Friday, March 28, 2008

Looking for a Hill Country Realtor? Reasons why you should choose GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg

By Greg Oehler, Broker/Owner of GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg

This post is from GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg's real estate blog The Burg. To read more Fredericksburg real estate news, analysis & insight, visit The Burg online.


I like Fredericksburg! I like the people, the visitors, the quality of life, the sense of pride in the community, and our historical legacy. I was born and raised here and have lived here most of my life.

I feel like my office is an integral part of the community. All of my agents are from here or the surrounding Hill Country, and we know the area pretty well. Given that background, here are some reasons why I believe you should come to GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg for your real estate needs.

We know the local real estate market

You may hear that from a lot of Realtors who have a computer and pay their MLS dues. But our home-grown agents do not just tell you what you want to hear, they tell you the facts.

Some sellers just want their ego stroked when they get ready to put a property on the market, and we can do that if you like. But, we are still going to tell you the market facts—like what similar properties are actually selling for—and then you can make an intelligent decision to sell or buy.


We price your property fairly

GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg

Our agents look at what has sold recently relying most heavily on “Sold” comparables as our best source of integrity in the numbers. We also look at competing listings to understand how well the subject property would do with those currently on the market.

If two properties are priced the same but one has more features and benefits, the market will usually beat a path to that one first. We do not try to win listings by “buying the listings,” that is, telling the seller a high price just to sound good. We see that often times when a listing has been “bought” it leads to unpleasant feelings between the seller and the Realtor.

No one has a crystal ball and no two homes are exactly alike, so there can be room for error; however, we do our best to give sellers a realistic price range.

Higher than realistic List Prices can also lead to a problematic situation we call “following the market down.” We see people marking their price down, then down again and again over a long time. They are so afraid of leaving a nickel on the table that they lose sight of thousands of dollars of holding costs. Ultimately, they might have come away after the sale with more money if they would have sold immediately at a lower price.


We market your property

Our multi-faceted marketing strategy places your property in front of as many buyers as reasonably possible! We do this through the MLS (multiple listing service), the Internet, the local newspaper, regional magazines, and our storefront window on Main Street where dozens of people walk past on the way to downtown Fredericksburg shopping every day.

Almost any Realtor can put your property on the MLS, right? Yes, but be careful. Some sellers have their property on the MLS with misinformation such as incorrect directions, poor quality listing photos, and in some cases on expensive properties in excess of one million dollars, only on or two photos!

In other cases we have seen the listing categorized incorrectly so other Realtors have a difficult time trying to locate it. We cannot make the market pay more than they will bear, but we can get you properly positioned in the marketplace to take advantage of what market is there.

We know how to get your property exposed to thousands of people using several popular websites including Trulia, Zillow, Oodle, Yahoo! Real Estate, and several more. It seems that as much as 80% of the market begins their search for property online, so it is important to be in front of them.


We have the experience to guide you through the entire sale process

GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg will strive to sell your property

We have been a fixture in Fredericksburg real estate for 14 years. Several of us have been licensed since the 1970s. While we still learn things about real estate every day, we have seen quite a few sales in our experience. We know what to expect in the buying and selling process and can offer you the benefit of that experience. Outside experience that can help you:

  • I have an extensive background in real estate finance. I know both sides of the lender’s table. I also have had a lot of experience with commercial and large acreage properties. View Greg’s bio and contact information
  • Willie has extensive experience in accounting. He also has had extensive experience in commercial and residential properties. View Willie’s bio and contact information
  • Dock has had extensive experience in ranching and acreage properties. Dock has also owned other businesses and can offer his expertise in several of those. View Dock’s bio and contact information
  • Sheila was a math teacher in Austin. You can count on Sheila for the number side of your transaction. View Sheila’s bio and contact information
  • Don’s background was in coaching and real estate. He has helped clients by “coaching” them to stage the home a little better for showing and having them do the repairs to better position the home. View Don’s bio and contact information


We are part of the community

Agents in our shop have been members of, or belong to, various civic groups and churches, including the following:

  • Good Samaritan Center for the underprivileged in need of medical care
  • Local hospital boards and foundations
  • Various City and County governments’ boards/committees
  • Various School Board committees
  • Various churches, church leadership organizations, and youth leaders
  • Local soccer organization for children
  • Art and photography clubs
  • Various historical organizations
  • Leadership Gillespie County
  • Leadership positions in our local real estate board, including two past presidents
  • Leadership role in Texas Association of Realtors Region 7
  • Leadership in the county Economic Development committee
  • Chamber of Commerce members in Fredericksburg & Stonewall


Keep reading our blog

We will continue to keep you updated on the market conditions in Fredericksburg on this blog, so keep checking back with us periodically. If you want, you can subscribe to our email updates, which will send you an email whenever we have a new blog post.


Put us to the test

We want your business and we have the experience and the capability to properly position your property in the marketplace. The Realtor who simply tells you what you want to hear is not necessarily your friend. Make them show you the facts, or just come to GMAC Real Estate Fredericksburg and get them straight away. Contact one of our skilled agents about how we can help you today. We can sell your property!


Read Greg's agent bio.

Greg can be reached by cell at (830) 456-3622, at the office at (830) 997-6123, or by email at Greg@fbgliving.com


To read more articles like this, visit
The Burg at www.TheBurgBlog.net

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