Tag: real estate agent

The Truth: Real Estate and AI

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) creeps into our real estate world daily. Even writing this blog AI is offering assistance, which is ironic and disturbing. From listing descriptions to seller and buyer appointments, we have run into AI and we’re not impressed. Here’s what we’re noticing:

1. Descriptions in listings are starting to sound the same.

It’s easy to figure out which agents are taking “short cuts” with AI. Check out listing descriptions that describe a house as “nestled” when it is smack dab on top of a hill. This week at least 3 descriptions boasted “nestled” houses. AI is unaware that air conditioning window units are portable and need to be taken in/out seasonally. AI crafted this for a listing description, “Window units provide cooling which allows you to choose your climate control.” Ummm, yeah, basically the house does not have central cooling or mini-split units.

2. Market information does not need an AI interpretation if you are a professional Realtor.

We don’t rely on AI’s interpretation of market sales. Sure, it is a good overview but any Realtor should be able to use data to let clients know what is happening in their particular situation. After sampling AI offerings to analyze seller and buyer trends we are unimpressed. All basic information needs to be interpreted on an individual basis for each property. AI may boast a “seller’s market” with few days on the market, but, how accurate is that in the broad view of the real estate landscape for your city, town, or neighborhood. All real estate is local.

3. Each house is unique.

Zillow, Realtor.com, etc. have never been in your house. Do you have significant acreage? Do you have common land for recreation? Is there access to shopping, schools, etc.? Dirt road? Paved road? Class 4 road?

Do not rely on AI to find you a house. It’s best to rely on expert opinions from real estate professionals rather than information harvested by AI algorithms. And, don’t believe it when they say the house is “nestled.”

Summer Buyer’s Market?

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Yes, there is a Summer Buyer’s Market! If you’re thinking about buying or “have” to buy, now is the time to jump into the Vermont real estate market. Sellers who have their homes for sale are eager to sell before the fall. If you’ve been discouraged over the past few years, now is the time to get back out there to find your new home. More houses for sale, fewer buyers competing.

Here are the top 3 reasons to buy in the summer:

Everyone is on vacation. The pool of buyers goes up and down in the summer months depending on vacations. You are competing with fewer buyers.

Back-to-School season is here. Believe it or not, people are preparing for back-to-school which means college trips, school supplies and new clothes and shoes. Even people who aren’t going back to school get excited about office supplies. This phenomenon distracts many potential buyers from the real estate market.

One last trip! If people aren’t taking a scheduled vacation, then they are planning that “one last trip” before the summer is over. Concerts, horse shows, or just a quick jaunt to the ocean. The “last trip” of the summer means that those buyers are still vacationing rather than house-hunting.

We have a 100% success rate for helping our buyer clients find their next home. Reach out if you are ready to take the first step in purchasing.

Anxiety and Selling Your Home

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How stressful is selling your home? There are many reasons why selling your home is overwhelming. As a Realtor in Vermont I was overwhelmed with selling a family house out-of-state. The lack of familiarity with the process, the pricing, and the current buyer preferences in the area were all a mystery to me. After choosing a top agent who is a local expert in the area I realized that her job was to alleviate my stress and anxiety and guide me through the process. Let’s explore the major issues that cause anxiety and how we can help alleviate some of your fear and worries.

Here are the top 3 questions that we answer:

1. What do I have to do to my house to get it on the market? It depends. We need to visit your house to see what projects, repairs, updates, etc. would benefit you most with today’s buyers. It’s a good idea to have a budget set aside for these items and we will prioritize your “to do” list.

2. Will I be able to move by a date of my choosing? Most likely, yes. We are experts at getting you out and moving to your next destination in the time frame that works for you. Let us know your plans and we will work with your schedule.

3. How do showings work? With us, we schedule the showings with your lifestyle in mind. If you need to work at home certain days we will schedule around your meetings and work schedule. To minimize the stress of having your house “show ready” all the time we make sure you have enough time to prepare for buyers.

These are just some of the questions that we answer early in the process of selling your home. Make sure you choose a Realtor that has experience to lead you through the entire process, from prepping your house for sale to guiding you through the inspection and closing. If you are thinking about selling, contact us to get started!

Goodbye to Pop-Tart Agents

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cff86c842404d182d2920a489434cd3acaa80df3First, who doesn’t love a warm Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart? Alas, I digress. Back to the topic at hand, what is a Pop-Tart agent? Whenever there is a hot seller’s market, as it has been the last few years in Vermont, buyers are eager to run out and see property. This means that a buyer would call an agent, and the agent would pop up at the front door to let the buyer into the house, thus the practice of “popping up” to show a house morphed into a “Pop-Tart” showing as Pop-Tarts, well, you know, pop out of the toaster when ready.

Today, the Pop-Tart or pop-up scenario is a bit more complicated. Due to a proposed lawsuit settlement with the National Association of Realtors (NAR), real estate agents must have a signed Buyer Representation Agreement before touring properties. This ensures transparency as to how buyer’s agents are paid and your choices as a consumer. You can opt “not” to hire a buyer’s agent to represent you in a purchase and that involves dealing with the seller’s agent, who is not looking out for your best interest in the deal.

