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Progress Continues for Home Sales in Our Area!

As reported by our Dayton Area Board of Realtors:

Dayton Area Home Sales for January 2010 The year 2010 opened with year-over-year single-family average property values increasing for the seventh straight month. The average price for January came in at $112,643, up 9% over last January’s $103,323.The median sales price was $90,000, an even more impressive year-over-year increase of 20% over January 2009’s $75,000 median.

So – get in the market and take a look as the opportunities are still around for buying homes with lower interest rates and if you’re selling a home – NOW is the time people who want to buy are really making their moves – don’t let your house miss its chance!

What is the Good Faith Estimate?

In the process of buying or selling a home – the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is what boils down all the numbers and tells buyers what the home is costing them with closing, prepaids, and how much they need to bring to the table; for the seller it tells how much the Sales Price of the home less any closing costs, prepaids, mortgage payoff(s) and finally the total NET amount to seller.  (more…)

Top 10 Things For Your Home

Chances are – if you are looking to buy a home – then most (if not all) of these items make your list of things desired for your new place…{and if you are ready to sell – you may benefit the bottom dollar and lessen the listing time by making sure some of these items are features of your house}:

1. Large Kitchens, With an Island

2. Energy-Efficient Appliances, High-Efficiency Insulation and High Window Efficiency

3. Home Office/Study

4. Main-Floor Master Suite

5. Outdoor Living Room

6. Ceiling Fans

7. Master Suite Soaker Tubs

8. Stone and Brick Exteriors

9. Community Landscaping, With Walking Paths and Playgrounds

10. Two-Car Garages

See full Market Watch article HERE

Realtor Commissions

This is something I get asked about from time to time and always a topic “of discussion.”  Believe it or not, most Realtors are way underpaid and technically speaking – the industry hasn’t really seen a “raise.”  The NAR has said that from the beginning of time, Realtors typically have earned 6% commission (that’s 3% for Buyer’s Agent and 3% for Listing Agent.)  Sure – cost of homes has gone up – so in that respect maybe there has been a raise – but the cost of doing business has also gone up.  You do need to understand that the commission is NEGOTIABLE and NOT SET at a fixed rate (because that would be illegal.)  However, any of the Realtors who are worth their services – are also worth the commission.

Just discussed was “the compensation structure for Realtors” and this is an interesting tid-bit that might help the public to understand more of why a Realtor is unwilling to discount their commission, of the Realtors polled:

Percentage Commission Split–70%
100% Commission–17%
Commission Plus Share of Profits–3%
Salary Only–2%
Salary Plus Share of Profits/Production Bonus–3%
Share of Profits Only–1%
Other–4%

Basically, the Realtor does not get paid unless the deal closes.  So while many clients become frustrated with the process (especially now with all the changes) you can see that the Realtors also get caught when the deal does not close.