Fremont homes

A realtor can be a great help when home buying or selling but can also sometimes be extremely hard to work with. That is why it is important to choose a good real estate agent and one that you feel confident with since you will be working very closely with them over the period of several months. Using a realtor is the best and easiest way to sell or buy a home.
Many home sellers that try to do it on their own often do not do it correctly or receive a lower price than what they had wanted in the beginning. The realtor is experienced in negotiating prices and can help you easily sell or buy a home in the right market and at the right price.
Since a realtor has a lot of experience in buying and selling homes, they can be of great help in taking care of all the details and negotiating the price between the buyer and seller. There are many places to find realtors. The problem is finding a good one and one that you trust with the details of your home buying or selling.
Good companies like Century 21 or Weichart Realty have many well qualified real estate agents and have a good reputation for having good realtors. Many of the realtors that work for these companies are even brokers and can complete the entire deal. The best thing you can do is to meet with the realtor beforehand and see if they are easy to work with.
If they are, you can be confident that they are going to be of great help to you. Some people simply look up a realtor online, never taking the time to meet with them beforehand. While, this might work out in the end, it is very important that you know you can trust them with the details of your home. The realtor will be the guide of your home buying or selling process and you want to make sure that they will get the the best deal possible.
Just like other relocation specialists, realtors are trained in their field and can be a great asset to you during your moving process. You should always look for a realtor who has experience and comes well qualified and is part of a realtors association. There are many places to find good realtors.
Start by asking friends and relatives for referrals. Once you find a potential realtor, you will want to ask questions about what they will do to market your home, if the realtor is a full time real estate agent, and if they have limited time to spend on the details of the purchase of sale of your home. You will also want to find an agent that is available to show the home to the potential buyers on the buyers schedule.
It is not a good idea to rely on a real estate agent that makes you work on their schedule and time frame. And, by the realtor adjusting to the schedule of the potential buyers, you might possibly sell your home faster. Remember, that when hiring a realtor, you are also hiring an agency.
That is why it is a good idea to ask questions and take the time to decide if that agency is right for you. The agency that you choose to go with needs to have enough financial power to properly put your home on the market.
While small agencies and local realtors might be alright for small town purchases and sells, you will want to remember that bigger agencies have more money to spend on advertising and might possibly sell or find you a home faster and easier. Whichever kind of real estate agency you choose to go through, it is important that you develop a good working relationship with their agents so that you can be confident that you have chosen the right realtors.

Here is a top ten for Palm Desert, but it applies to Fremont and the bay area too!

Here is our top ten for Palm Desert:

1. Children laugh at your Home For Sale sign as they ride by on their bicycles.

2. The bank keeps pleading with you not to give them your house.

3. Real estate agents hang up when you ask them to list your house.

4. Government bailout plans to prevent foreclosures specifically exempt your house from any help.

5. Joe the Plumber won’t work on the plumbing.

6. Sarah Palin can’t think of any mavericky ways to help you.

7. The neighbor’s auction didn’t produce any bidders.

8. You didn’t get a single bid on ebay.

9. Your house is always used as an example of the housing slump by your local news.

10. They refused to do a house makeover of your home on TV.

Today, it is estimated that one in ten homeowners is either in foreclosure or behind in their payments. As the economic crisis becomes more severe and the recession feeds upon itself, people have become more and more desperate to find some way to hold onto their houses. With such conditions, the average member of the public is ripe for a scam and the and those who try to dupe you or use trickery know this. It is no surprise, therefore that the number of foreclosure and loan modification scams are on the rise.

Those who are most likely to be targeted by persons attempting to perpetrate a fraud are the elderly, anyone entering foreclosure, people who have recently lost their jobs, families who have lost a loved one, people who have limited knowledge of English, people with limited resources, and homeowners whose payment amounts have recently been raised.

The moment you enter foreclosure, you can expect to be inundated with offers of help from many individuals with generic type sounding names, and some claiming even to have references from churches or other social organizations near you. These are, in most cases, some of the people you should stay away from at all cost.

The person who will approach you in this type of scam is more often than not, well-dressed, well groomed, and seems personable, kind, and trustworthy. Some utilize social skills to put you at ease such as their representation to be of the same religion as you, or even the same church, to have been in the military if they think that will put you at ease or feel more trusting of them, and others will claim to be working for non-profit organizations, or branches of the government.

If you need help selling or finding a home or land in Southern California, in Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Orange County or San Diego County or anywhere in the Inland Empire or Coachella Valley including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, La Quinta, Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage, call us at any of the numbers you find on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonProperties.com

In the interim, these are some of the most common scams you should be aware of and here’s what you can do to avoid being a victim of such real estate scams, ripoffs and frauds.

