Selling Smart

The Woodlands Texas Real Estate Market Report Collection – January 2012

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on January 3, 2012

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Months Supply of Residential Real Estate “For Sale” Inventory in The Woodlands TX, January 2012

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on January 3, 2012

The Woodlands Texas Real Estate Report

Months Supply Of “For Sale” Listing Inventory – January 2nd, 2012

 While mulling over these inventory numbers, keep in mind these figures represent big averages across The Woodlands.  Real estate is hyper local in nature and market conditions for your specific property, in your specific neighborhood may be different that the big average you see below.  To find out what’s happening in your neighborhood, contact us (281-367-353) and we can provide you with an up to the minute, on-target, Months Supply Of Inventory report. We don’t charge for this service, so give us a call and we’ll send you your free report – pronto.

January 2nd, 2012 – Months Supply Of For Sale Listing Inventory – The Woodlands TX PRICE RANGE.  .  .  .  .  .  MONTHS SUPPLY OF LISTING INVENTORY

$000,000 – $200,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2.2

$200,001 – $300,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3.8

$300,001 – $400,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3.7

$400,001 – $500,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3.3

$500,001 – $600,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3.4

$600,001 – $700,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4.6

$700,001 – $800,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9.2

$800,001 – $900,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7.7

$900,001 – $1,000,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8.9

$1,000,001+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.5

Is it a Buyer’s Market or a Seller’s Market? According to real estate economists, 6 months supply of For Sale Inventory represents a balanced market.  A higher number means it’s leaning towards a buyer’s market, less than six months, would indicate a seller’s market. During the winter selling season (November to January), listing inventory ebbs to its lowest point.  Mid January, inventory and selection begin to swell, beginning in February buyer activity and sales begin to heat up.  If you’re thinking of selling, keep in mind the key to salability and competitive positioning is merchandising (staging), marketing and pricing.  Correctly tweak and amplify these three factors and you’ll be one of the successful sellers attracting a qualified buyer.  Ignore one, two, or three of these salability factors and the property will languish, even in a strong market. Keep in mind, this snapshot provides a broad and general overview, what is happening in your neighborhood could very well be different.  As I shared earlier, if you’d like a free and up to the minute Market Analysis for your property and neighborhood just let me know – Ken Brand 832-797-1779.

Here’s a report month by month. . .

Thanks.

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Attention Home Sellers in The Woodlands TX – Don’t Mischose and Lose Thousands of Dollars.

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on January 2, 2012

Home Sellers:  Why lose money?

Everyone has a good story.  For example, some might tell you that they’re better than everyone else, or cheaper.  But deeds speak louder and sweeter than words.

Check out this graphic.  If you’re thinking of selling, and money is important to you, give one of our Top Performers a call.  Interview them.  If you like what you hear, hire them.  You’ll net thousands more.

 

Doing the MATH

As you can see from the chart below Average and Median Sold Prices in The Woodlands TX have been super stable for two years.  Also, with an Average Sold Price of around $350,000 the difference between what you’ll stash in your pocket after closing can amount to anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000.  If you’d like to know about how we net our sellers more money, give me a call at 832-797-1779 and I’ll fill you in.

Thanks and Happy New Year.  Cheers.

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From a client perspective, what should I expect out of my real estate agent today? How do I establish a relationship of trust with him or her?

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on August 16, 2011

I was so thankful to have the cool people at DailyBrink.com ask some interesting questions relating to my book Less Blah Blah More Ah Ha.  Here’s one of them.

From a client perspective, what should I expect out of my real estate agent today? How do I establish a relationship of trust with him or her?

This is a hard question to answer because expectations from person-to-person may vary. Here’s five things to look for:

1. A Communicator: Someone who listens more than they talk. And when they do talk, it’s mostly to ask questions. Communication, updates, and followups should happen with frequency.

2. A Market Data Savant: The agent should know or be able to find out everything there is to know about your market and understand what it means to you.

