Reverse Mortgage

What a Beautiful chilly day in the mountains today! I wanted you to think about Reverse Mortgages.

This week a mortgage lender came in the office and passed out a brochure on REVERSE MORTGAGES. This has been expressed as away for you to update your home by making it more up to codes or changing out tubs to showers or making wider doors or maybe insulating your home to save on the power bill or changing. You could also re-place your heating and cooling system to cut back on your power bill. Another way to use this money is to re-place your windows if they are real thin glass or have holes in them. Roofs ware and tear and floors do as well so maybe you need money for that reason HOWEVER you may need your money to drive back and forth to the doctors office or for other medical reasons. I AM NOT A MORTGAGE BROKER SO CONTACT ONE TO TELL YOU WAYS YOU CAN USE THIS. I am just repeating what I discussed with one this week. And I am sure it depends on age, and how much equity you have in your home. The Reverse mortgage pays you a monthly or lump sum amount of money and once you pass away who ever you leave your house too will have to pay the bank back what you have borrowed or sale the home for them to re-coop their money back. This is more about a loved one or your self being able to live comfortable not about what you can inherit.

Again I hope this will help you or a loved one out.

Today has been a busy day so far. I was thinking of how a lot of people think about moonshine being linked to the Mountain Men here. The Christmas Tour of Homes has a shuttle from Hillside Orchard Farms which has a moon shine steal. It is really neat. I was told that the government has used Hill Side Orchard Farms too train their new employees of the government on what a liquor steal looks like.

If you would love tour other homes and a moonshine steal for our culture and get a real feel of the life of a Rabun County and our sounding counties. Come on Sunday December 7, 2008.

Christmas Tour of Homes

Christmas Tour of Homes ..... Rabun County Board of Realtors..... Fund Raiser ...........United Christmas Fund......Sunday, December 7, 2008 from 11:00 AM-4:30 PM.............. TICKETS $20..........

This is such a fun festive time to view others homes and work together with our board. Our board is made up of a lot of other members as well such as Banks, Builders, Inspections, Lawyers, Exterminators and other mortgaged company's.

The homes are in the South end of the County. RE/MAX of Rabun is working at the "Ma Clyde" home or Wesley and Karen Taylor homes. If you have ever read the magazine called the Laurel Janie P Taylor tells a wonderful story about Rabun County or Tiger mountain every month. She also just completed a book that tells the neatest stories. She will be selling her books at the Ma Clyde home. This home would still be on the historical society if it did not have in-door plumbing. There are peep wholes so you can view the enemy coming over the mountain and shoot if needed years ago. This home is very neat Mrs. Janie has their deed referenced back but they say this home was of the first 2 homes in Rabun County.

If you would like to see how the Rual lives and come for a Fun view of homes in the mountains this tour of homes is just for you. Hey Meet Mrs. Janie P.

Inventory is High in Real Estate

I feel in our area that Real Estate is starting to move around again. A few of the leaves are still on Black Rock Mountain. I feel that our office this week has been the busiest that it has been in the past few week.

Again I have said it over and over..... It's a Great time to BUY. A customer walked in that was speaking with another Realtor and said "Man I am so over whelmed with the choices I have to choose from."

So Make your choice with all of the inventory and BUY some REAL ESTATE TODAY.

Y U NEED an Agent

I was just challenge with why you need a real estate agent. I was just told that they do not do anything and don't know anything. I can remember my first sell in real estate I felt guilty for taking my commission. Now I understand that I am so important being an real estate agent that my job is worth every penny of commission I earn.

I have listened to other Realtors that say I feel so bad I just put in on the market yesterday and the right person came and bought it...or.....we just looked at one house the clients did all of the work and I am making money.

These comments in some way are of course true if you just look at it literally. Yes, you decided to market it and allow a broker a professional too represent your property for a small fee. Or. Yes, you may have done some of the home work, and decided to buy the only house you showed them. The real estate agents can help guide you through questions you may have had. Did they guide you thru each step explaining detail to detail of what you need to do for instance. What;s the norm why the contract states this or that and what they suggest about surveys, inspections, appraisals and so forth.

