JON RADEMACHER’S Real Estate news for those on the move www.JonRademacher.com Jon Rademacher CRS, GRI, SFR M 402-416-8582 ARKETWATCH April 2014 Happy Home Anniversary! Allison & Scott Andersen (8) Don Ankenman (7) Rex & Julie Murphy (6) Crystal Sams (8) Ben & Darla Johnson (5) Dana Lippold (5) Megan & Kellan Strauch (5) Jinsheng You (6) Jessica Stake (3) Rich & Jenni Brazda (3) You’ve been searching for homes with your agent but can’t find the one that’s ‘just right.’ You know the inventory is tight and that the right one will come along soon, but you’re getting impatient! Then you stumble across a house that looks perfect. But it’s For Sale By Owner. Now what? Your agent can still help you – and he should! Just because the owner is selling privately doesn’t mean you can’t look at the house or even own it. Tell your agent about the house and share the address and phone number with him. Your agent will call the owner to see if he’s willing to work with buyers who are represented by a Realtor. If the owner is willing to pay your agent a professional fee, he and the agent will meet prior to your seeing the house to agree on compensation. That’s usually a percentage of the sale price, but it can also be a set amount. With that agreement in place, your agent will show you the house, and if you decide it’s ‘the one,’ he’ll help you prepare an offer for the seller. Your agent will continue to work on your behalf and help you navigate the transaction to a successful closing. If the owner is not willing to pay your agent a professional fee, you’ve still got a couple of options. You could choose to pay your agent the professional fee yourself – there’s no rule that says it has to be paid by the seller. You could also choose to negotiate directly with the seller and try to put the deal together on your own. By doing that you’re essentially firing your agent (even if you really like him!) and you’ll need to handle inspection deadlines, repair negotiations and follow-up, and any lender requirements without his guidance. If you haven’t bought a home before, or don’t feel comfortable ‘flying solo,’ you’ll want to give that decision some serious thought before proceeding! (Consider, too, what you’ll do in case your direct negotiations with the seller are not successful. Will you be able to go back to your agent after dumping him? Ultimately that depends on the kind of relationship you have with your Realtor, but it’s something to keep in mind!) In today’s market of very limited inventory, it’s only natural that we’d see more sellers trying to sell By Owner. As the buyer, know that you’ve got options and that it’s OK to look at FSBO properties. Talk to your agent and have a game plan in place, so when you find the right house, you can move forward confidently! The Realtor’s Role When You Buy FSBO I have worked with Jon several times the last eight years, buying and selling. I had to tell him during this last transaction, "thanks for reminding me again the value of using a good real estate agent." This was the sale of an apartment complex and it had several issues and bumps along the way. Not only did Jon stay calm and professional, he ultimately saved me thousands of dollars by suggesting a certain contractor to do some foundation work and encouraging me not to "settle" but to "negotiate" on some other issues. I ended up with two offers and sold it for more than asking price. Jon, thanks for all your hard work, professionalism and, most of all, your friendship. I'm sure we’ll be doing business again sometime in the future. Gregg Aten Lincoln Brice & Kayla Jones (2) Angela Coniglio & Mike Burchett (1) Frank Peterkin (1) You must show no mercy, nor have any belief in how others judge you, for your greatness will silence them all. (Ultimate Warrior, 1959-2014)