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Hilarious Home Showing Stories: The Funniest Encounters in the Real Estate World

In the world of real estate, agents and homeowners often find themselves in comical and unexpected situations during a home showing. From encounters with eccentric pets to peculiar home decor choices and humorous misunderstandings, these tales can leave everyone involved in stitches. In this article, we’ll share some side-splitting anecdotes from real estate agents and homeowners about their most amusing experiences during home showings. So, get ready to laugh out loud as we dive into the amusing world of real estate mishaps and misadventures!

The Unforgettable Pet Parade:

When it comes to amusing home showings, pets always manage to steal the spotlight. One real estate agent recalls a memorable showing where they were greeted by a parade of pets. As they entered the home, a line of cats and dogs followed them from room to room. Just as if inspecting the potential new occupants. It was a comical sight, with each furry companion showcasing its unique personality and adding an unexpected twist to the showing. Needless to say, the agents had to find creative ways to navigate the property while being trailed by their furry entourage.

The Quirky Decor Surprise:

Home decor choices can often be a reflection of the homeowner’s personality, but occasionally they leave potential buyers scratching their heads. A real estate agent remembers a showing where every room had an abundance of ceramic garden gnomes. From the living room to the kitchen and even the bathrooms, the gnomes seemed to be observing every move. The agent couldn’t help but share a chuckle with the buyers as they navigated the gnome-filled house. It was transforming the showing into an unexpectedly whimsical experience.

Lost in Translation:

Communication mishaps can lead to hilarity during home showings, especially when language barriers come into play. A homeowner recalls an incident where they were showing their property to a non-English-speaking couple. As they guided the couple through the rooms, they attempted to explain the features and layout of the house using gestures and broken English. However, when they reached the basement, things took a humorous turn. Instead of describing it as a “spacious recreation area,” the homeowner accidentally referred to it as a “space station.” The couple’s eyes widened with confusion, envisioning a rocket ship instead of a cozy entertainment space.

The Mysterious Room:

Sometimes, even the homeowners themselves can be surprised by what they find during a home showing. One homeowner shared a humorous tale of discovering a hidden room they never knew existed. While leading potential buyers through the house, they accidentally opened a door that revealed a secret passage. It was leading to a small room tucked away behind a bookshelf. Both the homeowner and the buyers are amused by the unexpected discovery. The incident turned the showing into an adventure, as they all explored the mysterious room and speculated about its purpose.

The Case of Mistaken Identity:

In the realm of real estate showings, first impressions can be everything. One real estate agent found themselves in a comical mix-up. It was during a showing when they mistook a mannequin for an actual person. As they entered a bedroom, they were startled to find a stranger lounging on the bed. After a brief moment of panic and embarrassment, they quickly realized their mistake and burst into laughter. The agent’s ability to laugh at themselves helped break the ice with the buyers and turned the potentially awkward encounter into a memorable and light-hearted experience.

Conclusion:

The world of real estate is full of amusing and unexpected moments during home showings. From encounters with entertaining pets to encountering peculiar home decor choices and experiencing humorous misunderstandings… These anecdotes bring a dose of laughter to the often-stressful process of buying or selling a home. These hilarious stories serve as a reminder that even in the midst of serious transactions, laughter can lighten the mood and create memorable connections between agents, homeowners, and potential buyers. So, the next time you find yourself in a comical situation during a home showing. Enjoy the humorous experiences that the real estate world has to offer!

Sell Land to a Builder – How Does it Work?

Why Would I Want to Sell Land to a Builder?

If you are looking to sell land, you might be wondering what the benefits of selling it to a builder are. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of selling land to builders.

Instead of just listing your property for sale you are offering it directly to the person who might be interested.

Selling your land to a builder can be beneficial for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that you will get more money than if you sold it on your own. Builders have more money and resources than individuals, so they can offer more cash for your property than an individual could. This means that they’re able to pay higher prices for the property and make better offers on price.

Builders also have connections with other developers who may be interested in buying or leasing the same property from them in order to build something new on it.

What is the Process Behind Selling a Land to a Builder?

Selling a land to a builder is a process that may take time and effort. The first step is to do research on the builder. You should know about their construction quality, project management, and customer service.

The next step is to find the right person of contact in the company. You can do this by looking at their website or by doing an internet search. You can also ask your friends who have worked with builders in the past for recommendations.

Once you have found the right person, it’s time to set up a meeting with them. This meeting should be scheduled at least 3 weeks in advance so that they will be able to give you their full attention and answer all of your questions without feeling rushed or distracted.

How Do Builders Evaluate the Property and what are their Needs?

