Milwaukee and Waukesha Area Home Sales for Spring of 2009

The home sales market is rebounding in the Milwaukee area. January and February of 2009 have seen a high volume of sales in foreclosures. The first week of April has seen an increase in sales in suburban homes under $200,000. This has been achieved with little or no government involvement.

Past years have shown, prices will increase as new listings enter the market in early spring with moderate or high sales figures. The Greater Milwaukee area has experienced price increases averaging 8% for five consecutive years ranging from 2002 to 2007. From 2007 to 2008 Wisconsin has shown a 1% increase in overall pricing. Many sellers are waiting for the first sign of a turn around in prices. When this happens, many sellers will list their homes at prices above market value. If sales continue to increase, so will prices. Sellers will be like a person coming up out of a pool of water. After holding their breath for such a long time they will be trying to gather as much in one breath as they can. Any good news in home sales will bring out sellers, marketing properties at higher prices with the mind set of, "if I sell at this price, great, if not, I'll take it off the market."

With higher priced homes entering the market, other sellers may be less willing to negotiate.

Prices can vary drastically from neighborhood to neighborhood. A quick and easy indicator can be found in the use of an MLS Portal. This is an easy to use web based program provided by the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors through the local MLS. Information on homes in the areas you are interested in are automatically send to you via e-mail. The Portal keeps a collection of these listings so they can be viewed at any time. Status changes are also recorded on this Portal. When a listing receives an accepted offer a little yellow tag is attached to the listing. The status also changes when the listing is sold, expires or is withdrawn.

In the past few weeks we have seen accepted offers in numbers not seen over the past 18 months of the economic turn down. Lower list prices and interest rates have created a large number of appealing bargains on the market.

If you do not have the use of an MLS Portal, let me know and I can set one up for you. This will be the easiest way for you to keep an eye on the market where you are most interested. This will give you the ability to witness local trends.

For more information please feel free to contact Dennis Herman of Realty Executives 414-426-1784 or visit my Web Site at Ez1Realty.net

Why Pay for a Foreclosure List?

If you are looking at foreclosures you may have searched for them on the Internet. Chances are you have seen pictures of homes, looking like mansions at unbelievable prices. Remember the old saying, "if it looks too good to be true...."

Many of these sites use trade mark names but have no affiliation with these nationally known businesses. What does that tell you about these companies? Do you want to know the truth about foreclosed properties? Lenders owning these properties are doing all they can to market these properties so they can sell them as quickly as possible. All foreclosed properties are listed with a local Real Estate Broker. Information about foreclosed properties is free!!!

Answering ads on Internet sites offering foreclosures can be risky, you never know who is on the other end and where they are located. The National Association of Realtors sends notices of the scams on the Internet. It is easy for scam artists to copy information from any ad and paste it into their web site. To avoid these scams follow these general rules.

Do not contact any company that does not clearly state the name of the company, address and phone number. BY LAW ALL LICENSED REAL ESTATES AGENTS MUST CLEARLY STATE THEIR NAME, THE NAME OF THE BROKER AND THEIR PHONE NUMBER. If you do not see this information CLEARLY stated, you are not viewing an ad or web site for a licensed Real Estate Agent.
Contact only local agents since these are the only agents that will be able to assist you. They can send you listings and set up appointments to see the properties. Provide your local agent information on the type of property you are looking for and your preferred location. They will provide you information about listings in your area for free.

Never pay a fee!!! I have never heard of a licensed Real Estate Agent charging a fee to show a property.

Foreclosed properties never provide complete information on a property, so you have to call an agent, set an appointments and view properties. You will have the option to hire a state licensed inspector after an accepted offer is signed. A state licensed inspector will provide you with a list of the property defects. After receiving this list you may have a choice to go on with the purchase or cancel the contract. You will have to pay for an inspection. You local Real Estate Agent may be able to provide you with a list of local inspectors.

I wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. You can obtain a free list of foreclosed properties from any local Real Estate Agent. This information is public and FREE. If anyone wants to charge for this information, do not reply, delete the e-mail, close the Internet window or hang up the phone. Don't even consider sharing any information if there is a chance of a fee being charged.

