First Time Home Buyers - Choosing a Real Estate Agent

First time buyers may have already hit the Internet for their search, but how do they know who should be their real estate agent in what may be the most important financial transaction of their lives thus far?

Whose name is on that card?

THE AGENT YOU KNOW

Many first time, as well as repeat, buyers use the real estate agent in the family, the uncle, the cousin, the neighbor or their friend.  Having someone you know and trust is a great place to start.  If they can back it up with experience, area knowledge, and expertise, you probably don't need to look any further. 

Even if you know the agent, though, have a professional conversation with them.  This is a new relationship.  You're not just swapping travel stories, you're about to put your future in their hands.  Do they understand what you want?  What you'll accept, what your priorities are?  Do you have faith in their experience and knowledge?  Can they get you into that home in a multiple bid situation?  Ask them to tell you about situations they've handled that have been similar to yours. 

THE AGENT YOU WANT TO KNOW

This is where you turn on your reticular activator.  All of a sudden, you will notice real estate agents are everywhere!  Not just their face on the notepads they drop off on your porch or the bus bench ads or those banners on the school yard fence.  They really are everywhere. 

Do some online searches about the neighborhood you want to live in, the city you're considering and you'll see agents come up.  Click on their ads, their websites.  You won't get email or information from them unless you click a little further and sign up.  Who looks like someone you might want to talk to in that Trulia or Zillow sidebar? Does one name keep coming up?

Yelp reviews are marginal in trying to find a Realtor.  They really haven't taken off except for those real estate agents who are pushing their clients to write reviews.  It will get there, but don't depend on them just yet. 

How long an agent has been in business can be a criteria, but have they been in business 10 years, only as a part time agent?  A full time agent who has been in business less than 5 years might be a better bet if they are fully immersed in the business of the business, actively working transactions, and keeping up with the market.  Agents with many years of experience who keep up with the market and the constant changes are invaluable.

THE AGENT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Referrals are the lifeblood of any small business and it is especially true when it comes to trusting your life dreams and investments.  ASK your family, friends and colleagues.  Who have they used?  What was their experience?  Was the agent on top of the transaction, receptive to feedback, responsive to requests?  Did they listen?  Did they communicate?

 

 

Real estate agents thrive on referrals as they want to work with buyers and sellers that their clients know, too.  The trust is more quickly established on both sides.

 

 

THE AGENT QUESTIONS

 

Do a search on how to find an agent and you will find a variety of questions to ask a Realtor before you hire them.  The questions recommended depend on who wrote the article!  This post is no different.  Beyond the basics of assuring they are licensed and do not have any licensing violations, beyond asking "How long have you been in business?","How many transactions have you closed?", and "Have you won any awards?" is the personal connection: 

 

• What geographic area do you cover?
• What types of properties do you handle?
• How will you communicate with me and how often?
• What tools will you put in place to locate a home that fits my criteria?
• Do you work with a lender who has first time buyer assistance?
• Why should I work with you?
• May I have some references?

 

If you are comfortable with the answers, if they fit your needs, then go with your gut feeling.  Which agent is going to be there for you when things go sideways?  Who is going to toast with you when the deal goes smoothly?  Who is going to be a long term resource for you and someone you're going to refer to other buyers, as well as to sellers?

 

I'm happy to answer any questions about the agent search, as well as refer you to qualified agents in your specific geographic area.  You may contact me by phone or text at 562.673.5335 or by email at katielarson@kw.com.  If you'd like more information or to start a home search, check out my website: http://www.katiekimbelllarson.com/listing/listingsearch.aspx



Living in Long Beach: Neighborhood connections

How do you connect with your neighbors?  The organization We Love Long Beach has been trying to answer - and promote - that question for several years now.  This year one of the ways was with a Citywide Pumpkin Carving and Chili Party, with hosts in 30 different neighborhoods around the city.

We sponsored the one for our neighborhood, La Marina Estates.  I used both NextDoor.com and the La Marina Estates Facebook page to get the word out.  I supported one of the young neighbors by paying him to distribute 263 flyers to the neighbors.  Phone calls, emails and street conversations ensued, showing lots of interest.  Signs were put up the week of the event, reminding neighbors to come on over.  Pumpkins were donated through We Love Long Beach, as well as others purchased for the event at Pa's Pumpkin Patch.

On the day of the event, October 25th, we had more than 40 neighbors join us for a couple of hours, with children as young as 2 years old and neighbors well into their 80's who attended.  The turkey chili was a hit, with some toppings and cornbread available.  Several neighbors brought desserts to share, many pumpkin themed.  Two representatives from the LBPD East division stopped by to tell us about a recent rash of burglaries in the area and how to stay connected, safe, and informed.

Although pumpkins and carving tools were supplied, neighbors also brought their own, taking advantage of my plug "make the mess at our house".  Neighbors shared tales of when they first moved in the neighborhood, back in 1956, with neighbors who moved in 6 months ago.  We talked about Long Beach real estate, then and now, about former home owner associations and what we can do moving forward with Community Watch.

All the while, pumpkins were being carved, children were playing and connections were being made.  There was even talk about next year's event, and what else can we do to stay connected.  Next up?  A Community Watch meeting, which we'll host at our home.  I love living in Long Beach and being part of a thriving neighborhood.  How do you connect?

First Time Buyers? Yes!

There are few things more satisfying in my job than helping a first time buyer find their home and close a successful escrow.   The excitement after all the trepidation, the happiness after all the worry.  It's a wonderful thing to hand them their keys and to let them know I'll still be available to them for referrals to services, recommendations for local restaurants, and help with local information long after the sale is closed.

