Homeseller San Mateo County Coastside Specialist

The current loan market

2010-10-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

We were talking in the car, the other day and my wife admitted to me that she was glad she listened to me a few years ago. We had refinanced our mortgage, and I wanted a variable loan, and she wanted a fixed rate loan.

The fixed rate seemed conservative, as the rates seemed likely to go back up. Our first loan was at 17%, so 7% seemed rather desirable. Currently our variable loan rate is in the low 4’s.

Speaking to my loan broker, Brian McNamara, -hmbloans @ aol.com- rates may be at an historic low in January. This coupled with the low cost of housing, the best I have seen in 20 years, makes the next few months look like an historic opportunity for buyers.

Brian tells me, “Rates for loans above $417,000k to 729,750k are very close in rate to the conforming loans below 417k”, but he says that qualifying is much tighter then the “bad” old days. “lenders want to see income and taxes, and minimum credit scores are higher”.

Still I wouldn’t own a house today, if I hadn’t taken the plunge, so long ago, i.e. 17%. And variable rate loans and “negative amortization” still hold a fond place in my heart.

152 Amesport Landing

2009-09-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Bright downstairs unit in Amesport Landing; walking distance to town restaurants, biking distance to beach. 40-45 minutes to IL-1(Apple). High ceilings, clerestory windows in l.r. & master. All appliances, incl. washer/dryer. Approx. 950 sq. ft. Light bamboo flooring l.r. & kitchen; carpet bedrooms. $499,000. Come see it! Open house Sunday 10/25 1-4 p.m. or call for realtor to show: Lee Engdahl, 650 403-6253. Web: http://www.4salebylee.com/apl.htm Or, email me for more info. LeeE@coastside.net

A Bit of Perspective

2009-04-17T13:01:00.001-07:00

A Bit of Perspective
30 % of the homes in America are owned free and clear
Of the 70% with mortgages that remain, 97.2 % are not in foreclosure.
Of the 70% with mortgages that remain, 93.6 % are current.

So how can the news make things sound so bad? Well many people need to move due to growing families, job transfers, divorce, and these people are in a market with people who were frankly, (largely) irresponsible. These people need and are receiving a financial lesson. Those people have brought the market down for everyone who must sell. Will we recover? Certainly.
We may have one more set of foreclosures and short sales to tie up the coming market. So here it is:
Criswell predicts, nema nema, that we will see rising prices again within 18 months.

Look at these stats, (I think they suggest this is maybe the 6th worst recession since 1900):

Year Range Key Stat Dow Jones: (Peak to Trough) GDP

1929-39 25% Unemployment, D89% Down 11% ($103B)
1973-75 Inflation 21%, D45% Up 18% ($1.4 Trillion)
1981-82 Prime Rate 18.87%, D24% Up 4% ($3.1 Trillion)
1990-91 653 Failed Banks and S & Ls, D21% Up 3% ($5.8 Trillion)
2001-02 NASDAQ D78%, D38% Up 8% ($10.1 Trillion)
2008 $6.2 Trillion market losses, D42% Up 1% ($11.6 Trillion)

Is business booming like 05 and 06? Absolutely not and I hope we never see days like that again where people were taking equity loans at a record pace to spend money they didn’t have, on things they didn’t need to impress people they didn’t know. So yeah, it’s time to freak out. It’s time to get the messages from the freaked out media, the politicians and the pundits out of your head and life. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. I choose the good, I see the best and I believe my best days and yours are still to come.

The Grass Can Be Greener

2009-01-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

"So who likes what city?

Men like Vegas more than women.
Boston: you better have coin as mostly the affluent would rather live in Bean Town.
New York/ LA: Youth is it. 57% of urban dwellers younger than 30 say the city is where they want to live.
Denver/San Diego/Seattle: Youth! Mickie D's or Starbucks: Gotta have the Golden Arches nearby.
Denver/Phoenix/Orlando/San Antonio: Republicans
San Francisco: Half of those who identified themselves as liberal would rather live here."
So i am reading this and i see half of those liberals like San Francisco, does that mean the the other half are conservatives <^_^>

All of the above seem to be urban locals, but what about rural? ...And is the Half Moon Bay coastside truly rural? Besides tourism it does have a large agricultural base, flowers, brussel sprouts and artichokes. I believe HMB grows more roses then any place in the world except Holland.
"The perfect community type?: 30% say they would most like to live in a small town, 25% in a suburb, 23% in a city and 21% in a rural area."

