Immobilienmakler Scout

If you are looking for a house for sale in Christchurch, NZ there are several factors to consider. We’ve got some top tips for purchasing property in Canterbury, NZ.

1. Even though it’s a relatively small city, population wise, Christchurch is full of open suburbs with plenty of space and diversity that meets the needs of a range of purchasers. You can select anything from a beach front property, to one in the Port Hills, a central city pad, or a large house in the suburbs. Each suburb of Christchurch has a different feel, and it’s important to find a part of it that fits you and your personality as well as your housing needs.

2. Consider your garden needs. One thing Canterbury residents love is their gardens. Some newer areas have covenants so that gardens are kept to a specific standard. It’s important to find a place that matches the exterior maintenance of your lifestyle. Cottage gardens can look gorgeous, but may take some dedication, whereas native grasses and shrubs can look clean and clear and be low maintenance. It all depends on your lifestyle.

3. Schooling requirements are also an important factor. Many of the popular schools have zoning requirements and moving into a particular area can ensure your child/children have a better change of access to that school, but this often means you pay more of a premium. For parents of children who will attend a private school this may not be so much of an issue. The school culture is considered an important part of family life in Canterbury. Selecting a school in some of the outer suburbs often means your child can go to a smaller school, with a lovely family atmosphere.

4. Sporting and outdoor pursuits are another factor. Most sports are within an easy driving distance, but being situated near a golf course, a surf beach, or near biking tracks can be of benefit for the extra keen sports lover.

If you want a home that’s got all of the benefits of city living, with an outdoors lifestyle at your door, then buying a home in the Lyttleton Harbour and Bay areas can be a good option. The properties in these areas offer an easy commute to the central city if necessary, or you can work closer to home.

As you start looking for houses for sale in Christchurch, NZ, be sure to consider these above buying tips as part of your house buying process.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Min Sarginson

It is possible to sell your home even in today’s market. The big question you must first ask though is whether you want to be „on“ the market or „in“ the market.

Lets take a look…

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the value of a home. Even so, the reality is the seller only has control over two of those factors… Price and Condition. A seller can’t control the taxes, the seller can’t control the rating of the local school, the seller can’t control the lot size etc. On the other hand, the seller does have control over the price of the home as well as the condition of the home.

As I heard it spelled out one time during a real estate webinar, there are essentially three places you can be when selling your home…

1. On the market

2. No Man’s Land

3. In the market

If you are „on the market“ you are listed, but not getting any showings or offers. Therefore, you will need to adjust either your price or the condition of the home…or both.

If you are getting showings, but still are not getting any offers then you have entered what is called No Man’s Land. To get out of No Man’s Land and actually start to get offers you will have to once again adjust either the price of your home or the condition of your home…or both.

Where you really want to be is IN the market. You know you are IN the market when you are getting both showings and offers.

So, the trick is to adjust your Price and Condition to position yourself IN the market. However, for most people, the reality is it is much easier to adjust the price of the home than it is to adjust the condition of the home.

Now if you really want to sell your home fast, the best approach is to under-price it 10% below comparative market value.

This approach often times leads to multiple offers and therefore bidding wars which actually drive the price of your home back up. You see once someone has mentally committed to buying a home and has already pictured himself living there, he is much more likely to come up in price when he finds out someone else wants to buy his dream home.

Again, if you want to sell your home you must be IN the market. The price of the home and the condition of the home are the only two factors a seller has control over to position the house IN the market. To sell your home fast we suggest doing only minor upgrades while focusing more on under-pricing your home to generate more showings and more offers and quite possibly a bidding war.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Adam Waxler

Most people don’t realize it but curb appeal is so important when selling a home. Think about it, are you more inclined to buy a run-down beat up old house that you have to put tons of time and effort in to getting it running again? Wouldn’t you rather buy a beautiful home you were excited about and could already see yourself living in?

Generally speaking it is a good idea to have a polished house ready for showing. If you have to paint it, do so. People are more attracted to buying newer things that are already in good condition to eliminate the work for them. This relates to many different areas of the house, but the exterior of the house is most important because it is the first impression your potential buyers are going to have of the property.

