DFW Relocation

RISMEDIA, April 1, 2010-The real estate brokerage industry is in the process of coming out of a significant storm that has wreaked havoc on a large percentage of firms. Some have failed, some are hanging on, and yet others are reinventing themselves for the future. Regardless of your company's situation, it's time to assess where you want to be in the next few years and what it's going to take to get there. Doing nothing is simply not an option. For three years, innovation has been stifled due to the fact brokerages have been in "survival mode" and investments in the future, by necessity, have been largely ignored. Unfortunately, the expectation of agents and consumers has never been higher, thus forcing the industry to now start playing catch-up as the market begins to show signs of life. Some brokerages see the next 24-36 months as a time of unprecedented opportunity to reinvent themselves and consolidate market share. Others, due to age or financial limitation...

If you've recently listed your home for sale , you should already have painted, cleared clutter from indoors and outdoors, and replaced any broken items that could detract from its appearance and value. So if the phone rings and your realtor needs to show the home today, you think you're ready to go. But you need to stay organized and pay attention to detail in order to give your home every possible advantage of selling in this buyer's market. Everyday Organizing and Last Minute Primping It's not easy to live in a house that can be shown at a moment's notice. Things will go much smoother for a last minute showing if you and your family are in the habit of making their beds everyday, picking up dirty clothes and toys and wiping down the shower. But if some things got out of order, go through the house right before the showing tossing items into a laundry bin that you can pop into the trunk of your car. Strive to keep your countertops and table tops free from mail, ne...

Even if you work with an agent, you will want to do your homework on pricing, and comps play the biggest role in setting a price. Using Zillow, you can find and compare comps on a map. For most addresses, Zillow has compiled a list of 50 comparable transactions based on available data. But this data is just the beginning. Once you have a list of recently sold homes that have something in common with the one you're looking at, your own knowledge of homes in the area is the best tool you have, whether you are buying a home or selling one. Here are 4 tips for choosing the best comps from a list: Location, Location, Location Select comps as close to your address as possible. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, a comp within a block or two of yours might not be a good comp because it sits higher on the hill, and has phenomenal views, or it's closer to a main arterial or freeway. Likewise, a house similar to yours could be a mile away, but still is part of t...