3. A Merchandising Maven: If you’re a seller, your agent should be knowledgable and offer consultation on merchandising and staging strategies that position the property competitively and enhance the perceived value in the eyes of the buyer and showing agents.

4. A Marketing Tornado: The quality and number of property photos, the copywriting, print and internet broadcast promotion all have tangible impact on how the property is received in the market place.

5. A Cool Cat: It really helps if your real estate agent is a cool cucumber under pressure. Which means they know how to negotiate, communicate, relate, and solve problems when other people are freaking out. All transactions have flare-ups and unexpected surprises, and having a responsive, thoughtful, responsible, and proactive agent managing the transaction is a wonderful thing.

Here’s  the questions I answered at DailyBrink.com – Click HERE to read the whole article.

You’ve said that the way real estates agents are taught how to sell is “lame, rude, and unsmart in today’s culture.” Could you elaborate on that?

What would your ultimate advice for new agents in this market be, especially at such a particular moment in time?

You’re incredibly savvy when it comes to your social media, with a lot of activity on Facebook and Twitter. What does this have to do with the real estate world?

You’re incredibly savvy when it comes to your social media, with a lot of activity on Facebook and Twitter. What does this have to do with the real estate world?

It seems like you’re on a mission to help people. Is that partly because Ken Brand sounds like the name of a superhero?

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Cheers and thanks for reading.  Ken Brand 832-797-1779

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How Mortgage Rates in the Awesome-LOW 4% Range Makes Your Purchase Power More Muscular Than EVER!

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on August 16, 2011

When you hear and read about LOWER Than Low Mortgage Interest Rates, this is what the experts are talking about.

This is a 5 year chart for 15 Year Mortgages looks like.

How does an Awesome-LOW mortgage rate effect your monthly mortgage payment?

It’s one thing to read about historically low mortgage rates.  It’s a breath taking to understand how an Awesome-Low mortgage rate impacts a monthly payment.  Let’s take a look at some examples.

30 Year Fixed Rate @ 4.25% = $4.92 per $1,000 dollars borrowed OR $492 per $100,000 borrowed. *

Think about how muscular your purchase power is with today’s Awesome-LOW mortgage rates:

$100,00 is $492 per month.

$200,00 is $984 per month.

$400,000 is only $1,968 per month.

In The Woodlands market area you’d pay (depending on location, square footage and condition) around $1,000 to rent a home valued at $100,000.  You’d pay around $2,000 for a property valued at $200,000 and over $3,000 for a home valued above $400,000.

  • If you’re renting and you have the ability to buy, and you don’t, you’re throwing your money away.  Don’t rent and enrich your landlord, enrich yourself – own.
  • If you have a mortgage above 5.5%, you might save yourself hundreds of dollars a month by refinancing at todays crazy low mortgage rates.  Refinance now.
  • If you’re thinking of moving UP, now is the time take advantage of the muscular purchase power these Awesome-Low mortgage rates provide you. Move now.
  • If you’re thinking of downsizing and you wait, as mortgage rates rise, you’ll only pay more for a smaller place. Move now.
  • If you’re have more than 16 years left on your current mortgage, refinancing with a 15 -Year mortgage might save you money every month and over $100,000 in the long run. Consider a 15-year mortgage refinance.
  • If you’re a seller, today’s mortgage rates makes the pool of qualified buyers larger than it will be when mortgage rates are higher.  Which means a faster sale and Top Dollar.
  • Don’t regret inaction and paying more – act now.

We’re all feeling the glarmy about the anemic economic, whipsaw stock market and sea-saw savings and 401K plans.  The one bright light opportunity that delivers long-term and locked in financial benefit is locking in and taking advantage of Awesome-LOW mortgage rates.

