Lehigh Valley Homes & Real Estate - Tips for Buyers & Current Homeowners

Lehigh Valley Real Estate & Homes - What is a Buyers Agent? Okay, so we have Real Estate Agents - Some are called Seller's Agents and Some are Called Buyer's Agents, What is the Difference and why should I care?

In the State of PA you can have many different relationships with a Liscensed Real Estate Agent.

I am going to talk to you about working with a Lehigh Valley Real Estate Agent for the purpose of selling or buying a Residential home in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton or a 35 mile radius of this within PA (not including New Jersey)

The Real Estate Agent and WHO they represent in a Transaction (think of it like a Doctor or Attorney relationship)

The Seller - When a Real Estate Agent helps a Seller sell their home and they place a FOR SALE sign in the front yard.  This Real Estate Agent is know as the Listing Agent and/or Seller's Agent.  Their job is to represent the seller in selling their home, make sure they work on behalf of the seller to negotiate and protect the best interest of the seller at all times.  Main Objective to get the most money and best conditions for the seller when a buyer makes an offer on their home.  Usually, this is the Real Estate Agent you are meeting at the Open house BUT not always...many times other Real Estate Agents help the listing agent by hold open houses for them.

The Buyer - When a Real Estate Agent helps a Buyer - Buy a home - meaning help the buyer with searching for a home - finding a mortgage on a home and evaluating current market value for the home they are interested in making an offer on...The Agent's main objective is to represent the buyer in purchasing a home, make sure they work on behalf of the buyer to negotiate and protect the best interest of the buyer at all times. This Real Estate Agent is known as a Buyer's Agent.

A word of Caution - It is not in the best interest of a buyer to call a FOR SALE sign and request that the seller's agent show them the home.  There are complicated reasons why....but one really good and simple reason is the seller's agent works for the seller NOT the BUYER.  You need your own agent to show you the property AND this agent should be someone you have interviewed or researched as the home you are interested in looking at may be your dream home and since this is one of the most important decisions in your life...don't just pick an agent out of a hat.  This person is just as important as choosing your doctor or attorney...trust me.  Do you research and compare agents...do a search on google and see what comes up.

Side Note: A Real Estate Agent "Buyer Agent" can show you any home that is listed for sale in the state of PA.  Although most work in certain territories...as an example I primarily work in the Lehigh Valley area which includes Lehigh & Northampton counties  But, from time to time I also cover just over the lines of Bucks, Berks, Monroe, and Carbon county too.

A surprising Fact - How much do you pay to have a Buyer Agent?: When a Home Buyer requests the assistance of a Buyer Agent to purchase a home that is listed on the Lehigh Valley MLS - The Buyer pays nothing for this Buyer Agent to help them through out the home buying process.  which is typically 3 to 6 months from the time you start looking for a home to the time you go to settlement on a home.  Depending on your needs of course.  Once a Listing is added to the Lehigh Valley MLS this actually makes a contract between the Listing/Seller's Agent and ALL of the Buyer Agents in the Lehigh Valley that when the Buyer Agent helps sell the property by helping their buyer purchase the home listed by the seller's agent...the seller's agent will share the commission paid to them by the seller at settlement. Pretty cool huh?!

Other Lehigh Valley Real Estate and Home Buying and Selling Questions
10 Top Home Buyer Questions
4 Things to know about the Home Inspection
Top 5 Lehigh Valley Seller Questions
Buying a Lehigh Valley Foreclosure, 10 things to know

* Lehigh Valley Real Estate & Homes - What is a Buyers Agent?* Moriah Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Lehigh Valley Real Estate and Homes: 10 Top BUYER QUESTIONS in the Lehigh Valley PA Area. Are they your's too? Lehigh Valley Real Estate including Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton plus the Pocono's too...can be quite confusing.

I am thinking that these would be good Questions to Answer during my Lehigh Valley Home Buying Workship? Can you let me know if you would prefer a different question get answered? When you work in a career it is almost impossilbe to be BASIC.  So, help me out here, would ya? My students will appreciate it.  I want to have FUN classes. So, we will need to play a game and stuff...when the classes get to 5 hours long.  Right now the classes are 2.5 hours...so no playing around yet :-). anyway.

