Archive for August, 2009
Are You A Broker Looking For Flat Fee MLS?
When it comes to selling your house you always want to make sure that you do everything that you can in order to sell it right? This means knowing where to place ads where to get answers to questions you might have as a first time seller and what contracts you are going to need to sell your house. When it comes to something like this I would personally have no idea what the first step is.
Recently I decided to start looking for some homes of course I am on the buyer side. But even for me this has become a frustrating and complicated situation. So if I’m frustrated I can only imagine what millions of other Chicago Real Estate home owners are going through! Even if you aren’t “new” to real estate or selling houses I would still check out all you can.
You never stop learning new things even when you are a master! I found some really nice and very useful websites online that are available to sellers such as yourself. These sites are MLS Multiple Listing Service which means that all brokers network their properties together in one place. But they are much more than just a place you can sell your homes and or properties on. They also allow you to buy different packages for whatever your needs are. One site allowed you to pay for a package and get all kinds of awesome benefits such as:
Illinois Low Cost MLS Listing Package: 344
Your Illinois Low Cost MLS Listing package includes the following items:
Listing in the local Realtors MLS maximum photos in the MLS for up to six months!
Realtor Site listing hundreds of the Real Estate Internet Websites!
Listing Paperwork: Sales Contracts and State required Property Disclosures!
Answers to Real Estate Questions!
Free changes and price reductions!
Yard Sign “Buyers Agent” Friendly includes a place for your telephone number!
New Hampshire Low Cost MLS Listing Package: 344
Your New Hampshire Low Cost MLS Listing package includes the following items:
Listing in the local Realtors MLS maximum photos in the MLS for up to six months!
Realtor.com listing hundreds of the Real Estate Internet Websites!
Listing Paperwork: Sales Contracts and State required Property Disclosures!
Answers to Real Estate Questions!
Free changes and price reductions!
Yard Sign “Buyers Agent” Friendly includes a place for your telephone number!
Wyoming Low Cost MLS Listing Package: 360
Your Wyoming Low Cost MLS Listing package includes the following items:
Listing in the local Realtors MLS maximum photos in the MLS for up to six months!
Realtor.com listing hundreds of the Real Estate Internet Websites!
Listing Paperwork: Sales Contracts and State required Property Disclosures!
Answers to Real Estate Questions!
Free changes and price reductions!
Yard Sign “Buyers Agent” Friendly includes a place for your telephone number!
And when you place your “ad” on these Realtor websites they aren’t just placed in one area or location. Nope. In fact they will allow you to widen your audience to millions of people. This is the type of potential you are looking for. Citywide countywide and Realtor Associations.
This doesn’t seem like something you want to miss out on. As aforementioned it doesn’t matter if you are a pro seller or you are completely new to the game. You should check these packages out and see what they can offer you. You never can learn too much about your field of expertise! Now all those buyers looking for Chicago FSBO can actually find you!
About the writer: This Author is a huge fan of Chicago Flat Fee MLS Listing
10 Steps To Owning Your First Home
The thought of owning your first home is an exciting prospect. Home ownership is a goal sought by many and there are numerous services available to help you find an affordable home to invest in. There are a lot of options to consider so thorough research and planning is extremely important and so is finding a good local Realtor. Many regional real estate agents will assist you through every step of the process and we highlight a few aspects of the work involved when buying or selling a home.
1. Find a great Realtor in your regional area of interest. Their experience is valuable and you should be able to rely on asking a variety of questions and get well explained answers. It can also be helpful to find real estate agents that specialize in buying and selling or specific real estate property investments. Realtors with a variety of other experience can be beneficial too such as those with backgrounds in construction management education and income property.
2. One of the first things to do is get prequalified with a mortgage lender or financial institution to help determine what type of payment you will be comfortable with for your new home. Mortgage payments add up over time so the financial aspects of home ownership should be evaluated closely.
