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For mommy real estate agents, there comes an awkward time when it becomes very difficult to integrate children into everyday real estate business dealings. Babies can be thrown on your hip, go with the flow and even go on appointments. School-age children provide you time during the day to work your real estate business, and at other times can be helpful with hosting open houses or handing out flyers. But for that time in between, when your children are in that toddler through preschooler phase, you may find it best to keep the children completely out of the appointment loop.

There are always exceptions to any rule, of course. And there are some exceptions here. Assuming your child has had her nap and is in a reasonably good mood, there are a few appointments you can take your small child on:

— If you know the client personally and they have previously met your child

— The client also has a child (or several) who are in the same age range and the client indicates you should bring the child over

— A quick drop-off of paperwork, flyers, etc.

If you’ve been taking your baby to appointments with real estate clients and just chugging along, it’s easy to keep working your real estate business the same as before. But it’s important to think twice before bringing your child along when she’s between the ages of 1 to 5 years old. To your real estate broker’s office, sure. To run errands for your real estate business, fine. But appointments with real estate clients, think again. You don’t want to kill the deal. And a kid could possibly do that, with any client. Even another parent…while she might be understanding and sympathetic when your child has a meltdown…can think of the whole thing as a huge turn-off and wonder about your professionalism.

You know your child’s “limitations” more than anyone. You know the signs of fussiness coming on, the look of hunger. It’s just better not to chance turning an appointment into your worst nightmare.

If you don’t have consistent daycare for your child or baby, you have options. First, set up appointments on evenings and weekends when your significant other or a family member or friend can be relied upon to watch your child.

But what about those last minute calls from your clients who just MUST see you that afternoon? Urgent requests to see properties or to sit down and sign those listing documents can happen. And they can give you less than 2 hours notice.

If you want to be a competitive agent and want to provide service to your client, you want to try and find a way to make it happen. In these cases, you need to set up some last minute “emergency” daycare ahead of time. If you have a family member or a friend who is available during the day for these last minute client demands, that is ideal. Make sure you have a plan A and a plan B (just in case plan A falls thru) for last-minute child care.

Don’t worry, these awkward toddler and preschooler years won’t last forever. Before you know it, you’re child will be in school and she will be a big help to your real estate business if you want to make things a family affair.

Author: Tina McAllister
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How do HomeGain, Realtor.com, Service Magic and other companies like this make money? These companies are called lead generation companies. They spend vast amounts of money advertising on TV, the Internet, radio, and in print so that you’ll go to their website to find information about real estate. When you click on a property and request information the company then either sells the lead at a fee ranging from $20-$50 for an unqualified lead or up to a 35% referral fee for leads that are more valuable.
What does the company do for the fee charged? The answer might be pretty surprising. They don’t do anything, but forward the lead to a service provider. Yep, that’s right. You can search the MLS on any number of free websites so the website they provide is little more than a mechanism to get your information. Some people think agents, contractors, or other service providers are overpaid for what they do. Take a look at these companies and ask yourself if forwarding an email is worth $1500 (That’s the commission split they would receive on the sale of a $150,000 home.).
Who pays the fees that these companies charge? For the most part, the Realtor, mortgage broker or other service provider pays for these leads. The laws of business provide that you can’t get something for nothing. This is very true. So by adding no value to the transaction and taking up to 35% of the payment for service, the middle-man is taking value from both the consumer and the service provider.
Why is this bad for consumers? In real estate like many other service industries, the best Realtors obtain their business through referrals. The weaker, newer, less experienced agents typically buy leads from sources such as these. The next time you visit a site like these lead generators, think twice about giving them your information and go directly to the source. You’ll cut out the middle-man and get a better agent for your hard earned dollar.

When you start the process of buying a home or any type of real estate, you’ll no doubt hear the term “earnest money deposit” (EMD). So what exactly is an EMD?

An EMD becomes relevant when you are ready to make an offer on a property. In most states, your Real Estate Agent prepares the offer on your behalf. The offer usually takes the form of a written contract that is submitted to the seller by way of their agent.

In addition to the offer document, sellers typically expect an EMD. An EMD is a monetary deposit submitted via check to demonstrate to the seller that you are a serious buyer. In some regions of the country, only a photocopy of the check is submitted with the offer, and the original check is delivered to the appropriate entity if the offer is accepted. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify how deposits are handled in your region of the country.

The check is usually made out to an independent third- party such as a Title Company, Escrow Company, Real Estate Attorney or your Real Estate Broker. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify who will hold the EMD.

The amount of the EMD sellers expect varies by region. The EMD amount is based on the customs and practices for a region, but is generally from 1% to 2% of the purchase price. In a competitive market place where demand exceeds the supply of homes, some buyers may offer a higher EMD than expected to impress the seller of their intent. In determining the amount of your EMD, consult your Real Estate Agent and balance the need to demonstrate your serious intent, against the good business practice of minimizing the deposit amount.