For more information please feel free to contact Dennis Herman of Realty Executives 414-426-1784 or visit my Web Site at Ez1Realty.net

How to choose a great Real Estate Agent to List your Home

How to choose a great Real Estate Agent. I always say, “we could have the easiest job in the world if everyone would do their job.” That goes beyond Real Estate Agents. To bring a transaction to a successful closing it takes a team effort. There are normally two Real Estate Agents, one for the seller and one for the Buyer. There is also a lender for the buyer. Additionally there are title companies, an appraiser, in most cases an inspector, and of course there is the seller and the buyer. Each has at least one job to do. You are asking about information on the Real Estate agent that will represent you, the seller, so I will concentrate on that area.

Think about this statement; the Real Estate agent will represent you. Which means they will be the first contact in every step of the transaction. That should give you a clue as to what to look for in choosing a personality that will best reflect your goals. If you want to sell quick at any price you may want an aggressive Agent. If you want an agent that will negotiate for top dollar you may want an agent with a more persuasive personality. One that will be more low key, that always has a plan B and C in place ahead of time, a personality that attracts people.

Choose a personality that you will get along with.

Choose an Agent that will present your property and interests in a professional manner.

What are their marketing skills? What imaginative marketing have they used for problem listings in the past?

Do not be hasty to sign with the Agent promising the highest list price. You set the price, they sell the property. Three major conditions will determine how quickly your house will sell. They are location, condition and price.

Look for an Agent that is open and honest with you. Unless your house is mutinously maintained, has all the major updates and is spotless inside and out, a good agent should provide ideas for improvements to prepare your property for showings. Pay attention to how they handle this situation. Chances are if they are rough and vague in their communication they will also extend this type of personality to other agents and buyers. Listen and pay attention to how they explain the defects they find in your property. Attention to detail is an important trait in a good Agent.

After taking the Agent through your home ask them how they would show your home. Chances are they will not be viewing other homes for buyers before they take them on a showing. For most agents the first time they see a home is when they walk through the door with the buyer. Agents have to train themselves to think quick and point out the best aspects of the property. After looking at your home they should have a mental picture of how to present your home to buyers. Ask them to take you on a tour of your house and pretend you are a buyer. This will show you how quickly they are able to think on their feet.

The best agents will ask you to go out and see other houses in the neighborhood. This will give you a chance to size up the competition. Think about it, this is the only way to set a logical market price on your property. You cannot judge the condition of the competition based on paperwork. I have never sold a single property based on looking at the computer screen or a printed copy of the spec sheet. Every property I have sold has been viewed by the buyer. They have to walk through a property to determine the value. Every buyer I have worked with has viewed a number of properties before they felt comfortable with a price. Why would you set a price on your property without having personally viewed other neighborhood on the area? This is what every buyer is going to do before making an offer.

Experience may not be a determining factor when choosing an Agent. The Internet has been the preferred method for home shopping for years. Make sure you choose an Agent that is familiar with the use of the Internet and has control of their own web site. Ask where they will be advertising your listing. Many of the younger agents may be better at using the Internet because that is all they have known. They do not have old habits to break. Look for an Agent that has a knowledge of this new technology. You may want to ask them how this has changed their business plan and what changes they see for the future.

Take notes. It is easy to confuse agents and issues after listening to them talk for some time. This is part of what they do for a living.

Question the commission. A smaller company may be able to give you the same or better service at a lower price than a larger company. The size of the company may seem like security for some but Real Estate Agents do not pose a threat of losing your money as a company doing repairs on your home. In Wisconsin, Brokers will not generally ask for any money up front. In all the cases I have seen the commission is paid at closing. The only exception I have seen is the for sale by owner, where the Brokers require an upfront fee paid for their services.


For more information please feel free to contact Dennis Herman of Realty Executives 414-426-1784 or visit my Web Site at Ez1Realty.net

10 Ways to Become a Billionaire

1. Find someone with 2 billion dollars and ask them for half.

2. Get a paper route and deliver 4 billion papers at a quarter a piece.

3. Get a job paying $20 an hour and work 50 million hours or 24,038 years.

4. Become a Real Estate Agent and sell $41,666,666,000 worth of Real Estate.

5. Win 10 lotteries worth 10 million dollars or 20 lotteries after taxes.

6. Have 5787 babies and collect $800 a month disability from each kid for 18 years.

7. Retire and collect $1200 a month social security for 83,333 years.

8. Recycle 2.5 billion pounds of aluminum cans at 40 cents a pound.

9. Get elected president of the United States for 625 terms. That is 2500 years at $400,000 per year.

The easiest way to become a billionaire.

