Act NOW on that Real Estate SLEEPER Before it is SOLD!

Maybe you don't know what I mean by a "sleeper". Well, if there's a home you have been watching for a  few months that seems to be priced right but just isn't selling. It's not a short sale but it just isn't moving. In some ways, compared to some of the homes recently listed, it is a steal of a deal. Yet you are kind of waiting on the sidelines, not sure if now is the time to buy a home. You are timing the market so to speak, waiting for the perfect moment to make your move and watching to see if seller of that real estate "sleeper" is going to drop the price. Well wake up bargain hunters...You might not be the only one with an eye on that sleeper and if you wait too long it will be SOLD!

A real estate "sleeper" is a home that is priced fantastically and is a great deal but few people, if anyone, is paying attention to it. It is a solid property, in a good location, structurally sound and priced well but has not sold. In a buyer's market where there is significant home inventory but few buyers, sleepers are abundant. And surprisingly, while inventory has gotten tight with few new listings coming on the market, there are still some sleepers out there too!

How does this happen? Maybe the home was originally over priced and though price reductions have brought it into line, it is continues to be overlooked. Some buyers only look at just listed homes and avoid houses that have high days-on-market statistics.

Possibly several very similar homes went on the market at the same time and maybe this one just didn't compete as well in decor. Picture for a second, three homes listed during the same week in a cookie-cutter development where all the homes have roughly the same floor plan. All the home are the same age, condition, and priced very well, but only one homebuyer comes through the neighborhood during the first few weeks. So after 30 days, there are two sleepers left that didn't sell. Since the two houses are essentially the same as the neighboring home that sold, it's wasn't because the homes aren't properly priced. This is another scenario that will cause a sleeper.

But if you are sitting on the sidelines and just watching your perfect home for another price reduction, beware. I have recently had a buyer working through the numbers and watching a sleeper in northern Washington County. In this case, nothing was happening on the property but there was one price reduction, then another and suddenly the home was SOLD straight into pending! In this particular cases, if wasn't the cookie-cutter variety either. It was a beautiful new construction model in Scandia. The home was in a perfect location with a nice private lot. 

And then are my listed homes after being on the market for a few months suddenly will have over half a dozen serious buyers take a look at the home. Agents and their buyers are nonchalant when I stress the home has had a sudden surge of interest. Many even "pooh-poohed" the idea and mildly accused me of trying to coerce an offer. When the first offer came in, sellers don't want to wait and see if another offer might materialize. They make their decisions and the homes are suddenly sold!

If the sleeper phenomena had happened only one time this past year, I would consider it a fluke but I have experienced this situation on homes throughout Ramsey, Washington, Chisago and Anoka Counties recently. In some cases I was the listing agent and others I was representing buyers.

So homebuyers heed my warning, if you are on the fence watching a sleeper, now might be the perfect time to make your move...Before someone else beats you to it!

Copyright 2012 www.terieckholm.com

Going, Going, Gone! Why Homebuyers Need to be Ready to Write an Offer

It seems a bit unbelievable to some homebuyers. After a few years of hearing about a real estate market where buyers were in the driver’s seat now buyers are hearing, "Sorry, that home is SOLD!"

That is the very market we are now in folks! There are still homes being listed every day. But with these phenomenally low interest rates (Did you ever think a 15 year mortgage would be UNDER 3%?!), there are many more homebuyers off of the fence and in the market. If you are a first time homebuyer and looking for a home in the $100K-150K range, you are not only battling against first time homebuyers but also investors to find a good deal. Investors have plans to fix up and resell or put a renter into the home. And since investors often pay with cash, there are no worries to the seller as to whether the home will appraise or the financing will fall through. It’s tough competition for an FHA first time buyer who wants the seller to pay closing costs. 

So what’s a homebuyer to do? 

Get organized. If you want to buy a home at a good price in this market, you need to have a plan.

Plan to Work with a REALTOR® This is not a market to go at it alone. Find a good, trusted professional who is willing to show homes as soon as they hit the market and sign a contract for buyer’s representation. In most cases, it will not cost you anything because the seller will pay the commission.

Plan to Get Pre-Approved for a Loan Without a pre-approval letter, you won’t be able to submit an offer. Most sellers won’t consider accepting a purchase agreement without a letter from a loan officer stating the buyer is qualified to purchase the home. Some bank owned properties only will accept specific types of financing so proactive buyers will be pre-approved for a loan.

Plan to Define Your Criteria Once pre-approved, you know what you can pay for a home so define all other aspects of your purchase including location, school district, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and garage stalls.

Plan to Get Set Up to Receive NEW Listings Call YOUR REALTOR® and ask to be set up to receive all new listings as soon as possible. This is one of the best perks of working with one agent, they know what you are looking for and will help you find it. I like to use a program called Listingbook  so my buyers can leave any property related questions for me to answer on their favorite homes. This is a great way to weed out short sale listings that already have offers too. I review favorites and if there are any short sales with an offer in to the bank but still listed as active on the MLS, we can note it and move on.

Plan to Be Ready to See Homes ASAP The good ones are going fast in this market. If a property meets your criteria, you will need to see the home as quickly as you can.

Plan to Make a Quick Decision Many homes are in multiple offers after a day or two on the market. When a serious homebuyer sees a home that they are interested in, they have to make a quick decision and write up the purchase agreement as soon as possible.

Prepare for Multiple Offers In the first time homebuyer price range, I have seen multiple offers on almost every home I have written a transaction on this summer. Many homes are listed at low prices to encourage more than one offer. If the home appears to be an excellent value, plan to write your “highest and best” offer on it!

Persistence Pays! This summer I had a young couple looking for a starter home who wrote SIX offers before finding their dream home. They were persistent and finally realized their dream. Another young family wrote four offers. In a lower price point, it may take a few offers to get a home, but the reward is worth the effort!

Copyright 2012 www.terieckholm.com

Real Estate Resolutions for Minnesota Home Buyers and Sellers in 2012

As 2011 comes to a close, I noticed a change in the real estate market across the north and east Minneapolis/St Paul metro area.  Home sellers were seeing a more active market during the last quarter and many received purchase agreements. Home buyers who for several years had the luxury of the upper hand in negotiations, suddenly found they were in multiple offer situations when they submitted a contract for a seller's consideration. While there still is a good range of inventory in the higher priced categories, first time buyers had less options than a year or two ago.  Yet a tenacious Twin Cities home buyer can still find good options in almost every price range throughout the metro area. Town homes, single family, split levels, ramblers, two stories, remodels, foreclosures, short sales and new construction.

As a REALTOR® serving Lino Lakes, Ham Lake and communities in the Forest Lake School District, I keep a close eye on the north and east Twin Cities real estate market. During the last few months of the year, I noticed bit of a change in the wind. Activity has continued to improve. Motivated sellers are pricing their homes to be attractive to the more educated home buyers of the current market. Buyers teetering on the edge of the proverbial home buying pool took the plunge and wrote offers as interest rates hit record breaking lows. Negotiations were made and offers accepted. The Minneapolis/St Paul real estate market took one tentative step toward as 2011 came to a close.

So what does that mean for those considering purchasing a home or selling their property in 2012? From Ham Lake to Forest Lake and Lino Lakes to Shoreview, we have begun to build a strong foundation in our real estate market again. Keeping the property value base strong is essential to all Minnesotans. In 2012, homeowners should  RESOLVE to be Real Estate Savvy!

Resolutions for Home Sellers

*Team up with a professional REALTOR®
*Set the right price when first listed
*Make all necessary repairs
*Declutter
*Make each showing count by staging the home for sale.
*Be ready and willing to negotiate.

Resolutions for Buyers

*Team up with a professional REALTOR®
*Get pre-approved for a mortgage  before you start your home search. Check in with your Loan Officer on a regular basis to discuss any change in your financial status or the loan market.
*Write realistic offers that encourage negotiation.
*Understand the foreclosure and short sale process—While prices can seem like a deal, the assumed risk to buyers on an as-is sale is great.

Resolutions for Homeowners

*Even if you do not plan to sell your home in 2012, there are things a homeowner should be doing to maintain and retain property value.
*Keep the interior and exterior of your home in good repair on a continual basis rather than deferring until time of sale.
*Stay current with your mortgage and discuss any financial problems with lender immediately.
*Be a good steward of your neighborhood.

Resolutions for Investors

*Team up with a professional REALTOR®
*If holding the property, offer a safe and maintained residence at a fair price to the renters
*If flipping or repairing/reselling the property, be realistic with the numbers. Don’t over invest in materials and curb enthusiastic inflated resale estimates. 2012 home buyers are educated in the value of real estate and won't over pay!
*Be a good steward of your properties and the communities in which they are located.
*Maintain the properties to retain value for your portfolio as well as the neighborhood.

If buyers, sellers, homeowners, investors and real estate professional alike work together to maintain slight momentum in the market that started at the end of 2011, 2012 could make additional strides toward recovery for the Twin Cities real estate market.

Copyright 2011 www.terieckholm.com