Immobilieninvestment.blog

Considering the rapid rise in home prices over the past several years, home sellers are taking a hard look at the commission they have to pay to a real estate brokerage to market and sell their home. Real estate commissions vary across the country; they average in the four to seven percent range.

According to the 2004 National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers fourteen percent of homes were sold by-owner. The NAR study listed the two most difficult tasks for for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) were preparing and fixing up the home for sale and getting the pricing right.

Invite three full-time mid to high producing agents to your home to give you an opinion of price. Understand that if the three price opinions are not what you think the property is worth, you should understand the danger of an over-priced property. Homes that are over-priced have been studied by large national real estate brokerages and over-priced homes take longer to sell and sell at a lower price as a percentage of the original list price.

Ask the agents to give you constructive feed back on what you should do to make your home visually appeal to the majority of buyers. Below are some staging tips to prepare your home for market.

1) Research how to „stage“ your home to maximize its appeal to homebuyers by creating a spacious and pleasant home environment for buyers.

·Start by removing the first thing that gets in your way.

·Take one or more major pieces of furniture out of every room to make it more spacious.

·Keep matching furniture pieces together to build uniformity in a room.

·Create seating areas where two or more people can talk.

2) Keep the eye moving when staging a room.

·Use furniture placement to direct the buyer’s eye toward a room’s features.

·Move large pieces of furniture away from windows.

·Place large furniture at entry end of room to lighten visual load at opposite end of room.

·Use area rugs to anchor seating arrangements.

·Have your dining table closed to its smallest size.

3) Use furniture placed on angles in a room to give it a quick update.

·Angle a bed in a corner of a bedroom to focus attention.

·Angle furniture in a V shape in living and family rooms.

·Angled furniture can help fill a room short on furniture and lend a designer look.

4) Create vignettes in rooms to set mood.

·Breakfast tray with coffee cups, newspaper, flower vase on bed.

·Set the dining room table with linen tablecloth, china, silverware,and stemware.

·Set up game table for chess, bridge, or backgammon.

5) Effective model homes focus on creating the right environment.

·De-clutter so buyers can overlay their furnishings and lifestyle.

·Clean, fresh, and new smell.

·Attention to detail. Clean rooms and landscaping trimmed.

·Subtle background music, classical, light jazz, or rock.

·Interior décor and wall colors accent home’s architectural features.

·Live plants or fresh flowers add finishing touches.

6) Understand decorating basics that can guide you to repositioning a room.

·Color. A little goes a long way.

·Scale. Do furniture sizes complement or overwhelm a room?

·Pattern. Easy does it to avoid distracting from room itself.

·Lighting. Use it to define dark corners. Helps to fill out a room.

·Focal point. Fireplaces, views, art, find one in every room.

·Texture. Adds visual interest, warms cold spaces and finishes.

Understanding and completing the paperwork in a real estate transaction was number three of the most difficult tasks according to the NAR study. Once your home is priced right and ready for market you should retain a real estate attorney to help you review contracts, disclosure forms and to help you qualify potential buyers of your home. An experienced real estate attorney can help you avoid the common pitfalls in real estate negotiations and will facilitate a smooth transaction.

Here are some cliff-notes on real estate contracts.

·Use an approved real estate contract by your state real estate attorney association or local Board of Realtors®.

·Real estate contract. A binding agreement between buyer and seller. It consists of an offer and an acceptance as well as consideration (i.e. money).

·Acceptance. Agreement by the parties of the terms of a contract.

·Contract length. Research customary contract lengths, the standard is 45 days from contract to closing.

·Have sold comparables properties on hand for prospective buyers.

·Comparable. Closed prices for similar homes in age, condition, location and size.

·Price. Study average sold prices as a percentage of lists in the last six months.

·Low-ball offers. Buyers should offer over 87% of list if they are serious, otherwise you will should not responding at all to low-ball offers.

·Counteroffer(s). The response to an offer or a bid by the seller or buyer after the original offer or bid. Request all counteroffers to be in writing.

·Require all buyers to present the highest level of mortgage commitment with their contract.