Also it is a good idea to have your lawn mowed and your landscape finished. This is going to create more appeal because it will bring your property to life and make it look more put together. You will be able to give them imagery of what it will be like. This creates opportunity for conversation to get to know the potential buyers and have them get to know you.

It is important to have a well maintained driveway because that is one of the things that frames your house. Your house can look years younger if your driveway is in good shape. It is also one of the first things they see when they arrive at their showing. Anyone appreciates a new waxed walk way or pressure washed driveway.

Driving up to a house even if it isn’t the best house in the world will profit majorly just from the condition it is in and showing the potential buyers it is worthy of their residency.

All of these things are going to help your house sell for more money than it would without curb appeal. The better it looks, the more eye-catching it is going to be. The more eye-catching it is, the more people are going to be attracted to it. The more attracted to it people are, the more interest there will be for people to buy it. And the more interest there is, the faster it will sell.

Curb appeal is majorly important in selling a home not only to show that the house is worthy of being kept in good condition, but also to be selling something that has quality and can hold value.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Mark Middleton

Buying and owning a real estate asset is one thing and selling the property is entirely a different one. Owners of real estates find it tedious, exhilarating and frustrating to sell their assets most of the time. That is because there are just too many factors to consider and so many tasks to accomplish before the transaction can be pursued and executed. Thus, most property owners find it necessary to hire a real estate agent or broker when considering or trying to divest their properties.

A real estate agent is really helpful when selling properties. That is because such professionals are equipped with the right knowledge and are instilled with the appropriate attitude when selling assets. Such people also have the right connections and the effective network to make the activity work. The popular and logical setback is that real estate agents of course collect commissions, sometimes really high depending on the type of real estate being sold.

Did you know that you can actually do without a real estate agent? You may be surprised that selling a property is not as hard as you think without the assistance, help and intermediation of such professionals. You can sell your real estate well and effectively if you would consider and observe several specific measures.

First, it would be helpful if you would use the Internet strategically for your purpose. Almost all buyers, traders and investors are regularly logging online. To reach and tap potential business links or buyers of your property, setup and boost your online presence. For one, you could advertise your sale to Craigslist, which is the modern online equivalent of the old days‘ classified ads. Many real estate owners and sellers attest that posting on the Craigslist really helps.

How about putting up your own Website, or blog, for your property sale purpose? Do not fret and make your lack of too much technical knowledge about Internet as an excuse for a decision not to sell your real estate online. Nowadays, Websites like Web.com and Freewebs.com are working best to help users and beginners get on, develop, own and operate their own Websites. You can create your own site to serve as a venue for your sales talk.

If you have colleagues who have connections or networks within the business community, you could ask recommendations and assistance from them. Many times, you can always rely on true and reliable friends and colleagues especially during such a situation when networks and connection with other people is very crucial and important.

Real estate is an investment. Owners buy, own and keep land properties for the purpose of building resources for future uses. As experts assert, real estate industry could never ever fall down. Prices and profitability may arise, but a good property manager will surely help anyone get on and move freely while at the same time operating costs are not in any way extended or prolonged. Strive to sell directly if you so not want commissions.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Julia Vakulenko

Today, more and more people are looking to fix up their current home rather than spending the money buying a new, upgraded home. A small investment to redo a garage, enclosed patio or basement with Epoxy Floor Coating, for example, will not only make homeowners feel good about staying in their home, but improve the odds of selling the home quickly if/when they choose to put it on the market. Purchasing a home most likely means entering into a large mortgage loan and of course, before buying a new home, individuals need to sell their existing home first. During hard economic times, this can prove to be a very difficult task. The truth is that there are numerous advantages associated with fixing up a current home.

First of all, rates for home equity loans tend to be very low. Although purchasing a new home can be good when the home mortgage rates are low, rates for home equity loans are much lower. If an individual takes out an equity loan to fix their home up, it can be done at a rate of 4.5 percent or much lower. Home equity loans are extremely tempting and often times a less expensive alternative.

