I recently came across an article on CNNMoney title 7 Questions for Your Next Real Estate Agent, which provides prospective buyers and sellers direct questions they should ask an agent before deciding to work with them.  As the article advises prospects, “Pairing up with the right real estate agent can help you close the deal at the price you want.”  I couldn’t agree more, as finding the right agent is imperative to having a successful transaction.  And, I also agree that all buyers and sellers should come up with a list of questions to ask their prospective agents to ensure they share the same expectations.  And likewise, agents should be receptive to the questions a prospect asks during the 'interview' time.

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Earlier we discussed ways in which a buyer may lose their dream home, one of which being that they refuse to compromise on minor contract details.  Today, I want to take a look at the opposite occurrence – buyers who compromise their standards during the purchase of their perceived dream home. 

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A few months ago a friend, who is currently in search for a new home, complained to me that yet another one of his dream homes was snatched away by another buyer.  Though there are cases where a buyer loses a home based on reasons completely out of their control, more often than not homes are not stolen by other buyers, but rather prospective buyers let their dream homes slip away.  For this reason, my first reaction when hearing my friend's complaint was not, "How did they snatch it away?", but rather “How did you let your dream home get away?”

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Earlier this week we took at a look at what influences a homeowner to list For Sale By Owner.  The reasons listed for example were:  Home Value, Sticker Shock, Anti-Agent, Seen Success and Catered Tools.  Now imagine you came across a seller who was considering listing FSBO and their reason for doing so was one of these.  How would you respond?

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What makes a seller put up that For Sale By Owner sign rather than call their local real estate agent?

Okay, we all know why homeowners list their own home – to save money.  But, let’s go one step further and take a look at what makes a homeowner believe they can (or believe they need to) save money by listing their own home.

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