Happy Homes by Robyn Lee

It’s hard to believe that this is the same bathroom, but it is.

Buyers Beware: Builder Incentives and Seller Concessions Builder incentives often include paying closing costs or for optional features such as a finished basement, a sunroom addition, or high-end appliances.

Top 10 ways to make a Homebuyer hate your house: http://homebuying.about.com/od/howtosellahome/a/buyer_peeves.htm

Top 10 Ways to Make Home Buyers Hate Your House Are you selling a home? Be sure to address these mistakes so a potential buyer does not walk away from your home.

Start investing in yourself with home ownership.

You can’t buy happiness...
But you can buy real estate,
and that’s kind of the same thing.
🏡🔑😁

In today's market, with homes selling quickly and prices rising, some homeowners might consider trying to sell their home on their own, (FSBO). There are several reasons this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers. Here are five of those reasons to sell yourself as an essential agent and part of the process to the seller

1. There Are Too Many People to Negotiate With - Here is a list of some of the people with whom you must be prepared to negotiate if they decide to For Sale By Owner:
· The buyer who wants the best deal possible
· The buyer’s agent who solely represents the best interest of the buyer
· The closing attorney
· The home inspection companies, which work for the buyer and will almost always find some problems with the house. They will have to be available to open home for inspectors and appraisers
· The appraiser? What happens if there is a question of value because we all know that sellers always over price their homes.
· How does the FSBO vet the persons he invites to view his or her home? How are they to know that the person they have let in, intently scrutinizing their home, isn’t just there to see what they can later steal or worse?
2. Exposure to Prospective Purchasers - Recent studies have shown that 89% of buyers search online for a home. That is in comparison to only 20% looking at print newspaper ads. Most real estate agents have an internet strategy to promote the sale of their sellers’ home. Will the seller?

3. Results Come from the Internet - Where do buyers find the home they actually purchased?
· 44% on the internet
· 33% from a Real Estate Agent
· 9% from a yard sign
· 1% from newspaper
The days of selling your house by just putting up a sign and putting it in the paper are long gone. Having a strong internet strategy or an agent is crucial.

4. FSBOing has Become More and More Difficult - The paperwork involved in selling and buying a home has increased dramatically as industry disclosures and regulations have become mandatory. This is one of the reasons that the percentage of people FSBOing has dropped from 19% to 8% over the last 20+ years. The 8% share represents the lowest recorded figure since NAR began collecting data in 1981. As your agent, I have value to be able to guide your sellers through the maze of requirements and regulations.

5. You Net More Money when Using an Agent - Many homeowners believe that they will save the real estate commission by selling on their own. Sellers must realize that the main reason buyers look at FSBOs is because they also believe they can save the real estate agent’s commission. The seller and buyer can’t both save the commission. Studies have shown that the typical house sold by the homeowner sells for $210,000 while the typical house sold by an agent sells for $249,000. This doesn’t mean that an agent can get $39,000 more for your home as studies have shown that people are more likely to FSBO in markets with lower price points. However, it does show that selling on your own might not make sense.

These should be self explanatory.

Stage one: Six simple things you can do inside to sell your house in a tough market For those of you just joining us, this is the second installment in a two-part series of simple things you can do to help your house sell. In the first ...

Distressed property sales currently account for only 6% of all home sales. Whereas in 2008 they were 35% of all sales.

Rates are predicted to rise next year. If you're thinking about buying a home, you'll get more for your money with a lower interest rate.

Mortgage rates on the rise - Birmingham Business Journal A 30-year rate is now at its highest level since July. You can thank this week's strong jobs report.

Great tips for sellers.

How to Sell Your House: 100 Tips to Sell Faster and For More Money Whether you are a homeowner, investor, or agent - this post gives 100 awesome tips to help you learn how to sell your house for more money, faster.

I often get asked for advice about preparing a home to sell. This explains everything.

10 Critical Steps to Take Before Listing Your House for Sale 10 critical steps to take before listing your home for sale. GreatColoradoHomes.com

I don’t want to make anyone jealous or anything… But, today is my Friday! Happy Friday my friends! 😃

Good news! Sales are up!

Alabama residential sales in March increase 19%; 80% of local markets improve from last year Alabama residential sales totaling 4,289 units in March reflect an increase of 19.3 percent growth from the same period a year earlier.YTD sales through March are up 13.0 percent from 2014. March sales were 5.4 percent above the Center's monthly forecast. In March across Alabama, 80 percent of local…

Adorable Florida cottage home. I could live here.

Today is Hug a G.I. Day! Here’s a BIG HUG and THANK YOU to all my Veteran friends for your service.

3br/2ba Gorgeous home in Hampton Cove $224K: http://www.visualtour.com/showvt.asp?t=3441159&prt=49927

Charm with a capital "SEE." Located within the sought after Hampton Cove community with plenty of shopping, golf, swimming, lakes and other recreation. This wonderfully...

Charm with a capital "SEE." | Powered by VisualTour Located within the sought after Hampton Cove community with plenty of shopping, golf, swimming, lakes and other recreation. This wonderfully maintained home offers a full brick exterior, covered porch and patio, two car attached garage, smooth ceilings, hardwood floors, tile in wet areas and an easy…

I think it's best not to ruin a perfectly good today by thinking about a bad yesterday.

You really must see the visual tour of this gorgeous 4br/4ba, 3265sf, full brick home w/3 car gar, sprinkler system & beautiful lawn. $265K

220 Cedar Pond An Elegant Home That Speaks Of The Pride Of Ownership. This full brick beauty offers 4 bedrooms w/new carpet & each with a bath. The master suite...