Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Go ahead and "Jump In"

I can remember when I was a little kid (and I know it's hard for you to believe that I was ever little)... we used to go to a swimming hole in Barbour County Alabama called "Blue Springs."  It wasn't very large, maybe 25 or 30 feet across like a small pond or slew that came off a river.  In the middle of the swimming hole, there was deep water spring that swirled up and was strong enough that it made the water ripple through out the "pool."  It was called Blue Springs because it was a fact that if you got in the water, you would turn blue because it was so cold! 

What I remember most about the swimming expeditions is that I would stand on the edge or await my turn swinging out on the rope... trying to muster up the courage to actually jump in.  The initial wave of "Cold" would take your breath away... and the near frost bitten experience would almost hurt for the first few seconds.  After that, everyone just puddled around turning blue!  It was a great experience...

We are economically in a slow period of housing growth...  People are scared about their jobs, their retirement accounts, what's going on with Government spending, and the possibly of higher taxes... and the list goes on.  A few years back, when gas prices jumped up so high, many people were afraid that they would not be able to buy gas to drive to work.  Housing prices have fallen, and many people now owe more than their home is worth.  I can understand the "fear" of getting off the shores and/or jumping in to buy a home. 

This week I got an email from a mortgage person giving interest rates at a low low amount in the high 3% range.  This is as low as I have ever seen interest rates. A person with a 5% interest rate moving it to 4% would save almost $50 a month on a 30 year mortgage payment owing $100,000 on their note.  It would cost a couple thousand dollars to refinance... but at $50 a month, it would take a couple years to pay that off and maybe save you some money in the long run... on a $200,000 note, it would actually save you over $110. 

Another great thing about this is the payment...  I work in a new home community in Calera called Calera Commons Townhomes Community.  Prices vary from $87,900 upwards to &107,900.  In that community there are some folks that are renting their home and paying upwards to $800 a month.  Principal, Interest, Taxes, Insurance and Mortgage Insurance on a $90,000 note at 4% over 30 years would be less than $600 a month... now, go figure.  I talked with one of these rental persons a few weeks ago and explained that they could save a couple hundred bucks a month to buy if they wanted to... they were afraid to jump into the water?!

Housing Prices are LOW!  Interest rates are LOW!  Getting a mortgage is still EZ!  There are kinds and types of mortgages out there that are hard to get... but there are many programs out there for you... and they are easy to get into.  If you have decent credit... YOU CAN STILL BUY A HOME... AND YOU CAN STILL GET A MORTGAGE!  HELLO!!!

Enough preaching...  just think about it.  Don't throw your money away on rent... don't throw your money away period!  If your in a home now, you can sell it; although for a little less than you may think it's worth, and then get an excellent buy on a newer- better- bigger- home!

If your interested... give me a call.... 205 229-3013...

Thanks for reading my blog... check out my website... www.WilliamPittman...

Pitt 

http://tinyurl.com/Calera-CommonsTownhomes
http://www.alapark.com/BlueSprings/

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

And... Now... How Much Does That Cost?!

What is the old adage... "If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it..."  is simply not true.  An advertising medium to get people to call about a product is to NOT put the price in... thus the curiosity is stirred and the seller gets the call... hopefully to make the sale! 

I am not about to say that Real Estate Agents don't use this ploy... many do.  It's a fine line between giving too much information to the public and not giving enough.  Years ago, the agents had all the information and the public had very little... so the agent seemed to have the controls.  In today's society... the "Information Highway" has created an age of public awareness and knowledge.  The public is in the know about everything.  Most shoppers have gone online and done research and have shopped the web to find what they want and know how much they should pay for it prior to setting foot in a store. 

In the housing market it is not very different.  The basics are the same with shopping for most anything.  The key is deciding what you really want and then making a plan to find it.  Online research and investigation is the same...  Pictures are available for most homes.  If you are patient enough and vigorous enough, you can find out prices, how much the previous owner paid for the home, neighborhood price points, and average sales for most any neighborhoods.  OR CAN YOU?!

