Scott's Real Estate Market Update

Who really knows if the price is right?

 

If you follow real estate at all, you know that there are 3 pricing indexes that get quoted fairly regularly – S&P Case Shiller, FHFA, and Corelogic HPI.  Are they good for tracking home prices as a buyer or seller?  My belief is no – a professional Realtor is your best option.  All of these indices are flawed from what they track, to the timeframe in which they use to track data, to what their data sources encompass, to how much weight is given to price points and to what areas are used to gain their pricing policies.  Why is this important to know you may ask?  Well, it is where your clients, sphere, and potential clients hear in the media about housing prices.  You need to be able to speak intelligently about them and convey the true story about housing prices.  By doing so, you will position yourself as a trusted resource in real estate by providing value to those whom you know.  Now, let’s take a closer look at each pricing model so you can give the right advice when you are helping a client buy or sell a house.

Here is what you may not realize about the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index:

• The index was developed for Wall Street to hedge the housing market, not as a monthly consumer metric
• Based on a 3 month moving window of closed sales which washes out the annual seasons in housing
• Lags contract signing dates by 5-7 months
  • Translation:  Q1 2011 report = Q3 2010 Contracts
  • Based on prices, not sales activity where sales activity may be trending
  • Comprised on single family sales only.  Excludes: condos, co-ops and new development sales
  • Only represents 20 cities nationwide
  • Washington DC covers a large area of which includes:
    • Calvert, MD
    • Charles, MD;
    • Frederick, MD
    • Clarke, VA
    • But these areas also included:
      • Warren, VA
      • Jefferson, WV

This is NOT what most readers of the Washington, DC data understand the coverage area to be.

The CSI reported with a two-month lag and is based on three months of data.

• For example, data released in January 2011 was for the three months ended November 2010 (November, October, and September 2010).

 Understanding the FHFA HPI:

• The House Price Index is based on transactions involving conforming, conventional mortgages purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac - only. All mortgage transactions on single-family properties are included – refinances included but no condos, coops or multifamily are considered.
• Conventional mortgages are those that are neither insured nor guaranteed by the FHA, VA or other federal government entities.
• The HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancing on the same properties.
• A full release is provided every three months – not exactly timely.
• The HPI includes indexes for all nine Census Divisions, the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The best of the rest – CoreLogic.

The CoreLogic HPI provides a multi-tier market evaluation based on price, time between sales, property type, loan type (conforming vs. nonconforming), and distressed sales.  The CoreLogic HPI is a repeat-sales index that tracks increases and decreases in sales prices for the same homes over time, which provides a more accurate “constant-quality” view of pricing trends than basing analysis on all home sales. The CoreLogic HPI provides the most comprehensive set of a monthly home price indices and median sales prices available covering

• 6,507 ZIP codes -  58 percent of total U.S. population
• 611 Core Based Statistical Areas -  86 percent of total U.S. population
• 1,119 counties -  83 percent of total U.S. population and
• Located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 The CoreLogic HPI is published on approximately a 5 week lag from the end of the data collection period.

How does the FHFA HPI differ from the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price indexes?

• The S&P/Case-Shiller indexes only use purchase prices in index calibration, while the all-transactions FHFA HPI also includes refinance appraisals.
• FHFA’s valuation data are derived from conforming, conventional mortgages provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The S&P/Case-Shiller indexes use information obtained from county assessor and recorder offices.
• The S&P/Case-Shiller indexes are value-weighted, meaning that price trends for more expensive homes have greater influence on estimated price changes than other homes. FHA’s index weights price trends equally for all properties.
• The geographic coverage of the indexes differs. The S&P/Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, for example, does not have valuation data from 13 states. FHA’s U.S. index is calculated using data from all states.

As you can see, it is nowhere near how we value properties but it is where most of Americans get the idea of housing values.  We have more accurate, up-to-date information that we can provide clients.  Let your clients know why these indexes are made available – CSI, for Wall Street and hedge funds;  FHFA HPI, to track valuations on Freddie and Fannie products to assess risk;  and lastly, CoreLogic’s HPI, for banks to assess risk when lending money.  None of them are used to determine the value of a home when selling or buying – let others know the facts and become a source for valuable real estate information.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something!

