A Real Estate Broker’s Share

1. Get Pre-Approved. Even if you don't think you can afford it, or are concerned about a down payment, or your credit - the first thing you should do is talk to a skilled mortgage lender. It's their job to help you fix your credit, tell you how much you can afford, and help make it all happen. They will advise you if a down payment is needed (it may not! Many people arrange to buy a home with nothing down, $500 down, or 5% down), how much your monthly payment will translate to (i.e. tell them you want to spend $X a month, and they'll translate that into a purchase price of $Y). If you need to repair your credit, they'll be able to refer someone or give you some tips and help on how to fix it up.

2. Once you meet with a mortgage lender, you'll get a letter of pre-approval. It looks informal, but what matters is the listing agent (representing the sellers of a house you later want to buy) calling them and doing some research on whether you can in fact close and purchase the property. You then take this letter to a Realtor (R) / Real Estate Agent (note: Realtor is a real estate agent that adheres to a code of ethics; for practical purposes they're essentially the same, though a Realtor(R) has more accountability and is therefore more highly recommended). This is step 2 of buying real estate.

3. The fun part: Shopping! Step 3 of buying real estate usually involves you looking at a bunch of properties on the internet, driving around some neighborhoods, then when you see some homes you think you might like, just email or call your agent and ask to go see it. Don't get too hung up on this, and at first, go see some houses even if you know it's not quite right - just to get some ideas of what you like and don't like. On paper, or on the computer, a house is just a bunch of numbers - 3 bedrooms, 1873 square feet, etc. - but in person, you'll find that the "bones" of a house, they layout, and the materials vary widely. On each home, communicate what you like and don't like to your agent. Ideally, you should do this on each home, and by listing your favorite points, and factors you didn't like, you'll help your agent slowly hone in on what you really want. This is step 3 of buying real estate, and it usually turns out to be more work than you expect. By the way, it's OK if a house or condo or lot seems ok on paper, but just doesn't feel right. Trust your gut...buying real estate is emotional and you want to feel at home. Usually, if something doesn't feel right, it's because it reminds you of some other home, and many times, people ultimately buy a home that feels like a home they lived in as a child and therefore feel at home in.

4. The exciting part of buying real estate comes when you find a home you want. Just tell your agent this one feels right, and you'd like to put in an offer. Let your agent do the negotiating for you, it's their job, and they get paid by the seller so the service is essentially free. You can call the mortgage lender back now and tell them you're finally buying real estate, and give them the purchase price you want to offer, along with any other expenses such as taxes and insurance. They can give you a more exact payment on the house, which you'll then give your agent a range to offer, starting low with a walk-away price. The agent helping you in buying real estate will know the conventions and strategy best for your local market and sniff out competing offers, etc. This offer will then be accepted or declined or counter-offered.

5. The nerve-wracking part of buying real estate is closing the actual transaction. Once your offer is accepted, you then start a 2-way "dance" called "escrow" or "under contract" or "closing". This means the further you get into the deal, the more committed you are financially, and the more committed the seller is because they're packing their life into boxes. Expect a bit of buyers remorse - it always happens about a week in, and just remind yourself why you like the house and imagine your life in your new home. Also, expect that the closing date is just a guideline, and it could be earlier by a few days, or later by a few days. Most commonly, people close in about 30-45 days. Depending on your state, you'll sign a new loan on about day 25 or day 29, and then move in about day 30 (or 45, depending on your contract period). You'll sign a binding loan and get keys, the seller gets cash (and their old loan paid off, if they have one), and the bank gets an enforceable contract that you make house payments toward. Once it "records" the deal is 100% done, you own the home, and about 6 weeks later you'll make your first house payment to the bank.

Buying real estate is fun, and can make a big impact in how you live your life. For most Americans, buying real estate is one of the most important financial investments they ever make, and regardless of market it continues to prove a good investment simply due to inflation if not market appreciation. Just as your grandparents paid 15 cents for coffee and bought their first house for what seems like little money, so will your grandchildren (or you in your old age!) look back on buying real estate that first time as "cheap". Back when people were buying real estate for $5,000 for a home, the average income was only $1200 a year for some... our relationship with money changes over time. Once you cross the buying real estate bridge, you'll not only build wealth - but you'll build a home filled with memories as well.