First time buyers probably take the most work as there is an education that needs to happen first and that is one of the parts I enjoy most.  To teach them the process and guide them through the steps of finding their first home.  I get to help them understand what they are doing, why they are doing it and what will work.  I know I've done my job if I've educated them to the point that when they walk across a threshold of a house, they'll know if they like it and if it's a good buy before they even see the entire house.

Finding the right house isn't a process of selection, but one of elimination:  what price ranges do we exclude, what neighborhoods do we exclude, what house styles do we exclude, etc.  I had someone ask me at a recent open house, "Are there other homes for sale in Long Beach?"  I didn't laugh but did reply with "There are hundreds."  There are, at this moment, 358 single family homes in Long Beach for sale.  That's not including the condos and townhomes.  Not a chance I would show my buyers every house.  What can they afford?  Where do they want to live?  Let's start eliminating.

Some of the more important questions in the elimination, after the basics, include asking what they like to do, how do they use their kitchen, what rooms are important to the family?  I ask them to describe their perfect house:  what does it feel like, what does the street look like in their perfect neighborhood?  I ask them to walk me through the house they're imagining, walk me outside and describe what you see.  It's not just real estate, it's about living their life.

One of the first steps in the process is getting the buyers actually financially qualified to buy a home, to get a loan approval.  We can't eliminate houses before we know what they can afford!  I work with fantastic lenders that also appreciate that first time buyer, who love to educate them and make sure they make the right financial steps for their future where the home mortgage loan is concerned.  The team at CLS Financial, led by Tony and Wendee Close, have a customer service ethic second to none.  They take as much time as the buyer needs and they work on all solutions for them.  I know when CLS Financial completes the approval process that I have a strong buyer, whose offers will stand out.  I refer any of my clients who don't have their own financing already lined up to CLS Financial.  Not only do they do a fantastic job, it's also part of my mission to support small, local business.

First time buyers are typically looking for their starter homes at a lower price point.  Not always, of course, but typically.  In Long Beach there are excellent starter neighborhoods like Wrigley, with charming homes built in the 1920's on wide streets.  These homes start in the $300,000's.  Moving into the $400,000's, there are homes in Artcraft Manor, built in the 1940's with curving streets and close to Stearns Park.  As you look at homes in the $500,00's more neighborhoods like Rancho, Stratford Square, South of Conant and Lakewood Plaza are available.  Heavily tree lined streets can be found in Los Altos as the price point increases. 

And we haven't even started on a fixer-upper versus a turnkey.  I'll save that for another entry.

If you are a first time buyer, or know someone who is, please give me a call (562.673.5335) or send me an email (katielarson@kw.com) and put me to work for you.  I'll be your patient guide, with you every step of the way, and we'll find that house that's been waiting for you to call it "home".

Iowa by the Sea

As a very young girl I remember going to Recreation Park in Long Beach for the annual Iowa State Picnic.  There were signs hung on 99 trees, for each of the 99 counties in Iowa.  People could gather to talk about the cornfields, the weather, Iowa Hawkeye football and maybe run into someone they knew.

We would gather at the Woodbury County sign, as my mother was from Sioux City.  You would write your name on a tablet attached to the tree to see if anyone you knew was there.  The picnics had stopped by the time my husband and his family located to Southern California, otherwise we might have met as little kids, instead of as college kids.  His dad was from Riceville, in Howard County.

With the oil industry, the navy shipyards and the port, many came here from the Midwest in the 1940's and '50's to settle and make their living.  The California weather didn't hurt either.  Many of the Long Beach neighborhoods we know today were built during this boom:  Los Altos, Plaza, Carson Park, South of Conant, the Whaley homes of La Marina Estates. 

Long Beach has a rich history of welcoming migrants and immigrants.  It has morphed from "Iowa by the Sea" to "International City" over the last 60 years.  Long Beach is now the 7th largest city in California and home to the second busiest container port in the United States.

Even as a large city you can still get that small town, Iowa by the Sea, feel within the neighborhoods.  There are neighborhood associations, people have banded together to preserve their areas by getting a designation as an Historic District, there are neighborhood block parties.  It's one of the things I love most about living here, the feeling of belonging, regardless of where we came from before we found our way here.

Long Beach for me

Welcome to my blog about Long Beach and the surrounding area.  I am passionate about this area and look forward to sharing stories and observations with you.

My credentials to write about Long Beach? 

I was born in Long Beach, in St. Mary's Hospital at 10th and Atlantic.  My paternal grandmother worked at St. Mary's at the time.  In fact, my parents met there while my mother was volunteering at the hospital and my grandmother wanted her to meet her son.  My parents were married in St. Anthony Parish on Olive Avenue.  My mother graduated from Wilson High School here in Long Beach, as did my nephew, 60 years later.

My father worked at Douglas Aircraft on Lakewood before joining the Orange County Sheriff's Office.  My mother worked for McDonnell Douglas Automation for a while in the 1970's.

Both of my brothers were born at Community Hospital, just above the traffic circle.  My maternal grandmother was a nurse there.  I'll have a story about my two grandmothers, both nurses, who worked in two different Long Beach hospitals.  One of my brothers graduated from Long Beach State aka CSULB.

Although I moved from Long Beach when I was just 5 months old, to a brand new house waaaaaay far away in Westminster, I lived here again from 1996-1998.  At that time I rented a house in the South of Conant neighborhood.  In 2005 my husband and I purchased our home in the La Marina Estates neighborhood, where we still live.  I'll tell you about the neighborhoods of Long Beach later, too.

I am a REALTOR(r) focusing on the East Long Beach/West Orange County area and I know Long Beach.  I'll be sharing bits of history, local school stories, anecdotes and just some rambling thoughts on life here.

I look forward to hearing back from you.