Immobilienbewertung App

A guide to many of the terms used in the consumer finance market.

A

Acceptance Rate – The percentage of customers that are successful when applying for a loan or credit card. 66% or more applicants must be offered the advertised rate know as the Typical APR (See ‚Typical APR‘ below).

Annual Percentage Rate (APR) – The rate of interest payable annually on the loan or credit card balance. This allows potential customers to compare lenders. Under the Consumer Credit Act Lenders are legally required to disclose their APR.

Arrears – Missed payments on a loan, credit card, mortgage or most kinds of debt are termed Arrears. The borrower has a legally binding obligation to settle any arrears as soon as possible.

Arrangement Fee – Generally for the administration costs of setting up a mortgage.

B

Base Rate – The interest rate set by the Bank of England. This is the rate charged to banks for lending from the Bank of England. The base rate and how it may change in the future has a direct influence on the interest rate a bank may charge the consumer on a loan or mortgage.

Business Loans – A loan specifically for a business and generally based on the businesses past and likely future performance.

C

Car Loan – A loan specifically for the purchase of a car.

Consumer Credit Association (CCA) – Represents most businesses in the consumer credit industry. Government, local authorities, financial bodies, finance focused media and consumer groups are all members. Members sign a constitution and must follow a code of practice and business conduct.

County Court Judgement (CCJ) – A CCJ can be issued by a County Court to an individual that has failed to settle outstanding debts. A CCJ will adversely affect the credit record of an individual and can possibly result in them being refused credit. A CCJ will stay on a credit record for 6 years. It is possible to avoid this major negative stain on your credit record by settling the CCJ in full within one month of receiving it, in this case no details of the CCJ will be stored on your credit record.

Credit Crunch – A situation where Lenders cut back on their lending simultaneously usually down to a shared fear that borrowers will not be able to repay their debts.

Credit File – Information stored by credit reference agencies, such as Experian, Equifax and CallCredit, on an individuals credit and borrowing arrangements. The Credit File is checked when Lenders consider a credit application.

Credit Reference Agencies – Companies that keep records of individuals credit and borrowing arrangements, amounts owed, with who and payments made, including any defaults, CCJ’s, arrears etc.

Credit Search – The general search undertaken by the Lender with the credit reference agencies.

D

Debt C0nsolidation – The transfer of multiple debts to a single debt via a loan or credit card.

Default – When a regular debt repayment is missed. A default will be recorded on an individuals credit record and will adversely affect the chance of success of any future credit applications.

Data Protection Act – An act of Parliament in 1998 and the main legislation that governs the use of personal data in the UK. Lenders are not allowed to share an individuals personal data directly with other institutions or companies.

E

Early Redemption Charge – A fee charged by Lenders if a borrower pays back their debt before the debts agreed term is reached.

Equity – The value a property has beyond any loan, mortgage or other debt held upon it. The amount of money an individual will receive if they sold their property and repaid the debt on the property in full.

F

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – The government appointed institution responsible for regulating the finance market.

First Charge – The mortgage on a property. A Lender who has first charge on a property will take priority for repayment of their mortgage or loan from the funds available after the sale of a property.

Fixed Rate – An interest rate that will not change.

H

Homeowner Loan – Also commonly known as a secured loan. A Homeowner Loan is only available to individuals that own their own home. The loan will be secured against the value of the property usually on the form of a second charge on the property.

I

Instalment Loans – Multiple loan repayments spread over a period. Depending on the Lender their may be flexibility in the repayment amounts and schedule.

J

Joint Application – A loan or other credit application made by a couple rather than a single person e.g. husband and wife.

L

Lender – The company providing the loan or mortgage.

Loan Purpose – The purpose for which the loan was acquired.

Loan Term – The period of time over which the loan will be repaid.

Loan To Value (LTV) – Generally associated with a mortgage and taking the form of a percentage. This is the loan amount in relation to the full value of the property. e.g. an individual may be offered a mortgage of 90% LTV on a property worth £100,000. In this case the offer would be £90,000.

M

Monthly Repayments – The monthly payments made to settle a loan including any interest.

Mortgage – A loan taken specifically to finance the purchase of a property in most cases a home. The property is offered as security to the Lender.

