Monday, February 2, 2015

How to Use the Auction Effect to Sell Your House Faster

This approach has also been called 

How to Sell Your House in 24 Hours…but you can take a whole weekend! 



Have you ever noticed that some houses seem to sell as soon as they go on the market, and others just sit there for weeks or months? What's the difference?

There is a principle in psychology called scarcity – it's the desire that's in all of us to want something that we can't have. 

There are some strategic ways the illusion of scarcity can be orchestrated and it often appears in real estate situations without people even knowing that it's there. For instance, have you ever heard of a situation where more than one person was interested in a house? In those situations, there was a bidding war, where several buyers competed for the same house. 

In most cases like this, the house will sell for more than the owners are even asking – and the buyers feel great about it because they won. Someone else wanted the house, but they got it. Situations like this are called the auction effect

Something you MUST KNOW about the auction effect is that it dies out. As a real estate agent, I see many homes that have sold quickly at a high price due to an auction effect. But then the buyer backs out or doesn’t get their loan, or something else. 

The result is that the house goes back on the market. Once back on the market, the auction effect is gone, and that house will often sit for weeks gathering dust. Eventually the home will sell, often with the sellers dropping their price a bit. 

However, as someone who has studied the Auction Effect, I know that it can be revived, even on a house that has languished unsold for weeks. The easiest way to do that is create two short listing periods. After the first expires, recreate the auction-effect with the new listing.

So how do we create the auction effect? Click here to download my whole report

So, when you’re considering listing your home, work with a savvy agent (like me) who knows these tricks and techniques that make all the difference in how fast your home sells and for how close to your asking price.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Don't judge a book by its cover - Melrose, Massachusetts - The Place To Live.



Recently, The Boston Globe published a story titled "What is it like to live in Melrose?"  They describe Melrose as a "vibrant city, just 7 miles north of Boston".  It certainly is!  As a Real Estate Broker, I see homes go under contract just about as soon as they go on the market.  As of this moment that I am writing this, there are only 24 homes on the market available for purchase. The median asking price is $479,900.

I am so excited to be the first to introduce an upcoming listing we have coming on the market Wednesday, 11/19.  It's completely redone inside. That's the kitchen at the top of this article.  This is a 3 bedroom home with hardwood floors throughout. We think it's pretty cool.  We're opening the listing at just $349,900! Why so inexpensive?  Well, there's one thing you'll probably want to do come this spring. You'll want to replace the siding on the home. That's the reason you don't want to judge this book by its cover.  Don't let that stop you from putting in your best offer though! There are over 4000 buyers searching the MLS for a property JUST.LIKE.THIS.  Afterall, they say it is what's on the inside that counts, right?

This home is located just a short 10 minute walk to the commuter rail and the quaint downtown area, lined with gas lamps, shops and restaurants serving foods from a variety of countries. Definitely a foodies delight.  Just think of the improved quality of life you'll have! You'll have so much more time living so close to the city. This is why we want you to RUN to our open house on Sunday, 11/23 beginning at noon.  We'll be there until 2pm.  We want everyone to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families next week, so at the seller's request, we will have responses to offers by 8pm on Tuesday 11/25 so everyone can relax.  Watch the video below!


56 Maple Street, Melrose, MA
12-2pm 11/23
See you Sunday!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Watch out! There are Lions on the loose in Andover!



FROM THE OFFICE OF THE C.E.O. - LAER REALTY PARTNERS - ANDOVER, MA
We are thrilled to announce that LAER Realty Partners continues to grow by adding a new office location in Andover Mass. The new flagship office will be located at 2 Elm Street and is a PRIMO location for visibility and foot traffic in downtown Andover Center. It is unbelievably nice and functional. We will be fully operational in the coming weeks.
This location will help us serve Andover, North Andover, and the surrounding communities.
We will be adding agents to this location quickly and we already have a significant number of commitments.
This is a big day for LAER Realty Partners and for these new communities.
  
