If a landlord has a property to rent out, he has the option of looking for a tenant on his

own. Instead of exploring this option, he can seek professional help to find the right

tenant. It is advisable to hire a property agent though many landlords are tempted to

save brokerage fees. The consequences of not having a property agent are disastrous

as the landlord ends up with a tenant who proves to be a source of trouble. Hire a

property agent who is an expert in the rental business segment to avoid regrets later.

Best price

Since a real estate agent has the latest updates regarding ongoing rates in various

localities, he is able to provide a tenant who pays the highest rent for the property.

Saving in Cost

A real estate agent can place advertisements on behalf of the landlord at zero cost.

He uses his superior marketing services and network to generate leads. But a

landlord has to spend his money on releasing advertisements in the papers to find a

tenant.

Client base

A real estate agent already has several clients looking for a good rental option and

this saves time and resources. His database is useful.

Undue advantage

A real estate agent handles negotiation with the tenant and ensures the terms and

conditions set by the landlord are not modified by the tenant. When a property agent

is involved, a tenant cannot take any advantage or put forth clauses.

Multiple responsibilities

A real estate agent bears all the responsibilities related to the rental

process. Advertising, showing of the property, tenant screening, preparing the

lease document, and collecting funds are his key duties.

Background check

A property agent digs up the past of a tenant – the relationship he shared with his

previous landlord. He is able to know whether the tenant behaved well with his

earlier landlord, paid rent on time, and maintained the property well or not. Getting

the right tenant is the prime reason why you need to hire a property agent. Seek a

tenant who cares for the property and maintains cordial ties with neighbours.

Employment history

A real estate agent can seek employment details and visit his office to verify facts.

He can speak to his employer and colleagues to know the kind of job he has – full-

time, consultant or contractual. His salary figure gives an idea of his capacity to pay

the monthly rent. Stability and tenure of the job are important considerations.

Transferable clients

Many landlords prefer tenants with transferable jobs as the property gets vacated

after a couple of years. A property agent has a long list of clients with transferable

jobs. Even if they do not get high rent, they are happy because they do not have to

go for litigation to get the property vacated.

Support system

Many aged landlords living on their own need tenants who become their support

system. They want to have a family that takes care of them, do many errands for

them. Their definition of a right tenant includes a person or a family they can

approach during emergencies. Some landlords want to have tenants who take full

care of the property since they live far or abroad. A good, educated, cultured family

is what they need.

Restrictions

Many landlords prefer a family instead of letting it out to bachelors who cause a lot of

trouble. The marital status of a tenant becomes the key consideration. A landlord

can specify what he needs to avoid and what he prefers. Once he defines his

expectations, a property agent can filter out the options and conduct a focused

search.

Real estate agents possess information and technology that landlords do not have.

They lower the risk, negotiate well and ensure quick completion of the transaction.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Sanjiv Raktim Roy