O

Online Loans – Although most loans are available online. The Internet has allowed for the development of technology that allows for the faster processing of a loan application than traditional methods. In some cases a loan application, agreement and the funds appearing in your account can take as little as 15 minutes or less.

P

Payday Loan – A short term cash advance of up to 31 days which is repayable on your next payday. Payday loans come with a high APR because of the shorter term of the loan.

Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) – Insurance to cover debt repayments should the borrower be unable to maintain their repayments for any number of reasons including redundancy, illness or an accident.

Personal Loans – A general loan for any purpose and in varying amounts that can be provided to an individual based up on their credit history.

Price For Risk – Lenders now have a range of interest rates that are chosen based on an individuals credit score. An individual with a poor credit score is deemed High Risk and will likely be offered a higher interest rate as the Lender factors in the possibility of them defaulting on their repayments. Conversely an individual with a high credit score and a good credit history is considered Low Risk and will be offered a lower rate of interest.

Q

Qualifying Criteria – The eligibility requirements required by the Lender. The most basic criteria required to qualify for a loan in the UK are; permanent UK residency, age 18 or over and a regular income. Many Lenders may also include extra lending conditions.

R

Regulated – financial ‚products‘ that are overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Lenders must follow a code of conduct and individuals are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

Repayment Schedule – The time period over which a loan will be repaid and the details of the loan repayment amounts.

S

Second Charge – A second loan, in addition to any other loan, that is secured against an individuals property.

Secured Loan – Also commonly known as a Homeownr Loan. A secured loan is only available to to homeowners. The loan amount is secured against the value of the property. The Lender has the right to repossess your property should you fail to maintain the loan repayments.

Shared Ownership – An agreement in which an individual owns only a percentage of the property. The remaining percentage is owned by a third party often a housing association. The individual may have a mortgage on the part of the property they own and pay rent on the part of the property they do not own.

T

Total Amount Repayable – The total amount of the loan plus the interest and any applicable fees.

Typical APR – The advertised interest rate that is offered to a minimum of 66% of successful loan applicants.

U

Underwriting – The process of verifying data and approving a loan.

Unregulated – Not covered and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Unsecured Loan – A loan that does not require collateral and is provided on ‚good faith‘. Under the belief by the Lender that you can repay the loan based on your credit score, credit history and financial standing amongst other factors.

V

Variable Rate – An interest rate that will change during the loan repayment period.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

On a recent episode of HGTV’s „Selling New York,“ the CORE real estate group took over the marketing and sales for a historic building located in Chelsea. Upon visiting the model units to assess what was needed to get the units sold, the Realtors noticed an inconsistency in the current marketing efforts with the overall theme of the building. In their efforts to re-brand the marketing, they needed to transform the „stark white“ campaign of the collateral and the real estate staging to align it with the context of the building by creating a warmer and more traditional feel. This included putting a darker stain on the hardwood floors, stripping the paint off of an architectural column, painting the walls, rearranging the floor plan and revamping the design style altogether.

This brings up the point I make regularly that „making it pretty, doesn’t make it sell“. During their tour of the larger model unit, one of the comments made was that the furniture was beautiful, but it was not reflective of the building. It felt more like Miami than Chelsea.

This is a critical observation because the most important thing to understand about setting the stage for a successful sale is understanding who the buyer is and allowing your marketing campaign, which includes staging, to connect the dots to those buyers. For example, how you market and sell a bachelor pad in the city is going to be different from how you market and sell a family home in suburbia. The experience you create for each of those campaigns will determine how successful that sale will actually be.

Understanding who the buyer is is extremely important for all parties of the transaction to take into consideration. Realtors need to have in depth knowledge of the neighborhood and what the prospective buyer profile is. Staging Professionals also need to know this information and incorporate it into the staging design plan. The goal is to leave very little to the imagination of the buyer and create a lifestyle that helps them quickly identify themselves as the future owner of that property. Remember, if trained professionals walk in and „don’t get it“, the likelihood is that your buyers won’t either.

The most commendable lesson from that episode was the fact that the Realtors were not afraid to make the changes necessary. It was clear that the investors had already spent a significant amount of money on the original marketing efforts and asking them to spend more money can be intimidating, but the Realtors trusted their expertise in the neighborhood and knew what would attract buyers. When it’s wrong, it’s our job to fix it in order to achieve the results everyone is looking for.

