Summary
Selling a house, condo or other real estate ¿ the largest and most complex transaction most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to advertise their property and locate potential buyers. As a result, while about 90 percent of transac...
Selling a house, condo or other real estate ¿ the largest and most complex transaction most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to advertise their property and locate potential buyers. As a result, while about 90 percent of transactions involve a real estate agent, the rest were simply buyers and sellers hooking up independently. By-owner sales are popular among many people, in part because it saves on commissions.
But even more people favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no sale in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another buyer out there, although you may have to wait for them to appear. Selling a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For sellers, the process has several basic steps: finding a real estate agent, setting the price by investigating the market around you, repairing and primping the home to make it more attractive to buyers, effectively advertising your house, negotiating the sale, and closing the sale.
But even more people favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no sale in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another buyer out there, although you may have to wait for them to appear. Selling a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For sellers, the process has several basic steps: finding a real estate agent, setting the price by investigating the market around you, repairing and primping the home to make it more attractive to buyers, effectively advertising your house, negotiating the sale, and closing the sale.
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494 items on Real Estate Sellers
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Pending home sales fall 4.7%
From Associated PressWASHINGTON -- A measurement of pending home sales fell to the third-lowest reading on record in May as the housing market's recovery continued to prove elusive. The National Association of Realtors' seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for existing...Tags: Housing Industry, Sales, Homes, Clubs and Associations
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Pending home sales fall 4.7 percent
AP Business WriterA measurement of pending home sales fell to the third-lowest reading on record in May as the housing market's recovery continued to prove elusive. The National Association of Realtors' seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for existing homes fell 4....Tags: Housing Industry, Sales, Homes, Clubs and Associations
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Tours of foreclosed homes help fund kids' charity
ellen.yan@newsday.comAs the brains behind the new and ever-growing Long Island Foreclosure Tours, RE/MAX broker-owner David Farrell sees more than one way to save communities. "Bank-owned houses can become a blight on any neighborhood," says his bus tour Web site,...Tags: Foreclosures, Housing Industry, Long Island City, Long Island, Family
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Coppersmith forges on after losing his father, mentor
The gift of life passes simply from father to son. The gift of a life is more complicated, more precious. Allen Green III knows that all too well. His dad gave him a heck of a life. Fredericksburg's only coppersmiths, Allen Green III and Allen Green...Tags: Princess Anne, Death and Dying, Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks, James Monroe, Fredericksburg (Fredericksburg, Virginia)
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Gas mileage a key to home sales
Special to The Morning CallDid $4-a-gallon gas prompt Scott and Abigail Pasterski to put a for-sale sign on their home in Topton and buy another closer to his work in Wescosville and their church in Emmaus, where they go as many as four times most weeks? No, said Scott Pasterski,...Tags: Real Estate Buyers, Center Valley, New Jersey, Google Inc., Fogelsville
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Renovated home can be a deal
Among the multitude of homes now up for sale across America are many that have had glitzy renovations in recent years. Homeowners have been redoing kitchens, remodeling bathrooms, expanding their master suites and adding cushy entertainment rooms centered...Tags: Real Estate Buyers, Property, Renovation, Prices, Homes
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Son forges on after losing mentor dad
Free Lance-StarThe gift of life passes simply from father to son. The gift of a life is more complicated, more precious. Allen Green III knows that all too well. His dad gave him a heck of a life. Fredericksburg's only coppersmiths, Allen Green III and Allen Green...Tags: Princess Anne, Death and Dying, Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks, James Monroe, Fredericksburg (Fredericksburg, Virginia)
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Concerts, festivals promote wineries
Special to the TribuneDave Cushman, chief winemaker for Park Farm Winery & Vineyard near Dubuque, Iowa, is going to make a change in a successful recipe this year. "When we have our annual grape stomp for the public," he said, "we're going to judge contestants on style this...Tags: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Movies, Farms
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Tips on selling a home in cookie-cutter subdivison
New home construction has slowed. But earlier this decade –– when builders had easier access to financing, tens of thousands of new homes sprouted across America's landscape –– townhouses, condos and detached units. And demand...Tags: Real Estate Buyers, Furniture, Real Estate Agents, Property, Sales
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So you want to sell your home by yourself?
Times are tough, your home isn't worth what it was a year ago and now you've decided to move. Do you need the services of a real estate agent to sell your house? Or can you realistically do it yourself and save thousands of dollars in agent commissions?...Tags: Real Estate, Northwestern University, Property, Real Estate Agents, Marketing
Jul 8, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Jul 8, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Jul 7, 2008
|Story| Newsday
Jul 8, 2008
|Story| Hampton Roads Daily Press
Jul 6, 2008
|Story| Allentown Morning Call
Jul 6, 2008
|Story| Allentown Morning Call
Jul 6, 2008
|Story| Hampton Roads Daily Press
Jul 6, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
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