Cheap, Bargain, Real Estate; Good Deals, Below Market, Low Priced properties are available if you know how to buy them. By Jody Hudson – Realtor since 1972. How to FIND and BUY: Cheap Bargain Real Estate, Good Deals, Below Market, Low Priced and Less Expensive; homes, lots, land, businesses, and condominiums. They are everywhere and easy to find. Here is how to find and buy them from anyone, anywhere. This article lays out the steps: How to find and buy a Bargain, A Good Deal, in real estate; that is; how to get it real cheap! Yes, there are ways! Nearly every call or e-mail that I get is asking me to find the buyer a bargain. We all feel that way when we are buying as well. All of us want a good deal. We all want to get cheap real estate. And we can all do it. There is a bit of a challenge however. Every single buyer that I’ve ever had in my thirty two years of selling real estate has wanted to sell the property they have for more than it is worth. Herein lays our challenge as Realtors — and of course for you as purchasers. To get those HOT deals in real estate there are at least three things you must do: 1. First of all as a buyer you must be able and willing to act faster than any other buyer. 2. Second you must be able to know a bargain when you see one. This takes experience and education in the specific market . Any assumptions made from other markets, about the subject-inteded market, will sentence you to certain failure… 3. Third you must BUY it. That is write a deposit check and write a contract that will win over the other contracts that may be presented at about the same time as yours. This group of three steps, sounds simple, but only about one buyer in each ten year period is willing to do these three things in order to get the cheap property they have asked us to find for them! I have several people, and so do most Realtors, that are the most; ready, willing and able and we call them first! If you want to be one of the ones called you must be MORE ready, willing and able! Recently, August 2002 the waterfront home next to ours was listed for sale for $249,000 and it was worth at the time about $350,000. Kate and I called each of our family members, our wonderful neighbors on the other side (one of whom is a local builder and the other a mortgage broker) and some of our best clients and a best friend of ours, a builder and investor, who had already said he liked the fine home. (Note that property is now worth about $800,000 Sept. 2004). We explained that the home was going on the market in a few hours and that they must act fast. Our neighbors on the other side, the most knowledgeable of the bunch wanted to make an offer of $180,000 saying they thought that was all the property was worth. They knew better or at least should have and they should have bought it. They just „hoped“ they could get it for less and that they didn’t have to move fast. The offer they made was ignored and wasted our time. They did however get another property in a few days, for a lot more money, that was worth a lot less, as a result of improved alertness and awareness after losing the one next to us. Our savvy investor friend put in a couple of offers below the asking price with several contingencies. Meanwhile we are telling everyone to write a contract for full price with no contingencies and calling on both our phones as fast as we could call. None of our best friends or family would pay attention. They were ALL too greedy. They knew the property was far under-priced but wanted it for even less… Lesson: when it’s a good deal – ACT instead of getting more greedy and losing the deal totally. Then our lovely new neighbors came and saw the property. They also were knowledgeable about similar properties, and had lost several properties they liked by moving slow, writing unreasonable contracts and not paying attention to real values. This time they did it correctly. In fact they wrote a contract on the spot, with no contingencies, and for MORE than full price so that if anyone did offer full price they would still have the best chance. They paid $5,000 more than the full price on the spot, told the sellers they could have settlement any time they wanted it and before they even heard back from the sellers they arranged for a mortgage of MORE than they needed and asked for the money to be immediately available. They did not ask for a home inspection, a survey, or for the sellers to fix anything. The home is 30 years old and has not had one bit of maintenance. There was a burst hot water tank, a roof that needs replacing and a few HUGE cracks in the foundation. All these problems cost them about $15,000. They have, as I write this, owned the property for several months and worked on it every weekend, before they could take a break and enjoy it. They love it. If they were to fix all of the things that need fixing, paint the trim and freshen up the yard and landscaping; we could get $900,000 to $950,000 for this home for them in a few months on the market. And, city sewer will be here in a few years, at that point the property will instantly go up another $200,000 and all the people we called knew about the pending sewer too. The buyers didn’t find out about the sewer coming to town until after they had contracted to purchase the property. The sewer is still not in — WOW. They are glad they did the One, Two, Three to make it happen! By doing the three things listed above the purchasers of the home next to us have made the wisest purchasing decision thus far in their lives and have one of the best bargains that have been available in the last several years. The sellers are happy too as they just wanted to sell it as fast as they possibly could, due to a sudden and dangerous illness of one of the owners. I’m writing this article to serve you the reader. But you must know it is self serving as well. Much of our time as Real Estate Agents is spent trying to successfully educate our buyers and sellers. If they would take our advice they could be far, far, more successful in selling or buying. The articles I write here [http://www.kate-jody.com/essays/index.html] are those advices that I give my customers and clients – if they ask. Most don’t and when they do, very few take the advice. Just like in every other profession, we the professionals do what we can to help those who come to us but it’s up to them to take the advice. Bargain homes are always available – but hard to sell. They are homes that are in need of some repair or cosmetic improvement or that are in an area of transition. We have several on the market right now and they are hard to sell. Someone with vision will eventually purchase them, fix them up and perhaps sell them at a huge profit – often to someone who says they want a bargain but won’t do what it takes to get a bargain. Funny isn’t it, and this sort of thing happens all the time. It has consistently happened in my 35 years in the real estate business and being a licensed Realtor since 1972. Just know this, if you want a fixer-upper, so does everyone else, but you need to be very, very, educated and able to spend the time and money to renovate the property effectively and affordably. And, you need to do One, Two, Three! If you want a bargain; educate yourself and be ready to DO — One, Two, and Three. We’ll try to help you. By Jody Hudson Copyright 2002-2004 www.Kate-Jody.com Jody Hudson: MrJodyHudson@earthlink.net

