Article by Ki Gray

Real estate agents are great sources of information and assistance in the housing industry. Their purpose is to serve the real estate market with integrity. Under contract they have fiduciary responsibilities to their clients. Before enlisting the assistance of a real estate agent, there are 10 things to keep in mind.

1. Before a real estate agent can successfully sell your home, you need to have it in tip top shape. All colors inside and outside of the home should be in neutral colors, including wallpaper, painted walls, and the exterior. If you are a smoker or own a pet, find a way to make the home odor-free. The best option would be to smoke outside only and buy an air cleaner. Clean spotlessly and free the home of all clutter. Nothing turns a potential buyer away more quickly than dirt, clutter or odor.

2. Not all real estate agents are created equal. There is a lot of competition in the market and some real estate agents work harder than others. When you are ready to put your home up for sale, you want an agent that will work hard for you. Your best bet is to use one referred to you by someone you know.

3. The seller pays the real estate sales commission, not the buyer. There is very little exception to this rule.

4. Your real estate agent is not responsible for ensuring that your inspections are carried out appropriately. When you find your dream home and your offer is accepted by the buyer, inspections will ensure. Your real estate agent may be in attendance at your inspections, but your agent is not responsible for following around the inspector and ensuring that everything is noted.

5. If you want to live in an adult community, within a specific religious area, particular ethnic demographic, a low crime neighborhood or one that services a particular school, your real estate agent cannot help you find those areas. It is against the law according to the Fair Housing Act.

6. Until you sign a Seller’s or Buyer’s Agent Agreement, your real estate agent is not bound by law to keep anything you tell the agent private between the two of you. Once you sign, your agent is legally bound by user disclosure. It explains the legal responsibilities of the type of agent applicable to your situation.

7. Once you sign a Buyer’s Agent Agreement, only your agent should be showing you homes in which you are interested. In fact, you should only contact your agent when you find a home in which you are interested. Your agent is your point-of-contact when you have questions.

8. There are advantages and disadvantages to signing a Buyer’s Agent Agreement for more than 60 days. The advantages are that you know your agent by now and you won’t be starting on square one, redoing work already done. The disadvantages are that you and your current agent may not see eye-to-eye on the sale strategy and a different agent may work better for you.

9. Your home may not be priced at the amount you feel it is worth, and the projected price of your home may not cover what you currently owe on your house. You may have to concede on what you think your home is worth based on the agent’s best estimate of your home’s value. If it is less than you owe and you need to sell, you may want to consider a short sale.

10. Understand that when you finally enlist the assistance of an agent, if the situation becomes unmanageable, you can legally fire your agent. You’re only legally obligated to an agent if that agent fulfills his legal and contractual obligation to you. If at any time an agent violates your confidence, continually does nothing to promote your home or in any other way violates your agreement, then you can legally fire him. It is best, however, if you and your agent can jointly agree to dissolve the contract.

Selling or buying a home is a huge undertaking and you shouldn’t go into it blindly. Understand your rights and responsibilities, and your transaction will go more smoothly and be less stressful for you and your family members.

About the Author

Ki is a real estate broker in the Austin real estate market. His site provides a free search for homes in the Austin MLS along with news and statistics on Austin real estate. It also provides a real estate blog with updated news and commentary.

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Article by JosephSmithJr

If you are renting, these times of continued real estate foreclosures should be enough to goad you to know your rights before you experience eviction due to your landlord’s foreclosure.You do not have to wait for your landlord to tell you the property you are renting has been foreclosed and you have to move out immediately. A lot of distressed landlords do not notify their tenants properly in case of foreclosure for fear of having their properties vacated before the actual foreclosure is implemented.Many of these troubled landlords also no longer have the money to pay back security deposits.There is one legal way for you to know in advance if your landlord is being foreclosed upon. You can request your county to notify you in case the property you are renting gets foreclosed.While the procedure of requesting for notification varies from state to state, the steps are generally the same. To get this notification, you are typically required to file a request with your county recorder. You need information on the property such as name of trustor, name of beneficiary and document number, which you can get from the recorded deed of trust. You can obtain a duplicate of the recorded deed of trust from a title company.After having the form notarized and after paying the filing fee, the county recorder then accepts your request and notifies you if the unit you are renting gets a foreclosure filing.In California, real estate foreclosures take about three to four months to complete. With the notification, you will have enough time to prepare and will have reason to use your security deposit as your rent payment.Under the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which took effect in 2009, you can stay in your unit for at least three months more if you pay your rent from month-to-month.If you have a long-term lease, you can choose to file a complaint in a small claims court so you can recoup your deposit and claim compensation that you can use to move. You can also negotiate with the foreclosing lender for cash assistance.If you made a large deposit and your landlord refuses to return it or no longer has the capacity to return it, it is best if you ask help from a lawyer. There could be laws that apply to your situation and enable you to recoup your money. State and federal legislators have already passed laws that protect renters from being abused in case of real estate foreclosures.

About the Author

Joseph B. Smith has been educating buyers on the finer points of Real Estate Foreclosures at BankForeclosuresSale.com for over five years. Contact Joseph B. Smith through BankForeclosuresSale.com if you need help finding information about Real Estate Foreclosures.

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Article by Kristen Edwards

So you have decided to buy your own home in Scottsdale real estate; the next thing you should do is hire a real estate agent to help you as you may not know much about the home buying process. A good agent will represent you and will always prioritize your best interests in every action he/she does during the transaction.

Before you hire an agent, it’s wise to discuss with him during the first interview about how he will be compensated as real estate agents can be paid in different ways. Some of them are paid by the buyer for a certain amount they have agreed upon; others make money through commissions based on the property’s price. You should prepare a written agreement in which the terms and conditions are stated and have it signed by the both of you prior to the start of the home buying process. This contract has to include the responsibilities of the agent, as well as yours, during the whole transaction.

Purchasing a new house involves a lot of complex steps and can be very difficult as there are a lot of factors that you need to take into consideration. There are buyers who do this without any assistance from real estate agent. However, not all of them did it successfully since it is quite complicated. That’s why it is very important to hire a qualified agent to help you.

The following are the duties of a real estate agent that you need to know:

- A real estate agent will evaluate your needs, as well as your wants when it comes to houses and then will look for available homes put up for sale that meet your specifications.

- A real estate agent will help you determine the amount of money you can pay for a house and will show you homes within the range you can afford to buy.

- A real estate agent will assist you in looking at houses; he may accompany you in showings or go there on behalf of you to check if the homes meet your needs and wants.

- A real estate agent will check the house you have chosen among the Scottsdale homes for sale and see if it needs any repairs and if there are problems that must be fixed. This can help you decide if you really want to buy the property before giving a purchase offer.

- A real estate agent will aid you in preparing a clear purchase offer to give to the seller.

- A real estate agent will present your purchase offer to the seller and will negotiate to be able to successfully buy the house you want.

- A real estate agent will explain to you all the details about the purchase, especially its legal aspect, which can be complicated for most buyers.

- A real estate agent will give you recommendations and assistance in getting finances for the house you want to purchase.

- A real estate agent will help you all throughout the process of home buying.

Being aware of the duties of a real estate agent will help you understand how important it is to hire one if you are planning on buying a new home.

About the Author

Kristen Edwards writes articles about real estate and investment and is passionate about personal finance topics. Check out interesting Scottsdale homes for sale as well as a comprehensive list of Scottsdale real estate.

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Article by Kristen Edwards

So you have decided to buy your own home in Scottsdale real estate; the next thing you should do is hire a real estate agent to help you as you may not know much about the home buying process. A good agent will represent you and will always prioritize your best interests in every action he/she does during the transaction.

Before you hire an agent, it’s wise to discuss with him during the first interview about how he will be compensated as real estate agents can be paid in different ways. Some of them are paid by the buyer for a certain amount they have agreed upon; others make money through commissions based on the property’s price. You should prepare a written agreement in which the terms and conditions are stated and have it signed by the both of you prior to the start of the home buying process. This contract has to include the responsibilities of the agent, as well as yours, during the whole transaction.

Purchasing a new house involves a lot of complex steps and can be very difficult as there are a lot of factors that you need to take into consideration. There are buyers who do this without any assistance from real estate agent. However, not all of them did it successfully since it is quite complicated. That’s why it is very important to hire a qualified agent to help you.

The following are the duties of a real estate agent that you need to know:

- A real estate agent will evaluate your needs, as well as your wants when it comes to houses and then will look for available homes put up for sale that meet your specifications.

- A real estate agent will help you determine the amount of money you can pay for a house and will show you homes within the range you can afford to buy.

- A real estate agent will assist you in looking at houses; he may accompany you in showings or go there on behalf of you to check if the homes meet your needs and wants.

- A real estate agent will check the house you have chosen among the Scottsdale homes for sale and see if it needs any repairs and if there are problems that must be fixed. This can help you decide if you really want to buy the property before giving a purchase offer.

- A real estate agent will aid you in preparing a clear purchase offer to give to the seller.

- A real estate agent will present your purchase offer to the seller and will negotiate to be able to successfully buy the house you want.

- A real estate agent will explain to you all the details about the purchase, especially its legal aspect, which can be complicated for most buyers.

- A real estate agent will give you recommendations and assistance in getting finances for the house you want to purchase.

- A real estate agent will help you all throughout the process of home buying.

Being aware of the duties of a real estate agent will help you understand how important it is to hire one if you are planning on buying a new home.

About the Author

Kristen Edwards writes articles about real estate and investment and is passionate about personal finance topics. Check out interesting Scottsdale homes for sale as well as a comprehensive list of Scottsdale real estate.