Houses for sale Gray Maine, selling a home in Gray ME

The most important decision you will make in the sale of your home is the REALTOR® you choose. Be sure to find someone you feel comfortable with. If you don't feel you can ask questions or go to your REALTOR®, you have the wrong person. Your REALTOR® should show you research to back up any recommendations. This includes information about recent sales, current listings, and recently expired listings in your neighborhood.

Watch out for agents who try to "buy" your listing. This is when a realtor will tell you your home is worth a lot more than it is likely to sell for. The key to catching this is being involved in the Market Analysis and making sure the comparable homes the realtor is using are sold homes and that the adjustments they make to the sold prices are reasonable and realistic. Get at least two opinions and compare the two closely, and even get a third opinion or more. You need to feel comfortable knowing what you will realistically get for you home. You can list a little higher, but you want to have realistic expectations in case you have to reduce the price.

Choose a local REALTOR®. He or she will know your area better than an outsider, will be seen as a source for people looking to relocate in your neighborhood, and will get better co-operation from other agents. It is likely that any amount you might save by having a friend or relative from outside the area serve as your REALTOR® will be lost in their lack of knowledge about your specific local market. Experience counts, and with the tightening market a lot of realtors have quit the business (full-time), and switched to a different career. Make sure your realtor is only working as an agent so they are available to talk with prospective buyers and show your home 7 days a week and not limited because they are at their other job and missed the email asking about your home.

Don't forget to ask for their references. He or she should be willing to give you names of previous clients, and you should try to contact a few. Ask the realtor to show you what will be done to market your home. Are they "Internet savy" and do they have the ability to market your home. Consider the experience they have in real estate as well as the initiative and professionalism shown by the individual.

Look for a REALTOR® who tells you what he or she knows from experience in the market, and not what they think you want to hear. Flattery may sometimes get the listing, but it doesn't sell the home!

Gray Maine, houses for sale that buyers don't know about.

I have been working as a Realtor in Gray Maine for over 11 years representing both buyers and sellers. I like representing both, but they are completely different many ways. Finding the right home is a process that takes a lot of work. Sometimes the houses for sale on the market are not the right home. That is when a good buyers agent will be worth every cent YOU pay them.

Yeah, I said YOU pay them. That's the truth because you are the one paying for the house and you aren't going to get it any cheaper with or without representation, so why wouldn't you want a professional helping you in your searching for homes you might like to buy. In some ways it is like going to court in a law suit, not bringing a lawyer with you, and paying for the other side's attorney to argue against you. Who would do that?

Back to having a good agent.

So you have looked at all the homes for sale on the market and you just haven't found the one you want to purchase. Here is one way I personally stand out from many other brokers. Not only do we have several searches continually looking for new listing that come on the market, I look at listing that have expired or were withdrawn in the past 6 months to a year. Sometimes people change their mind about selling or the house just wasn't marketed correctly and they still would like to sell. So I call or stop at those people's house and see if they still have an interest in selling their home. If they are then I take a few photos and send them to my clients to review. If there is interest, then we set up a private showing.

Now for the best part:

My clients will likely pay less for that home because the commission is only half of what it would be because there is not another realtor involved. Now that is what I call BUYER REPRESENTATION!

Call or email me to discuss how we can work together to take care of your Real Estate needs.

Sellers, Sins you don't want to make when selling your home.

When selling a home in Maine or anywhere else, either on your own or with a Realtor, you should read about the 10 Sins of a Seller where Clint Miller puts a humerous spin on the deadly sins.

Clint, like many buyers, found several disturbing things about potential homes he was looking into buying. It is a great read.

Enjoy and thank Clint Miller if you have time.

Current Real Estate for Sale Gray, ME: Where is the market heading?

No doubt the market is tightening as it usually does during the winter months. This does not mean you won't still find buyers searching for homes for sale, but it does mean that there will be fewer of them.

What does this mean for you?

If you are a seller, any and all offers should be given consideration. Not responding to an offer, even if it seems insulting, is a mistake in this market. One thing to remember is that this is a financial transaction, and keeping personal feelings out of it as much as possible will benefit you. If the goal is to sell your home, focus on that. Are you going to get less now than you would have 2 years ago, most likely yes, but you are also likely going to be paying a lot less for your next home.

If you are a buyer, this means you are in the drivers seat for the most part. You have the choice of a lot of inventory. First time home buyers, you have a lot to gain and very little to loose. There are some fabulous tax credits and loans for those who have good credit and reserves. The days of 110% financing are over and rightfully so.

More tips are available by visiting my website at FiveStarRealtyMaine.

Real Estate Sales down in June

SALES DOWN IN JUNE: Sales of single-family existing homes in Maine continued to decrease in June 2008. In a press release to the Maine media, MREIS reports 996 homes sold last month, a drop of 24.32% from last June’s sales figure of 1,316 homes. During the past 12 months, Maine's median sales price decreased nearly six percent to $188,000. The median sales price indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less. NAR reports a nationwide sales drop of 14.8% in June. The national median existing single-family home price dropped 6.7% to $213,800. Regionally, sales in the Northeast fell 15.8% during the past 12 months. According to NAR, the regional median sales price decreased 12.6% to $256,700.

