12 Days of Christmas...or should we say
12 Reasons to SELL with The Korn Team During the Holidays!

We've been covering that twelve days of Christmas or have we been covering the twelve reasons to sell your house during the holidays? There are many reasons why you should sell your home now vs waiting till spring. Check out the following video clips. Remember, these tips are to help you, the home owner get the most equity possible when you do sell.

This is a recap of 12 reasons why selling your house during the holidays is the best thing you can do 

Reason #12: 

By selling your house during the holidays you give yourself the opportunity to buy your new house in a Spring market without worrying. When there are more houses on the market that will help drive prices down and when you sell your house during the holidays are able to come into that Spring Market as a non-contingent buyer. 

Reason #11

You can sell your house now and ask for a delayed closing or we can ask for an extended possession to take place next year.

Reason #10: 

When you're on the market during the holidays you can actually restrict your showings during the five, six or seven days on around the holidays. Rather than miss a buyer during this time of year, just put a restriction on a few days.

Reason #9: 

Traditionally, most new jobs start in January. What that means is buyers can't wait till Spring for their transfer. They are going to buy now, and you want ot be on the market for the brand new jobs in January.

Reason #8:

There are buyers that buy real estate for Tax Reasons. They have to do something before the end of the year.

Reason #7:

The reality is, people just have more time to look at homes during the holidays. They have more time off from  work  and they have family in town around the holidays. That gives them more time to go out looking at houses.

Reason #6: 

Buyers are more emotional during the Holiday and that will give you a better chance for them to fall in love with their dream home and that can get you more money for your property.

Reason #5:

The truth is homes show better during the Holiday Season. When you have your home decorated  and staged for the holidays it just shows better

Reason #4: 

This is one of my favorite reasons. There is just a lower supply of homes available. Economics 101 teaches us that when there is a low supply, prices go up and because there are less homes to see, and they are planning a move, there is a better chance your house will get picked and they might pay more for it as well.

Reason #3: 

Because there is a lower supply of homes available, the buyers our looking during the holidays will be more serious buyers.

Reason #2: 

If they are looking at homes during the Holidays they ARE serious buyers. You will get more serious buyers and not very many (if any) tire kickers and decorating idea-getters.

Reason #1: 

The Korn Team has been selling real estate for over 22 years and have sold over 2,000 homes. During the Holiday Season from 1997 to 2013, the Korn Team has sold 230 Listings (not buyer sales) that we were marketing during the months of November to March. That is about 15 homes sold in the Holiday Season every year for the past 16 years! Buyers are buying homes during the Holidays, and the Korn Team is helping Seller's take advantage of the lower inventory, more motivated buyers and putting more equity in their pocket. Contact the Korn Team today to find out how you can sell your property for TOP Dollar and even get your new home at an incredible value. You can find all our contact information at www.kornteam.com or contact us directly at 816-224-KORN (5676) for a FREE, no cost, no obligation Broker's price opinion and marketing strategy for your property.

Happy Holidays from The Korn Team

We sincerely appreciate everyone that has entrusted us with their biggest asset (their Equity).

Brad & Sonya Korn, Danielle and Ellen

www.kornteam.com

brad@kornteam.com

(816) 224-KORN (5676)

5 Reasons to Sell Now: Reason #1: High Demand

Five Reasons You Want to List Your Property TODAY!

 

There is High Demand Right Now

 

You have seen in and heard it in the news. The real estate market is "picking up" and it is "busy out there". That is true! One thing The Korn Team discusses with their seller clients is that Real Esate is really just Economics 101. Remember when you learned about Supply & Demand? That is what Realtors like Brad Korn are sharing with his clients in the Greater Kansas City areas of Blue Springs, Lee's Summit & Independence Missouri.

 

 

 

the fact is since 2007 more and more homes have been selling at an increasing rate. In fact, in July of 2007 The Korn Team at Keller Williams Realty broke an all time record for most properties sold in their office in one month. Brad & his team sold and closed 25 transactions in just one month. That was a sign that the inventory levels of homes for sale were beginning to shrink. When we all learned about supply and demand, we learned that when supply is low and demand is high, prices will rise. From the end of 2005 through 2007 the supply of homes was increasing. It took until 2007 for buyers to realize that the interest rates were incredible low and the inventory levels were high enough that we were seeing some great "deals". What we also learned in Econ 101 in the Supply/Demand class was when you have a large supply and low demand prices begin to fall.

 

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released the Existing Home Sales Report and they found the year end sales for 2012 had increased by 9.2% over 2011 sales. The Korn Team is are selling an average of 10 homes each month. That equates to an average of 100 properties each year for the past 10 years and over 1,500 properties in our 20+ years of selling real estate. Brad & his team have helped our clients take advantage of the current market condition by getting more exposure to a seller's home. When we get more exposure than anyone else, The Korn Team helps their home owners get their property sold faster and in some cases, when positioned properly in the market, you can get multiple offers on your property.

 

Interpreting the market is where we help you best. We can give you a no cost, no obligation Broker price opinion on you property and let you know what costs you will have as a seller to see if selling now makes sense for you. You can contacts us directly to schedule a convenient time to meet at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or send us an email at brad@kornteam.com or from our website at http://thekornteam.yourkwagent.com/atj/user/SellerFormGetAction.do

 

We look forward to working with you when you are ready to sell.