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Makler Heidelberg

For prospective real estate investors who feel tenants and building maintenance are ongoing headaches, buying undeveloped land may appear attractive. If you buy land in an area that’s expected to experience expanding demand in the years ahead, you should be able to make a tidy return on your investment. This is called buying in the path of progress, but of course the trick is to buy before everybody realizes that new development is moving in your direction.

When you buy undeveloped land your investment may take longer to be paid back and therefore you need to be especially aware of your real estate cost of capital.

You may even hit a home run if you can identify land that others don’t currently see the future value in holding. However, identifying many years in advance which communities will experience rapid population and job growth isn’t easy. Land prices in areas that people believe will be the next hot spot already sell at a premium price. That’s what happened in most major cities with new sports facilities (especially because these decisions often are dis- closed well in advance of the municipality leadership vote or the ballot initiative). You don’t have much opportunity to get ahead of the curve – or if you guess wrong, you may own some costly land for a long time!

Investing in land certainly has other drawbacks and risks:

• Care and feeding: Land requires ongoing cash to pay the property taxes and liability insurance, and to keep the land clear and free of debris while it most likely produces little or no income. Although land doesn’t require much upkeep compared with tenant-occupied property, it almost always does require financial feeding.
• Opportunity costs: Investing in land is a cash drain, and of course, purchasing the land in the first place costs money. If you buy the land with cash, you have the opportunity cost of tying up your valuable capital (which could be invested elsewhere), but most likely you will put down 30 to 40 percent in cash and finance the balance of the purchase price instead.
• Costly mortgages: Mortgage lenders require much higher down payments and charge higher loan fees and interest rates on loans to purchase land because they see it as a more speculative investment. Obtaining a loan for development of land is challenging and more expensive than obtaining a loan for a developed property.
• Lack of depreciation: You don’t get depreciation tax write-offs because land isn’t depreciable.
• Cost of Capital: Make short and long term projections for the length of time you will hold your property.

On the income side, some properties may be able to be used for parking, storage income, or maybe even growing Christmas trees in the Northwest or grain in the Midwest! (After you make sure you’ve complied with local zoning restrictions and have the proper insurance in place.)

Although large-scale land investment isn’t for the entry-level real estate investor, savvy real estate investors have made fortunes taking raw land and getting the proper entitlements and then selling (or better yet, subdividing and then selling) the parcels to developers of commercial and residential properties (primarily home builders). If you decide to invest in land, be sure that you:

• Do your homework. Ideally, you want to buy land in an area that’s attracting rapidly expanding companies and that has a shortage of housing and developed land. Take your time to really know the area. This isn’t a situation in which you should take a hot tip from someone to invest in faraway property in another state. Nor should you buy raw land just because you heard that irresistible opening bid price advertised on the radio for the government excess land auction down at the convention center this Saturday.
• Know all the costs. Tally up your annual carrying costs (ongoing owner- ship expenses such as property taxes) so that you can see what your annual cash drain may be. What are the financial consequences of this cash outflow – for example, will you be able to fully fund your tax- advantaged retirement accounts? If you can’t, count the lost tax benefits as another cost of owning land.
• Determine what improvements the land may need. Running utility, water, and sewer lines; building roads; landscaping; and so on all cost money. If you plan to develop and build on the land that you purchase, research these costs. Make sure you don’t make these estimates with your rose-tinted sunglasses on – improvements almost always cost more than you expect them to. (You need to check with the planning or building department for their list of requirements.)

Also make sure that you have access to the land or the right to enter and leave through a public right-of-way or another’s property (known as ingress and egress). Some people foolishly invest in landlocked proper- ties. When they discover the fact later, they think that they can easily get an easement (legal permission to use someone else’s property). Wrong!

Understand the zoning and environmental issues. The value of land is heavily dependent on what you can develop on it. Never purchase land without thoroughly understanding its zoning status and what you can and can’t build on it. This advice also applies to environmental limitations that may be in place or that may come into effect without warning, diminishing the potential of your property (with no compensation).

