The Five Biggest Mistakes Most Home Buyers Make & How You Can Avoid Each One
Whether or not you have bought a home before, the landscape for home buying is always changing. If you've been in your home for fifteen years and are looking to buy your next house, you feel like a "rookie" because you've forgotten what it's like out there in the market place, competing with other qualified buyers and their agents.
First a little bit of good news for buyers before we tackle the five big ones. The Cedar Rapids real estate market is full of inventory in each and every price range. Buyers have much to choose from and guess what; it's only going to get better. Starting in March of 2008, the "busy" season for real estate has officially begun. Seller's have been preparing their homes all winter (or should have been) and are poised to place their houses on the market to sell, right? Well, maybe!
Your home has to be "show ready," have great curb appeal, have 7 or 8 out of 10 things each and every buyer is looking for, be priced right, have all major mechanicals in proper working order, etc. If not, guess where the first 10 buyers will be going upon leaving your home? They will find a home that has all of the above and be living in that home within a few months.
BUYERS, BUYERS, BUYERS, HERE IS YOUR LIST OF THE FIVE BIGGEST MISTAKES & MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW TO AVOID EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!
MISTAKE #1 Buyers don't ask the lenders enough questions or the right questions so they don't necessarily get the best loan for them.
SOLUTION TO MISTAKE #1 I only work with lenders who take the time and effort it takes to not only win your business, but your repeat business and your referral business. These lenders know that if they don't provide what they promise, they won't be in business very long. I only work with the best lenders like Tami Zumbach with United Security Savings Bank. Visit her online at www.iowamortgagediva.com . Also, ask for my lender's question list; it's free like everything else!
MISTAKE #2 Buyers don't act quickly enough when they find the right house, and someone else buys it out from under them.
SOLUTION TO MISTAKE #2 If buyers are serious about buying a home, they must be pre-qualified, and pre-approved to write an offer on a house. They must not have a house they are currently living in to sell first because that would be like doing things backwards. 99% of the time, you need the proceeds or equity from the sale of your current house to move into your next house, unless of course you are a First Time Home Buyer. Trust Christopher Smith when he says, "Go for it!" He knows the market, and knows whether or not a house is priced right and will still be there the following morning.
MISTAKE #3 Buyers don't make themselves & their offer look attractive to the seller.
SOLUTION TO MISTAKE #3 The Christopher Smith Team and Traditions Real Estate are experts at "framing" the offer so that it is most attractive and appealing to the seller. Do you want the house you just wrote an offer on? Of course you do! Christopher Smith is an expert at getting you what you want, PERIOD!
MISTAKE #4 Buyers usually don't think ReSale before they buy.
SOLUTION TO MISTAKE #4 Since I usually think "resale" with every house that is purchased from my buyers, I am already counseling them now and in the future with my award winning "Service After The Sale" Program on how they can increase the equity and return on their investment five to seven years from now, when it is time to market and sell their house again.
MISTAKE #5 They select the wrong agent and/or company to help them.
SOLUTION TO MISTAKE #5 My number one reason for getting involved in real estate was so that I could "Pay it Forward." I was blessed to be an elementary school teacher for 12 years, and now guess what? I get to work with "Big Kids." Educating my clients is the number one gift I can give, and it always benefits the buyer and seller at the end of the transaction.
I've been called by one of my clients as the "No DNA Sample Realtor." For a moment I thought to myself, what are they talking about here & then I realized what they meant. Most Realtors have you fill out name, address, phone number, first born, etc. when providing you with listings from our Cedar Rapids MLS (Multiple Listing Service) or buyer/seller downloadable reports.
Not me, when you come to my site, I make it clear that these reports are free and all that is required for Cedar Rapids real estate listings is a valid email address and not the barney@flintstones.com email address I received a while ago. I responded back to Barney Rubble but have not heard back, so I'm not going to pressure him!
If I can sit down with you and help you purchase your first or your next home, I would be honored to receive your business. I promise to under-promise and over-deliver because remember, I am the "No DNA Sample" Realtor! Have a great weekend everyone!
Christopher Smith
Traditions Real Estate
www.christophersmithrealtor.com
christopher.smith.realtor@gmail.com
319-329-5988
Licensed Realtor in the state of Iowa
"Success in real estate at the SERVICE of others"