Watch out for scams!

Agents, title companies and sellers beware.  There is a scam that is out there that is hurting our industry.  If you receive a contract from, hear or read about buyers from out of the country that are looking to pay cash for a house, that want to settle quickly, want to use your “reputable” settlement company and have never seen the house, run fast as you can from this situation.  They will promise to wire the funds to your title company or the real estate company once the contract is ratified – usually late on Thursday or on a Friday – conduct a home inspection through a friend or relative over the weekend, then void the contract and request their funds be wired to their account by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  What is the problem you ask?  The wire transfer is counterfeit and everyone gets caught in the middle and the buyer receives money that was never theirs from the title company or real estate office.  In some scenarios, they will say their country won’t allow them to wire the funds but will have their friend or relative drop off a certified check.  These funds too are counterfeit and the funds should not be released to the buyer unless verified they are valid funds.

What can you do to prevent this you ask?  First, make sure they have seen the house – not just pictures on the internet.  You wouldn’t buy a house this way and only a very few select people would – military or investors being ones that come to mind.  Also, do as we do, Google the buyer, the buyer’s agent and the lender on every case.  See what you can find out about them.  See if they are on social media sites like Facebook or Linkedin.  Learn all you can about them.  In addition, check DPOR and see if there are any outstanding violations with the agent at the state level as they too may be in on the scam.  Conduct your due diligence – ask to see “proof of funds” from a reputable source and Google the source if you are not familiar with them.  And lastly, don’t accept the contract until the funds prove to be valid which can typically take 3 to 4 days of deposit into an account.

Here are examples of what other agents are receiving from the web.  They may take on different forms of these emails so be on the alert.  Some agents believe this to be a scam to sign up for Docusign but it is really a scam to get money.

One agent received a lead through Realtor.com

Att. Please i will need an offer on this,

Thank you very much for the email, I would like to purchase this property MLS # 4214263, located at 15380 Little Stone Way Alpharetta.  The indicated price is $613,000.00 Please note my offering price is $600,000.00 Please send me the contract for this property and the following phrase should be added on the contract.

1. I will want to close on 12th June, 2011

2. I want to put down $30,000.00 Earnest money

3. I want to put contingency on inspection on the contract.

I and my wife will be buying the property and the buyers name should be. Leo Thang and Jiao Thang. Our address is 4645 Jane Street, Toronto Ontario Canada M3N 2K9

Please forward me a purchase contract agreement via docusign format, their website is http://www.docusign.com/ or any other electronic document I don't have access to a printer or scanner here therefore I can not sign and send it back in PDF format I am in a remote area now and i will like to do the signing myself on behalf of my wife.

I would also like to use a reliable title company for the closing. Kindly advise regarding this issue.

Thanks for your understanding. I await the purchase contract agreement as soon as possible.

Regards,
Leo Thang
Tel;003463236828

And some just receive leads through email...

Larry Sabo - Realtor in California

Dear Larry Sabo,

Att. Please i will need an offer on this,

Thank you very much for the email, I would like to purchase this property MLS # 116400, located at 3403 Beaver Brae Dr South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.The indicated price is $659,000.00 Please note my offering price is $640,000.00 Please send me the contract for this property and the following phrase should be added on the contract.

1. I will want to close on 13th June, 2011

2. I want to put down $30,000.00 Earnest money

3. I want to put contingency on inspection on the contract.

I and my wife will be buying the property and the buyers name should be. Leo Thang and Jiao Thang. Our address is 4645 Jane Street, Toronto Ontario Canada M3N 2K9

Please forward me a purchase contract agreement via docusign format, their website is http://www.docusign.com/ or any other electronic document I don't have access to a printer or scanner here therefore I can not sign and send it back in PDF format I am in a remote area now and i will like to do the signing myself on behalf of my wife.

I would also like to use a reliable title company for the closing. Kindly advise regarding this issue.

Thanks for your understanding. I await the purchase contract agreement as soon as possible.
Regards, Leo Thang

As you can see, Leo Thang is just one person attempting this across the country – there are sure to be others.  Become educated on the red flags, stay on alert for anything unusual similar to this situation, and keep yourself and your sellers from becoming victims of a scam.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something – legitimately!

