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Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty to Hold Open-House Event
NANUET, NY – Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty is excited to announce that they will be holding an open-house event, where attendees can receive advice on buying and selling homes. It will take place on Saturday, April 14, and Sunday, April 15, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. on both days.
“We’re a few weeks into spring, which means it’s the prime season for the housing industry,” said Denise Friend, Rand Realty’s regional manager for Westchester County. “Our brokerage receives many potential clients during this time of the year, and we would like to offer them guidance on how to achieve their real estate goals.”
All 27 of Rand Realty’s sales offices will be participating in the event, with listings located throughout the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey. At these sites, attendees can engage with an agent for one-on-one assistance on how to conduct a home search or market their home for sale. They will also have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win a gift basket, with one being provided by each of the four regions that Rand Realty serves: Rockland, Orange, and Westchester Counties in New York, and Northern New Jersey.
“Being involved in a real estate transaction can be challenging, so it’s important for us to interact with buyers and sellers to make sure that their questions are being answered,” said Friend. “We want them to feel confident when they enter the market.”
About Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty
Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, founded in 1984, is the No. 1 real estate brokerage firm in the Greater Hudson Valley, with 28 offices (including a corporate location), serving Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties in New York, as well as Bergen, Passaic, and Morris Counties in New Jersey.
Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty has over 1,000 residential real estate sales associates, as well as a commercial real estate company (Rand Commercial) and the Hudson United Group, which provides residential mortgage lending, title services, and commercial and residential insurance.
These companies can be found online at www.RandRealty.com, www.RandCommercial.com, and www.HudsonUnited.com. Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty can also be found and interacted with on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Managing Stress During House Hunting
There aren’t two ways around it, you’re going to encounter stress when you’re searching for a home. But it’s not just you; everyone experiences it. And why wouldn’t you? This is one of the most significant investments you’ll make in life. I know acknowledging this will make you nervous, but there isn’t any use in denying this while searching for your next living space. But no matter the stress you face, there are ways you can deal with it, and that’s what we’re here for today.
I realize we have brought this up in a lot of our past blogposts, but the best way to drive stress away when doing anything real-estate related is to hire an agent. They know the inner workings of the industry and can assist you in navigating the market as you figure out which house will work best for you and what you can afford. Any pressing questions you have, they can answer, or will get back to you as soon as they can if they need to look for the answer elsewhere. Agents are here to help you carry the work as you house hunt, and they will be there with you from the start of your search to the time you sign those closing documents.
Just like with college essays and projects, the best thing you can do to keep stress at bay is start your search. You probably have a date set for when you want to move, so don’t waste any time. Every minute is essential, and with buying a home being a very important purchase, you can’t afford to wait until the last minute and possibly choosing the wrong house in your haste to grab a property. You don’t want to procrastinate and then find the best homes have been snatched up. It’s best to start early so you can analyze all of your options in order to make an informed decision. Time is fleeting, so don’t let it get away!
As you begin your search, you should know what you want in your home. Although you don’t know which house you will end up buying, you do know what you want it to include. How many bathrooms and bedrooms do you want? Would you like a house with a pool? A two-car garage? A patio? Central air conditioning, or wall units? If you’re looking at homes without knowing what you want, you might as well conduct your search while blindfolded. Looking at homes without knowing exactly what you want may not be the best use of your time.
Here’s a word everyone wants out of their vocabulary: paperwork. Yes, we all would live more peacefully without it, but it’s a necessary evil when it comes to real estate. I’m not trying to alarm you in saying there’s going to be a lot of reading and signing of real estate documents, but to let you know this is something of which you NEED to keep track. With everything that goes into buying a house, such as getting pre-approved for a mortgage, obtaining an insurance plan, and putting in an offer, you can bet there will be paperwork to go with it. You should keep everything together in your home so if you ever need to reference back to a certain document, you’ll know where to find it.
Before you start the procession of purchasing a house, it will benefit you to get pre-approved for a mortgage. You can imagining how frustrating it will be if you find a property you’re interested in, only to find out you won’t be given any financing. It would be in your best interest to get all of the financial aspects in order from the beginning because agents and sellers only want to deal with buyers who have been pre-approved, obviously. What you should do is improve your credit score and get all of your bills paid on time. Doing these things will make you look ready in the eyes of the banks, and having your bank statements and current income records with you will assist lenders in determining your eligibility for a mortgage. Remember what I said not too far back about paperwork? This is why you need it.