So based on this assertion, HMB is a great place to live.

I know this is true because when someone from areas like Palo Alto are layed off, they tend to leave the area, where as when someone who lives on the coastside is layed off, they work as hard as they can to get another job so they can stay.
I haven't checked out the research done above, but I know that the people who live in HMB, love living in HMB.

Senior Housing Rehab Day In HMB

2009-01-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Senior Center in Half Moon Bay annually sponsors a home repair day.
Men and women from the coastside and Elsewhere come together and do much needed repairs for seniors who cannot any more. These repairs include gardening, light plumbing, deck repair, stairway or ramp replacement, painting, and a host of other small tasks. Much of the work is done in the Half Moon Bay Senior Park, Canada Cove. Some of the work is done to homes in La Honda, Pescadero, EL Granada, Montara and Moss Beach. Here is what the senior center posts"

"What repairs will be done?
Projects dealing with safety, health and accessibility issues are given priority. In the past we have installed wheelchair ramps, replaced unsafe stairs and porches, fixed plumbing problems, repaired furnaces, painted houses inside and out and cleaned yards.
Who is eligible?
Homeowners must be at least 60 years of age or disabled and unable to do the repairs themselves. Recipients must meet income eligibility requirements.
How do I apply for help?
Call Senior Coastsiders at 726-9056 for an application. Return the application by March 31 with a $10 processing fee.
How do I volunteer?
Anyone fourteen and older can be a volunteer! Volunteers do not need to be skilled at home repairs, but any skills will be utilized. If you would like to volunteer, please call us at 726-9056 or print the Application at the top of this page and send it to us.
Who sponsors the program?
The Home Rehabilitation Program is sponsored by private donations, corporations, local businesses, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, and San Mateo County Department of Housing."
This work not only helps those who need a hand, but also brings the coastal citizens a bit closer together.

Wouldn't you like to join in. It is a fun day, and you are welcome to join in.

Half Moon Bay Schools

2008-05-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Education on the Coastside has always been a mixed bag. The Coastside has tried some innovative programs such as the Spanish immersion program, at Hatch Elementary, which may have been a good concept, but had problems and resistors. The local elementary schools have won awards, including Hatch, El Granada and Farallone View in Montara over the years. The high school has consistently done well in math and science, but has had fallen behind at times in the humanities.

When Apples for students was available, Half Moon Bay was second to none in parent and student participation in acquiring these computers for the schools. Parent participation in the local schools has long been very good. The high school has not been without its controversy’s, like any high school, but overall I would think it would feel good to have attended it.

Half Moon Bay High School is a relatively small school, thus they not always able to offer all the AP courses or students may have a schedule conflict and need other opportunities to take AP courses. Over the past five years, they have established a relationship with the University of California and their teachers to allow students the opportunity to take selected AP courses online; i.e. AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, and AP Economics. For a pdf of the HMBHS Advanced Placement Program visit

http://www.cabrillo.k12.ca.us/hmbhs/print_file/HMBHS_AP.pdf

7 Things Home Buyers Should Think About

2008-04-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

SEVEN THINGS YOUR CLIENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE CURRENT HOUSING MARKET

Here are seven simple reasons why this is the best time to buy a new home in several decades.

Fact #1:
Some six million Americans are expected to buy a home this year. Six million people in the game make up a pretty big game. That’s a level of sales equal to the one we experienced in 1998—by all accounts, a pretty good year.

Fact #2:
There is still over $23 trillion of value in U.S. housing stock. Home ownership continues to be the basis of our wealth in this country.

Fact #3: The housing market cannot help but grow. Our country’s tremendous wealth, liquidity, and entrepreneurship will continue to drive our economy. 70-100 million people will be added to our market in the next 40 years.

Fact #4: Real estate is cyclical. The biggest fear in good times is that the fair weather won’t last forever—because it doesn’t. But the reality of a cyclical real estate market also provides its brightest hope in bad times—foul weather won’t last forever either. What’s happening today is a market correction, severe in some places, but it’s not the end of the world. As shown by Fact #1, people are still buying and selling homes. The markets will stabilize.