·Mortgage Commitment. A document by a mortgage lender that commits the lender to providing a loan at agreed terms and conditions.

·Mortgage term, rate and amount. Look for strong down-payments of thwenty-percent or more. Interest-only loans signal that the buyers could be stretching to qualify for a loan.

·Cash offers in lieu of mortgage financing should be confirmed with a letter from your financial institution stating funds are on deposit to close the contract.

·Federal law requires Lead-Based Paint Hazard disclosures.

·Lead-Based Hazard. A disclosure of reports or knowledge of Lead-Based Hazards. Buildings built after 1978 do not present Lead-Based Hazards.

·Read Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home by the US EPA.

·Real property disclosures required by the federal or your state Written statements by the seller(s) of a property disclosing any known defects.

·Local disclosures. Local requirements of disclosure that the seller provides and the buyer acknowledges, such as certificates of occupancy.

·W-9 form. An IRS form requesting taxpayer identification and certification numbers of buyers to receive interest on earnest money from delivery to closing.

·Subject to appraisal. Most contracts as part of the mortgage contingency require the subject property to appraise at a minimum of contract price.

·Appraisal. An objective third parties opinion of value by a licensed or certified appraiser.

·Earnest money deposit. Money given to the seller at the time the offer is made as a sign of the buyer’s good faith.

·Research customary earnest money deposits as they vary. The larger the deposit, the increased motivation you buyers show to perform the contract.

·Refund of earnest money deposits. Contracts should provide for refund of the entire earnest money deposit within agreed contingency periods. Seller’s attorney should hold earnest money deposits.

·Attorney approval period. Your attorney reviews and makes changes to the contract, typically 5-7 business days.

·Property inspection period. The right under a contract for the buyer at their expense to discover the actual condition of the property. This period typically runs 5-7 business days.

·Well and septic inspections. These are independent of structural and mechanical inspections.

·Timelines for contingencies run concurrently.

·Contingency. A provision in a contract requiring certain acts to be completed before the contract is binding.

·Closing/ escrow date. The date of the end of the transaction process where the deed is delivered, documents are signed, and funds are dispersed.

·Possession date. The date agreed by contract when the buyer can occupy the property.

·Final walk-through. A property tour before closing or escrow that permits the buyers one final verification of condition, agreed repairs and personal property.

·Tax pro-rations. The amount of credit given to buyers at closing for unpaid property taxes, when taxes are paid in arrears. Pro rations should always be more than 100 %.

·Personal property. List and initial all personal property included with the sale, such as air-conditioners, appliances, and playground equipment.

·Home sale contingency. The contract is contingent on the sales of the buyer’s property.

·Buyers show motivation when including a home sale contingency by having their current property already on market.

·Home closing contingency. The contract is contingent only on the successful closing of an existing real estate contract.

Marketing your home to prospective buyers should include these methods.

·A professionally painted yard sign.

·Newspaper advertisements classified and photo.

·Public and broker open houses.

·Internet: virtual tour and at least eight photos.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Property Maintenance

Property maintenance is important for you if you are proud of your home and wish to give a good impression of your home to passers by and, more importantly, friends and family when they drop by.

Not only does it create a good impression, but it also adds to the value of your home if you are looking at selling, getting a curbside valuation, or looking to rent out the property.

Different Property Maintenance

Whether it be cutting and edging your lawn, keeping your shrubs and trees trimmed, weeding and maintaining your garden beds, or sweeping/blowing the leaves and other plant matter that gets dropped on lawns and paths, maintaining your yard is important to keeping your property looking at it’s best.

Likewise, nothing looks worse than a gutter with weeds growing out of it due to lack of cleaning. Not only does it look bad, but it is damaging the gutter by not letting the water run off. This leads to rusting out of the gutter (if it is metal) which means expensive refit of gutters.

Another problem is that the water may overflow either under the eaves and down the wall, leaving unsightly tracks down the house wall or, worse still, over flowing into the ceiling cavity.

