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September 2018

Signs of a bad realtor

7 Things Real Estate Agents Must Do For Sellers

 1000 500 Sam Radbil
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You need to be able to spot the signs of a bad Realtor when you see them. It’s a must!

Signs of a bad realtor

You can be paying big money to your listing broker when your home sells. If your property goes for $400,000, brokers could get $24,000. Sure, the listing broker will share commissions with the buyer’s agent, but still, that’s a lot of money. Because your Realtor is going to handsomely profit from his or her work, you can expect your agent to do the following.

Signs of a Bad Realtor #1: Doesn’t Correctly Price the Home

Your agent needs to have total local market knowledge and needs to know the price range where your home will sell. There is nothing worse than riding down the market as buyers wait for you to continually lower the listing amount of your over-priced home. Don’t think that Joe Smith—the guy that sold grandma’s condo in the suburbs—is automatically going to know how much your downtown unit is worth, unless he can prove that he understands your local market.

Signs of a Bad Realtor #2: Doesn’t Do A Great Marketing Job

Your expert should not be showing signs of a bad Realtor. Instead, they should use every available too to sell your home. Facebook, MLS of course, Craigslist, his or her network of brokers, Pinterest and any other Internet based platforms need to be used. Any postings and listings must be accompanied by great photos and excellent descriptions. If you have already moved, and your property is vacant, your agent needs to help you with staging. Signs of a bad realtor would include an agent that seems lazy and not Internet savvy.

Signs of a Bad Realtor #3: Does NOT Properly Communicate

Sellers are naturally hyper, and a good Realtor will inform them of his or her availability and communication preferences. If you aren’t presented with something like this right away, you maybe should look for another agent:

“I am available seven days a week by email, phone and/or text. If you contact me before 4:00 p.m., I promise to return your inquiry within four hours. If you contact me after 4:00 p.m., I will be in touch by noon the next day.”

Signs of a bad Realtor would be an agent that doesn’t return calls for days.

Signs of a Bad Realtor #4: Doesn’t Ensure That the Buyer is Qualified

DIY home sellers often make the rookie mistake of taking an offer without vetting the buyer. This can tie up a property for 30 days or more. Your agent needs to make sure that all offers to be considered are from bank pre-qualified buyers, or those that can show they have cash.

For Sale Sign

Signs of a Bad Realtor #5: Poor Negotiation Skills

Think about it — if you and the buyer are $5000 apart on a $400,000 transaction, that $5000 only means an additional $300 in commission for the brokers. The brokers, at that point, may just want to get the deal done and collect their $24,000 commission, and they would probably sacrifice $300 to be able to move on. You, on the other hand, may need that $5000, and a good broker will represent your interest, not his or hers.

Commission Breakdown

Signs of a bad Realtor would be an agent that puts pressure on you to quickly agree to a lower offer.

Signs of a Bad Realtor #6: Doesn’t Attend the Home Inspection

The home inspection carries a lot of weight, and you need to be represented at the inspection. That way, you’ll know what the inspector sees as problems before he sends his report to the buyer. It is better to be surprised early than at the last minute.

Signs of a Bad Realtor #7: Can’t Finalize Loose Ends for Closing

Hearing the words “clear to close” is a great thing, and your agent should be with you every step of the way to help make this happen. He or she needs to be in constant contact with the buyer’s broker, the title company, the bank, and the inspector.

Closing on your house

You’ve made a wise decision if you have hired a Realtor during the home buying process —just make sure you and your broker agree upon expectations.

First Time Home Buyer Checklist

First Time Home Buyer Checklist: 15 Quick Tips

 1000 500 Sam Radbil
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You’re going to get a lot of advice thrown at you as you attempt to purchase your fist home. Financing, inspections, Realtors, credit scores and many more similar issues will need to be dealt with. First, however, check out the following 15 tips on our first time home buyer checklist:

First Time Home Buyer Checklist

1) Is Real Estate Recession Proof?

First Time Home Buyer Checklist Recession

No, it’s not. If you buy at the top of the market, realize that you may not be able to turn around a year later and make a profit or even get your money out if the economy has tanked. Sure, if you wait long enough things might turn around, but if you need your money quickly in a bad economy, realize that a reasonable sale might take quite a while to consummate.

2) HOA

Thought HOAs were just for those that bought condos? Think again, as buying into a deed restricted community governed by an HOA may mean that you can’t paint your house purple—even if you own it outright. This is an important piece of the first time home buyer checklist. Don’t forget about extra fees!

HOA

3) I Qualified for a $450,000 loan

That’s great, but it doesn’t mean that you have to stretch your budget and buy a $450,000 home. Buy only what you can afford, and don’t pay attention to any higher amount that you have qualified for.

4) Good Money

First time home buyer checklist number four — beware of exotic low-interest, no-interest or no down-payment loans as these can be costly in the future.

