Videos

In today’s Real Estate Land video we answer the question, do I need a pre-approval letter from a mortgage company? Take a guess on this yes or no question, then watch the video to find out if you answered correctly! Make sure to leave any additional questions you want to be answered in future videos in the comment section below!

Transcription

Welcome to Real Estate Land. Another great question this week, Mark, out of Kansas City, Kansas, asked me, do I need a pre-approval letter from a mortgage company? You don't have to. We also don't have to buy a house. I mean, you can bring a Post-it note with you and say you're approved. But honestly, yes, you do. You need a pre approval letter to illustrate to the seller that you have legitimately met with a licensed professional, pulling your credit, verifying your job history to confirm that, yes, you are approved and therefore should be able to perform on the mortgage.

Many agents will ask, where's the letter? Who's it from? Most importantly, the letter actually has to accompany the offer. So if you saw a house today, wanted to make an offer, you have to actually attach the letter to it. Great question. Simple answer. Yes, you do. Thanks for joining us.

Stats actually indicate that buying or selling a home is one of the most stressful things you'll ever do! That’s why today’s Real Estate question is as important as ever. How do we take the stress out of selling our home? Watch our video to find out how the Blake Plan can help ease that stress.

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Welcome to Real Estate Land! Great question this week from Melissa out of Fairway. She asked me, how do we take the stress out of selling our home? Well, I would love to tell you, it's a magic pill and you can take one, but it's not. Stats actually indicate that buying or selling a home is one of the most stressful things you'll ever do as a realtor/part therapist/guidance counselor. It is stressful, but with a plan in place and with a licensed advocate that can accomplish your goals, the stress will minimize.

We focus on the Blake Plan, which includes our client concierge system, which spends more time preparing you for market than we actually spend on the market. So with our plan, we make sure that that stress is as minimal as possible. I have been called a human shock absorber before. I've also been called worse, I suppose. But I'm there to help you. I'm there to provide guidance, assistance, support, everything, and in between. Oftentimes, I'm a therapist as much as I'm a realtor.

So great question. Make sure you have an advocate that's protecting you and minimizing your stress because it can be fun. Call me. I'll show you how.

Today’s Real Estate Land question comes from Tom in California looking to buy a home in Kansas City. Are listing prices negotiable? As I like to say, everything in real estate is negotiable! However, listing prices and the negotiation rely on a lot of different market factors. Check out my latest video to learn more!

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Transcription

Hey, it's Blake, welcome to Real Estate Land. Great question, question I get often. The question is from Tom out of California, who's buying a house here in Kansas City. Are listing prices negotiable? Well, as I like to say, in real estate, everything's negotiable. We can ask them to leave the Mercedes in the garage if you want to. That doesn't always go over so well. But our listing price is negotiable. Everything's negotiable. But I will tell you, the higher the days the market, the more aggressive a buyer can be on the price.

So if a house is listed for $375,000 and it's been on the market one day, the seller has very little incentive to take less than that price. In the current market we're experiencing, most sellers are actually getting more and we're constantly experiencing a bidding war. So to answer your question, yes, they are. But there are so many factors that factor into that, that answer. Days on market, condition of home, market conditions, how many buyers for that price point, what part of town? So, yes, they're negotiable, but so many factors determine it before we can say yes or no. But great question. Thanks again for asking.

Today’s Real Estate Land question comes from Matt in Lee’s Summit. Hi Matt! He asks: How long does the buying process take? This a million-dollar question and one that can be answered simply with how long you want it to take! I’ll expand on what exactly I mean in today’s video and as always if you want to talk about your own buying process, reach out to me!

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Transcription

Welcome to Real Estate Land. Great question this week from Matt in Lee's Summit. Matt reached out to me and said, how does the buying process take? And I said, Oh, Matt, that's a million-dollar question. It's how long you want it to take. It's a tough question. It's a really easy question. When you really boil it down. It's how long you want it to take based upon your goals.

For example, I have a client that looks at home once every two months and bought a house after a year. I have another client who moved in from out of town. We spent a couple of hours back and forth over emails, photos, discussion. She flew into town and took one hour to spend six hundred thousand dollars after she saw three houses.

My goal is to make the process as easy, smooth, stress-free as I can so that you don't get bombarded and bogged down in the process. I often find clients that spend longer on the process become more frustrated and less appreciative of the home they purchase. And that's just a general comment. That's not a fact. But if you set your goals forward, you illustrate your goals to your licensed professional, like myself, it really doesn't take that long and can actually be really fun. So call me. Let's set your goals. Let's make it happen. Thanks, Matt.

Today’s Real Estate Land question is a follow-up question from our previous video about preapproval letters. The question: What if I’m buying a home in cash? How would I get a preapproval letter? The short answer is: with a proof of funds document! Watch the video for more info on what’s needed when buying a home with cash.

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Transcription

Welcome to Real Estate Land, you may have seen our other question about preapproval letters. One of the questions I got in response to that answer was, what about if I'm buying cash? How would I get a preapproval letter? Great question. So in the event you're buying a home with cash, what we are looking for is what we consider a proof of funds document. Now, that can be something typically on bank letterhead indicating you have sufficient funds available in cash to purchase the home. It's usually a one page document. Very simple. I've seen all different forms, but just something to illustrate to the seller. Yes, we are qualified to basically spend cash to buy this home. Pretty easy. Pretty simple, but great question.

Welcome to Season 2 of Real Estate Land! We’ve got a great question to kick off the next round of videos on all things real estate. What is a backup offer? Find out in today’s video, where I’ll give you an example and why it’s a good tool for sellers to use!

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Welcome to Real Estate Land. Or I guess I should say welcome to season two of Real Estate Land. We're back in action with lots of great questions, so please send us one as we love these questions and we'd love to give good answers. This week, I got a question from a past client. Lydia, actually out of Leawood. Lydia asked me: what is a backup offer? And a backup offer is, simply put, a second place offer that will go into effect if the current offer in place does not execute

So if, for example, if one buyer is willing to buy one house and that particular buyer decides not to perform, the backup offer will immediately slide in to be the new offer, much like a contingency. And sometimes a seller will see it as added ammunition to hold the first buyer accountable for their original presentation. If a buyer gets squeamish or decides to not perform at that point, the backup offer can slide in and take its place.

Really good question. A little hard to explain, but it's a great opportunity.

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Welcome to Real Estate Land! Another great question. Patricia from Leawood reached out to me this morning and said, “We're going to go to some open houses this weekend. What should I expect?” I said, “Well, to be honest, expect going to four different parties, all hosted by four different friends.”


Every house is different, every open house is different, and every agent is different. The goal of going to open houses is simply to see the home, see what your money buys and see what other homes look like.


You're going to find an annoying agent. You're going to find a fun agent. You're going to find a clean house. You're going to find a dirty house. Going to open houses is like the first chapter of the book. It's the educational process. It's seeing what else is out there. It's finding out what your money buys. It's determining that locations may be great, and may not be. That's your choice. Make the best of it. Make some friends have fun.


But always tell them I'm your realtor.

Prairie Village perfection! This bright & airy 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home features gorgeous hardwoods, exceptional curb appeal, and is remodeled top to bottom! Beautiful crisp kitchen offers granite countertops, subway tile, stainless appliances & opens to dining area.

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