Seller Assulted by Man Posing as a Buyer in Austin

And this is not the first such case in Austin. Sellers: Please be safety conscious.

In 2001 a woman who had her home for sale in the Great Hills, Austin neighborhood was strangled to death by a man who knocked on her door and asked if he could come in and see the house. IF THEY AREN'T ACCOMPANIED BY AN AGENT, DON'T LET THEM IN. In addition, this same man had previously strangled 4 other women with the same rouse. One of them had survived to identify him. I don't recall why he was not in prison when the Great Hills murder happened but I do remember the eerie feeling when I toured the home a year later on a property tour.

Most recently, a woman in Austin was assaulted and robbed by a man whom she admitted to her home under the same circumstances. Her home was for sale. He knocked on the door and asked if he could see the home. She let him in.

Here is a list of safety tips for sellers:

1. If someone knocks on the door and wants to see the house, tell them to call the phone number on the for sale sign and make an appointment.

2. If you are at home when a Realtor comes, ask them to access the lockbox which electronically records their name, contact info and time of entry.

3. Remove any valuables from view or easy access. That includes account information, jewelry, prescription drugs, weapons, etc.

Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist.

CALL/DO NOT CALL

I post my cell phone number everywhere because I'm advertising my services and want home buyers and home sellers to be able to get in touch with me. I can't put my number on the do not call list or potential clients and customers wouldn't be able to call.

My business has a marvelous quality - I only advertise to those looking for my services. I'd never try to talk someone into buying or selling a house if they weren't already interested.

Yet, solicitors try to talk me into buying their services and use up my time and my cell minutes. Unfortunately, solicitors have started calling me daily. I feel as though I'm fending off salespeople and defending myself all day long.

If you're interested in buying or selling a house, I want to talk to you. If you want to sell me something, call my home phone.

HOW REAL ESTATE SHOPPING HAS CHANGED

Yes, in the last 9 years since I've been an agent things have changed and here are 5 ways how:

1. Buyers used to depend on their REALTOR to help them identify properties of interest. Now, with so much information available, most buyers look for homes online and send me the list of what they want to see. In fact, according to the National Association of REALTORS, statistics show that 80% of buyers are looking online before they even contact an agent.

2. Holding an open house used to attract buyers and sellers that could be converted to clients. Now, often no one comes to the open house and if they do, they don't want to talk to the agent. They are just shopping on their own.

3. Newspaper advertising was once critical in selling a home. Now, I find it useless and do all my advertising online where the buyers are.

4. Clients seem to be more respectful of an agents time. In the past clients expected REALTORS to work weekends and holidays, now I rarely get calls for those times and when a client requires my services on weekends, I'm very happy to comply and they always ask rather than assume.

5. As business professionals, we kept our personal lives separate but now we are encouraged to be more personable by sharing our family news and personal interests in such ways as through online profiles and networking sites.

LEASE/PURCHASE

When I have a listing, I get a lot of inquiries about lease/purchase. I've been told it is against Texas law and our attorney says not to do them. There are reasons it's not beneficial to either the buyer or the seller.

For the seller: The seller gets his house cleaned up, repaired, maybe painted and new flooring and decides to lease/purchase. After time, the freshness is gone. Suppose tenant/buyer changes his mind and decides not to buy or can't get loan approval to make the purchase. Now the seller must spend the money again to get the house ready. It could even be in worse shape if the tenant/buyer wasn't taking care of it. Perhaps the market has gone down and it won't bring as much money as previously. Did the seller trust the tenant/buyer to make the payments to the mortgage company and it didn't happen and now the house is being foreclosed on?

For the buyer: Suppose you give the seller a down payment at an agreed sales price but at the end of the lease term your situation hasn't improved and you still can't get loan approval or afford to buy? What if the market has gone down and you've agreed to a price that's now too high? Have you been trusting the seller to make the mortgage payments but he hasn't and now the house is being foreclosed on and you can't get your deposit back?

Just things to think about. I wouldn't take the risk either way.

Search for homes through Austin MLS
Find your home's value
Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.

Like us on facebook!

AUSTIN HOMES SALES DOWN, PRICES UP. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

Austin area market statistics show that home sales are down for the 7th straight month but the average price of homes has risen. This does not mean that sellers are getting more for their homes. There is such a large number of homes in inventory that you must price your home competitively to sell it. What has happened it that more homes are being sold on the higher end because it's tougher for first-time home buyers or home buyers on the lower end to get financing.

BLOG SURVEY - HOW AM I DOING?

This Blog has acquired about 400 hits and I'm sure only half of them are me. I'd like to find out if the information I post is useful, timely and appropriate. Please comment on how I am doing. If there is something you'd like to know about let me know. I'd love to answer any questions you have.

Search for homes through Austin MLS
Find your home's value
Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.
Like us on facebook!

I WANT TO BE YOUR REALTOR

If you're interested in buying or selling a house, call me. I would like an opportunity to show you what I can do for you. I offer special search features to buyers and marketing opportunities to sellers. 512.589.7988 or robin@robinscottrealtor.com

Is there a topic you'd like addressed or a real estate question you'd like answered. Let me know and I'll post it on my blog.
Search for homes through Austin MLS
Find your home's value
Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.
Like us on facebook!