Kari Kline/Littleton CO Real Estate Blog

Real Estate Commissions: You Get What You Pay For

2012-03-07T13:29:00.001-08:00

Real Estate Commissions: You Get What You Pay For

by THE KCM CREW on MARCH 7, 2012 · 4 COMMENTS

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Does it make sense to pay a full commission to your real estate agent in today’s market? Sellers, buyers and even agents are debating what should be charged to assist a consumer in completing a real estate transaction. Forget what the actual amount of the commission is. The bigger question is whether you should pay a ‘full fee’ when hiring a real estate expert to guide you through the complexities of today’s rapidly changing housing environment.

If a full fee was the rule in 2006 when completing a deal was so much simpler, why would you now consider cutting the fee of your agent in today’s tumultuous market? You are depending on this person to help you reach your goals in a sale or purchase. In 2006, buyers were willing to pay almost anything to a seller just to get into a home. Banking entities seemed to be willing to mortgage any property for any buyer. The process was rather simple.

Today, a person looking to buy or sell should be willing to pay a full fee for two reasons:

You need an expert guide if you are traveling a dangerous path

The field of real estate is loaded with land mines. You need a true expert to guide you through the dangerous pitfalls that currently exist. Finding a buyer willing to pay fair market value for your home at a time that there are mass inventories of foreclosures and short sales will take a true real estate professional. Finding reasonable financing can also be tricky in today’s lending environment.

Experts in any profession do not discount their fees; especially when the job is becoming much more difficult.

You need a skilled negotiator

In today’s market, hiring a talented negotiator could save you thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of dollars. Each step of the way – from the original offer, to the possible re-negotiation of that offer after a home inspection, to the possible cancellation of the deal based on a troubled appraisal – you need someone who can keep the deal together until it closes.

When an agent is negotiating their commission with you, they are negotiating their own salary – the salary that keeps a roof over their family’s head; the salary that puts food on their family’s table. If they are quick to take less when negotiating for themselves and their families, what makes you think they will not act the same way when negotiating for you and your family? If they were Clark Kent when negotiating with you, they will not turn into Superman when negotiating with the buyer or seller in your deal.

Bottom Line

We believe that famous sayings become famous because they are true. You get what you pay for. Just like a good accountant or a good attorney, a good agent will save you money…not cost you money.

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House Sales in the U.S.

2012-03-02T12:30:00.001-08:00

House Sales in the U.S.

2012-03-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

House Sales in the U.S.

Warren Buffett: It’s Time to Buy Real Estate

2012-02-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffett: It’s Time to Buy Real Estate

Where Are Rents Headed?

2012-02-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Where Are Rents Headed?

States with the Highest Loan Balances

2012-02-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

States with the Highest Loan Balances

Where Are People Moving To and From?

2012-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

Where Are People Moving To and From?

Staging is Very Beneficial-Stage to Sell in the Market

2012-01-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

Staging Your Home to Sell

The benefits of staging your home to sell. Inman News printed an article by Dian Hymer titled, 3 Tips for Staging Your Home to Sell, highlights of which follows along with our take on the topic.

Today's buyers are looking for turnkey homes. That is, they want to move right in without having to do a lot of work. Buyers with busy lifestyles pay a premium for listings that are in prime condition. Staging can make the difference between a listing selling or not, the time it takes to sell and the ultimate sale price.

Sellers who are financially strapped often have a hard time accepting that they'll need to invest in preparing a house for sale even though they may sell for less than they paid. Fix-up costs can mount up; your agent can help you prioritize so that you don't waste money. It's important to keep your goal in mind, which is to sell your house in a difficult market.

I absolutely see this everyday in the real estate market. The homes in what I call"showing condition," are the ones selling. When interviewing with a potential listing client, we will always make recommendations about what updates would make their home more competitive in this market, some listen, some need to experience their home being on the market and not selling before they're ready to make those changes.

Although listings staged by a good decorator show well and often sell quickly, you don't need to spend a lot to put your home into shape for marketing. Most homeowners have too many personal possessions in their home from a sale standpoint. De-cluttering is something most sellers need to do.

Your agent or stager, may ask you to put away collections of art, personal photos, etc. This can be difficult for most sellers because, for them, it's part of the emotional appeal of their home. Your house won't look like your home after you've removed personal possessions and moved what's left around to display the house to his best advantage.