The Questions....Top 10 Lehigh Valley Home Buyer Questions

1) Who Do I talk to FIRST? Real Estate Agent or Mortgage person?
2) Can my Real Estate Agent do a Search by Property Type? Like, I just want her to send me the Foreclosures and Short Sales? Can she do this?
3) The Difference between Estate Property, Foreclosure, Short Sale, REO, Bank Owned, and HUD Properties.
4) 4 Reasons to Get Prequalified BEFORE you start "just looking," IF  you do not listen you may loose the home of your dreams...I have seen it happen.
5) 4 Things to do in the "Just Looking" Stage.
6) 4 Situations where can I get my Deposit Money Back.
7) How much money do I need to put down with my offer to the seller?
8) Who gets to keep my deposit?
9) How much are closing costs?
10) How do I sell before I buy?

Okay, That is what I think are the most important.  What about you?

NOTE: I will be answering these questions in future Blog Posts.  If you would like the answer to any of these questions before I turn them into links...just post a comment here and I will gladly answer them within 24 hours.

It's your turn....

Thank you ahead all Real Estate Agents and consumers for helping me with this important part of just getting out there and doing all I can to make a difference...please come check it out.  Infact I am going to make up Tickets and the  only way you can come is if you get a Ticket. "Complimentary Ticket" You gotta come though ... cuz if I reserve a seat THE SEAT IS FOR YOU.  I don't know...I must think about the Marketing concept more...but, I have 50% done with the Power Point presentation...we are going to add music and back ground stuff...LOL

Got any MORE Questions?

Other Lehigh Valley Real Estate and Home Buying and Selling Questions
Top 5 Lehigh Valley Seller Questions
4 Things to know about the Home Inspection
What is a Buyer Agent?
Buying a Lehigh Valley Foreclosure, 10 things to know

*Lehigh Valley Real Estate and Homes: 10 Top Lehigh Valley BUYER QUESTIONS * Moriah Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

The Lehigh Valley MLS is the Best Kept Secret from Home Buyers in the Lehigh Valley Area.

In my professional opinion most people in the Real Estate Industry are afraid to give the Home Buyer TOO much information because they feel like you will not need them.  I FEEL the complete opposite…as you should know exactly what it will take to buy a home in the Lehigh Valley so you CAN see exactly why you need a Buyer Agent to help you.

(see how not everyone thinks the same?)

View an example LIVE version of the Lehigh Valley Home Detail Report where I will clearing explain it! Click on TV Guy to the Right.

SO LET’S BEGIN.

Once you finally get setup on a Home Search through the Lehigh Valley MLS you should really understand what to expect from the information, how to read & Understand it.

The entire process of buying a home is very overwhelming…so it is important that you get associated with someone who will start by explaining The First 5 Steps of Buying a home and then move on from there.

You can view a 3 min video example of what the Home Buyer detail report looks like and what it all means by clicking on the Lehigh Valley Real Estate TV graphic.

FAQ’s From Lehigh Valley Home Buyers

1) What are the Days on Market? Well, this is a great question and for some reason this is the ONLY information you will not see on the digital copy of your consumer report.  I have already made a program suggestion to the Lehigh Valley MLS to change this. But, some people actually believe that if you see this information it will make you NOT want to view or buy the home.  That is the most rediculas thing I have ever heard…because you will find out the information anyway by asking…so what is the difference.

2) What appliances go with the home? Well, what every appliances are listed on the Lehigh Valley MLS Detail Sheet are those appliances that the seller said they would include in the List Price.  But, everything in life is negotiations.  I have never seen a seller or buyer not make a transaction happen due to the refrigerator not staying.  But, certain appliances are assumed to stay and those are the ones attached.  Like the Range and the Dishwasher.

3) What Does the Square Feet include? This is difficult to say because most of the time the Square Feet field in the Lehigh Valley MLS is automatically taken from the Lehigh County or Northampton County Assessment Records.  Most of the time there has been updates to the home that the “tax assessor” does not know about. Like maybe a finished basement etc.  So, if you want to know the absolute correct square feet you should measure it yourself. That Is the truth.

4) Financial Area: This area is wrong 75% of the time.  But, it is important to find out if you are going to be using an FHA or VA loan to buy your home..because not all homes will be able to be sold by using an FHA or VA loan due to the fact that there are inspections that are required under these types of Loans and frankly the home may not qualify for the programs. If the home is owned by a consumer like you and they are living in the home…75% of the time the home can be purchased with an FHA or VA Loan.