This potential for surprise is why you must research the disposition of the planning department and nearby communities. Attend the meetings of local planning groups, if any, because some areas that are antigrowth and antidevelopment are less likely to be good places for you to buy land, especially if you need permission to do the type of project that you have in mind. Through the empowerment of local residents who sit on community boards and can influence local government officials, zoning can suddenly change for the worse – sometimes you may find that your property has been downzoned – a zoning alteration that can significantly reduce what you can develop on a property and therefore the property’s value. See the sidebar „The dangers of downzoning“ in this chapter for more details.

 

Determine Your Real Estate Cost of Capital

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Makler Heidelberg

Creative Financing

When a Commercial Real Estate Investor is looking to purchase income producing property utilizing any number of creative financing methods, one of the most important keys to their success is that their ability to provide adequate, verifiable proof of funds – P.O.F.- to both the seller and the lender. The verification of funds can enhance the investors credibility with the seller as well as satisfy the lenders requirement to know that the borrower has necessary funds to complete their transaction.

Proof of Funds

There are a few ways acceptable to lenders and sellers to show P.O.F. to close your Commercial Real Estate transaction:

• Bank Statements or Bank Verification
• Brokerage Account Statements or Verification
• Escrow Account Verification

„Bank Verification“ This is the most acceptable and widely used method to confirm the investors can complete the proposed deal. As such money must be put into a bank account and confirmed by statements or letter from the banker.  This is a „hard“ (versus soft) method of verification, because money are deposited in an account in the buyers name to serve as proof the buyer can complete the transaction.

„Brokerage Account Verification“ Similar to bank accounts, brokerage accounts show acceptable means to complete a purchase transaction. Likewise, statements or letter from the brokerage house representative will meet the requirement to prove adequate financial strength. This is also a „hard“  method.

„Escrow Account Verification“ This is the one method that can be hard or soft evidence of necessary assets as the escrow agent simply needs to write a letter of confirmation attesting that the borrower has finances available to complete the transaction. It becomes hard when money is transferred  into an escrow waiting for the closing.

Companies

Finally, there are companies whose sole purpose is to provide evidence of the financial ability of Commercial Real Estate Investors to complete their transactions. Many of them provide „Proof of Funds“ and Transactional Financing. P.O.F. is necessary at the beginning of the deal and Transactional Financing is for the day of closing only. Both of these methods are a necessary part of an investors arsenal when utilizing creative financing.

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Makler Heidelberg

The real estate market thrives with many opportunities that give chance to people to earn. The portfolio is diverse such that there are also many investments to try.

Rental properties are among the most common of the real estate property investments. This is as simple as buying out the property and letting someone (tenant) rent it for some period as determined by a contract. While the landlord (property owner) is responsible for maintenance and tax dues, the tenant has the obligation to pay for the monthly rent.

The downside to this investment is if the landlord will have to deal with irresponsible tenants. These people do not care at all and can end up damaging the property.

If you’re not keen with this property investment, you can try the real estate investment group. It will let you buy apartment blocks, condo units or even townhouses with a single company acting as the property manager. You keep ownership, usually documented in block and white. The investment company collects payments for you whole keeping some portion of what the tenants pay for the monthly rent. In some cases, there is a portion allotted to cover for units which are left vacant for short periods.

Another property investment is called flipping. In this method, you buy a property and flips it to the next owner. It’s like buy and sell. Usually, flipping a property takes three to four months. You just have to be keen on eyeing properties that can be sold without having to alter them at all.

However, there are new flippers who also shell out small amount of money to make the properties they buy more attractive. Few renovations and improvements are done before they look for the next buyer. This buyer may be someone who just looks for his new house or someone who is also a property flipper.

There are also property investors who take risks on financing people who have mortgage dues. Some do these in exchange for collaterals like cars. Some take the property titles and return them to the owner when the debt has been repayed.

Real estate is truly diverse. Many forms of investments are now available for those who do not only seek shelter but also seek shield from financial crisis.

If you are looking for real estate investments within your place, seeking the help of a real estate professional is a big leap towards this realization/

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Paying someone else for a job, even if they have done a good job, is never something to look forward too. The same is true with Playa del Carmen Realtors. Some consider real estate agent fees to be a necessary evil. Some simply cannot spare the time and resource to sell their home, or buy their home on their own. Most Realtors work hard for their commission; still it is difficult to see thousands of dollars leave your hands and enter the pockets of your Realtor.