10. Become the CEO of one of the eight financial institutions asking for government money. This requires no skill and the least amount of effort. Not including number 1 above. If this pay is restricted see number 9 above.

Kitchen Saver

Kitchen Saver, Inc.
6351 West North Ave.
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
Phone: 414-453-4220
Web Site: WWW.KitchenSaver.net

When you visit Kitchen Saver you know you are in the presence of extraordinary selection, value and service. With 22 years of experience, Kitchen Saver specializes in kitchen and bath remodeling. From completely new or custom cabinets to refacing in solid hardwoods or durable Formica, Kitchen Saver does it all.

Kitchen Savers is a family owned business, providing a high level of quality service the old fashion way. All of the work, from design to installation, is completed by their own in house crews. They do not subcontract any of the services they provide. This allows them to maintain a high degree of quality control, reduce time of installation, and ensure a happy and satisfied customer. Kitchen Saver can give your kitchen or bathroom a totally new updated look in as little as one to two days.

Kitchen Saver takes pride in the constantly growing selection of products they provide. New cabinets or refacing can be done in any imaginable size and color. Custom colors are also available. Increased functionality is created by installing new organizational items such as tilt-out sink panels, lazy susans or pivot and pull units, trash roll-out systems and new under mount glide drawer boxes. Counter tops are available in a variety of materials including granite, marble, cultured marble, engineered stone, Corian®, Zodiaq® and laminate, which come in thousands of colors. There is almost no limit to the choices of faucets and fixtures to complete your new kitchen or bathroom. And brands such as Kohler, Moen, Delta and Grohe to ensure quality and dependability for years to come. Flooring also comes in many choices like solid hardwoods, engineered flooring, Dura Ceramic, Wilsonart Laminates, ceramic tile, vinyl and bamboo, to name a few.

Bathroom choices consist of a fantastic array of vanities, sinks, fixtures, floors, lighting, toilets, tubs and showers to fulfill every desire and budget. Bathrooms can be easily updated with a tub insert and wall system or completely remodeled with the latest designer fixtures, colors and textures.

Kitchen Saver is a Specialty Plus designated retailer for Dupont® Corian® and Zodiac® products. This is Dupont’s way of rewarding companies for extraordinary customer service and innovative design. They are also a member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Metropolitan Builders Association (MBA), and the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI).

References are gladly provided in your neighborhood from the thousands of satisfied customers in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington and Waukesha Counties. From the Wauwatosa location they serve the communities of Milwaukee, Menomonee Falls, Germantown, Franklin, West Allis, Brookfield, Grafton, Slinger, Waukesha, Brown Deer, Greenfield, Glendale, Greendale, Oak Creek, Lannon, Muskego, New Berlin, Mequon and every city, town and village in between.

Stop in or call Kitchen Saver to talk with one of the in-house designers to discuss your needs. They are specialists at supplying the greatest value for every budget. Put a smile on your kitchen.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

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Random Lake PC Repair LLC

Random Lake PC Repair LLC
124 Deppiesse Road
Random Lake, WI

Peter Batha
Phone 414.208.4150
E-mail Peter
Web Site http://randompcrepair.com/index.php

Random Lake PC Repair excels in PC repair at a reasonable price. Any computer will be repaired for $90 or less in labor costs plus parts and shipping whether it is picked up or dropped off. Random Lake PC provides in home service for easy tasks such as memory installation. Worried about the cost of parts? This is where Random Lake PC rises above the competition. Random Lake PC has an extensive collection of suppliers to provide you with the parts you require at the lowest possible cost. You will only be charged for the actual cost of parts and shipping plus the $90 or less labor charge. Any additional costs will always be discussed and authorized by the customer before parts are ordered. Already have the parts but not sure about disassembling your computer? You have just found your computer repair shop. It cannot get any easier than that. Reliability, integrity and value are Random Lake PC’s greatest assets.

