Want to know the secret to great real estate photography? Preparation! With a bit of work prior to our arrival, you can help us ensure your home truly shines in the listing pictures. We have created a list of tasks to complete before we take the photos. Not able to get it all done, no worries we will help!
Can you imagine buying a home when you don’t live nearby? We have worked with many buyers relocating to the Capital Region and it can be hard to buy a home when you are living somewhere else. We recommend buyers rent first to give themselves time to find the right home in the right location, but it isn’t always possible. That’s why we have a plan for ensuring out-of-town buyers find a great home.
Here at McSharry and Associates, we know that a lot goes into finding the right home and we want you to end up in a home you love that is ideally suited for your current lifestyle.
The spring 2023 Capital Region housing market has been hot! Homes are hitting the market, attracting lots of attention, and going under contract quickly. It must be easy to price a home now, right? Actually, it is harder than ever and requires intimate knowledge of who is looking to buy a home right now as well as understanding what they value.
Congratulations! You found a home you love AND your offer was accepted! It feels really great to be under contract, particularly these days when many buyers have been searching for a long time. However, there are a few steps to navigate between contract and closing, including the structural inspection. Sometimes an inspection goes smoothly and the time is spent learning all about the inner workings of your new home. Other times the inspector uncovers issues that need attention.
Definition:
A clause in a purchase offer that enables buyers to make a strong offer while reducing the risk of paying significantly more than the next highest offer. Rather than coming up with a flat number when asked for “highest and best”, the buyer starts with an initial number and offers to beat a competing offer by X up to a cap of Y.
New York State law regarding agency is complicated. Agency is a relationship of trust created when one party gives another the right to represent him in dealings with third parties. Real estate agents work for either the seller or the buyer of a property or both if all parties agree to dual agency (for a full description of agency, check out our previous post on the subject). If you have not specifically engaged a real estate agent to represent you as a buyer, then they are acting as agents of the seller, even if they are not the seller’s listing agent. You are considered their customer, not their client.
At McSharry and Associates Realty we prefer to have established client relationships with our buyers because it allows us to do business in a manner most in keeping with our commitment to provide the best possible services, all of the time
If you are a current or recent past client of McSharry and Associates, we have discussed Fair Housing with you, generally at or first interaction or very early on in our relationship. We want to take a few moments to share a bit of background so that you better understand why the conversation about fair housing is so important to have.
One of the first things we discuss with prospective buyer and seller clients is agency; who we work for during the real estate transaction. It is actually a New York State requirement that all real estate salespeople discuss agency at first substantial contact. Ensuring our clients understand agency and who we represent is extremely important to us so we thought we’d take a few moments to explain it.
For the last two and a half years, the local real estate market has been heavily weighted towards sellers, and the Capital Region has seen home values increase by 15-20%. Multiple offers have been the norm, and to be competitive buyers often needed to pay cash, offer well over asking, be willing to waive structural inspections or waive appraisal contingencies. Even though interest rates were at historic lows, the lack of inventory thwarted people eager to move from finding a house, and after making offers and losing out to other buyers multiple times, even the most optimistic buyer found themselves disheartened. So while it was a great time to sell, it was a tough time for most buyers, and particularly brutal for anyone trying to buy their first home.