 

Brad Korn & The Korn Team

www.kornteam.com

Maximize Wealth Building Strategy thru Real Estate

Some of the strategies discussed in the book HOLD by Gary Keller on
how to get started to
maximizing your wealth building strategy
through real estate are:

• Use your 401(k) to purchase rental property
• Refinance to invest
• Ask grandparents to buy rental properties for grandchildren
• Examine and reduce your expenses
• Live on a budget below your means

Some Financing strategies include:

• Purchase properties with a 15-year mortgage
• Accelerate your debt pay down - regardless of your mortgage length (paying extra when you can)
• Use interest-only loans for cash flow
• Take advantage of self-directed IRA's and buy real estate rentals

What types of properties work best according to the book HOLD?

• Investment in single-family homes
• Buy "fixer-uppers" and make improvements
• Sell one property and buy two others
• Buy your retirement home now - have your tenant pay it off
• Exchange out-of-state investments for properties in a stronger growth area
• Use lease purchases - increase cash flow
• Buy foreclosures and short sales for instant equity

Let The Korn Team help you get started and take action. We have 13 questions you should answer before you get started on your real estate wealth building plan.

Get the 13 Questions you should ask yourself and know before you begin investing
registering is FREE, just complete your information and click "SUBMIT" and we will send you the questions

Investing in Real Estate Could Be
(even in these market conditions)
a GREAT wealth building tool.

 

Here are some strategies that are shared in the book "HOLD" written by Gary Keller

The Power of Leverage

Leverage is using other people's money (banks, mortgage companies, and owner financiers) to make money. Leverage multiplies your profit.

The Power of Leverage in real estate investments: Equity Build up

1. At the time a property is purchased you are at Market Value - little equity, little investment (20% down) and a lot of debt.
2. After some time, your Equity begins to grow. Your investment is still the same at time of purchase, and your debt is going down.
3. The equity begins to build while the debt is going down
4. eventually, when you have paid off the mortgage, your market value has gone up, your debt is gone, and all you have left is equity in a property that is worth more than it was when you bought it, and your investment never changed.

Contact The Korn Team if you would like to see the graphic of what this looks like. Remember, it is about doing it RIGHT!

• Buy it RIGHT!
• Pay it down
• Pay it off

Click Here to Find Your Propportunity (property opportunity) Now

Why is building wealth with real estate right for you?

If you are looking for financial security, retirement plans, pay for college for kids, travel fund, giving to others in need or if you want to leave a legacy to your friends, family and those who know you....real estate can be one of the best sources of wealth building in America...even in the roughest economies we have had. In fact, real estate might be the safest investment in any of the past economies we have ever seen.

Did you know:

• 58% of people have not determined their retirement needs?
• 15% of people are earning $50,000-plus in retirement?
• 17.5% of people 65 or older are delaying retirement?
• The median household income is only $50,000 per year

What does all this mean? If someone needs $80,000 a year today to maintain a lifestyle, and that person plans to retire in 15 years, and we know inflation will continue to increase on an average of 3% per year....that person would need $120,000 a year when they retire.

Other scary statistics about retirement plans:

• 87% of Americans rely on Social Security for some source of retirement
• 53% of Americans rely on income from assets for retirement
• 42% of Americans rely on public or private pensions for retirement
• 26% of Americans rely on earnings for retirement

Click Here to Find Your Propportunity (property opportunity) Now

Building Wealth Secrets in Newest Book HOLD

Founder of Keller Williams Real Esate, Gary Keller has finished the book series for all Real Estate Agents, Investors AND anyone that wants to build their wealth! His newest book "HOLD" shares how real estate is one of the best sources for wealth building in America. If you are wanting to seriously build your wealth as fast as possible with the highest amount of security, contacts The Korn Team to find out how we can turn your investment portfolio into a retirement program or even pay for college for your grandchildren, nieces, nephews and/or your children.

The book HOLD will distinguish the myths and exciting truths of investing in real estate. In this book we will show you how real estate is the right wealth building vehicle for you. The great thing about his book is many have taken this road to wealth building (which you can read their stories in the book "The Millionaire Real Estate Investor" by Gary Keller) and our real estate team can help you learn from their success's...and avoid their mistakes! Lastly, this book will share with you the strategies to get started.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Myths and Truths of investing in Real Estate:

• MYTH: You have to have money to make money
• MYTH: Real Estate is a get-rich-quick scheme
• MYTH: It's not the right time
• MYTH: It's too complicated
• MYTH: I don't have time
• MYTH: It's too much work fixing leaky faucets, running toilets
• MYTH: Tenants just wreck the property

The Truths about Real Estate Investing? (the most "Able" investment)

• TRUTH: Accessible
• TRUTH: Appreciable
• TRUTH: Leverage-able
• TRUTH: Rentable
• TRUTH: Improvable
• TRUTH: Deductible, Depreciable, Deferrable
• TRUTH: Stable
• TRUTH: Livable

Other Advantages of Real Estate Investments

• Cash Flow - passive income
• Long-term debt at fixed rates don't have to sell to generate cash
• Assume older loans Click Here to Find Your Propportunity (property opportunity) Now

Find out more information that will be covered in Gary Keller's newest and final book of the investors trilogy "HOLD" by visiting The Korn Team's Investor Success Page

HOME SALES TAX
How will you vote?

Here is a recent email I received asking everyone to send to everyone they know. I thought this would be a great topic for our blog: (I have added a more clear understanding of what this means for Kansas City homeowners just below this original email)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kenneth Thompson & I received it from Jerry Stots
Date: Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 2:23 PM

I thought you might find this interesting, -- maybe even SICKENING!

