has set up a specific time for your open house.  Leave 30 minutes prior and don't return until at least 30 minutes after; your best bet is to contact your realtor to see if it ok to come home.  You never know, that future buyer might be staying later and asking a lot of questions.


http://corneliuscamp.com/10-tips-to-prepare-your-home-for-an-open-house/

10 Commandments of Buying a home

So you have found the home of your dreams, sold your house and it is on track to close on time! You are packing your stuff and are ready to move and you are SOO excited and want to go out and BUY new stuff for this new home!

STOP!!!!!!!

Take a step back and think before you spend.  Think before you change ANYTHING in your current situation.  Check out this graphic and I think it will all make sense!  Don't jeopardize your closing!

Keeping a clean house

As I ponder this blog, I accept the irony that I don't do half of these things on a regular basis, but think if I could begin to do SOME of them, my life might be a little tidier and for sure cleaner!

Put things away, immediately! Don't wait to do it because too often more stuff will just end up on top of it. If you are telling your own children to adopt and live this habit, you should be living it, too.

Purge: do you really need multiple copies of that movie, book, or whatever it is.  Especially since we are coming into the holiday season and we are pulling out the decorations.  Purge and reorganize!

Papers: keep them organized! This also goes back to the previous point...purge.  Don't keep it if you don't need it.  If you do need it, find a spot for it and file it away and/or keep it somewhere that you can get to it easily.

Clean as you go: don't let things get away from you.  Wipe down surfaces as you go.

Bed: keep it simple. Don't make it an extension of your closet.  Also, don't have so many blankets and pillows that you can't even see your bed! Less is more!  Lastly, make your bed DAILY!  Not everyone thinks this is important.  But, it makes your room look SO much better when you make it! If you have pets and children, think of the dirt and germs they bring into your room and that goes onto your sheets and then you lay on them.  Maybe this is a little OCD, but this is what makes me want to make my bed!

Shoes, coats & jackets: this is a huge pet peeve of mine!  Put them away.  This is especially prevalent right now as we enter the colder weather months. If there is a hook for that jacket, use it.  Put it back in the closet or basket or whatever.  EVERYTHING does have a home and get those shoes and jackets back to their homes.  Your shoes and jackets will be happy to be back with their friends!

Dishes: oh how I sometimes wish that I could only use disposable dishes!  Rarely is there NOTHING in my sink.  But, everyone in my home could do a better job of washing as you go!

Dust & Vacuum: do this REGULARLY! I am not even going to pretend that dusting happens regularly or frequently! But, it should.  I'll be on the phone and start to look around my house and I'm embarrassed at how dusty my home is.  Don't let this happen to you!  I'm working on my own house!

I am working harder to get my home more organized and cleaner. I challenge you to pick one room per week and get to cleaning.  Don't overwhelm yourself and if that room doesn't get clean that week, don't beat yourself up about it! Start small and it will happen.

http://adebtfreestressfreelife.com/12-habits-of-people-who-always-have-a-clean-home/

Staying Safe with Online Shopping

I am a huge online shopper...my theory is why go to a store when a guy in brown shorts will deliver it to my door and 99% of the time, he's super happy, no lines, etc....

But, you do have to be smart about your online shopping experiences. I stick to major, name brand stores.  Rarely do I venture to a site that I haven't heard of or know someone who has shopped there before.  I'm sure I'm missing out on some super, good stuff, but I'm not willing to take the chance.

If you do get to a site you are unfamiliar with and the address in the address bar suddenly changes to something complete different, close it out, leave the site.

If you receive an email about a sale at a site, don't click directly from your email to the website.  Instead, open a new window and put in the address of the site.  The original email could be a scam and you don't want any part of that site!

Prior to shopping, make sure that your virus protection on your computer is up to date.  You don't want to fall prey to a virus because you "didn't have the time" for the update.

Theft protection: many credit cards come with these programs, often free for a year or two.  Look into them and consider getting one.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

Oh those passwords! As much as we hate to come up with a new one and one that fits all 15 of the requirements, it is for our own good.  Password123 ISN'T a good password! Your child's birthdate or name isn't either!  Come up with a really good one and if you have to change it, add a 1 to it, or change the 1 to 2....etc....How do you keep up with your passwords?  There are apps for it, and I don't like that idea, but I am sure some people have great success with it.  Some people have a spiral with the information listed.  Whatever you do, make sure you keep it in a secure spot.

Check the refund policies prior to clicking the "Pay" button.  Are you paying for expedited shipping?  What if it still doesn't get there on time?  What if it is damaged?  These are a few things you need to know.

Public Wi-Fi....don't do it!  No shopping, paying bills, looking at your bank account while you are in public.  Lots of not so nice people out there trying to latch on to your information and your money.

Social media: you don't have to accept every friend request you get.  Just because you have a few mutual friends, doesn't mean you have to do it either. This holds true for messages, too.

eCards, while they are great in theory, if it is coming from an unknown source, don't take the chance.  To be 100% safe, don't open any eCards.  The person who sent it isn't going to ask you about it anyway! Nice gesture, but you don't need to take the unnecessary risk.

As always, stay safe my friends.

http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles

Credit scores

As a realtor, I have NO control over your financing, nor do I want any!!  I will only know what you share with me.  However, I can lead you in the right direction of who to go to for different types of loans depending on your situation.

Oh credit scores, how we hate the!!  Forgot to make a payment?  Ooops, there goes your credit score by 40 points!  Foreclosed on something....YIKES! Bankruptcy?  Double YIKES.  Got too happy in college with those "free" credit cards....ain't looking so free now, are they?

A year or even two (depending on your score) is not too early to begin thinking about your credit score and what you can do to improve it.

I've taken the guess work out of this blog because I found a great graphic that really sum things up. Read over them....start bringing those credit scores UP!!!  Put the plastic down!