There are many things that should be taken into consideration when hiring someone and giving them the responsibility for selling your home. In our opinion, the most important question you can ask a potential listing agent is a simple one:

Do you truly believe that now is a good time to buy a home?

Why should this matter when hiring someone to SELL your home? Buyers are nervous about purchasing right now. They want to know they are making an intelligent choice. We believe, especially in today’s market, you need to hire someone who realizes that this is one of the best times in American real estate history to buy. If an agent doesn’t believe that, how will they be able to convince a potential buyer to buy your home?

When interviewing a real estate professional, ask them to explain why purchasing a home makes sense today. They should be able to explain it simply and effectively. See how many of the following facts (which should be shared with every potential purchaser) the agent knows:

The Wall Street Journal last week stated:

“With home sales starting to improve, and with prices now possibly forming a bottom, real estate could well be the asset class that represents the best low-risk buying opportunity out there today.”

Donald Trump was just quoted saying:

“I’m pretty sure this is a great time to go out and buy a house. And if you do, in 10 years you’re going to look back and say, ‘You know, I‘m glad I listened to Donald Trump’.”

John Paulson, a multibillionaire hedge fund operator and the investment genius who made a killing betting against housing a few years ago, is now bullish on residential real estate market. He recently said:

“If you don’t own a home, buy one. If you own one home, buy another one. If you own two homes, buy a third. And, lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”

A recent Gallup Poll showed that 67% of American’s think that now is a ‘good time’ to buy a home. The Gallup Organization went on to say:

“Overall, there is good reason for most Americans to think now is a good time to buy a house. Interest rates remain near historic lows. Home prices are down sharply, providing many incredible buys.”

The iconic financial paper in this country, the country’s most famous real estate investor, the most successful prognosticator of the housing market and 2/3 of all Americans say now is the time to buy a home. Shouldn’t your agent agree?

Bottom Line

Selling is nothing more than the transference of conviction. How can agents transfer that conviction if they themselves are not convinced? Find a listing agent who truly believes that someone should buy your home – TODAY! This is the single most important thing you should look for in a potential listing agent.

$300,000 – $2,000,000 price range

12 Month Evaluation – 58 sold properties in last 12 months.  58 divided by 12 months equals 4.83 properties sold per month.  There are currently 74 active comparable properties on the market.  74 divided by 4.83 equals 15 months of worth of inventory.  This means a strong buyers market.

An absorption Rate of 5-7 is considered a normal market. Less than 5 is a sellers market and more than 7 is a buyers market.

Normal Market – In a normal market there is a 5-7 month supply of homes. A normal market has a balanced level of inventory where the market is not leaning in either the seller’s or buyer’s favor.

Seller’s Market – In a seller’s market there is less than 5 months supply of homes. Since there are fewer homes to choose from, sellers are in control and buyers have to be willing to pay top dollar to get the home that they want. Multiple offers are often the norm in a seller’s market.

Buyer’s Market – In a buyer’s market there is more than 6 months supply of homes. Buyers are in control since there are so many homes from which to choose from. Sellers often have to give an incentive (pay for closing costs or pay for repairs) to buyer’s to buy their home.

$300,000 – $1,000,000 price range

1,400 to 2,500 square feet

12 Month Evaluation – 6 sold properties in last 12 months. 6 divided by 12 months equals 1 property sold per month. There are currently 11 active comparable properties on the market. 11 divided by 1 equals 11 months of worth of inventory. This means a strong buyers market.

Average Price per Square Foot | $244 | Sold Properties, Last year it was $320 per square foot

An absorption Rate of 5-7 is considered a normal market. Less than 5 is a sellers market and more than 7 is a buyers market.

Normal Market – In a normal market there is a 5-7 month supply of homes. A normal market has a balanced level of inventory where the market is not leaning in either the seller’s or buyer’s favor.

Seller’s Market – In a seller’s market there is less than 5 months supply of homes. Since there are fewer homes to choose from, sellers are in control and buyers have to be willing to pay top dollar to get the home that they want. Multiple offers are often the norm in a seller’s market.

Buyer’s Market – In a buyer’s market there is more than 6 months supply of homes. Buyers are in control since there are so many homes from which to choose from. Sellers often have to give an incentive (pay for closing costs or pay for repairs) to buyer’s to buy their home.

	Original	List	Sold	Net Sold
Average Price	$608,500	$507,817	$473,500	$471,900
Median Price	$695,000	$522,500	$490,000	$489,000

Jane Wallace Presents: Social Media Marketing for Small Business & Realtors

My Portfolio Is To The Right, Click On The Links Under
Social Media Web Sites

Do You Need Social Media and Internet Marketing Help?
Do You Want to Create or Maintain an Online Presence?

NAR surveys tell us that 87+ % of real estate clients begin their decision-making process online. That’s old news to most of us by now.  But I’ve been thinking about how this trend could change things for us and for our clients.

• Do you think that being at the center of a conversation about your neighborhood is important?
• Do you think it is important to specialize in a niche in the real estate market?
• Do you think that 87% will zoom up to 90% or beyond in 2011?
• We might be a good match to work together. I can work with your existing marketing strategy or create a new one for your business & practice.

My Top Favorite Tools Are:

Twitter  | Facebook | Linked-In | Active Rain Real Estate Blog | WordPress | Postlets | Twe

I Can Assist You In:

Setting the Social Media accounts you would like to utilize; Get you going by running them for you at the beginning Maintaining them for as long as you want or need. Teaching you or your Assistant how to maintain your Social Media programs

Cost  for Social Media Sites is $35 hour to Set Up The Sites, with 2 Hours Minimum per Month to Maintain The Sites

Blog Design and Marketing

Seems everybody’s got a Blog these days, what does a Blog mean to businesses? How can it actually bring in more business? How can it be used to promote you brand?

What is a Blog?
A Blog is simply a web log with various functions. This has made Blogs a favorite tool to post news and events for companies, publications, associations, the Media, etc. But a Blog also serves as a free PR mechanism to announce virtually anything not only to your customers, but to the world, including leading media sources. Blogs are monitored, tracked and even promoted by large search engines such as Google, and other specific Blog engines. They can be searched by subject matter, industry, topic … just about any viable criteria.

The Blog “Network”
Blogs also act as an excellent networking tool, letting prospects, vendors, customers, media, etc. read, link to, and even make comments on your Blog. These comments can be monitored, or even disallowed at your preference. Blogs also feature linking areas for relevant topics, as well as to products and services your business may offer. Also, the more relevant links to your Blog, and also your site, the more you improve your websites’ “value” to most search engines. It is the linking and interlinking of Blogs that serve as a critically important tool for web and search engine marketing. I offer a Blog with a Custom Header to Match Your Brand

Cost For a Custom WordPress Site/Website Setup with Custom Header is $499

Need Changes Made? Want a New Header, Do You Have a New Avatar (Photo), New Phone Number, New Brokerage, New Logo?  I’m Happy To Help!

I Charge $35/hr. (1 hr min.) for Changes/Edits