If you're ready to sell, you need to begin transitioning from thinking of your house as a home and begin thinking of it as a product that is for sale. This is also a very good time to put on your "buyer's hat" and look through your home with a critical eye. But keep in mind, if you have done your job well and prepared your home for sale, you may sell quickly, close on your home and move on to the next phase of your life which may of course include your next home with all of your most valued and loved possessions once again surrounding you.

That's the point of the preparation process. You don't want prospective buyers focusing in on your personal property; you want them to focus on the house. Keep in mind that how you live in your home and how it should look when it goes on the market are not the same.

Some sellers complain that their house looks too stark without all their possessions. Even so, it helps you to detach yourself emotionally from the property. Also, less personal property usually gives homes a more spacious feel. When buyers are looking for the most for their money, bigger is usually better.

To close the deal, a listing should be spotless and inviting. If you can't pull this together yourself, or with the help of me then, hire a good stager for a consultation or a proposal for full or partial staging.

STATE BY STATE: NEGATIVE EQUITY! KCM BLOG

2012-01-06T09:57:00.001-08:00

Negative Equity: State By State

InfoGraphic

The above map shows the percentage of homes with a mortgage in each state that are in a ‘negative equity’ situation meaning that the value of the home is less than the mortgage amount. Approximately 30% of the homes in the country don’t have a mortgage on them.

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Bring Back Common Sense!!!

2011-12-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Common Sense Isn’t Common Practice

It used to be that there was logic applied in the world of mortgage lending. An appraiser determined the value of a home by the axiom, “what a reasonable buyer would pay a reasonable seller”. An underwriter weighed the plusses and minuses of a file (after analyzing the income, the assets, the credit profile and the appraisal) and made a judgment call based on their experience.
Loans with sizable down payments used to be more flexible with how income was documented or what quality of credit was required. Even the decision of what made up “good credit” has been reduced to a FICO score. Determining the risk of a loan affected its approval or denial. Further, loans deemed riskier were given less favorable terms (higher rates and/or costs or larger down payments).
But today, everyone has tried to quantify everything and put everything into a matrix. Credit scores are numerical, and the number determines eligibility and cost. Gone is the concept of explaining why you have defects in your credit. We don’t care why, we just look at your score. Appraisers now are being scored and their data being scrutinized to a level most would find mind-boggling. Amenities that make a home worth more for a particular buyer (like a pool or upgraded basement) are virtually ignored. Underwriters have primarily become fact-checkers and quality control as a computer software program underwrites the vast majority of mortgages today.
Gone is common sense. It has been replaced by numerical formulas and a cover-my-behind, justify-everything-with-data mentality. Basically, the pendulum has swung too far. It used to be that lending was too easy (see the subprime debacle), but now we have eliminated too much of the human element. We need common sense back.
People who have saved 30% for a down payment know what they can afford monthly. Don’t they?
People who had a medical challenge two years ago that is not likely to reappear should not have a twenty year credit history destroyed. Should they?
People aren’t likely to overpay for a home with so much inventory and all the media exposure about falling prices. Are they?
Bring back some common sense when we need it most!
Information provided by KCMBlog

LIKE ME ON MY BUSINESS FACEBOOK PAGE!

2011-12-07T12:51:00.001-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Littleton-REAL-EstateColumbine-Knolls/127185037336833?sk=photos

Real Estate as a Hedge against Inflation

2011-12-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

We haven’t heard a lot about inflation recently. However, prices have started to creep upward over the last year. As examples, here are a few categories that increased from November 2010 to November 2011:

Food at home – up 6.2%
Housing fuels and utilities – up 3.5%
Transportation – up 9.2%

Today, we want to address the issue of inflation and the advantages of owning real estate. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) took an historic look at the impact of inflation. Here are some inflation numbers over the past 30 years:

We can see that real estate has fared very well. The most important number is the $0 increase in mortgage amount. The study assumed that the homeowner took a 30 year fixed rate mortgage thereby locking in the housing expense for the thirty years.
NAR then looked at inflation moving forward over the next thirty years. Obviously, if it remained the same as the last thirty years the percentage increase would be the same. They looked at a low inflation scenario and a high inflation scenario. The graph below shows the findings:

Bottom Line

We can lock in the housing costs of our primary residences and vacation homes at all time lows if we purchase today. Either would be a great hedge against future inflation.

