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Whether you are putting up your house for sale or on the lookout for a home to buy, there are several things that you need to make yourself familiar with in order to ensure that real estate agents do not get the better of you.

One of the jargons that you need to be familiar with is “flipper homes”. These are homes that were bought at a price lower than what the market dictates in a neighborhood that has a high real estate value. These homes are then “fixed” and are sold for a higher price. This practice is perfectly legal and is done by most agents in order to make more money.

On the other hand, a “short sale home” is one in which the seller’s lender is accepting discounted offers in an effort to release existing mortgage. This can be quite tricky as even if the seller accepts what you have to offer, the lender might not. Your best bet on this one is to get a real estate agent who specializes in short sales. Another term that you might come across is “gazumping”. This is when a seller verbally accepts a buyer’s offer and then sells the property to another buyer with a higher offer.

You might encounter a number of homes for sale in Centreville VA tagged as halfplexes. These are different from a duplex and are usually, as the name suggests, half the size of a duplex. Halfplexes are located side by side with each other but are entirely distinct.  These are suitable for first-time house buyers as they are quiet affordable. Duplexes, on the other hand, are semi-detached homes. These types of homes usually share a common wall.

There are also times when you would be offered Centreville homes for sale that are located “cul-de-sac”. These are homes that are located at a dead end and are usually priced for the security and privacy that they bring. You would also need to understand what a buyer’s market is as opposed to a seller’s market. The former occurs when the demand for property is less than the existing supply, while the latter occurs when there is a greater supply then demand for a property.

When buying Centreville VA homes for sale, knowing these terms can help you understand what your real estate agent is talking about. This way, you are sure that he is not pulling one over you.

An REO is real estate owned by the bank, and many investors consider an REO property to be money just waiting to happen. An REO is different from a foreclosure property in that the bank has already tried to sell it at a foreclosure auction and has had no luck getting bids. Because the property was not bid on, the bank then became the owner of the property. Naturally, the bank does not want to keep the REO any longer than possible, and this makes it a great opportunity for an investor. Not every REO is a good deal, but when you look at an REO you’ll commonly find that there is a lot of money to be made.

So, is this a foreclosure?

Technically speaking, the home was foreclosed on because the owner of the home failed to make their scheduled payments. The bank set up and went through a public auction, but there was not any bids placed on the home, so the bank ended up owing the property. Yes, the home was foreclosed on, but it is well past the foreclosure process and the bank will be anxious to get rid of the property.

Advantages of REO vs. Foreclosed Property

When you are thinking of buying an REO you have to distinct advantages that a buyer does not have with a foreclosed property. The first is that you are able to buy on your schedule, as you do not have an auction date to work with and around. You can make an offer of the home any time; you don’t have to wait for bidding to begin. Another big advantage of an REO compared to a foreclosed property is that you can inspect it before you buy, when you cannot do this with the majority of foreclosed homes that you think about purchasing. Being able to inspect the property before you buy will let you know how big of a project you will be dealing with.

Best types of REO to purchase

You might not think the type of loan the home was purchased with the first time around matters but it does. You should attempt to purchase REO’s that had a conventional loan the first time around, as you will likely get much better deals with these than you will if you look at FHA and VA loans. The federal government backs FHA and VA loans, and the government can actually buy them back if they are so inclined. Homes that had conventional loans the first time are often purchased for just a fraction of their value, meaning that they can make an investor a lot more money.

Which REO’s you should not purchase

Just because the bank owns a property does not make it a good deal. In fact, when you see that a home or property is an REO you have to wonder exactly what IS wrong with it. The house was not bid on because no one saw the worth in it. Did the home just not have enough equity? Were their IRS liens against it? Was the property just too badly damaged? You need to ask these questions. If the bank cannot answer the questions then you need to be even more skeptical. Take advantage of your right to inspect the REO so that you can see with your own eyes what may or may not be wrong, hire professionals if necessary as well.

One must also be sure that if they are purchasing an REO to fix it up and sell it, that the property is located in a desirable part of town. If the home is not located in a desirable part of town, you should really think about how wise of an investment the property may be. Perhaps location is why the property was not bid on at auction. There are three big things to consider when dealing with any type of real estate and those are location, location, location. Never let a seemingly good deal let you lose sight of how important location is for any piece of real estate that you intend to sell.