 

What's up with our market?

There are home buyers out in Northern Virginia but they are savvy, price sensitive and condition critical.  As we have seen in the papers, read online, and heard on the news, the rest of the country is experiencing a double dip in home prices, and waves of foreclosures are going to hit the market spiraling prices even further.  All of this has made buyers in our area become very cautious and has lowered consumer confidence nationwide. 

Why do you ask are they this way?  Well, most of them are from someplace else and they have seen streets riddled with real estate signs, are from areas that have a 41 month supply of houses versus our 3.1 month supply of houses or have friends and relatives who have been unable to sell their house in other parts of the country.  This has an impact on their buying decision here and yes, they hear our area is different and understand the underlying reasons why our market is strong but they are still looking for “a deal”.  They scrutinize each property looking for excuses not to buy them versus finding reasons to buy them.  When there is a home that offers the right price (often below market)  that has been staged (painted in neutral or trendy colors, new carpeting and de-cluttered), in perfect condition (no broken window seals, leaky faucets, etc.) and in a great location (backing to trees, end of cul-de-sac, etc.) they swarm on this property like vultures.  Many times we will encounter multiple offers on these types of properties and see them escalate above list price.

If you are a seller and your home hasn’t sold, what should you do?  Lower the price – it is the least common denominator and makes up for many areas where the home may be lacking such as in condition or location.  Get the home staged, by a professional.  You could also offer a higher commission to the buyer’s agent as an inducement to sell your house.  Many sellers or listing agents are offering a lower commission as many buyer agents have accepted lower commission rates in the past few years  as a result of short sales and foreclosures (banks) only paying a lower fee so paying more can set you apart from the competition.  Be ready to negotiate to get your house sold.

If you are a buyer, what do you do?  You should be ready to be in competition if you are looking for the perfect house at the perfect price and be prepared to include an escalation clause with your contract.  As was mentioned early, these properties are typically seeing multiple offers that go above list price.  Buy a new home – pick your own colors, location, and avoid the competition.  Many builders have adjusted to the market and are priced to sell.  Make an offer on an almost perfect house and see what happens.  Often times, as homes stay on the market and sellers have many visitors with no contracts, they tend to be more reasonable with what the market is telling them in regards to pricing.  The idea for buyers is to just buy.  The housing affordability index hasn’t been this high since 1979!  Interest rates are at their lowest level this year and prices are reasonable plus, we have jobs and stability in our market place.

If you need to sell, this is a great time to do so.  If you are a buyer, you shouldn’t delay – prices and rates are not going to get lower in our area making this an opportunity of a lifetime.  Contact your RE/MAX Gateway professional today and get packing!

Don't just survive...thrive!

Here are some strategies to help you not only survive but thrive in today’s market as shared by RISMedia panel members.

Provide a newsletter that has helpful tips whether you do it or you pay for a service, get a monthly, informative newsletter or market update to send to your sphere of influence.  Don’t let someone else be the buzz in your client’s ear.

Explain the numbers, your knowledge of the market and get the business – you have to educate yourself on market trends so you know what to say so you can differentiate yourself from other Realtors.

How do you answer the question, “how is the market?” – What’s your answer?  Think about this, become an access point for relevant up-to-date information to everyone you encounter.  Don’t just respond – it’s unbelievable or I’ve never been busier or it’s great and I’m never too busy for your referrals.  Provide them with information.

For sellers

Ask questions and listen when you are on listing presentations:

1. What is it you want to do?
2. Why is this move happening?
3. How soon do you want to act?
4. Who is responsible for making decisions?
5. What has to happen to make this happen?
6. What is plan B if the house doesn’t sell?
7. What is the worst case scenario?
8. What is the best case scenario?
9. Tell them, we want to get you the highest, most realistic price.

The market is not reacting to your price so we are now getting closer to your plan b – is this ok with you?

Take professional pictures and use full screen photos on the internet.  Buyers go to the internet first so you have to make the best first impression on line.

Position yourself differently in the market place.  When listing the house you will be merchandising, staging, and pricing the property to sell.