This could lead to damage of insulation, creation of mould and bacteria – which could lead to the house beginning to smell, rotting and damaged ceiling plaster, the risk of shorting out the light fittings or ceiling wiring, and damage to house contents if there is a heavy downpour and the water comes in down the internal walls onto bookcases or anything else against the walls, and damage to carpets and underlays.

Similarly, accumulated bits and pieces may add to clutter and detract from the appearance of your yard. Why not have spring clean and get a service to remove all your unwanted items to the tip.

Having bright, clean windows really makes a difference. Dirty windows with cobwebs hanging from the eaves do not paint a pretty picture. A property maintenance service will be able to clean the windows (inside and out), clean up the frames, and remove the cobwebs, even from those difficult to reach 2nd story windows.

Commercial and Industrial Property Maintenance

For a business, having your property maintained gives customers and potential customers a positive impression of your business – perhaps attracting customers.

If you are a wrecking yard then broken fixtures, an overgrown or weedy garden bed or lawn might not matter. However, if you are wanting to make a good impression, faked and peeling paint or broken and stained paving or tiling won’t be reassuring to a potential customer who is seeking a professional they feel they can rely on.

As a business person, you have a lot on your plate managing your business. It’s easy to forget or overlook something like property maintenance. That’s why having a regular, scheduled maintenance program with someone like Landscape Melbourne, allows you to set and forget this area.

Your maintenance professional should be aiming to create a long-term business solution for you, and will want to provide you with a high quality of service.

Whether you are a home owner or have a business space, a property maintenance professional could save you money by picking up a potential problem and taking action to rectify it before it becomes a reality and costs you big money to fix it. It could certainly save some expensive service calls.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Millennial Children are the youth of America, now coming of age when it comes to owning their first home. Millennial buyers are between 18-34 and their financial lives are much different than their forbears. Challenges many have faced include: unemployment, high student loan debts and tight credit. So, for many Millennial Children, their ability to purchase and finance a home has been curbed in their twenties. But as they enter their thirties, Millennials are going to be an increasingly large group in the home buying market. In National Association of Realtors (NAR) „Field Guide to Millennial Home Buyers,“ updated in August 2014, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University found, „the number of households in their 30s should increase by 2.7 million over the coming decade, which should boost the demand for new housing.“

The entry of Millennial children into the home buying market is a good sign that home sales are improving. When first time homebuyers are a significant part of the real estate market (currently nearly 40%) it means the real estate market is stabilizing and even trending upward.

For many first time homebuyers, the ability to make a down payment of 5% or more plus closing costs is a significant barrier. Real estate industry researchers estimate fifty percent of Millennial Children will ask their parents or someone in their family for the money for a down payment for a home. The other 50% will aspire to be homeowners with their own resources. In order to qualify for mortgage financing, these Millennial Children must be employed and in good standing with their credit.

For REALTORS selling to the Millennial group, the steps to purchase a first home have not changed, though the needs of this particular age group are different then their predecessors – Generations X and Y. These older generations purchased their first homes during more prosperous economic times when jobs were plentiful. Many were able to hold onto their properties during the recession and are now looking at selling and moving to upgrade for more space or downsize for retirement. Millennials will be their buyers – and so will active Baby Boomers.

There are a few options REALTORS can recommend to first time homebuyers pressed for down payments and closing costs. If Millennnial Children have good credit and want help with the down payment and/or closing costs, some states may provide this sort of assistance, with special programs that backend costs onto the mortgage and/or charge zero interest on the amount needed, or even forgive the down payment debt after a certain number of years.

Home Ownership Assistance Programs for First Time Homebuyers in Virginia

For the first time homebuyer in Virginia, it is worthwhile looking into loan programs by the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA). The goal of the VHDA is to help Virginians acquire quality, affordable housing. There are multiple 30 year-fixed rate mortgage programs to choose from: conventional fixed rate mortgages, an FHA insured loan with low down payments or FHA Plus – with a second mortgage to finance a down payment. Depending upon the area where the home is purchased, a homebuyer may be eligible for a Rural Housing Services (RHS) government insured zero down payment loans. There are also Veterans Administration loans for those who qualify. VHDA is a privately funded organization that makes all of these programs available through one agency and makes it easy to apply. Visit http://www.vhda.com for more information on home lending programs.

