Homeowners who choose to go the “green” route with their homes are starting to reap the benefits. Where green building was once a seldom heard term, it is now common place for homeowners to use these techniques to improve their home’s efficiency. If you are thinking of adding green technology to your home, make sure to check into the many tax credits that are available to both home owners and buyers. The two main green building tax credits...

Real estate is not a dangerous profession, but when you’re constantly asked to come in contact with perfect strangers or enter locations without any prior knowledge of the area, you have to keep your guard up…especially when working with foreclosed or vacant homes. September is Realtor® Safety Month, and I thought I’d gather some safety tips that I’ve found on sites such as Realtor.org, Inman News, and Rismedia. Meeting with a new client for...

It goes without saying that you and your real estate agent want to attract serious home buyers, but your marketing may instead be attracting Lookie-Loos. Serious buyers want to find a home. They have criteria, a price, and a moving date. They’re usually represented by a REALTOR®. They’ve eliminated homes on the Internet and have your home on the short list. They’ve been pre-qualified by a lender, and are ready to make an offer on the right...

“We start out wanting to do good and wind up wanting to do well” – Michael Josephson. Real estate is a complex business at its best. Meeting and cultivating prospective clients takes time, creativity, patience and stamina. Showing properties to prospective buyers or attracting prospective buyers to listed properties takes research, persistence and a LOT of energy. Overcoming objections to making an offer or negotiating an offer could try the...

Most agents and homebuyers are not aware that the IRS is often one of the major delays to be able to meet the closing date on time. You may be asking, “How does the IRS delay the mortgage process?” Well, every mortgage lender in the U.S. today must obtain the IRS transcripts for the homebuyer’s last 2 years of filed federal tax returns. These transcripts are provided by the IRS once the mortgage lender sends in the signed 4506-T form that...