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Today’s topic stems from a listing appointment I took earlier in the week. A seller hired us and had some great questions to ask us, and when all was said and done, they wanted to know what other questions they should have asked when interviewing agents to sell their home. Let’s face it—picking an agent is a critical decision that could potentially cost or save you thousands of dollars.

That inspired me to create a list of questions that agents hate to be asked. The answers they give will indicate what you can expect from them. In real estate, as in life, not all things are created equal.

1. “What makes you different?” It is a much tougher market today than it was a decade ago. Now we have some unique marketing plans, programs, and technology available that agents use to help your home stand out favorably next to other competing homes. What will thi ...

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I’ve recently put together a special report on my website titled “9 Common Buyer Traps You Need to Avoid Before Buying a Home.” You can read the full report by clicking here, but here are a couple important traps to keep in mind in the meantime.

The first is bidding blindly. There’s a listed price for every home, but how do you as a buyer know what price you should offer, or if the listed price is a valid price compared to other similar homes in the neighborhood?

You can get a good idea by looking at a comparative market analysis of homes that have sold in the surrounding area. Don’t just take the seller’s word for it or throw out a blind offer—do some research, get educated, and work with a knowledgeable agent who can help you work through the process.

The next trap is avoiding undisclosed fixups. Let’s face it—you don’ ...

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What do you need to do in order to create a competitive offer in this competitive market?


I came up with four steps to follow if you’re getting ready to make an offer that will give you a competitive edge:


1. Start the process with a full pre-approval. Reach out to a knowledgeable lender and get all of your paperwork ducks in a row so that when you make the offer, it will be as good as cash in a seller’s eyes.
2. Make the offer as clean as possible. I constantly see buyers asking sellers for help in covering their closing costs. Be sure to save up some extra money and understand that closing costs are going to be above and beyond the down payment requirements. Sellers tend to look negatively at having to pay that.
3. Make sure your current home is on the market. If you do have to sell a home, use the proceeds to buy your next home. Be sure that, at minimum, your ho ...

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Buying a home? Search all homes for sale



If you’re a buyer looking to get pre-approved, what initial steps must you take to ensure that you eventually have a strong offer to put forth?


According to Michael Freeman of Fairway Mortgage, the first and most important step is to identify a reputable lender as early as possible. This means someone who can be referred to you by a real estate professional. By meeting with a lender early, you give them a chance to gather all of your documentation and give you a good idea of what you can afford.


As far as documentation goes, they’ll need all your personal identifiers so they can pull your credit report, including your tax returns, pay stubs, and asset documentation. The more documentation you can provide, the better information they can give you.


Another reason lenders prefer to meet with you as soon as possible is so they can improve your credit score. You cr ...

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Buying a home? Search all homes for sale



Here are five myths people often assume about buying fixer-upper properties and the facts behind those myths. 


Myth #1: You’ll make a killing by buying a home tens of thousands of dollars below its market value, administering a little TLC to it, and then selling it. 

Fact: Home sellers price fixer-upper homes at a value that’s roughly equivalent to the amount of work that’s needed to make the necessary repairs. This means that adjusting the style of a fixer-upper or making some higher-end updates might make it difficult for you to recoup the money you put into it, because you may go overboard for what the market will bear. Sellers aren’t dumb—they won’t accept less money for their home so that you can make some updates to it. They’ll only price the home for however much it will take to make necessary repairs and bring the home ba ...