www.davidchomefinder.com 

I hope to be adding soon , very soon a blog of the week and I hope that those of you who visit my website , will ask questions and make comments relating to. I would hope that you know already know that also applies to any past blogs.  If you, would like to suggest topics realting to Myrtle Beach and surrounding areas or any real estate topics in general, please do. I enjoy hearing from those who visit my website and I am always looking for ways that I can possibly improve or make additions to . 

take Care , 

David C

David A. Cournoyer, Jr 

Dockside Realty

When it comes to shopping or listing your home, the more questions you ask the better, don't ever worry about asking your agent or home builder what is on your mind. It is true that your agent , be it that they be your listing agent or buyer's agent , should be asking questions as well, that is why they are there but we are only human and sometimes it maybe something that we over looked. If you don't feel comfortable about asking, have your agent ask, and if they can't answer themselves and are not willing to do that for you, perhaps it is time to find someone new who will. With that said very few good agents will ever refuse knowing this is part of their responsibility. Along with questions should come answers and with today's technology it is very easy to verify if you still are not satisfied with the answer you have been given and you also have other alternatives such as asking the B.O.A.(Broker In Charge) after all your contract is really with him or her and their agency and your realtor is actually the assigned represenative on your behalf, but again always give your realtor the oppertunity to resolve that first. I will list some of what I feel is some of the most important questions you as a seller or as a home buyer should have and ask. Lets never forget in real estate as with most thngs in life questions when answered become information. Sometimes the information is a beneficial for the cleint and other times the Realtor and sometimes and in most cases for both parties. The following questions that I feel are very imortant are the following: ( I will probably be adding on from time to time so always come back to review)

When buying a new home, never occupied, What cosmetic defects are corrected and how long am I covered for defects I find?

Is property located in a flood zone?

Is property located in a Hail and Wind Zone?

In your opionion what is a good Offer?

In your opionion what is a reasonable listing price price for home and how long do you feel it will take to sell?

D oyou reccomend anyone for Home Insoection, Home Loans, etc, etc ?

Do  you have any suggestions on what I can do to better my chances for selling my home?

How old are house Items, that convey with property?

Are there any warrenties on Home or any conveying items? 

How is location regarding crime, education, stability and shoping conveince?

What items do the HOA fees cover and what are the rules and or restrictions of the Home Owners Association ?

What are the important Items that my new home will have to Include to me myself and my family happy?

I will add for sure more samples as time goes by and If you have some that you might suggest I include please let me know what they are in your comments, there are so many for sure, some apply to some and others don't, it is really up to the individual and their needs and wants. The important thing here and the reason I covered this subject is to let you the cleint how  questions and information play an enourmous important role in both selling and buying a home.

People ask me all the time how do I know how to price my house right when I decide to list. Well let me begin by saying that is one of the biggest reasons I beleive you should have a Realtor when listing. Now does that mean that what they say or what I reccomend as being the absolute? No, there is no absolute in pricing. What there is are ways to find out satistically what prices will give you your best chance of selling based on past experiences. This process is known in the real estate bussiness as CMA (Comparitable Market Annalysis), it is basicly a research done by judging areas in close proximately to the house that you as a cleint are ready to sell. I like to use the 3 mile radius or closer if possible. The closer the better and the more similaries with the house it self the better the comparitable.

The similarites should include Ht. Sq Ft., the number of bedrooms, and bathrooms. The number of rooms and if it does or does not include rooms, such as a Formal Dnning area, family room, den, living area, etc, etc, The Comparitable should include at least 3 similar sites and again the more the better, but keep in mind that sometimes havng too many  can create more confusion at times. The mistake that alot  of people make is that they think that home improvements will always increase the market value, when in fact it is more of a selling point. Now what do I mean by that is that two fold answer. First it can help you get more offers quicker then normally and in the end sell your home. Secondly, it can increase the amount of the offers, if if it is reasonable, for instance houses that have similar improvements get in your location $10,000.00 more on an average, chances are you will or should get the same amount but lets say you think that you should get somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000.00 it most likely is not going to happen even though lets say your improvements are of more quality and of more exspense, most buyers will chose the lessor increase. This happens alot in developments where new resale homes compete against newly built or under construction.

The other points that I like to add in my conclusion of pricing is that the following points should be considered and they are the following: 

Is it worth the time on the market and possibly not being able to sell your home all together to as they say "stick to your guns"  and "firmly plant your feet to the ground" ?