Homes Sales Increase Across the Country

2011-11-29T13:16:00.001-08:00

Home Sales Increase Across the Country

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The National Association of Realtors recently released their 2011 3rd Quarter Housing Report. In the report, they showed that combined sales of single family homes, condos and co-ops increased in EVERY state as compared to the 3rd quarter of last year. Here are the state-by-state numbers.
The next time someone says houses aren’t selling, ask them which state they live in and show them the chart.

ONE THING THAT IS STILL A CONCERN-READ BELOW

2011-11-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

One Thing That Still Concerns Us

There is no doubt that the housing market is stumbling to a recovery. This past week Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, predicted a 4% increase in sales next year. Last month, Celia Chen of Moody’s Analytics projected sales to increase over 20% in 2012. Any increase in transactions will be welcomed.
However, we believe there is one headwind that could jeopardize a recovery: fragile consumer confidence. Consumer sentiment, as measured by the University of Michigan, has seen modest improvement in the last few months after nose diving over the previous several months. Moving forward, any hit to consumer confidence will impact a real estate rebound.
Prices are predicted to soften through the first two quarters of 2012 before reaching modest levels of appreciation by year’s end. Falling prices will force more homeowners into a position of negative equity. Being underwater is one of the triggers that cause people to strategically default on their mortgage obligations. If this happens, there will be an increase in the number of foreclosures. This, in turn, could cause a relapse in consumer sentiment.

Bottom Line

We believe that there will be a dramatic increase in residential real estate transactions (both existing sales and new construction sales). The only thing that may stand in the way is a loss of confidence in a housing recovery. The next six months will tell us a lot regarding this possibility.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY KCM BLOG!

Is there a 3.8% Tax on Homes in the Health Bill?

2011-11-14T10:51:00.001-08:00

Is There a 3.8% Tax on Homes in the Health Bill?

As the presidential debates start to heat up, there will be comments about the Administration’s Health Care Bill. We are again getting many questions about a possible 3.8% tax on home sales that some claim is in the bill. To answer these questions, we have decided to re-run a blog post we did last year. – The KCM Crew
We have received many questions about a possible 3.8% tax which will be put on home sales beginning in 2013. We want to do our best to clarify this situation for everyone. We are not accountants and give you this information just as a simple answer to the misconception.Understand that, when it comes to IRS regulations, you should check with your accountant for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

A little history on the confusion

Fact Check.org explains it this way:

The truth is that only a tiny percentage of home sellers will pay the tax. First of all, only those with incomes over $200,000 a year ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly) will be subject to it. And even for those who have such high incomes, the tax still won’t apply to the first $250,000 on profits from the sale of a personal residence — or to the first $500,000 in the case of a married couple selling their home.

We can understand how this misconception got started. The law itself is couched in highly technical language that only a qualified tax expert can fully grasp. (This provision begins on page 33 of the reconciliation bill that was passed and signed into law.) And it does say the tax falls on “net gain … attributable to the disposition of property.” That would include the sale of a home. But the bill also says the tax falls only on that portion of any gain that is “taken into account in computing taxable income” under the existing tax code. And the fact is, the first $250,000 in profit on the sale of a primary residence (or $500,000 in the case of a married couple) is excluded from taxable income already. (That exclusion doesn’t apply to vacation homes or rental properties.)
The Joint Committee on Taxation, the group of nonpartisan tax experts that Congress relies on to analyze tax proposals, underscores this in a footnote on page 135 of its report on the bill. The note states: “Gross income does not include … excluded gain from the sale of a principal residence.”
And just to be sure, we checked with William Ahern, director of policy and communications for the nonprofit, pro-business Tax Foundation. “Some home sales would see a tax increase under this bill,” Ahern told us, “but it would have to be a second home or a principal residence generating [a gain of] more than $250,000 ($500,000 for a couple).”

Simple Explanation:

The following simple explanation comes from midiShaw:

The tax will affect those sellers of real property who will be otherwise taxed on capital gains under current tax laws. Under current laws, if you sell your primary residence and meet the ‘time ‘ criteria, you are exempt up to $250,000 or $500,000 (filing individually or jointly). Any amount realized OVER that amount is taxable under current tax schedules based on income. As such, this new tax will apparently be added to the current capital gains tax burden IF your income is over $200,000/$250,000 (filing individually or jointly). For those selling second homes and investment properties, the tax, once again, will be applied to the amount of gain realized.

