Last week we met with Realtor® survey respondents and members of the press to discuss the results of the Q1 2010 Home Prices Survey on HomeGain Radio.

Thanks to all of the real estate agents and members of the press for their participation!

If you didn’t have a chance to attend, listen to the 30-minute real estate press call here:

News coverage of the March Home Prices Survey includes: Herald Tribune, Tampa Tribune, Baltimore Sun, San Diego Union Tribune, California Real Estate Journal, North Carolina Star, Dallas Morning News, Real Estate Channel, OC Metro Minute, Tampa Bay Online, RIS Media, DS News, Real Estate Economy Watch, United Press International, AIM Group, Inman News. Read all news stories

Listen to more press calls

On the call from HomeGain.com: Jessica Gopalakrishnan, Peter McCullough, and Louis Cammarosano

Every time I meet with a client I ask myself, “Are these people wasting my time?” Good time management and qualifying skills are so important to a successful real estate career. Realtors can get bogged down with time wasting tasks and people. Your production will suffer if your week is filled up with activities or clients who misuse your time and energy.

Here are 5 common “warning signs” from a potential home buyer:

1)      “We would like a tour”

If I hear the word “tour” I cringe.  This is usually someone very early in the buying process or who is a complete waste of time. I’ve noticed that many real homebuyers are willing to drive themselves around.

2)      “I need a steal”

Of course, everyone is looking for a steal and there is nothing wrong with that. Be scared of those buyers who are not willing to purchase at market or appraised value. They are usually only interested in buying a home if they can get it at a wholesale price.  These types of buyers can have you chasing your tail in no time.

3)      “I’m positive that I can get financing”

This one can come back to bite you. Imagine spending 10-20 hours working with a buyer only to find out that they cannot get financing. Many times people who think they can get financing easily don’t want to go through the hassles of a mortgage pre-qualification or pre-approval. If that is the case how motivated of a buyer are they? Continue reading this post

Written by Marcy Tate

Learning about how to increase your home’s value on a budget isn’t rocket science. However, if you aren’t aware of some of the basic tips and insider tricks, then you can make costly home improvements that won’t add up to value-added improvements.

The expression, “don’t judge a book by its cover” definitely doesn’t apply to houses. First impressions are extremely important; driving up to a home with an old, broken-down car in the driveway or out-of-control shrubbery can easily turn potential buyers away.

The rule of thumb for increasing your home’s value is to spend money on things a buyer can see.

For example, unless you are planning on living in your home for more than a decade, don’t install a new tankless water heater. This type of upgrade will take several years to see a return on and cost several thousands of dollars to install. Instead, focus on items such as a new garage door, landscaping or a new stainless steel kitchen sink.

Avoid the common mistake of over-improving. Consider what is the norm in your neighborhood. Do you live in a high-end neighborhood? Are home seekers looking for high-end appliances in homes in your area? Don’t bother installing fancy features in your home if it’s not what’s going on in the house next door. It won’t help increase the value enough to make it worth it.

Fix up the Exterior First, Then the Interior

Curb appeal matters and fixing up the exterior will instantly increase your curb appeal and your home’s value.

1. Clear up Clutter – Unnecessary objects around your yard should be removed. A downed gutter or downspout, old bikes, recycling bins and trash cans should all be arranged nicely in your back yard.

2. Landscaping – Spend time pruning your hedges, trees and shrubs. Low-maintenance landscaping can add real value. Lay down some mulch, plant a few native plants or hang some flower baskets on your porch. These budgeted landscaping ideas will save you money now and add value when you sell. Continue reading this post

The “Diamond-Water Paradox” is a basic, fundamental economic theory: Water is essential to life; diamonds aren’t, but because there is so much water available, consumers place much greater value on a diamond to a drop of water.

The same paradox can be applied to selling a home.

When potential home buyers view homes these days they’re looking for that diamond (or, a “diamond in the ruff” to be exact).  And, just like diamonds with their detailed system of clarity (FL, VSI, SI, I, etc.), a home’s marketability may be characterized by three important details: Price (P)/Condition (C)/Location (L).

• Above average landscaping & curb appeal (+C)
• Kitchens and bathrooms that have been remodeled with the latest and greatest (+C)
• Freshly painted rooms in neutral tones (+C)
• A home that is clean and spotless (+C)
• A home situated right next to a factory (-L)
• Orange shag carpeting (-C)
• A home’s price that is at the top-end of the market for similar homes in a given area (–P)
• A home that has easy access to major highway and is also located in a community with very little noise & traffic (+L)
• A home that’s priced at or slightly below market conditions (+P)
• A home located in an area of superior job growth and stability (+L), etc, etc… Continue reading this post

We recently received a notice (see image on right) from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) stating that 861 people have inquired about HomeGain.com over the past few months — to which the BBB replied that HomeGain is BBB Accredited and BBB rated A+.

HomeGain is dedicated to continuing its efforts of providing its real estate professional customers with the best customer service it can, and its consumers (home buyers and sellers) with the best free services on the internet possible.

Some recent feedback from agent customers:

• “Holly is wonderful.  She is responsive, informative, honest and extremely helpful.”
• “Great company.  You are a great business partner.”  (Eric Pakulla, RE/MAX Advantage Realty)
• “I like your program, I pay you when I get paid, it works well and is consumer driven.”
• “Tried them all and your site is the only one that works as far as capturing leads.  Gabriel is a cool rep as well.”
• “The HomeGain team is remarkable and helpful in every way. I appreciate all of them.”
• “Value received, and customer service.  I sold my first house on-line with HomeGain BuyerLink, now I am a Top Producer with RE/MAX!”
• “I love HomeGain! My favorite lead source….if you were to create a brokerage, I would be first in line to run an office for you here in SoCal!”
• “Wonderfully run organization.  Everybody is winning with what you are doing, unlike many others out there who try to do what you’re doing.”
• “I have used many other internet lead generation companies and HomeGain is the best without question! Working with them is always very nice. Karina does a fantastic job for us! The quantity and quality of the leads we get are great! I would recommend HomeGain to anyone — it is a very good, solid company!

Read more HomeGain reviews from Realtors and consumers (about working with Realtors they found through HomeGain).

Read more about HomeGain being rated A+ by the BBB.

HomeGain recently announced the latest survey results which revealed the top 12 low cost*, do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvements for people getting their home ready to sell.

Not only can you get regionally-personalized home improvement recommendations online, you can also have an actual “sliding” brochure for use in your office, car or where ever you are!

The Home Sale Maximizer slider reflects the same information as you will find online –

1. Simply move the slide to look up your area
2. See how much each home improvement will cost you
3. Determine how much each improvement will increase your home’s value
4. Get a potential return on investment (% ROI)
5. View how many Realtors recommend it

Request your FREE 5 home improvement sliders now

By submitting your request, we will mail five (5) sliders to you at no cost. For questions or to request a larger quantity, please send us an email.

Try the online Home Sale Maximizer™ home improvement tool

Also DOWNLOAD the instant home values and home sale maximizer widgets for free. See examples…

Continue reading this post