3. Search for homes that meet your expectations. Often times a Realtor will preview several homes and discuss your likes/dislikes in order to find the home of your dreams. Regional Multiple Listing Services should also be available to help with the search process by narrowing down choices based upon a variety of criteria. For example you can sort through homes by price square footage location the number of beds and bathrooms acreage and a whole lot more.
4. Make an offer on a home you are interested in purchasing. Work with your real estate agent and write up a purchase agreement based on comparables in the neighborhood. This will help you set a reasonable price to work from during the negotiation process.
5. When your offer is accepted work with a Realtor to deliver your purchase agreement to the mortgage lender and be sure to finalize all the paperwork. Pay attention to the details and make sure you understand the documents you are signing.
6. Home inspections are critical because they determine the condition of the home and any repairs needed. Whether you are selling or buying this will be an important part of the negotiation process.
7. Purchase home owners insurance that is practical for your home. Compare rates and find a plan that meets your needs based upon the factors for which your house is at risk.
8. Closing time is a satisfying step so make room for congratulations. Get the keys to your new home and make sure you’ve settled all closing costs and paperwork.
9. Move in! Make sure all your utilities have been put in your name and you have notified the Post Office of your new address. Resources for moving may also be available through your real estate agent.
10. Don’t forget to homestead your new property by mail or at the Government Center are usually located downtown before the end of the year for taxes.
About the writer: Marc Cram is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER in Durham North Carolina. He has worked with families to protect and increase their assets using safe liquid investments for 20 years. Marc can be contacted through his website at www.cramgroup.com. You can download a free 12 page article on how to safely and conservatively build wealth at www.wealthyyou.us
You Can Count On Dracula Country For Wise Investment
Forget Count Dracula and all the horror stories that accompany him. If you’re looking for a foreign property you could do much worse than look to Transylvania. A highly underrated country this beautiful place has much to offer.
A corner of Western Europe relatively unspoilt by the ravishes of the West this country displays unique scenery that is both astonishing and comforting to know that something so glorious has so far remained untouched. Because of man’s lack of interference many wild animals have made Transylvania home that have since been chased away by humans encroaching on the wild in other countries.
Of course if you buy foreign property you don’t particularly want to be happening upon wild animals every day but the fact that they feel so at home shows what an unspoilt place this really is. The wild animals know their boundaries as do the residents so there is nothing to fear as long as you don’t venture into the territory of the Lynx cat or wild bears and antagonize them.
Transylvania is the true setting to be able to get away from it all. Horse and cart transport is not put on for the visitors it is a normal way for the locals to travel their dirt tracks. This is a place ultimately for those wishing to escape the rat race given that much of it is around one hundred years behind what us in the spoilt Western rat race are used to.
Think that sounds unrealistic and too difficult to live with? Imagine being able to look at the night sky and actually see the stars in all their glory. Not that dull dirty orange haze that we are used to from all the light pollution but that true velvet black blanket studded with brilliant diamond like stars that seem to envelop you and swallow you into a place where dreams of living life your own way can become a reality.
Produce that is grown or caught locally and eaten in season is second nature to Transylvanians and would quickly become a way of life if you decided to buy a foreign property here. They know the meaning of ecofriendly living and each day has sufficient to keep you going. This is real back to basics living and the more the West becomes commercialised the more people are hankering after the simple life of yesteryear.
You can still visit ‘Dracula’s Castle’ if you really need to see the place of a fictional character but the novelty will soon wear off. What won’t disappear though is the awesome feeling that you get when you experience the extremes of the deepest ravines and the stillness and beauty of the forests. Saxon villages and sulphurous caves are a fascination for the kids. Fossil collecting around the mountain lakes and looking out for black woodpeckers are things for those who appreciate the simpler things in life.
Mountains capped in crisp white snow and acres of lush greenery are the things that will take your breath away. The breathe that is breathing in the pure unsullied refreshing air to clear away the cobwebs and make you want to stay forever. Transylvania is best seen first as a holiday destination but get a taste for the pure good life and you won’t want to go home. You’ll be eyeing up the foreign property before you’ve made it back to the airport.
About the writer: Property expert Catherine Harvey looks at foreign property in Western Europe.