Buyers need to reserve the equivalent of about 2 percent to 5 percent of a home’s purchase price for closing costs, such as appraisal, lender, and title fees. But that’s only a portion of extra homeownership expenses.Nearly half of home shoppers say they faced more than $2,000 in unexpected charges during the homebuying process, according to a survey by TD Bank. Ten percent spent at least $5,000 more than they originally expected. So make s
Frustrated buyers may have better luck seeking out ugly ducklingsKey Takeaways Fueled by low rates and rising incomes, demand remains strong enough to keep supply critically low. Soaring prices in May are changing the face of affordability across the nation, putting homeownership beyond the reach of thousands of first-time buyers.When an irresistible force like housing demand confronts an implacable barrier like ever-tightening inventory shortage
Sales has many differences. Whether it's selling different products to different industries that have different types of customers and different types of processes. There are often a lot of variables that change in each sales role out there. It can be hard comparing someone selling used cars for example to someone selling property, or comparing someone selling insurance to someone selling corporate software.That being said, there are principles o
First things first: Great camerawork can’t save a product video that’s poorly thought out.Before you shoot any videos for your business, make sure you’ve answered the important questions: Why are we making a video? Where will we show it? Who will watch it? What do we want customers to do after they watch it?Those are just a few of the important questions you need to answer before you begin. But once you’ve done that, there are some tricks
Surviving in business is hard.We all want to thrive, but sometimes it feels like survival is the best we can hope for.In one of my favourite episodes of The West Wing, Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe) is explaining to a White House colleague how he gets about thirty minutes of good work done each day and spends the rest of it just trying to keep up. I work for a very big company and I often know how that feels.We all find ourselves trying to
Agents, are you prepared to handle this new demographic?Key Takeaways Divorce rates are rising nationally for older couples, which means agents should be prepared to handle this group as they sell the property they shared and buy new, separate property. Agents should be sensitive to the challenges faced by former spouses who have not been active in the workforce.If you’re no longer in love with your spouse, you both are toward the end of your c
With the right approach and advice, being the bearer of bad news can be an opportunity in disguiseKey Takeaways The U.S. average credit score is 687, well under the 741 average had by mortgage borrowers in Q1 2017. Although it’s difficult to be prescriptive when helping buyers restore financial credibility, there are many solutions available. If you have time, mold buyers into the clients they need to be.While widespread inventory shortages m
The easy way is hardly ever the best path to serve clientsKey Takeaways Adopt a global mindset about luxury real estate, use out-of-the-box thinking, and pay attention to the small details.The luxury real estate industry is a business like no other, and high-end clients have unique requirements. Luxury real estate agents must learn to interact successfully with their luxury buyers and sellers. As such, here are eight truths about the luxury clien
According to a survey conducted in 2016, Google Maps is by far the most popular mapping app among smartphone users (Android owners prefer it by 78 percent and iPhone users by 69 percent). And there's a special program that offers real estate professionals and others the opportunity to boost their presence on this platform, known as Google Local Guides.Victor Lund, cofounder of real estate consulting company WAV Group, offers step-by-step instr
Most home inspectors carefully scrutinize a house from top to bottom, many with checklists that contain more than 1,600 features to evaluate. But some items require a specialist for a more thorough evaluation.The fireplace and chimneyInspectors often open and shut dampers to make sure they’re working properly. They may shine a flashlight up the chimney to look for any obstructions. But for anything further, buyers likely will need to hire a fi
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