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Consumer Center

7 Reasons to Work With a REALTOR®

REALTORS® aren’t just agents. They’re professional members of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict code of ethics. This is the REALTOR® difference for home buyers: 

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  1. An expert guide. Selling a home usually requires dozens of forms, reports, disclosures, and other technical documents. A knowledgeable expert will help you prepare the best deal, and avoid delays or costly mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of jargon involved, so you want to work with a professional who can speak the language.

  2. Objective information and opinions. REALTORS® can provide local information on utilities, zoning, schools, and more. They also have objective information about each property. REALTORs® can use that data to help you determine if the property has what you need.

  3. Property marketing power. Property doesn’t sell due to advertising alone. A large share of real estate sales comes as the result of a practitioner’s contacts with previous clients, friends, and family. When a property is marketed by a REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.

  4. Negotiation knowledge. There are many factors up for discussion in a deal. A REALTOR® will look at every angle from your perspective, including crafting a purchase agreement that allows you the flexibility you need to take that next step.

  5. Up-to-date experience. Most people sell only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each sale. Even if you’ve done it before, laws and regulations change. REALTORS® handle hundreds of transactions over the course of their career.

  6. Your rock during emotional moments. A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. And for most people, property represents the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you stay focused on the issues most important to you.

  7. Ethical treatment. Every REALTOR® must adhere to a strict code of ethics, which is based on professionalism and protection of the public. As a REALTOR®’s client, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters. 

 

Source: REALTOR® Magazine

The REALTOR®
Code

What the Code of Ethics Means for Home Buyers and Sellers

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Honesty. Integrity. Commitment. As a homebuyer or seller, that's what
the REALTOR® Code of Ethics means to you.

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The Code of Ethics is a promise—as a customer of a REALTOR®, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters. It is mandatory for REALTORS® to take the Code of Ethics orientation and they are also required to complete a refresher course every three  years. Learn more.

REALTOR Code of Ethics
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Real Estate Today opens doors for buyers and sellers with critical and credible information on the real estate market. It’s fast paced and fact packed with experts, interviews, call-ins, field reports, and timely market conditions. 

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Download the show on iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/real-estate-today-radio/id305356944

 

Subscribe to the podcasts:

http://retradio.com/feed/retradio-podcasts.xml

 

Sign up to receive e-mail updates:

http://www.retradio.com/subscribe.php

HouseLogic

HouseLogic.com is a site for homeowners who want smart solutions to enjoy, improve, and maintain their home; for buyers ready to find their happy place; and for sellers ready for their next chapter.

The Problem with FSBO's (for sale by owner)

Owners have many options for selling when they decide they’d like to move on from their current home, but fewer are looking to do it alone. According to the National Association of REALTORS® 2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 8 percent of home sales last year were those in which the seller went through the process without an agent - known as for-sale-by-owner sales or FSBOs. 

 

  • The median age for FSBO sellers is 57 years. 64% of FSBO sales were by married couples that have a median household income of $96,700.

  • FSBOs typically sell for less than the selling price of other homes; FSBO homes sold at a median of $217,900 last year (up from last year), and significantly lower than the median of agent-assisted homes at $242,300.

  • FSBO homes sold more quickly on the market than agent-assisted homes. 77% of FSBO homes sold in less than two weeks—often because homes were sold to someone the seller knows

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Beware of Real Estate Scams

Phishing scams can be hard to recognize because criminals build their phony sites to look like real sites.  About two years ago, Google did a study that showed phishing scams continue to work about 45 percent of the time.

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According to experts, phishing attacks worldwide are happening more often than ever and hackers continue to go where the money is.  When hackers pose as agents or title companies, their target is someone’s down payment on a house.  If the buyer takes the bait, their bank account can be wiped out within minutes!

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Two recent scams go like this:

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In this case, criminals hacked the other agent’s account and sent a request to wire funds.  The scammer even diverted the client’s responses from the broker’s inbox!  The client wired upwards of $20,000 overseas right into the criminal’s hands. Always call your Broker to verify wiring instructions. Read more.

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In this case, criminals used the listing photo and information from an agent's website to create a fake rental ad on Craig's List. They asked potentail renters to sent them a security deposit via Western Union. Always do your due diligence and make sure the person you are contacting is who they say they are. Read more.

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Housing Links

  • www.houselogic.com - HouseLogic is a free source of information and tools—from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®—that can help you make smart and timely decisions about your home. With content covering home improvement, maintenance, taxes, finance, insurance, and even ways you can get involved in and enrich your community, HouseLogic can help you increase and protect the value of your home by helping you make confident decisions.

  • www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home - Free lending and closing resource. Explore interest rates, monthly payment worksheet, understand loan options, explore loan choices, compare loan officers, closing checklist, closing disclosure, and much more.

  • www.realtor.com - Find homes in Silver City at realtor.com.

  • www.nmrealtor.com - New Mexico REALTOR® consumer resources.

  • www.nar.realtor - NAR, home buyers and sellers, from educating consumers about the housing market to supporting private property rights, NAR enables more Americans to achieve and protect the dream of homeownership.

  • www.freddiemac.com - Every day we help millions of families in neighborhoods across America buy their own homes or enjoy quality and affordable rental housing.

  • www.ginniemae.gov - Homeownership guide and calculators.

  • www.fanniemae.com - Welcome to Fannie Mae's For Home Buyers & Homeowners section. This section offers content, tools, and resources -- all in one convenient portal.

  • www.hud.gov - US Dept of Housing and Urban Development.

  • Lead Hazard Website - HUD, Welcome to the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control's Community Information and Outreach site.

  • www.nahb.com - National Association of Home Builders

  • www.ashi.org - American Society of Home Inspectors

  • www.benefits.va.gov - U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Home Loan Guaranty Service.

  • www.rurdev.usda.gov USDA Rural Development, Rural Housing Service.

  • www.fairhousing.com - National Fair Housing Advocate

  • USDA Forest Service - USDA Forest Service, Lands and realty management website.

  • www.ruralhome.org - Housing Assistance Council, The mission of the Housing Assistance Council is to improve housing conditions for the rural poor.

  • www.designadvisor.org - Affordable Housing Design, a tool, resource, idea bank and step-by step guide to Design in affordable housing.

  • www.enterprisecommunity.org - Enterprise helps build affordable housing for low-income Americans by providing financing and expertise to community and housing developers.

  • www.nlihc.org - National Low Income Housing Coalition

  • www.asbestos.com - Asbestos Abatement Guide

 

Rental Links

 

Miscellaneous Links

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Credit Bureaus

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