The Vote is In – The House is Listed

October 24, 2009 · Lee Ginsburg · 2 Comments

Wow! What great thoughts on my last blog http://www.pruvoices.com/2009/10/the-shoe-is-on-the-other-foot-now/. The voting overwhelmingly said hire the fist agent team I interviewed. That is whom I chose and am very happy. They have been very easy to work with and are very professional. Know anyone whom wants to buy. A 2 Bedroom 2 Bath single family home in a real nice adult community for less than a studio here in the San Bruno or South San Francisco. The bus stops in front of the complex and it is just an hour bus ride to midtown Manhattan. My wife asked me “are you sure you want to sell it?” Here is a link to the “Visual Tour” http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=2029575&sk=30.

Some of the great feedback I received was: speak with the HOA president, speak with the management of the team that was not that experienced, interview CRS members in the area, and Google the agents. Read more

The Shoe is on the Other Foot Now

October 12, 2009 · Lee Ginsburg · 14 Comments

I am responsible for selling my mother’s home. Great I got an easy listing. Well not that quick. She lives in New Jersey. And they do things differently than we here in northern California and I am not licensed in New Jersey. They use lawyers instead of Escrow and Title companies. I pondered how a deal is ever going to close with two lawyers involved. The people I spoke with assured me they do. It seems radon gas is an issue in this part of New Jersey and the seller is responsible for mediating it. My mother lived in an adult community where Open Houses and For Sale signs are not permitted. No wonder as I drove the community I did not see any other homes for sale. I thought there was no inventory and I would receive multiple offers just like here in the San Bruno and South San Francisco. After doing additional research I come to find they have a year’s worth of inventory in the area adult communities. Read more

Old School Pricing Is Out and Price It Right Is In

May 26, 2009 · Lee Ginsburg · 6 Comments

Many sellers are determined to set their listing price higher than they are willing to accept so they have room to negotiate. With the New Millennium buyers they unfortunately will not get any offers. Today’s buyers are more educated than any others. The internet gives the buyers the opportunity to research all public records. They know the price of all the homes in the area that sold recently and are on the market. They know the trends, the cost per square foot; they know what the seller paid for the home and how much they owe and sometimes the improvements the owner has completed. If a home is over-priced the “New” buyer is almost offended that someone would expect them to purchase it at the “Over Valued List Price” so they don’t even make an offer. Many don’t even waste their time to view the home. That is the old school pricing method. My parents would have done that. Back then information was not so accessible. Read more

One Buyer’s Loss is another Buyer’s Second Chance

May 6, 2009 · Lee Ginsburg · 6 Comments

30% of Real Estate Deals Don’t Go Thru. Maybe it is more, maybe it is less, but that is a pretty good estimate. So what does that mean to buyers and their agents? It means the property you lost out to in multiple offers or just because someone was faster than you does not mean it is gone forever. Read more

An agent can make a difference

January 5, 2009 · David Wang · 9 Comments

as long as we communicate

I have been working with a young couple looking for their first house for 8 month. They have good jobs and great credit. Why haven’t they been able to get a house? We have seen over 70 properties, and I have previewed over 250, their price range and area has a lot of short sales. Over this 8 month time span we have attempted to write 6 offers and finally one looks like it will close.

What I observed in the last few outings when we were looking at properties puzzled me, these two people would drive up to a house and without leaving the car tells me to go straight to the next property. I tell them that it is nice and we should see it but they refuse.

Do Home Sellers Want to Hear the Truth?

November 24, 2008 · Jean Joh · 9 Comments

On first impulse, most homeowners would say that, of course, they want their agents to tell them “the whole truth and nothing but” when it comes to the sale of their home. But do they really? There is a common mistake that home sellers make: choosing a real estate agent based on the price that the agent says they can get for the home. Don’t make this common mistake!