Category Archives: Pricing

Key Skills You Need Your Listing Agent To Have

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Agent sitting at table with two sellers
Selling Your House

Selling your house is a big decision. And that can make it feel both exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking. But the key to a successful sale is finding the perfect listing agent to work with you throughout the process. A listing agent, also known as a seller’s agent, helps market and sell your house while advocating for you every step of the way. 

But, how do you know you’ve found the perfect match in an agent? Here are three key skills you’ll want your listing agent to have.

They Price Your House Based on the Latest Data

While it may be tempting to pick the agent who suggests the highest asking price for your house, that strategy may cost you. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement when you see a bigger number, but overpricing your house can have consequences. It could mean it’ll sit on the market longer because the higher price is actually deterring buyers. 

Instead, you want to pick an agent who’s going to have an open conversation about how they think you should price your house and why. A great agent will base their pricing strategy on solid data. They won’t throw out a number just to win your listing. Instead, they’ll show you the facts, explain their pricing strategy, and make sure you’re on the same page. As NerdWallet explains:

“An agent who recommends the highest price isn’t always the best choice. Choose an agent who backs up the recommendation with market knowledge.”

They’re a Great Negotiator

The home-selling process can be emotional, especially if you’ve been in your house for a long time. You’re connected to it and have a lot of memories there. This can make the negotiation process harder. That’s where a trusted professional comes in. 

A skilled listing agent will be calm under pressure and will be your point-person in all of those conversations. Their experience in handling the back-and-forth gives you with the peace of mind that you’ve got someone on your side who’s got your best interests in mind throughout this journey. 

They’re a Skilled Problem Solver

At the heart of it all, a listing agent’s main priority is to get your house sold. A great agent never loses sight of that goal and will help you prioritize your needs above all else. If they identify any necessary steps you need to take, they’ll be open with you about it. Their commitment to your success means they’ll work with you to address any potential roadblocks and find creative solutions to anything that pops up along the way.

BankRate explains it like this: 

“Just as important as the knowledge and experience agents bring is their ability to guide you smoothly through the process. Above all, go with an agent you trust and will feel comfortable with. . .”

Bottom Line

Whether you’re a first-time seller or you’ve been through selling a house before, a great listing agent is the key to success. Let’s connect so you have a skilled local expert by your side to guide you through every step of the process.

Gap Between Homeowner’s & Appraiser’s Opinions Narrows Slightly

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Gap Between Homeowner’s & Appraiser’s Opinions Narrows Slightly | MyKCM

In today’s housing market, where supply is very low and demand is very high, home values are increasing rapidly. One major challenge in such a market is the bank appraisal.

If prices are surging, it is difficult for appraisers to find adequate, comparable sales (similar houses in the neighborhood that closed recently) to defend the price when performing the appraisal for the bank.

Every month, Quicken Loans measures the disparity between what a homeowner believes their house is worth as compared to an appraiser’s evaluation in their Home Price Perception Index (HPPI). Here is a chart showing that difference for each of the last 12 months.

Gap Between Homeowner’s & Appraiser’s Opinions Narrows Slightly | MyKCM

The gap between the homeowner vs. appraiser’s opinion has started to head in the right direction (closer to even), as June saw a slight decrease from May’s -1.95% to -1.89% nationally.

Homeowners in the western part of the country, however, have been pleasantly surprised as their homes have appraised higher than they expected. Denver received its highest HPPI last month as homes came in an average of 3.28% higher than the homeowner believed it would. Nine of the twelve metro areas that had a positive HPPI last month were located in the west.

Quicken Loans’ Chief Economist, Bob Walters explains:

“The hot housing markets along the West Coast are growing quicker than owners realize, giving way to higher than expected prices for buyers and more home equity for existing owners.  

On the other hand, the housing markets are more balanced in the East and Midwest, leading owners to be slightly over-enthusiastic about their home’s appreciation.”

Bottom Line 

Every house on the market has to be sold twice; once to a prospective buyer and then to the bank (through the bank’s appraisal). With escalating prices, the second sale might be even more difficult than the first. If you are planning on entering the housing market this year, let’s get together to talk about what’s happening in our area.

3 Reasons to Buy Luxury Property THIS Year!!

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3 Reasons to Buy Luxury Property THIS Year!! | MyKCM

3 Reasons to Buy Luxury Property THIS Year!!

 

1. There are more homes from which to choose

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, inventory in the upper end is increasing, while it is decreasing at the lower and mid-tier price ranges. Here is a graph showing the average increase/decrease in inventory for the first four months of this year as compared to last year:

3 Reasons to Buy Luxury Property THIS Year!! | MyKCM

2. Prices are becoming more reasonable

In a separate article, the Wall Street Journal also talked about prices in the luxury market. They explained that downward price adjustments have been more common in the luxury market than in markets with lower prices. They went on to say:

“The growing number of price cuts suggests luxury-home sellers are becoming more realistic about property values as sales have slowed, said several real-estate veterans.”

