Real Estate Specialist

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. Make sure you choose a REALTOR who will provide top-notch service and meet your unique needs.

1. How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job? While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate — like many other professions — is mostly learned on the job.

2. What designations do you hold? Designations such as GRI and CRS — which require that agents take additional, specialized real estate training — are held by only about one-quarter of real estate practitioners.

3. How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year? By asking this question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.

4. How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall market?
The REALTOR you interview should have these facts on hand, and be able to present market statistics from the local MLS to provide a comparison.

5. How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices? This is one indication of how skilled the REALTOR is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable buyers. Of course, other factors also may be at play, including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate market.

6. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home? You don’t want someone who’s going to put a For Sale sign in the yard and hope for the best. Look for someone who has aggressive and innovative approaches, and knows how to market your property competitively on the Internet. Buyers today want information fast, so it’s important that your REALTOR is responsive.

7. Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the transaction? While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a transaction, it’s important to understand where the practitioner’s obligations lie. Your REALTOR should explain his or her agency relationship to you and describe the rights of each party.

8. Can you recommend service providers who can help me obtain a mortgage, make home repairs, and help with other things I need done? Because REALTORS are immersed in the industry, they’re wonderful resources as you seek lenders, home improvement companies, and other home service providers. Practitioners should generally recommend more than one provider and let you know if they have any special relationship with or receive compensation from any of the providers.

9. What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide to you? Having resources such as in-house support staff, access to a real estate attorney, and assistance with technology can help an agent sell your home.

10. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals and business match your's

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. As a real estate professional specializing in Standard Sales as well as being a Short Sale/Foreclosure specialist in Santa Clarita, CA, I have in depth local knowledge and can provide you with the information you need on home buying, home selling, financing and owning real estate in Santa Clarita. RE/MAX of Santa Clarita provides a wide range of real estate services and utilizes the most current technology, processes and systems to assist you with all of your home buying and home selling needs. Whether you are new to the market or an experienced investor, I have the expertise, proven track record, and resources to help you achieve your real estate goals.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. What is a CDPE?
A Certified Distressed Property Expert® is a real estate professional with specific understanding of the complex issues confronting the real estate industry, and the foreclosure avoidance options available to homeowners. Through comprehensive training and experience, CDPEs are able to provide solutions for homeowners facing hardships in today’s market, specifically short sales.

The prospect of foreclosure can be financially and emotionally devastating, and often homeowners proceed without guidance of any kind. The developers of the CDPE Designation believe that the best course of action for a homeowner in distress is to speak with a well-informed, licensed real estate professional. They have the tools needed to help homeowners find the best solution for their situation. Often, when other options have been exhausted, CDPEs can help homeowners avoid foreclosure through the efficient execution of a short sale.

While enduring financial difficulties is challenging for any family, the process of finding a qualified real estate professional should not be. Selecting an agent with the CDPE Designation ensures you are dealing with a professional trained to address your specific needs.

As a A Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE), I don’t merely assist in selling your property, I help save my clients in need.

For more information, Contact me today to discuss your options.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. Do Home Buyers Who Pay Cash Get Discount?

You might be able to negotiate one, but don't expect it. It all depends on the sellers' motivation.

If the sellers want or need to close quickly—to close on their dream house, for instance, or to relocate because of a job transfer—then cash can be a very appealing lure. After all, cash is a sure thing. A financed deal isn't, since it is subject to lenders' increasingly stringent underwriting standards and paperwork backlogs, as well as the vagaries of the buyers' credit histories.

Moreover, if you pay with cash, you're offering a "cleaner" deal that eliminates the contract's financing contingency. Knowing that you have a little less room to wiggle out of the deal is attractive to many sellers, who don't want to go through the hassle of remarketing their homes and worry about having a deal fall through at a time when prices are weak.

But keep in mind that at the closing table, the sellers will walk away with a check—and whether the money comes from you or the lender doesn't matter. So if the sellers aren't time pressed, you might not be able to wrangle a deal at all. In fact, especially if they have minimal equity, they may prefer someone who makes a more generous offer and fewer demands, as long as that person can come up with a large down payment and has a pre-approval letter from a bank.

And speaking of banks, having a fistful of cash isn't likely to get you a bargain for a foreclosed home, either. Although it behooves banks to get such deadweight off their books as quickly as possible, lenders are beholden to their stockholders to get the highest possible price for their properties. So being able to pay cash won't impress banks; in fact, it undercuts their reason for being.

You're also likely to find that many builders will balk at discounting their homes for cash. That's because many own their own financing companies, or have arrangements with affiliated lenders. As a result, these builders can make more profit over time through financing than they do from the sale of property. To them, your cash offer eliminates a potential profit center and can even be seen as a drawback. Indeed, they may even offer you a discount if you don't pay cash and finance with them instead.

Despite these drawbacks, it's undeniable that a cash offer will get a seller's attention and mark your intentions as serious. If you do decide to go the all-cash route, make sure your offer asks for everything a lender normally would require—namely an appraisal, a home inspection, a wood-boring insect inspection and title insurance. Lenders typically insist on these items because they help determine the price, condition and ownership status and lineage of a home. For your own protection, you should, too.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood
Your neighborhood has a big impact on your lifestyle. Follow these steps to find the perfect community to call home.


Is it close to your favorite spots? Make a list of the activities — movies, health club, church, etc. — you engage in regularly and stores you visit frequently. See how far you would have to travel from each neighborhood you’re considering to engage in your most common activities.

Check out the school district. This is especially important if you have children, but it also can affect resale value. The Department of Education in your town can probably provide information on test scores, class size, percentage of students who attend college, and special enrichment programs. If you have school-age children, visit schools in the neighborhoods you’re considering. Also, check out www.schoolmatters.com.

Find out if the neighborhood is safe. Ask the police department for neighborhood crime statistics. Consider not only the number of crimes but also the type — such as burglaries or armed robberies — and the trend of increasing or decreasing crime. Also, is crime centered in only one part of the neighborhood, such as near a retail area?

Determine if the neighborhood is economically stable. Check with your local city economic development office to see if income and property values in the neighborhood are stable or rising. What is the percentage of homes to apartments? Apartments don’t necessarily diminish value, but do mean a more transient population. Do you see vacant businesses or homes that have been for sale for months?

See if you’ll make money. Ask a local REALTOR® or call the local REALTOR® association to get information about price appreciation in the neighborhood. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, this information may give you a sense of how good of an investment your home will be. A REALTOR® or the government planning agency also may be able to tell you about planned developments or other changes in the neighborhood — like a new school or highway — that might affect value.

Make personal observations. Once you’ve narrowed your focus to two or three neighborhoods, go there and walk around. Are homes tidy and well maintained? Are streets quiet? How does it feel? Pick a warm day if you can and chat with people working or playing outside.