What Goes On Behind the Scenes at a Real Estate Office?

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Most people would think that all a real estate agent does is to match buyers with the right home, show them the ins and outs of that home – and have them sign a dotted line to purchase the home. If they only knew…

The truth is that real estate agents have a TON of things to deal with to make sure everything goes smoothly with a transaction. In fact, showing houses is probably the simplest part of it all. Between the negotiation process, countless amendments and addendums, going back and forth and then finally reaching the point to sign documents – an agent has their hands full.

The Ball Starts Rolling When Two Parties Agree to Collaborate

From that moment that both agents have come to a consensus on a property and the contract is negotiated, the transaction will move over to the lender and the lender will then begin their process. A lender’s office is typically completely overloaded with paperwork – signs of a long, arduous and very detailed amount of meticulous processing that must be done prior to closing.

One very important aspect of buying a house is to make sure you have a clear title. Real estate agents will send an order to the title company to start the title search process as soon as there is agreement on the property, usually while the lender is finalizing paperwork. And as there is with a lender, there is also mountain of paperwork involved during the investigation of a title.

The Closing Marks the Beginning of Checks and Double-Checks

At the closing table, there will be two stacks of documents for the parties to sign. One is about getting the money to actually pay for the house (the loan) and the other stack of paper pertains to the actual selling of the property. After all is signed, said and done – the monies exchange hands and the deed changes hands. The buyer gets the deed and the seller gets their check.

The minute both parties walk away, a detailed process begins starting with review of all the paperwork. Files are processed, deeds are checked and double-checked for any inconsistencies or problems and escrows are taken care of. Escrow is calculated within the loan to cover real estate taxes but there are also other incidences of escrow that the agents’ office and affiliates must manage. An example is an undone part of a newly constructed home. For instance if the sod has not been laid at the time of closing – the money to complete that work will go into escrow and once the work is completed, two departments will communicate to ultimately release the funds. This is just one aspect of how things are managed after the fact and behind the scenes.

Organizing Documents for Future Reference

After all documents are signed and the parties have exchanged relevant items, the process of documentation begins. Yet another team processes everything. All data is filed electronically and then the paperwork is taken to storage. We then maintain all files for a minimum of five years and made accessible to the IRS, a court, and a few other parties – with permission. The physical documents are maintained in a warehouse or storage facility designed to protect paper documents.
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A question that we are frequently asked is about the fees that buyers and sellers will often see as result of the process of engaging in a buy or sell transaction. As you can see from the above-mentioned stages of a real estate transaction, much goes on behind the scenes. Buyers and sellers will see fees as a result of all the time spent on all these things; a closing fee, an escrow fee, commission to cover lengthy paperwork processes and more.

Remember, there are a lot of good people standing behind your Realtor and together we are working to make sure you have the best possible experience in your real estate endeavors!

CBS Home Ranks #1 in Market Share With Online Search Engines

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Time to sell your home?  How about reaching the countless buyers that begin their search online with wide-eyed dreams of finding the perfect home? At one point in time, Realtor.com used to be the website of choice for both sellers looking to list their home on a high-traffic site and buyers that wanted to gain access to all the latest properties. But things have changed. Now, a whopping 88% of buyers go online before even setting foot in a real estate agent’s office. They are logging on and browsing through national website like Zillow.com, Truila.com and a host of other property sites as well.

The Secret About National Listing Sites That Most People Don’t Know

When most people log onto a site like Zillow.com or Realtor.com, little do they realize that there are multiple tiers of advertising available on the platform. The average home seller or agent logs on and lists a home using the standard basic free tier. A few photographs are added to a general listing with some basic information about the property. There are two more levels on top of that first one that allow posters some more room to elaborate on their listing.

The highest and most visible form of advertising on these sites, however, entails the deepest level of market penetration. The Bill Black Team engages in this level of marketing on almost fifty various property search tool websites. The banner that is most commonly seen at the top of these site’s pages are among those that we pay for – so that means that when buyers visit those sites, precise target marketing takes place, prominently showing them your property. One step further, when buyers inquire about those properties they are redirected to us and we can then further assist them with their interest in your home.