Keep in mind that purchasing a new home involves a lot of additional expenses. These expenses not only include all realtor fees, but title fees, and loan origination fees. If an individual opts to instead remodel their current home, it is a lot less expensive. Getting a brand new home loan may cost several thousand dollars not including the realtor fees, such as selling off the existing home. As well, do not forget fees to pay for a moving company, moving boxes and other moving-related expenses. However, imagine what can be done with a few thousand dollars and the kitchen, bathroom or adding on a brand new room? In the kitchen, it would be easy to put in new cabinets, new floor tiling, new light and sink fixtures, and brand new appliances. It is not expensive to add Epoxy Floor Coating in any room. In a majority of cases a lot can be done to fix up a home and in the end, individuals can get the kind of kitchen, for example, they were looking for in a new home without having to actually go out and purchase a new home.

Qualifying for a home mortgage loan can be very tiring and daunting. This holds especially true in tough economic times because home loan companies tend to be much more wary when it comes to loaning people money. Therefore, they have increased restrictions and any one small thing could prevent an individual from getting a home loan. Home equity loans are a lot easier to get because even in tough economic conditions, the lenders are not as wary.

A huge benefit is that when it comes to fixing up a home, individuals can prioritize the projects and do them one at a time when there is the budget to do so. So if for some reason, for example, the homeowner loses their job, they are not stuck with a high monthly mortgage payment. Repairs and remodeling jobs can be put off until there is income available (if the person does not want to take out a home equity loan). As well, a lot of remodeling tools, such as Epoxy Floor Coating, are not very expensive. Even though this may not be as satisfying as purchasing a new home, often times it is less burdensome and stressful.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Clark D. Hunter

This month I want to share a success from a friend and customer of mine. You’ll find in this story two important sales tactics for beating your competition.

From Chris Chalmers of Quova Inc:

„We sell a commodity product (geographic data) that is available from a variety of competitors and public sources. Recently, we lost a major account to a competitor, and based on our long-standing relationship with them, they consented to debrief us on what went wrong. Obviously we had an account management issue, and there had been a service problem or two. But the clincher was our competitor was perceived as „more helpful“ and „more expert“ because they were offering all sorts of unsolicited suggestions about how to use the product.

„That was a real surprise – Shouldn’t the customer already know what they were going to do with the product? Otherwise they wouldn’t have bought it, right? How much advice can you give when your product is a simple commodity?

„So we tried our competitor’s approach in our next sales cycle. When the customer was talking about their perceived needs and uses of the product, we used to sit mildly and take notes. This time, we launched into a barrage of questions about the intended use our product, interspersed with short stories about how other customers were using it.

„What about this application? Have you ever considered this alternative? Here’s how someone else in your situation is using it..“ and so on. Instead of going into detail about the functionality of our application, which was simple and undifferentiated, we went into detail about the usage of our product, which was highly differentiated.

„Much to my surprise, it worked! Now WE were perceived as ‚experts‘ and ‚adding value‘ to the product – even though it was still a commodity that our competitor was selling for a lower price. Our coach really wanted to do business with us, and we were able to defend a higher price point and get our deal closed.“

Thanks for sharing your story with my readers and me Chris. You and your sales team were smart to adopt your competition’s tactics to beat them at their own game.

Sales Tactic – Asking questions

Aggressively asking questions is one of the most effective sales techniques you can use. Asking question uncovers the prospect’s pains, wants and desires.

In Chris’s words:

„we launched into a barrage of questions about the intended use our product“

…instead of sitting mildly and taking notes while the prospect spoke about their needs.

Most salespeople don’t go far enough with their questioning. Its not just about open versus closed questions. You need to take it further. Find out how they want to use your product in detail. Find out what excites them. Find out what they are afraid of. Find out the one or two important things that are driving them to make a purchase.

Asking questions offers the potential to increase rapport and build stronger bonds faster with your prospects. When you ask a person what is important to them, they feel more known and understood by you as they answer. This increases their receptivity giving you more opportunities to communicate in a way most effective for your prospect.

Sales Tactic – Telling Stories

Story telling offers the power to transform your product from a nebulous idea into real vision for your prospects. Features certainly have little selling power. Benefits give you a bit more selling power than features do. It is story telling though that packs the big punch because it wraps the what, why, and how of your product all together into an entertaining package that holds their attention.

