Why Use a REALTOR®?

All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly display the REALTOR “®” logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR® again.

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR®.

But if you’re still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR®, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:

1. Your REALTOR® can help you determine your buying power — that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR® some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders — banks and mortgage companies — offer limited choices.

2. Your REALTOR® has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.

3. Your REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS® have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you’ll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?

4. Your REALTOR® can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.

5. Your REALTOR® provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR® can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR®, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.

6. Your REALTOR® can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.

7. Your REALTOR® can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.

8. When selling your home, your REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.

9. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR® can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR® acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.

10. Your REALTOR® will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.

11. Your REALTOR® can help you objectively evaluate every buyer’s proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing — a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR® can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.

12. Your REALTOR® can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR® is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).

The Spring market is off to a great start, with interest rates being very good, and plenty of deals on real estate, builders and sellers are offering record low prices on homes, and new construction like never seen before.  Now is the time to be a buyer for investment, or just a first time home buyer.  In many cases buyers are walking in to instant equity on a home, by being at the right place at the right time.  I personally have helped many with escaping a steep house payment, by getting them in to a home that they can afford, and be more comfortable.  Please call me today to get on the email list for my great investment deals of the week in real estate.

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 - 

Commercial real estate market fundamentals are fairly stable, although investment is waning following a record year in 2007, according to the latest COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK of the National Association of Realtors®.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said the commercial real estate market is holding essentially even.  “We’re seeing no significant changes in vacancy rates or rent growth, so the fundamentals in commercial real estate still seem to be respectable,” he said.  “Under normal circumstances, near-full occupancy coupled with positive rent growth would be of strong interest to investors, but we’re not seeing that.  The credit crunch has filtered into the commercial real estate market.”

Patricia Nooney of St. Louis, chair of the Realtors® Commercial Alliance Committee, said the investment cycle appears to be turning.  “It looks like investors are taking a wait-and-see attitude,” she said.  “Even with fairly stable fundamentals and capital available from institutional investors, it appears investor confidence has declined, and some private investors have had problems obtaining financing.  Commercial real estate investment set a new record in 2007, but now that we’re in a period of economic uncertainty, transaction volume is likely to decline.” 

Investment in commercial real estate in 2007 was $427.2 billion, up 39.2 percent from the previous record of $306.8 billion in 2006; that total does not include transactions valued at less than $5 million or investments in the hospitality sector, based on analysis of data from Real Capital Analytics.  NAR projects the investment dollar volume this year could drop by 30 to 40 percent, comparable to 2006 levels.

The NAR forecast in four major commercial sectors analyzes quarterly data for various tracked metro areas.  The sectors are the office, industrial, retail and multifamily markets.  Historic metro data were provided by Torto Wheaton Research and Real Capital Analytics.

The biggest water user in the home is the toilet. Up to 45% of the water used indoors is flushed down the drain everyday. Cobb County Water System is introducing a toilet rebate program approved by the Board of Commissioners on October 29, 2007. The goal of the program is to provide an incentive for customers in homes built prior to 1993, to retrofit older high flow toilets with new low flow technology. Cobb County Water System also offers customers low flow retrofit kits to help them achieve greater water savings. Please contact the water efficiency program for a retrofit kit. Customers will be eligible to receive rebates for up to 3 toilets per home. If the same brand and model toilets are chosen please fill out one application if different models are chosen fill out one application for each model. This program is available for approved toilets purchased on, or after the Drought level 4 declaration on September 20, 2007.

The program has two rebate options. The first is a $50.00 rebate for the purchase of any approved 1.6 gallon per flush toilet on the approved toilet list. The $50.00 list will be updated every year, coinciding with the annual Maximum Performance Testing.

The second program option is a $100.00 rebate for high efficiency toilets, toilets using 1.28 gallons per flush, which have received the WaterSense Labeling Certification. WaterSense is the Environmental Protection Agency’s labeling program for water efficiency. WaterSense toilets will have the logo on the product. That list will be updated quarterly as WaterSense adds newly qualified products.

For additional questions or information on the toilets please view our Frequently asked questions.

Please submit the original purchase receipt and the application to:

Water Efficiency Program
660 South Cobb Dr.
Marietta, GA 30060

I have found that one of the best tools for helping Buyers with their home search, and it also provides neighborhood information, income information, and school reports is:

http://homes.point2.com/US/Georgia-Real-Estate.aspx

Mortgage interest rates in Georgia are at some of the lowest rates in years, and now is the time to Buy or Invest in Real Estate.  The current huge number of foreclosures and builders that are feeling the pinch, are offering some deals on home in GA that you cannot believe.  In many cases a person can buy a new home in GA cheaper than you can build the house.  Builders and Sellers are taking loses to get their homes SOLD.  I highly recommend placing investments in real estate, now for a long term investment portfolio.
 

•Cumulative monthly 2007 sales of single family detached houses  lag further behind those of 2006 through 4Q 2007

•Full year 2007 sales are -19% below those of 2006 and -20% below those of 2005

•Nationally, home sales are -18% below those of 2006 (NAR)

•2007 monthly sales illustrate the seasonal nature of home sales, with peak sales occurring during spring and summer months

•Sales have run steadily lower than last year in each month of 2007 and the gap increased in December

•December 2007 sales will continue to increase slightly as lag processing catches up, but will remain significantly lower than in either of the last two years

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Faced with growing risks of recession, the Federal Reserve made its second deep interest-rate cut in a week and slashed a key short-term rate by a half-percentage point Wednesday.

U.S. stocks, which had been slightly lower ahead of the announcement, surged on news of the rate cut but ended lower after a volatile final two hours of trading.

The federal funds rate - an overnight bank lending rate that affects how much interest consumers pay on credit cards, home equity lines of credit and auto loans - was cut to 3.0% from 3.5%. The rate had stood at 5.25% only four months ago.

Fed slashes rates to 3.5%

Citing weakening economic outlook, Federal Reserve makes biggest cut in nearly 24 years - three quarters of a point.

January 22 2008: 9:11 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The Federal Reserve slashed two key interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point Tuesday following an unscheduled meeting, citing continued concerns about a weakening economy and turmoil in the financial markets.

The Fed lowered its federal funds rate, which impacts how much consumers pay on credit card debt, home equity lines of credit and auto loans, from 4.25 percent to 3.5 percent. The Fed also lowered its discount rate, which is what it costs banks to borrow directly from the central bank, by three-quarters of a point, to 4 percent.

This was the biggest rate cut by the Fed since October 1984.

“Broader financial market conditions have continued to deteriorate and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households. Moreover, incoming information indicates a deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labor markets,” the Fed said in a statement.

Search and find Georgia homes for sale by Georgia real estate agents - Realtors® who are committed to making the buying of Georgia real estate a pleasant experience. Gain access to Georgia real estate listings through the MLS, Georgia Foreclosures, home values, and Georgia houses for rent. Georgia Realtors® also have information on selling homes plus Georgia neighborhoods including Georgia Schools. Our real estate specialists look forward to helping you with all your Georgia relocation needs.