Category: Home Selling

  • Terminate a listing agreement

    Reader Question: To terminate a listing agreement may not be easy. We just listed our home with a company 3 weeks ago and we have some concerns on the Realtors marketing of our home. I emailed him ( so as to document it) and voiced my concerns in the method being used, MLS only. There are…

  • Hidden Property Value Found In Homes Large Lot

    Reader Question: I will be selling a home I received after my Mothers passing. Build in 1952 and having no “upgrades” there are several things needed to bring it into the 21st century. (Kitchen & bathroom upgrades) I am planing to sell it “as is” rather than investing money to bring it up to today…

  • Can A Home Be Too Clean?

    Reader Question: Monty. 20 showings and no offers…5 interested people, two second showings. Comments have been very clean, but a lot of people do not like the lay out. We have 2300 square feet with a large kitchen, dining room, large family room, 3 full baths, 4 bedroom and an unfinished 5th room over the garage.…

  • The Future In Realty Brokerage

    Reader Question: Hi Monty. I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Are Real Estate Agents Dinosaurs?” I am a real estate agent in Iowa. The article kind of scares me because I am fairly young and I didn’t realize the industry was in such tough shape. I am curious as to…

  • How To Challenge Home Appraisers

    Reader Question: We are thinking of selling our home. We ordered a home appraisal which we just received in the mail. We do not agree with the opinion of value they came up with but we do not know how to go about challenging them. What should we do?            …

  • Our Home Is Underwater – What Should We Do?

    Reader Question: Monty, we have a family member whose home is underwater. They owe $114,000 on the mortgage with a monthly PITI payment of $890.00. They paid $119,000 for it. Here, is the problem. They are divorcing, and his wife has moved out of the house. A local agent has estimated the home will sell today for between $75,000 and $90,000. Our…

  • Timing Your Real Estate Move

    If you have influence over timing your real estate move, the following suggestions can help you make the most of it. Timing can impact you both positively and negatively. There are many variables that will affect the timing of your purchase or sale. Place each of your considerations into one of the two categories: market…

  • Real estate agency – What is it?

    Real estate agency is a concept in the law It is the relationship between a principal and an agent. In real estate, a transaction begins between a real estate broker(the agent) and a principal (the seller or buyer). A principal can be a buyer or a seller, but most transactions begin with a home seller…

  • Evaluating the risk of owning two homes

    What Comes First? Evaluating the risk of owning two homes,  buy, or sell first, is a common dilemma that homeowners face today. In fact, about seventy percent of home buyers are also home sellers. People caught in this “time trap” are often faced with difficult questions and weighty decisions to make. The first and most…

  • The real estate agent working environment

    Understanding the real estate agent working environment Your success with your real estate experience is in direct proportion to what you know about real estate. This short primer will help you better understand the agent and their playing field. Here are some facts to help shape your perspective. The more you know, the better your…

  • Tax Considerations When You Buy Or Sell A Home

    Another Benefit Of Homeownership One of the most appealing advantages of being a homeowner is the tax incentives offered. Even though some tax considerations are basic and fairly well known, the topic remains complex and extremely detailed.  It is not our intent to answer all of your tax questions on this web page, but rather…

  • So, you’ve been transferred

    When you have been transferred, seek out the person that administers your relocation benefit immediately on notification of the new assignment. Do not depend on the water cooler talk with other employees as it may result in misunderstandings or miscommunications. The water cooler is not aware of a variety of internal and external communications that…

  • For Real Estate Relocation Counselors

    Help Us Make Your Job Easier When the relocation counselors do their job the move goes smoothly for the relocating employee and their family. Help your transferees by reading through the web site articles. It is a small investment in your time. You discover powerful information and insight that will allow you to improve the…

  • Satisfying contract contingencies

    Satisfying contract contingencies Home buying contingencies are contractual requirements stating specific conditions upon which the closing of the purchase is dependent. Because a home is an expensive and complex structure, it is often difficult or costly to address all issues prior to agreeing to the terms of a purchase or sale. The practice of real…

  • The accepted offer

    So, you have the accepted offer, or you have accepted the counter-offer, now what? This information is not being presented to frighten or create doubt. If you chose a good agent and followed the receiving an offer advice you have reduced the risk of complications going forward. The idea here is that being fully informed…