Christopher0661's Blog: All Categories

Myth #1:  My house will sell faster and for more of the asking price if I use one of the larger real estate companies in town.

"Honey, we've got to put our house on the market and get going with this."

"I know, I know, but who are we going to list with?"

"I don't care, just as long as it's with one of the big companies in town.  I don't want any of those smaller companies representing me.  Our house will never sell if that happens."

Selling your home is a serious transaction and event in one's life; true or false?  Would you also agree that you want someone who is going to market our house to the nth degree and expose it to more "potential buyers" than not?  And would you also agree that Internet technology now plays a larger role in "exposing" your…

If you are a Realtor in town, you very well know that there is a relatively "untapped" market that really never gets penetrated that much.  I mean, sure, Realtors come up with all different kinds of marketing ploys to 'lure' the unsuspecting For Sale By Owner into their trap.  By in large though, this market is a tough nut to crack.

If you are a For Sale By Owner in Cedar Rapids, you are no doubt besieged by phone calls, pop-bys, emails, snail mails, etc.  All of these are in an attempt to convince you that a Realtor can and will sell your home faster and for more of the asking price.  In fact, statistics help me out here.  In Cedar Rapids, a For Sale By Owner sells his/her home for approximately 94% of the original asking price and/or current buyer's…

Recently, an Iowa grant offering up to $6,000 per first time home buyer ran out of money.  With such a hard to pass up offer, I could see why.  Well, last week, those funds ran out for the first installment.

The good news is that there has been an additional $100,000 earmarked for this grant, and so first time home buyers can once again apply and receive this money in addition to the $8,000 tax credit allowed by the federal government which does not require repayment.   Purchasing Cedar Rapids real estate for the first time has never been easier.

That's up to $14,000 in savings if you are a first time home buyer. So, if you are on the fence about buying, this might help you get started.  This is probably not for those of you who are just discussing and…

It usually all comes down to pricing doesn't it?   Cedar Rapids real estate is certainly no exception to the rule.  Are you a seller and if so, has your home been on the market for more than three months?  If so, let me ask you these questions.

Pricing is so important, and especially so in…

I hate to use the term "one stop shopping" for all your real estate needs, because it is so overused and underpromised by Realtors here in Cedar Rapids.  The cliche has most definitely lost its lustre ever since its inception. 

However, there is a place that continually strives to provide his customers with all of the tools and education, in order to make important, informed decisions about purchasing Cedar Rapids real estate.

At www.christophersmithrealtor.com, you will notice that the sub tabs on the left hand side of the page are separated into the cities four major quadrants, including Marion, Iowa.

If you click on any of these tabs you will be directed to that specific tab's home page.  You will notice that I have provided a tinyurl link that…

Before I became a Realtor, my thought process of 'Who do I choose to list my house' was probably not unlike yours.  Who do you know that has listed your friends, family members, or co-workers homes, and 'Did they do a good job.'

Now that I am a Realtor, and a darn good one, I would like to re-educate you on how to choose a Realtor.  Most would agree that 90% of us initiate our search for homes on the Internet.  It's increasingly becoming a powerful tool for buyers to locate properties, and educate themselves about the buying process.  However, the same can be said for sellers.  Increasingly, sellers are turning to the Internet because they know that homes these days are primarily marketed online, and those Realtors with a powerful online presence will…

Have you ever heard the phrase, "You can pay me now or you can pay me later."   Well, the state of Iowa and the federal government want to pay you NOW!  First time home buyers have the best of all worlds right now and here's some bullet points illustrating my point.

• Interest rates have never been lower
• Lots of Cedar Rapids real estate inventory to choose from in the 75-150K range
• $8,000 tax credit thanks to the new economic stimulus plan
• $6,000 grant from the state of Iowa for first time home buyers
• Sellers are highly motivated to sell and are offering incentives and reduced pricing on their homes

See what I mean?   It's never been a better time to buy than right now.  There is a deadline to apply for the $8,000 tax credit. …

Prior to 2009 and of course the signing of the Economic Stimulus Package by President Obama in Denver last week, there was a $7500 tax credit made available to first time home buyers.  This was a tax credit that could be "cashed in" so to speak at the time you did your taxes.  You would receive the benefits of this tax credit in the form of a check from the government if you didn't owe more than you were to receive.

Previously, although you received this tax credit, you had to pay it back in $500.00 yearly installments until the $7500.00 was paid in its entirety.  Guess what!  That repayment plan has been waived and so you no longer have to pay back the tax credit to the government.  It's one of the best parts of the economic stimulus plan, and it's only…