Many problems are caused by computer viruses. These can be removed and in most cases, the information on the hard drive can be recovered.

No job is too big or too small, from personal residential service to supplying major installations, disc clean up, memory upgrades and virus removal on multiple business computers.

Random Lake PC can custom build a single computer or multiple computers for business applications to customer specifications. This includes set up and software installation. Call to discuss your needs.

Considering a wireless home network? This can become confusing. You will need a number of items including a modem, router and possibly adapters. A modem is usually supplied by the cable, satellite or phone company providing Internet service. Which service is better, cable, satellite or DSL from the phone company? Is it better to rent a modem or purchase your own? Most laptops come ready to receive wireless service while PC’s may need an adapter. If you have any questions call for a free consultation that could save you hundreds of dollars.

Visit Random Lake PC’s web site where you will find tips on computer use, maintenance and links to free software.

Random Lake PC Repair serves Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Sheboygan and Washington Counties. Pick up is also available in eastern Waukesha County for Brookfield and Menomonee Falls. Random Lake PC Repair is owned and operated by Peter Batha. Peter has been working on computers for 11 years and started his business in 2008. Peter also is active in the Seventh-day Adventist church he attends in Waukesha. Additionally Peter is responsible planning, upgrading and maintenance of all communication and computer equipment, as the Information Technology (IT) Administrator, at the SDA school on Mill Road in Milwaukee.

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Menomonee Falls Thai Asian Market

Thai Asian Market N56W14108 Silver Spring Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 Phone 262-373-1412 If you have driven past the new shopping center on the corner of Silver Spring and Lily Road in Menomonee Falls you may have noticed the Thai Asian Market sign. Some think this is a new Thai restaurant in Menomonee Falls but this is much better, the Thai Asian Market is a new Thai and Asian food store.

You are more than welcome to stop in, shop and talk to Ron and Kaye, where you can receive tips on Thai and Asian cooking. Soon you will be learning the trade secrets that will make you the envy of the neighborhood. Your family will be arriving home to the mouth watering scent of sweet peppers, hot peppers, ginger, garlic and curry. You can prepare your dishes as hot or sweet as you prefer.

Thai Asian Market boasts a large selection of the finest products for Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Filipino, Laotian, and Vietnamese cooking. They also have an assortment of supplies for Sushi; Tuna, Eel, Fish Roe, rice seasoning, seaweed wrap. For the sweet tooth they provide an exceptional selection of quaint candies, drinks and snacks. Choose from over a dozen varieties of rice, including Jasmine, Japanese, brown, sweet and sticky rice. Ask Kaye the secret of preparing your rice the way your favorite restaurant does. How about noodles? Whatever brand and type you want Kaye has them on the shelves; rice noodles, wheat noodles, mung bean noodles, long and short, thin and broad, white color and yellow color. There is also a selection of fresh Asian vegetables and fruits to choose from. For example; Chinese broccoli, bitter melon, eggplant, lemon grass, snow peas, bean sprouts/soy bean sprouts, persimmons, yam, and plantains. This store also has a good variety of frozen products; assortment of fish, shredded coconut, banana leaves, meat dumplings, and eggroll/spring roll wrappers. For seasoning there is an array of spices, paste, and sauce mixes that you would not find in the local grocery store. What makes this Thai Asian market special?

It is the individual attention given to each customer who walks into the store. They are greeted warmly, personal assistance is given to locate a product, and help is also provided to bring goods to your car. Additionally, you can make requests for items not found. If Kaye does not have a product that you need or must have, just ask and she will try to get it in for you. Such personal care and interest in your cooking needs is a specialty that the Thai Asian Market revels in. It is a reminder of the early days of mom and pop store down the street….small and attentive to the customers.

The Thai Asian Market has been in business since August 2008. Not many people are willing to undertake a new business venture in this economy, but the Thai Asian market has grown to a clientele of 500 to 1000 customers a month. Much of this success can be attributed to the warm and friendly atmosphere abounding in this family owned business. Located only 3 minutes west of Highway 45, customers visit from Milwaukee, West Bend, Mequon, Germantown, Brookfield and other areas in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Washington Counties. Take the time to visit the Thai Asian Market and discover the joys of shopping oriental and experience the delightful cooking of authentic Asian cuisine.

