Maxsell Real Estate Video
Posted: Saturday, April 26th, 2008, 9:42 am EST
Category: Atlanta Real Estate, Tips, Tools & Tech
Maxsell Real Estate. Different.
Real Estate Video is a Difference Maker
Posted: Monday, April 21st, 2008, 3:07 pm EST
Category: Tips, Tools & Tech
I recently purchased a video camera and have used it once for real estate. Here is the response…
“That has to be the BEST tool (video) ever!!!! What a great thing to do for buyers! I will show Eric the video when he gets home … No more video is needed, this is plenty. I’m very impressed! Again great tool for potential buyers!!!!! Carrie”
Emphasis was added by my buyer, not me. I just shot a video walk-thru of a house for an out-of-town buyer. It was quick and low-quality and elicited an incredible response. Imagine if I had taken time to edit the production or hire a professional? Here is my work:
Video is the future of real estate marketing! I believe in this so much, I joined Atlanta Dwellings TV team to spread the real estate video love.
Trulia continues Innovation in Real Estate Search
Posted: Tuesday, April 8th, 2008, 8:59 pm EST
Category: Tips, Tools & Tech
I have no problem complementing vendors or service providers to the real estate industry when their products impress me. Tonight Trulia gets some love for continuing to push the real estate search experience to better places. Trulia announces Google Street View integration to allow users the opportunity to see real estate at eye level.
Trulia highlights these benefits of the new feature:
The Street View is high-resolution imagery that lets you:
• View a property up close from multiple angles
• Check out the yard and other attributes of the lot
• Walk past nearby homes
• Take a tour of the block and neighborhood
The feature is currently available in more than 30 U.S. cities and the images on Trulia are being updated real-time as more locations are added.
Kudos to Trulia for continuing to push Zillow for recognition as the best new real estate search engine. Realtor.com will need to pay attention to many of these innovations or risk losing confidence from it’s membership as more Buyer’s eyeballs find Trulia.com more engaging.
On a side note, do we really want to have Google be our big brother? (i love this video)
5 Tips for Buying a Foreclosure in Atlanta
Posted: Monday, March 10th, 2008, 10:03 am EST
Category: Tips, Tools & Tech
So you think you are ready to step into a foreclosed property in Atlanta, GA? If you have the intention of buying a bank owned property, take note that the process may take longer than you can wait. If you intend to move into that property, check out my 5 tips for buying a foreclosed property:
1) Get Pre-Qualified for a loan
When you write an offer on a foreclosed property the receiving broker will forward your offer to the lender who holds the property. The lender will in many cases have multiple offers on the same property so your offer needs to shine. If you have cash, send a bank statement - If you need financing, please be pre-qualified not just pre-approved. Many times the best price does not win but the best chance of a successful closing will!
2) Hire an Agent Who Can Really Help You
As foreclosures continue to rise, the backlog of REO files at the lender continues to grow. As a result, the process of buying a foreclosure can take weeks if not months to advance to a stage where the potential buyer and seller have something that symbolizes an agreement. Unresponsiveness from the bank will try the patience of a buyer and will try the patience of the agent responsible for writing the offer. Understand that the Selling Agent earns a living from successful offers and in order for the process to work in your favor, don’t get greedy with trying to save the commission for yourself. As a matter of fact, I know I work harder and longer for a guaranteed thing. Hint: Sign a Buyer Brokerage agreement with your broker. They will hang in there longer and go the extra mile for you if they know they will get paid at the end of the journey.
3) Understand the NEW Real Estate Contract
In Georgia, the GAR (Georgia Association of Realtors) has completed new revisions to many of the contracts and addendums for 2008. There are a variety of changes and items missing from the standard sales contract. In order to cover your assets, make sure the AGENT YOU HIRED has addendums and exhibits to cover financing, appraisal, and inspection contingencies. A basic GAR sales contract says that you can complete the sale for cash.
4) Be Able To Buy Without Having to Sell
If you have to sell your home, buying a foreclosed property may remain a dream for the near future. Contingencies to sell property are almost never accepted. If your home is currently under contract with a firm closing date, be prepared for short term housing as a predictable negotiation and closing on an REO is — well — unpredictable.
5) Make Your Best Offer and Stick with It
After you make your offer you will most likely receive a notice that the lender may have multiple offers on the property. While it may or not be true but if you raise your offer price now, the chance of getting a DEAL slowly dwindles. When buying a foreclosure, make your best offer up front considering after repaired value, cost of repairs, etc. Now is the time for a poker face. Your desire to purchase this property must be less than the banks desire to sell it. Do not allow the listing agent or the bank to know how much you really want the home.
Mike Pennington is a full-time licensed Realtor with Maxsell Real Estate in Woodstock, GA
Maxsell Real Estate joins RSS Hugger
Posted: Sunday, March 9th, 2008, 10:21 am EST
Category: Tips, Tools & Tech
I am always looking for better ways to promote properties listed by Maxsell Real Estate. Obviously, I feel that the internet is one of the best mediums for delivering property information and real estate news. Since we are constantly promoting our properties and services on the web, then it only makes since for us to optimize our website to appear as credible and authoritative in the eyes of Google and other search engines. One of the ways we accomplish this (there are many) is to submit our rss feed to website directories. These directories index our site into a specific category and create a link back to our site (a notch of credit in Google’s eyes). However, these directories fall in and out favor from Google over time and my goal is to always partner with the best of directories.
Today, I stumbled across RSS Hugger as one of the best directories available. Why? Because they understand search engine optimization (SEO). I learned about RSS Hugger from Mary McKnight, RSS Pieces. Mary is an excellent resource for real estate SEO and she had this to say about RSS Hugger:
"Anyhow, when it came to RSS Hugger, a blog directory that combines Technorati, rss directories, and search engine optimization into one, I LOVED the way they required the reciprocal link. Instead of some rediculously useless chiclet, they want me to write a review of their site. This a makes perfect sense, they get a high quality backlink and some press. Now, what do I particularly like about RSS Hugger? I have the ability to post my RSS feed, get listed in their directory and I am dealing with a service that actually understands SEO."
So now Maxsell is partners with RSS Hugger. Your business should be too!