The National Association of Realtors is all over this and working to get it repealed, -- before it takes effect.  But, I am very pleased we aren't the only ones who know about this ploy to steal billions from unsuspecting homeowners.  How many realtors do you think will vote Democratic in 2012?

Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8% sales tax on it?  That's $3,800 on a $100,000 home, etc.  When did this happen?  It's in the health care bill, -- and it goes into effect in 2013.  Why 2013?  Could it be so that it doesn’t come to light until after the 2012 elections?  So, this is ‘change you can believe in’?

Under the new health care bill all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% sales tax.

If you sell a $400,000 home, there will be a $15,200 tax.  This bill is set to screw the retiring generation, -- who often downsize their homes.  Does this make your November, 2012 vote more important?

Oh, you weren't aware that this was in the ObamaCare bill?  Guess what; you aren't alone!  There are more than a few members of Congress that weren't aware of it either.

You can check this out for yourself at:

http://www.gop.gov/blog/10/04/08/obamacare-flatlines-obamacare-taxes-home

I hope you forward this to every single person in your address book.

VOTERS NEED TO KNOW.
_________________________________________

It's HERE! NAR, MAR (Missouri Assoc of Realtors) and a some of the local Realtors have been fighting it off for years. Does your Realtor go to Jefferson City to help get support for homeowners rights? Do they respond to the requests from our Missouri Lobbyist to get the word out to our Congressment and Senators? Unfortunately only about 10%-15% do.

Something similar to this happened  7-8 years ago when they passed the law that real estate sale prices would be public knowledge. That meant that every sale from 7-8 yrs ago became the new tax assessed value. Did you notice 7 years ago that your taxes started to climb drastically? The reason is they tried to slip this law inside another bill. A handful of local Real Estate agents were in the chambers to fight this one off. They delayed the passing of the law because there was so much controversy. Then, while we were all in Jefferson City protecting the rights of homeowners by visiting with your Senators and Congressmen to help them understand what some of the new laws would do to Missouri homeowners, they put that vote back on the docket and passed it without any opposition. Result? Our local property tax values were about 20% under the current real estate value, and our property taxes began to climb.

The reality of this law passing? This has already been happening in many other states for years. Other states around the country have been paying a 1% (most common) and I have heard of some as high as 2% tax on all sale prices. It is not new, just new to us. We have expected it to work it’s way through after many many years of fighting it off for KC homeowners. The Missouri Association of Realtors has one of the BEST lobbyist on the planet and Sam (our lobbyist) has done an incredible job of helping us protect local homeowners rights AND getting MO Congressmen & House Rep’s to support the homeowners rights. We did expect that something around the 1% to 2% sales tax would continue to work it’s way through the system.

So what is the result? The truth is, this will NOT be something fun to pay and it is going to affect equity (somewhat) if it is passed. We could lose one year appreciation on our property values every time we buy a home or piece of property AND if you hire a Realtor that sells more than one to two properties each month, and rely on someone helping regular home owners get 2-4% higher sale prices because they sell 6-10 properties each month, and know how to help homeowners get more equity then this law may not affect you as much.

Because our appreciation in the past has been very solid around 3-5% appreciation each year up until the end of 2005, that 3.8% sales tax is basically one year of appreciation out the window. In a normal market where we are appreciating, that just means you won’t be able to move every 3-5 years like most Kansas Citians would do, it means you will just move every 4-6 years. This is what has happened lately. In our current market conditions, mostly our market has been flat. If there was any depreciation, it has mostly been in homes priced over $225,000 in Missouri, and homes over $300k in Kansas. That means there has been no appreciation for the past 6-7 years and most people have now been in their homes for 7-10 years. I wanted to thank Jerry for forwarding this email to me because it really makes us all look at your voting decisions more seriously, and even though you may be in complete favor of a new law, especially when it is for schools, etc. you  may be passing another law, buried inside that one, that will cost you thousands of dollars.

If you would like to find out more about how this law would affect you and the value of your property, don’t hesitate to give The Korn Team a call. We have been helping and average of over 100  home owners and home buyers, per year for the past 7 years, take advantage of the current market  conditions. You can call us directly at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or visit our website at www.kornteam.com to get our email or mailing address. Vote wisely this election year and make sure that when you vote in support for something you are passionate about, that you are not voting for something else you absolutely do not support.

an interview with Brad Korn of The Korn Team, Keller Williams Real Estate:
The episode you were on aired in 2009, if you recorded the show for the same house now, what things would be different when considering what the home was worth?

I would truly have to look at how many sales have happened in the past 12 months and compare that to how many are for sale. If there are twice as many homes for sale vs what sold, then they are going to have to get VERY competitive on their price and stay around the #4-#6 position if there are 10 homes for sale. On the other hand, if there are only a couple homes for sale in that neighborhood and 10 have sold, we are seeing a HIGH DEMAND for that neighborhood, and we can command more in the asking price. Low supply, High demand gets higher price. High Supply, Low demand causes prices to drop.

Your home value is completely determined by the amount of Suppy & Demand. Don't just take someone's word that your house is worth $XXX,XXX, in fact if someone every tells you your home is worth more than you thought it was...grab a real estate contract, hand them a pen, and ask, "So, you will buy it for that right now?"  Get an honest opinion on the value of a property by conacting The Korn Team at (816) 224-KORN (5676)  or visit our website at www.kornteam.com and we can schedule a convenient, no cost, no obligation Broker's price opinion on how you can take advantage of your current neighborhood conditions.

an interview with Brad Korn of The Korn Team, Keller Williams Real Estate:
You were featured in an episode of "My House is Worth What?" On HGTV. What were the major factors you considered when deciding on the value of the home?

