Archive for April, 2009

Do You Need A Real Estate Agent?

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Real Estate business has seen tremendous growth and so has been the need of Real Estate agent. Today more and more people are getting interested to become home owner and as the demand for real estate need increases the role of Real Estate Agent becomes more important. In the past one agent use to provide services to both seller and buyer but as the real estate market changed people started to realize that specialized service is more logical and beneficial. In Real Estate industry now buyer/seller are looking for specialized agents who can provide specialized related expertise, information and services required to complete the process. When a real estate agent represents both buyer and seller it really restricts agents to provide impartial service to either party.

Let’s look at the both (Seller/Buyer) scenario separately. A real estate agents who is a listing agent of seller has a fiduciary, ethically and moral duty to represent seller only.

By getting Exclusive Right to Sell Listing, the real estate agent is promising seller that he will live no stone unturned to market the home and find the best buyer at maximum possible market value for the home.

As a Buyer’s real estate agent he need to find the right home for buyer along with should all information of the community. When a buyer is exploring to buy a real estate property in new community, he is very much interested to find out several information related to that particular community such as population, crime, climate, schools, traffic, living standards etc. Buyer’s real estate agent should be well informed with all these information so that he can provide that information to buyer. It will be easier for buyer to make the decision based on these information. Once the buyer is ready to buy real estate property in the community then other part of the real estate agent’s duty starts. As buyer’s agent it is his responsibility to find a real estate property, as per buyers requirement. It is also buyer’s real estate agents duty to negotiate the best market price with seller.

So if seller and buyer are represented by their own specialized agent then both agents can play a partial and specialized role for their client..

So it is quite clear that one real estate agent representing both seller and buyer can not justify providing specialized service to both party. Both buyer and seller are in different need of services. That’s why specialized real estate service has become more in demand where buyer/seller can get impartiality specialized service during the process.

Never before has the role of specialists in the world of real estate been more important. With buyers and sellers requiring more services, the industry has seen an explosion of agents who specialize in either the representation of sellers or buyers. These specialist agents can provide a wealth of services and maintain a complete impartiality during the sales process as there is only one client to concern them.

Historically the sales transaction and the concerns of the buyer were the purview of a single realtor. However, as the industry has progressed so have the needs of each party and so the specialist arose. Buyers have some very particular needs, and specifically the need to feel that their best interests are seen to. Listing agents are representatives of the home’s owner and in that role they have a primary responsibility to that owner. How could they properly look after the needs of an interested buyer as well?

So what is it that a buyer’s agent does? Primarily the buyer’s agent will begin with the location of suitable properties for their clients. This is usually based upon a list of requirements and desires that the client has communicated to the agent. They will then arrange viewings and recap their findings with their clients and assist in deciding upon a good candidate for an offer. This will be based on the wealth of community information that a buyer’s agent commands. As specialists, they are experts on their given area which is critical in the education of clients on the areas that they are considering. Once a property is decided upon, the buyer’s agent changes significantly, evolving into an overseer-negotiator role. They will typically coordinate the inspections and conduct the negotiations with the listing agent. This includes the execution of the buyers subjects and the closing of the actual contract.

There is an art to representing a buyer. It is a role that has become ever more crucial in an industry where customer service is the single most important thing that an agent can offer. If you are in the market for a home then the buyer’s agent is the friend that you need to make sure that you are given the service that you deserve.



By: Real Estate Pros

About the Author:

Tips for Choosing a Good Realtor in Dillon Beach

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Deborah asked:


Dillon Beach of Marin County is in the San Francisco-Oakland metro area. It is a sparsely populated quaint fishing village. Dillon Beach resort is the only place of any activity in the village. Generally people from Sacramento valley visit Dillon Beach on weekends, enjoying the rural life and its attendant charm. As anyDillon Beach realtor will tell you, the housing units are shared equally by the residents and visitors owning their second homes who come here to spend the weekends.

The following information gives an insight into the household incomes and ownership patterns at Dillon Beach as per census 2000.

(1) Median household income at Dillon Beach is $47,679 against the national average of $41,994.

(2) Total number of housing units is 403.

(3) Renter occupied units as percentage —- 3.7%

(4) Owner occupied units as percentage —- 32.8%

(5) Rent as a percentage of household revenue is 22% as against the national average of 26%.

(6) Median value of the house unit is $361,900

The following requirements make up a good realtor to be found while dealing with a property at

Dillon Beach

(1) Realtor should protect the interest of the client at all times and treat all clients equally.

(2)Realtor should estimate the market value of the property accurately and not give out a higher or lower value, detrimental to the interest of the client.

(3) Realtor should not mislead the client on the perceived benefits available through them.

