Let’s be honest. When it comes to starting your real estate career, it can take some time to sell your first home and make any money. Just remember, if you work hard and stay consistent, you can become successful with your new real estate career. However, when starting out, you might find that your circle is not wide enough and your Realtor expenses are not so affordable. This is where joining a team can be the best option. The team at Karen Cannon, Realtors offer three major benefits to joining a real estate team:
Training and Support Provided
Congratulations! You studied for and passed your real estate license exam. Now, the real education begins. Real estate is very much a hands-on learning experience. Education is only half the battle. New agents truly benefit from training and support from experienced agents. Joining a team helps you learn the daily activity and best practices that veteran agents benefit from. Plus, you have someone there to answer your questions and advise you in difficult situations. As a new agent, it is tremendously beneficial to have a knowledgeable team as a resource for the many questions you will have. The right team can offer you the support and hands on training to help jump start your career….for example, our team approach offers agents an environment where they can learn and share and collaborate because they don’t compete with each other.
Cost Effective
In real estate, you have to spend money to make money. A real estate career is an investment. Being a Realtor comes with its fair share of expenses, and a lot of them are upfront. Brokerages and your local board will charge you a wide range of fees that may include board dues, MLS fees, office space, marketing, and broker fees. However, joining a team will provide you with the opportunity to share these fees, if not eliminate some of them all together. This is not the case with many teams – they have to pay these fees but they are on a team. Our model is VERY unique. Working with a seasoned agent will also provide you with leads (this is not the case for many) that are incredibly expensive and hard to come by as a new agent. Also, not having to pay Zillow or Realtor.com for leads will definitely keep some extra money in your bank account.
Expands Your Sphere of Influence
Networking is a huge part of having a successful real estate career. Your sphere of influence will expand once you join a team. If you find the right fit, you will have consistent opportunities to network and meet more clients. As a new agent, you might be assigned to handle the lease clients at first. This will help you build your database and give you the repeat clients that you so desire. Your renters will turn into buyers, and hopefully those buyers will be listing with you.
Anderson and Karen Cannon, started Karen Cannon Realtors with a simple vision in mind – to build a team and provide for their agents. At KCR, our Realtors concentrate on providing the best service to our clients because they have the support of a team behind them. Learn more about joining our team today! https://karencannon.com/contact-us/
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
Home safety is an important topic for buyers, sellers and Realtors. Since January is National Radon Action Month, we would like to help you eliminate radon out of your home so that you and your family can have safer, healthier air to breathe. It’s important to us that all current and future homeowners know the dangers of radon as well as the preventative measures to take.
Educate Yourself and Others
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year. The EPA highly recommends that all Americans test their homes, schools, and other buildings for radon. Exposure to radon can be a highly dangerous health risk. Testing the levels of radon in your home, school, or workplace can go a long way to preventing exposure. If a high radon level is detected in your home, there are measurable steps to you can take to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family. Encourage family and friends to test their homes as well.
Test Your Home
Radon cannot be tasted, smelled or seen; but it could still be present in your home. EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that all homes in the U.S. be tested for radon. Testing is easy and inexpensive. To further educate yourself on testing your home as well as how to obtain a user-friendly Radon test kit, we encourage you to visit www.Epa.gov.
Find a Radon-Resistant Home
If you are considering buying a new home, speak with your Realtor about looking for homes where the builders used radon-resistant new construction. Also, building radon-resistant new homes is an option. Using the necessary techniques to prevent radon from entering a home is practical and straightforward for any builder. It’s a highly effective and inexpensive way to offer families a benefit that could reduce their risk of lung cancer. One of the best things you can do to prevent you and your families’ exposure is to get radon gas out of our homes right away. It would be considered an environmentally responsible plan of action that will help reduce the chances of lung cancer. Making sure your home is as green as possible is the best way to combat radon. Especially, since it enters the home from under the ground.
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
When you’re buying or selling a home, it’s crucial to work with a qualified real estate agent. Not just a professional, but an amazing agent and a market expert. So how do you ensure you’re hiring an amazing real estate agent?
There are currently more than two million real estate professionals in North America.1,2 With so many options to choose from, how does a prospective home buyer or seller choose the right agent or broker? According to the National Association of Realtors®, trust and reputation are the top deciding factors consumers use when hiring an agent.3
But how do you measure trust and reputation … and what criteria can be used to help you make your decision?