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Send your Mobile Phone Contacts and Calendar to your PC.

After spending 4 hours trying to get my mobile phone to back up on my computer using Outlook I searched the Internet for a better solution. My mobile phone uses Windows Mobile. I found out how to back my contacts up on Google using gmail and I also created a back up on my Thunderbird e-mail software. Google also has a calendar that will sync with the phone. I entered in a number of appointments on the Google calendar, synced it with my phone and it worked. The phone sets off an alarm and the Google calendar sets up a pop up on the PC. It is much easier than it sounds.

MAKE SURE YOU BACK UP YOUR CONTACTS LIST FROM YOUR PHONE BEFORE TRYING THIS PROCESS.

You will see this warning throughout the instructions. I tried to back up using Outlook for 4 hours and could not get it to work. If anything you can plug your phone into the PC through the USB and copy everything over to a folder on the PC. Just in case.

Set up a Google e-mail account with gmail.

Https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?service=mail&hl=en-us&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2Fe-11-109a5a55d7610df0e7957ac039c47579-ed2a46d7696ce586b7fe29a45c9ba0be71a9c732&type=2&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-bk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=new%20gmail%20account

Set up your mobile phone.

Http://www.google.com/mobile/default/sync.html

Just follow the instructions and you have a back up of your mobile phone contacts on you gmail account. The list on gmail also sets up for quick efficient printing if you want to keep a hard copy.

The Google calendar is great. I can enter appointments much quicker using the key board on my PC. To sync the PC and phone I use the home WI-Fi connection and the Activesync on my phone. All my contacts from gmail and appointments on my Google calendar are synced to the phone in less than one minute.

For more information or to contact me you can visit my website at Ez1Realty.net

For more information please feel free to contact Dennis Herman of Realty Executives 414-426-1784 or visit my Web Site at Ez1Realty.net

Custom Internet Marketing

Sure times have been slow in Real Estate during the first half of 2008. I used my spare time to work on my web site Ez1Realty.net to make it one of the most informative and highest ranked sites in the Milwaukee, Waukesha area. One other area I worked to improve on was Internet Marketing. I took my listings and added them to many different sites. This can be a very expensive and time consuming process. What does one gain adding a listing to every web site you run across? Maybe a hit or two. After adding my listings to a number of sites I went back and looked at the statistics. How many potential buyers viewed the listing over one week, two weeks, a month? It took some tome to analyze these sites and find the most productive. Price is not a factor of success on the Internet. I have found that many sites charge a large amount of money to add a few bells and whistles for the listing but are not very user friendly. I have also found a number of sites that charge little or nothing but have the highest traffic numbers.

You can view a list of Internet sites that I use to sell a property by visiting my web site at the bottom of my Seller's page. http://www.ez1realty.net/home-selling-tips.html

This may have seem like a lot of time and effort on my part, but what would you expect when choosing an agent to sell your property?

The danger of pricing too high.

This is a true story. I received a lead on a listing. The market price in the neighborhood was between $130,000 and $140,000. The Seller's father told her to put the house on the market for $200,000. The Seller wanted to list the property for that price. I showed the Seller all of the comps in the neighborhood and explained that he would be $25,000 higher than the highest priced home that was more than 600 sq ft larger with more updates. I offered to set up appointments so we could view the active listings. I finally had to tell him that I would not take the listing if we could not agree on the price. I left the home without the listing.

The next day I received a phone call from him and we agreed to list the property for $160,000. When I arrived at the home he insisted that the house should be listed at $175,000. We reached an agreement that we would list it at $175,000 for one month. If we did not get at least 4 showings he would reduce the price to $160,000.

A month went by. There were 4 people that came through the 2 open houses. All of them commented on the high price. There were zero calls on the property. I received the price reduction to $160,000. Still no calls for the next month. Two people came through two open houses. The price was reduced to $150,000. Every week I would call the Seller and update him on the new listings in the area and the few that had sold. All of the facts pointed to a list price in the 130's.