Fact #5: 2008 is the best year to buy a home in 35 years. 1973 was the last time mortgage rates were this low in a buyer’s market. We had rates this low in 2001 and 2002, but those were strong seller’s markets with little inventory. The last two big buyer’s markets, in the early ‘80s and early ‘90s had much higher rates. Low rates and good inventory make 2008 the best year to buy in decades!

Fact #6: First-time buyers have a real advantage in today’s market. First-time buyers can buy at a reduced price without having to sell at one too. Higher limits on lower cost conforming loans also help first-time buyers purchase more home for their money. Today’s ‘starter’ homes can be pretty impressive.

Fact #7: First-time buyers lose money while they wait on the sidelines. First, renters typically pay more state and federal income taxes than homeowners with a mortgage deduction. Renters are also losing the wealth they could be accumulating as they pay down their mortgage and as their home increases in value over time (as it surely will). Lastly, renters who wait to buy will lose money if interest rates increase by the time they finally act. Higher payments from higher interest rates represent money buyers could have kept if they had bought earlier. Conversely, if they were willing to spend that amount of money earlier, they could have bought more home.

How foggy is it on the Coastside

2008-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am often asked, how foggy is it on the Coastside? And that is not a short answer. The short answer is that on any given day anything can happen. …But you know, I am from Newport Beach, and to me the fog hits the ground. On the San Mateo Coast we have a lot of overcast days, particularly in the summer (June thru August). Brrrr, the weather is in the 70’s this time of year. We only have four or five days a year of fog, on the ground. In fact, in the winter, we tend to be sunnier then San Mateo. Shhhh this is a well hidden fact. Coastsiders don’t want you to know how nice the rest of the year is.

We have weather all year around only 2 or 3 degrees different then San Mateo. What we also have is sun in the summer, but seldom more then 2 or three days in a row. What happens is that when the rest of the county “over the hill” gets hot, it pulls an inversion layer over us. What also happens is that, over-the-hillers decide to come to the beach to get away from the heat. Thus since they are late arriving on the coast, they always come after our sun has gone. This is why we have a reputation for overcast. Come over when it’s cool and sunny, and you will enjoy a cool and sunny Coastside. …but shhhh don’t tell anyone.

An article about a recent client's experience

2008-02-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

House hopping: Smaller in size, higher in price - but somehow still a dealBy David F. Smydra Jr. [ david@hmbreview.com ]

The client, a healthcare worker in her mid-60s, had told real estate agent Lee Engdahl that she and her roommate were hoping to move to the Amesport Landing neighborhood near downtown Half Moon Bay. They wanted to move out of their Cañada Cove home and move within walking distance of downtown.

They were also paying almost $1,000 per month in “space fees” at Cañada Cove that they thought they might as well put toward owning a home outside the community.

One problem: the real estate market was still flush in early 2007, and the client couldn’t afford the move.

“Last spring, you could not get into Amesport Landing for less than $500,000,” the woman said. Due to the sensitive nature of the woman’s job — in which she assists patients who have suffered from domestic abuse — the Review agreed not to disclose her identity. “We might have afforded it had we wanted to scrape up all the funds we needed to do it, but it didn’t seem like a smart thing to do at the time.”

What followed for the woman and her roommate during much of 2007 certainly isn’t a textbook example of what the Coastside real estate market has become — but that’s because textbook examples don’t really exist in real estate. The tale is proof, however, that all bets are off as the Coastside weathers its own economic turbulence amid troubles reported in the larger real estate picture for California and the nation as a whole. As Mr. Engdahl freely admits, the real estate market on the Coastside and in San Mateo County is clearly off its “peak.”

Indeed, statistics from the San Mateo County Association of Realtors show that fewer homes were sold on the Coastside in 2007 than in 2006. Moreover, the homes stayed on the market much longer. In Half Moon Bay, for instance, 25 fewer homes went on the market in 2007 than in 2006; 24 fewer homes were sold; and it took an average of 15 additional days to sell them.
One of those numbers belongs to Mr. Engdahl’s client. Complicating the duo’s wish to move to Amesport Landing was the fact that the woman and her roommate, a relative, couldn’t sell their Cañada Cove mobile home despite the still-bullish nature of the housing economy in early 2007.

“We talked to the mobile home agent on the 23rd of February, and she came in with a full offer plus $1,000 on the 25th of February,” she recalled. But that buyer backed out within 72 hours. Two weeks later, another offer came in for the full asking price. “But at that time, the lenders were getting uptight because all the news was beginning to break.” Banks were starting to reconsider their rates, the woman said, and her buyer “was not approved at that time.