First Time Home Buyer Savings Plans (FHSPs)

In 2014, The legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia, recognizing first time home purchases are an indicator the economy is healthy and growing, decided to implement a program to strengthen this market. The First-time Homebuyer Savings Plan (FHSP) was established to stimulate more first time home sales now and in the future. The FHSP can be set up by any resident of the Commonwealth as a state tax-free savings account that can accrue up to $50,000 towards the cost of down payments for home purchases in Virginia. These special savings accounts are only sheltered from state taxes, so long as funds are used to purchase a home in Virginia. The future homeowners, or their parents or relatives that want to save money on their behalf may establish FHSP accounts. If the funds are used for anything except purchasing a first home, then the funds are subject to the usual Commonwealth of Virginia taxes and fees.

The FHSP program in Virginia is another example of the way in which first time homebuyers are being encouraged to complete their first home purchase, and move the economy forward.

Besides securing financing for a home, first time homebuyers have other decisions to make before purchasing. The property should be a good investment that will be conducive to resale if the homeowner wants to step up to another property. A first home is most likely to be a good investment if it is located convenient to shopping, dining and entertainment. A detailed look at a home inspection will reveal any pressing problems with the property and title insurance must be able to be obtained. A good, qualified REALTOR can handle all of these inquiries and details.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Some people do begin their real estate careers right after high school or college, but most come to real estate after doing something else. Some have retired, and other are just looking for a change of pace.

When writing agent bios I always look at those past careers to see how they can tie in to real estate sales. Often past experiences can reinforce the skills that the agent wants to emphasize.

Some past careers make for a tougher transition than others. For instance, school teachers have to teach themselves listening skills after years of being the one doing the talking. On the other hand, a good school teacher has the skills to educate buyers and sellers about the reality of today’s market.

That’s one skill that a bartender might not have, but I think good bartenders possess the majority of skills needed for a successful career in real estate.

My definition of a good bartender is one who has a following – a person who is a „draw“ for the establishment where they work. They can mix a good drink, but it’s their people skills that turn occasional customers into „regulars.“

So what skills do bartenders possess that would make them be good real estate agents?

A good bartender knows how to listen. Just think of the time they spend listening to their customers. And while they may not have to listen wholeheartedly to everyone, they need to pay close attention to their regulars. Just as good real estate agents need to pay close attention to their buyers and sellers.

And then they’d better have a good memory. Not only does he (or she, of course!) need to remember what each person at the bar wants when they hold up a finger for another drink, he needs to remember what to set down in front of a regular when they walk in. And then, he needs to remember what that person does for a living, the names of their children, etc. Agents need to remember the personal information along with their clients‘ wants and needs.

A good bartender respects what the customer wants – he doesn’t try to suggest that something else might do. As an agent, he probably won’t show someone a home on a busy street if they’ve specified wanting to live on a quiet cul-de-sac.

A good bartender can talk to people from all walks of life and treat them equally. He must be non-judgmental and friendly, in all but the most extreme cases. And when faced with those extreme cases he has to think and act quickly without getting flustered. Good practice for dealing with the surprises buyers and sellers sometimes spring on an agent.

A good bartender knows how to keep confidential information. Good bartenders can’t be gossips. Can you imagine how fast they’d lose their following if they started mentioning that Mr. Smith came in for a drink with Miss Jones, or if they mentioned that a salesperson from X company was involved in a long conversation with the owner of Z company? In real estate, keeping client information confidential is a must.

A good bartender has to have people-management skills. He needs to be able to say „You’ve had enough“ without turning a customer into an enemy. That takes a bit of finesse! This skill could translate well into the finesse that’s needed when clients ask an agent to do things that go against regulations.

So – if you’re a bartender and thinking of a change, consider real estate. You have the skills!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Hawaii timeshares resale’s are timeshare properties located in Hawaii that where originally purchased from the primary developer by an end user. In most cases the current owner (a private party) of the timeshare or vacation club ownership purchased it directly from the developer at a timeshare presentation on or at the resort. In some cases the resale may be from a person who also purchased at resale and has now decided to sell.