The third month went by. No one at the open houses and still no calls. By this time I could see prices dropping. I tried again to get the price in line with the market which had dropped to the low 130's. The price was reduced to $145,000. After the 4th month I lost the listing to an agent known for the, "I can get you a higher price for your home." It went on the market at $155,000 with one picture.

The house stayed on the market for the next 9 months at the same price with the single picture.

A few months later I saw the house back on the market as a foreclosure. Which makes me wonder. When I ran the title search and hold there was only a $48,000 mortgage on the home. No second mortgage.

This is an extreme example. The sale happened to be at the beginning of the downward slide on prices. The seller was not even trying to chase the market prices as they were falling but insisted that the house was much better than the others on the market. The seller never took the time to look at the other active units on the neighborhood. Trying to price a home on imagination usually does not work. In this case it cost big. Always insist on updates at least once every month. Neighborhood listings can be e-mailed. A good agent will set a seller up on an automatic e-mail system that will tell them what is happening in the neighborhood. Some of my customers know what is happening before I do because they insist on daily updates and I review my listing markets on a weekly basis. Knowing how the market is changing is one important aspect of selling a home.

Sales Services

Following is a list of services that Sellers consider important.

Marketing your property

Providing you with monthly marketing reports.

Present all Offers to Purchase made on your home.

Counsel you on all of the offers and negotiate the best possible price for you.

Negotiate and follow through with all the major contingencies that your Offer may contain.

Follow-up on closing procedures and title processing.

Represent you up through the closing.

Assist you in finding a new home.

Contact a cooperating Broker, if you are moving to a new area.

Coordinate the sale of your property with the purchase of your new home.

Gap Insurance

Gap Insurance
Do you know what Gap Insurance is? Too often I hear the statement, "I never knew that", after explaining to a customer the options available for Gap Insurance.

Simply put, Gap Insurance is an extension of Title Insurance that covers the "gap" between the date the county is contacted to check the condition of the title of a property and the closing date when the title is actually transferred to the new owner. This gap of time usually covers only a few days and until recently has rarely been a problem. With the increased use of the Internet, particularly in the use of obtaining second mortgages on a home, there has been an increase in mortgage fraud over recent years. To combat this growing problem and help protect buyers, the GMAR (Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors) has introduced a revised Greater Milwaukee Addendum A in January of 2005. This revised version now has standard language that offers GAP ENDORSEMENT added on lines 207 to 209. It is strongly recommended to carefully consider the options associated with the GAP ENDORSEMENT.

How hard has the Real Estate Market recession hit the Milwaukee Area? This can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. The fact is, Milwaukee has not seen the double digit increases in the past years that the East Coast and West Coast have experienced. As these sales figures from the local MLS show, Milwaukee is still going strong.

City of Milwaukee 2006 Sales Figures :
Average price for the 6987 sold properties is $155,608.
The average Market Time is 93.

City of Milwaukee 2005 Sales Figures:
Average price for the 7556 sold properties is $146,754. The average Market Time is 57.

City of Milwaukee 2004 Sales Figures:
Average price for the 7369 sold properties is $127,685. The average Market Time is 54.

City of Milwaukee 2003 Sales Figures:
Average price for the 6847 sold properties is $116,814. The average Market Time is 71.

Top 10 Mistakes Sellers Make

Top 10 Mistakes Sellers Make


Not preparing the house properly for a showing.
First impressions are lasting. Cleanliness sells! It takes a minimum of 20 minutes for a woman to make a decision on a house. It takes the average man 2 minutes to go through a house. If the house is not clean, the woman will go through it as quickly as the man.

Not having the house available for all showings.
It takes a degree of planning to arrange a time that both agent, husband and wife can make a showing. Often a number of homes are seen on the same day. How many customers can you simply turn away?

Taking advice from friends and family members
These are the people that look out for your best interests and in most cases you need to heed their advise. One of the first things you need to ask yourself is, "when was the last time this person has purchased a home"? Market conditions change from month to month, even from day to day. First hand information is so much more reliable than hear say.

Setting expectations too high
Two major points here; price and how long will it take to sell the property. Having an open mind to the current market conditions will set your expectations at realistic levels.