1) The Disappearing Foreclosure Consultant – With a helpful sounding name, and armed with references and a kind voice, the person who contacts you promises to help you stave off foreclosure with just an up-front fee for their time. The only problem is, as soon as the money clears their bank, you never see or hear from them again. The soon-to-be phantom performs little or no service, takes your money and you are left with your original problems and less time to try to save your home from foreclosure.

2) Loan Modification Helpers – Unlike Santa’s Helpers, in this scam you pay a fee up front to the “loan modification expert” to negotiate directly with your bank, only here you don’t get a present from Santa. If the expert really gains your trust, you also make your mortgage payments directly to the expert rather than to the mortgage company. Both the up front fee and the mortgage payments go directly into the pocket of the loan modification helper with the white beard and the kind voice and by the time you receive notice that your house is in foreclosure, this elf has disappeared and is back at the North Pole.

3) Just Sign Here Scams – As you face the prospect of foreclosure, one offer of help seems far better than all the others because it allows you to stay in your home as they save it from foreclosure. Unfortunately, in the papers you sign without having a lawyer look at them, you agree, knowingly or unknowingly, to sign over the house to the person offering this help and still remain responsible for the mortgage payments. The person then either sells your house, collects other fees from you or holds onto the house and evicts you.

4) Sale and Leaseback Scams – In this scam, if you are a homeowner who still has some equity in your home, you will be convinced to sign over title in your home and pay rent to the scam artist with the promise that they can bail you out, cure your problems and that you will be allowed to buy back the house later at a bargain price. All of this can be accomplished, but only if the property is in the consultant’s name. The payments you make go directly to the scam artist and eventually you will find yourself holding the bag. You may also find yourself evicted when you can no longer make the excessive rent payments. If you have lost your job and are having trouble making your house payments, even if you have equity in your home, you may be tempted by this scam. And while you would be entitled to the excess equity in your home if the house is sold in foreclosure, when you fall victim to this scam, you will lose the equity when it is either sold out from under you or the equity is stripped away by the new owner.

5) The Trust Me, I’m Religious or I Was In The Military Too Scam – These people posing as Christians, former members of the military or members of whatever social organizations you belong to come complete with references from members of your church or with military haircuts and promise that by adding them to the title to your home, they can rescue you from foreclosure, and have your credit repaired. Having gone through your mail or your trash, they probably know all about you. There’s no need to see a lawyer, they tell you. Just pray with them or have a drink with them and swap military stories. Just be sure to hold on to your wallet, don’t give them any money and don’t sign anything.

6) Sign Me Up Scotty And Get A New Loan Scam – In this scam, you are told that if you add the nice looking good Samaritan onto your title by signing a Grant Deed or other legal instrument, (which you are told, you don’t really need to read) this friendly person can apply for a new loan, which, unfortunately, if approved, will leave you on the hook for both the old loan payments and the new loan payments, and any up front fees you pay for this service will disappear with this fraud.

7) Buy My Books, Take This Seminar And Make Millions Scam – You may see this offer on late night television, on roadside signs or even on billboards. Only this time, you are talked into buying materials that are full of worthless information that will do nothing to help you avoid foreclosure. Even worse, the materials you receive may offer advice that will land you in jail by telling you how to approach others in foreclosure and advise you to tell them you can save them from foreclosure. The trouble is, what you will be doing is either practicing law without a license or acting as a credit repair agency or loan modification expert without a real estate license and without an advance fee agreement approved by the Commissioner of the California Department of Real Estate and without being registered with the California Department of Justice.

The Short Sale Scam – In this scam, the “short sale specialist” who contacts you promises his expertise to accomplish a short sale in a small amount of time that will protect your credit. There is a fee of course that would have been better spent on groceries. When the real estate market was better, there were additional wrinkles to this scam that today are more difficult to perpetrate due to the difficulty of selling homes in this economy.

9) It’s Like Magic – Here the homeowner is told to sign one thing, but the homeowner winds up signing something altogether. In some instances of this bait and switch scam, the scam artist will serve as the notary as well. In conjunction with this and other scams, or in other variations, forgery may be utilized, and identity theft employed as well.

10) Want Somewhere Cheap To Rent Scam – Here the bogus homeowner or leasing agent takes your rent payment and security deposit and rents or leases you vacant residential or commercial property, that isn’t owned by the person you are talking with and if you are talking with a leasing agent, this “agent” has no authority to offer you the property for rent or lease.