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Jody Hudson

In, nearly – every financial area, it seems, some people seek to attempt to proceed, with a greater advantage, hoping to time, the specific component, in order to, hopefully, buy – low, and, sell – high! We often witness this behavior, regarding real estate buying and selling, especially, residential transactions! When prices seem to be trending, up, especially, in recent days, when we have seen a record – pace, of price increases, more individuals seem to be getting involved, in what is referred to as, flipping a property, which means, buying a particular house, at a perceived, opportunistic price, and making some, predominantly, cosmetic changes, and selling it, soon, at a profit! After, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I have witnessed, this process, being successful, as well as, considerably – less, so! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 4 reasons, most people shouldn’t try to market – time, real estate.

1. You can’t predict the future, consistently, and/ or, accurately!: If, we had a Crystal Ball, perhaps, we would become, more capable of accurately, and consistently, predicting the future, including, relating to house prices! Since, historically, these prices have tended to be cyclical, it is challenging, to know, when this might, make sense! Obviously, every financial strategy/ action, should be considered, on a risk/ reward basis, and only those, who are ready, willing, and able to handle the uncertainties, stresses, and potential losses, should attempt to flip – a – house!

2. Several (not just – one) factors impact real estate, including pricing: No one factor determines, how prices, will move! Some of the factors, include: interest rates (including mortgage rates and terms, etc); Supply and Demand; seller and buyer perceptions; confidence! We have experienced, a prolonged period, of record – low, interest rates, and corresponding, mortgage terms! When this occurs, more people qualify for a mortgage, thus, increasing, demand. Perhaps, the biggest factor, is Supply and Demand, and, when the supply is lower than the demand, prices go up! One factor is based on emotions, and thus, the perceptions of both, buyers and sellers! Overall consumer confidence influences many people’s mindsets, and, that impacts the overall market!

3. Different factors do not always work, in sync!: When mortgages are easy and cheaper, to get, prices usually go up! When confidence is high, and inventory, low, it, generally, causes an upward trend! However, those factors, which tend to increase, and/ or, decrease house prices, often, may not align, and so, the overall trends, becomes more challenging, to predict!

4. Relationship between home sellers, and qualified, potential home buyers: In general, when demand is great, there are more, qualified, potential buyers, than, houses – for – sale (inventory)! The opposite set, of conditions, usually creates a so – called, Buyers Market. At times, we witness a neutral set of conditions!

For most, trying to market – time, real estate, is speculative, and risky! Like, any, other financial asset, proceed with an open – mind, and, in a well – considered manner!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Richard Brody

Many believe, two factors, often, are most significant, in terms of selling a house. One, of course, is location, while, the other, generally, is related to properly, pricing it, correctly, from the onset/ start! While, some may feel, this is obvious, how to best – price, a specific house, often, differs, based on a variety of conditions, including specific location/ area, the overall economy, the total, real estate market, specific – local conditions, mortgage rates, consumer confidence, etc. We will focus, in this article on 5 factors, which often, influence home pricing. With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, these items, how they relate, and why, they matter.

1. Overall real estate market: Perceptions, especially, those, held by, qualified, potential buyers, often, influences, the overall, real estate market! What factors, might, create a buyers, versus, a sellers, and/ or, neutral market? Examine national trends, but, pay keen attention, the specifics, of the local area, and its vicinity! Remember, this market – place, operates, as a component, of the overall, economic conditions, and/ or, beliefs!

