Easy now...they aren't all like this!

Some of the best buys though, are much like the picture, beat up, rough to work on and in disrepair.  On the other hand, most are very good buys!  If you lack construction skills, no worries, there’s always the FHA 203k finance program; you can hire a certified contractor to do the work and add the cost into your loan…sweet deal, sweet as it can get!.

While the market threatens to continue on a down-slide and rates are the lowest ever, many would be buyers are still fighting lenders about their qualifications.  If that applies to you…know this; you have to have a practiced, skillful advocate to get you approved.  This is something we do all the time.  When you land here, you benefit from our years of experience and connections with outstanding Loan Officers.  We’ll get you to the sources you need.

Buyers are getting absolutely remarkable deals and terrific rates.  Buy now if you can!  don’t wait, thinking you save if prices continue to drop.  Prices will continue to drop but distress homes are disappearing fast too.

It was surprising to see that Lowes, posted a 44% earnings drop in Q3.  With all the foreclosure homes being repaired, I’d expect to see the supply chains showing huge sales and profit increases.

Fannie also posted a Q3 loss of 51.1B.  Wow!  It plans to get 7.5B from the govt ’cause it needs to pay the govt dividends for money it borrowed before.  It owes 2.5B for dividends.  Huh?  Borrow another 7.5B so it can pay 2.5B out?

Then…there’s the FHA, the agency that insures loans for the banks.  This agency pays a % of loans that default, back to the bank.  Nice…’cause if they didn’t do this, the banks would make even fewer loans.  But…who’s watchin the cash register?  Do you know about the FHA’s “Infinite Budget Authority?”  No?  You should…you’re involved, if you’re an American tax payer.  It’s really cool, here’s how it works: If the FHA messes up, you know, runs out of dough, they can draw on funds from the Treasury Department.  So who, you ask, monitors this activity?  What arm of the govt has to approve these draws?  Well…no one…they can just take the money, no congressional appropriation needed.  Wow! Wow!  Anyone know where a guy can get a small business loan like this?  No worries though.  Financial pundits expect the FHA will lose as much as another 50B in the coming years.  Nice to have this drawing account in place, ‘eh?

At least there’s an uptick in commercial building, and uptick to keep pace with the demand for more rental housing, as people continue to spill out of their homes via foreclosure.  Think it can’t get worse?  What do you think?  Drop us a line on all this, we’d love to hear from you!

Having problems with your Realtor?  Have you thought about firing the inept, lazy… shows you too many homes that don’t fit your parameters, only cares about his/her commission, hard to reach person?  Why not?

See, here’s the problem with too many people on a home search, they think they’re stuck with the Realtor they started with, when in fact, they may be not.  If you hired someone to fix your roof and they didn’t perform to your standards, you’d can them, right?  Take heart, in most cases, you can do this with an under performing Realtor as well, but you have to fight for your rights!

Think about it this way…the Realtor will likely get about 3% for getting your deal closed.  Here’s what the Realtor should do: help you find the home you want, drive you around to the homes, conduct computer searches, write the deal, set up a title company and attend the close with you.  All together, on the average, the agent will put in about 20-25 man hours, including all the above.

Let’s look at a typical deal, a home purchase for $350k.  The commission at 3% = $10,500.  That’s $10,500 divided by 20 man hours = $525 per hour! But, did the Realtor perform to your standards?  Did the agent send you hundreds of homes to search through, many of which did not even come close to what you wanted? If so, the agent was wasting your time!  Did you have to cater to the agent’s time schedule…or did the agent accommodate you?  Were you pressed to buy a home you looked at, but really didn’t know if it was what you wanted? Were your calls to the agent answered in a timely manner?  Did the agent offer you Lender resources, so you could shop the mtge rate, for a best deal? Did the agent run a comparable study, regarding the price you were going to pay, to protect your interest…you certainly didn’t want to pay too much?  Of course, the more you pay, the more the gent makes…right?