Stories don’t have to be long. Very effective sales stories need only be a sentence or two. In Chris’s case, the stories were short:

„interspersed with short stories about how other customers were using it“

…because his sales team wanted to stay on their agenda of asking questions and finding all about the prospect’s proposed use of their product. This was a very smart move because when you tell longer stories, you risk losing control of the sales call if you let the prospect ask you a lot of questions.

Stories position you and your company as capable experts. You imbue yourself with the success of your customers. Your prospect sees what is possible and believes that you can help them get what they want because you are discussing a customer who is getting their desired results.

Learn from Chris Chalmers‘ example. Incorporate more stories into your selling and improve your questioning techniques to find out what your prospects want, why they want it, and what they will do with it. Work on these skills and closing gets so easy its almost a nonevent.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Shamus Brown

It really does not matter whether you are selling a house or trying to buy a house, the real estate agent will say that they are working for the seller. On the other hand, if they are trying to find a home for the buyer, then they will say they work for the buyer. No matter what works for them is what they will do. Keep reading if your interested in selling your own home.

In reality, the real estate agent works for themselves alone. They want to get their business built up and earn a good reputation. They need to get their name out there as much as they can, so they try to sell as many and list as many houses that they can get their hands on.

For Sale By Owner (FSBO) signs are vastly different from a real estate agent sign. The FSBO lists the listing ID and a phone number, or maybe even a website. This type of FSBO services keeps the focus on selling your home, which is exactly what you want to do. They will deal with the owner directly and not have to go through a real estate agent. All the real estate agent is concerned with is selling the homes with the larger commissions. If your home is not one of these, then you real estate agent will not try very hard.

If you will look at a sign from a real estate agent, you will notice their picture on the sign, their logo, and their business name. The agent really is not focused on the seller, they are more interested in building up their name and getting their business and picture out there for everyone to see.

The seller is going to have to pay a lot of money to get a big name agent. Many times the agent is so busy you will not even get to meet them face to face. They will most likely send out someone who works for them to get the job done. You really need to do your research and find out if it is worth it to you to hire a real estate agent so they can build up their name and business, or if you would rather sell your own home and save giving the commission away.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Jackson Montgomery

Not everyone is willing to use a real estate agent, since they do take a commission, usually around 7%. That means, by selling your own home, you’ll end up with upwards of $10,000 that would have gone to an agent. And given today’s slow market there is a very real chance your home will sit unsold for a year or more.

Today, more than ever selling your own house can not only be more profitable, but it is your best chance at getting it sold quickly.

In this article, I am going to show you how to go from „selling your own house“ to „I SOLD my own house“.

In a hot market selling may have been as easy as putting a „for sale by owner“ sign in front of the house and collecting offers. But let’s face it, times are tough and most houses are sitting unsold for months and years.

It’s a war zone out there. Foreclosures are at an all time high and that creates a lot of houses for sale on the market. In order to survive in a war zone you need special skills and a competitive advantage. With this special training you can get your house SOLD, despite the doom and gloom of the newspaper headlines.

If you’re selling your own house you need a secret weapon. And that weapon is highly specialized marketing!

Here is a killer marketing tip that will give you a competitive advantage over all other sellers on your block.

Don’t list your home in a traditional method. Instead of „starting high“ and being talked down do the EXACT OPPOSITE. Start low, get a lot of attention and let the buyers drive the price up. I am talking about a do-it-yourself auction style sale.

What is working best now is what’s called a „round robin auction“. Here is how it works:

First you will advertise that your home is for auction. In these tough times buyers are looking to get a good deal. Auctions are the place to get great deals, and your message will leap out at them.

Next you will hold an open house for two days only, Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm. This will allow you to funnel all the buyers through your doors all at once.

Those that are interested in the property will place their name and phone number along with the price they would like to bid on an „initial bidding sheet“.

On Sunday night you call all those people that put in a bid and conduct the auction. You will simply call down the list tell them the current bid amount and ask them if they would like to raise or pass. You will go around and around making calls until the highest and best offer has presented itself, hence the name „round robin auction“.