(4) Realtor should disclose upfront to the buyer and the seller, in case he represents both of them in the same transaction.

(5)Realtor should submit offers and counter offers as soon as possible and correctly too, until the deal is fully closed to the satisfaction of both the buyer and seller.

(6) Realtor should not reveal confidential information provided by the client to others, use it unfairly and unjustly. They can only reveal on court orders, in case of criminal intention of a client or to defend against wrongful accusation.

(7) All the rights and safety aspects of the property must be competently managed.

(8) Realtor must protect adequately against unforeseen contingencies by anticipating with experience in the real estate trade.

(9) The amount of compensation offered to subagents, buyer agents or brokers should be fully disclosed.

(10)Realtor should disclose the commission structure fully in writing before choosing them.

(11) Realtor should also indicate his personal interest with respect to any property before hand and not mix his personal interest and professional conduct.

(12)Realtor should disclose the financial benefits that accrue to him, while recommending auxiliary services such as home owners insurance, mortgage finance or title insurance.

(13) Realtor should not deny service to anyone because of race, color, religion, *** or nationality.

(14) They should not encourage panic selling and give out the true information as far as possible.

(15) Realtor should not undertake any sale or promotion of a property without any authority.

(16) Realtor should not have faced disciplinary proceedings in more than one Board of Realtors.

Having discussed the requirements of a good realtor, the low level of activity at Dillon Beach, it is necessary to choose the realtor with experience to help you over come the sluggishness in the market and conclude the deal at Dillon Beach with satisfaction.



Caffeinated Content

Myths About Real Estate Agents

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Escapeso Austin Real Estate asked:


There are some myths about real estate agents, many of which not so flattering. But when it comes down to? L, real estate agents no est? No too far out all?, And there is an Explanation? Nl? Gica each misconception. Let 's straightens out myths and facts of a pair. Myth # 1: They have big hair. Fact: Although real estate agents occasionally have big hair, est? m? s regular people who get up in the ma? ana just as you do, and go to work just like you do. Many real estate agents, in fact, stress will be bald any loss of hair related. Same with the dagger-shaped manicure luxury, in actuality, many realtors have bitten his stick down to pieces. Myth # 2: Real estate agents drive luxury cars while talking on their phone? Cellular phones. Fact:? Itâ? s true that real estate agents est? n often trying to do too many things at once, but they like to be careful about? l. And while the Realtors would like to make a good Impresi? No you, often leading Honda and Toyotas and hope their hard work will sell?, Not its Lexus.Myth # 3: estate agents know her? Area. Fact:: Just like normal people, cane estate agents? t know everything. ? Although the Conducció spend time? N around town, they cana? t est? in all places at once, and they themselves probably have preferences for one neighborhood against another. Make clear to your agent qu? a little? area you want to live in, and? l can help you look inside that secci? n the city. Myth # 4: Real estate agents live outside of time. Fact: Realtors have lives too? N, and those lives happen to occur in the same realm f? Psycho who do theirs. While it might seem like an extra piece go? Or disproportionate time talking with you, est? No really trying to be as time-conscious as possible, so that you can move m? Sr? Pidamente home and can move m? sr? pidamente the help of her next customer. Myth # 5: Real estate agents just want your money. Fact: Qu? estate agents really want is a life f? cyl. ? Want to help you find a home you love, and want to do their (often small: o) bitten off by the commission? N it (and that?? S for sale, not out of pocket) . They do not want your soul or your firstborn, just some patience, considerations? N, and a home-buying experience positive for everyone.

real estate

Property Management 101

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Kamyar Shah asked:


The idea of property management (sometimes referred to as 3rd party management) has been around since the dawn of time. But, before property management was a job or career, a title or a company, property management has been an action that many people attended to around the land or buildings that they owned themselves or leased from someone else. Property management can mean different things to different people. For some, property management might mean keeping their own property safe, secure and pleasant to the eye. For others, property management could mean paying someone else to make sure your property is in tip top shape. Some types of properties that may need property management are; houses, condos, duplexes, town homes, apartments, shopping centers, malls, offices buildings, airports and public transportation buildings, hospitals and many more. Property management is very similar to the role of management in any business.

