Do you think you know everything about real estate? A lot of what you may know could actually be a myth.
Today I have a list of 15 real estate myths that people actually believe and the truths behind them. Here are the ones you need to keep an eye on:
1. Real estate agents are paid a salary. 99% of agents work on commission split with their brokerage firm. They only get a percentage for themselves.
2. The agent keeps all of the commission. There are overhead and expenses with any firm—employees, insurance, marketing costs, etc., all have to be paid.
3. The typical commission is 6%. It depends on the property, actually. Some places such as a piece of land, have a higher commission rate.
4. An agent’s gas mileage and other transportation expenses are reimbursable. We do get to write them off, but if we don’t have income, write-offs do not help us. If your income is zero, then your expense write-off is still zero.
5. Marketing expenses aren’t the agent’s responsibility. They are. In fact, agents pay a lot of money every month to market and sell your property.
6. The home either passes or fails an inspection. This is all in the eyes of the beholder. One thing may be an issue for one client that is not for another.
7. Inspectors have to find something. While they may seem like they do, their overall objective is to find any material defect in a structure. It could be something as simple as a GFI on an outside deck that is not tripping. It is their job to find it so that future accidents do not happen.
8. Weekends bring out the most serious buyers. We are in a second home market, so that's not necessarily true. Weekdays during this time of year actually bring out a lot of buyers—if it's raining.
9. Zillow says it’s the case, therefore it is. 98% of the information on Zillow, because of the algorithms they use to combine data, is incorrect. For those that love to look at Zillow’s Zestimate, be aware that your home may not be worth as much as the quote.
10. It is better to price a home high as a seller. After all, you can always come down, right? The reality is that buyers will actually look past you and buy other homes which are priced to the market. The market dictates prices based on what buyers are willing to spend and sellers are willing to take.
11. When making an offer on a home, you need to start low. You have to be realistic about the current market and the home’s condition. As long as the property is not overpriced to the market conditions compared to similar homes with similar features, you have to go in with a realistic offer. In some areas, homes listed properly will actually sell above asking.
12. The longer the home is on the market, the more negotiable the deal. There are some markets like that, but here we have 3.5 years of inventory in a certain area. If a home sits on the market for a year and the average time on the market is a year, you do not have a big negotiating point.
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13. Multiple price reductions means the seller is desperate to sell. Actually, they may just be trying to feel the market to see where they can attract the most buyers.
I personally prize candor and truthfulness when dealing with buyers and sellers.
”14. Multiple offers give the seller an advantage. Sometimes this is true. Buyers may really love the house so they up their offer if they know that there are other people interested. They may even make the contingencies less restrictive for the seller.
15. All agents are the same. They are not. I personally prize candor and truthfulness when dealing with buyers and sellers. The reality is that I am watching the market every day as a full-time profession. Someone who does this job part-time cannot understand the market if they are spending time elsewhere.
If you have any questions, comments, or real estate needs in our area, please feel free to reach out to me. Even if you are looking in another area, please contact me. I will gladly refer you to another great agent that can help you. I hope to hear from you soon. See you on the beach!
