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What is going on... is it the planets? It seems like Buyers are going through a lot of changing their minds lately. I was pondering what is it and maybe it's this: Right now, in the Sacramento area, investors and first-time home buyers are flooding the market. Investors are picking up properties ...

Hi All, I just had an escrow cancel because my clients "home equity line of credit" got cancelled due to decreasing values in their neighborhood. If you have an investor/buyer using their HELOC for a downpayment you may want to suggest they take the money out and put into different account. If th...

I work with a team of Realtors who exchange information regularly about what is (and is not) "working" in today's market. Everyone knows there is an abundance of bank owned properties on the market. That seems to be the hot topic for buyers right now and where they want to invest their home-buyi...

Some buyers pick a number, randomly, as the amount they are going to spend on their new home purchase. When I ask if they've talked to a lender to arrive at that number, they sometimes say no. How can a buyer decide what is affordable without knowing what they qualify for and what the monthly pa...

Take the Stress Out of HomebuyingBuying a home should be fun, not stressful. As you look for your dream home, keep in mind these tips for making the process as peaceful as possible. 1. Find a real estate agent who you connect with. Home buying is not only a big financial commitment, but also an ...

This scenario may help buyers agents, so I thought I'd share it... I just closed a transaction with a relocation company as seller (I represented the buyers). I've dealt with relocation companies before and a listing agent once told me that the relo company had a minimum number of counter offers...

Just a little update on the commission I blogged about in my previous post. At the end of the REO transaction, the title company called for a revised demand based on the net offer. (How dare they?!). We begrudgingly sent it. At the same time I sent an email to the listing agent recapping that CA...

I know other agents have come across this and I'd love to know if anyone has had success getting the banks to pay compensation according to the percentage/dollar amount shown on MLS. Here's the scenario: I submit an offer on behalf of the buyer on an REO-- full price asking for 3% toward closing ...

I have a particular client in a particular price range where there's a high level of competition. These are bank owned properties under 300k. We have submitted several very good offers. None have been accepted- YET. Each property has been owned by a different bank and each bank has required my cl...

This market is experiencing a strange twist. Our agents (me included), have been submitting offers on bank owned properties and experiencing multiple offers and counter offers. Strange, huh? The banks are pricing properties at or below market value and savvy buyers recognize the values. When we r...