5) Possession Area: This area tells you if we lived in a perfect world when the seller would like to hold settlement.  This is just to prepare you as to what fits the needs of the seller at the time of the home being listed.  This area is negotionable and the “normal & standard” time to hold settlement on a home is within 30 to 45 days after the Home Sales agreement is signed.  Usually, the biggest reason for this is the Mortgage Company can only lock your interest rate for 30 days.

6) What does CO Required mean at the bottom? On a Pre-Owned Home: A C/O is a Certificate of Occupancy and this is “Basically” a Home Inspection that is required by the Municapality where the home is located. If you find out that you are interested in the home you should ask your Agent…Well you Buyer Agent should tell you before you ask them…but, believe me that does not happen all the time. So, you need to see if the Inspection has been scheduled or completed by the seller as this can be something that could reflect a change in the home’s current market value.

When looking for a home in the Lehigh Valley MLS that would be generally the most frequently asked questions from the home buyers I have helped in the past.

Home Buyers who were interested in learning more about the Lehigh Valley MLS also found interest in the following: What is the MLS? The Only Local Interactive Home Search in the Lehigh Valley area, and Detailing your Home Search to Fit your needs.

*Lehigh Valley MLS: Helping you understand the Home Detail Report *Moriah Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Scheduling to see a home in located on the Lehigh Valley MLS? This actually can be a very confusing thing for more than 90% of the Lehigh Valley Home buyers.

Myths in Real Estate about viewing Homes

1) The BEST way to view a home is to drive around and call every for sale sign that you see that interests you and talk to who ever answers the phone and request that they show me the house.

Possible Issues with this type of method

    a) This means you might be meeting 5 different Real Estate Agents at 5 different homes.

    b) If you leave a message, you will be lucky to get a call back within 24 hours.

    c) 75% of the Time you will be contacting the Seller’s Agent – Who works for the seller not you. Buyer Agent Services, What should you expect?

    d) If you have qualified the home on the internet first, good job! But, have you spoke to a Mortgage Advisor or a Buyer Agent and discussed what the “numbers” are for this level of home investment? If it turns out to be your “dream home” - The Monthly payment is the #1 concern of 90% of Home buyers today.  How, When, and Why to get Pre-Qualified?

    e) The seller will require that you are pre-qualified to view their home.

2) The next BEST way to view a home is to not bother any Real Estate Agent as I am “just looking” and just wait until there is an open house or call and find out when the open house is scheduled for.

  Possible Issues with this type of method

 a) Remember, 75% of the Time the Lehigh Valley REALTOR®holding the open house is very nice but THEY work for the seller NOT you.  They are obligated by law to tell the seller everything you have told them….do not say anything to them but hello and how are you…ask as many questions as you can do not give them any information about why you are buying or that you love the house. (These things can all be used against you in negotiating the best price for you.) The better way to do this…is to go to the open house with your Buyer Agent and have them speak on your behalf. KEYNOTE: You do not pay the Buyer Agent for their services, the Seller’s agent shares their commission to pay them.

b) Not all homes have Open Houses: This is not one of the best methods in which a home is sold from the Lehigh Valley MLS anymore…before when there was no Internet…yeah maybe…but now the way homes are getting sold is by a Buyer Agent Scheduling a Showing for their home buyer and showing them the home at a time that is convenient for both of them. 

c) What happens if you really love the house and so does several other people? And you do not have a Buyer Agent and you are not pre-qualified? Even if you get away with viewing a home at an open house without getting prequalified you will need the pre-qualification letter to make an offer on a home.  If you do not know the numbers on a home you should not be looking at it….Well, that is the easiest way to disappoint yourself, finding out that the monthly payment or down payment and closing cost requirements do not fit your financial needs.

It is easy to find a home you can fall in love with but a completely different world looking for a home that fits your financial and life style needs.

Doesn’t it make more sense to make this process as easy as possible…since it is the most important process you will go through in your life? Go out and start interviewing Buyer Agents…find out what services you can expect from them in writing, What are the First 5 Steps in buying a home

I will prove to you, that if you view the video links below that in less than 3 mins per video that you will find that it is a much better process working with a Local Lehigh Valley REALTOR ® AND setting up your search through the Lehigh Valley MLS.

Here are some other resources to checkout.

The only Local Interactive Lehigh Valley MLS Search

Lehigh Valley MLS, Detailing your Search to fit your needs

* Lehigh Valley MLS: How Do you Schedule to see a Home? *Moriah Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

The Lehigh Valley MLS is the BEST kept Secret in Lehigh Valley Real Estate -Common Real Estate Myths about Searching for a home on the MLS.  I am here to tell you the truth.