“Then everything went real quiet,” she went on. “I mean there were days when they didn’t even show (the mobile home).” Things perked up again in May and June, but another offer didn’t arrive until late July. When it did, they sold the home for $243,000, less than half of what Amesport Landing condominiums were selling for.

That same day, Mr. Engdahl called his client and said a ground-floor condo in the neighborhood had just gone on the market. The client had turned down second-floor and townhouse units in the past, hoping to secure a more accessible unit. The owner wanted $509,000, but the unit was in rough shape. Engdahl quoted what he said was an old-time Realtor’s saying: “It looked like the inside of a goat’s stomach.”

The client and her roommate played hardball and were able to negotiate the price down to $470,000. They put all of their equity from the Cañada Cove mobile home into the down payment, and all of their profit from the sale into renovations that totaled more than $20,000.

“As near as I can tell,” the woman said, “the people who were living here were refinancing and refinancing and then got caught in the mortgage crunch. When the mortgage papers were drawn up and you looked at the financial history of the place, it looked like it had been refinanced three or four times.”

Now the two women find themselves living in a home half the size of their Cañada Cove residence, but at twice the cost. Their mortgage payments and association fees add up to more than $2,000 per month. Nonetheless, the switch has its benefits, the woman said.

“The bottom line is, even though we’re paying twice as much money for half the space, we are very happy here,” she said. They had flirted with the idea of leaving California, but very much wanted to stay in Half Moon Bay. “It’s just a really superb place to live, in my opinion,” the woman said. “It was worth going through everything.”

Are we at or beyond the adjustment for this market?

2008-02-25T16:22:00.001-08:00

Are we at or beyond the adjustment for this market?

After four years of adjustment, there is every indication that the market is at or past the bottom in San Mateo County. This county has had periodic adjustments, to previously over inflated markets before. The big adjustments usually last four or five years. Arguably it has been four years already, and we are seeing multiple offers again. This may be the best time for you to buy.

Have you been stalling because of the news media? Don’t be confused by, what may or may not be happening in the nation, or by the “Mortgage Meltdown”. Did you know that only 1% of all the homes in the nation are in foreclosure, yet 30% of the homes in the US are owned outright, free and clear? (NAR statistic.) Don’t be confused by new housing starts either. This county is an island regarding buildable area. We are essentially built out. New construction is on tear down lots. Actually this last factor is a major reason that San Mateo County is not diving in price.

We don’t have large companies building mega complexes, and drowning neighborhoods with inventory. In Half Moon Bay, 1990, the last adjustment, 100 condos had just been built when the market started to adjust, causing the condo market to out soften the house market. There is no such build this time around. Oh yes, you can go out to Modesto, and buy cheaply, but do you really want that commute? …And even if you did, what would be your return. Do you know that prices often double between 10 to fifteen years here? Why? Limited inventory. Will the market recover? Sure.

Well, do you believe there will continue to be jobs in the Silicon Valley? Do you believe there will continue to be jobs in Bio Tech? Do you believe there will continue to be jobs in San Francisco’s Financial District, or in the fashion market, or in the tourism market? What about the Pacific Rim? Will it bring money into the Bay Area? There is a lot of money in the Bay Area, and the Peninsula, and there is going to continue to be a lot of money here, so if you buy a home here, as compared to Modesto, you will likely be very happy, and considering the commute you will by-pass, sooner then later.

This is not Kansas, and we will continue to thrive. The smart money is here. Let me show you some property in the area, it will only cost you a couple of hours. Give me a call. I would be happy to serve you.

Real Estate Adjustments; "The meltdown"

2007-10-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

Bay Area homes sold at the slowest pace in 15 years
last month as market uncertainty intensified,
forcing more buyers, sellers and lenders to the
sidelines. Prices remained flat at the regional level but
there were local variations.

A total of 7,299 new and resale houses and condos
were sold in the nine-county Bay Area in August.
That was down 1.7 percent from 7,423 in July, and
down 24.9 percent from 9,713 for August a year ago,
according to DataQuick Information Systems.
Sales have decreased on a year-over-year basis the last
31 months. Sales last month were the lowest for any August
since 1992 when 6,688 homes were sold.

