Saturday, December 02, 2006

Who Says the Market is Slow??

You've read it in the newspapers. You are hearing it on the news. The real esate market is down. It is a Buyers market. Homes are not selling.

If you are selling your home and not getting much traffic you may be hearing that "the market is what it is". There is nothing we can do but wait.

Well, I am here to tell you that it just is not so. This November of 2006, The Korn Team has sold more homes than any other month ALL YEAR! We helped 15 families close on a property in November. The average agent only sells 6 homes in an entire year (according to the National Association of Realtor statistics). We more than doubled that just in November.

Granted, there is much more inventory on the market than we have ever had, but the fact is people are still moving. The typical sign, newspaper ads & open house marketing plans are more of a "wait till they find me" marketing plan. More than ever, our aggressive marketing is paying off for our clients. We had 3 properties that had been on the market for almost 6 months, and all 3 sold in the same week. Some had more than one offer.

Our aggressive marketing plan keeps your property "fresh" in the market, and we ensure that when a new buyer comes into the market to purchase a home like yours, they will know your home is for sale.

So, don't let anyone tell you that the market is DEAD...We can prove that it isn't. For a free, no cost, Brokers price opinion and evaluation of how we can help you get the most equity from your home, contact us at (816) 22-KORN (5676) or visit our website at www.kornteam.com

Saturday, September 02, 2006

The Korn Team Goes on the Air!! Live Radio

You can now stay in touch with the Kansas City market on the radio every Saturday morning from 10am-12pm. Brad Korn is co-hosting with Tim & Rhonda Chin on Kansas City's most progressive business show, Bizz Buzz Live. Tune into KCXL 1140 AM (and the sister station 1160 AM). You can also listen online at www.bizzbuzzlive.com.

We have two portions to our show. The first hour has a business slant. We want to help everyone who wants to grow their business. We have business tips on how to get the most from your business, money saving tips, etc. The second hour is geared towards mortgage and real estate topics.

Every week we have featured guest that bring their knowledge and experience to the show. We have everything from financial planners, estate planners, carpet cleaning tips, home inspector & termite companies. This show features great tips & tricks and everything you need to know about those topics.

Tune in, and call in during our show for any questions you may have for our guest. (816) 792-1140 and for all your real estate needs visit www.kornteam.com

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

5 Biggest Mistakes Buyers Make, and How to Avoid Them!

Mistake #1: Buyers fail to get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a mortgage before they actually begin looking at properties. Buyers have greater flexibility in making offers and have a stronger negotiating position by getting this out of the way first.

Mistake #2: Buyers fail to look at full cost of home ownership. They need to sit down with qualified professional and be sure they are budgeting for property assessments, taxes, utilities, and maintenance. Buyers who calculate their cost ahead of time often get through their closing with fewer surprises.

Mistake #3: Many buyers don't start with a plan. Many times they are looking on internet and start driving around by themselves, unable to act quickly, or see the best homes before they are sold. The best homes are the best homes for a reason, and they sell FAST.

Mistake #4: When working with seller directly, or even through an agent be sure to get everything agreed to in writing. Miscommunication creates big problems at closing.

Mistake #5: Be present for final walk through. Make sure everything is the way it should be before you sign on the dotted line.

If you would like more detailed information about these tips, check out our Podcast. We provide monthly podcast tips to help with your real estate questions. Just go to www.kornteam.com and click on our Podcast banner. For more information you can also contact us directly at (816) 224-KORN (5676).

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Forclosures in Greater Kansas City

Forclosures in Kansas City are a growing topic. Forclosures happen when a home owner falls behind on their mortgage payments to the point that the bank worries that they may never get it caught up. At this point the bank will go through the many necessary hoops to forclose on the property.

Depending on the market conditions, many of these homes will sell at - or close to the full market value. If you are a seller going through a tough time and forclosure is a possibility...you owe it to yourself to know ALL your options. Contact a professional who can assess the fair market value. Selling to "We buy homes" type organizations could cost you the equity you have built up. Once you get your first notice, and it doesn't look like you can or will get caught up, you could recoup most of your equity, and still sell you home fast enough to keep a foreclosure off your credit.

For the full story on Forclosures in KC, contact The Korn Team at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or send us an email at brad@kornteam.com

Saturday, March 04, 2006

CLUE Reports: What are they and how do they affect your insurance and your ability to purchase a home?

We talked about CLUE reports in our previous Podcast on www.kornteam.com. A CLUE report comes from the Comprhensive Loss Underwriting Exchange and is used by the insurance industry. Basically a CLUE report lists all the insurance claims that have been filed against a property over the last 3-5 years. Depending on the number of Claims, an insurance underwriter may determine that a home is more or less risky to insure.