Most real estate agents are paid through a commission plan that most often ends up being a percentage of the selling/purchase price of the home. Percentages for the commission rate will vary from real estate agency to real estate agency, but most neighboring agents will have comparable rates. A common Realtor fee is 5-7% of the selling price.

Once you do the math you will realize that 5-7% is a lot of money (enough in fact to drive people to do their own buying and selling despite the difficulty). However, it may console you to know that the Realtor is not the recipient of the entire commission amount. After you pay your Playa del Carmen Realtor the agreed upon percentage, the Realtor must then split their earnings with the agency they work for. If there were other brokers involved in the purchase or sale than these brokers will also get a cut of the sale. The agency that the broker splits his commission with (usually paying out 50%) is compensated for the real estate agent’s work space, marketing, support and other resources needed to help in the sale.

Although it is possible to find fees that are lower than 5% in Playa del Carmen, it may be difficult especially in markets with a lot of real estate business and little competition between agencies (no competition means little incentive to be priced competitively). Some agencies are open to negotiating prices. Below are two suggestions for lowering your Realtor fees.

1. Agents who do not have to give as much money to the agencies that they work for have more flexibility in negotiating price with you. When a Realtor works for a company that requires 50% of the commission it puts the Realtor in a difficult position to have to compromise the small percentage that she is actually going to end up with. Some real estate agents are only required to pay 15% to their agencies. These are the types of Realtors that are more likely to give you some kind of discounted price.

2. There are Realtor services that you can opt out of in order to save money. Marketing methods such as newspaper advertisements are rarely what ends up selling a house. Telling your agent that you are not interested in such low yield expenses saves the agency money that they can then pass on to you.

If you are still unhappy with what you can expect to pay a Playa del Carmen Realtor consider all of the costs that you would be incurring had you chosen not to employ a Realtor. Remember that when you sell your home on your own you are responsible for paying for all forms of advertising, you pay to get your home listed with a service, you pay for legal council, you pay for copies, office supplies and documentation. You sacrifice money and time that could be saved had you not needed to spend so much time selling your property or looking for a new property. Consider the time lost working and the time lost with family and friends because you are responsible for being present at open houses, meeting with potential buyers, inspector reviews, etc. If you do not follow all of the laws and file the appropriate documents you could also be facing having to pay a great deal of money in a lawsuit. All of the costs add up fast.

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Makler Heidelberg

In the beginning, real estate brokers were known as middlemen and optioneers. Back then, the customary practice was for a middleman to know about a property for sale, but to keep it secret from other middlemen. It was difficult for these middleman to collect a fee for their services so they would resort to tactics that were not always in their seller’s best interest. Optioneers, on the other hand, were usually more successful in collecting their fees because they would tie up the seller’s property on an option to purchase, sell the property to a buyer at a price over the option amount, pay the seller the option price, and then pocket the rest.

The early real estate brokerage business was loosely organized and used methods of brokering that were often dishonest, subject to fraud, and that took advantage of sellers and buyers. Eventually, a newer concept with the real estate broker being an agent of and owing a fiduciary duty to the seller and receiving payment for his services was developed. This new concept forced the seller and broker relationship to a higher level of service and duty. It also allowed brokers to list property for sale using contracts. These contracts are what we now refer to listings. The earlier forms of listings we called open listings. The open listing is a type of non exclusive listing contract authorizing a real estate broker to offer a property for sale, find a buyer and get paid for services upon the closing of that transaction.

Other brokers could also have open listings for the same property, but only the broker who actually found the buyer would receive a commission. In addition, no broker would get paid a fee if the seller sold the property. The open listing discouraged cooperation between brokers, since each broker could obtain their own open listing. To solve the open listing problem, the exclusive agency listing became popular.

The exclusive agency listing is a type of listing contract wherein the seller offers only the listing brokerage compensation if the buyer is procured through the brokerage’s efforts or the efforts of other real estate brokerages. This means that in certain situations, such as For Sale by Owner, the listing brokerage may not receive compensation when the property is sold. In the exclusive agency listing, the listing brokerage or another brokerage working with the listing brokerage must procure the buyer in order to have a claim on compensation.

