5 Reasons Why You Need A Real Estate Agent as a Buyer or Seller

5 Reasons Why You Need A Real Estate Agent as a Buyer or Seller

By Emilio DiSpirito, Realtor / Top Real Estate Agent / Radio Show Host / National Speaker

Make no mistake we have more information than ever that we can access as consumers. Car shopping will never be the same when you can see what other people are paying in the area for the same car (ehhhemm.. actually, I have qualms about this.. because the average person would not negotiate as I would.. so these apps don't mean anything to me). Resources go above and beyond written information and include videos, podcasts, blogs, emails, etc. that offer incites on nearly anything your heart desires. 

So, with all of this information, why do you absolutely need a real estate agent when buying or selling?

1.) Understanding the data: How can we be sure whatever we are looking at on Google, Bing or Yahoo is accurate information? Full time real estate agents understand the data, have the most reliable sources and save you the hassle of depicting it!

2.) Saving You Time: Selling and buying real estate by no means is rocket science.. well most of the time. However it is very involved and more time is needed than you think. We estimate between 60 and 90 hours go into each transaction, and that is with well seasoned agents. Consumers whom hire Realtors are needed for about 10 hours of the entire process when buying and roughly 15 to 20 hours in total when selling. Your real estate agent will save you between 1 to 1.5 work weeks.

3.) Winning Negotiations: Negotiations are nothing less than an art and expertise. This may single handily be the most beneficial reason why hiring a full time top real estate agent will benefit your bottom dollar when buying or selling. Keep in mind, expert negotiators have ended labor union strikes, halted wars & negotiated peace among people throughout history. According to a study done by National Association of Realtors, For Sale By Owners net 85% of what they would of had they used a Realtor. When buying, there is much more than price that you will need to negotiate, its inspections, appraisal in some cases, mortgage contingency dates, closing times, etc. Hire a professional to save and make you money when listing or buying real estate. 

4.) Extended Team That Can Save You Big: Real Estate Agents many of the times have extended teams of professionals that can save you a ton of money and can provide powerful protection. Examples of these professionals are real estate attorneys, mortgage brokers, home inspectors, accountants, financial planners, contractors, etc. Working with a team of professionals who refer all of their clients to a trusted "extended team" of real estate pros is like the Groupon of the industry! You immediately get the best value for the generally the overall lowest end cost.

5.) Somewhere to Turn When You Need Guidance: Real estate is a life long investment and you will need guidance many times throughout your experience in dealing with real estate. Having a trusted partner that can provide you with vital information and referrals is crucial when owning property. The best real estate agents do not expect to assist you in buying or selling every time the phone rings, and while we do appreciate referrals of your co-workers, friends and family, we do also appreciate clients who are looking for assistance in finding the right contractor or the best financial planner, best place to get a burger in town, etc.

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5 Areas Buyers Focus Their Attention When Home Hunting - A Cheat Sheet For Sellers

5 Places Buyers Focus Their Attention When Home Hunting - A Cheat Sheet For Sellers 

By Emilio DiSpirito, Realtor/Team Leader of The DiSpirito Team with HomeSmart Professionals RI License S35582 Cell Phone 401-359-2338 email emilio@mydreamhomenow.com 501 Centerville Rd Warwick RI 02886

WATCH THE VIDEO BLOG FEATURED ON IHEARTRADIO & REAL ESTATE RADIO NETWORK HERE! 

For the full list of 11 Items Buyers Focus Their Attention When Home Hunting - The Surefire Guide To Maximize your Net Profits As a Seller, TEXT "List to Sell" to 401-359-2338. If you prefer to call, give me a call! And I'll send you my tried and true guide that helps in my 3 part system allow my clients to sell their home in half the time on market and for 4% higher than the average home listed in Rhode Island! 

GET THE FULL LIST OF 11 PLACES BUYERS FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION - A SUREFIRE CHEAT SHEET FOR SELLERS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR NET PROFITS WHEN SELLING!

