Key Questions To Ask When Interviewing a Real Estate Agent

Watch on your mobile device >>

For most people, their home will be the largest financial transaction in their lifetimes so it is critical to carefully choose whom to work with to market your home if deciding to sell. If buying a home is your goal then finding someone that truly understands your needs is essential.

All Realtors® Are Not Created Equal
The most important decision you can make when selling your home is who to work with as a real estate agent. In fact, there are many agents that choose to work primarily with one side of the transaction. Without properly investigating the person you are considering working with, you may never find out if you end up listing your home with an agent that specializes in assisting buyers.

Find Out What They Can Do for You
Just like any other service, some professionals provide a higher level of service while others don’t have as much to offer. Your goal should be to find an agent that delivers the most value to you. That’s why each interview for each person will be different. Your primary goal might be financially motivated. In that case, you may be more concerned with finding an agent that deals with more volume. If customer service is a priority, you would likely want to work with someone that services their clients carefully and thoughtfully while keeping their needs constantly in mind.

How Do They Operate Their Business?
Ask how they run their team and conduct their business, both as individuals and as a cohesive unit. Find out what each team member’s strengths are and decide whether they fit in with your real estate goals. Ask for proof of results, through market reports, company-wide statistics and client testimonials, to find out what they will do to get your home sold.

Time and dedication is another important factor. Do they engage in their real estate business on a full-time basis or is just a part-time endeavor while they have a day job somewhere else? How accessible are they to you and how quickly can you expect responses to your inquiries?

Investigate Their Track Record
Don’t be afraid to ask for evidence of other clients’ experiences. Rather than asking to see a list of references, request a list of their ten most recent transactions and current clients. This will provide an accurate picture of what you can expect through the process of working with them. Find out how many transactions they go through each year – is it the typical 6 to 8 or is it a super team that you’re potentially dealing with?

Decide What Sets Them Apart From Others
In today’s technology centric world, it is critical to find someone that is knowledgeable and in tune with what today’s buyers and sellers want. Ask what they will do to sell your home differently than every other Realtor®. Find out what their marketing methods are and request a look at their sales metrics that prove these methods to be successful.
~
At the Shine Team, you know you’re in good hands. Not only because we have a team of dedicated individuals that each specialize in a particular area of real estate, but also because we have years of track record, positive client experiences and countless transactions to show for it.

Contact us today for a custom consultation on how we can help you make your real estate dreams become a reality!

Improving Curb Appeal for Your Home

Watch on your mobile device >>

Home sellers these days have a lot of things to contend with. Unless the property is absolutely gorgeous the homeowner will need to do something to attract attention and entice buyers to come in.

Like the old adage says, “the first impression is the last impression” and it has a lot of weight when it comes to selling a home. Of course we have all seen those TV shows that depict expert gardeners spending hours, days and maybe even weeks preparing a home’s garden and lawn. But is that even realistic for most of us?  Here are some tips on how you can achieve top-quality results in landscaping and curb appeal without spending lots of time to accomplish it.

Invest in Low-Maintenance Plants, Shrubs and Flowers

Depending on the position of your home you can plant things that do not require much attention. There are plenty of low, medium and high light plants and flowers that can easily function without much attention through an entire season. Some plants even work well with less water – ideal for homes in drier climates.

One easy to care for flowering plant is the daylily. These garden wonders are pest-free, cover a good amount of ground or border space, grow quickly and withstand both hot and cold climates. Colorful additions include plants like rhododendrons and peonies – both available in a variety of colors and each low-maintenance. Be sure to talk to a garden expert where you buy these plants to check on planting location for each.

For greenery and fullness you can add ferns – a plant that is available in thousands of varieties and very easy to care for. Perfect for shady spots in your lawn, ferns also do well in other parts of your landscape area without needing a lot of attention.

Arrange Colorful Patio/Porch Accessories

When you are done planting, the next thing you should do is to make sure the immediately visible exterior portions of the home and the driveway are both clean. A warm and inviting entryway will almost always attract buyers and entice them into wanting to explore behind the front door.

For inspiration, check out some of the home design magazines online or go window shopping online on websites such as potterybarn.com or pier1.com so you can see how their displays infuse bright colors in a warm and inviting way. You don’t have to go all out and spend too much money – just enough to add some dimension and interest to the space. Just one chair with colorful cushions, bright flowers in a striking planter and a topiary or two might be all you need. Of course you also want to invest in a brand new welcome mat that literally welcomes buyers into your home.

