Archive for the ‘Home Life’ Category
HomeLife
July 7th, 2009 | 
Author: HomeLife Buyer Services
- HomeLife’s Five Criteria For Buying
- About HomeLife
- Why Buy?
- Do I Need A Sales Representative?
- Why Choose A HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representative?
Owning your own home is a universal and timeless dream.
In many ways, this dream is more accessible today than ever before. However, one of the first realizations a prospective home buyer often comes to is that the “dream home” does not always seem affordable.Buying a home has changed in the New Millennium. Before, buyers usually shopped for the best house they could find, then “took out” a loan to pay for it. Today, prospective buyers must shop as thoroughly for the best financing as they do for the best house.
About HomeLife
No One Treats You Like The Folks At HomeLife
Making its Real Estate debut in 1985, HomeLife Realty Services Inc. is one of the World’s leading Real Estate Franchisors with hundreds of affiliates and thousands of Sales Representatives serving the Real Estate needs of consumers and businesses alike. HomeLife has businesses in a variety of countries worldwide, including Canada, The U.S.A., Germany, Portugal and China. Presently, HomeLife continues to expand one town, one city and one country at a time.At the core of HomeLife’s remarkable success is the company pledge of Higher Standards. Instilled in each and every one of our Higher Standards Sales Representatives, HomeLife’s pledge is a unique commitment to professional conduct and excellence in customer service. That pledge, along with a strong dedication to community involvement, assures clients that they are dealing with ethical, knowledgeable and caring Sales Representatives. What differentiates us from our competitors, is our Higher Standards Five Star Marketing System.
Why Buy?
There Are Many Good Reasons To Buy Your Own Home
Financial Advantages
Buying a home is a wise decision because property is one of the best and most secure investments available. Rarely, if ever, does Real Estate decrease in value. Depending on the area in which you live, buying a home may boast significant tax advantages over renting. Equity is another consideration. The equity you build as your home appreciates in value will allow you to borrow for expenses like a new car or college tuition. Your home’s equity is also the ideal down payment on the purchase of a second home or an “escape property” or vacation residence.Emotional Advantages
Buying a home also has several emotional advantages. The independence of ownership means that you’ll no longer have to worry about rent increases and the demands of a landlord. Another advantage is a homeowner’s power to personalize! When you own your own home, you can paint and decorate as much as you want. It’s your place!
Do I Need A Sales Representative?
An Important Question Before You Start Looking
Many potential homebuyers may wonder, do I really need a Sales Representative? In a word: Yes! A committed and professional Sales Representative will make the complex process of purchasing a home both simple and painless. A good Sales Representative should:
- Know market conditions in your community.
- Show updated knowledge of financing and mortgage rates
- Know what is negotiable in a contract and what is not
An experienced Sales Representative will also understand the complexities and importance of:
- Title
- Taxes
- Survey
- Zoning and building laws
- Insurance
Buyer Representation Agreement
A written contract called a Buyer Representation Agreement establishes “Buyer Agency”. It explains services the company will provide, establishes a fee arrangement for the Sales Representative’s services and specifies what obligations a buyer may have. The buyer’s Sales Representative works for the buyer and is legally obligated to look after their best interests throughout the entire real estate transaction. This Sales Representative owes full fiduciary responsibilities, duties and loyalty to the real estate buyer.
Why Choose A HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representative?
HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representatives Know Your Community
Living and working in your area, we are in an ideal position to help you find exactly what you are looking for. We are knowledgeable of area market conditions, including prices and availability. Additionally, HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representatives have access to the latest financing and mortgage rates, helping to ease the stress of buying.HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representatives also understand the many legal complexities of buying, including titles, taxes and surveys. HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representatives know what is negotiable in a contract, helping you secure the best possible terms on the home’s purchase.
How do HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representatives know as much as they do? Knowledge and Experience. Continuous training at HomeLife University ensures that our team develops the Higher Standards of knowledge needed to satisfy our clients. Experience makes HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representatives experts in their field, as they make more Real Estate transactions in a few months than most of us will make in a lifetime.
It is also comforting to know that the performance of your HomeLife Sales Representative will be fully accessible. In fact, each HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representative gives you their personal “Pledge of Availability”, which states that they will be available when and where you need them, including evenings and weekends.
The Power Of MLS
Through their association with HomeLife offices, our Higher Standards Sales Representatives have access to resources not readily available to the public. One such resource is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), an electronic Real Estate database. The MLS offers much more information about a home then one could find anywhere else, including utilities and Real Estate taxes. The MLS also contains the recent sale prices of homes in a specific area or community. This information will help you determine the true value of any home you may be interested in. The MLS is updated in real time, meaning that your HomeLife Higher Standards Sales Representative has access to homes the minute they’re listed. Best of all, The MLS includes many houses never promoted for sale by a lawn sign or advertised in a newspaper, giving you access to homes you may never have considered otherwise.
HomeLife’s Five Criteria For Buying
When Looking For A Home, You Should Seek Out:
- A Home That Fits Your Needs
- A Suitable Location
- The Best Possible Terms
- The Best Possible Price
- All Of The Above In The Most Convenient Way Possible.
Posted in 
Buying your House with Agent
What is the difference between a real estate agent and a real estate broker?
The person you normally deal with is a real estate agent or salesperson.
- The salesperson is licensed but must work for a broker.
- All listings are placed in the broker’s name, not in the salesperson’s one.
- A broker can deal directly with homebuyers and sellers, or can have a staff of salespersons or agents working for him or her.
Why should I use a real estate salesperson
A real estate salesperson is more than just a “sales person.”
- He or she act on your behalf as your agent, providing you with advice and guidance and doing a job – helping you buy or sell a home.
- While it is true they get paid for what they do, so do other professions that provide advice, guidance, and have a service to sell –such as Certified Public Accountants and Attorneys
The Internet has opened up a world of information that wasn’t previously available to homebuyers and seller.
- The data on listings available for sale is almost current – but not quite.
- There are times when you need the most current information about what has sold or is for sale, and the only way to get that is with an agent.
- If you’re selling a home, you gain access to the most buyers by being listed in the Multiple Listing Service.
- Only a licensed real estate agent who is a member of your local MLS can get you listed there – which then gets you automatically listed on some of the major real estate web sites.
- If you’re buying or selling a home, the MLS is your agent’s best tool.
The role of an agent, however, has changed in the recent years.
- In the past, agents were the only way homebuyers and sellers could access information.
- Now agents are evolving. Because today’s homebuyers and sellers are so much better informed than in the past, expertise and ability are becoming more important.
The real estate agent is becoming more of a “guide” than a “salesperson” — your personal representative in buying or selling a home.
