Why It’s Important for Your Agent to Be Connected

A connected agent is an agent who will help make your real estate transaction much easier. Here’s how.

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Why is it important for your real estate agent to be locked into networks that can assist you in your next real estate transaction? Essentially, it makes the entire process easier and faster.

Your agent needs to know people in the insurance, financing, and banking industries who can help get the money together for you to optimize your sale or purchase.

If your agent has a network like this, it will help you formulate a successful plan for your transaction.

It’s also important for home inspections to be handled in a professional way by your agent. The way that this can be facilitated is if your agent is well-connected with home improvement specialists such as carpenters, builders, kitchen experts, plumbers, etc. For any kind of issues that can happen in your home, it’s important that your agent has a relationship with someone who can help fix it.

Having a network like this will enable your real estate professional to help you formulate a successful transaction when you decide to buy, sell, or invest. If you have any other questions for me regarding real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to me via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Forge Your Path to Financial Independence Through Real Estate

Do you want to become financially independent? If so, becoming a real estate investor may be the right next step in your life.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

Financial independence is an economic indicator suggesting that someone is no longer dependent on income from a job requiring them to trade their time for money.

Financially independent individuals generally draw on passive income sources, and today I’d like to highlight how you can achieve this status for yourself by investing in real estate. After all, financial independence is, in essence, financial freedom. It allows you to spend time doing the things you enjoy.

Financial independence is, in essence, financial freedom.

Though real estate is cyclical, the overall trend over the last 50 years has been one of considerable appreciation. In fact, in our current real estate climate, investing in just half a dozen properties could bring you into the realm of financial independence.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What Do Realtors Do to Remain Up to Date with Current Standards?

Continued education is an essential aspect of any agent’s real estate career, and today I’ll be discussing what the pursuit of self-betterment looks like for me, personally.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

In order to make sure real estate professionals stay up to par, there are certain mandates in place for their continued education.

Personally, I’m licensed in three states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York). This means I must follow licensing requirements for each of them. In New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Realtors must acquire 15 credits every two years to maintain their license.

In New Hampshire, for example, this entails taking a three-credit core course while earning 12 additional credits through others. Also, many of the supplementary courses in New Hampshire can also be applied in Massachusetts. Realtors licensed in multiple states should be aware of such things, as this will help them secure their credits as efficiently as possible.

New York brokers, meanwhile, can remain licensed via reciprocity. In other words, so long as their license in another state remains active, they can continue to practice in New York, as well.

Realtors must also take an ethics course every four years. This enables you to keep up with ethical standards set on a local, regional, and national level.

All of these efforts are geared toward my desire to become the best agent I can be.

The continued pursuit of self-betterment is essential for agents. That’s why, in addition to the required educational courses all Realtors must take, I have also been involved in coaching and training with the Mike Ferry Training Organization for the past 26 years.

I am always working to improve myself as a real estate professional, and the daily, weekly, and semi-annual opportunities and events that working with Mike Ferry provides are an integral part of this goal.

On top of all of these things, I am also involved in a mastermind group—something every agent should do. I speak to a dozen agents from across the country every two weeks about informational real estate resources so that we can learn and grow from each other’s input and experience.

All of these efforts, as well as reading various publications on success and business, are geared toward my desire to become the best agent I can be.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Does Your Attic Have Insulation That Contains Asbestos?

Vermiculite insulation is often found in homes today as a result of an inspection. This type of insulation—usually found in attics—contains asbestos. 

It's not absolutely necessary to have it removed, and some people decide to keep it and contain it without disturbing or touching it. It does serve as an insulator, but many people decide to have Vermiculite insulation removed, and it should be done by a certified removal company. Typically this insulation will be replaced with asbestos-free insulation that's safe for the environment. 

When you have this done, it creates a clean, safer environment to live in.

If you have any further questions about Vermiculite insulation or about real estate in the Merrimack Valley market, give us a call or send us an email today. We'd be happy to help.

Quick Tips for Merrimack Valley Family Estate Sales

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Family estate sales are happening more and more in our marketplace. Today, I’ll go over some important things you should consider when making family estate sale decisions. 

First of all, it is important that all the decision makers are included. Take everybody’s input and feedback. When you hire an agent, make sure you hire someone who will make everybody feel included but is also able to get everyone to come to a consensus. Your agent will help you make business decisions rather than emotional decisions. 

While hiring an agent, make sure they are able to interact well with everyone involved. People in your family all have different personalities, so your agent needs to be able to interact with each one of them so no one feels left out of the process. 

One of the greatest pitfalls in selling a family estate is pricing by committee. Pricing by committee happens when some members of the family think the estate is worth more than it actually is in the current marketplace. That one family member can cause the family to overprice the property, which undermines the success of the sale. 

As you can see, choosing the right agent is critical. They need to make everyone feel included, rein people in on occasion, and price your home correctly. They also need to have expert advice on staging, marking, and more. 