5) Check Those Renovations

You may be a woodworking DIY person, but you certainly don’t want to inherit the first-time renovations from the previous accountant owner that couldn’t figure out how to use a reciprocating saw.

6) Location

Pick your location first, and then your home. A perfect home in a bad location really isn’t a perfect home.

7) DIY

If the home your want does need repairs and you are handy, DIY in this case may be a good option. Just make sure you know what you are doing. And of course, a fixer-upper can be purchased at a better price.

8) School District

Unless you are considering private schools, make sure you properly vet the neighborhood schools before you make any offers. Consider using a tool like Niche to find the best schools in your neighborhood or city.

School District

9) Survey

Tell your Realtor you want a current property survey. This will accurately map the borders of your property and help avoid disputes later.

10) Good Inspection

Don’t look at the inspection as possible impediment to closing. A good inspector may find enough things wrong so that you will want to walk away from the deal.

11) Negotiate

Negotiate like you don’t care if you get the house or not. Sure, this is easier said than done, but great negotiators always operate this way.

12) Yard

If the yard is really ugly and you don’t want to rejuvenate it yourself, consider asking the seller to provide a landscaping credit.

Landscape for First Time Home Buyer

13) Low-balling

Don’t look at every home as an opportunity to offer $50,000 less than the asking price. First the sellers—and then your Realtor—will not take you seriously after you establish a pattern of this behavior.

14) Building Plans

Go to the city hall and check upcoming building plans. That way you won’t be surprised when that great park-like open field a block away becomes a 300-unit apartment complex.

15) Extra Cash

Don’t walk away from your closing with the key and no cash left because unforeseen expenses can be counted upon. If we all could make free money, this wouldn’t be an issue, but you need to be careful.

Remember, your first home is a big deal, and we hope our first time home buyer checklist has brought some important points to your attention. And if you are turned down by the bank, don’t give up. Contact us and we will let you know how we can help.

Minnesota Homes For Sale

Minnesota Homes For Sale: September Updates

 1000 500 Sam Radbil
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It’s hard enough to ascertain exactly where a certain real estate market is headed, and with the wide variety of sources available, it’s equally difficult to distill those in order to make informed decisions. We’ll try and help you understand the current Minnesota real estate market and Minnesota homes for sale.

Minnesota Interest Rates

Minnesota Homes for SaleIt’s obvious that the Fed’s policy of keeping interest rates low has revived the housing market. Two years ago, you could still get a rate just at or even below four percent if you had excellent credit. Look at this chart to see the effect of a one percent mortgage rate difference:

You can see that a one percent rate increase on a $200,000 home loan costs almost $100 per month. Do the math any figure the costs for more expensive homes, and you will easily view the worrisome effect that higher interest rates cause.

Interest Rate Prediction

Home Interest Minnesota Real Estate

Our friends at Kiplinger tell us:

“The Federal Reserve is committed to raising short-term rates this year and next because it’s concerned about the tightening labor market. The Fed very much wants to stay ahead of any inflation that rising wages may generate and will lift short-term rates by a quarter of a percentage point twice more this year after doing so in June. That would put the federal funds’ rate at 2.5% heading into 2019, when another three increases are expected.”

These increases will trickle down to mortgage rates, and those looking for Minnesota homes for sale will see increases beyond these current rates:

Minnesota Mortgage Rates as of September 6, 2018
TERM RATE CHANGE LAST WEEK
30-year fixed mortgage rate 4.43% 0.02 4.41%
15-year fixed mortgage rate 3.90% 0.01 3.89%
5/1 ARM mortgage rate 4.16% 0.01 4.17%
30-year fixed jumbo mortgage rate 4.53% 0.05 4.48%
30-year fixed refinance rate 4.43% 0.03 4.40%

When the mortgage interest rate reaches five percent, this can cause Minnesota home buyers to take a step back and maybe consider staying where they are or renting.

In addition, a recent Minnesota Star Tribune article said that any price relief will have to wait until 2020:

“Relief is on its way for home buyers in the Twin Cities and beyond who are frustrated by a lack of house listings and lightning-fast sales, according to a survey of housing experts. But they will have to wait until at least 2020. That’s when experts see key indicators in the housing market tilting toward buyers. ‘Conditions are starting to show signs of easing up, but the effects of years of limited construction still linger,’ said Zillow senior economist Aaron Terrazas, cautioning that any shift will be modest. ‘Inventory is still falling on an annual basis, and home values are growing well above their historic pace.’”

Minnesota Homes for Sale: The Alternatives

So, if you are looking for Minnesota homes for sale, you’ll find a torrid market where the median home price may soon reach $300,000. Many in your position may decide to wait out this era of rapid increases and, as we previously mentioned, think about staying put or renting. Our friends at Abodo tell us this about the Minnesota rental market:

A one-bedroom apartment in St. Paul now averages $1020, and a two bedroom is priced at $1256. Both of these median prices are little changed from last month. While the nationwide rental market has shown an uptick since July, it can still be cheaper in some locations to rent rather than buy–more about this in an upcoming post.