In Hawaii there over 100 timeshare resorts that have sold ownerships over the years. The larger developers like Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Marriot’s Vacation Ownership, Shell Vacation Club, Diamond Resorts and Consolidated Resorts have developed multiple locations on one or more of the Hawaiian Islands.

Ownership may have been acquired as fee simple or lease hold. Ownership may be fixed weeks, floating weeks or point that allow the flexibility of breaking up stays in to shorter increments.

Purchasing a Hawaii timeshare resale is significantly less expensive the purchasing it from the developer. In some cases the resale sales prices are between 30% to 70% off the original price when purchased directly from the developer. This of course is determined by the age of the resort, flexibility of the ownership and many other factors.

The reason for the discrepancy is that the developer has significant marketing cost to get you to the resort and the deal done. They have marketing cost not exclusive to adverting, attendance gifts, purchase incentive ( i.e. a cruise or free air travel) and sales commission that can add up to 50% or more of the sales price.

The good news is that Hawaii timeshares are some of the more desired in the world and the resale price from Hawaii timeshares has been steadily rising.

The recent economic downturn has made timeshare the preferred option over owning a second home.

Why do people sell their Hawaii timeshare?

Often in life things change. Many timeshare owners, after years of enjoyment with family and children, find themselves no longer needing their timeshare ownership. In Hawaii timeshare are titled property and can be sold

Hawaii timeshares resale’s are an economically sound way make luxury vacations a reality at a wholesale price. Buying form the developer can provide extra incentives and prepaid benefits, but can not match the savings of buying at resale. Either way is more affordable and offers a hedge against inflation pricing you out of your vacations in the future. Recent tourism numbers in Hawaii during tough economic time have shown timeshare travelers showing up in a higher percentage than traditional vacationers that stay at resorts or hotels. Those surveyed indicated that they had affordable pre-paid vacations and thus where able to still travel and enjoy time with their families.

Hawaii Timeshare Resale’s can be found on all islands. Resale can be acquired in premier location like Maui, Kauai, The Big Island and Oahu. Theses are some of the most desirable and tradable ownerships on the planet.

Hawaii timeshare resale is defined as a timeshare offered for resale after it has been sold by the original developer.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

If you are worried about losing your home to foreclosure and are getting behind on your mortgage payments, there are some financially strategic things you can do to save your home. It’s best to learn about the foreclosure laws in our state and understand the well-documented case law. You should probably immediately seek the professional advice of a bankruptcy attorney who has dealt with such issues if you want to prevent foreclosure.

Did you know that once you file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in California, the bank cannot do a foreclosure sale during the proceeding which take about 3-4 months? The lender can petition the judge to bypass that general rule and foreclose early or ask for a foreclosure sale, but it’s rarely ever granted without extenuating circumstances.

In Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, you will have to keep up on your mortgage payments and/or make a deal with your lender, otherwise, the lender can ask the judge to foreclose anyway. Depending on your relationship with your lender and your good faith, the judge sometimes allows this. Again, it’s best to ask your bankruptcy attorney what to do and how to do it in order to have the best chances of keeping your home when it is over.

Can You Stay in Your Home After Foreclosure in California?

It turns out that you can stay in your home after foreclosure and up to the final sale, although that would be cutting it close. Generally speaking, after a foreclosure it takes anywhere from 2 months to a year for the actual sale to occur. This is the case for both judicial and nonjudicial foreclosures.

In fact, in California, there is a terrible problem where the family that once lived in the home before foreclosure leaves as requested, but then a new party, a homeless squatter, moves in and stays in the home until it is sold, often until the new owners try to move in. Sometimes the new owners have to go and get an eviction notice, which also takes time. It’s an interesting world we live in but that’s what’s happening here in California.