Detailed Explanation:

The following also comes from midiShaw in a comment to the above answer.

Beginning in 2013, the national health care reform legislation that became law in March, 2010, imposes a new 3.8 percent tax on certain investment income. The new tax will apply to single filers with incomes over $200,000 and married taxpayers with incomes over $250,000. Under the law, the investment tax provisions in Chapter 2A of the Internal Revenue Code are placed under the heading “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution.” In general, this new Medicare tax will apply to investment income that is subject to income tax, which includes capital gains. Pursuant to IRC Section 1402 (C)(1)(A)(iii), the investment income to which this new tax applies includes “net gain” (to the extent taken into account in computing taxable income) attributed to the disposition of property that qualifies as a capital asset under Section 1221 (capital gains), as well as gains on other property that are considered part of ordinary income.

We offer this just as an explanation. Remember, when it comes to IRS regulations, you should check with your accountant for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Information provided by KCMBlog!

This does not surprise me!

2011-11-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

Real Estate as a Longer Term Investment

Now is the Time! The Time to Buy a House.

2011-10-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

Now could be the best time in history to buy a home. Presuming, of course, you have the money and the credit to do so.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage hit record lows last week, down to 4.01%, according to Freddie Mac. The Federal Reserve's recent "Operation Twist," which was designed to do just this, appears to be doing the trick.
There are a lot of reasons to consider buying a home right now. The big savings on interest is just one of them — the difference between a 4% rate and a 5.5% rate on a $200,000 home loan is just shy of $200 in monthly payments and can save a homeowner more than $60,000 in interest payments across the life of the loan.
Another motivating factor could be the fact that rents remain sky-high in the U.S. right now, and in many markets it's actually cheaper to buy a home than rent a two-bedroom apartment.
While housing might not be at a "true" bottom just yet, there are many signs it is nearing one in many markets. Housing prices rose from June to July in 17 of 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller home price index. It marked the fourth straight month of rises in most U.S. cities.
That's to say nothing of the case-by-case bargains to be had. Here are two personal stories that show the opportunities to be had in this housing market:
I live in the Washington, D.C., area and purchased a short-sale home in 2009. Although three months of back-and-forth with the bank drove my wife and me crazy, we finally closed on the property just hours before a foreclosure auction — after which my Realtor asked if I wanted to immediately re-list my home with him for about 30% more than we had just paid. I had purchased the property for a growing family and good schools, so I politely declined. But the message was clear: If you suffer through a painful distressed property purchase, you get a hefty discount for your trouble.
On the other side of the coin, my brother purchased a newly constructed home in Roanoke, Va., as his wife attended medical school at Virginia Tech. Seemed like a good idea at the time — but now he's 40% upside down on his house and renting it for barely enough to cover the mortgage. Unfortunately, he now lives six hours away, so it's no picnic to manage his rental. My brother recently decided he has enough stress in his life so he will list the house at slightly below market rate just to get rid of it — even if it's going to cost him big-time. Very bad for him, but some lucky southwest Virginia family is going to get a nearly brand-new home for a heck of a deal.
I'm sure many of you have your own story to tell about the housing market. Share it with me (see below) or better yet, post it in our comments section so everyone can read and weigh in.
There are plenty of other bank-owned homes or desperate sellers that folks can pursue, with deals akin to the two listed above. But the million-dollar question, of course, is whether prospective homeowners can get a loan — and if they can, whether they want one.
After the mortgage meltdown, banks have wisely tightened lending standards . That's as it should be, but it understandably shuts many folks out of the market. Other people have good credit but don't have the necessary savings for higher down payments some lenders now require. That's to say nothing of folks who perhaps could sign up for a new home but are just too uncertain about their job or retirement.
Whatever the reasons, it all adds up to a decided lack of demand in the housing market. Many factors have created great deals right now, but those factors also might just be too daunting for many to overcome right now.
I remain convinced that I made the right choice in buying my home — not because it was an "investment," but because it's in one of the best public school systems in the country and I now have two beautiful daughters who wouldn't fit very comfortably in an apartment. And by the way, that two-bedroom apartment rented for only about $100 less a month than my current mortgage. Buying a home was the right thing for my family, and for my finances.
And perhaps that's the biggest lesson of all: The best reason to buy a house is because it will become your home — not a path to profits.
By Jeff Reeves
information provided by KCM Blog

KCM Blog

2011-10-24T12:35:00.001-07:00

Housing Affordability: Price to Income

You may pay a hefty price for the convenience of not having your property on the market right now.

