1504 Halifax Street, Bellevue, NE

Did you know that now Military first time buyers can apply for a $5000 grant toward a down payment and closing costs? The national nonprofit Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation is offering the assistance through it’s Dream Makers program, but you are able to apply the grant to a mortgage from ANY financial institution. There are some restrictions….this is for active duty personnel, veterans, retired members of the military or employees of the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security. You must be a first time homebuyer, or have not owned a home in the past three years, and there are income restrictions. Please read about this program further at www.PentagonFoundation.org. Click on the ‘Dream Makers’ link.

Definitely worth checking into for all of my military clients!

You’ve cleaned, un-cluttered and staged your home precisely and yet you get a low-ball offer on your home. Ouch! How could they insult you that way?

I know it’s hard, but try not to take it personally. Most Buyers out there have seen the newspaper articles or heard the national TV reports about how horrible the housing market is right now. According to the news there are deals to be had everywhere and Buyers want one! The truth is the market in the Omaha Metro area isn’t awful, but Buyer’s are hoping to find that seller who is ‘desperate’ and therefore may sell their home at a very low price. Maybe they don’t understand the value of homes in your neighborhood, or they are just throwing a dollar amount out there to see if it sticks.

First…take a step back and try to see this from a Buyer’s perspective, without emotions getting in the way. Communicate. “Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Buyer for making an offer on my home.” Then take one of three approaches:

1. Accept it.
2. Reject it.
3. Counter it.

Accept it. If you’ve truly got a low-ball offer, this probably isn’t your first choice. However if you’re on the verge of a short-sale, or foreclosure and you haven’t had any offers to date this may be a good final option.

Reject it. You don’t like this offer and are not willing to accept any of the terms. This response tells the Buyer in no-nonsense terms that there is not a snowball’s chance that you will come together on this deal. If the Buyer has just thrown out a low dollar amount to see if they can ‘steal’ your home, they will quickly learn that your home is not a contender. If they have offered low because they can’t afford to go higher, then they will know that they need to move on to a lower-priced property. If they DO qualify for the list price, but don’t want to pay it, then they will learn that you are too far apart to make a deal come together. But sometimes if a Buyer truly wants the property, they will come back with another higher offer once this line has been drawn.

Counter it. You don’t like the offer, but you are willing to come down in price some and the Buyer will come up in price some and hopefully you can meet in the middle. I will always encourage you to counter a low-ball offer. You’ve had several showings with no offers and this Buyer actually liked the house enough to write an offer on it. Let’s not let this ‘live’, interested Buyer get away without at least trying to negotiate an agreement. After all, if you don’t reach a mutually acceptable price and terms you are no worse off than before.

Now bring on ANY and ALL offers!

This Sunday, June 5th, is the day for home buyers to find the homes of their dreams.
NP Dodge Real Estate is giving buyers the opportunity to tour over 150 NP Dodge listings
throughout the metro during the company’s Open House Extravaganza. It is also the Realtor®
Nationwide Open House Weekend, so not only is NP Dodge concentrating on helping
consumers find homes on June 5th, but also raising awareness of the benefits of home
ownership. First National Bank loan officers will be available for financing questions and
prequalification during this special event.
“Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions in a person’s life. We believe anyone who is
able and willing should have the opportunity and guidance to pursue their dream,” said Mike
Riedmann, President of Residential Sales. “Contrary to national reports our average days on
market was only two days longer than last year during the homebuyer tax credit boom. We are
expecting a rewarding weekend for home buyers. With low interest rates, various price ranges
and a variety of inventory, it’s a great time to buy. And to add a little fun we’re having 5
drawings for gift cards during this event.”
A complete list of NP Dodge properties on the tour is available to at npdodge.com. Click on the
Open House Extravaganza button.
NP Dodge is the oldest family owned real estate company in the United States. The company
currently maintains 13 offices in Nebraska and Iowa and has over 500 sales associates. For
instant access to homes available in your area or to find out more about one of the fastest
growing real estate companies in Nebraska and Iowa visit the premier real estate website in
the region npdodge.com or when on the go mobile.npdodge.com.

We’ve all done it…driven by a house and wondered how much they are asking for it. Or you’re out looking at open houses on a Sunday and wish you knew if there were any other open houses nearby. Well now it’s just a quick look at your cell phone and you’ll know! Get your smartphone out and bookmark m.npdodge.com. Here is a note from Mike Riedmann, President of NP Dodge Real Estate, talking about our mobile site. I thought I would share it with all of you…

I am pleased to announce our mobile web site, m.npdodge.com has been fully redesigned offering many more unique features.

Now users of our mobile site are able to use the GPS function within their Smartphone to find Nearby Homes, Nearby Rentals, Nearby Open Houses, and Nearby Sold properties. We have taken the mapping features of our main web site and mashed them up with the location based functionality of smartphones to bring the end user a robust experience when searching for a home while on the go. NP Dodge continues to focus on bringing new technology and innovation to our local market to provide you with differences that put you ahead of the competition. The new m.npdodge.com is no exception. Thank you for putting your trust in NP Dodge and being a part of our great family.

Now you can find out.

NP Dodge is pleased to announce a new “sold listings” feature on npdodge.com. Consumers will now be able to search for homes in Nebraska that have sold within the past 6 months. The listings will be updated on a daily basis from sold information received through the Great Plains Multiple Listing Service. This will create much easier access to accurate sold information, rather than going through national websites such as Zillow or Trulia or even the local county assessor site.

A single search on npdodge.com will return sold homes from the past 6 months that match specific criterion such as subdivision, style, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. Just one of the ways NP Dodge continually displays the ability to have cutting edge technology and innovation. The new sold feature button is found on the npdodge.com home page as well as within the detailed NE home search on the site.

Consumers request this information daily. I’m proud that we’re able to provide such easy access to this up-to-date information on our website!

Check it out! www.npdodge.com