For buyers

When working with buyers, use the housing affordability index to motivate buyers to buy.  Housing affordability is at its highest point since 1979.  If you are working with Millennia’s state, there has never been a better time to buy a home since your parents bought their first home.

Only work with committed people

Don’t do it for the money…Educate the buyer or seller and focus on their goals and the money will follow…

Commit to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Excellent tips to build urgency in buyers:

Remember, it is always about the consumer:

• Convert wants to needs
• Lifestyle marketing – appeal to the lifestyle of the buyer you are looking to sell to.
• Ask “right” questions to learn more about them, their needs and to better serve them.  Schedule a buyer interview to set yourself apart.
• Younger Consumers want Community – build urgency through the ability to be in their community – bike to work, coffee shops, environmentally friendly buildings, free Wi-Fi, etc.

Know why your people buy.  In a recent survey of home buyers and their Realtors – look how they answered these question of why they bought.  85% of Buyers bought for appreciation.  89% of Agents who sold them their houses said appreciation wasn’t a reason why they bought.  Get to know your buyers and their reasons for buying and the referrals will follow.  Don’t and they won’t.

For you to think about

You set the temperature for your future – don’t be a thermometer and respond to the temperature.

If you are not already on Linkedin – here are some reasons why should be:

Seven Reasons for utilizing Linkedin:

1. Highest household income of any social site
2. 45% are household decision makers
3. Can import/export contacts
4. Professionals involved in this site, not kids, college students, etc.
5. Social way of contacting professionals
6. Target “groups”
7. It can be automated

Continually ask yourself and assess yourself by asking:

On a scale of 1 – 5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, how would you rate yourself on the…

• Use of technology
• Prospecting
• Sales skills
• Negotiations
• Average sales price

Get with a coach or mentor and work on the areas you need the most improvement.

Important things to keep in mind to grow your business

• Build Your Skills
• Shift your mindset
• Agents cause their own market
• Show up and use what we provide
• Hold up a mirror and ask – are you doing all you can?
• Become intentional about leads

Now that you are armed with a few additional pieces of information, take the time to implement one or two at a time to make yourself a better listing agent, buyer agent or business person.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get in the Know...now!

We recently attended the RISMedia convention in New York and have compiled notes that I will share with you on what was discussed and comment – occasionally how it will affect our business and ask that you do research on certain topics to inform yourself to give our clients the most up-to-date information so they can make the right decisions when buying or selling a house.

Finance update

FHA-

There have been two price increases on FHA loans recently – upfront MI and monthly MI.

-Lenders paid less on FHA loans.

-FHA loan amounts decrease.

-Potential increase in down payment requirements are also on the horizon.

-FHA Loans are 30% of the market.

-MI – 5% down training on MI is required for agents who want to stay in the know!

Additional facts on the market:

-2/3 mortgage applications don’t go through.

-Do consumers understand the process of obtaining credit – no – Agents are transactional

-7 million people have been out of work for 26+ weeks.

-19.8% of all prior mortgages are 90+days delinquent.

-Eminent defaults are on the horizon – stay tuned.

-60 million + people with less than 630 credit score.

Lenders are looking for point of sale contact with Realtors

-Want to help you grow your biz and attract more agents into their database?

The question is how?

-Training and education

-Shared marketing dollars

-Leads

-Exposure to listings through marketing ventures.

- What else can they provide?

GSE’s are stagnant on Capitol Hill and we shouldn’t expect progress anytime soon.  Too much else is on their plate.

270 points in Dodd-Frank bill – The lending industry WILL change.  We are expecting to receive talking points of the bill for you to share with your clients so stay tuned!

Do you know what Qualified Residential Mortgages are?  It is important to stay up on the trends.  QRM will push a 1/3 of Buyers out of market.  The comment period on QRM ends 6/10/2011 – get in the know and make your comments to your elected officials!

“Stuff” is thrown up against the wall right on Capitol Hill now to see what sticks

 – A tax on new home sales was proposed so that the existing home inventory could get absorbed and new home sales would subside as a result.

What is the HAMP Mod’s default rate within 6 months?  It occurs 60% of the time.

Average consumer has 13 credit obligations – 9 credit cards.

48% of college students leave school with bad credit

58% of college grads move home because of poor credit.

