Hula and The Real Estate Market Today

In this industry we are so privileged to be provided with great training, seminars and workshops of course you could spend all of your time in classes and never actually accomplish much toward your business. But...most of us are like sponges, eager to try new concepts out and expand our thinking out of the box and to get the creative juices flowing. We are never more eager to get started then that first week of new knowledge. And then reality, that comes while trying to input all this new stuff into each day....makes you a little crazy. I think over time you integrate some, you neglect some, you try and fail at some but overall you have added more to your life and business then if you had not taken the step to learn more.

This Real Estate Market is not only competitive but changing daily and as agents that seek to give our clients the very best, we have to make time to go and participate in Training, Workshops and Seminars. Oh, and some are really fun too, we could all use some fun these days.

Need a realtor? Call Me.

Dee Fether 714 907-7207 cell 

California Real Estate Services - Orange County

Many buyers are out shopping on Sundays, each home has it's good and bad features but for the most part the bad features other than neighborhood can all be fixed. For some time now bringing in a low offer has been acceptable negotiation territory for many buyers but the tide has shifted and now that offer better be at purchase price or higher to even be considered. You won't hear much about that on the evening news but it's happening. I feel honored to have clients that can see it to and are willing to up there game to get a home for themselves.

If you have been sitting on the fence waiting for the right time to shop you had better get off the fence and get going. There seems to be less good inventory to choose from and competition for the same home is fierce.

Find a Realtor that you can trust who always has your back and not thinking about there wallet, you need someone willing to fight to get your dream home as if it were there own. Once you find one allow them to be your trusted advisor, and have a great Open House Sunday.

Of course, if you can't find one you can call me that is the way I always work just ask any of my clients and other Realtors.

Dee

Government is working very hard to keep things from getting worse and many plans have been set in motion but the banks are very slow in the process to change. As a result we will have a lot more bank owned properties to choose from in the next few months.

On the other hand buyers are becoming quite savvy at purchasing as many as they can. Many REO properties are priced to sell quickly, receive multiple offers, and within a few days are sold. This leaves everyone else scrambling  to buy the next bank owned that hits the market. Most of these properties are not for the faint at heart....pull up your sleeves and start working, priced well but not in good condition.

I love working this market, it's an easy on stop shop. Once your offer is accepted by the bank, you move forward with inspections, maybe negotiate repairs and wait till escrow finishes.

WA-Laa, welcome to your new home.

Make that lemonade, and enjoy the market today.

Dee

So much time is wasted waiting for Short Sale Offers to go through, why hasn't the banking industry caught up? It's been long enough now that they should be accepting or rejecting offers as they reach their desks, it is not necessary for a buyer to be left hanging for weeks and mostly months waiting to hear back. You would think that due to the vast amount of homes in the pre-foreclosure stage they would be happy to negotiate with a viable buyer....you would think...but the answer is still.....wait, wait, wait.

Sorry, good buyers are not waiting anymore they have their mindset of purchasing and moving on not sitting until they get pushed out due to a better offer. So for those agents and lenders in the Short Sale Market I request a time-line that will keep this Real Estate Market flowing instead of blocking the recovery that we all need. It's only hurting our business not helping. I have to say that when I see the words on the MLS Short Sale, I flinch and personally I don't want to even show this property but if it meets my clients criteria I do anyway.

Sadly though the Short Sale market is still a disappointing transaction process, and now companies are popping up all over that claim to handle Short Sales, accompanied by Attorneys. With Realtors just trying to survive in this Market we now have to have Attorneys be the negotiator instead of being able to do what we are suppose to do for our clients.

If your working with a Seller/Short Sale, you may have to go that route but if your working with a Buyer/Short Sale you still have the option to walk. Until a time-line of functionality for a Short Sale is adopted I think I will still flinch when I see those 2 little words.

In any case, be the best Realtor you can for your client they definetly need your expertise in this Real Estate Market.

These words have a way of changing your day from OK to "whatever", words do matter and effect your attitude. It's unfortunate when you hear those words from your peers, you may not work for the same broker but your both professional Real Estate Agents.

So how does that relate to the world of Real Estate? Many times Agents forget that at the other end of the transaction is a real person. They may have paperwork, e-mail and the phone ringing off the hook, but in my mind there is never a good excuse for rudeness. I'm thankful that I was raised to know the difference, no matter what your day looks like the person on the other end of the phone, e-mail or counter deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.

I know that some Real Estate Agents have more work than they can handle, because believe it or not OC is selling. Buyers are buying and the news is not showing the real picture here. Many properties are gone within the first 3 days and if your working with buyers your racing to get their offer in. It's fun to be a part of this industry and I'm in for the long term.

Hope you have a happy day and try not to say "Don't Bother"

Dee

These are my thoughts after a week for searching properties for clients that were all sold within 3 days. You barely get your contract signed and it's gone. 

If you listen to the news you would think that there are no buyers purchasing homes today and everyone with a home is in default. This is not true in Orange County and especially at the beach. Homes have barely dropped and very few are in foreclosure. The Short Sale Market has picked up but many agents run from them, like me. I have waited for so many good transactions to fall short in the Short Sale Market that I have become less than enthusiastic about getting involved with another one.

Buyers are buying everything priced well that hits the Market, and they are paying more than the asking price due to the amount of offers received. It is amazing to listen to the news when it doesn't reflect the truth. REO's are still a good deal and easy to close, Equity Seller's are also easy to work with and easy to close. So when you hear the doom and gloom don't let it affect your attitude toward the Real Estate Market. It is and always has been thriving in Orange County. Don't wait too long for the Market to hit rock bottom if you wait, there may not be anything left.

My advice if you see what you've been looking for, make an offer and go for it. There is another buyer right behind you ready to buy.

Happy St Patricks Day to all the Irish and everyone else.

Dee