I took my concerns to a financial advisor. He suggested that I change my retirement plan from my company's 401 K into a self-directed IRA. He said that with the Roth IRA I can choose where my money goes instead of having the company make the choice for me. Not only could I make the choice of where I wanted my money to go, but after I placed it into this kind of account; I would never have to pay taxes on the money again. Can you imagine what that means? I am sure that by the time I retire, we will have seen a huge jump in the income tax. But I won't have to worry about it, because the income from my retirement will not be taxable.

My counselor advised me that buying real estate with Roth IRA is the best choice in today's wavering financial market. Property represents a tangible item that generally sees a rise in its value over time. Today, prices are low. The time is ripe to purchase property. Soon, the government's plan to shore up the housing market will kick into effect and property prices will regain their momentum. The return on my investments is sure to go over the 8% return that I am seeing today. Will a roll over IRA buying real estate really be an answer to my current financial woes?

I have decided to take my financial counselor's advice and have chosen to take my 401k and use the money to invest in a roll over IRA buying real estate. I look forward to sitting back and watching my investments grow. Buying real estate with Roth IRA seems like the right way to go for me.

So what is a system? In this instance a system is a set of tasks that fit together to complete a given objective. You can define a system for almost anything. For example you could write a system for making breakfast:

1. Get the newspaper
2. Cook the eggs & bacon
3. Make the coffee
4. Set the table

In this example you could assign the four tasks to four separate people. Each task could be defined in more detail so that a stranger could perform the task and the end result would still be satisfactory. However, if even one of the tasks is missed or poorly done then the end result will be disappointing.

In real estate the tasks are usually very simple but there are usually a lot of them. Missing some steps due to the pressure of work or just poor discipline can have a drastic effect on the final income. Also, real estate salespeople are generally not renowned for their discipline. They prefer to be more intuitive, outgoing and people focussed. Therefore it is common to have checklists, computer systems or office managers to ensure that all the steps have been completed.

Example : Buyer enquiry system

Enquiries from potential buyers can come from a variety of sources including people simply walking into the office and asking for a specific property. The agent needs to work with each potential buyer and look after their needs. He or she needs to make the buyer feel special and that there is no need to go elsewhere for real estate services. This needs to be done in a proactive but reassuring way. That last thing that should be done is scare the person away by over servicing or being too pushy.

Each agent will develop their own style and will eventually develop a pattern that works for them. A typical system for managing the buyer enquiry might look like this:

1. Complete a buyer enquiry form. Usually a paper form filled out by the agent whilst talking to the potential buyer.
2. Conduct a search of possible properties for the buyer.
3. Take the buyer to inspect the possible properties and sell one of them if possible.
4. Gauge the buyer reaction to the properties and build a profile for the kind of property that will be suitable.
5. Enter the buyer details in the client database and schedule a trail of follow up actions based on the assessment of the buyer and his or her likelihood of purchasing in the next few weeks.
6. Same day - send a letter thanking the buyer and providing details of the properties seen and confirming the preferred property features for future searches.
7. Every week. Call the buyer and discuss the details of other properties coming onto the market. Try to arrange some more inspections.
8. Every month. Send a copy of the office newsletter.
9. Every three months. Send a copy of the suburb profile with updated sales and new listings during the period as evidence of sales activity.
10. Every three months. Visit the buyer and discuss how he values your service and whether he wishes to continue. You may then decide to change his details and the nature of your follow up campaign based on his comments.

When done well, these follow up systems build a trusted relationship between the clients and the agent. That in turn leads to a strong referral business.

Many real estate agents manage an area, or farm, consisting of over 500 people as potential sellers. Sometimes up to 2,000 people. The number of long term potential buyers, depending on the market, could be in the hundreds at any one time. Therefore it is apparent that a successful agent soon builds up a large list of daily actions and must be extremely efficient to stay on top. Writing the details in the diary is simply not going to provide the follow up necessary.

Please refer to Selecting and Using a Real Estate Database for more information.

Systems, tools and effective teams are the way forward in real estate sales today.