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Things to consider when selling a home

Selling your home isn’t something you should take lightly.

While selling a house isn’t rocket science and many homeowners have deal with 1:1 transactions where is owner and buyer dealing with one another directly. While this is common, it is also very common for attorneys, real estate agents, title companies and lenders to hear about and fix situations where one of the parties got accidentally taken advantage of.

Realtor’s aren’t sleezy car sales people. Not that car sales people are sleezy and not only sleezy sale’s people sell cars. Realtors are guided and regulated by the highest of Texas statutes, regulated by a board and can get in legal trouble for misrepresenting your best interest. We’re meant to help you finding the best deal structure for your transaction and guide you through the process until completion. We earn our pay through the completion of a successful transaction that can take up to months to complete. Most homeowners who sell a home on their own do so simply because of the assumptions the general public has of a typical Realtor. Leaving the fact that most Realtors are to blame for this misconception, it’s still worth clarifying here before we continue since you have to know that most realtors do honestly try their best to earn our pay and your satisfaction for a life long source of referrals.

Some of the nicest clients I have ever had the pleasure of helping have come to with questions about a particular situation they are trying to resolve. Sometimes is something as simple as ‘I didn’t know that the seller didn’t have to make the payments to the bank’ or ‘I’ve never gotten a receipt in 20 years and I can’t get them to tell me how much I owe’ ‘the shortgages were significant and now I’m stuck dealing with the costs when its clearly something seller should have disclosed’ – basic things that most ordinary non-realtors wouldn’t even thing about checking or negotiating.

When you buy or sell the property directly from the owner, consider that is not the same as buying anything else that is personal property such as a vehicle or even a gun. Real Estate is something that is regarded as one of the highest values within the U.S. economy and a big influencer in the market’s overall health, you are buying or selling a property that can be turned into general wealth by the right mindset and execution, depending on the location you may be dealing with mineral and or water rights as well for example. The fact that is regarded to a much higher standard of value yields the assumption that there will be more moving pieces and legalities which are opportunities for errors and omissions on the contract from you or the other party – when one side has an Agent or legal representative at least the chances for mistakes are reduced, but you don’t want to be on the end with no help on your corner.

You’re better off in most cases getting a Realtor.

Consider reading: Why sell a home during a recession?

When you’re selling by owner, FSBO as we call these transactions where the home is sold directly by the owner, both parties must do their due diligence in the property’s history and possible holes in the ownership chain that could come hunt you. Most good buyers will come with an agent and you want a buyer with an agent so that they can help ensure the transaction is done properly, but the irony of that is you don’t want to be the one without representation here.

You have all these companies fighting for your attention trying to make each other look bad, trying to make realtors look bad saying that you as the homeowner don’t need to waste time and money hiring a Realtor, but the reality of it is that they wouldn’t be attacking each other if they actually had something of value to offer. But these ibuyers or syndicated investor funds like Opendoor.com really only rely on homesellers who are not educated enough about their potential return listing on the regular market. When you look at a home that was sold to them for example and you see $300k, you may think “WOW! Opendoor.com paid that much for THAT house? Mine’s gotta be worth at least that!” So that drives interest amongst sellers. What about those bandit signs on the roads “WE BUY YOUR HOUSE CASH!” – aren’t they promising the moon? They buy fast, without hassle, and using cash.

Why would a homeowner ever pass on this? Well, multiple reasons. Almost as with selling through a company like Opendoor.com or Zillow… for example, why would any homeowner ever sell to someone who is going to ‘internally calculate’ what your home is worth, you trust it without external review, and then once you have the offer accepted come in the credits and discounts given back to the seller during closing, materially reducing your actual cash proceeds from the actual purchase price initially agreed upon. Why would a seller not want to put the house in the open market and let more than just one bid come in and see which is the highest? Why would any homeowner go with a single offer buyer who pretends to be doing you a favor in lieu of you not ever finding out that they are actually paying less than what you deserve, but that’s business right, they have to make a living, right? Buy low, sell high. Well, I say, let them make cookies with someone else’s chocolate chips.

