Why Won't It Sell???

"Why won't it sell?"  "How much longer before we get an offer?"

We've all heard horror stories about homes that seemed to be "perfect" or at least "move -in" ready that have sat on the market forever.  I'm sure you thought, well there must be something wrong, after all it's a great house.  The seller's don't understand either.  Their agent keeps telling them, "Sorry, no one is calling."  When they hold an open house, almost no one shows up.  Where are all the buyer's you keep talking about Agent A.  Why isn't it selling?

Any ideas what might cause this? Anyone,  I'll give you a hint.  PRICE!!!!  The list price makes it or breaks it, bottom line.  If the property is priced too high for the market and conditions, the Market will answer with silence.

Statistics show that correctly priced homes sell, and sell faster.  Overpriced homes sit on the market forever, undergo several price reductions and finally sell for far less than they were listed for.  This process, by the way, really annoys the sellers..

How do you avoid this?  Price the property right.  It's as simple as that.  When you interview agents for your listing, make sure you ask the right questions.  You are interviewing more than one agent, right!  You should be, just like a doctor or lawyer you want to make sure you have the right match. Here are some sample questions for that interview:

1.  What is my market (Your particular area/neighborhood) doing right now?  Is it moving or is it stagnant?

2.  Where did you get your comparable sales from, how old are they and how comparable are they to my house?

3.  Based on the answers to 1 and 2, where should my home be priced in order to make it attractive to buyers?

4.  How can I help you market my property to sell quickly and for the best price?

Now, I know we all want a certain amount for our home.  Heck, we put our blood, sweat, tears and hard earned money into it.  But, the reality is the market is a heartless beast.  It decides how much the house will sell for without a thought to any of our feelings.

So, when you interview your realtors, try to stay calm when they tell you how much your home is worth.  Take a look at how well they have prepared and how close the comps are to your home, in features, location and amenities.  Then discuss the price, based on the comps.  If they have prepared and the comps are very similar and current, the price they are giving you is probably pretty darn close.

Once you have picked the agent and listed the home at the correct market price, sit back and watch the action!  If your really lucky you will end up with multiple offers to choose from.

If you are thinking about selling or buying, give us a call.  We would love the opportunity to earn your business.

Let's Talk soon

Curtis

The Hurst Agency
Curtis W Hurst, Realtor and CEO
888-518-3339
curtis@thehurstagency.com
WWW.TheHurstAgency.com

So How Much is My Home Really Worth????

Got Equity????  Probably!  Have you taken the time to find out?  Probably not!  You know it's FREE, right!!!  Here, I'll make it simple just Click Here! and our team will prepare a FREE Estimate of your homes value.

The Real Estate market continues to add value every month.  Home prices are going up, in the high desert they have gone up over 30% in the last year and a half!  What does that mean to you?  It means you may have equity when you thought you didn't have any.  If you  thought you were under water you just might not be.  If you bought at the low end of the market in 2010 and 2011 you may be sitting on a huge nest egg that they can now use to move up, to invest or however you see fit.  I recommend, of course, investing in Real Estate, they're not making it any more and there are still some real bargains out there.   So with all of this equity floating around out there, and all of these buyer's looking for homes, this might just be the time for you to make your move!


That's all it takes.

Let's Talk soon

Curtis

The Hurst Agency
Curtis W Hurst, Realtor and CEO
888-518-3339
curtis@thehurstagency.com

WWW.TheHurstAgency.com

Why Should I Sell My House Now???

Because this is a great time to sell!

Interest rates are still low, there are still buyer's running around out there looking and there isn't enough inventory out there to satisfy them.  I know, I get calls and e-mails everyday from new buyers looking for homes.

Here's another reason to sell now, new home construction.  New home construction is on the rise, in fact its  up 50% in the Western region.  Look around you, building is happening everywhere.  New construction is in direct competition with you for those buyers, and lets face it, new construction is very often more attractive.  I mean it's new, and they have  glossy brochures and "$0 down."  I mean how can we compete with that.

Another great reason, equity.  You may actually have some!!!  The market has changed so much over the last couple of years, you may have far more equity than you thought. Those of you who were upside down, you may not be any more.  To find out your homes value go to www.thehurstagency.com and click the "How Much is My House Worth" button for a free home value report.

Just take a look at the chart below.  Year over year median home prices are up throughout Southern California at least 6%.   What does that mean to you, well if you have a $300,000 home in Orange County that home has appreciated by $15,600 over the last year.