I’m working with two buyer’s right now.  We’ve seen some homes each may have purchased, had I not encouraged them to, “make sure you get this right, you don’t want to spend a quarter of a million dollars unless it’s the house you really want!”

If the agent you started with isn’t getting it done for you, or, expects you to run around to “open house’s,” and do your own searching, and have you call them to get you in to a house you found, so the agent can get the $525 per hour he/she is not entitled to…CAN THEM!

First, tell the Realtor you don’t care to work with them any more.  If you didn’t sign an “exclusive buyer’s agreement,” that’s all you have to do…tell them to take a hike.  If you did sign an agreement…and…the agent won’t release you, contact the Broker the agent works for and insist that your agreement be canceled.  The Broker may want you to come in and “work it out,” but tell them you have no desire to spend anymore of your precious time on this, you just want to end the arrangement.  Get it in writing!

In most states, the Broker can hold you to the contract, making you stay with them to the end of the agreement.  In that case, if it were me, I’d let them know, I’ll tell everyone I know about the mistreatment I experienced with the agent and the Broker.  That might influence them to release you.  The language in the agreement is critical…do you have any way to get out of the agreement.  If not, call an attorney to see what they would charge to write a letter on your behalf.  It may be worth a couple hundred bucks to get out of the deal?  Raise all the hell you can, don’t lay down for being mistreated!

Warning: if you do buy a home the agent showed you, you will probably be required to pay that agent the commission due them. If you do get released and start working with another agent, if you go back to a home the first agent showed you, and you do decide to buy it, the first agent will have a cause to claim “procurement,” and rightly so.  In that case, the agent you are presently working with would not get paid.  So be careful about this kind of issue.  If the first agent showed you a house you are still considering, tell the new agent you need something in writing that excludes that house from your arrangement with them.

An agent is working for you, not the other way around. Don’t sign an “Exclusive Agreement.”  If the agent is worth his/her salt, they should be confident you’ll stay with them, because they will perform to your standards.  Neither my partner nor myself, require our buyer’s to sign any agreement, we work on a handshake basis and tell our buyer’s; if at any point in the search and purchase process, they aren’t happy with us, they can fire us at will.  That’s only fair, don’t you agree? This applies to our home seller’s as well.

The deals out there today are the best you’ll ever see.  If you can buy, do it soon.  There are so many homes still in the bank’s hands, but waiting to see what comes on the market, could be a huge mistake.  If you find what you like, buy now…rates are great and you’ll have a very manageable mortgage payment.

Ed

Halloween, Halloween, oh what funny things are seen…Witches hats, cold black cats, Fannie and Freddie too…Homes sinking, rates as well, and banks telling buyers to go to hell!

The Buyer’s market is shrinking a little and “traditional Sellers” are still in a ’sufferin’ state. What a dilemma for them, especially those who had (they thought), built up huge equity in their homes, so they could sell about now and use that equity for retirement.  And…what about those that made sizable down payments, kept their noses clean and have to move now, due to job relocation…trapped? It’s scary, this Real Estate market today.

Trick or treat?  Guess it’ll have to be more tricks, (by Fannie, Freddie, the Banks and the FED), but…no treats this year…and…maybe not for many years to come?

While, in my opinion, all the above, along with the Dodd-Frank debacle, are most to blame. And hey, I was there in 2002-2006, when buyers jumped on the “no doc loan” wagon, and bit off more than they knew they could chew…they can be included in the “blame game,” as well.  Take a look at the HARP program that projected four to five million people would refi by now; only 894,000 did…and…70,000 of those are still underwater…what a program hey?  The news media will say; “only 894k took advantage of the program,” a politico bunch of BS. They don’t tell us how many were turned down…and…not one of us know exactly what is required to qualify, do we?  Should we?  Does the media even know?

I read today, in the WSJ, that Obama, has a new program that will provide immense help to the mtge crisis. People whose mtge is insured by Fannie or Freddie (if your mtge is insured by someone else…or..not insured, you will not qualify), and…who have not missed more than one payment over the last year…and…who have not missed a payment in the last six months, will have a shot at this program.