Why do you need a buyer’s agent? Basically, a buyer’s agent is your key to your success in the buying process. A good buyer’s agent provides access, advice, and expert negotiation to help you reach your goal – buying a home.

For a more detailed explanation reach out – we’re always happy to hear from you and want to make sure you have the best home buying or selling experience possible.

3 Reasons Why You Need a Buyer’s Agent

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pexels-rdne-8293700If you’ve been following the mainstream media you may have read that Sellers are no longer required to pay Buyer’s Agents. It’s an interesting headline unless you are in the real estate business and know that Sellers never were required to pay Buyer’s Agents, but that’s another blog.

The fallout from these headlines has led many consumers to call Listing Agents (agents that represent the seller) directly and declare “I don’t want a Buyer’s Agent.” There are 3 reasons why this does not turn out well for unrepresented buyers:

  1. The Listing Agent represents the Seller in the transaction. As an unrepresented buyer there is “no one” on your side. You can choose to have an attorney draw up a Purchase and Sale offer for you, however, your attorney is not a real estate professional in terms of negotiation at time of contract or throughout any other contract contingencies that arise.
  2. Every real estate transaction is unique. You cannot “google” or ask “AI” to help you navigate the process. You need to have a local professional real estate agent that understands the nuances and traditional practices of the current real estate market.
  3. You don’t know what you don’t know. We’ll leave it there.

Bottom line, hire a Buyer’s Agent. If you don’t, you will not be successful in securing the home that you want. Buyer’s Agents know how to work quickly on behalf of their clients. If you don’t want to pay your Buyer’s Agent because it’s too expensive, then what is the cost of “not” securing a home for yourself or your family?

If you’ve been thinking about buying, we are here to help! We will guide you through the entire process from home search to closing, providing unparalleled support and expertise every step of the way. Contact us today to get started.

Why You Should Never “Enter Your Address and Find Your Home Value”

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home search-polina-zimmermanWhy do some houses sell for less than their Zillow estimate? Do you think your house will sell for more than the online estimates? In our area, many of you, whether selling or buying, are a bit vexed when they search online. This may lead you to “Enter Your Address and Find Your Home Value,” which just triggers many, many phone calls from real estate agents.

Here’s how it works:

1. You enter you address and email, sometimes phone number is optional.

2. Your personal information is then sent to dozens of local real estate agents.

3. You will receive multiple calls, text messages, and emails.

Your private information, including your street address, and your intent to sell is telegraphed to random real estate agents who will do anything, including drive to your house, for your business.

Why risk your privacy just to obtain a value on your house? We know that pricing a house is both an art and a science. The online estimates on Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, etc. are based on complex algorithms that mainly assess on square footage and do not “sort” for types of properties such as condominiums or single family homes, for example.

What should you do if you can’t trust the internet? Stay calm and contact us! Consult with Carolyn and she will prepare a personalized home value estimate based on similar recently sold properties, similar under contract properties, and similar properties for sale. If you prefer to start online, you can fill out OUR form for your free home valuation – this information is ONLY sent to Carolyn, no other agents.

The Real House Hunters of Chittenden County

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Essex Jct - Juniper Ridge RdWe would love to write the script for a show, “The Real House Hunters of Chittenden County.” This reality show could follow a group of buyers in their search for the perfect house. Alas, no one has called us (yet) to work on a pilot, so we’ll just regale you with a few house hunting tips to save you some drama.

Episode I – Heartbreak on Hilltop Drive

Joey Jones thought he was approved for a $450,000.00 loan … after we found the perfect house on Hilltop Drive he found out that he was only qualified for a $250,000.00 loan. It was heartbreaking to see Joey burst into tears.

Real LifeTip: Make sure you are pre-approved with a mortgage lender. This sounds so basic but if you don’t take this step it will lead to unnecessary stress once you start the house hunting process. We have met with buyers who are certain that they are qualified for a certain mortgage amount and start the house hunting process with an unrealistic price point.

Episode II – Snooze and Lose on Sleepy Hollow Way

Tiffany Thomas thought she had time to think about putting in an offer on her “almost” perfect dream house on Sleepy Hollow Way. She dismissed her alarm by mistake when she should have set it to snooze. Once she emerged from her long winter’s nap she called her Realtor to put in an offer. Alas, the house just went under contract with another buyer, apparently an early riser. Tiffany spends the next week in bed mourning the loss.

Real Life Tip: Don’t hesitate to put in an offer if you think you found the “almost” perfect house. While the market may seem slow-moving and sleepy to you, there are other buyers who are searching for a similar property.