To determine the true market value we look at 3 different reports from the MLS. Where we are different from most Realtors, is we don’t find 3 comparable homes that are for sale, and 3 that sold. When you use that appraiser type method you are picking the 3 homes YOU feel is most like. Appraisers have a contract price in front of them when they do an appraisal. They are hired to help the bank determine if they should loan this amount to the buyer. When an appraiser finds 3 comparable homes, that average the sale price, they are letting the bank know that 3 other homes did average around this price. Where we get in trouble is if everyone is always using the 3 highest sales. Anyone can justify a price…but what are the true buying patterns of the buyers in the market place. The appraiser method isn't wrong, it just does not take into consideration ALL the supply and ALL the demand. To prove the point, if you use 10 different appraisers and give them 10 slightly different sale prices on a property, it would be rare to see all 10 use the same three comparables. They are using their opinion. The best opinion to determine the price of a property is a true buyer (not being sold by an overly aggressive sales person) that looked at 10 similar properties and see what they say the fair value is compared to all the homes they saw.

Here is another thought about why prices are different. Some agents (and even appraisers) might include a foreclosure in the neighborhood into their evaluation. Here is where that might not be a valid comp. If a homeowner is not in a distressed situation think of this scenario: If a neighborhood had 10 regular, non-distressed closed sales and 2 foreclosures sold, do you think the values are dropping in that neighborhood? It appears that a more significant number of regular sales are happening than foreclosures. If you are getting the value of your property from someone that uses the lowest price and the highest price and calculates an average price…that average is skewed and is actually lower than the true average. Can you see how IF the subject property is a regular sale and there are significantly more regular sales..why wouldn't you only use the average of the regular sales (if there were only 1 or 2 foreclosures)? The typical buyers out there in the market place right now, do not see values dropping in that neighborhood because of a couple foreclosures. The sale prices show the actual buying consumers are still paying regular price. The flip side is, if there are 10 foreclosures and 2 regular, non-distressed sales, then what buyer in the marketplace is going to want to buy in a depressed neighborhood when they are comparing that neighborhood to 10 other neighborhoods that may have more “regular” sales.

It is truly all about Supply & Demand! Remember that class in high school everyone hated…ECON 101? Guess what, that is what real estate is. If there are 10 homes on the market and a homeowner wants (or needs to be) priced at the #10 spot on that list that would make them the MOST expensive home on the market. In a FLAT or Depreciating market, that overpriced listing will make #1-#5 look like a really great deal! That is when I would advise a homeowner to not sink any more money into the property. It is already  going to sell for less than they want, so why lose more money? Each property and each day brings a new set of circumstances therefore you truly want someone knowledgeable in this aspect of valuing property to help you determine what the market will bear.

The best value for spending money on a home is adding square footage or adding a bedroom. Believe it, or not, adding a bathroom is truly not going to add more to your sale price (UNLESS you are going from one bath to get 2 baths in your property). Think about it…do you really think a buyer will pay $5,000 more for a home that has 2 ½ baths vs 3 baths? When they compare the two…they may make the offer on the home with 3 baths, but they will offer the price they would have paid for the 2 ½ bath home.

See more about our HGTV episode at www.kornteam.com

interview with Brad Korn, The Korn Team, Keller Williams:
What trend do you see when it comes to individuals house hunting? Are more people looking for new builds or homes in established neighborhoods?

They are looking for BEST VALUE! Buyers typically look at 10 homes before they make a decision. In today’s market they might even look at 20 homes. Remember, as I said in the nicest home comment…buyers are comparing a property to 5-10-20 other homes. The nicest home can only sell for the top dollar if it wre the ONLY home for sale. A Seller typically gets bad advice from the everyday, average Realtor that is pricing in negotiating room. Again, this only works if you property is the ONLY home on the market. When a seller puts negotiating room into a price, then the other house on the market that is now priced properly TAKES THEIR BUYER! When seller’s say, “well, they can make us an offer” the reason they don’t get the offer is because they just made their competition look like a better deal AND the buyer made the offer on the better deal…not the overpriced listing.

The Korn Team has one of the most aggressive marketing plans in the country! While others are cutting marketing out, we continue to do the things that help our clients get 1-4% higher sale prices over almost all of our competition. Don't trust your equity with just anyone. Contact The Korn Team today at (816) 215-KORN (5676) or visit our website at www.kornteam.com to see how our marketing plan can help you find more buyers and get more exposure to your property. Our marketing plan has proven to help us average over 100 sales each year for the past 7 years.

interview with Brad Korn, The Korn Team, Keller Williams:
What advice would you give to individuals trying to sell an older home in this market?
 

Before you spend a lot of money, we need to truly evaluate the “return on investment” in any money being spent just to sell. An older home can look and compete if the seller first does some easy things without spending money. The main thing is to STAGE the house. When The Korn Team says “stage” we mean pack up everything! Well, really our general rule of thumb is no more than 1-2 things on every wall, shelf, flat surface, etc. AND there are 2 rules that go along with that. #1- no personal or family photos anywhere. #2) nothing sitting out that reminds the buyer they are in someone’s home. Buyers are uncomfortable ‘snooping’ through a total strangers’ home. Put the daily things you need, coffee pots, toasters, toothbrushes in the cabinet. Heck, just pack everything up that you don’t need for the next 30-60 days and put the daily needs in the cabinets. You are moving, right?