The exclusive agency listing encourages competing brokers to find buyers for listing, since the listing brokerage pays the selling brokerage’s fee. However, the seller still does not pay a fee when a seller finds the buyer. The exclusive agency listing eventually gave rise to the exclusive right to sell listing.

The exclusive right-to-sell agreement, the listing brokerage is offered compensation in the event of a sale regardless of who procured the buyer. The exclusive right to sell listing guarantees that the listing broker will get paid a fee, even if a competing broker or the seller sells property. It provides the most protection for the listing broker and is considered in the best interest of the seller because the listing brokerage will put effort and resources into marketing the property, since a commission is guaranteed during the term of the agreement.

Even after the exclusive right to sell listing became popular, there was little cooperation between brokerages, since a buyer who wanted to buy a specific property would have to deal with the broker who had exclusive listings of interest. It was also quite clear to all parties in that the broker represented the seller and that the buyer had no representation.

By the 1950s there was pressure for more cooperation between brokerages. As a result, a broker working with a buyer would contact competing brokerages to to learn of their inventory and possible matches for their clients. Deals often resulted where the selling agent did not know the seller or their agent and the selling agent’s only dealings were with the buyer. Suddenly, the concept that the selling brokerage owed its fiduciary duty to only the seller was no longer a neat and logical concept. However, it would take many years before the unworkable agency concepts would be sorted out and lead to buyer representation.

As the 1950s and 1960s progressed, a more formalized cooperative brokerage system, known as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), was developed. Through the MLS, the concept of subagency evolved. Simply stated, this meant the listing broker was the agent of and represented only the seller. The listing brokerage would hire sales associates who were considered subagents of the seller. The listing MLS brokerage was required to make the listing available to all cooperating brokerage within their MLS. These cooperating brokerages were also deemed subagents of the listing brokerage, who were agents of the seller. If the cooperating brokerage had sales associates, they were subagents of the cooperating brokerage, who were subagents of the listing brokerage, who was the agent of the seller. During this period, an agency relationship with a buyer was not possible, since the agency relationship was always with the seller. The only duty a licensee owed to a buyer was to not lie when asked questions about a property. The concept of „buyer beware“ was truly the reality of how the brokerage business operated and buyers were always unrepresented.

The rise of consumerism, as manifested in numerous court decisions, put pressure on the brokerage business to be more concerned with the interests of the buyer. Because of that, licensees working with buyers had an affirmative duty to disclose known matters affecting a property. For example, if the broker knew that a roof leaked, he would have to disclose this fact. This disclosure concept was later expanded by the courts to include conditions about the property that the brokers should or could have known.

By the 1980s, a government study found that nearly three-quarters of all buyers thought the brokerage they were working with was representing them as a client. The same study concluded that nearly three-quarters of all sellers also thought that the cooperating brokerage represented the buyer’s interests. It soon became obvious the concepts of agency law that the industry and governmental regulators had attempted to impose in order to simplify and clarify the agency relationships had not worked. Continued pressure from consumer groups and the courts finally led to the buyer representation movement of the 1990s.

In 1991, the National Association of REALTORS® formed an advisory group to study agency representation issues. Testimony was received from real estate practitioners, industry experts, the public, and state regulatory authorities. The advisory group’s report made the following recommendations:

• The NAR’s multiple listing policy should be modified to make subagency offers optional. If subagency was not accepted by a cooperating brokerage, then the listing brokerage was to offer compensation to the brokerage representing the buyer.
• The NAR would encourage state associations to promote changes in real estate law and regulations in order to promote disclosure of agency options. These options would include seller agency, buyer agency, and disclosed dual agency. The purpose of this recommendation was to assist consumers in making informed decisions regarding representation.
• The NAR should encourage real estate brokerages to adopt written company policies addressing the handling of agency relationships with its clients and customers.
• The NAR would encourage education of all members on the topic of agency representation. State regulatory agencies would also be encouraged to include agency as a mandatory topic in continuing education requirements for all licensees.

