Now Is The Time To Purchase That Pretty Home

By Pamela Kristen Wilson


There is no doubt that investing in real estate can be a very lucrative business. There are times when people have made millions in a year's time just by knowing what to buy and when to sell it. This is the kind of thing that you are often confronted with when you are watching one of the many real estate marketing gurus on television. They are so excited to tell you about how they have made millions upon millions of dollars with their simple "system."

The stronger the state of economics, the better it is for business not to mention real estate. One of the reasons is that when economics is stronger it raises property prices because the buyer gets reassured that there will be a rise in the demand for housing, and a rise in the value of his property which will enable him to sell it again for a profit. When considering the BIS Quarterly Review, it indicates that a 1% rise of GNP is linked with 1% to 4% rise of property price after 3 years.

Appearance and the present condition of the property also play an important role in determining its price. Buyers prefer a property which does not require a lot of work from their side before they can start using it. Curbside appeal, or your first impression looking at the faade of the house, the condition of the neighboring house, vegetation, all are vital factors determining the cost of a property. A building which is newly painted, has a lot of air and light, which "feels" cozy, has working plumbing in a good condition, is somewhat furnished, has good strong flooring and faultless walls (as walls with cracks can indicate faulty foundations or plumbing systems), has a favorable ventilation system, good security etc, the prices are bound to be a lot higher than they would be if it was otherwise.

First-time buyers currently make up a full 41% of all buyers in the United States, and with the rising Housing Affordability Index, this percentage will probably grow. These first-time home buyers often have the strongest emotional response to homes that have been staged because they've never had the experience of buying a home before. Stagers help them see the home in its best light and help them imagine themselves living there.

The sales price is, of course, a different animal. As the name suggests, the price is based on a more factual set of information. It is not the amount the home in question sold for. Since it is still on the market, that hasn't happened yet. Instead, it the price that comparable homes in the area have sold for. This figure represents the realistic, real time figure that the home in question can sell for given all the circumstances then present.

In a way, your realtor wants the same thing, and they want the house to sell rather quickly. They want the best fair price for your home because the higher the selling cost, they higher their commission. To achieve fair market value on your home, your realtor will use a comparative market analysis, which is based on information from several similar properties in your area. A good, fair analysis will use information from properties that are on the market, ones that recently sold, and ones that were taken off of the market because they did not sell.

The Las Vegas area has also seen a drastic decline in home prices with the current median home price being $138,500, down from $317,400 in. Currently, Orlando, Fl also sits in the storm of declining home prices. Orlando has seen a 26% decrease in home prices, along with many other national tourist attraction cities. These cities usually have higher home sales due the sale of vacation properties and second homes.

Home sales have however rose 11.4% across the nation in the third quarter which accounts for 5.3 million housing units. Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the NAR, attributes the increase in home sales to the very attractive federal tax credit. The extension of the tax credit along with other changes that benefit previous home owners and home owners in higher income brackets, may have also contributed to the increase in home sales. Yun also believe that the tax credit will continue to offset the rapid amount of foreclosers on the market but enticing buyers.