Highlights
Selling a house, condo or other real estate ¿ the largest and most complex transaction most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to advertise their property and locate potential buyers. As a result, while about 90 per...
Selling a house, condo or other real estate ¿ the largest and most complex transaction most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to advertise their property and locate potential buyers. As a result, while about 90 percent of transactions involve a real estate agent, the rest were simply buyers and sellers hooking up independently. By-owner sales are popular among many people, in part because it saves on commissions.
But even more people favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no sale in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another buyer out there, although you may have to wait for them to appear. Selling a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For sellers, the process has several basic steps: finding a real estate agent, setting the price by investigating the market around you, repairing and primping the home to make it more attractive to buyers, effectively advertising your house, negotiating the sale, and closing the sale.
But even more people favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no sale in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another buyer out there, although you may have to wait for them to appear. Selling a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For sellers, the process has several basic steps: finding a real estate agent, setting the price by investigating the market around you, repairing and primping the home to make it more attractive to buyers, effectively advertising your house, negotiating the sale, and closing the sale.
Displaying items 1-12 of 1085
» View glendalenewspress.com items only
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11-91
•
Next >
-
Home sales still in the doldrums
The dwindling number of houses up for sale is still impacting the local real estate market as the number of condominiums on the market plummeted by 70% last month compared to March 2011, according to the latest figures. There were only 50 condos for...Tags: Homes, Real Estate, Rentals, Inventories, Condos
-
Home market remains sparse
The number of single-family homes for sale in Glendale took a nose dive last month, dropping nearly 50% compared to the same period last year, according to the latest local real estate report. The drop was even steeper for the amount of condominiums on...Tags: Homes, Real Estate, Rentals, Inventories, Condos
-
After steep loss, Sears to sell 11 stores to General Growth Properties
Sears Holdings Corp.said Thursday that it will spin off its smaller Hometown and Outlet stores as well as some hardware stores in a deal expected to raise $400 million to $500 million as it seeks to regain profitability and market share.
The operator...Tags: Hometown, General Growth Properties Inc., Los Angeles Times, Hoffman Estates
-
Home sales rise, prices plummet
More homes sold in Burbank and Glendale in November compared to last year, but the median price continued to decline, according to the latest real estate figures.
Eighty homes sold in Glendale last month, up from 74 in November 2010, according to the...Tags: Homes, Real Estate, HGTV (tv network), Services and Shopping, Real Estate Buyers
-
Water-fund transfers should be returned
From my past law practice, I remember that condominium developers needed approval from the California Department of Real Estate before they could sell any units. To get it, they were required to submit a homeowner association budget that included an...Tags: Condos, Water Supply
-
Nonprofit files for bankruptcy, delaying $300K repayment to city
A defunct nonprofit entangled in financial issues that promised to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars it owed the city of Glendale has filed for bankruptcy, a move that may stall those plans. New Horizons Family Center filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy...Tags: Finance, Mergers, Acquisitions and Takeovers, Financially Distressed Companies, Bankruptcy
-
Real estate fraudsters get creative
As real estate fraud cases increase throughout region, Glendale police say thieves are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to defrauding the real estate owners. From falsifying documents to paying off people to use their credit to buy a home,...Tags: Crimes, Insurance, First American Bank, Fraud, Rentals
-
Trouble in rose float land
Having watched the city of Glendale budget session on television, I would like to clarify a few points. The Glendale Rose Float Assn. was formed in 1978 to help offset the cost of the Glendale float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. It was...Tags: Elections, Real Estate, Campaign Finance, Business, Human Interest
-
Local real estate market continues to be soft
Another slump in local residential sale prices in June indicates a soft market during a time of year when real estate activity is usually surging.
The average sale price of a Glendale home in June was $515,784, down from $533,671 the same time last...Tags: Homes, Real Estate, Realty
-
Housing market continues to slide
Another slump in local residential sale prices in June indicates a stubbornly soft market during a time of year when real estate activity usually is surging. The average sale price of a Glendale home in June was $515,784, down from $533,671 the same...Tags: Homes, Real Estate, Realty, Economy, Business and Finance
-
Americana hearing postponed again
Days after attorneys told a judge that Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso had agreed to a deal to acquire the adjacent Golden Key Hotel, the Glendale Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday granted a request to delay a hearing on expanding the mall.
The...Tags: Lawyers, Crime, Law and Justice, Real Estate, Judges, Justice System
-
The makings of a short sale
Graphic artist Alexandra Kael bought a home on Glenmore Boulevard near the Glendale (2) Freeway in 2004 for about $675,000. Last year, she said, she lost her job and faced a bleak freelance market. She had to scrape together money to make her mortgage....Tags: Homes, Real Estate Agents, Glendale (Los Angeles, California), Burbank (Los Angeles, California), Ratings
Apr 13, 2012
|Story| Glendale News Press
Mar 20, 2012
|Story| Glendale News Press
Feb 23, 2012
|Story| Glendale News Press
Dec 24, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Jan 30, 2012
|Story| Glendale News Press
Oct 31, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Sep 1, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Jun 29, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Jul 15, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Jul 15, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Mar 1, 2011
|Story| Glendale News Press
Aug 30, 2010
|Story| Glendale News Press
Original site for Real Estate Sellers topic gallery.