Expecting too much from the Agent
You should expect a lot from your Agent in terms of Real Estate matters. But these do not include shoveling snow, cutting grass, cleaning the house, dealing with pets or any of the other errands that come up in everyday life. Your Agent needs to be dedicating the time and effort it takes to sell your property in matters that relate to finding that one qualified buyer.

Taking the sale of the property on a personal level
You need to take your personal feelings out of the sale of your property. This includes the memories of all the good times you have spent and the personal attachments that you do have. You need to set your frame mind on the fact that this is a business transaction and weigh your options accordingly. You should not be insulted by an offer that is obviously too low. There are other matters to consider and you need to have your mind open to all of the options and not dwelling on one aspect of the sale. Agents are trained to handle these matters.

Not being fully committed to the sale
You need to be fully committed to the sale of your property before you sign a contract. If you have any reservations you need to discuss these before entering into a legally binding contract.

Not being aware of all of the costs involved
All of these details need to be discussed before making the decision to sell your property. How much do you owe on the mortgage? Is there a second mortgage. Get an estimate on the proceeds of the sale before committing yourself.

Not having enough knowledge of current market conditions
These are facts that should be discussed before deciding on a list price and marketing plan.

Not asking enough questions
Make sure that you understand everything you need to do and everything your Agent is going to do for you. If there are any questions make sure you ask them.

Top 10 Mistakes Buyers Make

Top 10 Mistakes Buyers Make

Not having a personal Agent
Many Buyers are able to find that home on their own. But what happens after that may determine if it will turn out to be the best value for them. There are many conditions and contingencies that may become part of a contract to purchase a home. Sitting down face to face with your Buyer's Agent can make a significant difference in the way an offer to purchase is structured.

Not understanding representation
On July 1, 2006 the Real Estate laws have been changed in Wisconsin to benefit Buyers significantly. You need to know where you stand as a Buyer and who the Agent represents. Ask about a Buyer Agency Agreement and what one can do for you.

Not having a plan
How often do you purchase a home? This is not an everyday occurrence for you and it may look simple from the outside. There are two facts to consider. Purchasing a home may be the largest investment of your life. If this were a business would you be entering into such a large investment without a plan?

Using more than one Agent
Often times Buyers will think that by working with more than one Agent they have less of a chance of missing that one property that is right for them. Loyalty is a two way street. A dedicated Agent will work for you until the job is successfully done. Looking for the home is only a small part of that job. By giving your loyalty you will see many returns throughout the transaction and beyond.

Not knowing what they want
This is why a face to face meeting without distractions is necessary. The type of home you need is determined by your lifestyle, your family situation, plans for the future and a host of other questions. After a short interview many of these questions can be answered and in most cases the search time will be greatly shortened. The best part of this is that the quicker you find your home the better chance you have of buying it before anyone else has the opportunity.

Waiting to make a decision
Often times in Real Estate, if you wait to make a decision someone will make it for you. It makes sense, you are looking for the best value on the market, just like everyone else in your price range.

Not being pre-approved for a loan
Imagine finding that perfect home then losing it because you could not prove your ability to secure a loan. Having a pre-approval letter in advance can eliminate that problem. It will also inform you of the maximum amount you will be able to spend on a home.

Not choosing the right lender
This is something that is covered to a great extent in a Buyer Counseling Meeting. Choosing the right Lender is as important as finding the right home.

Unreasonable offers
This could happen on either side of the list price. Too low of a price may offend the Seller and make any further negotiations more difficult. Do I need to explain how too high of a price will affect you?

Not having an inspection
We recommend that the prospective purchaser PERFORM A THOROUGH INSPECTION of all properties visited. We further recommend that the prospective purchaser have the property inspected by a qualified inspector. The standard language in the Offer To Purchase provides for an inspection by a Wisconsin Registered Inspector.

Home Buyer Profile

Thinking about selling your home? Following is information gathered in a study that focuses on home buyers, thier habits practices and comfort levels.

The 2003 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers indicates that home buyers and sellers continue to rely on real estate professionals to assist them in all aspects of real estate transactions. Despite the growing number of resources that allow buyers and sellers to obtain real estate information on their own, real estate professionals remain the primary source of information for those searching for, or selling, a home. The vast majority of real estate transactions continue to involve one or more real estate professionals, with most buyers and sellers reporting that they are very satisfied with the performance of their agents.

