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Normal upfront costs to joining an agency

Hi, I have a friend who told me today that she approached an agency about getting her license and selling through them. They told her she would have to get her license plus pay for various things like a special computer she would buy from the agency and access to printers etc. The upfront costs are around $5000 from what she told me. Is this normal? It just seems like a lot of money to start working. I'm not familiar with the industry at all so was just wondering if I could get some info here. Thanks. submitted by /u/lizardflix [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1t09jup/normal_upfront_costs_to_joining_an_agency/
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Sell as is or put in the work prior to listing?

TLDR- Can i subtract paint and bathroom upgrades from closing cost, or do i need to paint everything white to list and show this POS house? Hello all, my wife and her aunt own our current home, weird situation but it is what it is, the aunt had her agent walk the home and talk about what needs to be done to list, they said we need to paint the interior to neutral colors, update master bath, and a few other tiny things. We are currently closing on a new home, just wife and I, and I really just want to walk away from the old place, are the repairs/paint/updates something that can be subtracted from asking price/closing, or is it really important to have white walls and an updated bath on a 1987 manufactured home? Current interior paint is as follows- living room= canterbury bells aka light purple/violet, kitchen and secondary bath=light butter yellow, kids room=baby blue and canterbury bells. Master bedroom=Light gray. Its not my home to sell but my cost to pay to update/paint so I...

Getting license in wa state

Thinking about getting my real estate license. So far I know I need to take a 90 hour course then pay the exam and sign up with a brokerage. I guess my question then is does the brokerage help you find homes to sell or how does that part work? Any other advice is welcome! submitted by /u/Remarkable_Bench2318 [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1t0241w/getting_license_in_wa_state/

In escrow: is my realtor screwing me on showings and backup offers?

We’re in escrow, and they’re repping both us and the buyer (which I’m not a fan of. But we live in a smaller market so it’s common here). They’ve lost our trust with the way they’re negotiating and they’re clearly siding with the buyer now. Is there a way for them to prove to me that they haven’t shut down the MLS, or that they somehow haven’t made it MORE difficult for us to get backup offers? We haven’t had any showings while in escrow. I understand that might be common, especially in a smaller market. But again, trust has gone out the window. When the offer came in and when we asked about still showing and taking backup offers they came up with some excuse as to why they couldn’t. When we said this was a non-negotiable they told us they’d lose their license. We knew this wasn’t the case. We pushed them on this and pretended like they got confused with our question then eventually agreed to show it while it’s in escrow. Bizarre. Can someone please help? How can I ask for proof th...

Avoiding state income tax GA -> TN

I know someone moving from GA to TN. They are selling their home, and upgrading by about $200k. They are exploring the idea of pulling money out of retirement to cover the delta - effectively paying cash. In order to avoid paying GA state income tax on the money withdrawn from retirement (no tax shelter), could they use a bridge loan until they are technically residents of TN, then withdraw the money and pay it all off? This saves them 5% ($10k) before bridge loan costs. Or is the bridge loan even necessary, just withdraw and claim it as a resident of TN? Or is there another creative financial instrument here that can help? submitted by /u/MSchroedy [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1sz7v7o/avoiding_state_income_tax_ga_tn/

What do you do with homes that caught on fire but didn’t burn down?

A house up the street caught fire from me, but from what I can tell most of the damage was to the interior and then some cosmetic damage on the outside. It’s clearly not inhabitable as the people that lived there haven’t been back since it caught on fire, but it got me thinking about what happens to houses like that. Is it worth it to completely gut the inside and put in a new interior, or would it be better to sell as-is to a developer that’ll just knock it down and put up a new house? submitted by /u/FloatyFish [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1sz75d8/what_do_you_do_with_homes_that_caught_on_fire_but/

Professional staging vs staging consultation and moving own furniture to maximize sale price? Selling an updated SFH in one of the hottest seller's markets in the country, but time crunch

I spoke with a realtor and they recommended professional staging, saying the ROI is well worth it, but I'm not convinced. They say it would run about $3k-$4k, I would have to essentially move out, but could have an ROI of $15k-$25k. I AM convinced about staging in general vs an empty home, but I am not convinced my own furniture isn't just good enough. I already am working on downsizing and decluttering and I have fairly modern furniture, the rooms would basically just have a bed/bedframe, and a desk. Couch/TV, etc. Lots of basic things as I get rid of more and more things. I'm struggling to decide here, because if I am going to have my place professionally staged, I would rather just move out, but there's a lot that comes with that as I'm moving across the country into an apartment (so I need to get rid of a lot of large and small items) and I would want to list before Memorial Day weekend. However, if I just stage with my own items and leave for the open house/...

Question about “rent to own”

I am an apprentice union construction worker and i am early in the program and i own a small successful lawncare business. Me and my wife have been renting the past two years and don’t have the greatest credit (it’s not horrendous or anything but definitely not the best) and we would love to be able to settle in to a home that we can call ours and build on in 6 months when our lease is up. A few more years into my apprenticeship program i will be making killer money + my side business + her job so genuinely i think a rent to own type of situation would fit us perfectly as our income over the next few years projects to increase pretty drastically. I have read good things and bad things about these kind of agreements and i don’t even see any listings for them in my area so i would probably have to do some searching. My aunt is a real estate agent and uncle works with home loans so i have some people i could talk to. Just here to ask if seeking this kind of arrangement out sounds like it...

Keep or sell?

I own a 2 bed 1 bath single family home with a fenced yard in a downtown area in maryland worth about 300k. I owe ~175k on the mortgage, and my interest rate is 2.75%. My mortgage, including everything, is 1380/month, and it is currently rented for 2800/month, but I’m unsure if i’ll be able to get that much again. The job market sucks and people are feeling the pain right now. The lease ends in june and the current tenant is moving out. I’m wondering if I should sell it and invest the money or put it towards my primary mortgage (6.5%) or keep it and deal with the work. I’m new to this (I started renting last year) and am a bit overwhelmed with having to do this process again. submitted by /u/Unlucky-Ad-5744 [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1sy955n/keep_or_sell/

[Texas] I'd like to change agents, want to ensure I'm not breaking contract

Hi all, My husband inherited a 1.5 acre lot from his parents and we don't have the time or interest in fixing it up. We contacted an agent and we signed all the documents, including Texas Realtors form 'Residential Real Estate Listing Agreement Exclusive Right to Sell'. The week we did this, we told the agent to give us 2 days to get to the property so we could mow it and leave her the keys so she could bring a key box and get the photographer out. We had this done on April 12th. Since then, our agent hasn't even stepped foot or seen the property in person, has not brought a lock box or a for sale sign, and there has also been no pictures taken. We are frustrated because we just want to get the show on the road and she doesn't seem motivated or tells us she will try to make it out and doesn't. The contract we signed with her stated the listing date began on April 11th and ends October 31st, but as of this moment, there have been no pictures, no drafting of t...