Last but not least, your family needs an end result that will bring a feeling of peace. You don’t want to cause any dissonance in your family throughout the sale process.

Four Traits to Look for in a Successful Real Estate Agent

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

How are you supposed to differentiate me from other real estate agents? How can you distinguish between the good and the bad? Well, that's what I'll be explaining today.

I trained with the Mike Ferry organization, the leading training organization for real estate agents in North America, and I'd like to relay some tips I learned there to help you as a consumer. There are a few different things that you need to understand before choosing an agent.

1. I have the power to protect your equity when I negotiate the price of your home. Technically, any agent has this power, but why not allow someone with four decades of experience to do this for you? This gives you the competitive edge that you need to succeed.

2. As I've said before, I'm involved in a network of the most highly trained agents in America. There are over 5,000 agents across the country that I can contact. This allows me to help you find a good home anywhere in North America.

3. I strategize in order to sell your home for top market value. I utilize the latest and most effective marketing techniques to get your home out in front of a wide audience. The more people that see your home, the better off you will be as a seller. This brings in multiple offers and usually results in a top dollar sale.

4. I'm constantly training to improve my skills. I attend three to four seminars each year, and this allows me to bring you a dynamic service that is getting better and better every day.

If you need assistance buying or selling a home in the Merrimack Valley, I would love to set up a free consultation with you.

Consider me your number one real estate resource in the Merrimack Valley!

What’s Preventing You From Selling Your Home?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

If you’ve wanted to sell your home in the past but haven’t been able to, what’s stopping you now? Today we are going to talk about the most common reasons sellers decided against listing their home. Let’s take a look at them now: 

1. Your home isn’t prepared
If this is the case for you, all you really need to do is sit down with an agent or a home stager that can direct you on where to spend money to get the best return and how to best prepare your home for sell.

2. Rates are not favorable
Although you may think that rates are too high, if you look at the big picture, they really aren’t. They are historically low right now, and if they go up just a little bit, it will greatly affect your payments over a 30 or 15-year mortgage period.

3. Haven’t found the right property
The best solution for this is to know exactly how much you are going to qualify for, and identify the homes that meet your criteria. If there aren’t any to your liking, you may need to tweak your criteria a little bit. 

4. Unanswered questions
It may just be that you are afraid to ask a question or don’t know what question to ask. If there is anything we can do to help ease your doubts, or if you have any questions for us, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to talking to you soon!

The final problem that people have is they haven’t found the right real estate professional to help them yet. If you need answers to any of the questions above, or if there is anything we can do to help silence your doubts, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to speak with you!

What Questions Do You Have to Answer BEFORE Selling?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

  

Today we are here to answer the question, “What’s the next step after selling your home?” To answer this, we are going to examine the 5 basic principles of selling a home. These are 5 questions that you need to answer with yourself and your family to decide what your next step after selling will be.

1. Why are you moving?
Once you know that, it helps generate the process in terms of where you’re going after your sale.

2. Where are you moving?
This is an important consideration as well. The geographic location of your home is critical, and the one thing you can not change about the property.

3. What can you afford?
This is where we can help you get pre-approved with a lender so you know exactly how much you can afford.

4. How will your life improve?
This is the most important question to answer.

5. How long have you been waiting?
If the answer is more than a few months, you need to take steps now to ensure your process goes smoothly. That’s the bottom line here.

There you have it, 5 questions to ask yourself in order to determine what’s next for you after selling. If you have any more questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Why is Now a Great Time to be at Laer Properties?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

Today we are honored to be joined by Stacey Alcorn, our CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) at Laer Properties to find out exactly what events are coming up in the Laer universe and what you can expect from them!

On the business side, we have recently expanded into 5 different locations, and hope to open 3-4 additional offices in the Boston area in the next year. Now let's talk about some events coming up with Laer Properties.

Teachers are the cornerstone of the communities we do business in. For the past 2 years, every month we have traveled to a different school to host a catered teacher appreciation lunch. We have our agents come in and serve the meal, and it's always a great time. We are all booked for this year, except in the next two months. If you think the teachers at your school deserve a teacher appreciation luncheon in January or February, be sure to give us a call!

This is the time of year when we at Laer like to reach out to local charities and the community to help those in need. Things were no different this year, as we had a Thanksgiving program, a holiday gift giving program, and our latest community addition, the Laer bouncy house. Give us a call if you'd like to rent the house for your next event!

A lot of exciting things are happening at Laer Properties. If you'd like more info on anything mentioned above, be sure to give us a call or send us an email. Talk to you soon!

What Does One of the Best in the Business Have to Say About Real Estate?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

Today's blog features special guest and longtime friend of mine, Jürgen, who has been an important mentor and inspiration to me throughout my life. I asked him some questions and thought I would share some of his wonderful tips.