The Age of Offline Advertising Is Fast Changing

At one time we would invest a lot of advertising dollars into all the forms of ads that were once popular. Today, print media, Television ads and high-gloss colorful flyers placed at the home sites are all virtually obsolete. The Internet has completely taken over. Through our extensive tracking systems we have been able to confirm that 88% or more of all buyers start their search online. In a “here and now” society, it is essential to be able to provide on time, real time property listings that satisfy the needs of today’s buyers.

CBS Home Ranks First in the Top Five Property Search Engine Sites

Not surprisingly, in a survey conducted by an independent firm, we discovered that CBS Home captures a significant market share of first-time online buyer presence. CBS Home has a 60% market share, followed by NP Dodge with 34% of the Omaha market share in this category, Deeb Realty with 4% plus Keller Williams and Prudential each with 1% total market share in our region.

Top Notch Online Visual Presence Gets Homes Sold

With an average of over 139,000 visits each month on our website, we place a lot of emphasis on making sure your listing receives the best attention that lasts longer than just a casual browse. We hire professional photographers to present your home in the best light possible, both in video and photographic stills. That is why when we upload it onto our affiliated websites we know that the best possible presentation is made.

Our video and written blogs were established to provide our readers with valuable information while at the same time promoting your listing in a place where buyers feel comfortable and familiar. Future buyers that stumble upon your property on our site contact us and we get the ball rolling right away.

With a list of over 50 affiliate sites on which we list our properties, your home will be sure to get the most visibility possible. Some of these sites include Omaha.com, Trulia.com, Aol.com, Yahoo, Zillow and HGTV’s Front Door. We have maintained and nurtured partnerships with several high-visibility relocation clients as well as end-clients that use our services to help re-establish their newly relocated employees to our area. This provides first-hand access to your property to countless buyers looking to buy right away; yet another compelling reason to let us help you with your home selling endeavors!

Contact us today so we can assist in making your real estate goals become a reality!

To Move With the Best – Go With the Best at CBS Home

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Year after year, CBS Home continues to wow its clients, partners and associates with unprecedented performance and dominant market share. This year is no different. Once again, the Bill Black Team is holding not one, but two very special awards given to us by the CBS Home organization in recognition of our outstanding performance. We have the best trained Realtors in the greater Omaha area and our agents are among the top producing agents here as well. Since 2001 we have consistently demonstrated dominance in our marketplace with more homes sold than in other company both in new construction and homes in the above $400,000 price range.

Here are some more reasons we are best in class:

Unprecedented Web Presence

Far extending reach of real estate listing websites such as Trulia, Zillow, HGTV’s Front Door, HomeFinder, HotPads and more. Catering to the over 90% of buyers that conduct home searches online before any other step in their real estate finding ventures, our web presence and marketing techniques are in the forefront of technology. With meticulously tracked online traffic analytics, we know who is visiting our sites, which topics are popular and what consumers want to see.

Relocation Services Partnered With Companies and Clients

Working with a large number of partner third-party relocation companies such as the Relocation Center, AmeriCorp and Prudential Relocation – we have developed strong alliances with all the major players in this industry. We also have an extensive list of clients that we serve. Helping each relocating employee, one household at a time, we serve clients with business locations in our area such as ConAgra, FedEx, Lockheed Martin Corp, Pepsi, UPS and more.

Best in Class Market Dominance

We are proud to enjoy 31% overall market share in the greater Omaha area, with specific market share control in properties over $400,000 plus new construction. Time and again, year after year our team provides you with the best service, assists top companies and their employees with relocation efforts. We are proud to have been recognized as the top sales team and top new construction team for 2011.
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If you would like to buy, sell, relocate or invest – call us today. We know that our continued success is in the success of our valued clients and we look forward to serving your every real estate need!  Remember, if you are going to move with the best – go with the best. The Bill Black Team is committed to serving you!

Here are some links to some great CBS Home One Sheets:
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/95601236/008
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/95601440/009
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/95601634/010
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/95601775/011
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/95602104/012