St. Cloud Real Estate Podcast with Chris Hauck

Chris Hauck
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If you are looking to buy or sell a home, get all the information and the latest updates, tips, and tricks from Coldwell Banker Realty - your professional St. Cloud Real Estate Agents.

  1. 04/23/2020 · VIDEO

    What You Need to Know About Computer-Generated Pricing

    Here’s what you need to know about computer-generated pricing and why you simply can’t beat having boots on the ground. We’ll typically do three to six market valuations per week, helping people with pricing by looking at past sales and current listings. Our computer pulls up estimates from Zillow and a few other services on every single property we look at. Not only can we see what a particular property was listed and ultimately sold for, but it also shows us what Zillow estimated the value to be. “Zillow’s algorithm has no clue whether you have brand-new granite countertops, or if your feet stick to the carpet.” Zillow is a company well-equipped to handle very big data; if you take 10,000 houses and their computer crunches the numbers, their average price will be right on the money. However, their computer doesn’t know a specific house’s value accurately.  Zillow’s algorithm has no clue whether you have brand-new granite countertops, or if your feet stick to the carpet. This leads to a rather large variation—the estimate is 15% to 20% above or below market value.  In essence, computer-generated pricing, like the model made popular by Zillow, gives you a sort of dartboard pricing from which to work. It’s a start, but it’s simply not as accurate as a real estate agent who’s going through 50 to 60 properties a week and can truly understand the value of your property—updates, remodels, condition, etc.  If you have any questions about this or any other topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to hear from you.

  2. 03/06/2020 · VIDEO

    What Virtual Tours Give Us That Open Houses Don’t

    We have been getting a lot of questions about virtual tours. Here’s my opinion on them. A lot of people want to know whether virtual tours are as effective as open houses. I’m here to answer that question today. Over the years, even before the internet existed, open houses typically generated anywhere from 2% to 3% of sales. It’s not the ideal way to sell, but it was a great way to expose a property to the market. Many times, there are people out looking casually, or out for decorating ideas instead of an actual home to buy. With the advent of the internet, we’ve gained tools to improve this process. Virtual tours allow people to “walk through” the house online. Instead of having an open house for a few hours on a Sunday, these virtual tours can be accessed any time at any place. “Virtual tours allow buyers to walk through a home 24/7.” Virtual tours do two things for sellers: 1. They give us a chance to present the house in its best light. 2. They help us eliminate buyers who aren’t a good fit for the property. If you’d like to learn more information about open houses or virtual tours and how we use them, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

  3. 02/18/2020 · VIDEO

    The Real Estate Industry: What’s Changed, What’s Stayed the Same

    What’s changed and what’s stayed the same in the real estate industry over the years? Here are a couple of examples. My team and I recently attended a Mike Ferry conference with 4,000 of the other top agents in the country. None of us compete head to head, so this conference is a wonderful opportunity to share ideas, techniques, etc. One of the more interesting topics that came up during this conference was how much things have changed in real estate, but at the same time, stayed the same.  Some of the advertising, for example, is the same, and person-to-person interaction is still extremely important. Our job is to help you make the right decision and get the information you need so your home sale and/or home purchase goes smoothly. “The bottom line is, we’re here to help you do the right thing for your family.” One of the things that has changed is the delivery of information, which is wonderful. We can get you far more information about homes much more quickly, and you can see a lot more about the properties you want to look at. Years ago, for about half of the homes we walked into, buyers only needed about two steps to know that the home wasn’t right for them. With virtual tours now available, buyers can weed out the homes that don’t fit and focus on the ones they like best.  The bottom line is, we’re here to help you do the right thing for your family. If you have any specific real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you.

  4. 02/04/2020 · VIDEO

    How I Stay Up to Date in the Market

    How do we keep up to date in the real estate market? Today I’m discussing the yearly conference I attend to do just that. One question that has come up a lot lately is how I stay up to date on what’s happening in the market. We’re continually exploring ways to keep improving, changing, and updating with new trends and technology.  Next week I’ll be in San Diego for three days for a conference with a business coach I’ve worked with for 32 years. In that meeting there will be approximately 2,500 real estate agents from all over the U.S. Everyone is sharp, they do a wonderful job, and none of us are direct competitors. When we get together to talk, everyone’s willing to share almost everything they do with each other. We compare notes and best practices. “How do I keep up to date? By attending a yearly conference with other agents focused on breaking down new trends and technology.” This year, we’ll be discussing the new uses of video tours, growing photography practices, response systems, customer service, and a variety of other great topics. We talk about old technology (direct contact with you) and new technology, which streamlines the process. This yearly meeting is very exciting, and it allows us to continue improving the services we provide you.  If you have any questions concerning real estate, please reach out to us via phone or email. We would love to help you.