Ask your clients, “What is likelihood of you buying furniture, blinds, etc., if you do, can you really afford this house with this additional debt?”

Become a long term trusted advisor for your clients – provide valuable content – early and often.

Education is a continued effort so get educated.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something!

 

Awesome Top Producer Panel

**TOP PRODUCER PANEL**

Peter Knapp’s Comments

Subscribe to the 4 P’s

• Persistence
• Purpose
• Perspective
• Patience
• Reminding yourself “why”
• Why are you in the business?  Providing for family
• The idea of “you signed up for it”
• Available 24/7
• It’s your job so do you best
• Embracing the profession
• Be responsive
• Separating yourself from the transaction
• Don’t be emotional – Be honest
• Emotions
• Separate yourself from the transaction – Don’t take personally
• Creating quality of life
• Servant mentality
• serve all the time
• Outworking people – some people are smarter but no one will outwork me
• And common sense
• Each transaction, you are working for more than one sale
• By servicing everyone they will refer you.
• Every client is the only client
• Have people say  - I thought I was the only client you were helping
• Do Charity events as client events
• Address previous hurdles with clients in initial interview to minimize problems down the road

 **Tom Connor’s comments

Peter’s list was on target – he didn’t miss a beat!

It is important to block time off.

Spend majority of time on lead generation – Most Agents don’t do this.

Manage Team like a business – presentations, systems, and processes are important.

Website built with lead generation - on Back office – Real Pro Systems

Discuss business and an Agent’s productivity with buyers and sellers so they understand how hard you work and what your results are versus the “standard/average” agent.

Be responsive

Be communicative

Develop online biz but understand it is hard – lots of rejection – must be persistent

Read Book “Work for a Reason”

John Rumcik - ‘RUM’ –No Team – leverage company events with sphere to show you are involved in the community and give back to charities.

• Hard work has no substitute
• Work 100% by referral
• BNI is great – members & clients are referring because of high level of service
• Tons of referrals
• Work outside the box
• Don’t say “no” if it’s legal & ethical – yes, I will try for you is the right answer
• Advertise on Craigslist to help military for free on rentals and your email will blow up.
• Nothing is below me
  • BPOs and rentals pay RE/MAX expenses – no deal is to small or beneath me to provide my clients
  • BPOs help with knowing valuations
  • Sell clients for the future 

What are your motivations and how do you stay accountable?

Rum – Motivated by money

• Has business plan
• Has goals

Peter – Meets with Scott

• His “why” of why he’s in the business

Tom – Incoming bills – money

• Drive from within:  either you have it or you don’t.

Just a few more thoughts…

Do the little things and they will eventually add up to something big – rentals, BPOs, etc.

This job is mental →

Never be satisfied with success – always strive for more.

And we had the market update…

From DSNEWS.com  

Foreclosure Sales in Q1 = 158,434 - Altogether, third parties purchased a total of 158,434 bank-owned and short sale homes during the first three months of this year.  That’s down 16% from the previous quarter’s total and down 36% from the first quarter of 2010.

…REOs that sold in the first quarter had been repossessed by the bank an average of 176 days prior to the sale…

…Sales of bank-owned homes and those in some stage of foreclosure accounted for 28 percent of all U.S. residential sales in the first quarter of 2011 – in our area is was 30%, the highest percentage since the first quarter of 2010.”

…California and Arizona, foreclosure sales accounted for 45% of all residential home sales during the first quarter – in Vegas it was 53%.

…Residential home prices slipped 2.5% during the first quarter of this year when compared to the previous quarter…Our area sales prices are up 5.84% - an 8.24% difference.  We are lucky to be where we are today in regards to home sales and pricing!

From Builderonline.com

Foreclosures Continue to Take Toll on Pricing…only 20% of the 1.2 million homes in some stage of foreclosure have hit the markets – how is this going to affect prices?  In addition, over 4,000,000 are behind/in default on their mortgages.

From Realtor.org - Today’s REALTOR:  older and more experienced

Sales agents report $25k median net income in 2010. How much did you or your Realtor earn last year?  Experience=money – you better ask!