The amount of the EMD is usually applied to reduce the purchase price of the property or to cover closing costs, as you dictate. For example, if you are purchasing a $300,000 property and you give an EMD of $3000, then the remaining balance owned at closing is $297,000 (plus closing costs). Alternatively, you may direct that the EMD be applied toward the closing costs.

Once a valid contract for purchase is created, an independent third-party usually holds the EMD until the purchase is either completed or cancelled. At this point, the money belongs jointly to both the seller and the buyer.

In cases where you make an offer that is accepted but later decide to cancel the offer, the terms specified in the contract (or state law) will dictate if, and under what circumstances, the EMD is returned to you. Be aware that you could loose your deposit if you do not not comply with the terms of your contract. Your Real Estate Agent can provide you information about how EMDs are dealt with if a contract is cancelled.

Since state law varies by region and practices can differ even within the same state, be sure to consult your Real Estate agent about the rules that apply to EMDs in your region of the country. You should also be aware that the EMD is not related to any down payment that you make toward your home loan.

For those who have played in the real estate game, the term earnest money deposit may be old hat. However, for those new to buying a home, the phrase may be completely foreign.

In simple terms, an earnest money deposit is a good faith deposit – a signal that the buyer is seriously interested in a property. While this can be a negotiable amount, it is not to be confused with a down payment.

How much do you need to deposit?

The amount of money acceptable varies from purchase to purchase, and may take in a number of factors. In areas where the market is hot, or strong, the buyers with the larger earnest money deposit offer may show the seller that they are more serious than others vying for the home.

Depending on the part of the country, such as coastal cities, earnest money deposits could be as high as 5% (or more) of the sale price. In smaller communities, it could be as low as $500 to $1,000.

Monies can be in the form of a personal check, a cashier’s check, a money order or cash.

Don’t make your check payable to the seller!

If the seller accepts the offer, a real estate broker, or a lawyer, holds the earnest money in escrow. Once the sale reaches the closing stage, the monies are applied to the remaining costs.

Do your research before you write the check.

One story tells of a woman who claims she lost a $2,500 earnest money deposit when she gave it to a person claiming to be a real estate broker, with official business cards and office stationery. He was a fraud and disappeared soon after. When she contacted the police, she learned she was not his first victim. Unfortunately, her money was gone.

Once a contract for the offer has been signed and the earnest money has been accepted by the seller, the buyer then has a finite amount of time to come up with the rest of the deposit. During that time, factors such as securing financing, home inspections, or other considerations can be handled.

In some states, buyers can pay an Option Fee, allowing them to walk away from a deal for any reason at all, within a certain period – usually 5 days to 2 weeks. If the deal goes ahead, this fee is applied to the purchase.

If the deal falls through, both the buyer and the seller must instruct the escrow company in writing to cancel the transaction. The funds are then returned to the buyer, minus a small cancellation fee.

If the buyer retracts the offer without reason, or at some point fails to meet the terms of the contract, the earnest money is forfeited.

For information about Minnesota condos, go to MinnesotaLoftsAndCondos.com. There you can search all Downtown Minneapolis condos for sale, in addition to getting the latest market information for the Twin Cities area.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/what-the-heck-is-an-earnest-money-deposit-1304442.html

If you’ve been watching the news lately you might have heard some of the breaking headlines about our current real estate and finance markets. Actually, it’s kind of hard to miss. I know, because I don’t usually watch the news and I am having a hard time avoiding all the gloom and doom. So, what does it mean to us as real estate investors now that money is tightening up for both our buyers and us as investors to buy houses?

Well, it opens up an amazing opportunity for those that are willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work raising private money.

Private money, unlike institutional money, is money lent by individuals that are looking to get a better and/or more stable return on their money instead of depositing it with a bank or investing it in the stock market. read more…

Foreclosed real estate has sharply increased in the United States. More than 1 million homes were repossessed in 2008. Recent trends indicate the availability of real estate foreclosures will continue to at least the end of 2009 or 2010. Availability of homes repossessed varies according to different markets, around the United States. A majority of foreclosures took place in the states of Florida, California, and Arizona, however all areas of the country are affected to some degree. This news is obviously negative for the millions of buyers losing homes – however beneficial news for qualified buyers seeking investment property. Investors with sound credit and the financial ability, to purchase real estate, can easily purchase foreclosures as investment property. Investors purchasing previously foreclosed residential real estate, or commercial real estate, use a variety of methods to purchase such properties, using the assistance of a professional to assist with the process. read more…

A real estate foreclosure occurs when someone who had taken a loan for a bank is unable to pay the loan and the bank seizes his real estate to offset the loan. Such types of foreclosures are very beneficial to the investor, especially in the long run, since the properties are usually offered at rates that are way below the prevailing market rate.

Although the real estate foreclosure investment is a lucrative venture, it is not easy to find foreclosure listings, especially for an investor who is new in this field. It may be a very frustrating process to look for foreclosures only to hear about them when they have already been sold. Here are two ways to go about finding foreclosures that you may be interested in: read more…