Everyone knows the real estate market is great right now for buyers and sellers alike. Mortgage rates are still surprisingly low despite the majority of real estate professionals imagined they would of increased by now. Home inventory remains around 40%to 60% lower than normal ranges in nearly all Rhode Island communities... Now mix that with low mortgage rates you have a perfect recipe for increased home values! 

With that said, tons of home owners are getting their properties ready to list to beat the spring market to hopefully take advantage of the market with such a historic lack of competition and large sums of ready and able buyers willing to pull the trigger! Equity positions in most cases are yielding high returns for those upgrading, downsizing or relocating. 

I've created this short list of 5 Places Buyers Focus Their Attention When Home Hunting to give Sellers an Unfair Advantage Over Competing Homes on the Market. The list is actually 11 items long but because of time restraints on air we had to cut it down. To get the full list of 11 items please text me "LIST to SELL" at 401-359-2338 for a FREE guide on how to prepare your home for market and how to have an unfair advantage that my seller clients use to sell their home in half the time and 4% higher than the average home on the market in Rhode Island. 

1.) The Drive Into Work: Not much you can do about someone's work location, however if your home is located within 10 minutes of the highway in Rhode Island, you are already in a good position. I ask every buyer that comes into my teams listings where they work to gauge how likely they are to purchase that specific home. The average Rhode Islander does not want to drive more than 20 minutes to and from work. 

2.) First Impressions - AKA Curb Appeal: Most buyers want a low maintenance and welcoming exterior. In the winter months you can't really do much landscaping, however pay close attention to old cob webs at or around the door, replace that broken window or cracked piece of siding, chipping paint or shutter that is hanging off the house. Make sure all outdoor lighting is working and walkways are well lite and cleared of snow while being treated with ice melt to provide an easy entry. 

3.) Spatial Organization: Today's buyers are looking for open spaced floor plans. Even modern offices take the approach of open spaced seating without cubical walls. People today like space with ease of synergism, a place where they can share conversation and moments now more than ever!! Buyers want that kitchen where they can prep and cook a meal while watching their children or guests in the living areas allowing easy conversation and the ability to entertain! So what do you do if your floor plan is chopped up and closed off? 

            A.) You make the space as neutral as possible.. Kind of a blank canvas. 

            B.) You hire a Space Planner like Kendra Chatterley with RISE Interiors to draw up potential                      floor plans incorporating the amenities. 

            C.) You have a contractor come into property and quote you on cost of renovation. Supply                         these numbers to buyers. 

            D.) Your agent understands and knows of financing that will allow buyers an extended              amount                    of money to make these adjustments. 

            E.) You price your home accordingly to the cost of work that buyers will need to do to update                   property. You will need an experienced real estate agent to make this estimate for you. 

4.) Number of Bathrooms: Buyers are looking mainly for homes with 1+ bath. Often the largest setback on even the most beautiful homes packed with a ton of amenities is having only 1 bathroom. People like their space separate and love to have a guest bath or bathroom for their children. You can in many cases add a half bath for $5000 or price the home properly. Do not use homes with 1+ bath as 'comparables' if your home in fact only has 1. That creepy bathroom in the basement that is half finished and not recorded with the town does not count! 

5.) Updated Structure: Energy efficient design is key. Even if your home was built in 1950 your home can be pretty energy efficient. Having Replacement windows, proper installation and a newer roof helps with the overall desirability of your home. 

For the full list of 11 Items Buyers Focus Their Attention When Home Hunting - The Surefire Guide To Maximize your Net Profits As a Seller, TEXT "List to Sell" to 401-359-2338. If you prefer to call, give me a call! And I'll send you my tried and true guide that helps in my 3 part system allow my clients to sell their home in half the time on market and for 4% higher than the average home listed in Rhode Island! 

Will Increased Housing Prices Bring More Renters To The Market?

Will Increased Housing Prices Force More Renters To The Market?

By Emilio DiSpirito Realor/iHeartradio Show Host "The Round Table Real Estate Simplified"

www.EmilioDiSpirito.com 401-359-2338 Email Emilio DiSpirito Here

January 2016

Housing Markets like San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, New York City & Boston to name a few on a long list are right around where they were in 05', 06' & 07'... our last real estate market peak. With that said, the rest of the country should follow suit so long the US is not effected by international events like China's current housing and stock market crisis.

WATCH THE VIDEO BLOG HERE!! FIND OUT IF INCREASED REAL ESTATE VALUES FORCE MORE RENTERS TO THE MARKET!

Emilio DiSpirito Top Realtor in Rhode Island & Top Mortgage Professional Matthew Bates Discuss Major Real Estate Trends & Topics. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

We've had 4 straight years of overall residential real estate price gains in the United States and specifically Rhode Island. The National Association of Realtors anticipates prices to gain 8%+ in 2016 over 2015 Nationwide. Recent & Current homeowners will enjoy a fine equity position while the ones who were underwater should be able to break even and sell without taking a loss or having to do a short sale, deed in lieu or foreclosure. Basically if your home was worth $300,000 in 2015 you might be looking at $324,000 in 2016. Call me at 401-359-2338 or click here for an accurate fair market value for your property. 

(Congress EXTENDED a provision that helps home owners short sale!)

Unlike the mid 2000's when we were on our way to the recession because of fraudulent activity with the banks lending out monies with no income verification to many folks who they know could not pay back the note, this market is supported by American's income and low interest rates. In fact the 40 year average rate is just around 8.5%... Anything under 8.5% is a very good rate to purchase a home!! We are currently for the most part around 4% and should remain under 6% throughout 2016. 

The job market has gained over 300,000 new jobs in December 2015 alone and our economy aside from the stock markets and oil prices taking a huge dive.. (which yes these may effect us and could cause us to reach this market apogee - We will discuss this later in the show) the overall housing market seems to be in check for the time being. 

Home prices are growing at a higher than expected rate because of lack of inventory involving new construction and existing homes listing for sale on the market. This is making it the most opportune time since 2007 to sell a home because due to low and sometimes no competition in neighborhoods, home sellers are getting a premium for their properties. Check out www.TrustTheDove,SmartHomePrice.com for your properties current market value. 

With increased home pricing and value will come higher rents. It's basic really, if you buy a property at a higher cost, you are going to hand that cost off to your tenants while maintaining a healthy profit margin. It's practical business sense really. 

(So WHY are 83% of Renters Who WANT to Own NOT Buying?)

Now lets mix the increased housing cost with an all time low for vacancies and no such thing as having to charge a "fair market rent" and you also get increased rents.. You may ask.. What is causing low vacancies? Millenials are starting to leave their parents homes and are becoming a healthy and vital part of our work force and economy, folks who were foreclosed on who are still unable to buy, lack of new construction being built, low inventory for existing home sales and empty nesters looking to downsize and rent have all come to the rental market in need of housing. Supply and demand has increased on rental units and will continue to, thus making it more affordable to purchase a new home, thus driving the number of first time or returning home buyers increasing the number of properties sold and home increase prices in 2016!!!

See how that all ties in!?

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Ok Lets Sum up!

"Will Higher Home Prices Bring More Renters To Buy?"

The answer is YES RENTS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AND MORE RENTERS WILL COME TO THE MARKET TO BUY! & Here is why!

• Landlords paying more for properties will pass higher costs on to renters causing a shift in market rent pricing
• Landlords will also pad their profit margin to maintain a healthy position
• Lack of rental inventory and all time vacancy lows due to the number of people in need of rentals are increasing the cost of rent.. who are these people?
• Millennials are leaving parents homes and becoming a vital part of the work force
• Buyers who lost their home to foreclosure in the bust of 2008 and later - (By the way if this is you or someone you may know.. You might be able to buy.. Lets discuss!)
• Lack of New Construction for current buyers. Lack of existing homes on the market.
• & Empty nesters looking to downsize and get out of home ownership
• According to RentJungle.com the Average 2 bed rent in 2009 was $953 and as of Oct 2015 it was $1309!! That's a $356 increase aka 27.2% increase!! Where will that 2 bed apartment be at the end of 2016? $1400 per month? Why not own a 3 bed 1.5 bath for $1400 a month in a nice neighborhood?! 

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Consult a Top Producing Realtor in RI who will walk you through the home buying process 401-359-2338