Archive for the ‘Selling a Property’ Category

Mineral Rights and Mineral Lease Transactions

Friday, June 13th, 2008

 

Mineral rights properties have been a hot topic nowadays. It has been an interesting investment for real estate investors since last year but it has only begun to boom in the real estate market now. Let’s look more closely at the nature of mineral rights and mineral lease transactions.

Purchasing mineral rights isn’t as simple as buying a house or a car. When buying mineral rights, the energy/mining company has to get a mining permit and organize everyone’s schedule to commence operation on the property.

This is if the buyer wants to remove and make use of the minerals, of course. There are buyers who just prefer to invest in the property. The investment would include the plan to sell that property to energy/mining companies themselves.

Mineral Rights and Surface Rights

Mineral rights are different from surface rights. Surface rights only focus on the properties (buildings, landmarks, etc.) that is at the surface of the property. Mineral rights, on the other hand, refer to the energy or minerals that are present under the property. This would explain why we can have a surface rights owner and a different mineral rights owner.

Naturally, we can expect that there would be disagreements between the mineral rights owner and the surface rights owner. These would most often come out during the extraction of the minerals, and most of the time it is the surface rights owner who gets inconvenienced. Disagreements like these can be cleared up by looking back to the mineral rights agreement, or the mineral lease agreement. When it is written that the mineral rights owner has the right to operate mineral extraction any time he/she wants, then there is nothing that the surface rights owner can do. This is the reason why written agreements and contracts should be kept and valued. Legal assistance is always a big help, especially when it comes to mineral rights leasing.

Surface rights owners, and surface rights buyers, should also take a look at the mineral rights agreement. You may not be directly involved in the transaction of the mineral rights of your property. But you are still a part of that property and there may be certain things you need to prepare yourself for (like the extraction of the minerals at an inconvenient time).

Seek legal assistance when you are going to buy a property that may have mineral rights attached to it. Copies of mineral rights transactions are normally kept at a government office if you cannot find the original ones. Buyers should always ask what rights are included in the sale of a property. You can ask your lawyer to research on the property you want to buy and the extent of the ownership being offered to you. A lawyer’s assistance is important especially if you’re dealing with a property that has historic mineral activity and potential mining activity.

State and Local Laws

Most states have laws and regulations pertaining to mineral rights ownership, transactions, and extraction. There are laws and regulations that emphasizes the limitations of a mining company’s actions during extraction, for example. These laws are put down to help protect the environment and the parties involved. Both the mineral rights owner and the surface rights owner should be aware of these laws to avoid future problems and disagreements. To make matter clearer for both parties, lawyers and legal assistance should be present.

Obviously, mineral rights and mineral rights transactions are a very complex situation. They require a lot of research, a lot of counsel, and a lot of effort, time, and money. The most important thing to remember is to always ask about the rights and seek legal assistance.

Creating a Great Real Estate Ad Copy

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

 

One advertising strategy in attracting sellers to your real estate investing business is to have a killer ad copy. Creating a great real estate ad copy should be part of your marketing campaigns in order to get more exposure and more clients.

Making a great ad copy is not as hard as it sounds, although it will require some effort and some time for testing and improving on it. Basically, the ad copy will be just like how you would talk to a potential seller and telling him or her to consider you when selling their house or property.

The best technique creating a great real estate ad copy is to make it so that you tell your potential sellers about yourself as a real estate investor. Show them what and who you really are as a real estate investor, in a way that they will feel that they can trust you. This way, you will be the first on their list when they want to sell their house.

Tips on Making a Great Ad Copy

  1. Think about who and what type of person it is you are trying to sell yourself to. Put yourself in their shoes and try to determine what their situation may be. Try to think on what they may want or need.
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  3. After thinking on the customer, think about YOU. Work on your good and bad points and take note of the things that will make you appealing to the sellers. Think about why they should contact you or see you. Think about how you can personally interact with them, too. Clearly write down your services and experience.
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  5. A unique selling proposition should be in order. Think about what you can offer the sellers that other real estate investors have not or could not. You have to be different from your competitors in order to stand out and be noticed by the potential sellers.
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  7. Write down your first ad copy by combining the three steps above. If you have trouble writing it, you can talk it out and record it as if you’re personally talking to a potential seller. Listen to it afterwards and write it down.
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  9. Test your copy and improvise. Take your time with this. Test your copy more than once. Come back to it and improve on it after a day or two. Always have a fresh mind when revising the copy. Testing the copy and revising it many times will help you create an ad copy that gives out a strong message to the potential sellers.