~

Enhancing curb appeal does not have to break your back or your bank – but by spending just a little bit of time you can spruce up your place enough to make buyers head your way rather than to the neighbor thatdoes have a green thumb and plenty of time!

Should I Refinance My Home Mortgage?

Watch on your mobile device >>

I would like to share with you some very important information to be considered. This will help you make the decision of whether to refinance or not. My views of this topic seem to be right on track with Cyd West, Senior Vice President of First Community Mortgage. I asked Cyd, the expert lender, to share her thoughts with you. If you have any questions, please be sure to contact us.

Chances are you’ve been asking yourself this question lately.  Like most other big decisions, the answer is not “one size fits all.”  There are many variables to be considered and your situation is as unique as you are.  

One thing to be considered is your current balance and the remaining amortization.  If you only owe $40,000 and have less than 10 years left to pay you probably won’t benefit much from refinancing.  The costs would greatly outweigh any monthly savings unless you spread the balance over a much longer term.   This could be a good move if you plan to remain in your current home for a long time and desire a lower payment.  However, most homeowners dream of being mortgage free and if that is your goal you don’t want to incur cost or lengthen debt repayment.  

Another important factor is your current interest rate.  If your interest rate is less than one percent above the rate being offered for the refinance it’s probably not worth the expense of refinance unless you have a large mortgage balance, say over $250,000.  The more you owe, the more you will benefit from any reduction in interest rate.  

Even though most refinance offers tout “no money out of pocket to close” there are almost always costs.  If you don’t pay these in cash at the closing of the refinance loan, they are added to your loan balance.  It’s important to weigh the cost vs. benefit and calculate the period it takes to recover the cost and reduce the new loan balance to the pre-refinancing level.  Your mortgage professional can provide this information for you, but it’s up to you to ask the questions.  

Don’t forget that most mortgage payments include additional items such as deposits to escrow for taxes, insurance and sometimes private mortgage insurance or HOA dues.  The escrow account must also be analyzed and reestablished when the mortgage is being refinanced.   Depending on when your annual taxes and insurance are due to be paid there may need to be large amounts set aside to sufficiently set up the escrow.  For most homeowners the largest of these expenses is property tax, so chances are the escrow account for taxes will require a healthy initial deposit if it’s near tax time.  For example, the taxes in Bell County are billed in October with a discount incentive to pay early.  All servicers will attempt to take advantage of that discount, so there must be an amount equal to a full year’s tax bill (plus the allowable cushion – usually 2 months) in the account on October 1.  If you are refinancing in August, that means that you’ll be required to put 12-14 months of tax deposits into the new escrow.  You can see how this amount can greatly increase the amount required for closing or increase the balance of your loan if you are “rolling in” costs.  

A surprise benefit is often a refund check from the escrow account that was being held for the loan that was refinanced.  When the new loan (refinancing) pays off your previous home loan, the servicer has no need for the escrow account.  You will receive a refund check for the balance of the escrow within 30 days of the payoff of the previous loan.  It’s your money to do with as you please.   If you chose to roll the cost of establishing new escrow accounts into the new loan it is smart to take the refund from the old account and pay it to principal on the new loan.  If you were able to pay the costs of refinance out of pocket, the refund will help you to recover those expenses.  

With current interest rates being the lowest in modern history, it would not be wise to take an adjustable rate.  There is nowhere for that rate to go but up.  A long term fixed rate is highly recommended.  Lock it in while interest rates are at rock bottom.  

It’s crucial to consider your future plans for the house.  Will you continue to own the property for several years?  Is it likely that you’ll be moving soon?  It would be unwise to incur the costs of refinancing if you don’t plan to own the house long enough to realize the maximum benefit of the lower payments.  Additionally, the added cost of refinancing may increase the new loan balance to the point that you cannot make a profit on your sale or price your home competitively to sell.  Again, it’s important to share your goals with your mortgage professional so that the proper analysis can be done to determine your best options. 

Beware of high pressure, predatory lenders who come to your home.  You should be highly skeptical of any in-home mortgage lenders with handwritten disclosures and “too good to be true” examples of how much you can save with their super-duper refinance product.   It’s always best for you to make the initial contact with any financial professional.  Consult your personal banker for a recommendation or the local Better Business Bureau.  

Finally, don't be caught up in the frenzy. Just because all of your friends are refinancing or you can't listen to the radio without hearing a new offer, refinancing your mortgage may not be the wisest choice for you. Sometimes the hardest (and the wisest) thing to do is to do nothing.