Common Real Estate Scams
The most common forms of scams I see in my real estate business are rental scams involving deposits and earnest money and wire fraud. I have had the local Sherriff's Department contact me looking to track a rental scam prospect down.
One of our agents recently had his father in law's residential property listed for sale. He was online and saw where someone took the pictures of the house and posted that the home was available for lease when it in fact was not. The scam artist was cold calling prospects to rent the property. He just happened to contact our agent's friend, so she called our agent and made him aware of the scam. The scam artist was using the money payment application, "Zelle", and asking the prospective renters to put both a security deposit and first month's rent down. He created urgency by telling people they had to put the money down as soon as possible or someone else would lease the prope...
As the real estate market begins to shift and cool down, it is more important than ever to have the correct approach when selling your property. An imperative part of our job as Realtors is consulting with clients and preparing them to list their home. Market value analysis, condition of the home and attention to detail all matter. There are several common mistakes that I see property owners make. I will cover some of those below.
Perhaps the most essential part of putting a property on the market is value analysis. There needs to be data behind the list price. Recent sales of similar properties in the vicinity of the subject property should be considered. Even in a great market, you cannot just throw a price out there. You need comparable sales to support the value. Many homeowners take pride in their home which is a great thing. However, when it comes to pricing, you need an objective approach. Many buyers will not see the same value in an aspect of the home that you will....
Growing up in Newnan if it was your time to take the midnight train to glory, not Georgia (sorry Glady's and pass my apology along to the Pip's, won't you) your choice was clear. Hillcrest or Mckoon's funeral home. Both establishments were known for their high quality of service and were housed in some of the most iconic homes the region had to offer. In fact, some would say, at night if the moon was full, you could see on their porches Rhett, Scarlett, and even Miss Daisy if Hoke had not picked her up yet for a drive, rocking in their chairs, drinking sweet tea, and talking about the recent unpleasantries.
Well, at 13 years of age, for a summer job, I was hired on at Hillcrest to do a little of this, that, and the other. During that summer I also played on a little league baseball team sponsored by Lindsey Realty. I played catcher because I was short, chubby, and not the quickest of humans. All you have to do as a catcher, my coach said, was stop the pitch with your open gl...
We have also noticed that the number of buyers in the marketplace has decreased. Prices are staying strong, but the showing traffic and the volume of offers are not what they once were. As recently as this year I would receive 20-plus offers on a property but those days seem to be gone.
A significant reason for this sudden change is the increase in rates. In late June, mortgage rates rose above six percent. The Federal Reserve announced a large 3/4 percent raise of interest rates in June. The Federal Reserve has also stated that they expect to raise the rates several times this year and next to combat rising inflation in our country. All this seems to have cooled real estate buyer activity. As mortgage rates rise, a mortgage payment becomes higher and higher. An article I read recently from Lawrence Yun, from the National Association of Realtors, stated that the payment on a $300,000 mortgage went from $1,265 in...
Finding A House To Buy in 2022
What is it like finding a house to purchase in 2022? You have probably heard through someone you know how competitive it is. Maybe you know from your own experience. With a low supply of listed properties and high demand to purchase, it's a battle to find the right house for you.
Finding the right house is a fight all in itself. At the time I writing this, there are only 165 homes listed for sale in Coweta County. If you are interested in any of the properties, you can expect to compete with other buyers for the same home. I have had as many as 21, 22 and 30 offers on the same house recently. In these situations, a strong cash offer with no contingencies usually wins out the bidding war. Competing with this many buyers is a not typically a formula for success. This is where your Realtor should come in.
A good Realtor, that is connected to the local market, should know of o...