The HEAT is ON!

JOHN RICE ASSOCIATE BROKER | REALTOR

With it only being mid February you might think that there’s plenty of time for a home buyer who qualifies for the tax credit to act. However, consider this: on average it take 60-75 days to find a home and close on it. That means we are closing in on the “point of no return” as Marty McFly use to say.

Just in the last week and half I have experienced not only an upturn in activity on the market but also multiple bid situations where in order to win the bid for the home the buyer needed to act fast & make good decisions on how the offer was written.

So how can you be sure to secure your bid?
1. Start looking now – don’t delay, the longer you wait the more competition you’ll have.
2. Get preapproved – if you were a seller who would you sell too? The buyer saying they would get proof they can buy the home in a couple of days or the buyer that says I am preapproved now, here’s my letter of proof…..
3. Write a clean offer. Sure there are lots of ways to have the seller pay for a lot of items on behalf of the buyer, and there are instances where those requests are justified but often, the seller is reviewing the offer and adding up every request and noting what their bottom line line is. If you’re competing against other buyers the seller will often choose the “cleanest” deal to counter or accept – forcing you out of the running.
4. Use a buyers agent, many first time home buyers are not aware of the real estate process ( see historical post, 9 step process (http://mynewgrhome.blogspot.com/2006_04_30_archive.html) When a home is listed the commission is set by the listing agent (the one with the sign in the yard) and the seller. The seller agrees to pay the agent a commission upon sale of the home. The listing agent then is take a portion of their commission and offers it out to the other agents if they sell the home. This allows you are a buyer to have someone working on your behalf, without having to pay a commission for their services. The seller is paying the commission regardless and the listing agent is motivated to sell that ONE house, where as your buyers agent is going to earn a commission regardless of the home they help you find. Therefore the buyers agent is motivated to help you find the best possible option for you. Ashley and I always say that we would never want to help someone into a home that we couldn’t help them sell again when they are ready, this means taking into account all factors: is this a good home, purchased at a good price, in an area that should be marketable and desirable down the road?

Buying a home is fun and now with the additional tax credit you have plenty of incentive to “make the leap.”

Contact us for options that could best fit your needs and to ask more questions. We’re here as a resource to you!

Find out more about west michigan real estate at mynewgrhome.com!

We would love to hear from you!

Let’s connect and get you on the path to success!

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A few words from our clients:
John Rice is hands down one of the best realtors in the Grand Rapids and surrounding areas. We have utilized him as our realtor on two separate occasions, once over 10 years ago, and again over the last several months to buy/sell. He is incredibly knowledgeable and uses his expertise to help guide you in your choices throughout the realty process. He is professional, kind, has impeccable attention to detail, responsive, and clearly loves what he does. Choose John for your realty needs…he is the best of the best!
Amanda W
We moved to the Grand Rapids area 11 years ago and John was very patient as we found our first home and made the experience absolutely seamless! When we were ready to sell and buy again we knew to reach out to John. As we remembered and appreciated, John is an absolute professional and was and advocate for our best interests at all times during this wild market. We found great value in our new home and he helped us get top dollar for our sale. Grateful to have him on our side though the whole process. You won’t be disappointed!
Lance W
We have worked with John multiple times now, both buying and selling homes. We 100% recommend him and he’ll always be our go-to realtor for any future real estate needs. John is experienced in the industry and well-known and respected. He is extremely professional and knowledgeable, on top of being an all-around nice guy. He is responsive and answered all of our questions along the way. We asked John for several referrals for other services (lender, cleaner, etc.) and we were very happy with all his suggestions. John is honest and will listen to your concerns/opinions. He is never pushy, but gives great advice based on his years of experience. We are so thankful for the guidance we received from John to make our recent home buying and selling experience successful and quick! If you need a realtor, call John.
G&E Webb
We can’t say enough good things about John. He is an awesome realtor! We bought our home with his help and just recently sold it with his help. He is highly knowledgeable about the Grand Rapids area market and his expertise and professionalism has shown through both times we worked with him...John is a wonderful communicator and a genuine person. His sincerity has been evident in his commitment to making the purchase and sale experience as seamless and informed as possible. We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have worked with John and strongly recommend him without reservation!
E&T VanBuskirk
John helped us sell our house when we moved out of Grand Rapids 3 years ago and recently helped us purchase a new house when we moved back. He is very professional and knowledgeable of the area and market. I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell.
S&K Weber
We have worked with John to sell 1 home and buy 2 homes and he is an incredible realtor! He is professional, prompt with communication, honest and patient. We had quite the list for what we were looking for and John was always available to answer questions and get us in to look at a home. His knowledge and connections in the industry made both the buying and selling process go smoothly. We simply cannot recommend John enough!
Chase and Nicole O
Purchased and sold with John, he is: Professional, an extremely good communicator, precise, and acted on our behalf 24/7. He kept us up to date on listings for purchase and preparation advice for selling our home. He was knowledgeable about neighborhoods. Photography for sale of our house was impressive. We were appreciative of the guidance regarding making offers, inspections, when to list our home, writing contracts, detailed review and presentation of offers on our home and being realistic about our purchase of new home. Great experience, Great Realtor.
J&G Junod
It was a wonderful experience working with John. His professionalism, honesty, experience, and knowledge of the Grand Rapids market, helped us in multiple ways. John sold our home in one day, was honest about what we could expect from offers, and was spot on. As we progressed toward finding our new home, again, he was extremely knowledgeable about the neighborhoods, home values, and history of the homes. We are more than happy to say, that he helped us find our dream home within our budget! Anything I needed, he was there through emails, texts, or phone calls. He definitely put in a lot of work for us. Without a doubt, I will ask for his assistance again when the time comes. Thank you John!
T&A Lascari