2. Local market conditions: All real estate is local! While, not, entirely, true, a region’s specifics, often, creates, significant, unique factors, and/ or, challenges! How does the particular, state, impact this consideration? How about, the specific region? What about, an individual, neighborhood, and/ or, even, a specific block? People are attracted to homes, based on, a variety of conditions/ factors, including: location, convenience, mass transportation, community factors, Houses of Worship, education/ schools, perceived and actual safety, etc.

3. Supply and Demand: Like, most other items, the price, to purchase, a house, often, depends upon, the realities of supply and demand! How many houses, are listed, on the market, as opposed to, how many qualified, potential buyers (who are ready, and willing, to pay a specific price), are currently, looking?

4. Overall interest rates/ mortgage rates: Overall interest rates, often, impact the performance, of many components, of the economy! In terms of housing demands, most buyers, take advantage of, acquiring a mortgage, as a part, of their purchase funding, so, when these rates, are lower, and there is more access, to so – called, cheap – money. houses, often, get higher offers!

5. Consumer confidence: Buyer perception is an integral part, of, how houses, sell, because, the more, confident, potential buyers, are, the more, will seek, to purchase!

The key to selling real estate, is finding, the right home, for a specific person, at a price, he is ready, willing, and able, to afford, and pay! Choose the right, real estate professional, to help, guide – you, through, this often – confusing, stressful, process!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Richard Brody

When, a homeowner, decides, it is time, for him, to sell his existing home, it may be, for any number, of possible reasons! Some are obvious, such as financial challenges, job relocation, changing personal needs, priorities, etc, while, other motivations, may be, more – personal, etc! Regardless, however, in my, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I have learned, and strongly, believe, a primary, initial decision, which, often, has significant impacts, is the initial, listing price, when the house, originally, is, put – on – the – market, to sell. Basically, there are 5 basic strategies, for pricing, your home, for – sale. With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, what these are, and, why, it matters.

1. High – end of range: Especially, in these times, where, we see, a combination of limited, available inventory, near – record – low mortgage interest rates, and a sellers – market, many homeowners, seem, to prefer, pricing their houses, at the higher end, of the range! In, some cases, this strategy, achieves its objectives, but, often, risks, houses, which don’t end – up, selling, Using this strategy, should, only, be considered, when the seller, is willing to take some risks (hoping for greater rewards), and isn’t under, time – pressure!

2. Middle, of the range: In most cases, the smartest approach, is, to price a house, in the middle of the range, suggested, by preparing, a professionally, designed/ created, Competitive Market Analysis (usually, referred to, as a, CMA). This, usually, creates, a strong – demand, by, qualified, potential buyers!

3. Lower third of range: There may be, several reasons, for this approach, to listing price! Usually, it creates, a significant demand, from qualified buyers, and, helping, to sell the house, for the best – price, in the shortest – period, with a minimum of hassle!

4. Pricing above the high point: During certain, real estate markets, such as the one, we have witnessed, for several months, currently, we often, witness, listing prices, set, above the higher – end, of the indicated range! When, prices, are rising, quickly, this may help getting more money, for one’s house, but, since most buyers, use a mortgage loan, to help finance/ pay – for, the home, doing this, risks, home appraisals, which don’t, perhaps, justify, the size of the desired loan!

5. Below lowest point: Setting an initial, listing price, below, market – levels, may be indicated, under certain circumstances/ conditions. This approach may be effective, when a seller wishes for a speedier sale, and, believes, creating, a so – called, bidding – war, may, make sense! It may also be a good approach, for marketing houses, with some, unusual circumstances, needs, goals, and priorities!

Whichever strategy/ approach, used, it is important to realize, there is a significant different, between, listing, and selling, prices! Will you be an educated, informed, smarter home – seller?

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Richard Brody

One real estate transaction that requires the involvement of French law is the relationship between a landlord and a tenant. Here the law specifically lists out the buying and selling obligations of each party and serves to create an atmosphere of trust and understanding that creates an amicable business relationship.