Here are the five tips of advice we recommend to anyone in this situation being approached by people offering help.

1. Avoid any solicitations of help that come unexpectedly, by mail, e-mail and by phone or to your door.

2. Avoid using any help agency whose name you find on roadside signs such as those which state “We Buy Homes For Cash” and those which promise to “Stop Foreclosure.”

3. Avoid paying up-front fees to foreclosure or loan modification experts.

4. Disregard anyone who tells you not to talk to your bank or tells you to avoid consulting with a lawyer.

5. Don’t sign anything without having it reviewed by a real estate lawyer.

Red flags to you that you are about to be scammed should include requests of you for any of the following: to pay money up-front before any service has been performed, payment by cash, cashier’s checks or bank wires only, transfers of title, actions to be taken immediately, power of attorney, signatures on grant deeds, signatures without any explanation or while under time constraints, signatures on incomplete documents, and mortgage payments to persons other than the mortgage company.

Other red flags include unqualified promises, offers that sound too good to be true, failures to provide you with copies of what you sign, oral promises that are in conflict with written provisions, refusals to put the oral promises in writing, oral statements that the provisions in writing don’t mean what they say or won’t be enforced, and warnings not to discuss the matter with an attorney, your lender or anyone else.

There is a set of steps a Realtor needs to take in order to prepare a property to be marketed effectively so that the home can be sold for its highest value in the most efficient amount of time. Although there are a number of variations on this procedure the following steps are needed to achieve the best result. Make sure to review this list and evaluate the Agents answers when you speak with them.

Step 1: Agent Interviews

Interview several Realtors, the most satisfied clients are the ones who have interviewed other Agents; by knowing who else was out there they are confident right from the outset that they have made the right decision.

Step 2: Sign an Exclusive Listing Agreement

Once you have decided on your Agent it is standard for them to ask you to sign an exclusive listing with them. This document will reassure the Realtor that the homeowner has made a decision and will be loyal to the selected Agent. Once the Agent has this reassurance they will start to invest their time and money into marketing the property.

The property is listed ‘Exclusively For Sale’ at 5% or 6% commission. The exclusive period usually lasts a week or two while the prep-work is done (pre-inspection, photography, home staging, floor plans, decor etc…). If the home is ‘double-ended’ and the Agent is not in competition, the Agent will normally be receptive to discussing a reduction in the commission. Double ended means that the listing Agent sells it to a client during this exclusive period.

There is a specific set of rules that will allow the Agent to negotiate in good faith on behalf of both parties. I believe that this is actually not fair to the Seller since you sign a listing with them vowing to work in their best interest. It is appropriate to ask the listing Agent’s Broker to negotiate on behalf of the purchaser. This way both parties still receive fair representation.

Step 3: The House is Staged

There are many different things that have to happen before a property can be properly marketed. Most of these items have to do with getting the property shined up and ready to be photographed and subsequently shown. This process is typically referred to as ‘Staging’ a home.

Staging can mean anything from a new coat of paint and some fresh flowers to entirely re-decorating and furnishing a home. There is great value in staging because it helps market a home to a broader audience then the current owner’s individual taste. This can be a very touchy subject because most people take great pride in their home, as they should, and think that it already looks its best. Unfortunately a lot of Buyers might not have the same appreciation for lime coloured paint or they may have trouble seeing how big the room is past all the boxes of receipts and tax papers from 1976.

It is usually the clutter and minor deficiencies that the home owner doesn’t notice anymore. They tell themselves they will get around to fixing it eventually and just never do. This is where the Agent has to be cautious not to overstep their boundaries, but make it clear that the goal is to sell the home for the most amount of money and it is therefore necessary to appeal to the widest audience possible. Quite often an agent will recommend a ‘Fluffer’ or ‘Stager’ to do this because that way they don’t have to be the bad guy. The goal of staging is to make the house desirable to everyone who would be looking in their market.

The Agent should shoulder the costs of all the marketing, but the homeowner is expected to pick up the costs of staging and any pre-inspections. These are suggestions that will net them more money at the end of the day and stay with the house after sale.

At this point the house is ready to be professional photographed and subsequently marketed. Don’t underestimate the value of having your home professionally photographed. Pictures form the basis of any marketing campaign. To sell your house for the most amount of money in the least amount of time you need you home looking its absolute best.