In Ventura County, there has been a whole slew of cases where this has happened. Squatters learn about the loopholes in the law on the Internet, often watching YouTube Videos. Some of the advice is garbage, some is valid. Either way, it is causing a problem in neighborhoods around the Ventura County area and nearby adjacent neighborhood that are in Los Angeles County.

Can You Buy a New Home After You File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?

The answer to this question might shock you. After all, people assume that filing for bankruptcy is the kiss of death, and their credit will be shot forever or at least a decade. Not so. Indeed, 24-months after the date your bankruptcy is completed you will be able to qualify for a home loan and mortgage providing you have adequate income at that time to service the loan payments.

For Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, the situation is similar, but there are other things you need to know and you should contact a bankruptcy attorney in your area who specializes in these venues for all the correct details.

What Can I Keep from My Home If the Bank Forecloses?

This is a very important question and if you get it wrong you could find yourself in jail for grand theft. You cannot take solar panels, hot water heaters, or any built-in appliances. Don’t attempt to take garbage disposals, trash compactors, built-in ranges, dishwashers, or air-conditioning systems. You cannot take burglar alarms, smoke detectors, or smart house systems that are built into the home as an integrated system. You may take televisions, refrigerators, and washers and dryers.

You cannot take an outdoor patio system that is anchored to the house on one or more sides or on top. Basically, the law reads that you cannot take anything affixed to the building or land. Again, take these rules seriously, and if you have any questions, ask your bankruptcy attorney. If you have to go and you’ve exhausted all other avenues, do it right. You don’t want to begin your fresh start with a new criminal conviction – that doesn’t look good on any resume.

There Are Ways to Prevent Foreclosure in California

The easiest way is by asking your lender for a loan modification. The bank doesn’t want to take back your home, they just want to get paid. Thus, it is in their best interest to work out a favorable deal that will have you back making payments until that mortgage is paid in full. Sometimes lenders won’t move an inch on the first request, but when an attorney contacts them on your behalf, it’s amazing what you can negotiate.

If you pay off your mortgage the lender cannot foreclose obviously, which is one more option. Get a loan from another source and pay off the mortgage. You can also sell your home in a short sale, or for the amount left on the mortgage. Although you won’t get any equity back, your credit will be great having paid it off.

Other Considerations

After the housing crash of 2008 many servicers made errors in the paperwork. The court no longer takes their word over the borrower. If they made a serious mistake, your attorney will now be in a very favorable position to negotiate for you. At least, your bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney will have the lender start the process all over again, and at best, might save you 10s of thousands of dollars and a truly stellar renegotiated mortgage rate and terms. Be sure to learn all the facts.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Selling a junk car to a reputable buyer is a great way to make the most of a vehicle that no longer serves a purpose in your life. Whether you own an old work van that took on too much water damage to repair, or a classic that you never got around to fixing up, there is a junk car buyer out there that will pay you cash on the spot regardless of age, make, model, or condition.

That is the beauty of scrap metal and junk car buyers; they will accept anything motorized (or once motorized) no matter how damaged, totaled, or old. Often times, these kinds of buyers will also accept other motorized commodities and vehicles, such as motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, golf carts, construction equipment, tractors, combines, boats, jet skis, and more.

If you have valuable junk like this lying around your house, you are in a position to make a lucrative deal with the right buyer. Just be sure to find a reputable company in your area. Once you find the right buyer to work with, there are 3 important steps you need to take before you start the junk car selling process. These are personal tasks that should be performed before getting your title in order and calling a junk car buyer. Continue reading to learn what they are!

Clear Out Any Personal Possessions

When you make the decision to sell your junked car, you need to make sure that there are no personal belongings inside before seeing it off to a buyer. Personal belongings includes things like blankets, clothing, music CDs, tools, supplies, air fresheners, chargers, GPS devices, and anything else that did not come with the vehicle at the time of purchase. Personal belongings also includes rubbish, so be sure to empty out trash, debris, and litter. There is no need to clean, wipe down, or shampoo unless you want to make it look nice for the sale.