Hiring a realtor would make better sense in my humble opinion.

Sometimes, honestly, a good realtor will mean the difference between you having to fix the home partially or in its entirety before listing on the market. A good realtor could help you find a good marketing angle and maximize the exposure your home can get with the right group of potential buyers. While selling the house through Zillow and Craigslist or Facebook may yield some drives, visits and open house onlookers, you won’t get the best deal this way. You may be thinking limitations and shortcomings with a home that needs work, while a good Realtor can help find a buyer looking for a blank canvas or your area and needs to be shown how to see past the cosmetics first, etc.

If your house needs work, you’re still sometimes better off selling through a Realtor and the open market.

There are plenty of reasons why a homeowner wouldn’t want to hire a Realtor, but I dare you – send me / submit your thoughts and scenarios and I guarantee I’ll rebuttal it intelligently and find a way how a realtor could make all the difference.


Thank you for reading!

Visit El Paso Living.com to schedule an appointment, get VIP access to houses and more.

Continue reading, check out next: Reasons Why FSBOS Fail

What To Look For In A Really Good Realtor

& What real estate services do I offer my clients as an investor-friendly Realtor.

You know, growing up with my mom in El Paso, Tx., meant often driving around sight seeing or window-shopping if you’d call it that, but we’d go drive around looking at houses, pretty houses here and there. Always dreaming, as a single mother she couldn’t work past the hurdles of home buying. Now as an adult, it pleases me to help my mom, family, and friends and of course anyone who is willing to trust me. I will always tell you actually, that I will try to protect your best interests with more care and attention than sometimes probably you would yourself. LOL

In all seriousness though, when you are looking for a realtor to assist you in the buying or selling of real property, what you are really hiring for is someone to help you with some the tasks needed for the transaction itself, such as running feasibility studies, ROI analysis, Cashflow tests, Comparable values, etc. You want assurity. Would you get that level of reliability if you work with a new realtor who doesn’t own any real estate at all or would you rather find the hustler, the organic agent that knows his markets, people, is well connected and can align with your goals?

Here are some things that I offer my clients and what I think are basic requirements you should have for us when you hire us to help you buy or sell a property.

Walk The Talk Reliability

When it comes to investing, you won’t ever hear me or anyone in our team say that we’re the best but what you will hear from us is will be true and transparent. I like to work with investors who are after the same goals I have for my personal portfolio; someone who is looking to buy and hold, BRRRRR properties, syndicating deals, buying discounted properties through other creative financing and with the occassional flip project. I do this already for myself, have a system where you as investor can now come in and swiftly join the conveyor belt that takes you from property search to turnkey project management for the rehab and then running it as an Airbnb or long term rental. All done for you or as much for you as you’d want – Why? Because I am an investor as well and my resources are made available to my clients. This is my business, anything Real Estate and because I have a passion for this you’ll constantly see me working on ways to improve.

Market Understanding

I was born and raised here. I love El Paso. Although the city has always been referred to almost a ‘pass-through city,’ there is so much to do and so many people to meet and memories to create. If you are looking for an agent to help you invest in El Paso, Tx and specially if you’re from out of town, go with someone that has deep roots in the community, with ears to the ground for any leads that can facilitate a deal for you, and understands that intridcacies of what makes up the data from sites like, Rocket Mortgage Market Analysis or Redfin El Paso’s Housing Market Report tools and translates them into digestable understandable variables – such as growth population growth, job growth projections and how it affects rents or owners in that area, what drives a certain area’s interest, etc. Go with someone who is invested and who doesn’t suggest something he wouldn’t do himself.

Airbnb Property Purchase & STR Set Up

Airbnb isn’t something anyone can do right off the gate. 10 or so years ago as the platform itsself was trying to discover what type of business model it wanted to follow, many absentee hosts (many of whom were teenagers) would be able to make a killing $$ renting apartments in West El Paso for example and sub-lease it without the landlord/property manager’s approval and with a mix of good and bad reviews, it didn’t matter much, for the platform itself. But now, the platform values what guests have to say a lot more, some of us hosts think it may be a bit too much, like Yelp almost, where by assuming guest is always innocent even after proven guilty, the business or in our case hosts don’t get to remove the black mark left by the review, very public for all to see. So what do you do?

While you may wonder, “why would anyone in their right mind want to do an Airbnb if you have to be babysitting around guests?” The reason is two-fold actually. As simple as on one side of the coin you have that cleaners and maintenance is done excessively after each guest leaves, whether is for damage or maintenance, the property and items must be constantly well kept so that each incoming guest doesn’t percieve a difference in wear and tear from use. This means you as the long distance investor who has decided to buy a house in El Paso to rent, can sleep at night because we may have converted that LTR idea into an AIRBNB business the maintenance is almost daily and paid for by the cashflow itself – rather than waiting a year after a long term tenant leaves leaving you wondering how the property has been holding up since.

On the other side you have the second reason which is higher deductions, higher cashflow and possibly higher return on investment through higher payment options. How? Based on what I’ve seen through my own projects, short term and long term rentals, and other data, the average Airbnb produces 2x minimum the comparable LTR rent rate. For example, a 3 bed 2 bath house off Montwood in central El Paso, Tx., would rent for $1450/month to someone for a year, on average that would mean a realistic projected gross revenue per month on Airbnb/STR to be 2x of the $1450 which is (2x$1450) $2,900.00. Yes, from there you would have to pay mortgage, inventory for whatever you provide, utilities, cleaners are paid seperately by guests, and insurance. All in all you’d be at $500 or so average profit each month. Now, you may think this isn’t a lot and in reality it isn’t unless you think like an investor; strategic long term planning is key here, don’t assume you’re going to get rich off one Aribnb home but it gives you a faster vehicle to help you build wealth faster by having more cashflow to reinvest into the mortgage owed or by saving faster for your next downpayment and the $500 vs. $100 that you would of gotten with LTR is better able to get you out of a bind any month while being able to save for the property emergencies aswell.

Airbnb properties aren’t common and each property will tell you how it would best work to set up as STR if at all. A good Realtor, I do this for my clients, will be able to help locate opportunity zones and whithin them find the available properties that could justify the heavier cash investment that these homes need. A good realtor would be comfortable partnering with you in the deals they are suggesting to you.

I have 10 units in El Paso, so you can imagine how the difference in cashflow adds up, $500 vs. $100 at a time.

An Established Performing System

When you decide to work with Humberto Valle or extended team you are partnering with someone who cares about your success as you do yourself. Why? Because we are all deep rooted in our beloved city and just as other little things that make it a great place to live, we are raised wanting to see everyone succeed. We rely on your satisfaction.

I rely on your reviews and referrals as part of my business model this means I must invest myself on your results and make it a personal mission to deliver a good experience with better results. I don’t treat you like a transaction pending to cash while another comes in. Some clients end up as long term partners.

The first is step is the hardets but did you know that means for you – making a call is the hardest part. If you’re ready, stop wasting the time that could be building you equity already, give me a call. If you are interested in breaking down any of these quick thoughts with me or if you want explore investing options or are in thinking about selling your home anywhere in Texas – give me a call at 915-910-0908. If I am available I will always answer, if I can’t please leave a voicemail or text me. I will call you right back.

Stay safe!

5 Things Home Owners Can Do Right Now To Save Money

It’s Monday August 21, 2022 & everything is going up in price, employees seem to be quitting on their jobs before they’ve even started working. People who are now having to come back to work are doing so forcefully, there’s a war going on, the economy seems to be a guessing game right and gas prices at least for now have dropped in price.

But no worries, at least here are five ways to save money around the house right now, you can finish reading this and then go immediately and start saving some moolah (spelling?)

Homeowners should remain vigilant for sneaky resource leaks such as window air leaks, running toilets, corroded exterior lines and more.

Way To Save #1

Go through your windows, especially if you have the A/C set nice and low, the fan must be blowing and if you have tiny cracks you have air leaks. Check and seal the ledges and around windows. * look for contractor’s packages, certain stores/items offer bundled savings *

Way To Save #2

You got it, easy tip #2 is to go check for water leaks. This could be something as sneaky as a quiet leaky toilet tank constantly running without you noticing, open the lids and check for flow – if you haven’t flushed for example there shouldn’t be any flow. All good there? How about checking a broken sprinkler or corroded hosebibb ? These drops can definitely creep up that cost for you.

Way To Save #3

Clean out the dryer lint and air exhaust duct. If you only clean out the little mesh filter inside the dryer unit you may not be doing enough. It’s recommended to also at least once a year to clean out the duct itself to help out the fan blower inside and overall heating performance which means less running time, higher heat efficiency and less electrical cost. Chaching! (spelling?)

Avoid that pesky mortgage insurance and save on average $125 per month.

Way To Save #4

Have you owned your home for a few years already? If you have for example been paying a more than expected each month for the last few years, have owned your home in El Paso, Tx for let’s say 5 years or more and you are current on your payments; you should call your lender and ask them if you are under the 80% debt to value ratio requirement from the insurance policy. If you are under, you can save yourself on average $125 per month by not having to pay the required insurance when you buy using an FHA backed loan for example.

Way To Save #5

If your home is needing more and more repairs and you are not married to the idea of growing old here, consider thinking like an investor when it comes to making the right decision on whether you should continue to add money and time to this property or if your current home equity and overall personal situation provide you with a good opportunity right now to exit out of your home, re-invest your equity into a home that’s nicer, maybe closer to your tribe or your day job. Start building equity there, save time and gas money and save yourself the hassle and money right now fixing the little annoyances. Right now sellers still have a great opportunity to squeeze in with ‘no repairs offered’ and still get top dollar offers. Who knows how demand from buyers will be in the next few months and or if sellers may have to start offering more incentives. Think like an investor and consider that maybe it could be a great time to sell and re-invest that equity.

I hope I was helpful, remember if you have any questions you can always text, call, message me at 915-910-0908. I’m a Texas licensed Realtor so if you need anything regarding Real Estate, go with humberto 🙂

or click to visit: www.LivinginElPaso.com

Should you convert your El Paso home into an Airbnb?

Are you thinking about turning your personal home or new investment property into an Airbnb or Short Term Rental business? 

Maybe you should just sell it. But before you decide to a For Sale By Owner or hire a Realtor like me, let’s explore some deciding factors.

I first got introduced to Airbnb through our cleaning business, Honest Maids, which was launched in Arizona by my wife and some of her friends. After a few years of helping hosts (many of them out of town or Realtors) we decided to focus heavily on this industry.

Afterall it was the cleanings that determine the overall viability of the rental. We created, hands down, one of the most popular cleaning companies in AZ almost a decade ago. Then came hosting, real estate investing, and my AZ and Texas real estate license. Now living here in El Paso, the market is different, slightly, but the overall process remains the same. 

Here are some things to consider when deciding if running an Airbnb business is right for you:

  1.  Property condition – can you ensure a reduced risk of hazard, broken items, faulty or glitchy items during a guest visit? The last thing you and your guest want is to be dealing with electrical going out, windows that don’t open, bugs, doors that are difficult to open, etc. 
  2. Property location – even if you have the best intentions, highest attention to detail, super responsive – your rental needs to be in a block, a community, a zip code, area, city that can sustain the demand you need and that it delivers the right experiences for your guests. 
  3. Your availability – Can you be available at a moment’s notice? If your guests tell you that they can’t check-in, or electricity is out – would you be able to go within minutes to take of it? I know you may think having a handyman will solve this, but unless they are your full time employees there is a chance that you will have to wait for them to become available to you. This may lead to cancellation and refund requests, worst yet – bad public reviews. 
  4. Cash available to invest – renting a property as a Short Term Rental business, such as Airbnb or VRBO isn’t the same as renting it LTR to a family for a year at a time. This is a BUSINESS that needs your initial investment to set it up, insure it, furnish it and pay the support team you need from cleaners, handymen, hvac techs, and more. On average a good set up per room may cost you about $3,000 – $5,000 unless you trade time and haggling to save some cash. But never sacrifice quality and aesthetics to save a penny because that will cost you way more than what you are saving. 
  5. Aesthetics and Presentation – can your property show well in pictures? Are you good with sales and customer service? 
  6. What about your stress tolerance? There may be many times where a less than appreciative guest will turn a small hiccup into a huge discount for themselves, a bad complain where you know what’s said ins’t accurate, or worst yet there may be months where you don’t get enough bookings to cover your expenses. 
  7. Cashflow needed? How much return do you need each month? One of the nice things about Airbnb is that it can turn a 3×2 home into a $1,000 per month profit business compared to the average $100-$200 max you get with long term tenants. Especially assuming you don’t get any broken appliances, etc. 
  8. Can you build a good team? If you can’t make yourself available, you need to make sure that the support you have is actually ready and has your back immediately. You shouldn’t have to negotiate each situation with them, be haggled for everything or forced to wait days for someone to go and repair things. If your cleaner’s don’t know the intricacies of running an Airbnb you can be in a lot of trouble. 
  9. Are you wanting to be a ‘Host’ for years to come? This is a long haul game, you shouldn’t really open an Airbnb with LLC and all just to shut it down in a few years, as a business it can provide you with the life you desire but not without effort and sacrifices. THIS IS A BUSINESS not a passive way to take advantage of an asset. 
  10. If you want a semi turn-key Airbnb, you can also consider hiring a ‘Co-Host’ to help manage your unit, deal with bookings, and more. They can be an extension of yourself and is often what makes or breaks a rental. For example, when hosts turn to me to take over the rentals and fix their business, I employ my experiences and knowledge in marketing, SEO, sales, marketing, hospitality, etc. etc. and Hosts only take care of things like paying bills, ordering stuff, and overseeing efforts. The more hands-off you want to be the more you should expect to pay but it should also be worth having. 

When you do things right, take care of your guests and clients you see months like this… 

While others in your same market and target see this:

Or this…

I hope this provides some of sort guidance and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or thoughts about launching your Airbnb business or if you need any help managing your existing one. 

Here’s to your success!

Humberto Valle

My cell: 915-910-0908

Winterizing My El Paso Home

As you may know already from following me on Facebook or Instagram, I love gardening. I love everything outdoors. Naturally, I spend a lot of time in my backyard and when I’m not helping my clients find and negotiate real estate deals here in El Paso Texas; I am covered in dirt. Below, are some tips I have for you to help winterize your garden this winter.

Sweep and Rake

Rake all the leaves and start a compost pile. Credit: MiracleGro

Keeping your grass surfaces clean will help the soil stay healthy through winter and frost, weeds don’t drop seeds later on as they die giving the seeds time to germinate… then you have weeds all around your home again in summer.

Trim After 2 Frosts

Tree trimming is very important here in El Paso Tx.

I normally wait until it has frosted a couple of times before I trim back the trees and bushes. One of the reasons why is because normally the bugs and other pests leave their eggs dormant attached to the branches. Sometimes a frost isn’t cold enough to deter these bugs from showing up in the springtime. Last year, here in El Paso Tx., we had the chinch bugs everywhere! It was really difficult dealing with that, but a good trim and toss does the trick.

Pruning is especially important for buyers here in El Paso looking at homes for sale, keep the maintance cost and effort in mind. But if you are buying a home during the winter times, make a mental list to trim down the plants since you don’t know what went on during the summer days.

Cover Your Plants Early On

I cover my plants typically as the nights begin to average around 50degrees Fahrenheit at night or lower. When I do this I will use clear plastic sheets, like the ones used to cover items when painting. I do this early on because I want the warmth of the day to build up inside and essentially give it a time for the plants to get enough warmth still to create it’s own ecosystem and plants to get used to the indirect light as well. I personally believe it makes a difference keeping them healthy through the winter. Burlap is also amazing to keep them warm but lets little light in. If you find the burlap sacks just drop them over your plants.

Concrete Maintenance

El Paso’s typical rock wall in a backyard

One item of our backyards that usually go unnoticed and unattended is the typical rock wall we find in almost every house and road here in El Paso. We use this rock for everything. Unfortunately, the concrete doesn’t adhere too well to the rocks and overtime this and the fact that some contractors skimp out on concrete mix and our watering erodes the cement and walls need to be patched up to help your soil keep moisture as well to prevent it from crumbling on you.

Get Rid Of Spent Plants

Dead or spent plants can cause harm to your healthy awake and dormant plants. Instead clip them as close to the ground as you can or pull out and turn to mulch. Add leaves to your compost pile and aerate the soil a little one last time before winter sets in.

Almost every house here in El Paso Tx has enough room for a garden, but not every part of town provides good quality natural soil. If you have a home with lots of space but no good soil, I recommend doing a compost pile for sure. I don’t use anything in particular, but during the winter especially I use a corner of my backyard as a dedicated spot for this and I often toss it over to aerate it This helps the veggies and fruits keep those nutrients alive. It took me almost 4 years but I slowly converted my backyard from the dry red dirt to nice brown, healthy and lively soil – all thanks to my compost.

Make sure that you also check the window seals and or any exterior water line valve that may be slightly corroded, chances are that with the freezes we’re bound to have that they may not survive and you will end up dealing with an emergency. Replacing the water valves isn’t something too complicated and shouldn’t be too costly if you do it yourself. If you or someone you know needs some handyman help, don’t hesitate in letting me know as I am often volunteering my work to my community. Especially for those who can’t easily do it themselves.

I am part of a Facebook gardening group where we share gardening things and try to spread the love by trading plants amongst us. Join us by click here.

Other posts you may like: Are El Paso Home’s over priced?

West Texas’ own Humberto Valle has a passion for mentoring new real estate agents to help them grow and find success.

After receiving his first Real Estate license in Arizona almost 10 years ago, Humberto Valle, now back home in El Paso Texas, has never stopped using his experience as a sound board for many others to learn through his hardships and experiences in the real estate and marketing industry.

Years passed, running his own business working with business owners, investors and then first-time home buyers…

Then he got his Texas license and after referring other Realtor friends, Humberto decided it was time to find new ways to help others in a more efficient and sustainable way. – Then COVID-19 happened.

That’s when Valle found eXp and realized it would change Real Estate for good.

You see, eXp is not like your traditional El Paso Tx brokerage office where buyers or sellers need to go and sit down in person with an agent to get information, fill paperwork and then go drive around finding houses. Once you find a home, you will most likely not encounter a home that is listed by your same team members. During Covid-19 shutdown, we couldn’t be near other, operating under the same foundation as we have always done. That’s when eXp really showed it’s value to both agents, clients and consumers alike.

Redbox & Netflix were the end for brick and mortar video rental stores like Blockbuster.

Amazon is forcing retailers like Target and Walmart to innovate and change their business models.

eXp Realty is now also forcing traditional brokers to reconsider how they do business and many of them are joining eXp because of the powerful tool it provides. Humberto, just like many other agent members, benefit through the efficiencies and sheer scale of the teams. Which in turn benefits clients and customers.

To Humberto, Mentorship Is Key

“When I started and joined a team I found a passion for recruiting and teaching. I love helping new and experienced agents alike by helping them start and grow their business in real estate,” Valle said. “I found out that many agents just simply need the right mentor and tools to grow. Sometimes Realtors need help in an area other than ‘real estate.’ I want to continue helping many agents succeed in real estate. I know that eXp is helping me achieve this goal.”

My background in marketing and investment finance coupled with the powerful resources and team effort found in eXp is perfect for any seasoned agent wanting to build a strong platform for retirement without becoming a broker at all. Providing resources and guidance to other agents gives Valle the highest sense of satisfaction. 

“To be a good mentor is having the experience, number one, being a good team leader, and basically just going in and wanting to help out — giving back to the agents,” Humberto said. “If you are there to help them, and you want to watch them grow and succeed, that is going to go a long way.”

Today, Humberto has increased his team to reach across borders to Mexico and is working tightly hand in hand with investors from many countries as far as Germany but the majority of his clients are Military buyers and families wanting to sell to take advantage of their equity and being more active plan towards retirement through Real Estate investments.

Enjoyed reading this? You may like this other short read:

Reasons Why FSBOs Fail
Curious? for questions about exp – give me a call 915-910-0908

Are homes in El Paso overpriced?

The short answer is no.

I know what you’re thinking; everyone {who’s not a realtor or involved in real estate at all} says that right now is not the best time to buy a house, that right now houses are overpriced and the market is going to crash soon, etc., etc. …

Let me tell you why.

“If you build it, they will come” that’s the notion that most home developers adopted prior to the 2007 housing market crash – that’s exactly what led to the crash. The overproduction and surplus of housing inventory is what led to the housing crash of 2007 and while some of us saw it coming and bought during that crisis, many lost the single largest investment of their lifetime. The overproduction of houses and the eagerness of most banks and lenders to get paid on these homes is what led to the crisis. That isn’t what’s happening now.

And… no it’s not because of the shortage of supplies like lumber either, yes, that plays a role but only on a microscale.

Record Low Inventory

The current housing cycle is much different than cycles prior. Fundamentally different. Banks are more responsible with their processes now as well. Prior to the housing and market crash we had still over 2 million houses available left to sell. Over the years, production has rationalized itself better and by 2020 we had a shortage of about 4.8 million to meet readily available buyers.

With little available housing supply, markets like El Paso Texas or the rest of our country have seen prices accelerate their climb up. Inflation plays a role. All-cash sales surged to about 25% of the existing home sales in April 2021, up from about 18% in January. Repeat buyers are becoming more competitive with their offers and yes, more often than not, they push first-time homebuyers out of the way.

Number of homes built in the United States between 1900 and 2019 (in millions)

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041889/construction-year-homes-usa/

Homebuilding activity in 2021 will be slightly above historical norms. But it will take at least a few years to correct the massive shortage. In the meantime, we expect the national median home price to rise 9% this year and another 3% in 2022. Hyperspeed homebuying should taper off by year’s end as supply improves and affordability challenges persist. For now, the market isn’t expected to correct and just like anything else, the longer you wait the more opportunity loss you suffer. The key is to getting a good Realtor partner to help you. I believe I can help and I focus on always doing more for the next person. Maybe, that’s you!

When I hear people say that houses are overpriced right now, I can’t help but feel bad and flustered that some out there are spreading those rumors in ways people are believing them. We all know of inflation, unfortunately, that plays a role in the prices we are seeing today, but besides waiting for a future year to come when prices drop, if they do at all, the other best alternative by far is to buy now. Houses aren’t overpriced, there is a higher demand than there is supply and that will eventually adjust but that adjustment doesn’t mean houses will drop in price. At least not immediately if at all. If you’re an investor, you can buy now, refinance later and take advantage of a lower-priced home later when/if house prices drop and meanwhile you have been making money and earning equity that otherwise you wouldn’t have.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Give me a call ( 915-910-0908 ) if you would like to chat, bounce some ideas or want me to help you negotiate a good deal on the sale or purchase of your next property.

Reasons Why FSBOs Fail

Opinion:

Many realtors have seen “for sale by owner’ signs pop up and then drop from our radar but not because the properties sell – many home sellers fail at successfully selling a property and there’s many reasons for that. Today I will focus on just a few strong factors that if you- maybe someone here in El Paso, Texas who is considering to sell a home on your own – should consider and instead hire a real estate agent such as myself.

Not all Real Estate agents are created equal – some have more experience than others, some are better at finding properties and some are great at finding buyers or negotiations and some aren’t good period. If you have had a bad experience with a less than par real estate agent – know that this isn’t a pattern that you can expect with most agents. Most agents are experts in their area, dedicated and committed to their real estate career.

What Is The Upside Of FSBO?

While there are some benefits of selling a home yourself there are more possible risks and downside considerations from it. The obvious benefit of selling your own home is that if you succesfully sell it, you would save on paying a commission to a realtor. I think this is the one thing most homeowners focus on. Some others simply like to feel in control and ensure the process goes their way. This is acceptable if maximizing time and profits aren’t your priority.

Home For Sale Real Estate Sign in Front of Beautiful New House.

What are the Benefits of Hiring A Real Estate In El Paso To Sell My Home?


Answer:
Generally speaking – Real Estate agents in El Paso are experts in our market. We know people – that’s our job. We know the city and the current market conditions and we have the tools to leverage buyer’s needs to profit you more if possible. Here is a short list of benefits you can expect from working with an El Paso Realtor:

  • You may lack the expertise to draw from an Agent’s thorough experience and knowledge.
    Your pricing may be off, your marketing pricing may be off, and of course, this leads buyers to offer you lower bids than your asking price and even if you don’t accept them they’ll definitely waste your time. Agent’s maximize your time, negotiate and set the right pricing to sell your home.

  • Agents are expert marketing, advertising, and wording needed to sell your home
    Agents can work for you any time every day not just when you are able to – opening your buyer prospect list

  • Trying to save on commission often leads to sellers LOSING MUCH MORE from a higher sales price.
    Realtors have a huge network of prequalified and cash buyers – So you don’t have to sit and wait.

  • If you can’t sell your home and you remove it from listing sites, buyers (& buyer agents) will know and negotiate a lower offer in the future – Good realtors help you avoid failed listings

  • Depending on the property, some initial financial investment is needed to properly market a home – Realtor agents often invest on your behalf to ensure that your house sells. Meaning, hiring a realtor is almost a full risk-free decision for you.

  • Agents are experts in maximizing the potential value and asking price.
    You won’t have an agent’s expertise to draw from; you’ll truly be calling the shots on your own, which can be daunting!

  • You get Legal and Sales process support and guidance when you need it. Preventing future problems if a sale goes through – you could be liable for years to come if something is done wrong.

  • Did I mention Realtors accelerate the timeframe of the sale and get you more money?
    Agent’s are committed to you because it reflects on us and our ability to do our job

  • You’ll need to devote a lot of time to your FSBO listing. Flexibility is key!

  • Avoid failure to properly prepare or stage the home for a higher sale price.

  • Agent’s deal with unwanted Inspection Reports you may have not expected.

  • Of course – hold your hand throughout the whole process, including closing.

Curious? Give me a call for a hassle free consultation today. What you can expect from a simple call : Thoroughness, transparency, expertise and what I consider crucial is straightforwardness. I promise to not waste your time, over promise or over sell my ability or your property’s potential. You can expect honesty from me.

What you won’t get from a call with me: Uncomfortable situations, questions or a one size-fits all type of agent. My goal is to maximize your potential profits from a succesful real estate sale here in El Paso Texas.

Give me a call (915)910-0908

el paso real estate agent business card