You can view a LIVE Video showing you exactly what the Lehigh Valley MLS client portal looks like and why it is so awesome! Click to the Right on the TV Guy!

But, I do share other helpful resources below

Myth #1: 99.9% of the Home Buyers believe they can search any website that has a home search and get the information that is provided in the Local Lehigh Valley MLS. 

Truth #1: THE FACT IS: The information consumers access by going to any website on the internet, which includes Realtor.com & Remax.com and any other website where there are Home Search options  available only provide you with the information THEY want you to see,  that is why you always have so many questions  because there is always something missing from the home information. This is so you will contact them for more information.

Myth #2: 99.9% of the Home Buyers believe that they can only search for a home by the general criteria give on most of the websites like Realtor.com & Remax.com. (yes this is the company I work for) Trying to be as honest as I can , to PROVE to you I am here to help Home Buyers for REAL find out what is Lehigh Valley MLS.

Truth #2:  THE FACT IS: These Home Search websites choose what criteria they want you to search by and they are all different.  There are over 650 Local MLS “companies” across the US and they are all setup different. So, there is no way the websites would be able to pull all that information that is enterned in every MLS exactly the same way as they have it setup on their website. THE FACT IS.  The reason you can find so many websites that have Home Search areas…is because they are trying to PULL you in to always coming back to their site and then eventually calling them because they do not give you ALL the information.

(But you can see all the INFORMATION through the LOCAL Lehigh Valley MLS client portal)

1. School District                                                  
2. Lot Size less than ½ acre          
3. Laundry Hookup Location         
4. 55 Plus Communities                
5. Off /On Street Parking
6. Sub-Divisions
7. Garage Type: Attached/Detached
8. Basement: Finished/Full/Partial Finished
9. Home Style: Ranch/Cape Code/2 Story
10. Type of Construction: Brick/Stucco/Stone Exterior

If that is not enough BIGGER reasons.

- Once a Home goes from a Status in the Lehigh Valley MLS from “Available” to Available with Conditions “Contingency is what we call it”

YOU NEVER SEE IT AGAIN ON THESE OTHER WEBSITES. They just disappear !!!

- Why should you care? Well, Available with Conditions “Contingency” means that the Seller has accepted an offer on the home and BUT WAIT! This CAN mean that the condition is the Buyer needs to sell a home first! So, you should be able to see this because in a BUYERS Market it could take on average 30 days to sell a home.  THIS CAN BE YOUR DREAM HOME.

- NOTE: When your Home Search is setup by a Lehigh Valley REALTOR® you should be looking for Available AND Available with Conditions “Contingency”.

- THERE’S MORE: One these “OTHER” websites “FEATURED HOMES” This is a bunch of BS! These homes are not specials or price reductions…these homes are here because Seller’s Agents…the Agent who works for the Seller has paid money to have it “Featured” on the website….AND the Agent information that is attached to the Listing information 75% of the time is the Seller’s Agent WHO JOB IS TO GET AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY CAN FOR THE SELLER!!

- Okay One More Big Point: When you call to get information…75% of the time you are talking to the seller agent or if you get lucky you will get an Agent that is scheduled to answer the phone in the office on the day you call….You NEED TO MAKE SURE you are talking to a Lehigh Valley REALTOR® who specializes in Helping Buyers Only (there are very few of these in the Lehigh Valley right now) and who also specializes in working ONLY in the Lehigh Valley area.

- OK…ONE MORE:  It would be so easy if you where setup with a Buyer Agent and have a Home Search setup through the Client Portal in the Lehigh Valley MLS because NOTHING is hidden from you..there is no BS involved and when you have a questions..all you do is post a comment directly in that home comment box and if you where working with me…I would get back to you withing NO LONGER than 24 hours with a reply.  So, Easy So, Truthful….no BS anymore!

If you did not watch the Lehigh Valley Real Estate TV above…Now take a 3 min tour about what type of Search you should be using and what really the Lehigh Valley MLS Client Portal (you should view the video in FULL SCREEN for best results).

After you get setup on the client portal – Now you need to know How to Read and understand the Consumer Home Details from the MLS.

* Lehigh Valley MLS – The only LOCAL Interactive Home Search – The Client Portal *Moriah Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License