Remove the License Plate

Do not forget to remove your license plate! This is a step that is often overlooked, especially when a decision to sell a junk car happens rather swiftly. In addition to your license plates, be sure to retain the important related documents in your dashboard compartment. This includes registration, title, owners‘ manual, and anything else that might be in there. Ultimately, you will need some of this paperwork to sell your junk vehicle, so be sure to keep them handy.

Finish Off the Fuel Tank

Rather than topping off the fuel tank when selling a regular vehicle, you want to do just the opposite when selling a junk car. This is actually helpful for the buyers since they have to drain all the fluids anyway. Before seeing it off to the buyer of your choosing, be sure to drive around and use up all the gasoline left in the tank. If your car is not drivable, siphon the fuel and store it in approved fuel containers for future use in other vehicles or commodities that take fuel, like lawn mowers. Never siphon gasoline with your mouth! It is important to use the proper materials and techniques to avoid serious injuries.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Even with the recession, real estate is a billion dollar market in all the major developed and developing countries. What do you think is the first thing people see when scouting around to buy property? The answer would be the pictures of the property in question. Human beings respond better to visual stimulation.

Therefore, quality and interesting photography matters a lot and if you are a property photographer you should take it seriously. Why? Because your livelihood depends on it! If you are trying to sell real estate photographs to realtors and they are not worth the dollars the realtor pays, your effort goes to waste.

Real Estate Photography Tip #1: Capturing the Best Images

The intention is to sell the property so your photography should definitely be appealing to the people who view them. Try to highlight the best features of the house; the features that potential buyers will like to see matter the most. The photography also depends on the nature of the property – residential or commercial. Actually the pictures should showcase your talent and skill. While searching for realtors to see the images, sometimes you need to provide samples so capturing the best of images will greatly help to clinch the deal.

Real Estate Photography Tip #2: Selling the Images

To earn a living in this type of photography professionally, give yourself 1-2 years of time for creating a solid base of clients. You can set up a professional website with your portfolio, current projects (if any), specialization, skills, and lots of high-definition clear pictures for prospective buyers to see. Of course, you need to do a lot of marketing for getting the clients. Begin by scouting the area you are living in and any others that you have easy access to. Contact the realtors in the area, show them sample images and if luck is on your side, you will land your first deal soon!

Real Estate Photography Tip #3: Getting High Profile Clients

Getting high profile realtor clients who will buy your pictures is not easy because there are always better photographers around you and also you lack experience in the beginning. So after working for a year or two with local realtors, think of migrating towards getting high profile clients. The pay rate is definitely higher but you need to have real skill and knowledge to get an edge over others. Question yourself – what is there in you that sets you apart from other real estate photographers? Once you answer this, build on that aspect for better projects.

Of course, getting the high profile clientele is not easy. Be prepared for sample photo shoots as part of a personalized sales pitch.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Generation of real estate leads has gone digital. With different lead generation tools and some mobile marketing apps, you might feel overwhelmed. So, how can you decide which tools to add to your strategy on lead generation to attract or nurture potential prospects?

Concentrate your core strategy on the basics to real estate marketing. Methods that are tried and true are ageless and should still part of your plan even if they are dressed up for the digital consumers.

Video

It’s absolutely worth investing in high quality professional videos to showcase yourself as a real estate agent. Buying a house is often the biggest purchase an individual will make in her or his lifetime and he or she likes to work with the one who has traits they trust like personality and authenticity. They’re also looking to see if you’re the agent they like to work with, so make sure to put your best face forward. Some agents create YouTube videos to show expertise and knowledge blended with their relatable and honest style. Videos may humanize an individual much more than the static site profile. Numerous realtors showcase the area’s beauty they specialize in on videos. Videos also bring a high ROI and have proven to be important marketing technique to generate leads.

Client Testimonials

You cannot beat a passionate, heartfelt statement from satisfied clients. Reviews and testimonials must definitely be part of your presence online. Video testimonials are a perfect so some potential sellers and buyers can resonate with that individual. If you do not have video capability, there are lots of ways to show your happy customers. Make a page on your social media or website to share testimonials and share them to bigger sites as well. Sellers and buyers will appreciate the customer’s honesty and have high probability to reach out.