HOME BUYERS:
Forty percent of home buyers were first-time purchasers.

The median age of buyers was 40 years.

Most buyers were married with no children residing in the home.

The median income for all buyer-households was $66,300; among first-time buyers, the median income was $54,800.

Twenty-eight percent of buyers purchased a new home.
The median price of homes purchased was $164,500.

Roughly one in ten recently purchased second homes was in a resort or recreation area.

The typical buyer walked through 10 homes and searched for eight weeks before finding the home they ultimately purchased.

Eighty-six percent of buyers used a real estate agent during their search.

Three quarters of buyers bought their home with the assistance of an agent.

Forty-one percent of home buyers first found out about the home they purchased through an agent.

Forty-two percent of buyers used the Internet frequently as part of their home search.

Buyers typically searched for homes on their own for two weeks before contacting an agent.

Forty-four percent of buyers found their real estate agent through a referral from a friend, neighbor or relative.

Eighty-nine percent of home buyers who used a real estate professional would definitely use, or consider using, their agent again.

Ninety-three percent of buyers obtained a mortgage to finance the purchase of their home.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Buyer's or Seller's Market?

Buyer's or Seller's Market?

Is this a buyer's market or a seller's market. To a degree the answer is contingent on three basic factors; the price, location and condition of your property.

The price will determine which buyers will actually consider your property. Very few buyers will take the time to look at properties beyond their price range. Most buyers have a predetermined maximum price they will spend and will look at a number of properties before adjusting that price.

The location is a key factor in determining a market price. There will always be locations that will sell quickly and then there are those that need an extra measure of effort to sell. This is especially emphasized in today's changing market. A study of the recent market trend in your area will clearly show how your location is being affected by the recent changes in the real estate market.

The condition of the property is the great equalizer. A property in poor condition will have more diffiulty showing and selling in any area, than a property that is clean and updated . With the increased use of the Internet buyers now have the opportunity to access and compare properties side by side in the comfort of their own home. With the expanded sophistication of today's buyers, the demand for both exterior and interior pictures is on the rise. Many of today's buyers want to know the condition of a property before personally viewing it. In today's market it is extremely beneficial to improve the condition of the property before marketing it.

The combination of these three factors help create a market price for the property. Each property requires an individual study.

The best way to determine the market value of your property is to arrange a personal consultation with a professional. By placing a call we will schedule a direct meeting in your home. This meeting will include a tour of your property. During this time you may present any questions you may have regarding the selling process. If you are interested we can then prepare a study on similar properties in your area which will help us determine the current market value. This study will give us an indication of how quickly or slowly other properties are selling in your area. In addition to that, this information will also help us to determine the amount of equity you have in your currant home.

These services are free of charge and this information is a valuable resource you can use in making your decisions.

The tax advantage of home ownership.

The tax advantage of home ownership.

Here are some of the tax advantages you may see when purchasing a home in the $100,000 range based on 100% financing.

At an interest rate of about 7.00% your monthly payments would be about $665 out of that amount about $580 goes towards paying the interest which can be tax deductible. That is nearly $7000 you can deduct in the first year.

Let's estimate that your property taxes will be about $3000. These are also deductible.

Here we are only considering Federal tax returns.

Your total deductions would be $10,000. If you were in the 15% tax bracket you could be getting back an additional $1500. That is like the Federal Government paying you $125 a month to live in your own home.

Buyer Consultation

Buyer Consultation

Following is a list of some of the topics that can be covered in a Buyer Consultation Meeting. Contact me to arrange your personal consultation with no cost or obligation to you.


Loans
Pre approval
Finding a lender
Compare rates and loan costs
Types of loans
What zero percent down really means
Earnest money
Home Insurance

Searching for a home
TIP (Total Inventory Publication)
Newspaper
MLS
Internet
E-mail
Open Houses

Contracts

Home Warranty

Buyer Agency

Home Inspections
Why inspect a home
Choosing an inspector
Inspection options in the Offer to Purchase
Inspection costs

Lead Based Paints
Homes built before 1978
Homes built after 1978
Lead based paint brochure
Addendum S

Pre closing
Utilities and phone service
Change of address

Closing
How to prepare
What to expect