Sellers Archives - Page 17 of 21

Commercial real estate, not all Brokers are created equal

October 16, 2016 By Tayson Rockefeller Leave a Comment

Depending on where you are from, you’re probably used to seeing real estate agents that typically work with residential home buyers and lot sales. Then, you have the commercial real estate brokers who are described by many as a “whole ‘nother animal”. This is usually because commercial real estate agents don’t do much in terms of residential sales. In some cases such as Idaho Falls, the brokers network with one another as well as more regional (or brokers in other regions) commercial brokers, and the local client base. It was described to me as “a lot of going out to lunch” (networking) when I asked a local real estate professional about trying to find information in the local MLS, which oftentimes commercial agents don’t do. Anyway, they hold things close to their chest. Maybe that’s because they are protecting their client base and interest as a commercial broker, or maybe it’s simply because they don’t need to use the MLS because it’s not the way it works in that area.

Regardless of the reason, the training, lingo, and education is indeed entirely different. Things like allocation, highest and best use, different types of commercial leases, trade fixtures, and many more other items come into play, that don’t apply to residential real estate. In many cases agents that begin working with the commercial real estate applications are oftentimes considered to have changed careers entirely. If they decide to continue working with all forms of real estate, additional training and even Realtor designations come into play.

Now that we have a grasp on the differences between the two types of Brokers, and how they do business in our area, such as Teton Valley, Jackson and surrounding areas? In my experience, there are different types of agents here, but that usually applies more to agents who specialize in farm and ranch and Residential rather than residential and commercial. Typically, any agent that has an opportunity to work with a commercial project or Prospect does so regardless of their experience or training. It’s worked for many years here and particularly in Jackson. While there are many agents who do have specific commercial real estate training, many do not. To complicate things further, comes the property management aspect. Because our area borders both Idaho and Wyoming, we find that they are different state regulations for property management which is also involved with commercial real estate applications in most cases. Wyoming Agency Law requires licensure for property management practice. However, Idaho is one of the only States in the Nation that does not require licensure for property management practice. So, we do see some separation with property management firms in the Jackson area that do carry real estate licenses to practice commercial primarily because of the property management aspect. Then, you get to Teton Valley, ID where you have residential real estate brokers practicing commercial real estate, that don’t necessarily practice property management because there are independent companies handling these tasks in most cases.

We are not likely to see dedicated commercial firms come to our region because of the lack of available work. However, it is important to understand that there are many moving parts to commercial real estate applications and property management. It would be prudent for those interested in working with a local Realtor to understand that Realtor’s knowledge in the commercial real estate sector. We do find in some cases that out-of-area commercial real estate brokers are brought into our area. However, because it is customary here to work in conjunction with the MLS with regards to Commercial Real Estate, and the fact that these out-of-region or out-of-state Brokers do not have access to our local MLS, it is far less effective from a marketing standpoint. We also find that because these non-regional commercial brokers do not understand the local market, it complicates things further.

The National Association of Realtors does have special training and designations for commercial real estate, such as the CCIM designation.

What is Title Insurance?

October 1, 2016 By Tayson Rockefeller Leave a Comment

title-insurance ***Tayson is not a Title expert! Always consult with your Title Company, or attorney when reviewing an actual policy, or Commitment for Title Insurance.

Simplified, Title Insurance is basically a form of insurance which insures (a buyer) against Financial loss from defects in the chain of title for real property.

Usually we see two types. What is called an Owner’s Policy, and a Lender’s Policy or Mortgagee Policy.

Owner’s Policy
The Owner’s Policy is basically what is described above. It helps ensure the property gets properly vested with the purchaser, that it is free of liens and encumbrances, and usually covers losses and damages suffered in the event the title it is deemed unmarketable or there is no access, usually for the amount of the purchase price.

Lender’s Policy
The Lender’s Policy, sometimes referred to as the Mortgagee Policy is typically only issued to lenders. The policy benefits whomever holds the mortgage loan. These policies cover the lender for losses regarding some of the same issues set forth in the owners policy including access, but also the lien created by the mortgage to ensure that it remains enforceable. Your lender usually requires that you hold homeowners insurance to protect their interest in the event that home is damaged, and the same goes for title. They usually require that you have a lender’s policy to protect their interest with regards to the lien created by the mortgage and that the property continues to remain marketable.