Soooo, let’s look at this big deal.  If the banks are forced to refi a huge number of the loans, reducing them to market value, that will greatly reduce the balance sheet of these banks, making their stock less attractive.  Yes…no?  Then, if they are forced to do all this refi thing, and reduce their balance sheets, how excited will they be to make new loans?   Will we see another pulling back and/or stricter qualifying conditions for potential buyers? I’d bet on it.  The mess is a mess to recon with, and before the govt comes along with any new deals, these should be carefully thought out and wrung out before put into effect.

How do the banks treat people now, regarding refi? I have a client, great young gal, has a key executive position as an Underwriter for a large re-insurer.  Over the past five years, she has corrected her credit rating from a very low number to the high 700’s.  Not bad ‘eh?  She’s paying over 6% on a 200k mtge, on a home that’s probably, at best, worth 150k to as low as 135k.  The bank won’t play!  What?!  The bank won’t play.  They say she makes too much money.  So through the maniacal approach by the banks, back in the 2000 to 2006 era, they inflated the value of her home to a fantasy level, in a greedy play to expand their vaults, they now tell her she doesn’t count…she can keep paying the 6+% rate.  Your call here…is this fair trade, and…America at its’ best?  Huh?

Really, folks, when we read that the govt, or the FED, is doing this or that, do we get any solid, clear details?  Do they think we’re all jerks, dumbbells staggering around?  Why not send your opine to some of these sources…let’s get on their backs…hey media, give us the whole story, without your opinionated BS.

On a more positive note; we have been helping buyers get outstanding deals on distressed and traditional homes.  We have the tools, experience and skills to get you where you want to be with a home purchase.  In any market, but especially this market, you also need good loan, title, and inspection professionals who can help you to your goal; we have that all in place for you too.

We welcome all opinions and stories about your Real Estate results, good or bad.  How ’bout it gang, got anything you care to contribute?

Hope this is a good day for you!

Ed Klein

Boy ‘O Boy ‘O Boy…They think you should pay through the nose….and…for what?

Care to read about a sad, sad story, a story about greed and misery for both the sellers and buyers?  Take note; don’t let something like this happen to you!

When a home is sold, especially in this deranged and busted up market these days, the buyers often request that the seller pay a % of the buyers closing costs…generally 3%.

For example, say the home is sold for $300k and the buyers want the seller to pay 3% ($9,000.00) for their closing costs.  If the sellers go along, that means the sellers are actually getting only $291k for the home.

Now…the selling agent is getting the predetermined commission of 2.7% of the selling price , and the listing agent is getting 3.3%, if the listing agent is charging the norm of 6%.  (Obviously not a MetroHomesMarket.com listing…our top end is just 5%.)

So, you tell me, should the listing agent charge his sellers 3.3% of the sale price…or…3.3% of the gross net to his sellers, the $291k they’re actually getting.  Should the listing agent charge a commission for money the sellers don’t get?  Should the selling agent expect to get paid a commission for the $9k the sellers aren’t getting?  what’s reasonable, what’s fair, your call here.

Whadja decide?  

Here’s what we think; commissions should be based on the gross net to the seller, the $291k. But, I can tell you, 99.9% of the Realtors out there expect to be paid a commission for the money the seller doesn’t get.  When we list and sell a home, our fee is based on gross net to the sellers.  We can’t imagine the audacity of Realtors taking their clients down, for money their sellers don’t get.  We can’t imagine a selling agent expecting commission on money the sellers gave up.  When representing a buyer, we don’t expect the seller to pay us commission on money they’re giving up.

Know what?  They pull this greedy act all the time. 

When you list with a Broker, other than MetroHomesMarket.com, tell them that when you sell, you will not pay commission on any “seller paid concessions.”  Not to the listing nor to the selling Broker.  Get it in writing!