As of 1992, the National Association of REALTORS® adopted the following policy:

„The National Association of REALTORS® recognizes seller agency, buyer agency and disclosed dual agency with informed consent as appropriate forms of consumer representation in real estate transactions. The association respects the need for all REALTORS® to be able to make individual business decisions about their companies‘ agency practices. Furthermore, NAR endorses freedom of choice and informed consent for consumers or real estate services when creating agency relationships with real estate licensee.“

These NAR changes to representation policy modified the way the industry practices. Exclusive Right to Represent buyer agreements now allow a buyer to contract with a brokerage to find, and negotiate, the purchase of real property. Generally, these agreements are for a specified period and require the buyer to pay a commission upon the closing of the real property transaction. As an agent of the buyer, the buyer’s brokerage owes all of the fiduciary duties (care, loyalty, disclosure, obedience, and accounting) to his principal, the buyer.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Buying a home is a big step in your life and should be a very exciting time. Unfortunately, many individuals rush into buying a home with out considering the implications is has on their future. If you’re considering making the move to own it’s important you weigh all the options, and consider what if anything will affect the feasibility of you’re purchase. If this is you’re first time in the housing market consider the following before you make your big move.

1. Get Your Finances in Order

   Have a lot of debt racked up? If thats the case, you may want to play catch up before you even think about buying a home. Bad credit is bad news for those who want a buy a new home. In most cases you will need to get a mortgage before you buy and this means your credit will be under scrutiny. Start getting acquainted with your credit score and begin fix the problems well before you apply for a mortgage.

2. Think about the Future

   If you have a job or other obligation that may require you to move or travel for extended periods of time you want to think twice about rushing into the housing market. Buying a house is a commitment that will tie you down to a particular location for at least a few years. It’s not easy or economically feasible to pack up and sell your home at the drop of a hat.

3. Educate Your Self

   As a first time home buyer one of the worst thing you can do is go into the market unprepared. Familiarizing your self with words and phrases that are used will allow you to better comprehend the market. A better understanding of the home buying process will enable you to make a well educated decision when it comes to you’re final purchase. Entering the market blindly can turn you’re home buying dreams into a nightmare.

4. Be Rational

   We all want to live in the home of our dreams. Unfortunately, like most things in life, the housing market must be approached from the bottom up? Renting is the start of the home owners journey. With your dream home serving as the final destination you will most likely need to take a few stops on the way there. The logical step is to buy a house you can afford not one that lands you in economic turmoil. Consider your first home an investment that you can improve upon over time. Once the home is improved you can sell it and bring yourself one step closer to your dream home. Buying out of your league can be a huge problem so set a budget and find a home within your means.

5. Ask For Help

   Don’t be determined to have a go at it alone. Buying a home is a complicated process and sometimes it really helps to have someone walk you through it step by step. Agents are more than willing to help you look through home listing, find what your looking for, and ultimately take you from start to finish.

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Makler Heidelberg

If you are going to buy your first home, you may be excited as well as nervous. This process can be full of complexities. Therefore, you may want to be properly prepared in order to make sure that you buy the best home to satisfy your needs. Given below are some common mistakes that you may want to make during this adventure.

1. Not doing Proper Research

First of all, you may want to understand the needs and finances of your family. For this purpose, you may want to analyze your assets and liabilities. Once you are approved for finance, you can go ahead and start your search for the right house. You should be familiar with your neighborhood as well. Make sure that your neighborhood has quality schools, transport facilities, and other amenities.

2. Opting for the Wrong Mortgage

Before you look for the best house, you should be in the best position to negotiate. Make sure you choose your finance package after proper research. You may also want to use the services of an independent finance broker in addition to your bank. These institutions have access to a lot of finance products and lenders.

3. Waiting too Long

There is no doubt that the prices of real estate properties continue to fluctuate based on the rule of demand and supply. However, if you just keep waiting for the prices to come down, you are putting the future of your family at risk.

So, what you need to do is set your budget considering your future needs. This will help you buy the right house at the right time.

4. Crossing your Budget Limit

It is not a good idea to go beyond your budget limit. You may want to go for a property that can satisfy your budget. Even if you like a house, you should only go for it if it falls in your price range. After all, you don’t want to get in trouble down the road.

All of us want a little more than we can actually afford. So, no matter what your real estate agent suggests, you should never be tempted. Spending more than what you can afford can put you in financial trouble in the near future.