Some premiums go up after a CLUE report is evaluated by an underwriter and is something both buyers and sellers need to be aware of. The good news is that just because a property has had a lot of claims doesn't (necessarily) mean the new homeowners premiums will be higher. Most of the time those higher premiums follow the person who made the claim.

Although, there are time when a CLUE report can reveal a flaw in a home and be a greater risk for the new owners home insurance resulting in a higher premium. When you have an experienced team of agents representing you, they will help you determine issues such as these before it is too late.

If you would like to hear the full report about CLUE reports, visit www.kornteam.com and click on our monthly Podcast Report. The Clue Report was our February Podcast. Feel free to share this information with anyone you know who owns a home or is planning to buy or sell real estate in the near future.

To ensure you get an experience team looking out for your best interest, contact us directly at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or send us an email at info@kornteam.com

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Is this the right time of year to sell?

I would like to find out who started that rumor. The myth-understanding with this statement is not based on any factual data. I guess people just assume that because no one would want to move in the winter time, that the market slows down. The truth is, people move all year round. In fact, December is sometimes our busiest time of the year. Yes, it's true. We have sold more homes in December than in August, two out of the last 4 years.

This myth-understanding comes from statistics you have heard. The statistics from the National Board of Realtors shows that typically 50% of all homes that sell in the United States sell between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That is most likely because everyone likes to move when school is out.

Here is a fact you may not be aware of. Even though 50% of all homes sell during the summer months, there is a LOT more competition on the market. Everyone seems to wait for summer to sell. That creates more competition than normal and can sometimes result in lesser sales prices because the supply is larger than the demand.

Another fact is that people do move all year. By the time November comes, most of the summer seller's who overpriced their properties are beginning to expire (or come off the market). By December the inventory levels are much lower than they have been all year. Even though there may be fewer buyers in the marketplace, there are fewer homes to choose from. Supply and Demand seem to equal out, which makes for a great market. Buyer and Seller, BOTH, get a fair price for the property.

Summer buyers begin searching on the internet in November & December. They start the pre-approval process. If they get all their ducks in a row, they just might find the home of their dreams before summer get here. RESULT: Properties selling. In fact, February and March are very busy months for the real estate industry.

But, I must be honest for a moment. Much of the industry may be laying low during those winter months because they were taught the same as you...homes don't sell in the winter months. The Korn Team helped over 120 families in the Greater Kansas City area last year and we are here to tell you, "That just isn't so. People are moving every day of the year".

Our Instant Notification Program notifies buyers of homes daily as they become available. Our clients don't miss great bargains or dream homes because they can drive by properties as they become available, not just once a week or once a month. In fact, The Korn Team even provides a FREE home search tab on our website at www.wesellkansascity.com where buyers can save their searches.

Because we don't take the winter months off, our seller clients continue to get massive exposure until their property sells.

If you are planning to sell a home and would like more information about how we market our listings or to get a personalized consultation regarding the sale of your property don't hesitate to contact us for a FREE, no obligation, analysis of your situation. You can contact us at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or visit www.kornteam.com

If you are planning to buy a home an would like more information about our Instant Notification Program, just contact us at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or visit www.kornteam.com

Happy House Hunting and Selling!
Brad Korn
The Korn Team

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Top Agent Blog

The Kansas City market continues to be a great place for buyers and sellers. Have you heard of a Real Estate Bubble? Well, there is no bubbles close to the midwest. Home values are at a steady 3%-5% increase each year. There are some areas and neighborhoods that may be going up in value faster than that, but overall it is pretty steady.

Many real estate investors find Kansas City a great place to put their investment dollars. Multifamily and commercial properties are some of the best prices in the country. Also, our buy and hold investors find that this market in many cases offers rental rates that break even up to several hundred dollars a month in cash flow. Compared to other markets around the country where investors carry properties with no to negative cash flow, the Greater Kansas City area can offer some cush room.

You can search our FREE list of over 19,000 homes currently for sale in Greater Kansas City at www.kornteam.com. If someone would like more information about investment in commercial real estate or multi-family and apartment buildings, feel free to contact us directly and info@kornteam.com or by calling (816) 224-KORN (5676)

Brad Korn
Serving Greater Kansas City
www.kornteam.com

Monday, January 09, 2006

Now there is a site available for the Kansas City Homeowners and Homebuyers! You can come to this site to find out about Real Estate activity happening in and around the Greater Kansas City Market.

Kansas City continues to be a stable market for real estate. To stay informed with real estate updates and comments, be sure to register for this Blog to keep you up to date.

If you would like more information, feel free to contact me, Brad Korn. You can visit our website for all of our contact information at www.kornteam.com.

Thanks! Looking forward to blogging with the Kansas City area residents :)