What inspires you to come into work every day at the age of 87?
Many years ago, about 50 years ago, I saw a quote by Albert Einstein that said: "Never grow old - no matter how long you live." I have accepted that, and have applied it for a long time, never thinking about my age at any time! Everybody in my office knew I would never retire. I'm happy with what I'm doing and I couldn't do any better.

Real estate seems to be changing all the time. What seems to stay the same in our business?
All the bells and whistles out there, people don't care about them. People want to be treated well. I don't say "treat people the way you want to be treated," I say "treat people how they want to be treated!"

What is the most important principle you shared with the 100+ agents you've employed over the years?
Tell the truth. That is the most important thing. I always told people when I hired them that if they want to make any transactions, they need to take a straight line. What I mean by that is: if you have to deviate from the straight path to get a sale, don't do it. That's not how work should be done. If you always tell the truth, you never have to worry in the afternoon about what you told someone in the morning.

What is your key to success?
Always be positive! I cannot afford the luxury of negative thinking. 50 years ago, a young lady I had been dating for four years dumped me! I had a very wise teacher at the time who asked me how I would think about it 10 years from now. I said I would probably have forgotten about it by then. "Then why don't you think about it that way NOW," they responded. In short, don't sweat the small stuff, have fun, and enjoy life!

We hope you enjoyed these tips from a living legend! As always, if you have any questions about the real estate industry, I would love to hear from you!

Lessons from My Greatest Mentors

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

I have been very blessed in my life to be surrounded by some amazing mentors who have helped me succeed greatly. I wanted to share with you some of my greatest mentors and some of their greatest lessons. Hopefully, some of this advice strikes a chord with you, it will definitely give you an insight on how I run my business.

The first person I want to mention is my father, Bernard Brouilette. He taught me that working hard, working smart, and persevering can enable you to do anything in your life.  Another thing he taught me was that a quitter never wins and a winner never quits. He accomplished everything in his life he wanted to and his perseverance and unstoppable attitude enabled him to live the life of his dreams. 

Another great mentor in my life has been Mike Ferry. Mike is one of the best and most-respected real estate coaches in the country, and one of the smartest men in the business. He taught me that I can achieve any goal in real estate by writing out a plan, following the right system, and providing world class service.

The next person I will mention is Ivan Misner, founder of the largest referral organization on the planet, and a fellow magician. He believes in the philosophy of "Giver's Gain", if you give business to others, they will give business back to you. I have been able to share a tremendous amount of business with affiliates around the globe with the help of Ivan and his advice.

Finally, Jurgen Keller, who has worked with me for the past 32 years. He has always taught me that you should tell the truth constantly and not allow yourself to have a negative thought. 

I hope this has inspired you to pursue the life of your dreams. If you have any questions at all, give us a call or send us an email. Thanks for joining us!

The Truth About Zillow from a Premier Zillow Agent

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.  

I am excited to talk to you today about a very well known and popular real estate website called Zillow. If you haven't heard about it already, Zillow is the most visited real estate site in the United States and it offers a vast array of real estate listings and even a free estimate, called a Zestimate. Many of my clients have mentioned what they believed  their home was worth based on this zestimate. More often than not, the estimate is not very accurate at all.

Zillow is a great site for doing Merrimack Valley real estate research. It can show you what similar homes to yours in Merrimack Valley have been selling for, and it does have a wide variety of listings. However, when it comes to giving accurate estimates, they can't give you as accurate of an estimate as an experienced real estate professional in your market can give you. The information that appears on a zestimate is the result of analysis of the millions of pieces of information that are entered on their site. The problem with this is that their estimate is a combination of generalities that don't take into account your specific home, but base their figure on the average of what similar homes sell for in your area.

It is important for you to know that many zestimates can be up to 10% off your home's actual value. If you list your home based off this type of estimate, you are either going to be severely undervaluing your home, or you are going to overprice, neither outcome is good.  We have encountered zestimates that have undervalued homes by up to $400,000. I happen to be a premier agent for Zillow who handles the Merrimack Valley listings for them. I don't want you to get an inaccurate listing, so whenever you need a real estimate and you want to find out how much money your zestimate could be costing you, please give me a call or send a quick e-mail. If you don't have accurate information, it can cost you great opportunities and a lot of cash.

Introducing the LAER Realty Partners

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.  

Introducing the LAER Realty Partners

 

Today I just wanted to speak briefly about our new name and explain our transition to you. I've been working at the same desk in the same office for 31 years. For twenty-eight of those years I was working with Century 21 and I had a great career.

Eventually what happened was that RE/MAX Prestige came along and I began working for them. Just a few months ago our ownership decided to re-brand us and that's why we are now LAER (Local Agents, Extraordinary Results) Realty Partners.

We have about 250 agents working for this company and our goal is to become the #1 real estate company in New England. We started out in 2000 with 7 agents in one office and today we have 14 offices that service Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.

Regardless, we are very excited to continue selling real estate.

Please contact me with any questions you might have regarding real estate in the Merrimack Valley.