In this guide, we’ve outlined the top attributes that amazing agents possess, as well as the questions you can ask to make sure you’re working with the right market expert to achieve your real estate goals.
5 ATTRIBUTES OF AN AMAZING AGENT
As we mentioned above, not all real estate professionals are the same. And it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options and information about working with real estate professionals to buy or sell your home. In fact, many real estate markets are oversaturated with agents.
To help you understand what makes top agents and market experts stand apart from the competition, following are five key attributes of an amazing agent:
A Pricing Specialist
If an agent has their real estate license, they know the basics of the transaction process. They know what goes into buying and selling a home. However, there’s a difference between knowing the process and navigating it for an ideal result. This ideal result often means buying or selling a home for the best price.
For buyers, amazing agents have a strong understanding of market trends, competition, and how to make your offer attractive to sellers. They can help you identify and secure a deal to ensure you get the home you want, within your desired budget.
If you’re selling a home, market experts have experience pricing homes optimally for the market, and creating pricing plans to minimize the time spent selling the home. This will help you sell for your desired price, and avoid costs like additional mortgage and utility payments.
Takeaway: Whether buying or selling a home, pricing can be tricky. Market experts can help navigate best-possible pricing strategies, and also secure the home you want within your budget.
An Effective Time Manager
It’s common to underestimate the amount of time it takes to buy or sell your home. The average real estate agent may not be utilizing the latest tools and technology to make the transaction easier and more cost effective for their clients. Market experts have tools and strategies at their disposal to minimize the amount of time you spend on the process.
For sellers, market experts can make sure you only deal with qualified buyers, not the “window shoppers” who can waste your time. We also utilize the latest marketing practices to advertise and price your home effectively, ensuring it gets sold quickly.
When looking to buy a home, inexperienced agents may waste your time by showing you homes that are not a good fit for you. A market expert knows how to prioritize your needs and wants to find you the ideal home within your budget. They also know how to spot “red flags” and can steer you away from homes that are likely to turn up major issues in a real estate inspection, saving you time and money.
In addition, well-networked Realtors can gain access to the hottest listings before many websites do. Their extensive professional networks can help identify “pre-list” homes before they’re officially on the market. This can be invaluable in a highly-competitive real estate market.
Takeaway: Even a well-intentioned agent may not have the skills, tools or technology to make the experience easy for you. There are lots of hidden activities that may take up unexpected time, and a market expert will save you time and energy.
A Market Insider
While most agents can pull market stats about a neighborhood, community or city, they may not understand important trends or developments that would affect your transaction. These can include the state of the school district, issues with a homeowner association, new businesses in the area, zoning rules or trends in home prices.
Market experts live and breathe local real estate and know the trigger points for buying and selling in this market. We also stay current on effective marketing and negotiation practices, resulting in our track record of success.
For sellers, we understand what features of your home and neighborhood are assets in the selling process. And for buyers, we share a deep understanding of market factors, including school and neighborhood quality, crime statistics, speed of sales and more.
Takeaway: Getting relevant and specific market knowledge can be difficult and time consuming, which is why many real estate agents don’t have it. Whether you’re buying or selling a home, an experienced real estate agent is often the best source of information about a city, neighborhood, or even street … we’re literally conducting market research every day.
A Strong Negotiator
Amazing agents truly set themselves apart in their ability to negotiate. Unfortunately, a large portion of agents don’t commit their full time to increasing this key skill.
Real estate negotiations can be challenging, even for seasoned professionals. It takes skill, experience and a knowledge of how to fight for your client’s best interests. While any agent can enter negotiations to buy or sell a home, they may not know the effective strategies to exit those negotiations with the result you want.
Experienced Realtors focus on negotiation as a key skill. We understand what to do before entering negotiations (establishing the upper hand to set up the best outcome), as well as during the process (when to offer or accept concessions).
Takeaway: Many agents can feel the stress of the negotiation process, and may agree to terms of the buyer/seller. Working with a market expert will help ensure you get the best deal, not just the fastest deal.
An Effective Closer
Closing a deal fast is often a good thing. For buyers, it means you found the home you wanted quickly. For sellers, it often means you can avoid the added expenses of mortgage and utility payments, and maximize the value of your home sale.
However, an agent solely focused on speed can make decisions that aren’t in your best interests. Top real estate professionals know how to not only achieve your real estate goals quickly, but in the right way to avoid potential pitfalls.
Just like negotiations, the paperwork and process of closing a real estate transaction are complicated. And they can be overwhelming for the average agent who hasn’t handled a lot of transactions. Sales contracts, property disclosures, occupancy agreements and even lead paint records need to be executed with precision. Your agent not only needs to be familiar with these, but also stay current on any changes in requirements or regulations.
Market experts have a strong understanding of real estate contracts, timelines, clauses and contingencies within the closing process. In fact, avoiding pitfalls during the closing process is where many sellers find an experienced Realtor is a huge asset.
Takeaway: Many agents don’t have a firm understanding of contracts. Because a real estate transaction often involves a significant investment, even a small mistake can mean serious trouble. With that in mind, it’s often best, and most responsible, to work with a true market expert.
5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT
So how do you know if you’re working with an amazing agent?
The first step would be to “shop around.” Many people work with the first agent they come across without a firm understanding of their level of experience. It’s always a good idea to interview a number of agents before selecting one. If you’ve gotten referrals from people you trust, then you may only need to interview 2-3 agents.
However, it can be tough to know what to ask in the interview process. Here are some questions that can help you qualify the best agent to help you achieve your real estate goals:
Can you send me some information about yourself?
Look for professionalism and consistency. What are their professional accomplishments? Also, try to identify how they approach their work. Look for a business person who has a strategy and solid support system. If they’re a newer agent, ask about their team’s dynamic and accomplishments.
How long have you been in real estate?
The average Realtor has 10 years of experience4. But while longevity is important, even more telling are the number of transactions they have closed or been involved in. So feel free to also ask: “How many homes have you sold in this area?”
What will you do to keep me informed?
Do you want daily or weekly reports from your agent? Will the agent be able to meet these expectations? Determine how much communication you want, and then find an agent who will give you the attention and time you want and deserve.
Can you provide me with further resources I may need?
From market reports and pricing trends to school performance and crime statistics, top agents have resources at their disposal. In addition, market experts have built strong relationships with their extended team of professionals, and can often get expedient service or be able to “cash in a favor” for you should a need arise.
Seller only: Can you share with me your plan to market my property?
Many agents will simply put your home in the MLS and wait for it to sell. An amazing agent should have a detailed plan of how to get your home exposure on social media, to their local networks, and more.
GET STARTED
Now that you’re armed with the 5 Attributes of Amazing Agents and the Top Questions to ensure you work with the best possible real estate agent, you’re ready to start interviewing agents.
We’d love an opportunity to win your business. Schedule a free consultation with us to find out how true market experts can help you achieve your real estate goals!
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
Wealth is within reach for many people; however, according to a recent study 63 percent of Americans said it’s not likely they’ll become rich.1 Don’t just dream of being wealthy; start taking the steps to make it a reality. There is no secret to becoming rich–it takes time, sacrifice and good financial sense. Here are a few ways to build your household’s wealth.
Let Compound Interest Work for You
Compound interest is your interest earning interest. While the concept may work against you when you take out a loan to buy a car or use your credit card, it works in your favor when you’re saving money. For example, if your savings is growing at a rate of four percent, your investment will double in eight years and quadruple in 16 years. Your money will grow exponentially the longer you save: the more money you’ve saved, the more your money will grow.
Tap into Your Home Appreciation
Experts expect home prices to appreciate 3.24 percent and grow by 21.4 percent cumulatively.2 If a homeowner purchases a home this year for $250,000, they could earn more than $40,000 in equity over the next five years. Although the home value of the average American family’s home is $165,000, home values vary by market.3 If you’re curious about the value of your home, give us a call!
Build Equity in Your Home
One of the most compelling reasons to own a home is it allows you to build wealth over time. Saving for a down payment, especially if you plan to put down more than 20 percent, helps you adopt good financial habits. The more you put down when you buy, the higher your share of equity when you close. Although for the first five to seven years, the majority of your payment will go toward interest, over time more money will be applied to the principal. There are many tools online that calculate your current and future equity in your home, including this one here.
Build equity sooner by choosing a shorter amortization term. While your payment may be higher, you’ll likely qualify for a lower interest rate and will pay less interest over the life of the loan.