This will be the 15th office location for LAER Realty Partners and is the 2nd office in the last 3 weeks following the Boston - West Roxbury MA office announcement. We also have an announcement set for July 1 - NEW Office and 15 Agents will be JOINING LAER.
We are committed to growing and expanding the LAER footprint throughout New England. We will continue to provide the best office environment for our Agent Partners and we will continue to provide them the very best tools, technology, and training available.
If you're thinking about selling or buying, call or text Christina at 617-270-6040, or click here to send us an email.  #ROAR

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Christina Lazrak & Ann Marie DuRoss are proud to announce their affiliation with LAER Realty Partners.

What a whirlwind week! On Monday, our company owners announced the change of our company name to LAER Realty Partners.  We are completely onboard and excited about this new path we are ROARING through.  We are the same team. We have the same contact information. We will continue to provide you with top-notch service. We have new and improved tools to help us do a better job for you.  

We have lost some agents that identified with the brand. We relied on our own personal branding, but were proud to be affiliated with RE/MAX.  The fact is, Dave Liniger turned the real estate world upside down 41 years ago. We admire him for that, but FORTY ONE YEARS AGO. RE/MAX is also now a PUBLICALLY TRADED COMPANY. Who are we working for? Shareholders or our clients? This change allows us to PUT THE NEEDS OF OUR CLIENTS AHEAD OF SHAREHOLDERS.

There will be backlash. There will be un-truths and exagerations told. We will stay on the side of honesty. With this change, we have launched a MILLION DOLLAR AD CAMPAIGN LOCALLY. This brings more interest to your properties locally. The internet is the WORLD WIDE WEB. This means you are still gaining exposure Nationally & Internationally for those buyers looking to move into your area. Anything can be done from the internet. CHANGE IS GOOD! WE ARE LIONS, HEAR US ROAR.

More news will be coming as we learn about what other improvements to our service will be made. We are excited about this change. If you have any questions, please call us at 978-935-9668, or email us here.

Monday, February 10, 2014

What Not To Do When Applying For A Home Loan


You've been looking at houses online for a year and you finally got out and made an offer on a home that has been accepted! Better still, the home inspection went okay and you can already picture yourself smiling as you're pouring a cup of coffee & feeling the sunshine beaming through the kitchen window.  You have one last hurdle; your loan needs to be approved.  I can promise you this will be one of the more trying times of the entire purchasing process.  I think if they could, banks would ask you for your first born child as collateral. Luckily, lending requirements haven't gotten that stringent yet. They will, however, ask you for all the paperwork I've previously written about in this article. Just having that paperwork ready is not the only thing you need to be prepared for. There are a lot of Do's and Don'ts you should be aware of.  I'll start with the "Don'ts", since these seem to cause your loan application to be denied, almost certainly.

Don't

  • Quit your job, even if it's to take a better job.
  • Buy a car on credit 
  • Run up the balance on your current credit cards
  • Open a new credit line to buy furniture or a big screen TV or your wedding dress, or anything for that matter.
  • Deplete your bank account to buy any of the items above
  • If your credit is borderline, don't payoff any credit lines or car loans without first speaking with your lender about what impact that will have on your credit score. It doesn't always raise your score.

Do

  • Get the paperwork your lender asks for quickly!
  • Discuss potential large withdrawals or deposits with your lender before completing the banking
  • Keep depositing your regular paychecks into your account
  • Keep paying all of your bills on time (Even those that do not get reported to credit bureaus, like electric)
  • Disclose any potential changes in finances, work or family with your trusted lender. They'd hate to put you into a home at your current maximum when you've just learned you are having triplets and your expenses are going to dramatically increase.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I implore you to get a referral to a local loan officer. Your Realtor will be an excellent source in recommending an exceptional local loan officer. Of the stories I've heard lately from other Realtors and friends and their loan application experiences, the negative experiences, nearly all of the time, came from people who just walked into a bank and got unlucky enough to come face to face with an inexperienced and/or lazy loan officer who didn't care to understand the needs of the applicant and put them into the wrong type of loan. This is the stuff that keeps me up at night.

If you're thinking of buying or selling a home anywhere in the world, click here and I will put you in touch with exceptional Realtors and Lenders in your area.