Houses for sale Gray Maine, How not to sell a home?

So in the previous segment I explained some creative selling techniques to assist in bringing a buyer and seller together. Sometimes it just takes looking at the situation and helping the parties realize this is a business transaction, and other times it takes bringing in a more personal touch. Every situation is different.

I had brought the buyers and sellers together, until a survey issue arose. The buyers wanted the seller to pay for a full boundary survey and the buyers refused. Cost of this was $2500 and the parties walked away from the deal. Which is what I let them do for a couple days to rethink their positions. Then I addressed all concerns of the seller about putting up the money and then the deal still not working. After covering those, I found a surveyor who did the work for $1000. That saved the seller $1500 and saved the deal, again.

Having an experienced real estate broker is a great investment when selling or buying a home.

Call several realtors before deciding... this decision will make a difference.

Mortgage rules and regs tightening.

Due to the lastest housing crisis...yes, I would call it a crisis; the guidelines for underwriting mortgages have tightened and it has become more difficult and the days of stated products are all but extinct.
Reinusa si a real estate investor's website loaded with information for investors or people thinking of owning investment property. You can sign up for the Rein Report and receive emails with the latestest information and changes in today's market. Below is part of a rein report regarding investment properties and different loan options and requirements:

Below are some of the most recent guideline changes concerning investment property financing.

Be sure to look toward the bottom for the latest on cedit scores, rental income, and stated income products!!!

Current LTV limits for investment properties

· Full doc purchase or rate and term refinance

Up to 90% LTV on 1 to 2 unit properties

Up to 75% LTV on 3 to 4 unit properties

· Full doc cash out refinance

Up to 90% LTV on 1 to 2 unit properties

Up to 75% LTV on 3 to 4 unit properties

· Stated income purchase or rate and term refinance

Up to 90% LTV on 1 to 2 unit properties

Up to 75% LTV on 3 to 4 unit properties

Stated income cash out refinance

Up to 75% LTV on 1 to 4 unit properties

Non seasoned refinances (Immediately after purchase)

These loans are still available for either full doc or stated income borrowers and used primarily by investors purchasing rehab properties. Refinance an existing rehab loan or cash purchase project. Some restrictions apply so we recommend speaking to an experienced mortgage professional prior to executing a purchase agreement.


LTV limits vary from lender to lender. The above is a sampling from various lenders and is subject to change without prior notice. Additional qualifying requirements may apply.

Credit score requirements

While credit score requirements vary by lender and property type, most programs require a minimum score of 660 for full doc and 700 for stated income.

Stated income update

Stated income loans for real estate investors are quickly becoming a thing of the past. These programs are only available through a few select lenders and qualifying is very stringent. We highly recommend getting any stated income loans submitted and locked as soon as possible.

Proof of rental income for full doc borrowers

Until recently full doc guidelines only required signed rental agreements in order to use rental income for qualifying purposes. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines now require tax returns to verify rents recieved unless a property was aquired within the past year, and then it is required to provide a signed lease and the HUD from the purchase. If rents are not reported on the borrower's personal tax returns, the rental income can not be included. It is very important to work with a professional CPA to make sure rental income is documented appropriately.

Growing issues regarding title and mortgages held in an LLC

Though many investors feel that holding title or a mortgage in an LLC (or other company name) may benefit them, it can actually hinder their investing goals and their ability to obtain a conventional mortgage. Since guidelines have become more stringent lenders have ceased to allow conventional mortgages to be held in company names. While there are still a few lenders that do not require title seasoning, some now require title be seasoned in a personal name for at least 90 days prior to submitting a refinance. Please contact us for more information on these programs before purchasing or transferring title into an LLC or company name.

Gray and New Gloucester Maine Real Estate Deals

There are some great opportunities out there to purchase new homes for less than what you would expect to pay. If you want to see some of the great deals that are out the you can email or call me, or you can search for homes anywhere in Maine by yourself. I would not recommend just searching on your own, you should contact a qualified realtor who knows the area and knows what is going on in todays real estate market.

Finding a qualified realtor is not as hard as you might think. The hard part is realizing it may not be your wife's friend who just got liscensed last month, and explaining why you didn't choose to use he or she. Face it, everyone pretty much knows or knows someone who does know a real estate agent. In 2004, people where signing up and getting licensed trying to get in on the booming market. Longevity in this business is tough, most don't make it more than a year or two. Many experts are predicting that 35 to 40 percent of the agents will leave the business over the next two years. So pick a realtor or Agency that has been around and has some experience in selling real estate in Gray, Maine or what ever the location is that you are searching to purchase in.

This is a great time to buy a home. Interest rates are still low, inventory is good, and sellers are willing to negotiate with qulified buyers. Vist us at
Five Star Realty located in the center of Gray Maine.