Hello there on this Sultry Sunday~
HOT! I know…stating the obvious, right? It is just too hot…. I think the summer so far has been perfect, but I guess we need to have that extreme (for us) heat every once in awhile to remind us just how good it is usually. 🙂 It is at this time of year that the roads by my house get busy with people heading to the lakes….and then there are the folks who head out to the beaches. We do live in a wonderful area where we have access to so many wonderful areas to get away and/or cool down. It is also that time of the year for the Clark County Fair…and yes, we do have a Home Buyer Education Booth there again this year, and if you are there…stop by and Say Howdy! I have a lot of prizes to raffle off, and some really great donated ones as well that I am handing out to those folks who actually read this! LOL
It is really late as I type this and I am feeling a bit loopy. Chris Berg with Pinnacle is still trying to get me that pros/cons of ALL the loans, but is having a hard time shortening it up in a format that you will read and not fall asleep with. He goes over all the pros and the cons of all the programs extensively in the class, but we thought it would be great to try to put it in our weekly email as well. 🙂 So…work in progress… It did kind of leave me in a quandary though as I am not too sure what I should write about this week…I have some ideas tumbling around in my head, but nothing is really forming into anything sensible…maybe because it is so late??? Every week I do spend time writing up a new column, and while yes, sometimes the topics do repeat, the content is always newly put together. 🙂
I saw a really funny facebook post (posted on my page earlier this week) where the agent hung a “Not Haunted” rider on the For Sale sign. Of course…good to know, of course, but it makes you wonder…. When I am showing homes there are some questions I just can’t answer….is the home haunted? Um….I don’t know? Has there been a violent crime in the home or in the area? Um…I don’t know? Believe it or not, that isn’t considered a relevant fact when listing the home as it doesn’t actually affect the home. The seller is only obligated to disclose known material facts about the home on the sellers disclosure. The sellers disclosure is about 6 pages long and the seller is ‘supposed to’ disclose all known facts about the home on it. However, if anyone has teenagers you know how often ‘supposed to’ gets done. Some sellers will disclose ALL facts about the homes….even those items that have been repaired, some sellers will only disclose those items that they haven’t gotten around to fixing, and some sellers just have no idea about anything in their home. Of course, this is why we do a home inspection. It isn’t that you can’t trust the sellers, but when it comes down to it, most sellers don’t know anything about their home. This is called ‘Buyers Due Diligence’. A buyer does have some responsibility for doing some research on the home, and area, that they are wanting, or trying to, buy in. If your buyers agent knows anything about the home or area then we have to legally disclose it. However, if it isn’t considered a ‘material fact’, which is considered to be something that affects the home, then your buyers agent may not know about it either. Sellers disclosures are filled out by the sellers on all homes….however, if the seller is a bank, or it is an estate, or an investor then there won’t be any sellers disclosures, or if there is, everything will be “don’t know”. Even when you do receive a copy of the sellers disclosure though…remember to take it with a grain of salt, and hire a good inspector.
A buyer agent will help you find out as much about the home as possible. A buyers agent should be present at your home inspection, and so should you. However, whether or not the home is haunted or not, we really can’t help you with. Whether or not there has been a violent crime in the home or area is another thing that we really can’t help you with, but we CAN help you by providing some places where you can do some research. Has anyone died in the home? Again….I don’t know…, but if it is an older home, and an estate? Maybe you should leave out some milk and cookies occasionally? 🙂
What about that new building being built in the neighborhood? Your buyers agent probably doesn’t know what it is, and we shouldn’t guess. That is something that a buyer will want to do some research on. Is that garage conversion permitted? Call the city/county. Your buyers agent will help you find the information, but when it comes down to it, because of past legal problems, we are now limited on the extent that we can delve into everything….but we can help you get there still. It is weird, but there it is. There is a lot your buyers agent will do for you, and we will do all that we can to make sure that you are getting the best customer service possible. Your buyers agent should help you to make sure that you are performing your buyers due diligence to make sure that you won’t get any unexpected surprises later. I am a huge fan of talking with neighbors….neighbors are a great source of information on a home. 🙂
So…buyers due diligence….talk to neighbors, walk around the home, and neighborhood and write down a list of questions. Ask your inspector about these questions to check out. Ask your buyers agent to help you find out some answers to these questions, or if they can’t find the answers, help you find some places where you can do some research or ask questions. Your buyers agent is here to help you! Make sure you know what your are getting into….and any questions? ASK! …and keep asking until you get answers! As always, if you have any questions, please call or email me…I am always here to help. 🙂 I look forward to helping you on your home buying adventure…and assisting you to get those keys. 😀
If you know anyone who is thinking about buying a home, our next class is Saturday, August 11, 2012, at the Vancouver YMCA located at 11324 NE 51st Circle from 9am–12pm With reservations, lunch is included…. 🙂 Don’t forget to stop by and see us at the Clark County Fair 8/3 – 8/12…. we have prizes to give away… 😀
Please call, email, text, or even facebook me (at Tracie DeMars Real Estate Q&A) anytime with any questions, or if there is anything I can do to assist you with your home buying adventure! As your buyers agent, I am, as always, here to help!! 😀
Thank you again for your business and for your referrals!
…as always…if you have already purchased a home, or no longer would like to receive these emails from me, please let me know and I will be happy to remove you from receiving any more.
Thank you again for attending the home buyer education classes, and I hope that you will continue to refer the classes out to your friends, family, and co-workers. Upcoming class dates and times are located at www.freehomebuyerclasses.com. Just click on the link on the left hand side. Or you can go to www.learningtobuyahome.com and click the links.
We appreciate your referrals and word of mouth! Also, if you have somewhere that we can place the flyers at, please let me know….
:-D
Next Week: Home Loans Pros/Cons (he has been busy with pre-approvals, but is working on it. Please call and/or email and I can give you what I currently have)
Last Week: Pre-approvals…the ins and outs of one…
Remember that you can always go to ‘Free Home Buyer Education’ on Facebook for all of my weeklyblogs and upcoming class dates/times/locations. I post the weekly blogs on there as well.
Have a great day, and I will talk to you soon,
;-D
