Thinking of Buying Home? Now Maybe A Good Time.

Although it was not a surprise, the Federal Reserve (the Feds) rate hike of 0.25% on Wednesday, December 16, 2015, was still met with a hushed gasp.  How will the rate hike affect mortgages and real estate sales? 

In a nutshell, the rate increase can a good thing.  It signals that the economy is on a mend and the Feds could increase the price of money after its successful quantitative easing initiatives to boost said economy.   As the economy starts to grow, the Feds raise rates so that they can control the inflation or deflation that may occur. 

So, what does this mean to a consumer looking for a mortgage in the future?  This is a first of a few planned increase in interest rates.  The initial increase is not likely to cause a panic in the market.  This is likely because the increase was expected so mortgage industry had some time to digest the notion of an increase.  So, if you are thinking of buying a home in the next six months, chances are, you can still get “cheap money”.  However, if you are on the fence about buying home, I would suggest you start looking for a home to take advantage of the still low mortgage rates.  There are no schedules for the future rate hikes.  Rest assured they are imminent.  

Agent Etiquette

According to Wikipedia, etiquette is "a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group." Now, considering Realtor agents are supposed to be "professionals", it's a wonder why some of us cannot appreciate the hard work buyer's agents dedicate to get their buyer(s) to submit an offer.  It may not be the strongest at first, but, we try our best.  I was taught that you submit the buyer's offer, not matter how "offending" it is to a seller.

Well, I was shocked when I submitted an offer to the seller's agent via email AFTER texting the agent to expect the offer, AND texting him after the email was sent and heard nothing from for over 12 hours.  I gave up and called the agent who informed me he did receive the offer and spoke to his seller already.  The seller wanted to wait until the end of the day.  I mean, that's fair from the seller, but, to hear that the agent did get the offer and communicated with the seller and not confirm that he received the offer just set the day into another frustrating one dealing with the (un)professionals.

I have always worked with the other side no matter how difficult it can be.  My job is to get my client to the closing table.  I will work my darnest to get there.  I expect the same from my counterpart.  Is it so difficult to confirm receipt of an offer?  Isn't it our jobs to inform and improve the process for our clients?  I feel the clients don't get the best of either side if agents act like this.  C'mon people, can't we just get along?????  Be fair and communicate because I have an anxious buyer who doesn't understand why other agents aren't there for them like I am.

Cool Tools - texting for real estate properties made simple

So, I get excited every time I learn something new about technology and how it can help my day to day business.  This week, I learned about a new FREE service (for Coldwell Banker agents) called "CB Mobile Connect".  This program was introduced by Dot Signal who specialize in mobile technology.  So, this super duper cool program allows buyers (and sellers) to get up to date information on homes in an instant.  All a potential buyer needs to do is text a keyword using their messaging program and voila...the agent will send them information on a particular property.  That simple!  No fretting, no frustration, and no waiting to get to more information.  CB-NRT agents, you can get information from potential buyers to help them find their home and you look like a shining star.

Try it right now!  Text keyword "Sarita LaTorre" to 35620 to get information on Fort Myers properties.  You'll see...it will make your day - especially if you are looking for real estate in the Fort Myers area.