Who Pays for these Policies?
In Teton County, it is fairly customary that the seller will pay for the Owner’s Policy, and that the buyer will pay for the Lender’s Policy if they are obtaining a loan. This is not always the case, buyers have been known to pay for the Owner’s Policy, and sellers have been known to pay all of the buyers closing costs which usually includes the cost of the Lender’s Policy. There are also extended policies available, I will go over and another post.

With the above said, it is important to remember that there are requirements that need to be met in order for these policies to be issued, and there are exceptions of which the title company does not insure. These are usually set forth in what is called a Title Commitment, which you have probably seen if you have purchased property in Teton Valley.

Title Commitment

A Title Commitment is basically the title company’s promise to issue a title insurance policy for the property after closing. The title commitment contains the same terms, conditions, and exclusions that will be in the actual insurance policy.

The Requirements section lists what things must be done before escrow can close and title insurance will be issued. If a requirement can not be met, close of escrow may be prevented or delayed. The Title Company will normally help make sure that these requirements are met prior to closing.

The Exceptions section discloses the exceptions that the Title Company will not cover against. It also generally includes certain standard exceptions such as mineral and water rights. The Title Insurance Policy will not insure against loss, nor will the title insurer pay costs, attorney fees, or expenses, resulting from title problems listed in this exceptions section, so it is important to review these in your Commitment for Title Insurance, before the actual policy is issued at close of escrow.

The Teton Valley Market: Where it’s been, Where it’s going

September 3, 2016 By Tayson Rockefeller Leave a Comment

The Teton Valley Market: Where it’s been, Where it’s going: September 2016

I’m not going to say that nobody saw the downturn coming in 2008. We were all going crazy. Most of us that thought it might happen? We were ignoring it. We were too busy. It did though, and like our grandparents before us, many of us think about it today. To me, it was yesterday. Sure, recovery is still a commonly used term, even though (by all appearances) our market is recovered. Sort of.

I’ve read a few recent articles. One was a few months back by a group in Jackson and Jonathan Schechter, “Our mess will fuel suburban growth”. Jonathan was referring to his expectation for Teton Valley’s continual growth as the housing market, and frankly the available land on the other side of the hill tightens it’s grip. This article, and a few like it sparked several rhetorical articles and comments from those all too concerned with our sudden growth spurt. This group was concerned with the amount of growth we saw leading up to the recession, and the possible ramifications of too much growth all at once.

Personally, I don’t think things are growing too fast. We’re not seeing a large amount of construction, virtually no development, just market recovery and prices continuing to rise. By all appearances, home prices are on par with years leading up to the recession, if not close to pre-recession levels. However, this is not taking into account inflation or construction costs. Believe it or not, the recession began nearly a decade ago. Times were different. Construction costs were less expensive than they are now, and the housing situation in Jackson is worse than ever before.

The relief comes in land prices. Pre-recession, some developers made out like Bandits. They got in while things were hot, and got out before they were not. Some lost their hide. Lest we forget many locals who’s lives will never be the same after risk, and no reward. Bankruptcy, short sales, foreclosures, it was a mess. I mentioned relief. Though these terrible things happened to good people, and bad people, it is all behind us. We now have a huge inventory of available, developed land ready to be put to good use in the coming years, and possibly, decades. No, it’s not going to be a thousand years like some predicted throughout the recession. I remember 3 acre parcels selling at $200 to 300,000 – it’s where the big money was. Now that those same lots are under $100,000, it makes inflated building prices manageable, and the whole situation more affordable. With the huge inventory, supply and demand is not as much a factor (unless you get into supply and demand of niche locations) and Teton Virew lots a-plenty.

Where’s it going?

With the above said related to current building costs, it is my prediction that I can make an educated guess on where the market is, in relation to where it’s going in the near term. I believe that residential is nearly fully recovered, though we can expect annual growth with regards to real estate and it’s investment properties related to inflation and growing populations. Land, unless in areas of high demand where those with disposable income can comfortably spend more such as resort areas or River front properties will continue to grow, though only slowly until supply is diminished and there is renewed demand. I believe an indicator where we will need to recognize a market approaching dangerous levels will be an explosive jump in land prices. Am I saying we should prepare for another major housing collapse at that time? Not necessarily, but remember Real Estate is cyclical, and even more so in resort areas. Cycles, or slight market adjustments over time are actually healthy in some ways.