Don't just trust anyone with your equity. National Board of Realtors track that the average agent only sells 4-6 properties per year. Unfortunately, many Realtors don't sell enough houses each month to truly help home owners take advantage of a market or give you the real true advice you need to hear. The Korn Team has average around 100 sales per year for the past 7 years. We know what it takes to get the most equity out of a market. You can get a free, no obligation evaluation by contacting us at (816) 224-KORN (56756) or visit our website at www.kornteam.com. We can schedule a convenient time to meet and evaluate how your home will compete in today's market.

interview with Brad Korn, The Korn Team, Keller Williams:
How do you feel being the nicest home in the neighborhood affects the ability for the home to sell?

My normal response in a market like this is that “you do not want to be the castle in the neighborhood” and therefore if someone ‘TRULY’ has the nicest house in the neighborhood, they need to realize that is not going to help them. The only way this can help is if they were the only house for sale…or there is very low inventory AND everyone currently on the market is way overpriced. Remember, it is truly about Suppy & Demand…NOT 3 most-like comparable sales. Let me explain. If you have 12 homes for sale, and use the 3 highest sales as comps…we can justify why someone would price higher, but what about the true read on the market that there are 9 more sales lower.

We help a seller with the nicest home in the neighborhood realize that they are going to get just a little bit more than the other homes if they have incredible updates, however, hopefully they have some enjoyment value from living in an incredible house.

If you feel your home is one of the nicest homes in a neighborhood, be sure you contact The Korn Team at (816) 224-KORN (5676 or visit our website and reach us at www.kornteam.com. We can help you determine if you can put more equity in your pocket. Do not list with anyone else until you have met with us. Our meeting is not a sales pitch..it is an evaluation of your currrent situation and we help over 100 home owners and home buyers get the most out of these market conditions every year.

October Real Estate Update as we enter the 4th Quarter of the Year

This is a National perspective from our friend Terri Murphy who shared this information with us in a recent podcast on tips for sellers. She mentioned there are some interesting changes on the home sales front. Existing home sales INCREASED in August even though we are still impacted by tighter credit and appraisal issues. Add to that the regional disruptions by Hurricane Irene, NAR reports that we actually saw monthly gains in all regions. Total sales that included single family, townhomes, condo’s and co-ops rose 7.7 percent and are 18.6 percent higher than August of 2010.


Terri also shared that when we look at PENDING home sales, we see a slightly different picture. The numbers for properties that are pending, but not closed slipped a bit in August, but are higher than a year ago according to the same report by the National Association of Realtors. There are some positive market fundamentals. And the NAR chief economist says they may be the result of sales that were delayed in the preceding months. But we still enjoy great low rates for favorable affordability. And Joe, we see a rise in rent which of course motivates more buyers and investors to absorb foreclosed properties.

So with great low rates, and good pricing and high motivation, it’s a great time to buy and sell. But we do know that properties that are staged sell faster and for more money. The Korn Team has had a record summer selling properties in the Greater Kansas City area. They are helping seller's stage their homes to get top dollar given the current market conditions.

In the past 2 months, the Korn Team actually helped 2 seller's sell their property (in the 300k price range) who had been on the market for 6 months and the other, 1 year. We simply helped them restage their property, put a better marketing plan in place, and sold them both in under 30 days. That is after they had been on the market with not much activity. There really is no reason your showings should be slow, or that you should be on the market for 6 months. Let us help you show you how to position yourself in the market to be one of the next properties to sell and stage your home so you can win the buyers over when they see you home. You can schedule a one-on-one marketing evaluation strategy plan for your property by giving us a call at 816-224-KORN (5676) and if you would like to hear our latest podcast on staging tips, visit http://www.kornteam.com/ and click on our podcast icon on the left side of our webpage.

Do You Rely on a Computer
to Give You the Value of Your Home?

I recently received a request from a gentleman that would like to move. He visited some sites to see what the value of his home would be. He contacted The Korn Team because we have been endorsed by national radio personalities on their programs and we sell over 100 properties throughout the KC area in both Missouri and Kansas. We also have a team and sell in Lincoln, NE.

This property was located in a small rural community just about 30 minutes south of the Greater Kansas City area on the MO side in Cass County. One site he may have relied on lead him to believe his home could be valued at clost to $150,000. As you can see from an indepth market review through our MLS and even looking outside of his community and using data from the entire County...There are only a few homes that sold higher than 70k....and the absolute most expensive property that did sell and close in the past 8 months was for 122k.

The tax assessed value on this home is $67,840. As a professional we do not rely on computer systems, let alone the tax assessed value, by itself. We must truly evaluate what is the demand for properties in the area under the current market conditions. Once we determine what the actual sale prices have been, then we can determine how much competition we have at that price...what is currently for sale. Does that sale price postition you as one of the cheapest homes on the market? In my experience after evaluating thousands of homes...yes it does. SO, be careful!!!! You may underprice your property if your supply is low and every other seller is underpricing thier properties. In that case, you might be able to position slightly higher and get more out of the market than you are supposed to.

On the other hand, if the supply is high, and there is a 1-2+ year supply of homes on the market, and they are priced low, you must position yourself competitively...wether you like that price or not (of course that is if you must sell your property or home).