The median price paid for a Bay Area home was
$655,000 last month. That was down 1.5 percent from
the June and July peak of $665,000, and up 4.0 percent
from $630,000 for August a year ago.

Foreclosure resales accounted for 4.8 percent of
August’s sales activity, up from 4.5 percent in July, and
up from 1.2 percent in August of last year. Foreclosure
resales do not yet have a regional effect on prices.
Other indicators of market distress continue to move
in different directions. Financing with adjustable-rate
mortgages is flat, financing with multiple mortgages has
declined significantly. Down payment sizes are stable,
flipping rates and non-owner occupied buying activity is
flat, DataQuick reported.

Remember, the market is very hard to generalize,
it is made of many microclimates. For complete
information on your particular neighborhood
or an evaluation of your home’s value, please
contact me today!

County Snapshot
All Homes # Sold # Sold Percent Median Median Percent
Aug-06 Aug-07 Change Aug-06 Aug-07 Change
Alameda 1,988 1,501 -24.50% $595,000 $619,000 4.00%
Contra Costa 1,987 1,279 -35.60% $570,000 $570,000 0.00%
Marin 402 264 -34.30% $800,000 $899,500 12.40%
Napa 128 103 -19.50% $625,000 $597,500 -4.40%
Santa Clara 2,252 1,908 -15.30% $672,000 $700,000 4.20%
San Francisco 669 577 -13.80% $762,500 $822,000 7.80%
San Mateo 871 731 -16.10% $755,000 $788,000 4.40%
Solano 730 418 -42.70% $465,000 $420,000 -9.70%
Sonoma 686 518 -24.50% $550,000 $505,000 -8.20%
Bay Area 9,713 7,299 -24.90% $630,000 $655,000 4.00%

The New Normal Market

2007-09-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today at our business meeting, we were talking about the current market, and the perception of it in the news. A true disconnect if ever there was one. This is a “normal” market. This means a market we have not seen since the ‘90’s. Sellers can still sell, and buyers this is a good time to buy, attitude is key.

First, we have to remember that the Bay Area, and particularly the Peninsula, where I work, is a healthy real estate market. The national news does not convey it. Still if you are talking Austin, or St. Louis, or Nome, plugging in National statistics makes no sense. Do not let the reporters confuse you. They still cannot afford to buy, and they are mad. Lately I have been reading their opinions, and looking at their statistics, and they do not match. Read these opinions carefully. Here in San Mateo, I read recently, “the market is dropping 25%”, then I look at their graph, and it shows a 1% increase.

You need to look at jobs, pay, and inventory. We are seeing a definite price ceiling here, (pay). It happens at the end of any explosive run of appreciation like the one we just experienced. Current pay rates will not raise prices any higher, until paychecks become higher, so do not expect any huge price increases for a while.

Even so, do not expect any major price plummeting either. Have you checked rents lately? BTW, Landlords, do you have a 30 due in 5? You might want to manage your rents more closely if you are going to have to re-fi in the next year or two. Rents are moving up.

This is a good reason to stretch now if you are a buyer. It is going to become, (can it?), even harder to save if more money is going down the rent hole. Savings, if you are like me, the only way you can save is through your mortgage, pay down the loan, and stop refinancing! This should be the big lesson of this adjustment. Leave the house note alone, and pay it down. How many of you know you can pay down a 30-year note in about 10 years. If you make principle pay downs, approximately 2 or 3 extra payments a year, totally to your principal, you can do this. (This works better if your note is recent, since in the beginning all you are paying is interest.)

If you own a home and want to move, then move. Why be stuck in what your house would have sold for last year? The house you buy will be just as adjusted.

Well I hope this will get some conversation started.

Lee

My Marketing Guarantee

2007-03-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

My 18 Point Marketing Guarantee

1. Competitive Market Analysis, We will provide you with a current competitive market analysis, and will assist you in determining the most effective offer price for your property.

2. Home Enhancement, We will develop a plan to enhance the look of your home to attract buyers.

3. Cashin Team, We will present your property to the entire Cashin sales team. We will introduce your home to the team, in all offices, through virtual tours, e-mails, and business meetings, to prepare them to properly be able to discuss your home to the new prospective buyers they meet.

4. Cashin Sign, We will place our exclusive, antique gold, Cashin “for sale” sign on your property, to help generate calls to our office from prospective buyers.