Where it’s been:

Since I tried to depict scenarios for both the short and long term foreseeable future, here’s a bit of information as to where the market has been. I selected two quality subdivisions, and found a home that sold pre-recession, during the recession, and recently. The first, Brookside Hollow – a popular, quality development in Victor, ID an area in Teton Valley reliant on recreation markets including our own, and Jackson Hole. The second, Comore Loma – a quality, scenic development along the foothills overlooking Ammon, ID (Idaho Falls) an area with low unemployment reliant on local commerce, business, regional hospitals, and the INL technology site.

Comore Loma, Ammon ID

April, 2005: $181,000
February, 2008: $208,500
February, 2014: $185,573
January, 2016: $210,000

Brookside Hollow, Victor ID

January, 2006: $396,000
July, 2012: $198,000
December, 2015: $350,000

Looking at the information above, it becomes obvious that recreation markets obviously see a larger depression in housing crunches and times of economic distress. If I gave you the numbers of the sales prices and the years sold for the home in Ammon, you probably wouldn’t be able to match them up. The market, though they saw a depression, was far less volatile. The Victor market (remember these homes are somewhat comparable) is much more lucrative, however.

The moral of the (my) story for the analysis above is that both markets appear to be sustainable in time, if you can live with the ramifications of a housing collapse in a recreational area.

Why do listing agents always seem to attend showings here?

July 28, 2016 By Tayson Rockefeller Leave a Comment

Notice how I worded the question above, and not “Should listing agents attend showings”. The reason is that I often hear this question from prospective buyer customers, or, customers working with another broker while I am attending a showing for one of my listings. If you only have had experience with real estate in the Jackson & Teton region (including Alpine & Star Valley) you are probably used to the fact that there will very likely be 2 agents at a home showing. The listing agent, and the agent working with the buyer. It’s a way of life out here, whether it’s a 100,000 dollar home or a 1 million dollar home.

If you are not from the area, you may have had a different experience. In the Snake River area (Idaho Falls etc.) all of the agents pay a monthly or annual fee to have “infrared key access” in the form of a card, or even a smart phone application. There might even be instructions on the listing that provides contact information to the occupant in which case the agent can call the occupant directly, whether it’s a tenant or the home owner. In areas like Malibu, it is expected that listing brokers attend showings only for higher dollar listings, but not all showings.

This can go both ways I suppose, what about buyer’s agents not attending showings, for instance – ahem – buyer’s working with an agent in another state (maybe a state just East of Idaho?) that can’t attend a showing for a home their customer wants to see on the Idaho side? Would it be acceptable to just send them over and let the list agent take care of it?

OK, so maybe the last example is clearly not the right thing to do, but there are very different ways of doing business throughout the united states, and Canada for that matter. Here, some feel that we are held to a higher standard as we are members of the same MLS as the high end Jackson listings. So… to attend, or not to attend, the pros and cons weighed below;

To attend! (pros):

From a seller representative standpoint, there are some definite pros here IF the agent is timely, knowledgeable, and helpful with important facts about the house without being overwhelming. Also,it may be that the Seller hired the list agent specifically from a trust standpoint – someone to look after the home, lock all doors, keep an eye on personal belongings, and so on. After all, a buyer’s agent on a home tour of 8 homes might have a hard time keeping track of everything.

To not attend… (cons):

Some buyers (specifically from areas where they are not used to 2 creepy real estate agents following them around) feel that it’s strange to have the listing agent present at every showing. Admittedly, it can get a bit overwhelming. “OK all, our next home we will be meeting John with ABC realty” (long introductions etc.). John goes about explaining everything I explained in the car – or here’s a good one; My customers walk in HATE the place, would prefer to walk back out but John sucks us into a long description of the home, the sellers, the neighbors, the area, where he was raised, his favorite local restaurant, 15 reasons to move to Teton Valley… you get the idea.

Summary

In the opinion of most her locally, the pros outweigh the cons, attend all showings. At the end of the day, however, it is up to the listing agent, and the seller. This is a discussion that needs to be had with the seller and the list agent. My advise? First, ask the seller what they prefer. Maybe the seller remembers the time when they were once buyers and John from ABC Realty gave them nightmares for the next 6 months. Or, maybe during their last home sale they discovered personal belongings went missing after a showing. The suggestion I make to my clients? If you would like me to attend showings, that is what I shall do. In the event I cannot (there is only one of me) allow me to put a combination lock box on the door. This has allowed for last minute showings that have produced contracts.

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