Real estate notes are signed contracts that state the payee will pay a certain amount of money at a specified time. Similar to a traditional mortgage, a note can be written to satisfy certain requirements that a traditional mortgage could not. These include a balloon payment, payments whenever there is a demand for them or [...]
The Internet is an ideal place to search for real estate notes. Lots of websites offer information on real estate notes for sale. This site contains important information such as values, dates and contact numbers. Websites often provide long lists of real estate notes offered for sale. Those advertisers who will charge a small fee [...]
Expired Real Estate Listings have been the near exclusive domain of real estate agents for as long as I can remember. Top producing agents know that expireds don’t require a lot of effort to get, yet yield a high return on their time and money invested in marketing them. And all you have to do [...]
Home buyers typically sign buyer broker agreements with their real estate brokers / agents before writing a purchase agreement. The buyer broker agreements spell out precisely who represents the buyer. It’s also known as buyer representation. There are a huge variety of buyer broker agreements used throughout the United States. For simplicity, I will review the [...]
The longer I work as a real estate broker, the more I am convinced that my profession should do a better job of educating the public about agents and brokers. Few home buyers and sellers seem to really understand how real estate agents work, or how to follow protocol, who pays us and why we do [...]
Buying Points to Lower Your Interest Rate, It’s Not Always a Good Idea
Discount points are fees paid to a lender at closing in order to lower your mortgage interest rate. While buying points is sometimes a good decision, many times the purchase costs you more than it saves.
How Much Do Points Cost?
The cost of each [...]
To understand who pays real estate commissions — whether it’s sellers or buyers or both — first take a look at how real estate agents are paid and how they share cooperating commissions. Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know how commissions work because I’ve had clients who didn’t know, even though I had sold [...]
Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.
The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 [...]
Most home buyers and sellers are interested in saving money. Discount brokers offer lower prices. But with those lower prices generally come discounted services as well. Don’t expect discount brokers to spend a lot of money on advertising / marketing your home or be available at your beck and call.For some sellers, discounted services are worth [...]
Discount brokers typically charge less than full-service brokers.
Most home buyers and sellers are interested in saving money. Discount brokers offer lower prices. But with those lower prices generally come discounted services as well. Don’t expect discount brokers to spend a lot of money on advertising / marketing your home or be available at your beck [...]