The overriding law

In France, the dominant law that regulates the relationship between landlord and tenant is the Mermez Act of 1989. Despite minor amendments this law has largely remained intact and has become the overriding law on tenancy agreements.

The tenant and landlord under French law

Occupany

• The tenant is highly favored by the law

• The landlord and tenant are permitted to reach agreement on the amount of rent payable but the amount can only be revised once a year and as the occupier and user of the house, the tenant is obliged to take out home insurance.

• Any suggested increase in rent must conform to the INSEE index. The owner is equally obliged to confirm that the rent paid is below those paid in the vicinity by landlords who own rentals with identical furnishings, accessories, fixtures and fittings. If the increase exceeds 10%, it must be spread over 6 years even if the contract is of shorter duration.

• A 2 months deposit may be paid only if payment of the rent in advance is not made.

• For a privately owned unfurnished rental, the duration of occupancy is 3 years minimum but six years if the rental is owned by a company or society. For furnished rental, occupancy is one year, renewable each year provided no notice has been given by either side. Furnished accommodation is more relaxed than unfurnished rental in terms of deposits, charges and obligations.

• Furnished accommodation is taxed as professional income but no VAT is payable. The landlord is required to pay all local taxes.

• The tenant can vacate the rental accommodation anytime he wishes but must issue a 3 month notice before doing so. The notice can be reduced to 1 month for special circumstances e.g. the tenant’s loss of employment or bad health. The landowner is not permitted to issue notice.

Notices

• A 2 month notice is the standard procedure given by the tenant who wishes to vacate the rental accommodation.

• The landlord is obliged to issue a notice of at least 6 months before the tenancy contract expires. The notice is sent either by post or by safe hand of a bailiff. If the landlord intends to sell the rented accommodation, a copy of the offer must be sent to the tenant together with the price. The tenant holds first preference to buy the accommodation.

Occupancy

• Under no circumstances can a tenant be evicted from his rental premise except for cases where the house is about to collapse, in which case the Mayor is the only person who can evict the tenant, or where the tenant has not paid rent or has failed or refused to take out a home insurance

• The landlord must wait out the period of the contract when the tenant either freely leaves the rental accommodation or elects to renew the agreement.

Evictions

Strictly speaking, the tenant cannot be evicted from his/her rented accommodation but there are exceptions to the rule.

• A tenant may be evicted by the Mayor if the house is about to collapse

• The tenant has not paid the agreed rent amount

• No home insurance has been taken out by the tenant

• The tenant has abused his rights of occupancy by misusing the paid rental.

Re-occupation

The landlord is not strictly permitted to re-enter the rented accommodation but there are exceptions where he may be permitted to re-occupy the premises.

• If he or a member of his immediate family intends to occupy the rental to live.

• If he intends to sell the rental accommodation.

• If the tenant has failed to pay rent, take out a home insurance or abused his/her rights of occupancy.

Termination of contact

• A contract must be drawn up to include obligatory and forbidding clauses.

• A resolution clause has the ability of terminating the agreement after a 2 month notice if an obligation in the contract has not been fulfilled.

—

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by James E Harrison

Representation:

In Israel, (as in many states in the United States), a real estate agent, may represent both the buyer/renter and seller/leaser. Please bear in mind that this does not free one or the other party from payment. If both sides are represented by the agent, then each side independently of the other, must pay the agent the agreed upon fee (unless of course it was stipulated and agreed upon otherwise).

When you decide to sell, purchase, rent or lease a property, we will usually ask you to sign a form, (which is a binding legal document), in regard to the specific property.

It is wise for you to read this document, which is basically used, in one configuration or another, by all licensed agents in Israel. The form clearly states the agent’s fee (in case of a deal) and stipulates that if one attempts to circumvent the agent by asking a father, mother, sister or brother to purchase the property, you are still obligated to pay the agents fee. It is also important to note that the basic agreement stipulates that once you have signed to purchase, sale, rent or lease the property, from that moment you are obligated to pay the agents fee.

