John Souerbry

Hi Snowy -
The MLS listing could have just a clerical error, though that field is usually auto-filled when the listing agent enters the parcel number.
It could be the county records are truly off - I recently had a similar situation with a client's property. We solved it by ordering a survey of the lot by a licensed surveyor. When a surveyor conducts a survey and determines that the dimensions, lot line locations, or actual size of the lot don't match what's in county records, they are required by law to record a correction with the county and place new markers in the ground. This seems to happen more often now because survey tools have improved so much over the last 20 years. When you make your offer you can list a survey as a contingent inspection.
Best of luck - John - Sun Nov 16 2008, 05:49

Hi Elissa,
I'd be happy to provide that information, as it is available publically, but I'd prefer to do it via email rather than posting it on this public forum. I hope you understand and will contact me via email if you would like me to do this for you. My email is john@jsrealproperty.com .
John - Mon Oct 20 2008, 14:13

Hi Kim,
Although representing both buyer and seller is completely legal, I won't do it. Many brokers who do will say that they can offer a lower commission and have no trouble being faithful to both sides. I can't comment on how they do it, but I can say that we agressively represent our clients to the point that representing both sides would be impractical. The old adage is: would you hire the same lawyer representing your opponent in a lawsuit? - Tue Sep 16 2008, 23:36

Hi Struggling, you're certain to get a lot of answers to your question from great agents who will give you wonderful advice about finding a name brand broker. I'm going to give you another perspective that might help with your career decisions, at least that's my intention.
John Hickey (previous answer) is right on the money with his advice. You want prospects and clients to remember YOUR name before they remember your broker brand or office. You are likely to change brokers several times in your career, you don't want your clients calling an old office when they need you - you want them to call one phone number that goes straight to you and never changes during your entire career.
True, a franchise office offers training, opportunity to work with experienced agents, and name recognition, but AGENTS close deals and build client relationships.
My practice is primarily consulting, but I do broker exclusively for my investor clients. If a consulting client has a listing that I don't want to handle myself, I'll seek out a local broker to take the listing. 99.99% of the time I won't give my client's listing to a franchise broker. Independent brokers tend to have more flexibility when it comes to negotiating terms of the listing and provide more personal attention. Of course there are a lot of great agents working at franchise offices, but my preference is to work with an independent who has worked hard to develop their own name recognition.
Best of luck,
John
John A. Souerbry & Associates - Fri Aug 8 2008, 00:42

Renee - If you try to qualify as a "first time buyer" (FTB), make sure the program you sign up for has better terms than a program for more experienced buyers. In other words, shop it both ways. In general, first time home buyers are a higher risk because of their lack of homeowner experience. Some FTB loan programs are easy to qualify for but the terms aren't great. Some are hard to qualify for but the terms are super. I recommend you talk to at least three different lenders and have them prepare a written quote for each scenario (FTB and non-FTB). Ask them to prepare a Good Faith Estimate so that you can compare total fees and interest rates to find the best deal. If you don't have a place to buy in your sights right now, create a scenario that all of them can quote to, such as: "Single family home, purchase price $800k, 20% down payment." Make sure each lender has the same qualifying information for you (income, credit score, etc.). Good luck!
John - Sun Aug 3 2008, 18:47