Builders evaluate the property in various ways. They may not be looking for the same things as a home buyer. For example, they are interested in how long it will take to build on the property, how much it will cost to build on the property, and whether or not there is enough space for their desired number of units.

The builder’s needs are different than a home buyer’s needs because they want to know what it takes to develop and build on the land. Like this they can see if it makes sense for them financially.

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Preliminary Investigation – What is “Due Diligence”?

Conducting preliminary investigation is the first step in the site selection process. Due diligence is the process of investigating a property before purchasing it. This is to make sure that the property the builder is buying is in good condition and free from any potential problems.

The due diligence process starts with a physical inspection of the property. This is done to check for any possible issues or safety hazards. The next step would be to check the title of the property and ensure that there are no liens on it. They will also need to do some research on the current market conditions and prices of similar sites.

The last step in this process would be to have an environmental assessment done. This will uncover any potential environmental hazards that may exist on or near the land you are looking at buying.

The preliminary investigation should not be too long because you want to start negotiating as soon as possible. In fact, some investors will not even bother with a site visit if they are satisfied with what they can find out about it through their due diligence process.

What are Some of the Documents Needed for this Transaction?

The offer letter is a document for the seller of the property. It contains all the conditions, terms and specifications of the offer.

The offer letter includes information such as:

– The name and address of the buyer

– The price and date for which the property will be sold

– The date by which a response from the seller must be received

– Any other conditions that are agreed upon between both parties

Conclusion

The process of selling land to builders is not as daunting as it might seem. It is a logical step for those who are looking to sell their land and also want the best return on their investment.

This article has outlined the process of selling your land to builders and what you need to do in order to make a successful sale.

3 Ways How to Downsize Your Home

Downsizing is a common occurrence in today’s society. We live in a world where we are constantly told that we need more and more things, even though most of us don’t have enough space to store the things we already have. This post will give you 3 tips on how to downsize your home and live a more minimalist lifestyle.

1. Declutter your house and reorganize

Helping with the burden of lessening your stress from a chaotic life, there are many services you can find to help declutter your house. This includes laundry, organizing drawers, moving furniture and even getting rid of things you don’t need.

if you don’t feel up to the challenge yourself but you don’t have the money to use such service you might want to ask a friend or family member.

You might not believe this, but there are people who will give you money for the things you want to get rid of. You can sell anything! There are people who buy old video games, old books, clothing & even car parts. So why not make some extra cash by selling what you don’t need?

2. Organize your home in a more efficient way – where to start?

Where to start with organizing your home? It can be tough enough to find the time to organize the one room you’re working on, let alone an entire house.

A messy room will make you feel anxious and stressed. You can maximize your time and energy by making a list of each room in the house. It’s also important to identify which rooms need the most work because those are the rooms worth tackling first.

Once you decluttered things and are left with the essentials you are able to see what is the best way to organize the space. If you are not sure, don’t be shy to ask the opinion of someone you trust.

3. Less space is needed? Look for a smaller home and save some money

Once you are through with clearing out your house it is time to downsize your home, you may find that it is not necessary to have such a huge house. It’s time for a downsizing. Why not try this? It sounds like a win-win situation. You gain some money in selling your current house and save in monthly expenses in your smaller home. Not to mention it will be quicker, easier and less work to clean a smaller place. Plenty of benefits for this decision.

If that’s the case, we are here to help you, look for a smaller home in our real estate listings or sell your house without any listing fee.

Image by Hans Braxmeier on Pixabay

How to sell commercial real estate

Whether you are a broker or a property owner, to sell commercial real estate is not what it used to be as there can be many surprises. Investors view the commercial property as an investment machine aimed to generate income. If the numbers add up, there is a possibility for a bidding war. And if not, the sale may not be that easy.

Getting yourself prepared can make a great difference between being stuck or creating a favourable property sale. However, the best way to get started is to make the property as pleasantly engaging as possible to give prospects a great first impression. An abandoned commercial property for sale can discourage buyers, thereby affecting the sale price.

How do you want to sell commercial property?

Sell commercial real estate without a broker

While it is unusual for owners to sell commercial real estate by themselves, we cannot rule out the fact that it is possible. Some may have rich experience in commercial properties and are sure to complete the deal without an agent. Others may simply want to maximize their proceeds by circumventing the broker commission.

Whichever way, note that a lot is at stake with commercial real estate sales. Also, the process is complex to finalize. If you have decided to sell by yourself, you will be the one in charge of the entire transaction process, from listing your property to finding potential buyers, communicating with them, finalizing the paper works, inspection, hiring a lawyer etc.

Commercial property for sale using a broker

The activities involved in selling your commercial property by yourself can be hectic and time-consuming. Thus, finding a reliable commercial real estate company who has your best interest at heart can save you a lot of hassle.

They will take over all the processes and help you sell your commercial property quicker. Beyond these, they will help to determine the proper worth of your property for the current market conditions. This is saving you tons of research time.

Rather than relying only on the conventional marketing approaches, professional brokers have an established network of investors and brokers who may be interested in buying your property. They will present your property directly to these prospects, which significantly increase your chances of getting a competent buyer promptly.

You get many benefits when you employ a broker to help with your property sale. But just like with other industry, it is important you do research before deciding on a brokerage agency. Like this you get the best deal for your property.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries. We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

Great Tips to Take Better Real Estate Photos

Real estate online listings are rarely filed without being accompanied by good quality images. This is because images are fundamental for properties to sell. People generally prefer visuals and the images you select to showcase with your listing should give potential buyers an idea of the kind of atmosphere to expect.

A recent survey by the National Association of Realtors revealed that photos were the most top rated features homebuyers looked forward to while searching homes online. Some agents prefer taking their pictures, while some solely depend on professional photographers for the job. Commercial real estate photographs also add authenticity to the listings.

To help you think differently about how you approach taking great photos, here are some tips for real estate photography:

Before You Photograph

Arrange a good camera and its equipment: The most important thing to remember is that cell phone cameras don’t qualify if you want top-quality shots. A good DSLR camera that offers multiple settings options and uses a variety of lenses will work well. Along with a good camera, investing in a tripod is also recommended.

Prepare each room to be photographed: Before you can start shooting your listing photos, you need to make sure your home is camera-ready. Begin by decluttering and deep cleaning all of your rooms. Every surface must be bare, every shelf neat and organized, so find a place for all of your belongings. This step of the process is vital for not only photographing your home but also showing it. Everyone loves to see balanced photos that look fresh and crisp but lived-in and home-like.

Consider staging your home: Who doesn’t want to show off their home while listing them. Make sure the house is clean, clear of all distracting items, pets, and other things. You may replace these by placing fresh flowers to add brightness and vibrancy to the house. According to the same NAR study, 83% of buyer’s agents believe that home staging has made it easier for their clients to visualize themselves in the homes they’ve toured. If you think the cost is too steep, you should at least consider hiring someone to stage your home virtually. With virtual staging, buyers are at least be able to get a sense of the space through the photos.

While You Photograph

Pay close attention to your lighting: Always keep the curtains open and switch on all the lights to make the room bright and well illuminated. It is not recommended to rely on the camera’s inbuilt flash as it creates shadows and reflects off windows and mirrors. Also, avoid taking pictures when it is not sunny and the weather is gloomy.

Angles and compositions are essential: The best way to showcase the room’s features is to shoot from a corner or the doorways. This will capture the room to its maximum space. Additionally, it makes the room look spacious. While photographing exterior features of the home, stand at an angle rather than taking straight photographs.

After You Photograph

Edit your photos, but don’t misrepresent the home: Misleading buyers with manipulated images is something every real estate agent must stay away from. For instance, a photo taken with a wide-angle lens can be deceptive and make the room look ambiguously larger. This will disappoint the buyers when they come for open houses to check the property.

You can take services from a company like for Styldod to perfect your photos. It is affordable, and you’ll be surprised at just how great the before and after shots look. Plus, Styldod is specifically a real estate tool, so they’ll edit the images with a buyer’s eye in mind. You can also submit exterior photos to Styldod and have them change daytime photos to dusk photos. This is amazing since it might be challenging to get that perfect sunset shot yourself. The goal is to use your real estate photos to sell as many properties as possible.

Author Bio

Rahul Agarwal is the Co-founder & Chief Business Officer at Styldod, where he has taught a computer to do interior design! Styldod provides the most hassle-free & inexpensive virtual staging solutions for real estate agents so they can sell their listings faster, and for higher prices. Rahul was also a co-founder of Mebelkart (which is acquired by Ask Me). He’s your everyday IIT Kanpur nerd who pushes the boundaries with his innovative entrepreneurial stints and is also a sound startup investor & advisor. Rahul attributes his success as a professional to the discipline he has learned from his district hockey days, being a swimmer and a gym enthusiast.

5 tips – selling overseas real estate on an international market

Selling overseas real estate to an international pool of clients is a completely different game all together. You know better than anyone that this means to get your property in front of your ideal client in their home country.

Selling overseas real estate – How can you possibly do that?

