HomeTraq University

Just want to share a few quick  ALERT  tips which can make your home search much more powerful. All you have to do is login to  HomeScout   and the red arrows highlighted in the screenshots below will help you unlock  these  powerful features. Make sure to refine & save your Search Criteria and then enable New Listing and Open House notifications.  Refine & Save Click on "Filters" to refine the price range, area and home features you are interested in. Click "Save" to create unlimited custom searches. Get Notified Once you have saved a custom search, choose the  alerts  you wish to receive, including New Listing and Open House notifications. Open Houses A feature to use while driving around on weekends is to click the Open House button which reveals dates & times of upcoming open houses. If you are using Zillow, Realtor.com or anot...

You can call the selling agent to setup an appointment to view a home, but not having your own representation could be tricky... Many home buyers aren’t aware of agency disclosure, nor understand the concept of a buyer’s agent and seller’s agent.  Many times the first agent a home shopper is exposed to is the "listing agent" of a home found online or the agent he/she meets at an open house. Last year, 63% of home shoppers walked through a home they were interested in after viewing it online.  When it is time to tour or inquire about a home, it seems like an easy solution to direct questions to the seller’s agent — but this presents an immediate conflict of interest.  A real estate agent’s loyalties and responsibilities change depending on who the agent is talking to.  Here’s a quick summary of roles an agent can play in any one transaction. The listing agent The listing agent or seller’s agent works for the seller and represents their interests in the sale. Th...

It is a 'Crazy Train' to be on.  Anyone in the market for real estate or a mortgage will at some point jump on board whether they want to or not.  What about those of us in the industry providing those real estate and mortgage services?  Well, we are the conductors with a big smile and crazy eyes welcoming new passengers on board for the journey.  I was reminded of all of the craziness when I saw the following headlines hit my social news feeds this morning.   The housing market horror story isn’t over yet. U.S. Census Bureau data paints a picture that there are currently two housing markets: one for the rich and one for the rest.   Overall U.S. housing market numbers are strong as existing home sales are 6% above last year - a result from shrinking inventory and a strengthening job market.  Many real estate agents are busy working through multiple offers for listings in a hot market.  On the mortgage side, everyone is working through ...