It should be noted that Real Estate Brokers and Agents MUST be licensed. If you demand to see the license of a broker that is up to date (either a piece of paper or a card issued by the Real Estate office which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice) and the Broker cannot produce it, there is no legal binding between you and the broker – no matter how many documents you sign.

Fees:

All fees listed here are the basic fees that agents in Israel charge in regard to properties. There are certainly some cases where we will take more than 2% or less. However, these are rare and very specific cases, and usually if not stipulated otherwise you are looking at a normative fee scale, practiced by most Brokers and licensed agents in Israel.

1. Purchase or sale – 2% of the amount Plus VAT (VAT=Value Added Tax and currently it is 16.5%. This is a tax that is added by the government on to any sale of goods or services. This is NOT given to the discretion of the agent to charge or not to charge. No matter what the final price paid, the agent must pay VAT to the VAT authorities.) VAT however, is not added on to the price of the property sale, unless it is a commercial property.

2. Rental or Leasing – is usually one month of rent. Thus if you decide to rent an apartment for $1500 per month, then you will owe twelve months worth of rent to the owner for one year, and $1500 + VAT to the agent. Again VAT is not added on to the actual rental (except in commercial properties), but only to the agents fee as this is considered a „service industry“.

3. Short Term Rentals – Fees for this can vary drastically, depending upon the length of the rental and the actual rental fee. Normal policy is to take between 10-15% of the overall deal.

Can you negotiate?

Most reputable real estate agents have strict policies of non-negotiation in terms of fees. They will, of course, for returning clients, or for those who use our agency for more than one property, discuss a reduction in fees. However, please do not expect them to negotiate a fee before they have any idea about what it is you wish them to do. Also, just because you decided to take the first property you were shown, does not mean the agent should go down in his fee. Actually, in such a case, you should be more than willing to pay the agents fee, as due to their ability and knowledge, they were able to take you to exactly the place that met with your description! You took an agent to save you time and frustration, and that is exactly what they did.

Exclusivity:

If you are familiar with agents in Israel, they love the term „exclusivity“. In essence what it means, is that you contract with a specific agent for a term of 3 or 6 months to be the sole representative to either sell or lease out your property. The advantages of this type of relationship are many-fold. The agent will not hesitate to advertise the property or work together with other agents who may have clients for your property. The agency will also fully advertise the property both in print and on the Internet. In Jerusalem, the apartment will also be listed in Shiran, the multiple listing for Jerusalem properties.

So yes, exclusivity will pay off in many cases. However, and this is critical, agents cannot demand exclusivity nor try to talk you into it. It is the owner’s decision to go that route. You should want to do it if the agency is reputable in the real estate and land investment market and thus you will want to sign exclusivity with more than the agency wants you to sign it! However, not signing exclusivity also works well and most agencies maintain working relationships with many reputable agents on the market, and deal with them on a constant basis.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Ted Gross

The world of real estate is going through dramatic change and I don’t mean the current market upheavals caused by the change from a Seller’s market to a Buyer’s market.

Independent of price level there will always be buying and selling of homes going on. But the way people search for and find homes is in the middle of a dramatic change. The Internet is the great equalizer but also the great differentiator.

People searching online are not aware of your achievements, everybody is equal at first. If your website does not offer the design and services people appreciate they will not stay long enough to find out. This is where you can differentiate yourself.

But design and functionality are a secondary issue to the problem of how to get found in the first place. Use the analogy of websites being online business cards. New business cards are deposited not at the top of the pile but at the very bottom. Customers are picking up business cards from the top of the pile. SEO or search engine optimization deals with efforts to move ones business cards further up the pile so that customers can find one’s site through popular search engines.

So you have a new website. So you basically just had your business cards printed but nobody knows how to find them. Or even more dramatic you don’t even know if somebody is picking up your business cards and you don’t know if your business cards are in the big pile yet.

I would define SEO as the efforts to purposefully move ones website to be placed higher on the results page in response to a search query at a range of search engines.

But there are thousands of search engines out there. True. But all but 3 are irrelevant to your optimization efforts. Google, Yahoo and MSN control about 98% of all searches performed on the Internet. Focus on the three big search engines and the rest will take care of itself.