2011-10-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Right now Sellers believe they want to wait until Spring to put their home on the market because that is what they hear to do. This market is strange. We are not in the ordinary anymore.

Prices are going to fall. Do not wait. The demand will decrease supply will increase and prices will go down. If you are considering putting your house on the market, do not wait until spring. If you wait you may pay the price in the end.

Information supplied by KCM blog.

Why Wait? It is time to buy! written by KCM Blog

2011-10-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

U.S. house prices have plunged by nearly a third since 2006, and homeownership rates are falling at the fastest pace since the Great Depression.
The good news? Two key measures now suggest it's an excellent time to buy a house, either to live in for the long term or for investment income (but not for a quick flip). First, the nation's ratio of house prices to yearly rents is nearly restored to its prebubble average. Second, when mortgage rates are taken into consideration, houses are the most affordable they have been in decades.
Two of the silliest mantras during the real-estate bubble were that a house is the best investment you will ever make and that a renter "throws money down the drain." Whether buying is a better deal than renting isn't a stagnant fact but a changing condition that depends on the relationship between prices and rents, the cost of financing and other factors.

But the math is turning in buyers' favor. Stock-oriented folks can think of a house's price/rent ratio as akin to a stock's price/earnings ratio, in that it compares the cost of an asset with the money the asset is capable of generating. For investors, a lower ratio suggests more income for the price. For prospective homeowners, a lower ratio makes owning more attractive than renting, all else equal. Now is the Time to BUY!

Written by KCM Blog.

Falling house prices?

2011-10-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

In a normal real estate market, it may make sense to wait for the spring buyers’ to appear before placing your house up for sale. The current real estate market is anything but normal however. The increase in supply of distressed properties will overshadow any increase in demand for housing over the next 6 months. This is reflected in the findings of two groups: Clear Capital and JPMorgan Chase.

i.e. “The housing market has yet to demonstrate the fundamentals necessary to overcome a seasonal slowdown over the next six months, which drives our projected 3.2 percent drop in national home prices through the first quarter of 2012.” Clear Capital
i.e. “Home prices could dip another 6% to 7%, before hitting rock bottom in early 2012.” JP Morgan Chase

If you are thinking of selling, it would be wise to put your house on the market before prices fall again. Please call or email me for your free no obligation Market Analysis in the Denver Metro Area or I can get you a great Re/Max Referral outside the area or state. No obligation!

Denver housing statistics

2011-10-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Closings of single family homes in Metro Denver is 2,610 for the month. That is lower than last month but UP by almost 5% over last year. That is reflected in the current inventory of 12,613 homes which is DOWN over 28% compared to last year at this time! LETS KEEP THIS GOING!

Selling? Waiting Until the Spring Makes No Sense

2011-09-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Late last year, banks were warned that they needed to guarantee that the paperwork necessary to start a foreclosure process on a family was both accurate and complete. Since then, the banks have slowed down the foreclosure process while they re-examined their procedures. They are now confident that all the required documentation is in order. We are currently waiting on a settlement between the banks and the state attorneys general which will establish what penalties will be assessed.
Once this settlement is reached, the banks will again move forward on many homes which are currently stalled at some stage in the foreclosure process.

How many homes are we talking about?

There are millions of homes in this category. Calculated Risk quantified the situation:

“There are a large number of seriously delinquent mortgage loans in limbo waiting for this settlement. According to LPS, at the end of August there were about 1.87 million loans seriously delinquent and another 2.15 million loans in the foreclosure process. This is only down slightly from a year ago when 4.4 million loans were seriously delinquent or in-foreclosure. Once the settlement is reached, the pace of foreclosures will pick up sharply.

The pace will “pick up sharply”.

Bottom Line

As more foreclosures come to the market at discounted prices, there will be greater downward pressure on all housing values. Waiting for the spring selling season to put your house on the market may not make sense this year. The increase in demand may be overshadowed by an increased supply of distressed properties.

about the author:
We at The KCM Crew are pursuing our mission of building a home for real estate information. We are truly dedicated to helping real estate professionals by supplying all the tools and resources they need to be seen as industry leaders in their marketplace. See how we can help you to become an industry leader in your marketplace, and be sure to check out our page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.