This Week's Edition of National Real Estate News 4/7/2013 (Video)

This week's national real estate news update -vacation home sales soar,  trending: put some color into your home!, pros and cons of using a 401k for a downpayment, sellers advice for choosing an agent. Click here for more- about moving, home buying strategies and interest rates.

Click here for this months newsletter and our video news channel.

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

The Only Four Words Buyers Should Ever Say to Sellers

It can be quite uncomfortable if the seller is present during a showing of their home. It's an unnecessarily awkward situation for the buyers, who tend to say too much if not advised appropriately and properly in advance for a situation that is almost inevitable.

It's SIMPLE. The only words a buyer should say to a seller are Hello, thank you, and goodbye.  NOTHING ELSE!

Buyers- You can COST yourself a lot of money by talking to the seller. Every nice thing you say has the seller seeing dollar signs, and makes them less negotiable.

Go on and on about how nice the home is to the seller, and put in an offer? NOT A GOOD IDEA! Smart sellers are more inclined to stick to their price, because they know they won't have to negotiate with you.... because you gushed at their home, and then submitted in an offer shortly thereafter.

We were all taught that it's the polite thing to do and to give a compliment when deserved, and I am a firm believer you in fact, should in almost every instance- EXCEPT when you are buying your  home. If you want to tell the seller how much you love their home AFTER we've negotiated, that's fine :)
It doesn't cost you any money at that point.

I always advise my buyer clients to not even ask questions of the seller during the showing. Tell me what you want to know, and I will ask. The fine art of obtaining basic information from a seller in a conversational way is best. So leave the questions to your real estate agent, (That's me!)  and you will most likely be  saving yourself thousands of dollars!

If you are interested in buying, call me. You 'll get top notch representation, years of negotiation skills, and an agent who wants to save YOU money.

"When You Deserve the Best, You Deserve Judy"

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 The Featured Home of the Week is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home at 20 Hickory Drive, Westport  for just $549,900. See the virtual tour HERE 

 .....or better yet, call Judy to schedule an appointment to see it!

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 Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Interested in That House? Resist the Urge to Call the Listing Agent

That may seem contrary to reason, but there are a few very important reasons why you should have someone OTHER than the listing agent represent you.

So stop right now, before you call.  It can cost you a LOT of money unnecessarily. Here's the how and why:

The agent has entered into an exclusive agreement to represent that seller, and owes his/her fiduciary responsibility TO THAT seller. In layman's terms, that agent is contracted to obtain the highest possible price for that property. Don't you want to pay the LOWEST possible price for that property?

Let's take it a step further- Besides having the legal fiduciary responsibility, that agent knows the seller  better than they know you. What would make you think that even as a dual agent (where the agent represents both parties, as agreed and acknowledged by both parties) that they could in fact treat you fairly when they have known that seller client longer, and have had more communication with the other party?

Also contrary to what you might think, an agent cannot reduce the commission in order to consummate the transaction without the owner of the company agreeing to it. By the way, the majority of the firms out there are franchises, and even the managing brokers really don't want to cut a commission- they don't have to. The property could be purchased  by a buyer represented by another firm,  you could purchase a different property from the agent,  and the firm would be out ZERO dollars.

If you are interested in buying, call me. You 'll get top notch representation, years of negotiation skills, and an agent who wants to save YOU money- not  make the deal happen for their own wallet.

"When You Deserve the Best, You Deserve Judy"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 The Featured Home of the Week is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch home at 20 Hickory Drive, Westport  for just $549,900. See the virtual tour HERE 

 .....or better yet, call Judy to schedule an appointment to see it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

The Newest National Housing Stats- What You Probably Didn't See

Monthly housing reports always trigger headlines.  And today’s National Association of Realtors Existing-Home Sales Report for November is no exception.  Here are three nuggets of information that might get lost in the media coverage:

1. Median existing home prices are going up: The November national median existing-home price for all housing types is $196,300.  This is $15,700 more than this time last year, and $32,100 more than November, 2011.
2. Homes are selling fast: The median time on the market for all homes was 56 days in November, which is approximately 8 weeks. Last year at this time, the average time on the market was 70 days, approximately 10 weeks.
3. And faster!: Maybe the most important stat was buried in the seventh paragraph.  Get this, 35% of all homes sold within 30 days.  Wow! 

There is clearly demand for homes, but that demand is not being met by supply, since we also learned that inventory, the amount of homes available for sale, is at a 5.1 month supply.  While that might sound like a lot, it is a full month below a traditional balanced market of 6 months.  Therefore, in most locations around the U.S., supply is not meeting demand and therefore sellers are in the driver’s seat equating to higher prices.

One other interesting thing I find fascinating in each NAR report is the use of the term “median.”  Quick!  Are you smarter than a 5^th grader?  What’s the difference between median and average home price?

Median is the exact middle point of all homes sold while the average is the cumulative sales number, divided by the number of sales recorded.

But what does a median home look like?  I thought it would be fun to see and found five Coldwell Banker listings from around the nation that matched the nation’s current median price of $196,000:

• Beautiful ranch style home on three acres in Wakefield, NH
• 4-bedroom 2.5 bath family home in Lake Jackson, TX
• Home with two units – one to live and one to rent – in Prineville, OR
• 4-bedroom 2 bath home in Pooler, GA
• Home with a scenic lake view in Winter Haven, FL

The preceding was an excerpt from a Guest post from Dianne Falaguerra with our partner agency CooperKatz on "Coldwell Banker Blue Matter"

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact Judy!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Residential Home Style Reference Guide

Here's a handy pictorial reference guide for the many different styles of homes.

Do you see your home's style here?

Whether you do, or even if you don't,  when it's time to sell, call me. I know the difference  between the many styles, and am highly skilled in how to market your unique home to get the very best price :)

photo courtesy of Realtor magazine

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Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY