Office Tour August 21, 2012

Office Tour 

August 21, 2012

We had a great tour of two listings today, either of these homes would be an exceptional value for the discriminating buyer.  Here are the comments on both homes.

 5284 Summer Circle , Imperial 63052

Listed at $224,900

A Gorgeous Ranch style home w/3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths, 3 Car Oversized Garage, Great Curb Appeal! Cathedral Ceiling in Great Room, Kitchen & Breakfast Room! New in 2010 Custom Kitchen with Granite, Center Island, Desk, lots of Cabinet space and detail! Master Bedroom w/Large Bath & Walk-in Closet! 6 panel doors, white trim, & Main Floor Laundry! Attractive Landscaping, completey fenced backyard w/Vinyl Fencing, in a Nice Subdivision with Sidewalks on a Culdesac! Also walk Trails in Mastadon Park! What More could you Ask for right off of Seckman Rd & minutes from Hwy 55! AHS Home Protection Policy transfers to the new owner at closing.

5505 White Oak Lane, Imperial 63052

 

Listed at $128,520

Great ranch style home with the Must Haves you are looking for! Open floor plan - Attractive brick front - 3 bedrooms w/4th in lower level - 2 baths - 6 panel doors - vaulted ceilings - Nice/cozy Family/living room - Large kitchen is light & bright w/plenty of cabinet space, breakfast room walks out to deck! From here enjoy your morning coffee, summer, and fall BBQ's! This home is situated on a Cul-de-sac lot with a 2 car garage w/wrap around drive accomodating 6-8 parking spaces easily - full walkout basement w/extra storage, laundry area, & finished room w/closet - backs to trees offering nice views and privacy! Minutes from Hwy 55, shopping, rec centers, and schools! Make an appt to see today before it is Too Late!

Both listings are subject to prior sale and or changes in listing description.   Contact me with any concerns, needs or questions you may have regarding these listings or real estate in general.

Bob Weibrecht, Realtor

Coldwell Banker Gundaker

314-852-9566 / 636-461-2000

1925 Richardson Rd, Arnold, MO 63010

HeyBob@BobWeibrecht.com

www.HeyBobStL.com


FYI - The goal of this blog is to provide general information related to the buying and selling of residential real estate. The reader is highly encouraged to consult the services of a professional real estate agent during the transaction. This blog is not a substitute for any type of professional assistance which may be required.

First Time Home Buyer Checklist

Once the decision has been made to buy your first home (or your next home) it’s time to take steps to make that dream a reality and a check list is a great place to start. A check list will guide you through the process of searching for a home that meets your needs, wants and desires. So here is a brief checklist on some things you should do to make that dream happen.

Get A Free Credit Report

Once every 12 months you can request a free copy of your credit report from the Big Three credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and Transunion. It is a good idea to make this request before you begin searching for homes, this way you will allow sufficient time to check your reports and dispute any inaccuracies in your files.

Get Pre-approved

When contacting a lender for a pre-approval letter, it’s a good feeling to know your credit files are correct and up-to-date.  Any top-performing Realtor® will request a copy of your pre-approval letter prior to showing homes. Having this in hand, your Realtor® will be able to search only the homes that you are in your price range. This will save you time, money and disappointment by not searching homes outside of your budget.

Learn The Lingo

Being in the ‘Know” is a great place to be. If you’re unfamiliar with real estate turns a great place to start would be at www.CBGundaker.com and click on the Buyer and Seller’s tabs for a glossary of terms.

Find A REALTOR®

A Realtor® is an important part in your house hunting process because they know the real estate business, How to search for homes, how to complete documents, establishing time lines, interpreting real estate data and so much more. It’s recommended to find one that can offer you a buyer’s consultation which will inform you of the home buying process. You will know about deadlines, counteroffers, loan commitment dates, earnest money deposits, inspections and so much more.

Make An Offer

Once you find the “right” home that you are ready willing and able to make an offer on your Realtor® will counsel you on how best to write the offer, They will review details with you such as, comparable home pricing, seller response time, attached riders, anticipated closing date, financing details, special agreements and more

It’s strongly recommended not to try to low ball the seller and try to get a “Steal Deal” There are too many want to be home buyers that have lost their dream home because someone else made a better offer. Be it ever so slight. It is best to put your best foot forward first!

When submitting your offer, have your loan pre-approval letter written slightly above you “best foot forward price” by your lender. Submitting a pre-approval letter gives the seller confidence in your offer and the letter tells them what you’re able to get a loan for.

 

Obtain A Loan

The first step after the sales price is agreed upon is to make an earnest money deposit. This money is deposited into a special account and applied to your purchase price when closing. In most cases this money will be returned to you in the event you are unable to close. Please see your Realtor® for details

To approve the loan the loan you lender may require a home inspection (which is a GREAT idea, even if your lender doesn’t require it) an appraisal to be sure the house is worth what you are offering and other documents as required and this may take a few weeks. Be sure to stay in touch with both your lender and Realtor® during this time.

Get Moving

Now that the papers are signed and you have the keys to your new home, it's time to get moving - literally. Remember to decorate your new home and add all of those special touches that reflect your personality. After all, a house is only a house until you make it a home.

In the few weeks between the acceptance date and closing, there are a few things to do and deadlines to be met. Your Realtor® will help you stay informed of these to dos and the deadlines required as you approach the closing.  A few important points for you to remember are to arrange for utilities to be transferred into your name on the closing date, schedule a locksmith to change the locks and to arrange for a moving company. You can also start to make plans on how you want to redecorate the master bedroom. Congratulations on your home purchase!

As a Realtor®, I can assist you with any or all of the items above. If you happen to be outside of the St. Louis market, I can help you find a quality agent in your area of choice. Please contact me for assistance.

By Bob Weibrecht,
Realtor
Coldwell Banker Gundaker
314-852-9566 / 636-461-2000

 www.BobWeibrecht.com

FYI - The goal of this blog is to provide general information related to the buying and selling of residential real estate. The reader is highly encouraged to consult the services of a professional real estate agent during the transaction. This blog is not a substitute for any type of professional assistance which may be required.

Five Ways to Make the Seller Look Close at Your Great Offer!

When writing an offer to buy real estate, you want make the seller look closer at your offer and distance themselves from the competition. Here are five ways to do just that.

        

1. Submit proof of ability to pay. That is give the seller evidence of payment in the form of a pre-approval letter or proof of funds from your financial institution of choice. This gives the seller peace of mind knowing they have not committed to the sale of their property and are missing out on other offers while financing is secured.

2.    Offer a realistic price that you believe the seller may accept. Too often buyers erroneously believe that if they “Low Ball” the seller their offer will be accepted. What happens here is the seller usually rejects the low offer and accepts a “Better” offer.  Your low offer makes the better offer look, well, Better.  The best way to avoid this is have your agent run a comparable market analysis on the listing under consideration and put your best offer on the table first. This way you stand a better chance of getting your offer accepted and owning the property.

3.   Limit or remove contingencies on your offer. Include only the most important terms, conditions and contingencies that are the most important to you.  Common buyer contingencies include inspections, financing and selling the buyer’s property first.  Too many may turn the seller to other offers.  If you need to have a contingency offer a kick- out clause. This means that if the seller receives another offer which appears better than yours, you will have 48-72 hours to remove your contingencies or the property goes to the next buyer. Talk with your agent about kick-out clause.

4.    Write an offer with a large enough earnest money deposit to make the seller notice. If you are serious about your desire to own this property, put down a large earnest money deposit. This deposit will be applied to your purchase price at closing. Talk with your agent about your state’s rules and regulations regarding earnest money amounts.

5.    Make a summary list of the strong features of both you and your offer. Tell the seller why you want their property; tell them your plans for it. Raise your family, retirement, vacation or whatever. Also tell the seller why you believe your offer stands out from the rest and why it should be consider above the others. Your agent should be able to help you write this note to the seller.

In short the best way to make an offer on a property is to provide proof of ability to pay, offer a realistic price, keep the offer clean and straight forward, place a large earnest money deposit and write a personalized note to the seller. Follow these steps and you may find yourself saying, “Home Sweet Home!

By Bob Weibrecht
Realtor
Coldwell Banker Gundaker
 314-852-9566 / 636-461-2000
www.HeyBobStL.com

FYI - The goal of this blog is to provide general information related to the buying and selling of residential real estate. The reader is highly encouraged to consult the services of a professional real estate agent during the transaction. This blog is not a substitute for any type of professional assistance which may be required.