I visited a seminar a few weeks ago, and discovered that this is not always true.  In retail markets, it is easy to find pricing, but in real estate... it is not so easy.  The speaker in the seminar gave some interesting observations about many of the websites that people use to get information... Realtor.com is the largest website for people that are looking for a home.  They get more hits than any other site on the web.  But, for those that are already living in their homes and thinking about selling, it is not the premiere site.  According to our speaker (which I have not evaluated myself) Trulia.com is the premier website for people who are searching for their home values... both home owners and those who have narrowed their search down. 

The speaker explained how Trulia and other sites just did not have the correct information to make the claims that they make.  There are many websites that give statistics of sales and pricing throughout the United States, and most of their numbers a eschewed.  I recently did a study in a couple neighborhoods in Pelham and discovered that the speaker was right.

So... how much does it cost?!  It costs you NOTHING!  All my services are free for the most part.  If your a buyer wanting to get information about the market... All Buyer Agency is free to the buyer except in special circumstances... and the preliminary search for information is definitely free!  If your a seller, you don't pay any fees until your home closes... and you decide if you want to take the offer or contract to sell before you have to pay anything.

Thus... if your interested in buying or selling and want to get the "Scoop" on the market, what your home is worth, or what you want to purchase... call me!  If you like electronic media... you can text me, email me, or go to my website at www.WilliamPittman.com and leave me a message there.  Or, you can just call me! 

And don't buy this...

Let me know how I can assist you!  Thanks  Pitt

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Don't Lose Your Home and Credit... A Short Sale May Be The Answer!

In an economy as ours, many people are faced with a potential problem that could really affect their lives for a long time. Getting behind on your payments is not only a hardship emotionally and physically, it also affects your credit, your ability to find work, and basically every avenue of life. The possibility of foreclosure looms overhead and will try to suffocate you. There are alternatives to foreclosure... and if you are behind on your payments, and don't think that you are going to be able to catch everything up... it is time for action.

Don't bury your head in the sand and act as though it will not happen, because it will eventually. You must be proactive in your quest to save your credit and to find an opportunity to resolve the problem... That is where the agent can be a HUGE help.

It is estimated that over half the homeowners in America are in some kind of economical difficulty... and a large portion of those are behind on their payments. Large Mortgage Companies like Bank of America and Wells Fargo are rumored to be on the threshold of foreclosing literally thousands of homes in the near future. Don't be a part of that number.

A short sale is basically the banks agreement with you the homeowner to sell the home for less than what you may owe on it rather than go into foreclosure. I am sure that you see the signs everywhere... Short Sales! The bank thinks that they will spend well over $20,000 for a foreclosure sale, and thinks that it can work with you in a short sale situation and sell the home for less than is owed rather than foreclose...

Check out this short video...

Don't forget to visit my website... http://www.williampittman.com/    if you have any questions about real estate...


Thanks

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

New and Better...

You know the story of the older guy that lived "in the country" had come to town with his son... and saw his first elevator.  It was an amazing thing for him to view.  He watched in Awe as someone went into that double door contraption and the door closed... then opening a few minutes later and WOW!  After many minutes, the older guy turns to his young son and says, "Watch that contraption over there..."   and just as he spoke it, an elderly woman stepped into the elevator... in a couple minutes the doors opened and out came a young beautiful blonde...  The older guy turns to his son and says..."We got to go home and get your ma... she's got to go through that contraption!"

Is technology not just the greatest of things?!  When they work properly at least!  I have gotten some things that actually "WOWED" me about innovative ideas for technology over the last few weeks...  One thing is my website.  It has always been available... but now it is available for mobile technology as well...  A customer can drive up to the home, or read about the home in an ad, and put the home's individual URL in his mobile device... presto... chango... the details will appear...

Even better yet... Now with ScanLife technology... a person download a free app for his or her phone and scan any of the printed materials available at a listing.  Again... presto... chango... it opens a web page with full details about the listing! 

Check it our for your self!  My website is www.WilliamPittman.com.  Try it out on your mobile phone.  Or just as good or better... download the free app to your phone and scan your computer screen on one of these bar codes... and see how EZ it actually is!

This technology is available to everyone, but very few want to go the extra mile to make it available for their clients!  Let "Pitt" make you a satisfied customer!  Give me a call if I can assist you in any way! 