It can be a mine-field when trying to create an effective strategy when you are marketing your property online. What website will the possible buyer look at? Is there a website where you can offer your real estate to the whole world? Of course, almost every website can be visited from all over the world but would it be popular enough in the country of your ideal client?

1 Get the right real estate portal that is specialized to promote to international clients

In fact, the services of many huge website portals only available to the country they are located in. Realtors with international listings usually are not allowed to list them. Even if one allows it, their focus is not on helping real estate agents to promote to an international audience.

Check out one of our property portals that not only performs extremely well but also will put your ad on a world map, making it easy for international buyers to find it.

Register with them and benefit from a range of services that will help you buy, find, sell or rent international real estate.

If you are looking for overseas property yourself but you are on a limited budget, check out this website https://www.propertyunder100k.com/ and find lots of bargains below 100k.

2 Use a sales platform that is internationally known

There exist platforms that facilitates the sale of real estate between third-party buyers and sellers. This is a very good way to get good leads. One example would be eBay. Maybe it is not available in your country or the real estate section is restricted but once you have an account in eBay you easily can use it on eBay sites of other countries.

Another good website were you can list your property is https://www.listproperty4free.com/

3 Use Social Media to promote your overseas real estate

Probably you heard this many times – no matter what you want to promote – use social media. Used in the right way you are no beating in the air but actually getting some real results. Actually, it might be even easier to find the right audience for your property. In Facebook for example, you can enter your real estate in the market place and promote it in related groups. And the best of all, it’s all free. Just takes a bit of your time.

4 Make the best impression

I can’t stress this enough. When selling overseas real estate, the first impression – which will probably be when someone looks at your ad – is the most important. By this someone might decide to make contact and come for a viewing. How can you do this?

Present your property in the best light, tidy up, declutter do what it takes to give a great feel to the place and very important – do professional photos.

That’s making a good impression from a visual point of view. Also, put some work in an appealing text to describe your real estate. Mention the best features of it and it’s potential. Especially in an overseas real estate it makes sense to tell a bit about the lifestyle too.

5 Be flexible with payments if you can

Sometimes it is already hard enough to get a mortgage for a first home. If you like to get something abroad it gets even more difficult. Therefore, you will have more possible buyers if you can be flexible with your terms of payment.

Bio

Image: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Smart Home – what does it mean?

We encounter the expression “smart home” everywhere today. But it means much more than clever refrigerators and intelligent lighting. Smart home is when your house “thinks” and makes your everyday life as easy, safe and pleasant as possible. Thanks to a smart home, you save precious time. Smart devices organise annoying routine tasks for you. The goal is comfort, entertainment, energy saving and security.

Smart Home how does it work?

The principle can be summed up in the following; Various electrical devices and sensors are interacting and communicating with each other. Often, you can control Individual devices and even entire systems remotely. In this way, a simple and complex process can be automated.

How does the communication work?

Lying by the pool and starting the oven with a roast for dinner? Or making a coffee while still in bed with your smartphone? With Smart Home, such comforts have long ceased to be a vision of the future. At home, the devices communicate using standards such as WLAN, Bluetooth, KNX data cables or even directly via the power line.

All are proven standards and almost all current smart home devices and systems can be installed and operated very easily today – via an integrated display, smartphone, tablet or even a voice control.

Which devices can be controlled in a smart home?

In principle, every electrical device and system can be controlled smartly. Therefore, it is often possible to optimize comfort, safety or efficiency at once. Lighting, heating and air conditioning systems are typical areas of application for smart homes such as controlling canopies, blinds and shutters. Entire lighting concepts can be conveniently controlled and automated.

A message on your smartphone as soon as your laundry is finished?

Thanks to Smart Home, this is not a problem.

But it gets even better, entire home security systems can be controlled as well. While you are away, it is very easy to check that everything is fine at home using your smartphone. If someone rings at your door you can even see who it is and answer at the intercom. You simply access your intercom and cameras at home via the Internet.

Want to buy or sell your home? List it with us today.

Homes are still selling despite Covid-19

As latest numbers are in, there is a wave of relief going through the real estate sector. The good news is, homes are still selling.

No doubt, the covid-19 virus will have severe consequences on the real estate market, but it seems with low interest rates people are still buying homes.

All over the world people have lost part of their income due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first shock

When the coronavirus hit the world most of us were under shock. I never spend so much time to watch the news than the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, always checking the latest numbers. After a couple of weeks though we kind a got used to it – although there are still moments when the whole situation seems incredibly unreal.

It is true that we also saw a decrease of visitor to our website for a couple of weeks but we are happy to say that all numbers are back to normal now. People are still interested in good real estate deals and they didn’t give up of buying homes.

Homes are still selling – a home is one of the basic needs

One reason might be that people became more aware of their “needs” rather than their “wants”. Staying at home and trying to keep everybody in the family sane has shown many the importance of having a home that has everything they need. Having a home definitely is a need. Even if someone needs to downsize and move to a smaller more affordable home it still means that there is movement and therefore home sales are happening in the real estate market.

Challenge to close the sale

In some countries it has become more challenging than in others when it comes to closing the sale legally. With solicitor and notary offices closed or not fully operational this is really a challenge. But surely, as some countries have already started to lift their covid-19 lockdowns this will just be a matter of time.

Time for new ideas

All these new challenges truly have given fuel for new ideas and innovations to simplify the home buying process.

Stuart Miller from Lennar Corp., one of the USA’s largest homebuilders, said they are working on new ways for buyers to buy houses, including through the company’s digital programs as well as drive-through closings, where homebuyers can close on a home through their car.

Positive Outlook for Real Estate

To know that homes are still selling is really good news. It helps us, home buyers as well as sellers, to see the future more optimistic. It’s been a nerve wrecking couple of weeks, even months for some. For me it was great to see how quick real estate agents adapted to the new challenges and finding alternative ways of showing homes to interested buyers.

Keep up the good work.

Real Estate After Quarantine

This temporary quarantine made many people think about their values and goals in life as well as their work situation and their homes.

Although, this isolation is only temporary, life itself has always and will continue to change.

Our social interactions will be different for months, if not years to come. Our economies will eventually grow again, but the way we do business will have progressed. This is true for real estate as well.

Next time I like to quarantine on a tropical island…

One thing is certain, everybody needs a place to live, therefore real estate will always be needed. As much as everybody would like to improve their homes to be able to quarantine in style in case this happens again, it has to be considered that the financial situation of most people changed. Therefore, the housing market needs to adapt. Cheap real estate will be needed more than ever before. “Cheaper” meaning more cost effective.

This of course can mean that people have to downsize or reconsider what they really need in their home – simply back to the basic needs.

“Cheaper” doesn’t mean uglier

It’s true that many houses for sale that are on the lower end of the price range don’t look too good. But to be honest most of them only need a little bit of TLC and they can be a cosy home.

If you need to downsize, why not sleep on a sofa bed in the living room?

How can real estate agents adapt to this new situation?

You as a realtor can continue to do what you are really good at – be there for your clients and understand what they need in their circumstances. This is a new situation for all of us and for some it may be hard to adapt. Maybe some can’t picture themselves in a smaller, simpler home.

Whatever step someone needs to take, you can be there to help and make this a good experience.

What exactly does this mean?

You have to think outside the box, but yourselves in the buyer’s shoes. It maybe time to rethink how real estate deals where done in the past and see new ways that can make the whole process simpler, more time effective and more cost effective.

Will you go with the flow, let the waves take you wherever they go, or will you build a ship and go your own way?

Pick your boat and get on your way.

What is your idea of real estate after quarantine? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

Target buyers where they are: at home

This is the longest period of time most of us ever spent at home non-stop. The risk of COVID-19 has grounded about 1.5 billion people worldwide, meaning people are engaging with their homes more than ever before.

Regarding real estate this means that many people have time to think about their living arrangements. They may see things they like to improve in the house or they might shop around for a new house that suits their needs even better.

Whatever the reason why someone may shop around for a new home, it’s simply amazing to see how realtors have already adapted to the new circumstances. I saw that many newsletters were send out by them to keep their clients informed and engaged.

Target buyers who are at home

Also, they started to offer some great new services to buyers, for example to make a house viewing via video conference. While the agent would walk through the house for sale the client can follow along while sitting at home. The agent would explain while doing the walk-through and answer any questions that arise.

Another less personal but equally effective way to target buyers is the virtual tour, where the real estate agent made a video recording of a house viewing and puts this video online. It might surprise how many people will actually look at it who otherwise would have never asked for a house viewing.

My absolute favourite is the 3D tour. As far as I know, the real estate agent needs some special equipment to make a 3D tour for a house but from all options this is probably the best. The 3D model that is created allows anyone to “walk” through the house. It is similar to Google Street maps just indoors.

What about private seller?

Well, nobody can stop you from doing your own video where you walk through your house for sale. This is something everybody can do.

This is definitely some positive side effect of the COVID-19 and I hope this new digital strategy for real estate is here to stay. It saves a lot of time for buyer and seller – house hunting can be very time consuming – as this already helps to get a good overview of a property.