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Archive for December 29, 2011

Short Sale Vs. Foreclosure: A Short Sale Always Wins

lisasheppard | December 29, 2011

Today’s ever changing real estate industry has brought upon some very challenging questions from our clients. We as counselors, want to put forth the best, non-emotional advice that we can, in hopes that we can help our clients and their fami...

Even the Naysayers Say Now Is the Time to Buy

lisasheppard | December 28, 2011

Business School professors Eli Beracha of East Carolina University and Ken H. Johnson of Florida International University have done extensive research on which makes more sense financially: to rent or own a home. They published, Lessons from Ov...

The First Question You Should Ask Your Listing Agent

lisasheppard | December 27, 2011

What is the most important thing a seller should look for when hiring a real estate agent to sell their house? We are often asked this question. Is it the size of the company they are licensed with? Is it their marketing program? Their years ex...

How Your Agent Markets Themselves, Indicates How They Will Market Your Home

lisasheppard | December 22, 2011

With the glut of available homes on the market, how your home is marketed is the biggest factor in determining how quickly it will sell (assuming the price is reasonably presented). A real estate agent’s marketing plan should be the most cruc...

Real Estate: Today’s Golden Opportunity

lisasheppard | December 20, 2011

Everyone wants to comment on the current real estate market. They want to talk about how now is not the time to buy a home. Some even argue owning a house has never been a great investment. Most say it will be a long time before real estate...

NAR’s Sales Count: Not News and Not Really Important

lisasheppard | December 19, 2011

CoreLogic Blasts NAR for Overstating Home Sales” If you looked at this headline from a recent UPI article, you would think that CoreLogic attacked the National Association of Realtors (NAR) for purposely misleading the public regarding the r...

“As A Home Seller, Why Should You Care About Involving A LENDER In The Home Selling Equation?”

lisasheppard | December 15, 2011

One thing many real estate agents have learned is the importance of having a team of professionals to facilitate a smooth transaction. Having a lending expert on the team, can make available the following services to you…all for FREE: § Th...

A Better Indicator of a Healthy Market: Liquidity

lisasheppard | December 13, 2011

What is the definition of a healthy housing market? Is it a housing market in which home prices are decreasing? Few would agree with this. Is it a market in which home prices are increasing? At first glance, many would agree with th...

Common Sense Isn’t Common Practice

lisasheppard | December 8, 2011

It used to be that there was logic applied in the world of mortgage lending. An appraiser determined the value of a home by the axiom, “what a reasonable buyer would pay a reasonable seller”. An underwriter weighed the plusses and minus...

Do Subprime Concentrations Lead to Other Foreclosures?

lisasheppard | December 7, 2011

Does the presence of a cluster of subprime mortgages in a neighborhood lead to a greater likelihood of foreclosure in that neighborhood among other non-subprime borrowers? This question must be on the minds of many. If you live in a nei...

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