Once you have found your dream home, the fun begins.  The goal is how to attain that dream home at the best price possible.  As you begin the negotiating process, it's important to remember two things:

Knowledge is power.  Before you even start the negotiating process, you and your buyer's agent should go over current market conditions, active listings in the area, and a history of what has sold in the last three to six months.  Look at signs that you may have a motivated seller.

Make every effort to achieve a "win-win" situation and try not to let emotions interfere with rational decisions.  If one party is backed into a corner, or feels they are being taken advantage of, then negotiations may become very tough if not impossible.

Once you know the market value of the home, then you're ready to begin.  You and your agent should discuss the following:

    ●    What concessions are you going to ask the seller to pay...closing costs, prepaids, replace carpet, appliances, paint, etc.?  All these items reduce the bottom line for the seller and the seller will counter accordingly.

    ●    What day would you like to close the transaction and how soon after closing would you like to have possession of the home?  If the house is vacant this shouldn't be a problem, but if the seller hasn't moved yet, additional time to vacate may be important, thereby making the seller more flexible on the sales price.

    ●    Do you want the seller to reimburse you at closing for a one year residential service contract?

After you have decided what concessions you want, decide what price to offer.

Very important...never lowball the seller, just to see what he will come back with.  All this does is insult the seller and may cause an end to any further negotiations.  Have your agent call the listing agent to see if there is any other offers currently on the property.  If the answer is yes, then make your best offer at that point and hope for the best.  If the answer is no, depending upon market conditions at that time and how many days houses are currently on the market, make a reasonable offer, but not your best offer.  Be patient and save your best offer for the second or third time around only if it becomes necessary.

This information is brought to by Teri Taylor.  Please call Teri Taylor with Keller Williams - Elite at 972-381-6066 for a free consultation.

If you're in the real estate market, let Teri Taylor help you find what you're looking for.  Whether you're looking for log homes, modular homes, house plans, books on homes, or a local home depot. Teri Taylor can find you homes for sale, manufactured homes, a white house, or a blue house. She is an expert with the mls and often can work from home. Whether you need homes for sale, manufactured homes, home plans, houses, homes or a house for sale by owner, or a mortgage calculator, she can help. She will show you houses, homes, houses for sale and can direct you to the resources needed for home decor, home decorating, home theater, home improvement, houses for rent, business for sale, a gingerbread house, directions to the Home Depot, as well as land for sale or home plans.  As a realtor member of the multiple listing service she has access to REALTORS^®, mls listing, real estate listings, home builders, commercial real estate, and new homes. Whether you're looking to buy for yourself or are interested in real estate investing, homes for sale by owner, or just real estate for sale,  Teri Taylor is the REALTOR^® for you.

As a member of the National Association of REALTORS^®,
Teri Taylor is your full service REALTOR^®.

She enjoys excellent relations with lenders, appraisers, inspectors, title
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Whether it's information on mortgages, lenders, appraisers, inspectors, or title companies,

Teri Taylor can get you started in the right direction.  If she is unable to help you personally,
rest assured she can refer you to a local professional in your area that will be able to fulfill
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Her motto is "Real Estate Services Taylor"ed" for You."

 

Tips and Tricks

Prepare Your Home to Sell   Landscaping / Curb Appeal Is your landscaping average in the neighborhood? If not, then purchasing a few bushes and ground covers will certainly help. Don't suffer by planting trees. Mature trees are expensive, and you won't have time to enjoy them. Also, smaller trees do not really add much to the "curb appeal" of your home. If you have a nice spot for flowers, get mature colorful flowers and plant them. They add a splash of pizzazz by showing warm appeal and color, creating an immediate favorable first impression. Smaller seeded plants or bulbs are not recommended at this point either. Your lawn should be manicured, well watered, and free of those ugly brown spots. Any problems with the lawn should probably be taken care of them before working on the inside of your home. This is because certain areas may not take the sod, and you want to give it a chance to grow so that re-sod areas are not immediately apparent. Always rake up loose leaves and grass cuttings. Uncluttering the clutter This is probably the most difficult thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to just about every possession in their house. After living in the same home for years, clutter accumulates in ways the homeowner may not even realize. However, buyers do see this in your home, even if you do not realize it! Clutter collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, garages, attics, and basements. You want to give the appearance of creating as much open space as possible, so even extra little things needs to be removed if possible. Let friends or family members help point out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their constructive criticism! If possible let your agent or representative help you and try to put yourself in the buyers shoes when doing a "clutter assessment". Clutter in the kitchen Start removing clutter from the kitchen, because it is an easy place to get started. First, remove everything off the counters. Every single item. Even the coffee maker. Put the coffee maker in a cabinet and take it out when you need it. Find a storage place where you can put everything in cabinets and drawers for retrieval later. Notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything! Clean them out. Put dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used in a box and don't forget to put the box in storage. Homebuyers are known to open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They need to know their stuff is going to able to fit. Kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers that look crammed, sends a message to the buyer that plentiful storage space is lacking and leaves mental impression in their minds. The most effective method is to have as much empty space as possible! In particular, if you have a junk drawer, get rid of the junk! If you have a rarely used ice tea maker, put it in away. Do an inventory on every cabinet and drawer. Create a feeling of open space all around. If you have foodstuffs shoved into the shelves or pantry, start using them; especially canned goods. The last thing you want to do during the moving process is lug around extra canned goods that weigh hundreds of pounds! Under the sink is very important as well. Take all efforts to ensure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible, removing all unnecessary cleaning articles. You should scrub these areas thoroughly, and determine if there are any signs of water leaks or damage. You don't want to cause a homebuyer to hesitate in buying your home due to a small overlooked item.