The Korn Team, Keller Williams Eastland Partners can help you determine where you should be positioned in the market to get the most money, in the shortest amount of time. Don't Take ANY chances when considering selling your home. Too many people out there may tell you want you WANT to hear. The great news is not only will The Korn Team be honest with you, but if you made a great investment, we may tell you what you want to hear as well. Remember, you have worked hard to protect your equity. You owe it to your self to make sure you get professional advice from someone that sells a lot of real estate AND can properly help you intrepret the market. Visit our site at http://www.kornteam.com/ to see how we market properties, tell us you are thinking of selling, or if you want to shop our list of over 19,000 homes currently for sale in the Greater KC area. You may also contact us directly at 816-224-KORN (5676) or email us at brad@kornteam.com

Low Interest Rates and Strong Housing Inventory Provide Opportunity and Promise for Summer Home Buyers

Mortgage rates recently dropped to all time lows with conventional 30 year fixed rates approaching the 4.99% range in April of this year. It must be working because mortgage applications rose 1.1%. The Credit Unions are jumping into the mortgage game as well. They have been able to get customers with slightly higher credit ratios into a loan. There are typically low costs to join credit unions and many times that local connection is a nice touch.

So, not only is it possible to get a loan right now, with summer here there is a lot favoring buyers right now. We have all heard the saying, more homes sell between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The reality to that statement is that the most amount of homes to chose from are available during those times. With increased competition, that can help a buyer find more homes that meet most of your needs and wants. We typically advise buyers in this market that instead of getting 5-6 of the things you want in a home (during a fast selling market with low inventory) you can get 8-9 of the things you want when there is a lot of homes for sale. There is just more to choose from.

It is important if you truly want to take advantage of this market that you do several things. First, identify your preferred area. We can help you put together a checklist of what areas to look for and how to ensure you know about properties as they become available. Second, (and probably most important) is to get your finances in order. If you truly want to take advantage of a great deal this summer we can show you how this one step can be the difference between buying your dream home AND getting a great deal OR losing out on that home. Losing the right property to another buyer can be avoided if you are pre-approved.

Just those two points validate that using an experienced agent to negotiate the best price and guide buyers through the inspection and to closing is so important when someone is dealing with one of the biggest purchases in their lifetime...a home. Plus, buying a home should be fun and exciting. This is not the transaction where you want to give that up by using an agent that only sells 4-10 homes a year. When you find an agent or team that sells 100 homes a year, there are going to have 10 times the experience and most likely have systems in place to make the home buying process and enjoyable as possible.

You can hear more about this topic by visiting our Korn Team Podcast at http://goo.gl/t9fas and if you would like to start you home buying experience visit http://www.kornteam.com/ where you can search our list of over 20,000 homes currently for sale in the greater Kansas City area. You can call us directly at 816-224-KORN (5676)

Will Sell Your House for FREE!!!

We just had a call from a potential client that has an upper bracket home to sell. Since we met and discussed the marketing program The Korn Team uses to get homes sold, the owner received some enticing offers from other Realtors. We showed the homeowner how we are getting more exposure to our clients properties which means more people see our clients homes AND because more people see our homes, our clients are reaping the benefits of 3-4% more equity than our competitors in the same marketplace.

You see, 90% of all agents truly do not spend any more money than they have to to get more exposure to a property. National Association of Realtors states that the average agent is selling 4-6 properties each year. That is only one sale every 2 months. There just is not enough margin in Real Estate to make a decent living AND have money to spend on marketing. Now, the reality is that most full time agents might be selling 12-20 homes each year. If half of those are buyers, that means they are helping only 6-10 sellers sell their home each year. Again, that is only 1 sale every couple months. It is truly hard to get the experience and become the BEST if you are only doing something once or twice a month.

As a home owner, your equity can disappear quickly...and it disappears by the THOUSANDS!!! Contracts don't get negotiated for a couple hundred here, couple hundred there...it is a Thousand here AND a Thousand there...

So, what was the enticing offer?
After talking, this homeowner mentioned that a Realtor from their church had offered to sell their home for FREE! Wow, really, free is awesome....if the Realtor will get the house sold, and get them the most money. I asked, my soon to be new seller client, who was the agent? Let's see if they have sold a lot of properties. The home owner did mention that this was a pretty successful agent and had seen their stuff around quite a bit, and knew them from church or school (can't remember which they said). I had heard of the agent before so I they have probably been selling real estate for a little while. When I pulled up the sales from the Multiple Listing service, we found that in the past 14 months, this realtor had only sold FOUR homes (that were listings). "Is that really who you want helping you sell your upper bracket home?", I asked.

When a home owner is hiring someone to sell their property, you think you would want someone that sells a LOT of homes. Not just homes (because that could be a lot of buyers), but homes they were marketing to sell. I even went back over the past 26 months and this agent sold 7 listings (14 total sales including buyers). That is a home every 2 months. The Korn Team in that same time frame had sold and closed 100 properties (not counting the buyers we have helped buy homes) and averaged between 97%-98% of our clients' asking price. That was just the signs we put in yards and marketed to sell. FREE sounded great, however, when you think about it...who really can market your property to get you top dollar and do it for free? If anything, you will be leaving equity on the table because all the marketing that needs to be done can get done for free. It costs money to make money.

In today's market (and truly, even in great markets) we have watched home owners sell homes fast in hot markets and we have seen homes sit on the market with no activity....Our homes get shown because our marketing definitely gets our listings in front of more potential buyers. We get our properties sold faster and for more money because we find buyers other typical agents may miss. Brad always says, "if you get more eyeballs on the property, you will get more for the proeperty and sell it for the most the market will bear."

Don't take ANY chances with your equity. There hasn't been much in the past few years, and every thousands of dollars in equity you have in your property is yours to get. You just have to have someone that is not afraid to spend money and focus on marketing that will get you the most exposure possible for your property. It costs nothing to meet with The Korn Team and it might make you THOUSANDS!

Take your interview process very seriously. There are so many things you need to be aware of when considering marketing your home or property.

You can see how the Korn Team markets properties at http://www.kornteam.com/ and click on featured properties. We take over 100-150 photos of our listings. We use wide angle lens and photo software to show our properties off. We have virutual tours, best positioning for print media, upgraded websites on the real estate sites that matter and we have 24/7 marketing for our clients where buyers can get information about the property. More exposure means more equity. Call The Korn Team today for your free, no obligation market evaluation. You can find us online or call directly at 816-224-KORN (5676)

The Korn Team
http://www.kornteam.com/
(816) 224-KORN (5676)

Now is the time
Mortgage Interest rates are at ALL TIME low's
and they will not be there forever.

What were the interest rates in the 1980's? Did you know they were actually around 13% when I got into Real Estate 20 Years ago? today the average rate on a thirty year mortgage is as low as 4.36% as of August 2010. That is lower than mortgage rates have ben in the past 50 years. Home mortgage interest rates for the same time last year were averaging 5.19%. Did you know that is a difference of $90 per month on a $200k home with 10% down. Also, when that rate drops from 5.19% to 4.36% that is a savings of $32,460 over the life of the loan. If you would like to find out how you could save almost $100/month in your mortgage payment and put another $32k towards your retirement, contact us at http://www.kornteam.com/ either by phone, email or text and we will send you a free copy of our ebook explaining why NOW is the best time to buy real estate and move into your next home. (816) 224-KORN (5676)

Buyers Have an Edge in this Market:

Cheif Economist from NAR (National Association of Realtors), Lawrence Yun released information stating that buyer this year have gotten great deals. He also went on to say that buyers will have an edge over sellers for the remainder of this year. Because mortgage rates are still at rock bottom, buyers affordability will be reaching all time highs. The low rates were helped partly by the Fed's very accomodative monetary policy. Contact The Korn Team if you would like a free ebook explaining why now is the prime time to buy a home. You can reach us at 816-224-KORN (5676) or visit our website at http://www.kornteam.com/ for more infomation about the Kansas City Real Estate market.

It's Prime Time to Buy a Home!

I was just reading some great information in a new ebook called "7 Reasons Why Now Is a Great Time to Buy a Home!" Just when we start to believe the real estate marketing is not doing well, I found a book that really tells it like it is. This book is filled with true, real, exciting information to help buyers take advantage of this incredible opportunity in our market right now. Over the next several weeks I will be sharing some of the information in our Kansas City Real Estate Update Blog. If you would like a free copy of this ebook, don't hesitate to contact our office directly. We will make arrangements to get you a copy right away. The Korn Team & Brad Korn have over 20 years of experience and combined with the information in this ebook we could help you truly take advantage of the current market conditions.

Tips for Selling Home In Todays Market

Establishing the correct sales price for your home in the most important step.

If you are trying to sell your property yourself, you will want to make several phone calls. Keep in mind that as a consumer most pricing is based on what is for sale, not what has actually sold and closed. Therefore you may be pricing your property incorrectly.

When determining what the asking prices are for similar homes in your area, be sure to ask how long they have been for sale. The tricky part, when doing it yourself is to find out what the actual sale prices have been. You can get this information from a Realtor who will bring you a 'market analysis' or in some areas called a 'comparable sale report'. Many Realtors should provide this information, however along with that come the sales pitch as well. The Korn Team provides Kansas City Home Owners with this information to help you get a clear understanding between the difference of what is for sale, and what homes are sold. This information will help you develop a strategy to not overprice your property, but take advantage of the current market to get the most equity from your property.

Overpricing your property up front can end up costing you time, money and potentially, lost opportunities for a buyer. The laws of Supply & Demand will continue to keep the Kansas City Real Estate market in check. You can determine the buying patterns of the current buyers in your market by reviewing the actual sales, not what is for sale.

The Korn Team, Keller Williams Eastland Parnters office in Blue Springs / Independence (servicing all of Eastern Jackson County) offers a no cost, no obligation Broker's Price Opinion for any property. Our data will show you what has sold in your area, and what similar properties have sold for. We will then help you determine where that would position you in the current market to get the most activity and highest price the market will bear.

Korn Team on NBC Action News

We just posted a story about Seller's offering incentives to get their property sold. In August, a story aired on NBC Action News in Kansas City about one home owner selling their home and offering an incentive....their car! The car was a 1997 Honda Accord and had 75k miles. They had signs on the street advertising a free car.

NBC News Action Reporter Lisa Benson called me, on my way to my high school reunion. They wanted to air the story that evening at 10pm and wanted to come meet me in the parking lot while I was at my reunion. I posted some more information about the story at http://kcpropertiesforsale.blogspot.com/ where you can read more about our comments on offering incentives, and see the full interview.

If you are thinking of selling in this market, be sure to give us a call. The Korn Team sells over 100 homes each year (even in this market) and we can show you how to take advantage of the current market conditions and get the most equity possible from this market. If you are selling your home yourself, and trying to get creative ideas, give us a call. We can share with you what is helping us get more exposure to our properties and how we are getting 97%-98% of our Seller Clients asking price at the time we get them an offer.