Now that you have found your buyer you will meet with them and get the paperwork started.

That’s the unique marketing method that is working now. And if you are planning on selling your own house there is no better method to attract droves of buyers and compel them to make offers on your house.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by N Big

If you have the correct combination of items and you have a large enough pocketbook, this may be your ticket to retirement. But sometimes, it’s your ticket to the poor house.

I looked at a home that is zoned mixed use. In this area, this means that you can either use the residence as a home or use the residence as a commercial site. These types of sites are usually limited to low impact items such as office buildings, apartments, etc.

What’s the catch? Well, you’ll have to own a large enough parcel of land to make a commercial deal work. This is why you see five homes along a busy street all for sale at once and the zoning is commercial. This is because in order to be approved for commercial development, there must be a large enough parcel to make the commercial development work.

Usually, for mixed residential zoning, these areas are close to town or close to other apartments or business in the area. I’ve appraised several of these types of property. Many times, advertising the zoning as mixed use is enough to sell the home for more just because it may appeal to that specific buyer that wants to live in the same home and run a business out of the home. One home that I appraised offered a living area on the main level and a daylight basement offered office buildings that were rented out.

My understanding is that some banks that specialize in residential zoning will not loan money on mixed use properties. This, of course, is a downfall, if you’re trying to get a residential loan. Some buyers will not want to use their residential home for office use. This will limit the number of buyers that may want to buy your home.

So, will commercial zoning increase your property value? If your home is a residential home with the best use as a residential use, commercial zoning may decrease your home value and make it difficult to get a loan and make it difficult to sell, because you’ll be located on a busy street. If your home is residential use and the highest and best use is to build a commercial structure, most often, your land used as commercial use will be more valuable than your home used as residential use.

So, the moral of the story is to keep an open mind on these types of properties. I looked at some homes the other day where the home is an older residential home with a larger lot. The zoning can be switched from residential to commercial for $1500. Residential homes with larger lots with similar zoning were selling for $350,000 to $400,000. Residential homes that have been switched to commercial zoning were selling for $500,000 to $700,000. So for $1500 and some time, this would be a good investment for your money.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Tim D Page

You’ve decided that the house you are presently occupying no longer suits the needs of you and your family and, after careful deliberation, have opted to put it up for sale, the proceeds of which you will use to purchase a new unit. Since you’re now ready to sell, you must know how you can properly market the house in order to attract the attention of as much potential buyers as possible.

The cheapest and easiest way you can announce to all and sundry that you are selling your house is to put a big „FOR SALE“ sign in front of the property. Unfortunately, you are only likely to attract the attention of your neighbours or travellers who are simply passing through the area. Another relatively cost-effective way of marketing your property is by placing attractive posters on community bulletin boards (in church, the supermarket), where foot traffic is high.

If you want to reach a wider market, you can place an advertisement in the classified ads. Placing an ad is not very expensive but you may have to limit the number of words or characters. If you plan to place an ad in the classifieds, make sure that you are familiar with the real estate lingo and abbreviations, and it is advised that you put several short ads over an extended period of time rather than place one long advertisement once. An alternative is to place an advertisement in real estate related publications and magazines.

To reach a bigger market, you can place an advertisement on the internet. Being visible on the World Wide Web is no longer as costly as it was before. If you do your homework well, you would be able to find sites that offer very competitive rates and prices. Compare services first so you can get the most out of your money.

In addition to these marketing strategies, it also helps if you prepare brochures or flyers showing a photo of your property and listing down main points of interest (of the house and the community / neighbourhood). What’s good about brochures is that they are very handy. You can place a brochure holder in front of your home (by your For Sale sign or beside your mailbox), you can bring several copies with you to the office and distribute it to your colleagues, you can even ask your friends and relatives to help out by handing over a stack and requesting them to give it out to their friends. These brochures will also come in handy when you host open house events. Potential home buyers can just grab a copy and compare your home’s features with the other properties they are contemplating on buying.

There are several other ways by which you can effectively, cost efficiently and creatively market your home. You just have to think out of the box. Make sure, however, that your marketing activities will not bother or annoy other people.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Gloria Smith