Episode III – Too much to Fix on First Street

Martin McFly thought that the photos of house on First Street fit most of his “wish list.” Once inside the house, though, he couldn’t believe how much worse the house looked in “real life.” The paint, the appliances, and the flooring all needed to be addressed to suit his particular aesthetic. Six months later he still cannot find a location or floor plan that fits his needs. He can’t move forward with his search and spends his days pricing out appliances and flooring just in case he ever finds a comparable property to First Street that may need some updating.

Real Life Tip: No house will ever fit your wish list 100%. It is good to know the cost of any updates or changes that you may want to make to a property before you dismiss it as a “fixer-upper” or needing too much “work.” We have seen some beautiful transformations on many different budgets.

If you’re frustrated in your own house hunt, get in touch to see how we can help you find your Home Sweet Vermont!

What is the Best Home Estimate Tool?

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pexels-get-lost-mike-8504300Before we delve into this month’s blog, “What is the Best Home Estimate Tool?” we want to give a disclaimer – on the Weaver Team we are real estate geeks. We spend hours studying the real estate market. Just ask us a simple question and we’ll go on and on about absorption rate, days on market, list to sale price ratios, and more. So, if you ask us, “What is the Best Home Estimate Tool?” we do have a short answer, “The Weaver Team!”

Now, of course, that is a little cheesy, even for a real estate agent, so let’s discuss online home estimate tools. Most real estate agents have their favorite program for running a comparative market analysis for sellers and use that exclusively. We, on the other hand, use many resources to gather data for our final pricing suggestions.

First, we peruse the public website tools such as Zillow. Then, we use our proprietary programs such as Realtor Property Resource and our Multiple Listing System (MLS) to dig deeper into the estimate and try to find the best comparable properties.

Finally, we reconcile all of this data and come up with a realistic range of value after we visit your property. We absolutely must see your house. While the data and trends provide statistics, the computer has never been in your house. Yes, that’s right, the online tools that generate your home value do not take into account location, condition, amenities, and upgrades.

Pricing a house is an art and a science. The science is the deep dive into the data and the “art” is our years of experience and knowledge that will give you the most realistic and profitable scenario for your property.

Curious about your home estimate? Complete our form for your FREE Home Valuation and Carolyn will be in touch!

3 Reasons to Hire a Buyer’s Agent

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buyer agentDid you know that when you contact random real estate agents they are “not” working for you? While  they may be friendly and accommodating, they do not have your best interest in mind. Until you sign a contract with a real estate brokerage firm you are an unrepresented buyer. While there is no requirement that you engage a professional to represent you in the purchase of a property you may get weary of not having “one” real estate agent as your fiduciary, someone to put your interests first. Here are three reasons to hire a Buyer’s Agent:

1.     You need a Navigator. A Buyer’s Agent will help you navigate the online sites to organize your search for housing that meets your needs. If you’ve been using websites to look for houses then you know that properties “pop up” that look interesting and then they disappear. What happened? Which sites should you use? Which are the most reliable?

2.     You need an Insider. A Buyer’s Agent will be able to set up a showing quickly and get you any additional information that you request. Trying to get hold of real estate agents is frustrating. If you don’t have a Buyer’s Agent you will need to contact several different agents and wait for them to call you back to set up a showing. Many buyers have requested private tours on websites and have never received any response.

3.     You need a Negotiator. A Buyer’s Agent will negotiate on your behalf. Your Buyer’s Agent is on “your side.” If you are unfamiliar with the current trends in submitting offers, contingencies, and other details you will have no one to guide you through the process.

If you are serious about buying then you should hire a Buyer’s Agent to move you forward in the process. Many of our clients wish they were working with us earlier in the process after they discover the benefits of hiring us to facilitate their purchase.

If you are frustrated searching for homes on your own, get in touch with us for more information on becoming a Buyer Client.

We Love Your House! 3 of Our Marketing Secrets for Sellers

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Colchester Sitting AreaWhat do you love about your home?  Our marketing program goes above and beyond your average real estate listing. We take the time to research your location, amenities and unique features to attract qualified buyers. We love what you love!

Here are 3 ways we excel at getting you “out there” for maximum advertising impact:

The Great Outdoors – In Vermont it’s all about the outdoors and enjoying nature. Whether it’s mountain view, trail access or even a quaint waterfront sitting area, we highlight all of the features of your home. We feature all of your outdoor space and amenities. Are you near a bike path, VAST trail, walking and hiking trails? Are you lucky enough to have a mountain view or a water view? Do you have a patio, deck, covered porch, hot tub? Does your property have raspberries, blueberries or wildflowers?

Local “Hot Spots” – We love everything about your location. Are you close to a ski area? Do you have restaurants and pizza places nearby? Where is the summer farmer’s market? Does the town band play at the gazebo? We dig into the local culture to spotlight food, music and recreation. And, everyone want to know, “Where is the closest Starbucks?”

Unique Features – Because we see so many houses we get very excited about unique features. A fully fenced yard, an outdoor shower, a porch swing or even a special rock where you sit and watch the stars are a few of the features that we love. We find features that may be part of your everyday routine and bring them to the buyer through our marketing platforms.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook or search our website to check out our latest homes for sale.