If someone told you that you could sell your Houston home faster using one, simple rule, would you sit up and listen? Chances are you would! After all, the last thing you need to worry about when selling your home is actually selling your home!
The secret to selling your home isn’t such a secret at all; it just begins and ends with a great realtor. But it’s not about just any great realtor; it’s about an Internet savvy realtor.
Q: What does it mean to be an Internet savvy realtor?
A: An Internet savvy realtor, in short, is a realtor who understands and appreciates the fact that most buyers today search for homes on the Internet. A realtor can be experienced, educated, and familiar with the local real estate market, but if he doesn’t have a presence on the Internet, chances are you are missing out on a key number of buyers; buyers who are ready to purchase your home!
The Internet today is a wealth of information for buyers. In fact, it is quite easy to find all the information needed just by searching the Internet. Most real estate sites have easy-to-use search engines, for example, that put homes for sale in front of them in just a minute or two. If your home isn’t on the top of the list, chances are it is getting overlooked among other homes for sale in your area.
Q: How do I know if my realtor is Internet-savvy?
A: The best place to start is to simply perform a web search on your realtor’s name. Does her properties show up? Does the search take you to her website, Facebook page or Twitter account? If not then your realtor probably doesn’t have a strong presence on the Internet. Do another search on homes in your area. Which realtors are at the top of the search engine? Chances are those are the ones you should consider using to sell your home.
Q: What kind of questions should I be asking my realtor?
A: When interviewing realtors to sell your home, it is always a good idea to ask them how they will market your home. An Internet savvy realtor will likely first mention his Internet marketing strategies, while a realtor without an Internet presence will likely mention other marketing avenues first. It is important to understand that, not only are buyers turning to the Internet to search for homes, the most serious buyers are almost always using the Internet as their source for real estate information. In other words, if your realtor isn’t Internet savvy, you could be missing out on attracting the most serious buyers in the market.
Before you sign a contract with any realtor, make sure the realtor understands the importance and value you are placing on an Internet presence. Make sure the realtor uses a number of Internet strategies, and make sure your realtor keeps in contact with you regarding his Internet marketing efforts along the way.
The FBI, and the US attorney general have been on a mission since 2005 to arrest, and convict any person involved in committing fraud by deception when it comes to home loans. Even though a homebuyer has nothing to do with the scheme that many mortgage brokers are a part of, they can lose their homes all the same. There might even be some jail time involved until it can be proven that the consumer had nothing to do with the crime in the first place. It is unfortunate that this happens to unsuspecting people looking to buy their next or even first home, but greed is the deciding factor when it comes to any white-collar crime.
Well you are not alone with this issue, and many people would love to move out their apartment, or rented home, and start living that “American Dream”, of being a bona-fide homeowner. There are many reasons that people are not qualifying for home mortgages in the Harris County and surrounding areas right now, and some consumers will have multiple reasons preventing them from buying their dream home. There is a huge inventory of available homes all over the Metroplex, but even lowering the prices on them does not seem to make them move any faster to a sale.
Growing up North, I’ve always been fond of residential suburbia, which greatly defers from subdivision living encountered upon moving to newer and expanding locations, such as, Houston. However, the growing trend in housing is “master planned communities”, which according to Chris Fiscelli writing in Reason Public Policy Institute, are “suburbia’s response to the boring, cookie-cutter, detached globs of housing that still make up much of America’s suburban nation”. The distinguishing markers of a master planned community are as follows; golf courses, expansive parks with bike paths and jogging trails, and even community clubhouses with recreational facilities, such as, pools and spas. So it seems that just as Americans are demanding more amenities and luxuries in their everyday products i.e.; cars, cell phones, we are now requiring our neighborhoods to supply an abundance of recreational amenities from which to choose but how do you know which community works best for you and your family?