As you house hunt, you have to be prepared to fit open houses and private showings into your schedule. I realize you’re busy with work, but going to as many open houses as you can is essential in seeing which houses will meet your needs. If possible, it will be best to see a few houses within a few days. That way, you won’t have an extended period of time between showings, and you won’t be straining to remember what you liked and didn’t like about a house. This will allow you to make easy and thorough comparisons of the homes. Despite having more time over the weekend to attend an open house, it may benefit you to visit a home on a weekday because there’s the possibility of there being less people, which will give you more one-on-one time with the listing agent, and you’ll be able to ask as many questions as you want.
When you’re buying a home, you’ll most likely experience the “fear of missing out,” which is a case when someone else may put in an offer on a house you only just viewed, leaving you compelled to put in an offer as well. This happens particularly in seller’s markets, which occur when there are high prices and low inventory. In such a case, your feelings may get ahead of your rational thoughts, influencing you to put in an offer. However, it’s important you don’t do this unless you’re certain this is the house you want. It may feel discouraging to miss out on a home, but it will feel worse to make a quick decision on a house, only to move in and realize this isn’t the house you wanted after all.
Yes, there is stress that goes into searching for and buying a home, but there are also a lot of ways with which you can combat that stress. Although some unexpected things may come up during the process, you can triumph over it all if you start on time and have a plan and some professionals at the ready. Buying a house is one of the most important things you’ll do, and you shouldn’t let stress get the best of you. At the start of each day, just look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself it’s all going to work out.
To learn more about Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, visit their website and Facebook page, and make sure to “Like” their page. You can also follow them on Twitter.
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How Realtors Can Protect Themselves When Showing a Home
During the spring and summer, realtors host and abundance of open houses and give private showings of their clients’ homes. If you’re a realtor and show a home to a potential buyer, you always have to make sure you know how to protect yourself. You can take numerous easy steps to accomplish this, so here are some that will help you stay safe when you’re with a homebuyer.
If a potential buyer calls your office and acts suspiciously, such as not providing any required information, requesting to view a home at strange hours, or not wanting meet at your office before seeing a property, refuse to arrange a showing with them and make other agents in your office aware. By doing so, you won’t only be protecting yourself, but you will also be protecting any other agents this person might have planned to contact.
Before you go out for a showing, you should always let a coworker know where you will be and the time of the showing. Make sure the coworker has your exact address and phone number, and always keep both phones turned on during the time you’re out.
If you’re showing a home in an area that doesn’t feel safe to you, you should definitely ask another agent to accompany you. Safety comes first, so don’t feel embarrassed about asking someone to join you. In these situations, it’s always better to have another agent come with you instead of risking going by yourself.
Whenever you show a home to a buyer, be sure to have them in your sight as much a possible. Don’t make it look as though you’re helicoptering over them, but keep them within your vision. You can do this by having the potential buyer lead the way as you’re going from room to room, especially if you’re going up or down a staircase.
As soon as you’re done showing a home, always make sure that all of the doors and windows are locked to prevent anyone from breaking in. If you return to a home and see any signs of a possible entry, call a police officer and wait outside for them to reach the scene.
When you arrive at a home, make sure your car is parked in a location where you can easily make a quick getaway if the buyer starts exhibiting threatening behavior. You may want to consider parking in the street; that way, if anything happens, you can just drive straight away without having to worry about maneuvering out of the driveway.
It would also greatly benefit you to enroll in some self-defense classes when trying to heighten your protection. You can even get a group of agents together from your office and work out a time when you can all take the classes together. These sessions will provide you with another level of defense tactics that you can use if they’re ever needed, while also working as bonding and team-building activities for you and your fellow agents. Besides knowing some self-defense moves, you may also want to carry some pepper spray as another way to hinder an attacker.
Whether you’re a new or experienced agent, there isn’t such a thing as being too safe. It’s sad to say, but you can’t be too trusting in this day and age, so the importance of knowing how to protect yourself can’t be understated. If you follow these steps, you will feel secure and be much more prepared as you get ready to show a home to a buyer.
To learn more about Rand Realty, visit their website and Facebook page, and make sure to “Like” their page. You can also follow them on Twitter.
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