  5. 12/12/2019 · VIDEO

    Are the Holidays a Good Time to Buy or Sell a Home?

    The holidays can be a great time to buy or sell a home. Here’s why. Are the holidays a good time for you to buy or sell a home? Actually, they are, and for a few different reasons. If you’re looking to purchase a property, you’ll have less competition from other buyers. That also means that you’ll see fewer multiple-offer situations on homes. Further, interest rates are outstandingly low right now, lenders are more readily available than in other seasons of the year, and title companies have more time to dedicate to your transaction. All in all, home purchases this time of year tend to be less hectic than they will once the spring market begins in March, April, and May. If you’re thinking of selling a property, there’s a prime reason that the holidays are a good time to list. Many buyers who view properties in the spring market are looking for homes, but not seriously. On the other hand, buyers in the wintertime tend to be people who are really focused on buying a property and moving into it as soon as possible. Additionally, the holidays are a great time to capitalize on the warmth and emotion of having a home; there’s nothing like seeing a beautiful home decorated for the holidays. “All in all, it’s a good time to both buy and sell.” If you’re thinking about selling after the holidays, it’s worth noting that, for some reason, a lot of sellers don’t believe that anything will sell on the market until about April. That means that we’ll have the lowest inventory of the year until early March. You may get fewer showings, but the showings you get will be high quality. All in all, it’s a good time to both buy and sell. We have a decent selection of properties on the market, great interest rates, and if you need to take the house off the market for a day or two to enjoy a family get-together, that’s certainly acceptable over the holidays. If you have any questions about buying or selling a home, reach out to us. We’d love to help you. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season!

  6. 11/21/2019 · VIDEO

    Why We’re Thankful for You

    What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? At Coldwell Banker Burnett, we’re thankful for you. Thanksgiving is upon us, which means now is the perfect time to reflect and give thanks—and I and all of my team members at Coldwell Banker Burnett have a lot to be grateful for. We’re thankful for this year’s success, our families, and, of course, we’re extremely thankful for all of you. Many of you have been loyal to us for a long time, including one particular family who recently referred their 34th relative to our team for help with their real estate goals. This kind of continued support is exactly why my team and I do what we do. It has been a privilege serving each one of you. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. With that said, we hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving and an incredible holiday season. If you have any questions or would like more information about any particular real estate topic, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

  7. 11/07/2019 · VIDEO

    What’s Going on in St. Cloud Real Estate?

    The year is nearly over, but the St. Cloud market remains strong. We’re still seeing quite a few sales for this time of year. As we head toward the end of the year, things are going really well in the St. Cloud real estate market. Interest rates are near record lows, sales are strong, and inventory is steady. We currently have about 725 homes on the market with 265 sales pending. Those are very good numbers for this time of year. It’s still time to buy a home for the holidays, and it’s a great time to start getting your home ready for sale because the spring market starts on January 2. If you have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

  8. 09/30/2019 · VIDEO

    Why Falling Interest Rates Is Good News for Buyers

    Interest rates are falling, which means now is a great time to buy. Falling interest rates is a trend that sounds wonderful, but what does this really mean for you? Does it make that big of a difference if you’re a homebuyer? Actually, yes.  Interest rates are under 4% right now. Back in January of this year, they were hovering between 4.5% to 4.75%. This means you can currently buy a house worth $360,000 to $370,000 for the same exact mortgage payment that would’ve only gotten you a $300,000 house back in January. “It’s a great time to buy, and we have a great selection of homes in our market that I’d love to show you.” Alternatively, if you were thinking of buying in the $250,000 to $300,000 price range back in January, your mortgage payment would be lower if you bought a house now in that same price range. You can also shorten your mortgage repayment period to 20 years and it wouldn’t make that much of a difference between what you would’ve paid in January.  In other words, it’s a great time to buy, and we have a great selection of homes in our market that I’d love to show you. If you’d like to start your home buying journey or you have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

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If you are looking to buy or sell a home, get all the information and the latest updates, tips, and tricks from Coldwell Banker Realty - your professional St. Cloud Real Estate Agents.

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