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The best moves for home buyers and sellers:from http:/money.cnn.com

Plenty of forces,from overly cautious lenders to inaccurate appraisals,are wrecking real estate deals right

now. But one of the biggest roadblocks to getting a house sold these days is the disconnect between buyers

and sellers.

In general, sellers have gotten more realistic in pricing their homes than they were right after the housing

bubble burst, but agents say that many still don't grasp how much they must concede to close a deal. And

buyers are still spraying lowball offers around in hopes that sellers will be desperate enough to bite.

Take such unreasonable expectations, multiply by two, and what do you get?  "A standoff".

With the busy summer home-sale season drawing to a close, there's little time to waste. Whether you're

trying to unload your place or land a new one, follow these do's and don'ts to negotiate the best deal--

fast.

If you're buying

Don't say: "I'll pay 85% of your asking price and not a penny more."

Instead: look for homes that are fairly priced and make a reasonable offer. "Coming in about 10% below

list is a good starting place for negotiations now. Yes, you have the upper hand in most markets, but the

average homebuyer is paying only 2.7% below list price. Set your expectations accordingly. you can always

ask if the seller is willing to bridge a gap in other ways--for example, by picking up your closing costs.

Don't say: "I haven't put my house on the market yet."

Instead: List your current home before you start shopping seriously for the next one. Because it takes

almost three months to move a house these days, sellers are loathe to write home-sales contingencies

into purchase contracts. You'll have far more leverage if you've gotten rid of your house before you start

negotiating: Sellers know there's less chance of the deal falling apart. What's more, you'll know exactly how

much money you can put into your digs.

Don't say: "This is my dream house."

Instead: Stop imagining the great parties you'll throw and gird yourself to walk away if the seller won't

make reasonable concessions. Your ability to abandon negotiations is your powerful bargaining chip. Given

that plenty of other homes are on the market now, finding another place to love shouldn't be too hard.

You might let the seller know that. Nicely.

If you're selling

Don't say: "You're offering how much? Forget you!"

Instead: When bidders lob low-balls at you, thank them for their interest--and ask that they come back

with earnest offers. "If you become offended, enraged, or unreasonable, you've blown any chance at negoti

ation. These days many buyers are just testing you to see how big a discount they can get. Point the bidder to comparable recent sales that support your list price.

Don't say: "I know the deck was rotting."

Instead: Pay a few hundred dollars to get your house inspected before you put it on the market. Then

arrange to make any necessary repairs yourself. Taking care of any inspection issues upfront helps

sellers limit the points that buyers can negotiate on.

Don't say: "It might take us a while to move out."

Instead: Make sure to tell buyers--especially those who might have children starting school this month--

that you're willing to scram pronto,if possible. That will help you stand out from any short sales in your

area, which may have lower list prices, but can take months to close. "If the buyers have a strict time

limit, they're going to pay more money to get into a house quickly."

Real Estate Showing Signs of Life in Anderson Area

This article was originally posted online at independentmail.com/news/2010/jul/29/real-estate-showing-signs-life-anderson-area:

Sales of homes in the Anderson area are beginning to recover, if slowly, local Realtors said. and the median price of a home also has crept up, according to statistics from the South Carolina Realtors MLS.

Upstate South Carolina, including Anderson and Oconee counties (counties surrounding Lake Hartwell), survived the precipitous drop in real estate sales and home values during the housing meldown in 2007 and 2008, but did not escape entirely, real estate agents said.

A part of the market, lake homes, was hit by a major drought the same time home sales declined, and home buyers in general went into hiding as the economy took a nosedive.

But reports from the Realtors' group show a 20.8 percent increase in home sales in the area when comparing sales in the second quarter of 2009 to the second quarter 2010.  At the same time, the median price of homes increased 0.5 percent, from $122,000 to $123,000.  Median means that half of the homes were worth more and half were worth less.

The report covers the Western Upstate counties of Anderson, Oconee - which make up the major portion of the listings.  Real estate website Zillow.com reported that year-over-year figures from May 31, 2009 to May 31, 2010, show Anderson County sales were flat, with no change, and the median home value county wide was $96,900.  Realtors in Anderson said the market seems to be at a bottom and turning up.

"We definitely see a trend," said a broker in Anderson.  "The phones are ringing more, and there seem to be more buyers out there."  The same broker said buyers in higher price ranges are starting to reappear.  "We've seen a little uptick in activity and buyers in the $200,000 to $400,000 price range are coming out."

Area homes for sale are staying on the market longer than in the boom days, but the situation is improving.  The average number of days on market for Hartwell Lake homes is six to nine months.  But for homes priced $150,000 to $250,000, the average is 175 days.  Homes priced $100,000 to $150,000 are on the market an average of 145 days.

Sellers are pricing homes a little more realistically.  The majority know the market is what it is and are more realistic as well.

Another Anderson area broker said she's seen the market improve since the introduction of the $8,000 federal first-time home buyer credit.  "The incentives really helped to kick start the market.  A lot of homes sold then."  She said sales started to improve for her company about mid-February and they stayed busy after the credits expired.  "Our numbers are really encouraging right now.  While that doesn't mean there's been a big turnaround, sales are much better than they were.  We see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Lake home sales are showing signs of life, more properties are being listed and more home showings are going on.  The value of homes seems to have firmed too..  The NAR doesn't see home prices dropping.  I think we may have hit the bottom, and I think that is the general consensus.  Sales of lots for new home construction and commercial property are probably slowest now.  People aren't buying new homes right now.  I know they want to, but I think banks are trying to get rid of existing inventory."

Both brokers said a number of factors are helping sales.  The Associated Press reported thursday that 30-year mortgage rates hit a low of 4.54 percent, the lowest level on record for the fifth time in six weeks, the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971.

I, personally, have been saying this for a while now, but one of the brokers interviewed for the piece said it perfectly:  "Prices are low, there's a lot of inventory out there, and interest rates are low also.  It's a perfect storm as far as time to buy real estate.  There are some good properties to be bought, and the rates are fantastic.  Now is the time to buy."

I agree!  So, let's get out there and buy!