It Can Be a Challenge

Finding your home can be stressful and financing it can be even more challenging. At C4D, our goal is to see you become a homeowner with a good, solid traditional loan. Sometimes, however, this just doesn’t work, but through our expert use of MN contract for deed, we get people into homes and put them onto the path of rewarding home ownership. Turned down at the bank? Be sure to contact us because we have helped lots of persons with credit issues ranging from divorce and job loss to bankruptcy and foreclosure.

Fiberglass Roofing

The Benefits of Fiberglass Roofing for Your Garage

 1000 500 Sam Radbil
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A new generation of flat roofing is taking over the property market and it goes above and beyond anything else that has come before it. Fiberglass roofing exceeds all the benefits of previous roofing materials; it is the answer to leaking felt roofs, it is the permanent solution to your flat roofing problem, and it even allows for easy installation. For many of you who do non-stop home repairs after you purchase your first home on contract for deed, this concept might be extremely useful.

If you’ve never heard of fiberglass roofing, or (even worse) you’ve heard of it but never considered it for your garage, why not? This roofing system has been rapidly growing in popularity all over the country and it’s not hard to see why. In this article we’re going to be looking at what a fiberglass roof is and why you need one.

A Few Facts About Fiberglass Roofing

fiberglass roofing is the next best thing, it’s cool, it’s in, and there are so many reasons homeowners love it! But what exactly is fiberglass roofing? Well,fiberglass roofing is a lightweight but strong material that is resistant to the weather, temperature changes, corrosion, and damage. Not only can fiberglass roofing be easily moulded to suit any roof shape, but it is also extremely easy to maintain.

Where Did Fiberglass Originate from?

fiberglass was a material first used in the marine industry to build boats, but has since proved its versatility in numerous areas, including construction and flat roofing! This amazing material has benefitted the construction industry in so many ways and since it’s potential has been recognized, it has been transforming households across the country.

Quick Fiberglass Roofing Tips

Another really great thing about fiberglass roofing is that you don’t necessarily have to pay for installation costs! Instead, you can now get your very own fiberglass roofing kit and follow the fiberglass roofing process online to lay your very own garage roof. But before you make a start, here are a few quick fiberglass roofing tips:

  • Be sure to check the weather forecast before starting to lay a fiberglass roof as it is essential it is done in dry weather conditions.
  • Also, do not install your fiberglass roof when it is too cold as the resin and topcoat will not cure properly – leaving you with a badly installed roof.
  • If, while you’re installing your fiberglass roof, it starts to rain – stop straight away and cover the roof to avoid any damage.

These are just a few quick tips, but they will save you plenty of time and ensure you end up with a beautifully completed roof that looks like its been laid by a professional.

What are the Benefits?

So, you’re thinking about installing fiberglass benefits and while we’ve explained a few of the basics, why exactly do you need a fiberglass roof? What are the benefits? Well, below are some of the most popular benefits of fiberglass roofing that help explain why this product has spread so rapidly in popularity over the years.

Fiberglass Roofing is Lightweight: There is not much that is better than installing a new roof that is extremely lightweight. Many roofing materials are heavy and difficult for roofers or homeowners to carry and install. What’s more, the weight of roofing products can be a safety concern for many. So, the benefit of a lightweight roofing material like fiberglass cannot be understated.

Fiberglass Roofing is Durable: When it comes to a good roofing material, we all want something that is durable. And one of the main reasons homeowners are choosing fiberglass is because it has a reputation for strength and durability. What’s more, if you hire a professional roofer to do all the hard work for you, your roof will remain durable for many years to come.

Fiberglass Roofing has No Joints: Joints are a problem when it comes to roofing and can cause issues such as cracking, leaking, water damage restoration, and more. One of the significant benefits is that it has no joints – making it a fantastic roofing material to apply in liquid form. This allows for a seamless finish unlike any other.

Repairs are Made Easy: This roofing is fantastic for easy repairs. This material is not only versatile but it allows for repairs to be carried out easily and to a very high standard without interrupting the daily routine of your life. When it comes to roofing, what could be better than that?

Fiberglass Roofing Looks Great

Probably the main reason people purchase this roofing is that it looks fantastic. This roofing material is very aesthetically pleasing and provides your garage with a level of style other homes on your street have yet to achieve.

How Long Does Fiberglass Roofing Last?

So, the final reason you need to purchase and install this roofing on your garage is that it lasts a very long time. In fact, if professionally fitted by roofing experts, this roofing will last for at least 25 years! That’s phenomenal and certainly cuts down home maintenance costs significantly.

If you’re looking for a home to implement fiberglass roofing, but you’re struggling to find financing, then contact us today and let’s get started!