5. Multiple Listing Service, We will prepare a plan for your property to appear in the local MLS, Multiple Listing Service. The information will be submitted by the date we have selected for the property's debut on the market to achieve maximum impact.

6. Other Brokers, We will promote your property to other reputable, professional brokers and sales associates in the area, through MLS, faxes and e-mails.

7. Property Information, We will make information on your property available to local and out-of-town buyer prospects; Additional copies will be available for sales associates and prospective buyers at your property.

8. Direct Marketing, We will prepare promotional materials regarding your property and arrange for their distribution to target market areas to attract potential buyers. This marketing will include, local and targeted mailings, print media ads, and internet advertising with virtual tours of your property.

9. Advertising Review, We will review with you our comprehensive advertising program designed to generate buyer prospects for your property. We will explain how the Cashin Company web site can access additional prospects through the Internet.

10. Additional Web Sites, We will submit your home to no less then 6 independent real estate related web sites

11. Disclosures, We will explain the benefits of providing a written disclosure regarding the condition of your property, and if applicable, will present your disclosure to buyer prospects to assist them in preparing an offer. We will also discuss pre-sale inspections and their value in the disclosure package.

12. Home Protection Plans, We will provide you with information regarding a warranty on the operating systems of your house, to increase the marketability of your property and help reduce your liability to the buyer.

13. Activity Reports, We will provide you with regular marketing activity reports to keep you informed of competitive market conditions, buyer activity, and the actions we have taken to market your property.

14. Finding Buyers, We will acquaint you with the home finding process that buyers are most likely to follow, including financial qualifications, property selection, financing options and closing procedures.

15. Qualifying Buyers, We will seek financial qualifying information on all buyers submitting a purchase offer. Our goal will be to pre-qualify or pre-approve the buyer through a reputable lender.

16. Offers Review, We will review all purchase offers as they are presented, and we will negotiate on your behalf to reach a purchase agreement with terms that are favorable and protective for you.

17. Transaction Review, We will monitor and inform you of the progress of the transaction, including the satisfaction of all contingencies and conditions during the entire transaction.

18. Continuing Contact, We will contact you after the closing to follow up on any remaining details or service needs.

Personal Guarantee, My personal guarantee to you is that if I fail to deliver full service to you in the marketing of your home, you may come into our office at any time and show the managing broker, using these eighteen marketing points, that I am not providing the full service I promised you at the beginning of this transaction.

Personal Goal, My goal is to provide you with excellent service, and help you market your home fully, so that you may count on receiving the highest and best value for your home that is available in this market.

14 Suggestions To An Owner

2007-03-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

14 Suggestions To An Owner (on how to really help us sell their property)

1. Tidy up the grounds - porches - garage. Keep lawn trimmed and edged. Make sure that your yard is clean of refuse.

2. Your front door gives a vital first impression while a realtor and prospect wait for you to answer the bell. Be sure it is scrubbed clean.

3. Dress up windows in freshly laundered curtains.

4. If any decoration is needed (especially kitchen) do it now! $20.00 worth of paint may balance $100 in a price cut. Bathrooms help sell homes. Make this room sparkle.

5. Keep all steps clear of hazards.

6. Don't forget to have all light sockets filled with bulbs. Illumination is like a welcome sign. The potential buyers will feel a glowing warmth when you turn on all your lights for an evening inspection.

7. Wash dishes, put away clothes, straighten up newspapers, etc.

8. Make up beds with attractive spreads.

9. Keep pets out of the way when showing. (One type of prospect is annoyed - the other gets attention diverted.)

10. Avoid having too many people present during inspections. The potential buyer will feel like an intruder and will hurry through the house. Do not allow children to tag along on the visitors' tour.

11. Leave showing the house up to the realtor. It is his/her business to sell; he/she can lead up to basic reactions alone better than with running conversational help. The salesman knows the buyer's requirements and can best emphasize the features of your home. You will be called if needed.

12. Don't discuss anything concerning the sale with the customer. Let the realtor discuss price, terms, possession, and other factors with the customer. He/she is eminently qualified to bring negotiations to a favorable conclusion.

13. Never apologize for appearance. It only accents or distracts.

14. Never try to sell furniture to a customer before the deal is complete.

5 REASONS A PROPERTY SELLS

2007-03-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

5 REASONS A PROPERTY SELLS

1. Location
2. Price
3. Terms
4. Condition of Property
5. The Agent You Select

YOU Control Four of These