Once the buyer signs the sales contract, you might feel the urge to relax. Don’t sit back and kick your feet up just yet. Your work is not complete just yet. The buyer can still back out of the deal if certain things go wrong in these last steps of the for sale by owner process. Buyers tend to get cold feet at this point. They see other for sale by owner homes they like for a lower price. You have to take steps to make sure the buyer doesnt back out of the deal.
After the for sale by owner sales contract has been signed, the buyers lender will have an appraisal done to ensure that the borrower isnt asking for more money than your home is actually worth. The lender will not provide a loan if the home is appraised for less than the sale price. You can avoid this by having your own appraisal done when you are setting your price in the for sale by owner process. Alternatively, you can make sure that your price is comparable to that of similar homes sold in your neighborhood.
The lender might have your for sale by owner land surveyed to establish the property boundaries. In most cases, this doesnt present a problem. If your for sale by owner property has not been surveyed in the last 50 years, has recently been subdivided between other people, or has a boundary that changes like a creek, then you should pay attention during this part of the process.
The buyer might have his own inspections done as allowed by the sales contract. These inspections are done at the buyers expense and include termite, roof, and general inspection. Be available during the inspection. Ask questions about anything you do not understand. If you so choose, you can have your own inspection completed. It could prove helpful if you need to dispute a report, but is not necessary. Your primary concern should be to fix problems and keep the buyer from backing out of the for sale by owner contract.
You should notify your lender that you will be paying off the balance of your mortgage and ask for a statement of your balance. Collect appliance instruction books and warranty information to give to the buyer. Finally, when you know the closing date, you should notify service providers like electricity, water, cable, and trash of your final billing date.
The for sale by owner closing date will be about 30 to 45 days from the date the sales contract is signed. Depending on your state, your real estate attorney might handle the closing. Alternatively, the lenders attorney might handle it and your attorney will act as your representative.
At the for sale by owner closing, the settlement statement is reviewed. This statement details the money received. This includes: the lenders check for the mortgage amount, buyers down payment, and the buyers earnest money deposit. The settlement statement also includes money that must be paid out: balance on the sellers current mortgage, real estate agent fees (if applicable), and closing costs. Finally, the statement will detail the amount you get to keep.
The title to the house is then transferred to the buyer and the process is complete. Your hard work has paid off.

Increasing the value of homes for sale can increase the asking price. Though realtors suggest improvements that can be made to increase home values, there are many things that can be done by owners in advance of listing their California homes for sale.

Many owners of homes for sale make the mistake of doing costly but unnecessary upgrades, making the wrong improvements, or trying to do too much. Costly upgrade costs are seldom recouped, and many types of improvements add no additional value to the homes.

Trying to do too many improvements is the biggest mistake made by owners of homes for sale. The objective is to do a few strategic and important projects really well with quality materials and workmanship. Doing many projects using mediocre materials, nonprofessional labor, and/or doing them only halfway can, in the end, decrease the value of the homes for sale.

Let’s look at some improvements that will add value to homes for sale:

? Yards

oMany owners think first of their back yard, since they have spent so many hours there compared to the front. The front yard, however, takes precedence over the back for homes for sale ? if sellers cannot get potential buyers through the front doors, then the back yards do not matter!

oOverall, patios add the most value to homes for sale; irrigation and then landscaping follow as value-added improvements.

oMany owners overplant, assuming elaborate landscaping will bring a higher selling price. Chaotic landscapes, however, do not impact potential buyers as much as lots of attractive lawn space. The new owners will add more landscaping if that is what they prefer; so, sellers should keep such planting to one area versus many.

oA little lighting goes a long way, so owners should use it sparingly and spend their money for other improvements.

oIf pavements are added or replaced, owners should focus on areas where people gather or frequently walk and not over do the paving for walkways and pool areas.

? Buildings ? Home, Garages and Any Additional Buildings

oCosmetic improvements add the most value. Painting and replacing carpet, however, give the best payback. Fixtures are next for increasing the value for homes for sale.

oThis is the time to do any maintenance that has been postponed ? whether it can be seen or not and especially any structural damage. Here are items that need to be checked for needed maintenance, repair or replacement:

? Items that generally need replacing or repaired after ten years of use are dishwashers, disposals, washer/dryers, and built in microwaves. Also look at fiberglass tubs and showers, laminate countertops, water heaters, carpeting, wooden decks, and asphalt driveways.

? Items that usually need replacing or repaired between 15 and 20 years are central air conditioning, all types of heating units, ranges, ovens, kitchen cabinets, and all types of fixtures, including water faucets and lighting.

? Items to look at that are 20 or more years old are sinks, granite countertops, and concrete, stone or brick walls and patios.

oAs to siding on the homes for sale, stucco or wood siding give the most value. Brick gives absolutely no value, and vinyl siding actually takes away from the asking price.

oThe features that add the most value to homes for sale are an extra full bathroom, half baths, fireplaces (two are better than one), and a garage for two or more vehicles.

oThe next added-value features for homes for sale are double oven, den or study, kitchen island, pantry, utility room, extra bedroom, cathedral ceilings, skylights, decks and an elevator.