One important role that property management has is to act as the middle person between the tenant and the property management landlord. Property management should provide the property management landlord with a sense of security, knowing that everyday needs from the renter can be resolved without involving said property management landlord unnecessarily. Hand and hand with that security, the tenant can be assured that the property will be maintained to some set of standards which can be reviewed with the property management team before an agreement is reached. Property management is a delicate balance between pleasing the property management landlord and keeping the renter happy as well. The task of property management can prove to be harder than it sounds. Maintaining an open line of communication in property management and being able to address the needs of both property management parties will make a successful property management business. Other duties for property management but are not limited to; collecting rent, posting and showing vacancies, maintenance issues, evictions, failure to pay rent issues, harassment, and background checks on the application forms. It is very important that a profitable property management staff or team be knowledgeable in the current laws of the city, state and county concerning tenant rights vs. landlord rights. Be sure your property management team is up to date on current property management codes, and other items that will benefit your property management business. Getting caught up in property management legal matters is no way to run a property management business.

The following is the definition of property managers/property management as posted by Wikipedia on their website. Property management is a person or firm responsible for the operation of a real estate property for a fee, when the owner of the property cannot or is not interested in managing the property themselves. The property manager or the property management company has a primary responsibility to the landlord and a secondary responsibility to the tenant. Relationships the property manager or property management team have with the landlord and with the tenant are crucial in forming the expectations of both parties to the lease since both parties will seek and expect certain rights and benefits out of it. Owner’s expectations from the property manager/ property management team are to carry out the owner’s instructions, control costs and maximize revenue to maintain a stabilized cash flow as a return on capital invested, exercise control over the building to safeguard the capital invested, provide a duty of care through proper maintenance of the building, to be professional and well informed, enhance the value of the property by making improvements that will increase its market value, retain and enhance pride of ownership. The tenant’s expectations from the property manager/ property management team are the “quiet enjoyment” ‘assurance of the use and enjoyment of the premises for the intended purposes without interference from the landlord, comforta living environment properly heated, cooled and ventilated with as many amenities as possible compatible with the rental level, security and safetyto live or work in a building in which there are no inherent defects or conditions that might be hazardous to health or to property, statusaccommodation and facilities that meet social-economic and cultural standards for the tenant’s and their guest.

Property management can be a very lucrative business when handled correctly. Property management takes an organized, well communicated, and dedicated individual or staff to be able to pull off a successful property management company. Typically property management companies will charge their landlords a percentage of the gross rent collected each month. This percentage for property management fees can range from 3 to 10% depending on the property management market. Sometimes a flat fee is more appropriate when the property is a condominium or a type of cooperative complex for property management. Some states might require that property managers have a property management license or a real estate license to be able to claim the title of property manager or property management business.

A cousin to property management is facility management. Facility management is like property management but the focus is the management of buildings and services. One definition from a large facility/property management association says, “A profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology.” Australians prefer the term: Commercial Services to property management, this term replaces facilities management in some organizations. Besides keeping the property up to date, commercial services can also include duties such as waste disposal, parking, security, landscaping and more.

A homeowner may provide his or her own property management, but property management is not limited to the duties of house cleaning, lawn care and landscaping, building maintenance, trash and waste disposal and interior upkeep. Property management can be all of these, and can be hired out to a professional that can provide better property management services than the homeowner can or would provide themselves. These property management services come with a price and if the homeowner is willing to pay for outside property management, the sky is the limit on what they can have managed. Some property management companies even manage home owners associations (HOAs). In this instance the property management company is the middle person between the homeowners and the land developer. Once the developer has completed his contracted tasks, the neighborhood is then turned over to the HOA. The property management company may stay on board for a fee to help the HOA. A landlord may also provide property management services himself or have it hired out to a property management company. A large company or corporation might have internal structures in place to provide property management on site or they may choose to hire an outside property management company to provide the property management services that they would need on a day to day basis. Both of these operations are a reasonable and effective way to tackle the issue of property management on a large scale.

With the world of technology growing everyday, it makes perfect sense to have applicable property management software and property management computer systems that deal with property management in place to help with property management or facility management. You can have your home wired and programmed to turn the lights on and off when entering a room. Constant temperature and humidity levels can be monitored along with major appliance functions. Watering of lawns and security systems has become high tech and available to the everyday homeowner who wants property management. Some passenger vehicles now include a “remote” that when programmed can turn the lights on, turn the TV on your favorite station and more, all from the comforts of your car. Heaven forbid you will have to walk into your dark and quite home. Home builders, architects and engineers saw the potential for using large scale property management ideas in the home. Beyond the home, large commercial properties, computer aided facility management (CAFM) has been a natural progression of the marriage between technology and facility/ property management. In the late 1980′s CAFM evolved to allow larger properties to manage their property management sites more efficiently. Most often, CAFM systems track and maintain; floor plans, LAN and telecom information, business continuity and safety information, workplace assets, employee and occupancy data, building and property information and space characteristics and usage. Being able to supervise the goings on of your with a property management company in an efficient and well structured way will help your property management bottom line.

If you need information about property management, the internet is a great place to start.



Caffeinated Content for WordPress