Pay Down Your Mortgage…or Not
Many homeowners grapple with whether or not to pay down their mortgage. On one hand, if you pay it down, or pay it off early, you’ll save money on interest, which you can use to make other investments. On the other hand, if your goal is to be debt free, it’s better to pay off your higher-interest debt, such as credit card debt, first before paying down your mortgage debt. Additionally, if you’re saving for retirement, putting extra cash toward your retirement accounts will help you build a nice nest egg to enjoy later on. Your financial advisor can help you decide if paying off or paying down your mortgage is right for your goals.
Purchase Investment Property
Investment properties provide passive income to your growing financial portfolio. More than 25 percent of Americans say real estate is the best way to invest money you may not need for the next 10 years.4 While many people flip houses to make money—that is, they buy a home at a low price, fix it up and sell it quickly—others purchase multifamily properties to create monthly cash flow to save or to reinvest in other properties.
The longer you own a property, the better investment it becomes as you’ll continue to build equity. While rental costs rise with inflation, your mortgage will remain the same. The best part? Once you pay off the mortgage, your cash flow will increase.
There are tax benefits to owning investment property as well. You may be able to claim deductions for depreciation, as long as it fits within the guidelines; repairs, travel expenses, interest and more. If you’re thinking of purchasing investment property, talk to your tax professional to get the details.
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!
If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.
Sources:
BankRate.com
Pulsenomics, Home Price Expectation Survey Q4 2016
5 Reasons to Sell Before the Selling Season Picks Up
A common thought in real estate is never list your home in the winter off-season. Perpetuated by industry experts, agents and repeat sellers alike, this saying encourages many would-be sellers to wait until the spring peak to list their homes. However, studies show that homes listed in the winter off-season not only sell faster than those in the spring, but sellers also net more above asking price at this time.1 Don’t wait until spring to sell. If you’ve been thinking of selling your home, here are five reasons to list now:
Take advantage of low inventory. Since most sellers are waiting until spring to list, local inventory falls during the off-season. However, there are still motivated buyers who are ready to buy now and don’t want to wait that long to purchase a home. According to the National Association of Realtors, 55 percent of all buyers purchased their home at the time they did because “it was just the right time.”2 While you’ll likely have fewer showings in the off-season, buyers who do visit will be more serious about writing an offer. As a result, your home will likely sell faster than it would have during the peak season.
Set a higher listing price. Homes sold during the off-season sell at a higher price, on average, than those sold during the spring and summer peak. There are many reasons for this. First, motivated buyers are willing to pay closer to the asking price for a home. Second, homes are more likely to be priced right and reflect the economics of not only the local market, but the neighborhood as well.
You’ll receive more attention. While our team always strives to give you the personal attention you deserve, when you list during the off-season, we’re able to work more closely with you to ensure your home is prepared for its debut on the market. We can also take more time to answer your questions, address your concerns and prepare you and your home for the sale.
Additionally, if you’d like to hire a trades-person to handle routine maintenance or undertake a minor home renovation before you list, you may be able to take advantage of flexible scheduling and cheaper rates. Many of these professionals experience a winter off-season as well, and will be able to focus their time and attention on you and your project.
Easier to maintain curb appeal. Curb appeal sets the stage for what interested buyers can expect when they step foot in the home during a showing or open house. If you list your home during the peak of the selling season, you may exhaust your time your energy maintaining a lush landscape that will attract potential buyers and set your home apart from other similar homes in the area.
The off-season eliminates the pressure to maintain a picture-perfect front landscape. Since most grass, shrubs and plants go dormant at this time of year, you’ll have less to maintain. If you live in an area that experiences a traditional winter, your landscape will be covered with snow. Even if you live in a milder climate, you may not have to mow as often, if at all. It’s still important to ensure your exterior appears well-tended, so make sure your walkway and front porch remains free of snow, ice and debris.
Tap into the life changes of buyers. Many buyers receive employee raises and bonuses at the end of the year. If they’ve been saving to buy a home, this extra money may allow them to reach their goal for a down payment and put them on the path to becoming a homeowner. Additionally, companies often hire new employees and relocate current ones during the first quarter of the year, creating a strong demand for housing. If you live in an area that’s home to a large company or has a strong corporate presence, this may be the perfect time to list.
If you’re thinking of selling, give us a call! We’d love to help you position your home to sell in our market.
Sources:
Time, October 30, 2015
National Association of REALTORS, 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