What is there to optimize? The aim is to be found by people searching for things that you offer on your website. When people search they do this textually by querying a search term or phrase. For you to optimize your site you first have to understand for which keywords or key phrases you want to be found. As I am practicing real estate in Aspen, Colorado and appropriate search term could be „Aspen Real Estate“.

Make sure you repeat your keywords and phrases on your homepage. Make the most important key phrase a headline and type it in a bold font.

It is important to understand that search engines are automated computer systems programmed by humans to evaluate the webs content without human interference. This means that search results are based on what is called a computer algorithm. This is basically a set of instructions for the computer on how to evaluate certain criteria and translate the results into a sequence of importance. Most important website first, least important website last.

The art and science of Search Engine Optimization is to try to understand what the search engines are looking for in a good site and then giving the search engine just that. The Google search engine algorithm probably looks at hundreds of different criteria. It is so complex that not even the engineers inside Google know the whole picture. Well you might say, how should none Google employees then know what to do?

Basically the most important fundamentals of what makes a good websites are known. Google for example uses a patented mathematical concept they called „Page Rank“ at the root of their systems. Links are seen as votes. The more links are pointing to one website the more important that website must be. The more important the website is that votes for another website the more weight that vote caries.

So, try to get people to link to your website. It is important to know that links from website that have the same topic as your website seem to be more important than links from website that do not fit the subject. Links from other real estate related website are more important to my website then links from websites promoting toys.

Search engines like content rich websites. The more pages with useful content the better. Blogs are a great way to accumulate great on-topic content over a period of time. This is all the more important as search engines like website that have fresh content on a regular basis.

DMOZ.org is a human compiled directory of websites. Read their instructions carefully and submit your website to a relevant category. Yahoo and Google use this directory and it helps to be listed.

Generate a site map and place the xml file on your web server. A site map is basically a long list containing all your web pages in a format that is readable by computer programs employed by search engines to browse the web. These programs are called „bots“ or „spiders“. This will help the search engines to find all the pages on your website. Remember, the more web pages the search engine knows about the better for you.

Search engines cannot read certain content. Graphical content is one such thing. If your site consists of mainly pictures the search engine will not understand what your site is about and therefore will not offer it as a result of a search. Make sure your site is text rich.

Real Estate website can have pages for the different subdivisions in the area serviced. Write a blog on the property of the week. Incorporate a section of „Frequently Asked Questions“. Write about yourself and give people a bio on you. Explain the buying and selling process. Offer sales statistics. The list goes on.

Get a program Like „Advanced Web Ranking“ to search the search engines for search results containing your keywords. Optimization is fun when you start to see results. But manually looking for your website in search results is labor intensive and a good job for an automated program.

Read web forums and a couple of books on SEO once you are past the basics. The field is constantly evolving and there us tons more to learn.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Toby Munk

I’ve done it myself; taken what I thought were great listing pictures and used them for my online MLS listing. My clients thought they were fine and I thought they were just fine, until I started working as a buyer’s agent in Seattle a few years back.

I worked with over 40 different buyers a week and everyday I’d hear, „Did you see those listing pictures? There’s no way we want to see that house, it’s a dump! Does the listing agent know how bad they are?“ Obviously, the listing agent didn’t spend anything on real estate photography.

My buyers would also see some great listing photos and want to get in to see the home that afternoon. We’d step inside and they’d wonder if it was the same home they saw online. They felt cheated because the pictures were nothing like the real home. (but at least the listing agent got buyers walking through the house).

It all came down to the listing pictures they saw online. That’s essential marketing for listings! Give buyers a great picture and they’ll jump inside the house that day. Give them a „do-it-yourself“ picture and they’ll move onto the next home. The listing pictures make the difference, especially when you spend a few bucks on professional real estate photography!

Even when the listing pictures were better than the actual house, guess what? It still got the buyers inside! That’s your goal as a listing agent; get as many showings as possible. Professional real estate photography makes that happen.