Social Media

It is highly recommended to use social media. Facebook is one of the most dominant communication forms across the globe and the paid ad platforms are cost-effective way to generate some real estate leads. Use this when targeting your core demographic. Majority of marketers include Facebook strategies in marketing plans and you should also. It is a worthwhile, practical advertising investment that would pay off when generating some new leads. Although you do not spend money on the ads, you may still improve generation of leads on Facebook with the use of fresh content, engagement, and optimization.

Real Estate Lead Capture Forms

Majority of people used to look for homes for sale in a newspaper, yet now a lot of consumers start their home search over the internet. Having some forms on your site for lead generation is a good way to bring in the new business. It’s one of the best lead-generating strategies, yet never forget to ensure that your site is fresh and updated so people would keep visiting and you can boost your repeat traffic.

Blog

It can really improve your online presence and show your expertise as a real estate agent. Use this to communicate your grasp of everything related real estate consistently. Never forget to end your blog with effective call to action fill out the form for lead generation or make phone calls.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

If you have been shopping around for a new treadmill lately you’ve probably seen how the prices can range from $100 to over $6000 which can be a little daunting for anyone’s pocketbook! Naturally you want all the quality and features on that gym quality commercial treadmill you’ve seen at several thousand dollars but geesh, that’s a lot of money! Well, there are a few ways you can bring those prices down to more affordable levels and one of them is to shop carefully amongst the used and second hand treadmills for sale by owner out there on the web and amongst local advertisers.

Buying a secondhand treadmill can save you 70% or more compared to the price of a brand new treadmill. That’s a great deal when you consider that with a little shopping around you can find barely used treadmills for sale by owners whose good intentions went by the wayside once summer ended or who made that new year’s resolution only to break it almost immediately and never touched the machine again. A barely touched second hand treadmill running machine like this is an absolute steal as it is going to be virtually new but at a fraction of the price.

Of course, the flipside of the coin is the number of secondhand treadmills on the market which have seen masses of use and now they’ve started developing a few squeaks and other issues, the owner has decided to upgrade to a newer model.These are the ones you do not want to touch as they’re liable to still be a great price but you’re just going to be buying yourself a whole heap and maintenance issues in the not too distant future.

The way to find the best second hand treadmills is to check for a couple of basic things before you commit to buying.

Firstly, you want to see the treadmill in person if you can. Doing so will allow you to test the machine out and look for tell tale signs of a machine which has been the family workhorse compared to a barely used treadmill. Check out the running belt – is it worn down? If so, it’s probably had a lot of use. The same goes for any handgrips etc. if the padding is worn down then this is an older machine and you’ll probably want to move on.

Secondly, you will want to take the test run the treadmill. If the owner makes any excuses here and doesn’t want to let you try it out, no matter how good the excuse sounds, skip it and move on. When you are trying the machine out test out all the features including incline controls, different speeds, running, walking, and if its a folding treadmill test out the folding features too. You want to look for a sturdy frame, no squeaking or rattling noises, a smooth moving belt with no jerking or other issues and generally, you will have to keep an eagle eye out for any other issues.

Thirdly, ask questions. Yes, I know some of us aren’t good at that sort of thing, but if it helps, write a checklist of things you want to ask beforehand. If you ask point blank most people are honest about the questions you ask them and probably expected you to ask anyway so it’s not being rude to inquire into the overall history and condition of the preowned treadmill you might potentially buy. You want to ask questions like how old the treadmill is, how much use it has had, whether there have been any repairs, if it’s still under any kind of transferable warranty etc.

Ultimately, shopping for a second hand treadmill is like shopping for anything used – you have to use a fair amount of common sense and intuition to avoid getting burned. Most people are just your ordinary honest average Joes trying to sell their stuff for one reason or another but there are some more unscrupulous people out there who will be happy to sell you a hunk of junk…and of course those who don’t even know they’re trying to sell a hunk of junk in the first place! Be careful, use some common sense and generally check things out thoroughly and you can find a bargain secondhand treadmill at a price you’ll be delighted with.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg