Posted by admin on June 1st, 2008
If you are a first time home seller or a first time home buyer chances are someone has given you the advice to get a realtor to help you out. The first time I bought a home, I followed this advice and found myself paying a lot of money for advice and support I actually did not need. Was my experience a case of hiring the wrong agent? I do not believe so. My case was discovering exactly what a realtor does.
A realtor is a salesperson, who has the final goal of guiding you to purchase a home. A realtor can help you find possible homes to buy because they have access to the MLS database. Some realtors will offer a service where they send you emails whenever a home you would be interested in appears in the MLS database. I thought this was a great idea when I was looking for a new home, so I actually paid my realtor a weekly fee.
Once I became a little more knowledgeable about home buying, I was shocked to discover that I could save money in my purchasing processes by gaining direct access to the MLS system. The internet has opened up home buying and selling to anyone. We no longer need to rely on a realtor to provide the information available in the MLS database. By signing up for a flat fee home buying program, I can receive the same emails the realtor was sending and I can save money as well.
Saving money is important whenever I buy a new home. The money I save can be reinvested in my home or directly applied to my mortgage. Being smart and savvy about home buying means I can do it alone and know I’ve done it right.
Posted by Manager on June 28th, 2007
When you’re buying a home, you’ve got to be prepared. That means knowing what type of a home you’re looking for, identifying how much you’ll be able to spend on a new home, getting pre-approved for a mortgage and more.
But being prepared also has other meanings. For example, you’ll want to determine whether or not you’ll be searching for a home on your own, with flat fee broker or a traditional real estate agent. And it means knowing where to look when it comes time to find the right property for you.
When you choose to buy a home with IHS Realty and their homebuyer rebate program, you can be sure that you’ll have everything that you need to buy a home. You’ll also know that you have easy access to searching for the right property for you - whether you search their listings, Realtor.com, your local online sites and more. You’ll even be able to sign up for notifications when the properties you’re interested in become available.
There’s no reason to worry about not finding the right property when you’re buying a home: having the right tools is all it takes.
Flat Fee Realty
Get the tools you need to buy a home with IHS Realty.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on June 25th, 2007
If you’ve been planning on buying a home for a while - or even if you’re just starting to realize that home ownership is something that interests you - you’ll know that it’s not always easy to find the property that you’re looking for.
This is part of the reason why some people choose to pay a high commission on their home purchase to a buyer’s agent: it ensures that they have someone looking for homes for them.
But what it you don’t want to pay a commission to a buyer’s agent? With flat fee home buying, you don’t have to. Instead, you’ll be able to look for properties that meet your needs through IHS Realty listings and website listings.
Even better, when you’re buying a home with IHS Realty, you’ll be able to know about those homes that meet your needs even without looking. How is that possible?
Simple: sign up for IHS Realty’s RSS feeds. This simple syndication feed will let you know about properties that you’ll be interested in, home listings, real estate news and more.
Flat Fee Realty
Buying a home? Find it sooner with IHS Realty.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on June 19th, 2007
You may think that buying a home is a difficult process - in part, that’s just what traditional real estate agents want you to think. The reality, however, is that buying a home is as easy or difficult as you make it.
By following these simple steps, buying a home does not need to be an ordeal - and you can save thousands by doing it yourself:
- Have a game plan. Know what you’re looking for and what you can afford.
- Choose to work with a company like IHS Realty that can help you through the process without working with a traditional buyer’s agent.
- Get pre-approved for a mortgage. It’s important to know how much you can afford to spend before falling in love with a home that you cannot afford.
- Determine which of the things that you’re looking for in a home matter the most to you.
- Negotiate the right price.
- Stay aware of what’s going on throughout the process. There are deadlines to be met, and you need to stay on top of the mortgage process so that the closing takes place on time.
- Plan ahead for the move. Remember, you’ll need to shut off utilities in your current home, set up the utility accounts for your new home, schedule movers, forward your mail and, of course, bring everything required to the closing meeting.
When you break it down, it’s easy to see that buying a home doesn’t have to be difficult - especially when you’re working with a great partner and are in control of the process.
IHS Realty
Get the right help for buying a home.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on June 8th, 2007
If you are planning on buying a home, especially if you are using a flat fee broker and doing a lot of the footwork yourself, it’s important to know what you are looking for.
First, think about what you need in a home:
- Among the first things to decide is this: are you looking for a single family home, a townhouse or a condominium?
- How many square feet of space do you need to have room for your family?
- How many bedrooms do you need to have in your home?
- Do you want a home that has an eat-in kitchen? Or would you prefer a functional kitchen and a dining room?
- Do you need a garage that offers room for more than one car and storage?
- What kind of storage space will you need? Do you want to store items in the basement or attic or do you want to be able to have those areas as living space?
- Do you have any special needs requirements like access for a family member with disabilities?
Then, start to consider those factors that you want your home to have. These include:
- The exterior color of the home,
- the flooring in your home - hardwood, carpeting or even ceramic tile,
- the style of windows,
- the type of lighting fixtures and appliances, and
- the view from your new home
The more you know about what you’re looking for in a home, the easier that it will be to find it.
IHS Realty
Find more tips that will help you when the time comes for buying a home
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on June 1st, 2007
If you are buying a home - especially if you’ve just been thinking about buying a home - it’s important to recognize all of your options.
You can go it alone - search for and find properties, schedule viewings, make an offer and get through the closing without the help of any real estate professionals.
You can hire a buyer’s agent and pay a 3% commission to your agent - who will find properties, schedule showings and basically walk you through the process every step of the way.
Or you can register for savings. With IHS Realty you can register for home buyer savings - including rebates. You’ll have access to buyer tips and tools. You will have to find properties and go to showings on your own, but you will have help with making an offer and closing on the property. Rather than paying a commission, you’ll pay a flat fee - and receive the rest of that commission back.
It’s simple really: take control of buying a home, get the help you need and save thousands.
IHS Realty
Buying a home? Register for savings.
Internet Home Services Real Estate Blog
Posted by Manager on May 14th, 2007
If you know you will be buying a home, you need to be sure that you’ve considered all of your options. Buying a home does not have to mean using a buyer’s agent - it just means finding the right partner.
When you partner with IHS Realty, you’ll find that you are able to take home buying into your own hands: you search for the properties, you attend open houses; we act as your buyer’s agent. We’ll