5. Falling in Love

If you have found a house that you have fallen in love with, make sure the seller’s agent does not get even a hint of it. Typically, agents are very smart, which is why they can read your emotions. If you cannot afford a house that you just love, don’t just pay more than what you can afford. You can find a better alternative at the right price.

Long story short, you may want to avoid these 5 mistakes if you are looking to purchase your first home. By avoiding these common mistakes, it will be easier for you to get the right house at the right price. Hopefully, these steps will help you get the best deal without making costly mistakes.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

This subject gets pondered a lot, by both buyers and sellers. I want to address it, but I want to disclose upfront that I am a realtor, so my perspective will be somewhat biased.

If you are purchasing a new home, I would always, ALWAYS recommend using the services of a realtor. First of all, and this may be your most important reason, you do not pay for any of the services provided. That’s because the realtors on both sides of the transaction are paid by the seller as part of their Listing Fee.

Beyond any economic reasons, however, a realtor will have access to every property for sale that is listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for your area. Simply by providing a few details about what you are looking for and where, a realtor can literally make hundreds of homes available to you for your review (depending on how specific your parameters are). That gives you the chance to review the list from the comfort of your home and weed out those properties that don’t suit your needs. If any questions are raised during your research, your realtor will be the one to track down the answers for you..

When you have narrowed down your selection and have chosen properties you’d actually like to visit, working with a realtor is key. Most sellers that list their home, do so in order to make sure that their home is being shown to „real“ buyers being accompanied by a licensed real estate professional. For convenience, most listings provide for a lockbox or Sentrilock box for secure access to the home. Obtaining the lockbox code will be impossible unless you are a licensed realtor. Homes that are being sold by the owner (FSBO’s) are a different matter and I will get into that later in this post.

The buying process includes a number of steps that a realtor can not only facilitate, but expedite, as well. Once a buyer has decided on a property, the realtor can prepare your offer documents (contracts, addenda, disclosures, etc.) for your signature and present them to the seller. One your offer is accepted, your realtor can guide you through the process to a successful close of escrow. This will include having the home inspected, the attorney review of the contracts and the processing of your mortgage financing. If a buyer doesn’t have access to an attorney, lender or home inspector, a realtor will be able to provide references for those services.

Your realtor can also provide significant help in the negotiating process. They know the current market and can tell you whether the home is priced accordingly. They will also be able to assess the market value of the home based on its condition or any upgrades the seller has made.

From a buyer’s perspective, it only makes sense to utilize the services of a professional as you search for your dream home. This is especially true when you consider that you pay no fee for those services.

As a seller, the decision becomes a bit more complicated. Many sellers are discovering that the market value of their home is not as much as they had hoped and they have to sharpen their pencils in order to break even. When you consider a realtor may charge a listing fee of anywhere from 4-6%, the list of costs to sell your home, after the payoff of your mortgage, can make that break even point difficult to attain.

The advantages to listing your home with a realtor are myriad. They include, but are not limited to, the accurate analysis of your home’s market value, the Open Houses, staging recommendations, signage, Multiple Listing Service inclusion and, most of all, the extensive marketing of the home (THE most important advantage).

If a homeowner decides to sell their home by themselves (FSBO or For Sale By Owner), all these costs are borne by the seller. Obviously, the marketing becomes the most costly item. Putting a For Sale sign in your yard and paying for a 2″ x 2″ ad in your local newspaper will not reach the amount of prospective buyers needed to sell your home in a reasonable amount of time. The speed at which a home is sold is directly proportionate to the amount of buyers that view the home. A realtor’s marketing campaign, if effective, can produce a consistent stream of showings. Showings produce offers and offers lead to successful closings.

In the final analysis, a seller has to look at their net proceeds to determine the viability of listing with a realtor. Even with all the advantages listed above, if a seller has to bring money to the closing table, that will weigh heavily on their decision. Being a realtor, I would always recommend listing your home with one of my esteemed colleagues. However, I am not oblivious to the economic conditions that many homeowners face and many people have successfully sold their homes as a FSBO.

Whatever your decision and whether you are a buyer or seller, there are always going to be obstacles that you must overcome. If you find you can’t seem to navigate these obstacles alone… call your local realtor.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg