Monthly Archives: June 2016

How to sell your house fast in Hagerstown

Every homeowner that we meet are the same….. They want top dollar and they want their homes sold ASAP.   I wish I was the real estate fairy and could wave my magic wand and could accommodate to all.  But the “real” estate world does not totally operate like that….. or does it?

Grays Home Solutions  ” Your Local RE Team ”   has developed a system that is second to none.  We understand that no two sellers are the same.  What works for one seller may not work for another.  That is why we do more than just list a home.   When you list a home on the market you usually are asked to make some repairs,  paint this,  replace that.   While you are hard at work making these so called repairs who does this cost?   That’s right  YOU !    After you have made your repairs at the discretion of another they will want to be compensated for their services.  Most agents charge between 5% – 6% of your sales price.  So there is a quick $ 6,000.00 gone on every $ 100,000.00.     Here’s the fun part.  Then you get to wait.  Not Days and weeks, but months.   Showing after showing after showing…  with usually only low offers if any at all.

When you decide to sell your home do you really want to wait months?   Who does this cost?   You are right once again… YOU !      Once you get an offer and you are so fed up at this point you just accept it because you are tired of waiting,   your buyer will probably need to get a loan.   How does this affect you?   Well the bank will want to send someone out to secure their money.  Do you think they will find anything that needs fixed or replaced?    They always do !  Who pays for this list of repairs ?   Correct Again..   YOU DO     Do you think the buyers will offer full price ?    Most do not…..  I mean what is so special bout your home ??   Do you think the buyer will need some closing help ?   Most do.

So let me get this right….   You want to sell your home so you call a local RE Company.  You know you will pay them a commission to ” guide you through the process ”   you know you will need to clean and make repairs, you know more than likely you will have another list of repairs to make once the home is inspected, you know the buyer will not offer full price and most likely ask for closing help….. and oh yea   this takes month to accomplish.   Doesn’t that sound like fun??

Well I’m here to tell you there is a better way, a cheaper way, and a faster way.   How can you find out?    You pick up the phone and call to schedule your free consultation.   Like I said earlier there is no cookie cutter approach.   Every home and every homeowner is different one way or another.   After we analyze your situation we will develop a battle plan that get’s results.

How can you be sure ?     Visit our website and read our facebook comments.   These testimonials are from people who were once in your shoes.   Only they took action.   They did not pre-judge and they were open to new ideas.   The results speak for their selves.

The whole process begins with you.   We cant help if you don’t call.   We are a local company and we are here to help people just like you.   You can reach Darren or Jerred @  240.347.3141

 

Gray’s Home Solutions Providing Answers For Washington County Homeowners

Local Real Estate Experts Create Amazing System To Help Homeowners Sell Quickly,

 Regardless of Situation.

Today’s real estate market can be stressful and unpredictable. Traditional advice says fix up the house, hire a realtor, pay for advertising, schedule open houses, wait for an offer, negotiate the offer, have a home inspection, repair those items, give concessions at closing, pay the realtor’s commission…

Anyone who is trying to sell a house knows what a slow, expensive process it can be.

“Around 2008, we were seeing lots of people devastated by the housing market crash, upside down on equity and facing foreclosure,” says Darren Gray, co-founder of Gray’s Home Solutions. “And the traditional methods of selling a home weren’t working anymore.”

In addition to market changes, homeowner finances can be strained by any number of events, including divorce, a change of jobs, relocation demands or medical bills. Even an inherited home can be a burden if the new owner doesn’t decide to live in it. Insurance, upkeep and property taxes still need to be made while the house sits on the market.

“I got tired of seeing good people get stuck in bad situations, with no one helping them out.”

That’s why Darren and his son, Jerred, started the company in 2009.

 

By embracing new, innovative and proven methods, these real estate experts are able to help homeowners sell quickly and fairly.

Area residents are probably familiar with the friendly, smiling house seen on Gray’s Home Solutions signs. The Middletown, MD based company offers various options, since no one approach is right for everyone. This multi-solution approach is what makes the company so unique, and so successful.

“I can’t tell you how many homeowners we’ve helped that others said were doomed. We’ve helped folks avoid credit killers like foreclosure and sell houses in so-called bad neighborhoods. We’ve even helped fatigued landlords get out of their rental properties,” says Jerred.

“In many cases, we are able to help these sellers in under a month. One of our colleagues says we’re like real estate pros on steroids,” Darren jokes.

The process starts with a phone call and a free consultation. Call 240-347-3141 or visit GraysHomeSolutions.com for more information.

Grays Home Solutions Recognized for Helping Local Homeowners

This father and son team means business

Grays Home Solutions helps with problem properties

Father and son Darren and Jerred Gray have launched Grays Home Solutions LLC to help in the sale of problem properties.* What led you to launch this business?

Seeing so many foreclosures in the newspaper and having had friends and family members lose their homes due to uncontrolled circumstances.

* What is unique about it?

It is free and it offers solutions to problems that others have failed to help with.

* What do you do that nobody else does?

(1) We offer a free service.

(2) We purchase homes in as little as seven days.

(3) We have options for sellers that others do not.

* Why do you believe you’ll be successful?

(1) There will always be a demand for our service.

(2) It serves the community well.

(3) It serves the well-being of ones in an unfortunate situation.

* Tell us something specific about your business field, who your customers are or how you see a new business doing in a challenging economy.

We are a local company based in Middletown and have developed a unique system to purchase “problem property” in the area — a home that is an eyesore to others and in need of repairs or the home is in a negative equity situation. Either of which the sellers want to move on with life and are having difficulty finding a buyer for the home. We offer quick and free options and can in most cases purchase these homes in seven days or less.

The challenging economy is exactly why we have developed this system where conventional thinking has failed.

Tags

More and More People Getting Into The Flipping Industry

Flipping Industry Heating Up

It looks so easy on TV. Buy a bargain-basement house, pull up some nasty carpet, re-tile the bathroom, paint away the wall stains and sell it for a hefty profit.

It’s not, however, all those popular shows that are driving the flipping market today. It’s pure and simple prices — and profit. There is a severe lack of good quality, turn-key homes for sale, and that has created a seller’s market across the nation, even for those reselling homes.

After cooling off in 2014, home flipping is on the rise again — its share of all home sales is up 20 percent in the first three months of this year from the previous quarter and up 3 percent from the same period a year ago, according to a new report from RealtyTrac, which defines a flip as a property bought and resold within a 12-month period.

While flipping today is nothing like it was during the housing boom a decade ago, when investors used risky mortgages, it is reaching new peaks in 7 percent of the nation’s metro markets, including Baltimore, Buffalo, New Orleans, San Diego and even pricey Seattle.

Dana Rice, real estate agent and home flipper, at her latest project in Bethesda, Maryland, a very small colonial, within walking distance to shops and Metro.

Diana Olick | CNBC
Dana Rice, real estate agent and home flipper, at her latest project in Bethesda, Maryland, a very small colonial, within walking distance to shops and Metro.

“While responsible home flipping is helpful for a housing market, excessive and irresponsible flipping activity can contribute to a home price pressure cooker that overheats a housing market, and we are starting to see evidence of that pressure cooker environment in a handful of markets,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at RealtyTrac.

That’s because flippers today largely use cash — 71 percent did in the first quarter of this year. Compare that to just 27 percent who used cash at the height of the housing boom. That helps keep most flippers conservative, but it also exacerbates the problems for entry-level homebuyers, who are facing one of the tightest housing markets in history. They simply can’t compete against all-cash buyers.

Usually flippers look for distressed properties either in the foreclosure process or already bank-owned. These are not always listed on public sale sites. There are fewer of those today, so flippers are moving to the mainstream market, creating that new pressure.

“A telltale sign is when flippers are acquiring properties at or close to full market value. Those markets are so competitive that even the off-market properties flippers are looking to buy are not selling at much of a discount — and there may be very few distressed properties available,” said Blomquist.

Examples of these markets include San Antonio, where Blomquist says flippers are actually purchasing at a 7.8 percent premium above estimated full market value, as well as Austin, Texas; Salt Lake City; Naples, Florida; Dallas and San Jose, California.

Despite the premium to buy, flippers are still seeing growing gains in profit. Home flippers realized an average gross profit of more than $58,000 in the first quarter of this year, the highest since the third quarter of 2005, according to RealtyTrac.

Real estate agent Dana Rice and her husband flip houses in the tony D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland. Prices there are well above the national median, and there are few distressed properties. Instead, they target old, small fixer-uppers. Even those command a hefty purchase price up front, but they can also offer big rewards.

“I didn’t want a teardown. There is so much character in this part of Bethesda,” said Rice. “I don’t think that everybody wants a brand new build. There is a hole in the market because not everyone wants to do a renovation. If you put a little bit of effort in, these numbers can be huge.”

Rice purchased her latest project, a very small colonial, within walking distance to shops and Metro, for $680,000. She expects to put half a million dollars into the renovation, adding both square footage and high-end finishings; she is confident that in this competitive market she will see an 18-25 percent return on investment.

“It’s like birthing a baby. … If you’re overpriced, you’re dead in the water.”-Dana Rice, real estate agent and home flipper

“It’s like birthing a baby,” she said, noting that she will wait to list it until she feels the market is just right. “If you’re overpriced, you’re dead in the water.”

The lack of inventory is certainly a double-edged sword for flippers. Their initial investment price can be high, and flippers are often competing against local builders, who may want to tear the house down and put something up that is twice the size. On the other hand, not everyone wants or can afford a huge, new, expensive home, and that gives flippers the edge.

“The key here is that there is particularly a dearth of listed inventory in good condition,” said Blomquist. “That is the inventory flippers are competing against when they sell.”