 

Keep in mind, too, that confidence and enthusiasm can be evident in you ad copy. That is why it is important to be confident and proud of your work and services. Remember not to promise a lot. But always make the effort to do something extra and over deliver.

Do not fear that your copy is inferior and is not to be seen by the public yet. Your ad copy doesn’t have to be perfect before you can send it out. On the contrary, you will be able to see the results of your ‘test’ copies and make more improvements.

Reminders When Selling Your Home

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

When selling your home, there are some things you need to remember to make sure that no one is inconvenienced or that your house is perfectly ready to be sold anytime! When on sale, the number one priority is for your house to be ALWAYS available for show. While this may seem to be inconvenient for you at times, you will be able to show your house to a lot of prospects and, thus, will enable you to sell your house faster.

Most real estate agents will call hours beforehand when showing your house to prospective buyers. However inconvenient it may be for you, the best decision would be to allow the agents show the house to the prospects as planned. Refusing might only lead you to lose a prospective buyer.

Here are other reminders for you when selling your home:

  1. It’s Best Not To Be Home.

The prospective buyers will not be comfortable viewing your home when you’re around. They will feel like intruders. They may also not be up to being critical of the house because of the your presence.

If you cannot leave the premises, do your best to not intervene with the agent and guests. Try to remain out of sight. You can answer any inquiries from the agent or guests, but only when asked.

  1. Turn On All the Lights In and Out Of the House.

Even if it’s broad daylight, turning on all the lights in and out of your house is recommended. The lights will help brighten up areas in your house which cannot be reached by natural sunlight. It will also prevent harsh shadows and will make your house more cheerful and bright to look at.

  1. No Scented Sprays or Artificial Fragrances!

You never know if the guests are allergic to certain scents or fragrances. It may also offend others. If you want a pleasant smell around your house, opt for something natural. Or you can have a potpourri pot. You can also try turning on your stove burner or oven for a moment and putting a drop of vanilla extract on it.

  1. Keep Your Pets Controlled Or Take Them With You.

To let the agents freely take the prospective buyers on a tour around your home, it is best for you to take your pets with you outdoors. It is not recommended for pets to go running around the property. Some prospects may not be too keen on having pets, or may be allergic.

It is also better to have a notice put up. If you cannot take your pets with you, keep them in safely penned area on your backyard. For household pets, you can put them in a room and put a sign on the door stating about the pets.

  1. Keep Everything Tidy and Clean.

Make sure to empty your trash bins every time prospects come. Go through the bedrooms and see to it that the beds are made, and the curtains are well placed. Papers and scatters should be picked up and stacked neatly where it belongs. Do not leave empty glasses, saucers, or any unnecessary stuff around the house. The house has to be freshly dusted and swept or vacuumed. It is important for the house to be clean and to present it with a positive atmosphere.

Selling A House In Today’s Market

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

 

The buyers from today’s housing market can be described as more choosy and picky when they choose a property. This means that selling a house in today’s property is done with more caution and with a more detailed outlook.

Three factors determine what makes a good house to live in. Buyer usually take these into consideration when choosing a house that they would like to buy and live in.

Location: Location is the first thing that the buyers think of. They decide on an area of the town that would be most ideal for them to live in and start from there. If the property you’re selling is in this kind of area, chances are you’ll have many prospects to sell the house to.

Price: Price is always an issue in any market. Buyers always look for properties that are accessible and ideal while at the same time affordable for their pockets. Considering the price is especially essential today because of the recession and the ups and downs of the housing market.

Presentation: This automatically includes repair and staging the house. Buyers won’t just choose a property over location and price. Buyers today are picky; they will choose a house that they see and feel is right for them. With this in mind, you have to present the house you’re selling in a simple yet affecting manner. You have to present the house in a way that the buyers will be able to see its fine points and potential.

Selling a House in a Slow Market

Friday, February 15th, 2008

 

The housing market is still slowing down. There doesn’t seem to be a stop sign to the recession ahead. But recession or not, as a real estate investor, you’re still going to have to sell that house.

In the state that the housing market is in nowadays, people would consider it lucky enough when you’ve lowered the price just to hove sold the property. And you might be thinking: Is this the only way?

The answer is no. You can always sell it. Just sell it. No need to lower the price. Just sell it.

5 Tips In Selling the Property

  1. Create a Listing That Is Credible and Great!

When you’ve got an agent who wants to scan the list of properties you have at hand, engaging his or her attention will be important. Catch their interest by taking charge of your MLS listing and making it look great! Don’t just depend on the real estate brokers to create the listing for you.

Most MLS listings can be very boring to look at. To capture the attention of your clients, make your listing more lively. Print pictures that display the appealing parts of your property. Make sure the pictures are clear and well-photoshopped. Take pictures of the property in its most desirable form.

  1. Directional Signs

You have to make sure that your property can easily be located by your clients. Use lots of directional signs to avoid misunderstandings on the location. This is especially helpful for properties that are far from the main roads.

  1. Put up a Professional Sign In Front.

You can give out a sense of credibility and professionalism through putting up a professional sign in front of your property. As much as possible, do not use cheap signs where you have to roll up your flyer. A sign that has an attached flyer holder will instead be preferable, making it easier for people to pull out your flier when they pass by.

You can also encourage interested prospects to take a peek in the house by putting up the flyer box on the stoop of the home. All you have to do is place an arrow with a “More Information” phrase on your sign to direct them into your house.

  1. Not Just an Ordinary Flyer

Many people wouldn’t pay much attention to flyers. This is because almost all flyers are basically boring. Most investors would sometimes just print flyers in black and white. With a boring flyer, how could you possibly expect someone to notice it?

For starters, a flyer will catch a person’s attention if it’s in color. Lots of clear pictures will also add to the trick. Another concern about flyers is that they mostly focus on facts. Information alone won’t get a person to be interested in your property. Focus on showing pictures of your property in the fliers. Remember, you’re selling the house.

  1. Give that “Push”

Most sellers would be contented by having prospects take a look at the property and leaving them to make up their minds. This, though, will not be enough to make that sale.

Many prospective buyers are actually already ready to buy a house. They’re just not sure which house. In order for that house to be your house, you have to give the seller a little push to consider your property.

Always be ready with a contract. Try to get the buyer to leave you a deposit check, even if it is refundable. You never know he or she might really go along with buying the property. Get as much commitment as you can.

 

Finding Prospective Buyers For Your Property

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

You may have noticed that despite your efforts in improving your advertising campaign may not always produce good results in bringing you prospective buyers for your property. This isn’t really surprising. Advertisements — fliers, posters, etc. — do not guarantee to bring you buyers. Which is why you would have to put effort in personally engaging in many real estate transactions. One of which is research that would focus on finding signs of a motivated or prospective buyer.

This is not to say, of course, that you discard any advertising. Your advertisements and marketing strategies are still the gateways for you to find out if there are interested buyers out there for you. Efforts put in advertising and campaigns would not go to waste once the prospective buyers know of you.

The main thing to remember when you do your advertisements is to target your specific market. If it would be a waste of time and effort, and not to mention more costly, if you direct your ads to just anyone without even thinking if they are the people that you are looking for. When done properly, your ads will pay off and it is the prospective buyers themselves who will be coming to you, not you to them!

A proper strategy for advertising and marketing yourself would definitely be a factor in looking for prospective buyers. Flyers, brochures, and TV ads are still being used, but the most popular type of strategy employed by many real estate investors today is direct mailing campaigns. This type of marketing effort will allow you to directly narrow down prospective buyers and at the same time it is cost-efficient (see Direct Mailing Campaigns). Another marketing strategy of favored by many successful real estate investors is marketing themselves and their expertise online.

Putting Yourself In Your Buyer’s Shoes

One effective way to know how to meet a prospective buyer’s expectations in a property is to be one, or at least just think of yourself as one. Put yourself in the shoes of a buyer who wants a residential home. Then ask yourself what a residential home should have enough for you to want to buy it. Most usually, it would go down to three things:

  • stability
  • comfort
  • accessible

The property has to be stable and well-repaired. No buyer would want a run-down property, or a house that looks like it can just go down the drain any minute. Check the property to make sure it meets your expectations (posing as a buyer) and make changes when needed.

Everyone also wants to own a house wherein they are comfortable. This would involve a proper staging and design from you. Keep the rehabbing simple and do not either overdo or underdo in the renovations.

Last is that the property has to be accessible for the buyer. A property in a good and clean neighborhood is a “yes.” Nobody would want a property standing solitary in a dark area.

With these three as your starting points, you will be able to find out what your property lacks and what not to put in the property. Always remember to be more customer-centered, meaning that you should put yourself in a buyer’s prospective to know what your property needs to be bought.