I should look this up before typing because there will be things I leave out or just plain forget but here is a list of some of the things a Realtor does for a BUYER:

Buyers Side: searches for the real estate-after finding it shows comparable or at least tells them comparables-decides what to offer this is still the buyers choice- who pays for closing costs- who is the lawyer-when will it close- getting plat information- getting topo information-getting tax information-pulling deeds-home owners associations- who is your mortgaged company- getting you approved- then speaking with each one of these colabors more than once to be sure that we hand over all the information- liability of being your real estate agent- liability of having you as a client- liability of working with the people that you choose us to work with- making sure you understand- if you do not understand trying to explain why- if you still don't understand-understating that know one understands but its not because I am not doing my job its because its the way it is-Getting everyone signatures- Add up the time it takes- to advertise as a Realtor-the time it takes just to ask another Realtor a question- time-

Most unimportant being sure you the client or customer is treated with respect and that me or my daughters Amber is treating you on your level you need. Some are old pros at buying others may need more help with more explaining on contracts or just more questions.

I am proud to be a Real Estate Agent and like my father which is the oldest Real Estate Agent in our MLS and my last comment...Thank you Dad for serving our country in WWII and Happy Veterans Day to the other Veterans!!!!

Offers Y?

A few weeks ago someone asked me why do people not buy a home at listed price? Why do people like to negotiate. This person was aggravated at Realtors for offering an offer. This is not uncommon for Lister's to wonder why people offer lower prices on their homes.

This has been an issue forever some houses are listed at what the home is valued at that time, however, other homes are listed way over price...and today with the market having so much inventory some are listed at lower prices because they are just doing what they need to do to sale. Don't you always think your house should be worth more. Just a thought its the place with your memories that's worth a value.

However do know that if you do not present an offer to your listing agent no matter how ridiculous the offer is you could loose your real estate licence's that is serious repercussion if you are just worried about a person getting mad or loosing a listing. Even if its oral who knows how well that would hold up in court because its a he said she said thing but still its law.

I feel I have been fired before because I have told someone oral offers and the Lister gets excited about it and then the buyer changes his or her mind. That is besides law reasons why in writing is so much better.

Discussing this with another Realtor they said they see it as when you buy a car you just don't offer the listing price you negotiate your you go some where else. Or when you are the buyer of real estate don't you want a deal..I said yes that is a great way of explaining. The question why do people asked you for less than the listed price. Just to start a negotiating.

When making an offer really look at the area of what has sold or in our area sometimes it has been a while for a certain area to sell but you can still do comps to get a great idea of what something is worth or pay up front for an appraisal like a client has done before and say this is my offer. (of course markets where real estate sells once on the market this might not work) But this way you know for sure what the correct price is and most people will take that with out a question.

red mountains in rabun county

The color of the mountains today is red. Black Rock State Park is so beautiful today. Maybe its the bright blue sky and the red and orange colors of leaves or how they contrast.

Today has been a busy day with calls on questions of different types of real estate.

I feel that today being election day will be a new day for people to start buying and getting this economy back on its feet.

do you understand your listing agreement

Be sure if you are signing anything to read it and asked questions if you do not understand it especially listing agreements. Who cares if you need to asked a question.

I had a client call yesterday saying they had found a buyer for their home but that they did not want to continue it on the market with me it was their friend. I have had other friends that list their real estate and have called me asking questions about the listing. Its was expired but they know its still being marketed because its on their listing agents web page. They need to sale really bad and I have always said did you read the listing agreement. Once it is expired it may remain on a web page by accident or still be in a magazine but its off your multiple listing service because its expired and all. Once its expried you need to re-list with your agent or find a new agent. Or not sale keep it for renatl purposes.

I am concerned that when Lister's just sign and do not read or just want their homes sold they do not follow through on what their responsibilities are. Sometimes common sense is not common sense once you have read it. Once you have read what you signed you may say oh I agreed to this the Real Estate Agent is not being mean just doing what I had already agreed to do. I have had clients feel that I am thinking they were trying to break law or that they did it on purpose or that I was being mean because common sense says this is the correct way. However once you read your listing agreement you can say oh that makes sense why my realtor said that they were just dong what I agreed on with the listing agreement.

I have done this in other issues as well my self with contracts on technologies that i have bought or just taking something back to Wal*Mart what their policy's are.

Please understand that if you are helpful enough to find a buyer a commission is still going to have to be paid that is why you hired your Realtor and they should be willing to help you out. Just read what you are signing and allow us or your Realtor too explain more on the agreement if have questions.