Will the new home location, are home prices and taxes, lower with all things beinging equal offer you a chance to make up any lost in your projected amount of profit from selling your home?  (you have to balance and weigh out the diffrences and remember when it's a seller's market and you can sell for more .... your new location will probably cost you more as well ... unless your new location is still a buyer's market)

Consider your home when selling no longer a home but a house, it makes things easier to accept, such as comments and pricing. With a home there comes many memories and the blood , sweat , and tears , that happen over the years of owning and that is not always an easy thing to do, but remember before long that new home will be filled with the new love you and your family have to offer.

And finally no one but no one can tell you exactly what you are going to get or what your market value is .... My self and other realtors don't have a crystal ball but if we do our job right and wth honesty and not always agree or tell you what you want to hear but based on the satistics and demonstrait to you how we come to such a conclusion and most importantly sell your home at a reasonable price in the shortest time period possible, we are serving you in the best most possible manner. Good Realtors will discuss possible reasonable request from you to increase the asking price and walk away from those that are unreasonable and a waste of time for all parties concern. My brother who is not a Realtor but some one I think has alot of common sense has a saying " a house is worth what people are willing to buy it for"

I and most will be glad to do a CMA (comparitable market analysis) at your request and discuss at no cost to you .... 

Home Inspections are not required to purchase a home but it s for the most part highly reccomended. The cost of a general home inspection can range anywhere from several hundred to $700.00, with most generally runing around $300 -$500.00, it s always a good idea to have an inspector give you a free quote and discuss what is included. Not all inspectors perform the same type of inspection and it's unwise to assume that because you will have the same type of inspection from a previous home inspection. I would suggest that you be there personally and not have someone representing when inspections are being done and most inspectors would prefer you to do that, so there is no confusion from a third party interpertation of any findings. One such confusion that happens is when the third party relates that he or she interperted the inspectors remarks regardng seriousness and cost of possible repairs. Alot of states do not require the inspectors to be certifed, and if possible I would suggest that you look for someone who is possibly certified in a near by state that requires certification and licensed in both the non required as well as the required.

I know that a lot of buyers think of it as just another  unneeded exspense and something that s really not neccessary but I would strongly consider for some peace of mind and confidence that you did at least have the basic items checked that other wise could come back to haunt you. Is it a gaurrentee that nothng will brake or go wrong later with an inspection , the answer is no , but imagine how you will feel later realizing that the seller could have covered the cost of repairs, or you could change your mind because your contract was coverd with an inspection contingency. I would also suggest that it's a good idea to have inspections for new homes as well as resales and even if seller had their own prior to listing . It should be the inspector's responsibility to suggest and point out if he or she feels some areas not more work or inspections who specialize in that particular area, ie: electric, heat, plumbing , structual. I and most realtors will reccomend several home inspectors for ther cleints to chose from. The final decission is that of the buyer.

 The answer is a big no!!! unless you want to gamble that what you want will be or not be done. Till this day I have people ask me that because they believe everyone is honest and willing to do what they say they will do when selling or buying a home. It's not because people are necessarily dishonest, it happens for a number of reasons . When people are selling or buying there is an awful lot of emotion that goes into the process, very understanding considering that both parties are making some of the biggest decission, financila and other wise in their life. With that things can come unravel and people don't always mean to do what they do. Ok sometimes some people are mean or in considerate but but for the most it's not that. In what ever cause the situation it leaves you without a contingency and with sometimes a big mess. The big mess can be financially or legal or both, 

For those who are not familiar with real estate contingencies they basically are stipulations /statement that allows you to back out of a contract without penalty. For buyers it is used to make sure that they are protected because of possible denial or uncertaincy of getting a home morgage to finance their new home purchase , an  appraisal not being as high as purchase price and if the seller will not come down on price you as the buyer have the right to back out of contract. Another reason would be an Inspection Contingency, that basicly allows the buyer with in a certain time frame ranging from several days to two weeks to have inspections done and possibly have apprasils done on any reapirs if neccesssary.

I and others will say that the least contingency when making an offer allows your chances for acceptance from an owner to be greater but I mght add n my opionion  that to leave out any that makes you feel very uncomfortable or leaves you at a greater risk  could be unwise,  Another popular and wise contingency can be if you have a current house on the market and need to sell before buying another house. This contingency allows the home owner an oppertunity to back out of a contract if they can't sell within a certain time frame. There are litterally thousands of contingency clauses and new ones are being used everyday so I just covered some of the major ones. others are: Termite, lead paint, deed,mold, HOA docks, private well nspection , insurance. 

I also reccomend that cleints should refer with their real estate lawyer as well as their agents for second and legal advice but in the end it is the responsibility of the buyer or the seller to chose what contingencies they feel comfortable about and what suits and protects them the most and what in their judgement is neccessary. Others can advice but only you can or have the right to decide what actions, you take or don't take.