You can buy a house anywhere in the United States without a real estate agent or lawyer. All you do is make an offer, get it accepted by the seller, open an escrow account, make a deposit, and pay the balance at the close of escrow. Easy peasy. However, you might want to: 1. Make […]
Why should I pay a buyer’s agent 6% commission since I found a home on Zillow?
At the moment, buyers normally don’t pay commissions because the seller pays. Finding a house is just the first step in buying a home. Now you need to: Arrange a showing Submit a legal contract offer that meets all federal and state requirements AND that has a fair price on it. So make sure you […]
What should I do if I’m unhappy with my Realtor?
What to do if you’re unhappy with your Realtor depends on why you are unhappy. If it’s because you just aren’t getting along or the results of his or her work aren’t meeting your expectations, sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk. As real estate professionals we all want to satisfy our client’s wants and […]
How do I sell my house without an agent?
Why would you want to sell your house without using a real estate professional? Are you an expert in marketing homes? Do you know how to price property to attract the most buyers? Are you very familiar with real estate contracts? Do you know the real estate laws in your area? Do you know what […]
What is the most common but easy to avoid way people get off to a bad start with their real estate agent?
The most common way people get off to a bad start with your real estate agent is not understanding what we do to earn our money and how little we actually make. This results in sellers trying to cut the listing agent’s commission and buyers asking for a rebate. I don’t know how it started […]
What should I do if my parents don’t care about investing in real estate?
The answer is, “It depends…” How old are you? Where do you live? What kind of financial assets do you have? In the United States a person who is 18 years of age or older or an “emancipated minor” can do as they please without parental approval. If this is you, learn as much as […]
Is it better to invest in 3 middle class rental houses or a much older 6 unit apartment building, assuming both are in the same market and cost about the same?
In my 40 years’ of real estate investing I would personally choose the three rental houses for the following reasons: Buying three homes in different areas of a market diversifies your risk to some degree depending on how far away they are from each other. This helps to protect you from local economic downturns, natural […]
What are some tips for a first-time home buyer in a seller’s market?
You have to be ready to make an offer with NO contingencies. This means you cannot just be preapproved for a loan but your loan must be “desk underwritten”. In other words the underwriter must completely review the entire loan package so you can make an offer without a loan contingency. You also must have […]
Is it a common for a home buyer to offer more than the listed price?
Yes, in a seller’s market. In March of 2021 in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, we are regularly getting 20–40 offers on every single family home and they are selling well above the listed price. With this many offers you have to offer well above the asking price to have a […]