The typical REALTOR of today is older and has more experience than the typical REALTOR on year ago, according to the national Association of REALTORS’ 2011 Member Profile.  The average age is 56.

NAR had 1.01 million members.

Only 12% of REALTORS under 40, half are between 40 and 59, and 38% are age 60 or older. Only 6% of REALTORS said real estate was their first career. By comparison, homebuyers had a median age of 39 in 2010.  Get in tune with your buyers!

8% did not complete a single transaction in 2010, down from 12% in both 2009 and 2008.  I believe this number is very suspect…

Real estate was the sole occupation for 75% of REALTORS…

From DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS

 New-home sales see monthly rise in April

Sales of new, single-family homes saw a monthly rise in April, the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported today.

New Home Sales increased an estimated 7.3% in April compared with March and it is 29.2% above the rate in February, when such sales hit an all-time low.

The median sales price of a new homes rose 4.6% year-over-year in April, to $217,900.  Builder’s homes are priced right that is why they are selling and they are seeing price increase.

From WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

 Rates fall for sixth straight week – what a great time to buy!  Rates are down and prices are up.  Time to get in now before both are too far out of reach!

 HOUSING DATA

Last May versus this May – week 4

                                                                2010                                                       2011

Active homes for sale                                7,428                                                     7,516

Month’s supply  of u/c                              2.1                                                          2.1

Settlements last 30 days                           3162                                                       2598

Month’s supply of solds last 30                  2.3                                                         2.9

Percent of market that is distress inventory      15.2

We are in a very similar situation to last May – pretty crazy!  As usual, we had a great training that shared a lot of information.  Be sure to see video footage at www.youtube.com/scottmacdonald5 to hear more!  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something!

Selling your home? Avoid these mistakes!

Top 12 Seller Mistakes and how to avoid them if you are looking to sell your house:

1. Selling on your own.  There have been so many changes in financing, contracts, and regulations that it is difficult to keep up with if you are not in the business learning and keeping up with these changes you can get burned at the last minute.  How will you navigate the process when things go wrong with no experience in how to handle the types of problems?  The business is changing exponentially virtually daily.
2. Not hiring a true professional.  A true professional in the business is someone who is actively selling houses and participating in continuous training – not just someone with a license.  Nearly 40% of licensed Realtors did not sell a house in the last 12 months.  Be sure your agent is a true professional who is keeping up with the changes in the market, trends, contract changes and all other aspects of the business.
3. Not listening to the advice of your professional.  Some owners will hire an active agent in the business, listen to their advice but then take over “the driving” of the listing by dictating the pricing, condition, showing details, negotiations, etc.
4. Not hiring a stager.  Some sellers fancy themselves as decorators, interior designers, etc. saying they know how to put their property in the right condition to sell – well, it doesn’t help in most cases.  If your agent isn’t an Accredited Staging Professional – hire one and do all that they tell you to do to sell your house.
5. Not doing what the stager or professional suggests.  Yes, some people will hire professionals and not take their advice or delay in making the changes suggested.
6. Not following the advice of feedback presented by agents who show the property quickly or in a timely manner.  Agents who are actively previewing or showing properties have the best perspective on the market.  Their buyer’s feedback is the heart of the market and its conditions so their input should be carefully considered and followed – with the advice of your agent.
7. Not maintaining the “right” condition of the property during the sale process.  Many times, especially as time goes on in the marketing process, sellers won’t make beds, load the dishwasher, keep the blinds open, etc. and that is when the property will be shown.  It is a difficult process but it must be followed because you don’t know when the next showing will occur.
8. Pricing the house a little high for negotiations.  Pricing is extremely critical.  What happened last month, last year or when you bought your house doesn’t matter in today’s market.  Buyers are looking for houses that are priced right – which in many cases, is a little below what the last sale was in the neighborhood.  Pricing a little low may also generate multiple offers and allow you to attain a higher sales price.
9. Not utilizing a lockbox to grant access – appointment only will hurt the number of showings and thereby extend the length of time the property is on the market which will lead to frustration on everyone’s part.
10. Not leaving during the showing process – it is uncomfortable to the buyers and they won’t provide the best of feedback.
11. Not negotiating contracts that come in – no matter how low.  Sometimes buyers or their agents will see how low they can go before they will agree at a reasonable price and terms.
12. Not making the contract work and get to closing.  Often times both buyers and sellers will need to negotiate all the way to the closing – home inspection items, HOA violations, appraisal issues, title issues, and so many other things can become stumbling blocks.  Remember to keep your eye on the end goal of selling the house.

By avoiding these costly mistakes, you can get your house sold in virtually any market in a reasonable time.

Help! Don't allow Congress to hinder housing recovery!

The Northern Virginia Real Estate market continues on it strong pace but there is legislation that can bring this to an end – and fast.  The legislation is known as Qualified Residential Mortgages.  NAR believes Congress intended to create a broad QRM exemption. Evidence shows that responsible lending standards and ensuring a borrower’s ability to repay have the greatest impact on reducing lender risk, not high down payments. Proposals that require high down payments will drive more borrowers to FHA, increase costs for borrowers by raising interest rates and fees, and effectively price many eligible borrowers out of the housing market.

A provision in the Dodd-Frank Act requires that financial institutions retain 5% of the risk on loans they securitize. The purpose is to discourage excessive risk taking and create strong incentives for responsible lending and borrowing.

Congress came up with the QRM concept to ensure that banks were only putting up ‘safe’ loans for securitization. NAR supports this goal, but in practice, regulators have come up with draconian parameters for what constitutes a QRM.

NAR feels this will not only affect buyers, but would also affect the ability of home owners to sell their homes, since there would be fewer buyers who could qualify for home ownership.

NAR wants federal regulators to honor Congressional intent by crafting a QRM exemption that includes a wide variety of traditionally safe, well underwritten products such as 30-, 15-, and 10-year fixed-rate loans; 7-1 and 5-1 ARMs; and loans with down payments in the 5% to 20% range with PMI, where required, and with other features found in low-risk loans such as no prepayment penalties or balloon.  Implementing a new rule requiring a twenty percent or higher down-payments would stop the housing recovery in its tracks and we can’t have this happen to our fragile recovery in the housing sector.  Please contact your elected officials today and have them stop this in its tracks.  If you are interested in receiving a letter to forward on, please let me know.

 

I would like to thank NAR for allowing me to take their words and post this for you.

 

Now, go sell something!

A meeting of even greater minds...

One agent says it is slowest quarter in 3 years but he also agrees that results he is achieving are a direct result of the activities he has participated in the previous 120 days.  We all know what we need to do – you just have to do it.  Others continue to stay busy.  Here is the office activity the last  few weeks:  36 sales 14 listing, 18 sales 10 listing, 30 sales 20 listings, and 20 sales 5 listings  – a little up and down don’t you think?

Houses have to be jazzed up – granite, stainless, hardwood floors but most importantly price.  Buyers want everything in the house with nothing to have to do to fix it up and at the lowest price.  Pricing is a fine line today…price it right, not a little high to getter done

Banks are negotiating cash or financing loans to offset the differences.  Joe negotiated a deal with bank, they were $250,000 upside down bank wanted $40,000 cash to close – he negotiated $30,000 loan for 10 years no interest or $15,000 cash at any time.

Inventory levels are up – where is the market?  Not completely crystalized on the next quarter and what it is going to bring us.  Rates need to bump up to get people off the fence – we keep saying they are going up but they are at the lowest point this year.  Only things selling are the “good” deals are selling.  If nothing grabs the buyer, it is not selling. 

New homes are doing really well.  Brambleton had a record year last year – 354 sales last year and through the end of April they had sold over 200.  Toll Brothers has sold 52 year to date in South Riding. – Broadlands is crushing it too.  Pulte at East Market is selling at a record pace because of price and location.  Stanley Martin is ahead of last year’s record pace.  And NV Homes sold 7 homes in Saranac versus 1 for Brookfield – not many other new homes for sale

Sellers dominate the landscape amongst the agents in Platinum Club.  If you need new buyers – hold open houses:  18 people went through one open house last week in Centreville, 47 people went through another one in Fairfax – Home Buying Seminars are working now too, one agent had 50 people attend – internet advertising is working too.  You have to be actively involved in the business to get business.  Buyers have so many avenues to find properties plus they have access to so much information that they feel they don’t need an agent.  You need to develop relationships, get referrals and build the bridge or else you won’t get them – best way is to have a face to face buyer presentation.  Therefore, the adage of listers last will ring true for years to come.

First time buyers are getting bumped out who are using FHA loans – cash, conventional and even LFMI loans are beating them out.  The first time market continues to be red hot.

You have to meet appraisers now more so than before to get the house to appraise.  Most are open to your feedback so show up and do your job to protect your sellers and your contract.

Google yourself and see what happens.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something!

Great minds, great information...

Between Freddie and Fannie there are still 218,000 foreclosures set to come on the market.  As reported in Creative Real Estate Daily, in terms of Fannie, just as we were so surprised and pleased that Freddie Mac had actually turned a profit in the first quarter of this year (see the article, “Did I Miss the Freddie Mac Bake Sale?” posted last week), Fannie Mae comes out with its first quarter numbers. The GSE had a loss to the tune of $8.7 billion in the 2011 first quarter! It’s enough to make you want to do a Donald Trump on the agency—you’re fired!

Fannie Mae says this was mainly because of declining home prices in that quarter. Really? Would that be the only reason?

With needing to draw additional funds to cover these losses, Fannie Mae’s draw on the government piggy bank (since the government seized control of Fannie in late 2008) has now reached nearly $100 billion.

Fannie Mae’s first quarter production numbers look like this:

• 51,043 loan modifications
• 78,000 single-family loan workouts  (including  60,000+ home retention solutions)
• 17,120 short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure
• 53,549 REO properties gained through foreclosure  (up nearly 8,000 from the 2010 first quarter)
• Total single-family REO inventory (as of Mar. 31, 2011): 153,224 with a value of $14.1 billion.

Dave Liniger mentioned at the Catalyst Conference that Bank of America is holding 700,000 properties that are 90 days late – not sure what other banks are holding.

The big question is – how many are here locally?  How will it affect our market?  How will it affect our prices?

RealtyTrac has released the results of its statistical study on which U.S. cities are the best places to buy foreclosures in 2011. It started with the 100 most highly populated metropolitan areas, and then used a 10-category criteria of things like unemployment rates, foreclosure activity, and sales prices to narrow the field. The result is the 10 best cities to buy and invest in foreclosures this year:

1. Akron, OH
2. Rochester, NY
3. Buffalo, NY
4. Cleveland, OH
5. Portland, ME
6. Milwaukee, WI
7. San Jose, CA
8. Memphis, TN
9. San Diego, CA
10. Durham, NC

Guess what, we aren’t in here which is good for us!  Thanks for the update Creative Real Estate Daily!

Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5B – Wow! EBay Inc. bought Skype in 2005 for around $3.1 billion but took a $1.4 billion charge for the transaction in 2007 after it failed to produce.  Regardless, jump on board Skype - 107 million users Skyped 207 billion minutes.  Also, when communicating with people 55% of communication is physiological, 38% is tonality and 7% is words.  Emails and texts can get misconstrued, get in front of your clients or get them on Skype – it’s free!

State attorneys general are holding meetings with the nation's largest mortgage servicers this week to negotiate a settlement agreement for the robo-signing issues that surfaced last fall.  Speculation on the combined fine amount ranges from $5 billion to $20 billion.  The services include Bank of America and Wells Fargo among other banks.  Stay tuned for more details.

Mark Zuckerman of Facebook looks to have purchased a $7,000,000 home in California.  Not too shabby for a 26 year old!

Online real estate brokerage Redfin has removed 42 agents from its partner referral program due to mixed customer reviews, the company announced in a blog post Friday.  Redfin also axed eight partner agents for creating fake customer reviews – integrity counts.  We just have to get them to not rebate back to buyers off the HUD!!

Home Alone house is on the market for $2.4 million!  Great house, great neighborhood, bratty kid not included!

Mortgage rates are at this year’s lows, purchase mortgage loans are up and I know Leslie Wish will tell us all about it and MARS has reared its head again and I know Sadaf Saberi and Ryan Koppel will cover this topic for us as well.

You now have great information to help you with your business and to talk with clients about to show you are the expert.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Now, go sell something!