Why the bank will sell an REO cheap

Basically, a bank is not set up to deal with real estate. Sure, they give loans to people, but really, they are not equipped to buy and sell real estate. Because banks are not accustomed to dealing with real estate, it often takes them awhile to get the ball rolling so that they can repair the property, and get an agent to sell the property. What this means is that while the bank attempts to get their business together they are losing money hand over fist and the federal government often penalizes them for each and every REO that they acquire.

Because the bank is loosing so much money on each REO, they are willing to sell it fast and cheap. In fact, banks commonly sell an REO property for around 30% of its value just to be done with it. Sure, they end up losing money on the deal, but they end up losing less if they sell cheap now than they would if they kept the property for another six months while they try to pull everything together so that they can sell the property.

The great thing about working with the bank with an REO is that you aren’t buying site unseen. Because you can walk through the house and make all the inspections that you want, you can deal with them in a way that will give you the best deal, and the bank will typically be happy with any serious offer because it will get the house off of their hand and they will stop losing money.

Generally REOs are a great investment as long as you know what you are getting into. The bank simply wants to get rid of these homes, and if you find the right property and are ready to make the serious investment, it can be a great way to get off and running in the real estate business.

In our years of experience selling real estate, we have easily walked through more than a thousand homes for sale in the Charleston, SC area. Some homes are very well staged for showings, and you can tell that the home owners have really taken care of the home and have made good improvements to it. And, the money that the owners spent to update or improve the home should be paid back in full (and maybe with some profit) when they sell it.

Although we’ve seen some really good home improvements that pay off in the end, we’ve also seen some really bad home improvements. In fact, some of the worst features we’ve seen in homes for sale have actually been made by the sellers from “do-it-yourself” projects.

Sellers assume if they spend $10,000 in home improvements that their home is worth $10,000 more. This assumption is often true – indeed, it is the goal of the project. But, you need to make sure that you invest in the right areas so that you don’t waste your money.

So, which home improvements pay off? We’ve included below the five home improvements we’ve found to be the most effective during our experience in real estate.

1) Covering the basic necessities – the first improvements you need to make are the ones that really matter. If there are any problems with your home’s structure or systems, you need to fix these first. Potential buyers care more about problems that affect a home’s function (like a leaky roof) than problems that are cosmetic (like an outdated kitchen). And, when potential buyers find out that the home needs major repairs (replacing the roof, updating an electrical system, or removing mold), they will move on to the next home for sale on their list. So, use your money wisely – especially if you have a limited budget. Focus on areas that make your home more livable.

2) Kitchens – if your home poses no major problems, you can start your renovations in the kitchen. When you’re making home improvements, the kitchen is a good place to start because it can greatly affect the value of your home. Buyers want clean, updated kitchens. Be sure to use good quality materials and classic designs (but don’t go too modern). In order for your home improvements to pay off, you need them to appeal to a wide range of home buyers. Some of the easier improvements to make include painting the kitchen (using a neutral color, of course) and replacing cabinet hardware if the current hardware is too basic or outdated. Replacing outdated appliances almost always pays back more than full. Also, make sure that your kitchen has sufficient lighting.

3) Baths – if your kitchen is up to par, I would recommend working on the bathrooms. If you can only fix up one bathroom, I would focus on the master bath. Some of the easiest and least expensive improvements to make are repainting the walls and cabinets, recaulking the sink and shower, and replacing outdated light fixtures and faucets.

4) Creating Functional Space – if your home has a “catch-all” room, try to give that room a purpose. For example, if you have a finished room over your garage that is used simply for storage or for a recreation room, you can sell this room as an additional bedroom. Often these rooms don’t have closet space. So, adding a closet to this room would be a good investment because having an extra bedroom can greatly increase the value of your home. But, if the room over your garage is not finished, I would not recommend converting it. It would cost a lot of money to finish the room and run heating and air conditioning to it, and you would probably not get a full return on your money. The same would be true for finishing an attic.

5) Landscaping – lightly landscaping your yards can be a good investment. Small yard projects, like replacing dead bushes and reseeding (or resodding) bare lawn areas, can actually give you a small profit. But, we’ve seen some homeowners invest literally tens of thousands of dollars into their yards with fountains, gazebos, and goldfish ponds. These homeowners will only get a fraction of that money back when they sell their homes.

Making home improvements can drastically affect your home’s value. And, you can earn back more money than the amount you invested in the improvements. Just make sure that you invest in the right home improvements in order to get a full return on your investment. If you are not sure which areas to focus on, be sure to talk with your real estate agent in order to maximize your profit.