With upwards of 80%+ of buyers looking online now, the listing photos are the first thing they’re looking at and basing their initial impressions on.

How much money in lost commissions do you think you’re missing because you won’t spend a couple hundred bucks for professional real estate photography?

If you did spend the well invested marketing dollars on some professional real estate photography…….

1. You could have more satisfied clients because the home sold faster.
2. You could have made more cash because you didn’t have to drop the sales price when the listing became stale on the market.
3. You could look like a top producer in the area because of the quicker sales, better looking listings and more satisfied clients. Your overall image is enhanced, big time!

Isn’t it funny how such a small aspect of your business can affect the whole thing? Anytime you realize how one issue affects your net profits, that’ll make you perk up, right?

Now don’t give me the excuse that it’s too expensive because it’s not. Look at it as a marketing and advertising expense because that’s exactly what it is. And real estate photography is one of the best things you can spend your marketing dollars on.

You have a couple options……..

You could grab a professional in real estate photography in your local area and offer them $50-$200 to come to your listing and take some fabulous photos. Make sure they’re top notch, have all the right equipment and understand the goal of these photos. You don’t want to pay for real estate photography that’s no better than your own.

Your other option is to go with a company like Vicaso.com who does real estate photography exclusively. Their business is listing photos for real estate agents!

You can schedule your photo shoot on their website, pay about $200 or so and get the most captivating listing photos you’ll ever see. Even if you have a crack house listed for sale, their real estate photography will make it look like a palace.

I’m telling you; don’t skimp on your real estate photography. Look at the cost as an investment. If you spent $200 on professional real estate photography and got back another $20,000 in commissions that year from faster sales, more clients, and higher listing prices, wouldn’t that be worth it? You betcha!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Josh F. Sanders

As a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, for over 15 years, I am often asked, a variety of house – related, questions, etc! Especially, after this past year, or so, where we have witnessed, a record – degree of price increases, for houses sold, in most areas of this country, many wonder, how much longer, will this trend, continue, and, what might come next, and the future, bring! Since, there is no such thing, as a Crystal Ball, especially, related to real estate (especially, pricing trends, and levels), there are no guarantees, and, for most people, it is generally, unwise (and, potentially, financially, dangerous), to try to market – time, pricing! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 4 possibilities, in terms of, what might, come next.

1. Continue going up: Will prices, continue, going up, and, if, so, for how much longer? Is this going to be a longer – term, tendency/ trend, or, merely, another of the many cycles, home prices, witness? Many factors have contributed to the current high pricing, and rate of increase. The pandemic was one factor, which made many, reconsider, their lives, and what they wanted, and thus, many chose, to relocate, etc! The long period (extended) of record – low, or nearly, record – low, interest rates, and, thus, Mortgage rates, has created, conditions, where many, can borrow more, for less, and, thus, we see more buyers, than sellers (known as a Sellers Market), However, with, recent trends, indicating inflation risks, many feel, we will soon, witness, the Federal Reserve, raising rates, and thus, mortgage costs, will increase for potential buyers! It seems logical, this will end this huge – jump, upward!

2. Steady: Will the next market, bring, steady prices/ a leveling – off, of home prices? Will this be the circumstance, in some areas, and, not, in others? Whether, prices will rise, fall, or level – off, is, nearly, always, related to specific, local real estate markets, and conditions! Many believe, they probably, won’t drop, significantly, but, surely, the pace of increase, will slow, significantly!

3. Price adjustments: Will potential, qualified buyers, feel, prices, are now, too high, which might alter the market, to a Buyers Market? How might, this, combining, with the probably of rising, interest rates, impact home priced?

4. Return to historic cycles: Students of real estate, have witnessed, or learned – of, a history, of cycles, changing, between, Buyers, Sellers, and Neutral markets! Wil we witness the return to these historic tendencies, and trends?

No one knows, for sure, what the future, may bring, but, the probability is, this fast – rising, trend (especially, at this pace), continuing, for much longer, seems, remote, and improbable! Pay attention to the various factors, which might impact the prices!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Source by Richard Brody