If you’ve been waiting, now’s the time.  Give me a call at 832-797-1779 if I can be helpful.  If you’d like a no-obligation and supremely confidential conversation about a variety of mortgage plans, current rates, loan qualifications, purchase power analysis, Dana Snider, our Gibraltar Mortgage Service Home Mortgage Counselor would be happy to answer your questions.  You can reach her at 832-217-4087.

*Mortgage rates can fluctuate daily, they could dip lower or float higher as you read this.  The figures above reflect Principal and Interest only.  When buying home your total monthly payment would include Principal, Interest, Property Taxes and Insurance.

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Thanks for reading.

 

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As a real estate agent, what is the best way to tell a client they are priced too high and need to reduce it?

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on August 15, 2011

I was so fortunate to have the cool people at DailyBrink.com ask some interesting questions relating to my book Less Blah Blah More Ah Ha.  Here’s one of them.

As a real estate agent, what is the best way to tell a client they are priced too high and need to reduce it?

The best strategy is to submerge yourself in an over-abundance of up-to-date information and make an unshakeable personal commitment to share the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth — even when it stings like hell and people flip out in anger. You must know the building blocks to understanding competitive market conditions: price, condition, location, motivation, sale terms, and days on market for competing active listings, sales pending, and recent closing.

My best advice is know everything about the local market. Show what you know, demonstrate and share with confidence and compassion. In some cases it’s helpful to physically take the seller on a tour of competing properties so that they can experience the competitive landscape from the eyes of a buyer.

Here are there rest of the questions I answered at DailyBrink.com – Click HERE to read the whole article.

You’ve said that the way real estates agents are taught how to sell is “lame, rude, and unsmart in today’s culture.” Could you elaborate on that?

What would your ultimate advice for new agents in this market be, especially at such a particular moment in time?

You’re incredibly savvy when it comes to your social media, with a lot of activity on Facebook and Twitter. What does this have to do with the real estate world?

You’re incredibly savvy when it comes to your social media, with a lot of activity on Facebook and Twitter. What does this have to do with the real estate world?

It seems like you’re on a mission to help people. Is that partly because Ken Brand sounds like the name of a superhero?

______________________________________

Thanks for reading.  Cheers.

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Sold Price to Original List Price in The Woodlands TX – January – August 2011

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on August 8, 2011

If you’re a seller in The Woodlands TX, there are lots of ways to choose your real estate agent.  Two important criteria might be which broker nets their sellers  the most money, while compressing the timeframe and making the ordeal less stressful and faster.  If that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, you will want to talk to one of our team members.

Here’s what I’m saying that. . .

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Feet On The Street Real Estate Market Report for The Woodlands, TX – July 2011

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 on July 8, 2011

Show.  Don’t Tell.

I know you’re smart.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and talk is cheap.

Generally, we’re more likely to believe what we see with our own eyes, way more than let’s say, for instance, what a real estate salesman might blah-blah-blah about how hot the market is.

So instead of me telling you what’s going on, let me show you what’s happening in The Woodlands real estate market.  You can draw your own conclusions and call it as you see it.

A traffic report for our listings throughout Houston and The Woodlands

Months Supply Of Inventory in The Woodlands

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Average and Median Sold Prices for The Woodlands

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The Average Sold Price Per Square Foot for The Woodlands

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Your thinking of listing your home For Sale, and every penny counts.

Download This Report

So, what does all this lead you to believe?  How do you feel about the health of homeownership in The Woodlands?

As for our team, it’s super busy.  Living in The Woodlands is a blessing.  If you have any questions about this data, or if I can be helpful, let me know.  Ken Brand 832-797-1779.

#MoreAhHa

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Are Home-Sellers Selling and Home-Buyers Buying in The Woodlands, TX.? April 16th, 2011

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 April 16, 2011 Read the full article →

Are There Any Foreclosure Deals In The Woodlands TX?

by Ken Brand, Sales Manager - Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors / The Woodlands TX / Cell: 832-797-1779 December 24, 2010 Read the full article →