I had  a deal recently, where the sellers’ gave all they had or could give in the transaction, and the buyers’ did the same.  But the selling agent insisted they get paid on the $10,050 that the sellers’ contributed for the buyers’ closing costs = 2.7% x $10,050 (the sellers were contributing for the buyers’ closing costs) = $271.35  Wow!  Wow!  How did they earn this?

Let us know what you think…drop us a line below.

One more thing…your call again: When the market was really swinging and prices were inflated, many agents still charged 7% to list a home, even though they were knockin down big commissions for “Bubble” prices.  So, here we are today, with deflated prices, and guess what…many of them are now charging 7% because, as they say, “deflated prices have reduced our commissions, so we have to charge more.”  Does that work for you?  We’d like to know, shoot us your take on all this stuff.

We’re here to help both buyers and sellers win.  Our Fee-For-Service approach will help you save thousands, whether you’re buying or selling.  Give us a call, can’t hurt to talk?

Ed Klein (651-770-5000)

Have you ever seen ads for pricing your home…”Free service, just sign up and receive your free home analysis.”  Did you wonder what the catch was…whether you’d really get the free analysis?

Well, most of these sites direct your inquiry to an agent who has purchased a zip code, city or county, as an ‘exclusive’ arrangement for obtaining leads.  That’s right - the e-mail or call you’ll get will be from the agent who made this deal with the site owner.  No problem…if you’re OK with that but if you thought you we’re not going to be on an agent’s radar, not so good?

Most any Broker will give you a “CMA,” (comparative market analysis) for your home.  Some will require you let them visit your home and they’ll come armed with their ’sign here’ listing agreement.  Others will e-mail it to you and follow up to try to get your listing.  Hardly ever will you get an e-mail with the info you requested and no strings attached.  Now the home visit is important as whatever amenities you might have could add to the value…things like granite counter tops, ceramic baths, new appliances, etc.

I remember years ago, working with one of these sites, and the surprise and alarm the homeowners displayed when I called. (A very watered-down description of their reaction.)  I cancelled the service as I felt it violated the homeowner’s goals.

Many of these sites host tutoring seminars aimed at teaching the agents how to sneak up on these unaware home owners.  Clever stuff, this?

Here’s what we do here but before I get to that, here’s what you should know about this game:  Realtors don’t get paid to do these evaluations…unless you’re willing to pay them?  Realtors often do a lot of work for nothing and they, much like yourself, don’t like to work for nothing…right?  Realtors are concerned that they’ll do this work for you and find you’re really not ready to sell but were just curious about what your home might sell for…if you were going to sell it.  Or, they’re concerned that they will give you the data you need and you’ll then call some other Realtor to sell your home.  Could happen, right?  So, what’s the answer, how do you get what you want without paying for it or being hassled to list your home with a Realtor you don’t even know?

Simple solution, call us…no obligation on your part…straight forward honest ‘CMA’ will be done for you.  And, when we visit your home, we do not have anything for you to sign.  You’ll get the info you asked for within 24 hours.  We feel that if we treat people with dignity and respect, providing this service without a ‘hitch,’ when they’re ready to sell they’ll get back to us.  So, fear not, no funny stuff, just good and accurate service you can depend on!

So if you’re considering the sale of your home, check it out ASAP…most industry sources feel that a lot more foreclosures will come in the next few months, putting  additional downward pressure on home prices.  Also, in this part of the country, home sales are the highest between now and July.  Again, check it out…can’t hurt to be informed?

Buyers have only two weeks to identify the home they want and get a purchase offer in place, in order to get the govt. tax break.  Why pass on a $6,500 (buyers who have not bought a home in the last five years) to $8,000 check or tax credit from the govt.?  This is big…get your share.  You have to have a signed deal before the end of this month and a close date by the end of June.  The clock is ticking and we know we can find the home you want within the next two weeks.  Give us a call and take advantage of our ‘cooperative search’ process, whereby you also get extra cash when you close on your new home.

Any stories you care to share with our readers?  We’d love to hear from you.  Just click on the title of this post and a comment box will open.

Ed (651-770-5000)