Before deciding on any improvement projects, owners should do a buyer evaluation, beginning by standing on the street in front of their homes for sale. Using a notepad, they will write down their first impressions of the lawn and buildings. They must be objective, as if they are looking at their homes for the first time as potential buyers. They should walk through their entire property, making notes of their impressions. If owners have a difficult time separating themselves from the memories that are tied to the homes for sale, then they should ask a friend do this for them. They can even contact a realtor and ask him/her to evaluate the property for value-added improvements, with the promise or signed contract of listing the homes for sale with the realtor later.

The time to evaluate homes for sale is at the first decision to sell them, giving time to make improvements that may substantially increase your selling price.

New construction in Virginia is in such high demand, builders can barely keep up with it. This is why it’s almost impossible to find a newly built home for sale?they’re all sold before construction has even begun. So while you don’t get the chance to walk through the home and decide if you want to make it your own, getting a brand-new home built for you offers all sorts of other rewards.

For starters, you have a unique opportunity to create your dream home. You get complete creative control to decide on the floor plan and all the finishing details. That means you get the flooring you want, and the counters and back splash material is all up to you. You dictate the colors, and every other detail you could imagine. And with advanced computer technology that some companies have, you can look at digital samples of what some of your color and material choices will look like in your finished home.

When you design a home with the builder, you know exactly what you are getting. You know the home is new, and won’t have hidden water damage in the walls or attic. You will have been able to see it at all stages of its building, and know exactly what quality of materials it is made of. Modern homes are designed to be far more energy efficient than older homes, so buy building new you may eventually save money on heating and cooling costs. Further, your new home comes with a warranty from the builder, guaranteeing you the quality of their product. It is always a good idea to take advantage of this by having a thorough look through of the warranty, so you know exactly what’s covered and for how long.

Another advantage of a new construction home is that it is likely in a new, planned community. There is a trend towards reviving the front porch, and having that be the face of a home instead of the garage like it was in the past decade. This trend is inspired by an overall desire to reconnect neighbors, and create more old-fashioned neighborhoods. Many modern planned communities have extensive parks with winding trails and bike-paths, playgrounds, and extensive green space for families to picnic or just hang out. In some communities, this compensates for smaller yards. However, in many upscale communities you get both?a nice large yard of your own, plus some quality public space. Some of these communities also have created little towns where you can get everything you need without having to drive into the city. This is great for those that want the quiet of suburbia but don’t want to sacrifice convenience.

So if you are considering buying a new home, check out the developers in your area. Ask them about the materials they use and their warrantees, as well as floor plans. Will they build a design you provide them with or do they have a good selection of their own floor plans? Find one that will be able to give you just what you want. Then, sit back and enjoy watching your dream home come to life.

Foreclosures are something that is faced in current economic times. Thousands of homes are being listed as foreclosures and banks are willing to sell foreclosed houses at a cheaper price. If you are a first time buyer or an experienced investor, then this is the perfect time to buy bank owned foreclosure homes as an attractive investment opportunity.

So why does foreclosures occur? Well, the main reason behind foreclosures is the default on mortgages or taxes. Default means the homeowner failed to make principal and interest payments constantly. It also means that the owner is making partial payments as most lenders consider such payments to be void. Once the owner has reached a certain number of default payments, a legal notice is sent by the lending institution/ bank and then the foreclosure will proceed.

Before you plan to buy foreclosures property, it is very important to understand the process behind foreclosures. You need to learn many things involved in the foreclosure process to make sure it runs smoothly for the bank/ lender institution and you.

A foreclosure sale instigated by the banks generally takes place on the local county courthouse where the properties preside. The courts will set a date of sale. The homeowner will be given a notice in advance prior to the sale of bank owned foreclosure homes.

During a foreclosure sale, several properties are being auctioned. If you want to buy foreclosures property, you better conduct a good research about any bank owned foreclosure homes. You will not get any information about problems and repairs from the auctioneer.

Most bank owned foreclosure homes for sale are auctioned through a closed bidding system. Sealed bids are placed before the auctioneer highest bid will win the property. If you are the highest bidder then you will have to make a 10 percent down payment and rest in the form of cash or bank account check to buy foreclosures property.

There are some formalities required after winning the bid. You will have to sign and fill certain important documents and will have a month or 30 days to secure a loan for purchasing the property.