What Is Super About The Real Estate Market Right Now

With a glut of homes on the market and a shortage of buyers, it may seem like this may not be the time buy a piece of real estate, but actually this is the PERFECT time to buy a home or investment property. With prices dipping and incentives everywhere, there are some exceptional properties available for sale at tempting prices. Add competitive interest rates and below market financing programs and you have the recipe for a great deal!

Tampa Bay area Sellers have gotten the message and are now pricing their homes more aggressively to sell and pairing that with some very creative methods to assist the home buyer in making the decision to purchase their house. Recent incentives have included boats or cars with the purchase of high end properties, buyer bonuses on new home purchases that include cash and closing cost assistance, first years taxes and insurance paid, maintenance fees paid on condo properties and many other creative ways to make their home salable. Some Sellers have also agreed to a lease-to-own or seller financed option, rather than an outright sale.

The continued low mortgage rate is a huge incentive to buy now! Brian P. Forrester of HomeBanc states, ?According to the FHLMC (Freddie Mac) website, since 1971 rates has been below 7% only 69 of the last 425 months. With rates continuing to trend downward through 2007, now is a great time to buy.? Banks are also working with Sellers to ?Buy Down Interest Rates? or offer ?Below Market Financing? options on these loans to get even more purchase power for today?s first time home buyers and people who are ready to move up to a bigger home.

Limited land makes real estate tempting! According to longtime agent Rick Tennant, ?Purchasing property in Pinellas County is a great investment as the area is now almost completely built out paired with a continued influx of new residents. As the Baby Boomers move to the warmer climates, our area will continue to be a destination and this will help to stabilize prices, lessening the risk for an appreciation decrease.?

The area?s second homes and vacation property markets will also continue to bring in interested buyers and investors (both from around the country and internationally) for many years to come! Recently I have had a number of inquiries from Canada, Scotland and the UK ? all buyers who would like to purchase investment or vacation homes in Florida. These buyers are motivated to view only properties that fit their criteria and make offers swiftly as they are only in the country for a short time each trip.

Finally, one of the best reasons to buy now is Uncle Sam! Closing by December 31 allows you to deduct mortgage interest, property taxes and points on your loan from your income tax return. Now would also be a great time to 1031 Exchange your current investment/second home into a higher valued property.

All these reasons and more make it the perfect time to buy real estate in Pinellas County!

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A Prelisting Package to Ensure You Acquire that Listing

In today?s competitive world, real estate agents have to continually think of unique ideas to score listings, to build clientele, to retain them etc. The sky is the limit when it comes to strategies to impress prospects without resorting to illegal or unethical methods. A Pre-listing package is the marketing tool that holds the potential to get you that listing even before you meet the prospective client.

A Pre-listing package can include just about anything ? documents, photographs, charts, figures, videos etc. It aims at preparing the seller for the upcoming event (sale of his home) and to prove that you are the agent he should list with. Remember that the seller probably has several other similar packages from competitors; so you have to prove yourself better and more capable than the rest.

A pre-listing package should ideally be sent immediately after you get a lead. Once the date, time and place are set for the appointment with your prospect, customize a pre-ready package and send it out immediately. You have to give the seller the chance to go through all its contents.

When composing your pre-listing package, think: simple, easy to understand yet professional. You don?t have to overspend, make it elaborate or exaggerate about your services. It should not be complicated and too time-consuming. The key to a fantastic pre-listing package is to cater to your client?s needs. Think of what your client may require at this point and put a package that hits the nail on its head.

Generally pre-listing packages contain the following information. A confirmation letter detailing the date, time and place of the appointment. Information on pricing, home staging and an outline of the home selling process. Copies of documents that the seller will have to deal with during the selling process, such as listing agreement, property disclosure forms etc. A comparative market analysis. An overview of your marketing plan ? include what you generally do as well as how you are going to tailor your strategy for this particular home.

Next you must tackle with seller involvement. To show your professionalism and to make the seller a part of the process, provide a seller?s checklist. Ask him to keep certain documents ready for your appointment. This can include utility bills, surveys, mortgage papers, any declarations etc.

Include information about yourself and your agency. This means your mission statement, information on your past performance and homes you have sold, the team who will help work with you in the process, other partners or individuals whose services may be required during the process etc. Try not to brag too much about yourself and keep this short. Let testimonials or referrals from past clients do this for you. Provide their contact numbers and addresses for the seller?s information.

A whole load of other items may also be included in your pre-listing package. It all boils down to how you want to sell yourself effectively. Make sure that the package is attractive and well-organized. Every bit of information does not have to be put down in words. Use different techniques appropriately ? for instance, use a simple graph to indicate your past performance, a video on your team or how to sell a home, a flowchart of the home selling process etc.

You can spiral bind the entire contents or use single sheets in a file or employ any other design strategy that looks good and is organized well. If you do not already have a pre-listing package, create a template right away. Keep it handy so you can just customize and send it out when required. It is a great way to let your prospect know that you are the right listing agent for him!

Sadiya Anjum - ChoiceOfHomes.com - Offering free real estate leads to real estate agents. ChoiceOfHomes.com also has a searchable database of the latest real estate listings of Homes for Sale and Homes for Rent in the United States.