Sunday, December 31, 2006

Housing Predictions 07

Happy 07 in Silicon Valley

What can we predict for Valley Housing Market? Perhaps - perhaps not but here I go

1. Buyers are going to realize that no matter what, the market in the Valley doesn't shift significantly because at the end of the day there is limited land to develop and limited possibilities for construction.

2. Sellers have seen a run for their money and if you bought in a good school district you still have a good chance of multiple offers even in a down turning market

3. New developments are going to slow down. This market is going to hurt in 07 - and maybe you as the wise investor will get a deal in a new development but you will have to be prepared to keep it longer than we've seen the last few years. You will see more offers and incentives from developers.

4. If you price your home too high - guess what it's going to sit and sit! And we all know what buyers think of a stale home - "somethings wrong with it".

5. FSBO is becoming a dirty word - buyers are realizing it's risky dealing with them as well as 1% commission deals. You get what you pay for.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Credit in the US

One issue that expats have when moving to the US is getting a credit rating.

It does pay that you had good credit in your own country or that you had had a well paying job, or even a mortgage in your former country. Here you are fresh and starting out again, just like a virgin.

Having no credit history is a true stumbling block when coming to the US. If you go to http://www.matesupover.com/ or http://www.aussieexpats.com/ you can learn of different ways other expats have over come this issue. You may even learn of ways how to make that move from one country to the next easier. Please note that both these websites are geared up to support Australians living away from Australia.

Most Aussies never think about this issue when moving away - in fact I dare say that most Aussie that have that wunderlust star end up being in another country quite unexpectedly. Aussies though great travelers I feel have a deep tie to their birth place. Some never feel they will be permanent anywhere else. But in the US if your smart you'll probably end up buying a home and you'll need that credit rating! So learn how to achieve that by either talking to other Aussie Expats or visiting the sites I mentioned.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Australian Real Estate Vs American

In Australia I worked for an well established company in a well established suburb for a while.

It really turned me off real estate. Hearing stories from 'salesmen' how they got clients to offer more, or took bids from trees (most houses were sold at auction in Melbourne - though that is changing now), how there was someone else interested in a property when there was no-one else. It really was pretty eye opening I guess, and it wasn't long before I really couldn't take it and I decided to get out of the industry.

When I came here and had my first experience dealing with a very successful CB agent I discovered a different real estate attitude. Once again a eye opener. Her attitude was you are a client for life and I can always call on her for advice. Over the years I have, and it was her style that really influence me in taking a second look at real estate. I'm glad I did, and though I've not come across horror stories of agents here in the bay area, I have heard some say that they have but ethics prevents them from even sharing those stories. My experience so far with my colleagues has been very rewarding but then again I think that's because Keller Williams as a company has a lot to stand on. They talk about:

Win / Win - or no deal
Integrity - do the right thing
Customers - always come first
Commitment - in all things
Communication - seek first to understand
Creativity - ideas before results
Teamwork - together everyone achieves more
Trust - begins with honesty
Success - results through people
Pretty amazing belief system. Plus a value statement that is: God, family and then business - makes it a powerful company to be associated with.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Boxing Day Dec 26th

Boxing day in Australia is a public holiday - here in the US it's not necessarily a day the American's take off or if they do they primarily use it to go bargain shopping.

Perhaps even this time of year could be used by a smart house hunter as a way of picking up a bargain. After all it is widely thought by agents that if a home owner is on the market during the holiday season that they are in need of selling. Traditionally during this time of the year the market slows up and the stats indicate that there is less on the market for sale. So if you are a home owner and you have your property on the market you must therefore be one of two things, desperate to sell or needing to move out of the area to another area - or desperate to sell! Of course you could also be taking advantage of the fact that even during the winter / holiday months there are buyers who need somewhere to move.

Let us not forget at all times there is someone who, is moving companies, separating, divorcing, downsizing, upgrading whatever. Even in a slower market the truth is that normal aspects of life affect us all and as such there is always someone looking for a new home.

Or perhaps you are spending this day unpacking those moving boxes and in which case it really is a Box Day for you!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Realtor bloggers

The challenge in todays real estate market is not just keeping up with what is going on in the market like sales, mortgage rates, types of loans etc it's also keeping up with the technlogy.

Do you need a blog? Do you need a phone that speaks to you? Do you need a lap top that vibrates, oops is that a phone that vibrates? whatever do you need that stuff or is it something else?

thoughts... comments... feedback

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Welcome

Here I am an Aussie living in California working as a realtor. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up here in the US working in the real estate industry.

Many moons ago I worked in Melbourne for a real estate agent in the office both in sales and in rentals - hated it. Those agents there were lower than used car sales men. Talk about sleezy slippery ways of getting a sale or listing. I heard it all at the weekly meetings. The worst came from the owners of the company. Since they are still in business and still well known in Melbourne around the South Eastern fairly upmarket suburb I won't mention their names.

But here I am after a few years of doing retail and watching my husband go in and out of the tech industry job situation I decided to go get my license and join the valley's finest. At least here the Board makes you swear an oathe of honesty and integrity. Somehow, it seems far more respectable here to be a realtor compared to Australia.