Southern California	Aug-14	Jul-14		Aug-13		MTM% Chg	YTY% Chg
Los Angeles	$474,640	$461,290		$444,950		2.9%	6.7%
Orange County	$699,430	$695,270		$664,580		0.6%	5.2%
Riverside County	$318,640	$319,960		$290,030		-0.4%	9.9%
San Bernardino	$209,200	$216,570		$183,240		-3.4%	14.2%
San Diego	$510,860	$523,070		$482,470		-2.3%	5.9%
Ventura	$602,060	$585,830		$555,560		2.8%	8.4%

My point is, if you're thinking about selling, or just thinking about thinking about it, call us!  Now is a great time to get your home on the market and get it sold!!!

Please feel free to contact us at 888-518-3339 with any questions and of course any referrals!


Let's talk soon!


Curtis

The Hurst Agency
Curtis W Hurst, Realtor and CEO
888-518-3339
curtis@thehurstagency.com

WWW.TheHurstAgency.com

Why Real Estate is STILL A Great Investment

Real Estate’s image as a great investment  has taken a beating over the last several years.  It’s a shame such a great investment tool has had its image so badly tarnished by the bad behavior of a few.  Well, no matter how bad it appears on the surface Real Estate is still an amazing investment tool.  Just the tax deductions alone make it a solid investment.  Couple that with appreciation and cash flow from investment property and Real Estate is still, one of the best places to invest your hard earned dollars!

For an investor there are few vehicles that make it easier to use the banks money to work for you.   Real estate allows you to make a down payment and leverage your capital, thereby increasing your overall return on investment many times over.  This also allows you to significantly reduce the tax impact to your cash flow on investment properties by writing off mortgage interest and depreciation.   In many cases that cash flow would be tax-free.  Wait , did he just say tax-free cash flow?  Yes, the vast majority of investors will not pay taxes on their cash flow!  There is also a good chance, depending on your individual income level that any overage of tax deductions can be used against your other income.  Your tax professional will be able to go over these strategies and advise you what is best for you and your individual situation.  

Ok, so you don’t want all the “Headaches” of investing in real estate.  You just want some nice tax benefits and want to invest some money now and get a great return 20 years from now.  Buy a house!  Simple as that.  Stop renting, stop making someone else all that tax free cash flow.  According to the National Association of Realtors  Uncle Sam helps you in 3 ways when you own your own home.

First  when you buy your home,  the IRS says loan discount points and origination fees are tax deductible to the buyer regardless of who pays them.  So even if the seller pays your closing costs you still get the deduction!

The most commonly known deduction is the mortgage interest deduction.  You can deduct interest charged on a loan used to acquire your principal residence in the year that it is paid.  This amounts to most of your monthly payment in the early years of your mortgage.  You can also deduct interest on an additional $100,000 of mortgage debt, which can be used for any purpose.  This is known as the “Home Equity Loan” exception, and it allows you to tap into your home equity for any purpose.  This allows you to shift debt from non -deductible interest such as credit cards to deductible interest from home equity.  Please be aware that failure to pay this debt can cause you to lose your home to foreclosure, so this like all things must be used with care.  Again, I know like a broken record, talk to you tax professional reagarding all things tax related.  

The best  by far though is at the time of sale!  If you have owned and occupied your principal residence for at least 2 of the last 5 years you can earn up to $500,000 if you’re married, $250,000 if your single, on the sale of that house and pay no federal income tax at all!  You can do this as often as every two years for the rest of your life.  

Whether you are an investor or a homeowner who  just want some tax write offs,  real estate is still an amazing way to make your money grow and, more importantly to keep as much of your hard earned cash as you can.  

If you are interested in learning more about the amazing investment vehicle that your home and real estate in general can be call 888-518-3339 or go to www.thehurstagency.com to register for our upcoming, no obligation training.

If you are interested in getting a current market analysis on your current home or investment properties call 888-518-3339 or go to www.thehurstagency.com for a no cost, no strings comprehensive market analysis.

Let's talk soon!


Curtis

The Hurst Agency
Curtis W Hurst, Realtor and CEO
888-518-3339
curtis@thehurstagency.com

WWW.TheHurstAgency.com

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." -- Henry Ford

10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Coffee

Ok.  I have always been a huge fan of coffee.  Black, hot, cold, latte, Irish and Mexican I have always loved coffee and all the different ways it can be prepared.  What I didn't know was that it had many other uses.  I have included a link to an Esquire Magazines article regarding the versatility of coffee.

Hope I got this to you early enough to read with your morning cup!!!  Cheers

I thought you might be interested in the 10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Coffee - Esquire. You can view it at,http://www.esquire.com/_mobile/blogs/food-for-men/10-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-do-with-coffee-esqsyn?src=email

Remember if you know any one who needs to buy, sell or invest in Real Estate give us a call


Curtis

Curtis Hurst, REALTOR, CEO
The Hurst Agency
760-575-4783
949-288-6623
www.TheHurstAgency.com