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Talking to multiple agents?November 18th, 2010 | by Green Light LocatingIf you’re on the hunt for housing, how many agents will you talk to? Typically, at least two, and sometimes more. How could there be any harm in that? Whenever I talk to a new prospect, I always ask if they’re working with another agent. Most people are up front & honest to admit that they’re working more than one angle. I usually pause in the discussion to advise that they pick one & go with that person. Pick the agent who is most knowlegable, most professional, and does what they say they’re going to do (keep appointment, call back, send property work-up). Not all agents are the same, not all agents have access to the same properties. An apartment locator is not always a REALTOR, and a REALTOR is not always an apartment locator by trade. All are agents, but not all agents have access to good apartment databases and houses/condos/duplexes. What’s the difference? An apartment locator who’s not also a member of the local board of Realtors (and can call themselves a Realtor) will not have access to all rentals on the market. They don’t get access to the MLS, which is where condos, duplexes, houses & such are listed. They will be able to show you apartments, and might have limited access to some houses, but not the full scope. Alternately, a Realtor, who’s not an apartment locator or rental specialist by trade, will fumble a bit on transitioning between the two searches, apartments and condos, or apartments and town homes. You might find that using a Realtor and an apartment locator solves this dilema, but there’s also the option of the realtor who is an apartment locator by trade. Why not have two? Real estate is sales, at its core. It’s fundamentally about helping people, but at the end of the day, an agent is working for a commission as well, and not a salary. No lease, no commission. If an agent knows that they’re up against a peer, they might say anything necessary to get the lease, to get the deal. I’ve been in the business a long time, and I’ve heard stories about what’s said, and I’ve heard it first hand. That would be the agent you should not be with, because they have their own interests at heart, and not yours. One agent, who’s both Realtor & apartment specialist, can prevent any uneccessary tension, latent or blatant, and will put you at ease with their abilities & knowledge. If you’re working with an agent who’s both a Realtor and an apartment specialist, you are covered. All apartment locators draw from the same pool of properties, so if you have multiple areas of interest, one agent can do a work-up for each area, it’s just a matter of mouse clicks or key strokes. Greenlight agents are both Realtors and apartment specialists, and we work all of the greater Austin area, which includes any of the more remote areas like Elgin, Buda, or Leander. Our offices are in SoCo, 78704, 3 blocks south of downtown. We look forward to helping! 512-358-4111 or info@greenlightlocating.com Tags: apartment questions, apartment rental, apartment search, austin apartment, austin rental, condos austin, downtown austin rentals, houses for rent, housing help, housing questions, lease help, realtor, rental advice, rental housing What to do at renewal time?January 15th, 2010 | by Green Light LocatingIs your apartment or condo lease up for renewal? Unsure whether to stay or go? For all of our clients, we encourage them to call us when renewal time comes around. We’ll gladly help you assess the deal you’re being offered (by the landlord), and help you renegotiate your lease if you’d like to stay. The market might have changed, and you need to know if you’re still getting the best deal. We’ll give you the language & the phrasing you need to counter or justify your renewal, free of charge as always. You might think it’s counter intuitive for us not to pluck you from your current place & lease you elsewhere, just thank us in terms of referral business. We’ll always be there to answer your questions about your lease, and we’ll be there to help your friends too. We even send you a $50 Visa for the referral! There are times when it’s financially prudent to stay put, and there are times when it’s a beneficial to move. The market changes, and it’s really changed recently! What should you do? CALL US! 512.358.4111 Tags: apartment questions, apartment renewal, apartment rental, housing help, housing questions, lease help, lease renewal, rental advice Austin Apartment & Housing Market OverviewJanuary 4th, 2010 | by Green Light LocatingIs your lease coming up for renewal?
You’re in luck! There hasn’t been a rental market like this since the early part of 2000, and that’s longer than most can remember. Apartments and houses, anything for rent, is cheaper than it has been in a long time! The only certainty seems to be that nobody is immune from the market’s ”resetting”.
I’ve heard numerous agents say, “it’s a new market”. The prices are down, the specials are tremendous, and the property might even be brand new.
Why, you ask? Clearly, Austin is impacted by the national economic slowdown, but we’re both insulated and behind the curve, and we’re called “the first city to recover”! Our falling rental market is explained with the economic models of supply and demand. Supply has seen a run-up with new properties all over town, with the 78701 zip code seeing the biggest increase. Any time we have an abundance of properties coming to market, it takes a bit to absorb. Add to that the national slowdown, and you have a stagnating effect. Demand has been affected by a national slowdown. Locally, our impact has been felt through a range of industries, from the car dealerships and the computer processor chip manufacturers like AMD, all the way down their supply chains. They aren’t bringing people in from out of state at the pace they were in the past, and Austin’s growth has ratcheted down from a geiser to a common water feature.
When will it correct? September is commonly a slower month for Austin’s real estate rental market. School is in session, and all of the students have settled in for the semester. Labor day follows, and nobody is thinking about moving, yet. Typically, the first 2-3 weeks in September are great times for vacations for agents. This year, you could take off September and October and not have missed much. November has given us some hope, with ringing phones and leads from out-of-town relocation, but we’re not out of the woods yet.
The great deals for the prospective tenant will be good for the next 6 months, minimum, and the agents should see a vibrant early spring. For agents, Austin apartments & houses should be on track again by mid-to-late spring, and see a return to normalcy by May, as far as volume of buissiness. The high apartment prices of 2007 and 2008 won’t return for at least a year or two.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed!
Tags: apartments and houses, austin apartment, Austin apartments, austin rental, cheap austin apartment, condos austin, downtown austin rentals, houses for rent, rent austin, rent austin apartment, rental houses, townhouses for rent Too good to be true?June 16th, 2009 | by Green Light LocatingWe regularly encourage our clients to send us anything they find on their own, through Craigslist & other online resources, so that we can foster the the search. A search will frequently evolve from a general request to something specific, and the nuances cannot always be gleaned through Q & A. We will ask a lot of questions, but experience has shown that there will be something else that catches your eye that didn’t come up in discovery. We decode what they send, providing insight to the area or address, when omitted or obscure, and educate our clients. Occasionally, we’re sent listings that are out & out scams. The most frequent one is for the downtown highrise, for some really, really low price (1/2 of what they should be), low or no deposit, all utilities paid, etc. The address might be a little off, the photos are borrowed from somewhere else, but the general description gives you the idea that you can lease this condo for a song. It sounds too good to be true, because it is. Two common versions of the scam are: A)Identity theft B)A rouse to get you to send your money for the deposit, first month’s rent, and you’ll get keys/access/paperwork. This one is more painful up front, because you’re thinking that you have something secured, and that your search is over. Not only are you out money, you’ve lost other opportunities to lease actual property, and you’re less trusting of the world. It’s sad, but there are people who make their living by preying on the unknowing. Who do you trust? Your Realtor will be able to spot these scams from the very beginning as just that, a scam. Price/Location/Photos, none of it will line up for a seasoned Realtor, and you’ll be spared a painful lesson. Greenlight wants you to get the best deal, always. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off |