Not only will you have more to choose from, but you may also be able to get the property at a reduced price.

3. Mortgage rates are at historic lows

In the past, one of the drawbacks to purchasing a luxury property was the larger mortgage rate on “jumbo” loans which are often required on high end properties.

However, HSH.com just revealed that jumbo rates just set new record lows:

“While conforming fixed-rate mortgages eased a little this week, 30-year fixed-rate jumbos declined enough to break into new record low territory (3.66%), besting the previous low set in April by two basis points.”

Bottom Line

More choices, better prices and historically low mortgage rates may make this the perfect time for you to own one of those luxury properties you and your family have always fantasized about.

Working with FSBO Home Owners and FSBO Entry Only Firms

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sign for articleSellers that attempt to sell their own homes or use the services of a data only entry agent have declared that they know more about real estate than real estate professionals.

These sellers are motivated to try the FSBO route often because they are financially in trouble and/or they do not want to spend money on the sale of their property.

The data entry agent charges a fee to put the listing in the MLS in hopes that the seller will fail at their endeavor and ultimately become frustrated and employ them for full service. A bait and switch strategy.

FSBOs typically price their property based on what they want out of the property not on the market. The data entry agents input whatever data the seller wants.

FSBO transactions require additional work and liability for the buyer’s agent. The buyer agent many times has to handle both sides of the transaction, as the seller is unfamiliar with the documents and the process.   The data entry only agents are difficult to reach and do not assist in the transaction.

Inspection and Repair Issues often arise. In North Carolina, the standard real estate contract has a due diligence provision and the buyer is most times paying a due diligence fee that the seller may keep if the buyer terminates the contract. In negotiations with FSBO sellers the cost of repairs is often an unresolvable dispute. Buyers have to either back out after spending money on due diligence activities or accept a property in need of repairs.

Buyers and buyer agents BEWARE _ you may want to consider steering clear of these sellers.

What Your Home Is Worth _ The Automated Value

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There are sites all over the web that offer to tell you what your home is worth. Simply plug in your address and email and you’ll get a value.  It’s fast; it’s easy but is it accurate?

There are sites all over the web that offer to tell you what your home is worth. Simply plug in your address and email and you’ll get a value.  It’s fast; it’s easy but is it accurate?

The value is determined by what is called an Automated Valuation Model (AVM) that analyzes public record data with computer decision logic.  Square footage, age, number of bedrooms and location are easily definable objective data.  The challenge is identifying, measuring and comparing the subjective data.

An AVM cannot identify how unique features might add or detract from the value, if the market is declining or why the comparable sales apply or don’t apply to the subject property.  Is a home worth more because it is near shopping or less because it is across the street from a high-traffic commercially zoned property?

Experienced professionals are more likely to make proper adjustments for condition, market appeal and positive and negative influences.

Imagine that you’re going out for dinner and you consult HamburgerAVM.com to tell you how much a hamburger is worth.  It might be accurate based on condiments, vegetables and weight but can it address things like taste, quality, cleanliness, service, convenience or atmosphere.  You certainly couldn’t present the printout to the waiter to negotiate a lower price.

An AVM can be a tool that a homeowner, prospective buyer, mortgage officer, appraiser or real estate agent can use to get a quick idea of price but there are inherent limitations that can only be considered by personal examination balanced with experience in the market place.

Experience and understanding of the subject property and the marketplace are critical to having confidence that a value is accurate.  Any person could go through the same steps to arrive at a value but an experienced, well-trained professional is far more likely to assess all of the variables more accurately.

Allow me to help you determine the value of your Triangle home.  Contact me to prepare a complimentary home evaluation.

13,808 Houses Sold Yesterday! Did Yours?

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bags of money

There are some homeowners that have been waiting for months to get a price they hoped for when they originally listed their house for sale. The only thing they might want to consider is… If it hasn’t sold yet, maybe it’s not priced properly.

After all 13,808 houses sold yesterday, 13,808 will sell today and 13,808 will sell tomorrow.

13,808!

That is the average number of homes that sell each and every day in this country according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) latest Existing Home Sales Report. NAR reported that sales are at an annual rate of 5.04 million. Divide that number by 365 (days in a year) and we can see that, on average, over 13,800 homes sell every day.

The report from NAR also revealed that there is currently only a 4.4 months supply of inventory available for sale, (6 months inventory is considered ‘historically normal’).

That means less competition for buyers who are out in the market now, but more houses will hit the market soon with spring right around the corner.

Bottom Line

We realize that you want to get the fair market value for your home. However, if it hasn’t sold in today’s active real estate market, perhaps you should reconsider your current asking price.