Shelley & Michael Kefauver

Alicia,

Several times home buyers will ask me the same question that you have just presented. As their agent I always contact the homeowner to find out if they would be willing to sell. I had two transactions recently were the homeowners did in fact want to sell but were under the impression that the market was "bad" and did not have their homes on the market. It certainly does not hurt to ask. If you are not represented by an agent you could either knock on their door or send them a personalized letter. Also ask them to get back to you either way... than you are sure that they received your letter.

I always provide an email address.... I find that people will email before picking up the phone.

Hope this helps,

Shelley Kefauver - Mon Jun 9 2008, 11:36

Wanda,

You can try reotrans.com

I'm sure there are others, but the search is free.

Shelley Kefauver - Sat May 17 2008, 16:33

Kaye,

As an agent I always try to stay away from a dual agency situation. It is difficult to represent both parties in one transaction without leaving one party feeling short-changed. I would do as Joy suggested and voice your concerns with your agent. If he/she does not agree to terminate your agreement then you may contact the broker. If this happens in my office, my broker will assign the buyer to another agent in the office who will then write the offer. The worse that could happen is your offer could be countered back and/or rejected. Then you know where you stand.

Hope this helps you.

Shelley Kefauver - Sat May 17 2008, 05:52

Fran,

I always suggest to clients to go with whomever they have their car insurance through. This will usually save you some money as most agencies give discounts when insuring in bulk. If your car insurance is through State Farm, ask a local (Florida) agent to provide you with the names of other companies you can call to get rates. As Jackie stated below it would be helpful to know as much as possible about a home you are looking for so they can give you a fair estimate.

Hope this helps and happy moving!

Shelley Kefauver - Sat May 17 2008, 05:46

Wilma,

Your realtor should have provided you with that information upon you asking for it.

To answer your questions on why properties are not showing up.... not all listings are inputed to Trulia. Agents and offices can input them manually and few are done through IDX (information data exchange). In York, PA only about 30% of the inventory is on Trulia.

Hope this answers your question.

Shelley - Wed May 7 2008, 16:15