Thanks



Pitt

Friday, September 10, 2010

Living in LA

LA (that is Lower Alabama for those of you who are not from around here...) is unique in almost every way!  Our greatest fault/asset, which ever it may be, is that we love our College Football.  I guess part of the excitement is that it marks the end of the HOT and HUMID months of July and August... and finally a break with cooler fall temperatures, the beauty of all the leaves beginning to turn, the ability to go outside and enjoy outdoors... and the opportunity to do some heavy duty tailgating.

Not everyone gets to the game to start the tailgating.  It begins with simple and tried recipes off the grill and indoors.  It's not unusual for all the stores to be out of our favorite tailgate items on a Saturday afternoon, and just behooves us to plan ahead.  And finally its almost game time... the streets, stores, and community will be barren of people... Everyone is either at the game or in front of the HD TV and ready to see and participate in the excitement of the game.

Rivals will talk the talk all week, bragging rights are considered almost holy, and anticipation will loom over everyone.  Regardless of how good or how bad our team plays, it is justified by the circumstances... and the bragging continues!  Life with your team is almost a religion... the colors are worn proudly, and game times can get a bit zealous.  It is a historical fact that emotions run high... and so do tempers!  There are several noted times that family members have gone to blows over the game... and even further than that when someone goes for the weapons!   How sad!

What ever is important to us, we want to protect... and we want to think that our "whatever" is better than the next guys "whatever."  That said, I would love to be on your team or have you on my team in the Real Estate world.  My motto is... "If you want to be a Satisfied Customer... Call Pitt!"  I believe that in order to stay in business, you must give premium customer service.  I assure you that you would not be dis-satisfied with my services.  For more information, please visit my website... www.WilliamPittman.com or email me... Pitt@WilliamPittman.com or text/call me...205 229-3013! 

Thanks for reading my blog...

Pitt

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Changing of the times...

Talking with a friend today... about changing times.  Dating myself would be the understatement, and with age, it's more fun to think about the old days that it is the present... it seemed much more fun at the time; but alas, as I continue to ponder those "good times" there was always anticipation about the future... Ironic isn't it. 

From life without indoor plumbing all the way to the present age has really brought lots of changes.  Cooking dinner was to go out to the chicken coop and catch the chicken... get the veggies from the barn where we kept all the "canned" good that were in "jars."  The figs were there too... which became dessert with a pile of figs on top of one of those "cat head" biscuits... UMMMMMMM!

We lived in the heat, but didn't know it was hot... the only time it was cool was fall and winter... In the summer, we lived outside ... till the mosquitos were so bad we couldn't stand it... and then we went inside. Life was sweet with sweat I guess...

Such is the life of Real Estate... Contracts came from a single page transaction to now upwards of over 50 pages plus addendums and exhibits.  Simple handshakes to seal the deal became multi million dollar law suits over the 50 plus page contract discreprencies.  From the simple to the extreme... from the trust... to the dis-trust.  Now a contract means less than the handshake of old.

If your thinking of selling or buying a home, it behooves you to get an agent that knows what is going on...  An agent can help protect your interests and can advise you in things that are crucial in negotiating a contract and protecting you.

That said... please don't hesitate to call on me at any time for all your real estate needs...  Go by my website at http://www.williampittman.com/ and check out all the helps that are there about schools, neighborhoods, etc...  I look forward to hearing from you soon!  "Want to be a Satisfied Customer... Call Pitt  205 229-3013"  Call, text, or email me today!

Thanks

Pitt

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Finding a Real Estate Agent...

Finding a Real Estate Agent should not be a difficult thing... though most folks don't really know what the agent is really all about... nor why they need an agent. Most think that their agent is there to get paid... well, that is partly true; but not all true. What is the agent there for?




Agency was actually created to protect the consumer and not the real estate agent... while agents don't normally get paid unless they sell something, their primary function is to protect their customer... which should actually be their "client." The agent is required by law to act in a fiduciary capacity for their client. Thus, they can not do something that will not be good for their client and good for themselves. Make sure that your agent it working for you...



If you want to know more, or have a question about agency... "Call Pitt... 229-3013"
My website is www.WilliamPittman.com... where you can find all the homes for sale in the greater Birmingham Area... or check the prices of homes in your neighborhood! 

Thanks

Pitt