Highlights
Selling a house, condo or other real estate ¿ the largest and most complex transaction most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to advertise their property and locate potential buyers. As a result, while about 90 per...
Selling a house, condo or other real estate ¿ the largest and most complex transaction most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to advertise their property and locate potential buyers. As a result, while about 90 percent of transactions involve a real estate agent, the rest were simply buyers and sellers hooking up independently. By-owner sales are popular among many people, in part because it saves on commissions.
But even more people favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no sale in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another buyer out there, although you may have to wait for them to appear. Selling a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For sellers, the process has several basic steps: finding a real estate agent, setting the price by investigating the market around you, repairing and primping the home to make it more attractive to buyers, effectively advertising your house, negotiating the sale, and closing the sale.
But even more people favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no sale in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another buyer out there, although you may have to wait for them to appear. Selling a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For sellers, the process has several basic steps: finding a real estate agent, setting the price by investigating the market around you, repairing and primping the home to make it more attractive to buyers, effectively advertising your house, negotiating the sale, and closing the sale.
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Jergler: Real estate experts share predictions for 2012
Editor's Note: This is a two-part story forecasting real estate experts' top predictions for the market in 2012. * Perhaps sometime between now and Dec. 21, 2012, will be beginning of the end. In fact, some think the end is already here, and they...Tags: Realty, Foreclosures, Inventories, Real Estate Buyers, Finance
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Jergler: Merry Christmas! Now list your ho-ho-house
While many people are busy planning holiday parties and shopping for presents, Sari Ward is working just as hard, or possibly harder, than she's worked all year. Ward, a real estate agent with Prudential California Realty in Laguna Niguel, views the...Tags: Holidays, Real Estate, Inventories, Homes, Real Estate Buyers
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Jergler: Realtors team with D.A. to fight fraud
Editor's Note: This is the first in a series on the Real Estate Fraud Advisory Board and the Orange County District Attorney's fraud unit. * If you're in real estate and you're in Elizabeth Henderson's sites, you are probably on the wrong side of the...Tags: Corporate Crime, Foreclosures, Realty, Real Estate, Corporate Crime
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Jergler: Early 'spring fever' has sprung
The unseasonably hot weather has many people dressing, acting and thinking like it's spring. In fact, the season isn't all that far off — it's a little less than two months away, starting March 20, according to Farmer's Almanac. But some real...Tags: Real Estate, Homes, Real Estate Buyers, Condos, Services and Shopping
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Jergler: Deals to be had in upscale O.C. areas
Is seems there can be a great deal of leeway when one talks about what constitutes a "deal" in today's real estate market, but there are only a few communities in Southern California where it is considered a deal when you are talking about the $700,000...Tags: Real Estate, Realty, Homes, Services and Shopping
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Shirley Ann Frazier McKitterick
Shirley Ann Frazier McKitterick, 82, passed away peacefully November 18th, 2011 at her home. She was born November 29, 1928, the daughter of Theodore and Mabel Frazier of Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Southeast High School in 1946. Shirley...Tags: Mexico, Health Organizations, Health
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Jergler: Don't overprice yourself out of a sale
Home prices have continued to sink, but not low enough to dampen seller expectations. That has created yet another market fundamental that's dragging on sales, one in which buyers and sellers cannot get on the same page, some experts say. Steven Thomas,...Tags: Government, Politics, Realty, Foreclosures, Real Estate
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Solorio's fairgrounds bill passes Assembly
Legislation that seeks to keep the Orange County Fairgrounds in public hands cleared a major legislative hurdle Wednesday. The state Assembly voted in favor of Assembly Bill 35, which would allow the O.C. Fair Board to share the fairgrounds' revenues...Tags: Regional Authority, Government, Executive Branch, Politics, Real Estate
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Carl C. Hillgren
Carl C. Hillgren Carl C. Hillgren “Jay”, died from a stroke on May 26, 2011 at 86 years of age. Mr. Hillgren was the only child of Swedish immigrant parents. He was born November 8, 1924 in St. Paul, Minnesota. At 5 years of age, his family...Tags: Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, California), Real Estate, University of California, Huntington Park, Human Interest
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Newport-based company buys Living Spaces headquarters for $26.25 million
Dexus Property Group, an Australian company with offices in Newport Beach, said Thursday that it had bought the massive headquarters of furniture retailer Living Spaces in La Mirada for $26.25 million. Living Spaces uses the 278,000-square-foot...Tags: Real Estate, Homes, Companies and Corporations, Newport Beach, CoStar Group Inc.
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Fair Board proposes revenue-sharing deal
COSTA MESA — With one deal to buy the Orange County Fairgrounds held up in court, the Fair Board announced at its Thursday meeting that it would pitch a revenue-sharing deal to Gov. Jerry Brown, which would keep the property in public hands....Tags: Government, Executive Branch, Politics, Real Estate, Jerry Brown
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Fair deal debated in court
SANTA ANA — The battle over selling the Orange County Fairgrounds moved from Sacramento to a Santa Ana appellate courtroom Friday. Attorneys for the state, which is trying to sell the 150-acre Costa mesa property, and for a Newport Beach company...Tags: Moving and Storage, Realty, California, Justice System, Real Estate Buyers
Dec 19, 2011
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