You can reach The Korn Team at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or visit our website at www.kornteam.com

Sell Your Home without "Being There"

Here is an example of how to really Sell your Home without giving away the farm.

There were 5 Tips on GMA today. I am not sure where Tip #5 came from, and thought GMA might want to have some caution with that statement.

I have been selling for over 19 year. It was a great point that the Home Owner can sell the property better, however, home owners also can come across as desperate and commit to fixing things they may not have to, to get a sale. They are excited about their home, and they become overly excited when a buyer comes through the property. The caution is to not over-sell and appear to be desperate. They may have 10 buyers through before they find one that is willing to pay their price. Unfortunately, if the home owner is home, and with the buyer...they will really try to "SELL" it by the 2nd or 3rd buyer and may "give the farm away" to get that buyer to make them an offer.

I realized this from the moment I came into the real estate industry. There is truly not a lot of "marketing" happening.

We create an increadible brochure for every one of our clients. Not just a flyer or an MLS sheet....but a booklet with interior photos, utilities, plat map, room sizes, and most importantly, our TOP TEN Lists which the seller puts together a list of the Top 10 things they LOVE about thier home and the community. They also make a list of all the updates, inside and out, they have done to the property. We also have had them write a paragraph about what they love about living there. These are the tings that can accomplish #5) Be There, without giving away the farm.

Here is an example of what our Brochures Look like.

Top 5 Tips on Good Morning America:

Gary Keller Gave some great Tips and comments on insider information to get your property sold. The big ones were 1)Price to Sell....don't try to make a profit (doesn't mean you can't have your equity). The message is to price just below the last comprable sale, so you will be one of the next homes to sell. 2)Stagging. This is SO important in the current market conditions. As Gary mentioned...Price will get interest. Stagging with get Offers!

One caution that GMA posted was Tip #5) Be There. Here is the thing you must be extremely cautious about. GMA stated that you can sell your home better than anyone. The thing to be extremely cautious about is that your urgency to sell will come through. You may also give hints to the buyer that you will fix and replace things or they may percieve you are desperate to sell when in reality, you are just excited about your home. The Korn Team has been helping our clients accomplish the "Be There" advantage...without physically being there. We can show you how to sell your home and get the buyers focused on all the positives...without giving away equity. Remember, when you negotiate offers...the amounts are in THOUSANDS of Dollars, not hundreds. It is critically important to use the experience of your Realtor, especially someone who is very experienced and has a great reputation in your community. They will help you get the maximum equity the market will bear.

If you would like more information on how you can truly "play the market" for your property, contact us. All of our information is available at www.kornteam.com. You can also call us at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or email to: brad@kornteam.com

Brad Korn
The Korn Team
Serving Greater KC (and Lincoln, NE)

Find out what Home Seller's Should know when Selling in this Market:

Real Estate Expert, Gary Keller is scheduled to appear on Good Morning America (ABC) TOMORROW, Friday, Feb. 26. (Time not available. Air date subject to change.)

Tune in to hear what Gary has to say in an interview regarding home selling strategies.Don't miss it!

Gary spends the majority of his time studying the Real Estate Industry. He has an incredible sense of where Real Estate is headed and is always looking ahead 2-5 years. This will be valuable information for anyone who owns a home.

Tune into GMA today

If you Live in the Kansas City area and would like to know how this information apply's to your and your property, don't hesitate to contact The Korn Team at (816) 224-KORN (5676) or email us at brad@kornteam.com

You can also visit our website for home selling tips, search properties for sale, and to see how The Korn Team markets our clients properties to get them the most equity possible. Go to www.kornteam.com to have a look.

My House is Not Selling! I Will Wait till After the Holidays or Spring...

Never give up. My advice around the Hoiday's for our clients that decided they wanted to "take a break" was always as follows. I would ask them a question. "Do you still want to sell?" Most would say yes. "If a buyer comes into the market place tomorrow, and they would be a buyer that could fall in love with your property, and if they would offer you full price (or even just a $1,000 less) would you still want to sell?" If they answer, Yes...then I say, "well, if your home is not on the market, and that buyer does show up, they may settle for 2nd best and buy something else. That, unfortunately is a missed opportunity, and most people who buy a home will not move for another 3-5 years...so, we never get that buyer back."

Just to prove these are not just words.... We sold a home on Christmas Eve. The purchase price on the offer was full price! This home had been on the market for 6 months, and the Seller made a comment that she was just going to take it off the market till Spring. That could have been a HUGE mistake.

The Korn Team NEVER stops marketing our properties. Did you know that over the past 60 days (November and December we have had 198 showings on our properties. There are buyers out there, and we never give up looking for them until we get an offer on our client's property.

If you are feeling frustrated and want to give up on the selling process...give us a call. Let us help you understand and intrepret the current market conditions. We can help you come up with a plan to get your property SOLD! In 2009 we helped over 111 Home Buyer's and Seller's accomplish that. In fact, The Korn Team sold 11 properties at OVER asking price. Another 15 or so sold within $1k-$2k of asking price, and 10 of our properties sold in less than 30 days.

Feel free to contact us at 816-224-KORN (5676). It is a tough market out there, but properties are selling. Don't give up, and be patient. With our proven markeing plan, the buyer for your property will know your property is available the day they come into the marketplace.

Brad Korn
The Korn Team
www.kornteam.com
(8716) 224-KORN (5676)
brad@kornteam.com