The Three Most Important Words in Real Estate (Part I) (2024)

There is an old adage, that the three most important words in real estate are ‘Location, Location, Location’. But are they? If you are a Realtor who has been asked to list a property for sale, or if you are an owner who wants to sell your property what can you do to improve the location?

In this series of three articles we will explore the three most important words, so you can achieve your goal of getting your property under contract. Once it is under contract you want to get the transaction closed – happy Seller, happy Buyer, and happy Realtor. That is where we come in. We specialize in successful closings. But let’s go back to those three words.

Sellers have three major goals:–

  1. To sell the property in their own preferred timescale

  2. For the highest price the market will allow, and

  3. With the least hassle and fewest problems

To achieve those goals, the three most important words in real estate are not Location, Location, Location, but Price, Condition, Availability. Let’s look at the first word – Price.

Yes, price has a lot to do with location, but it also has a lot to do with knowledge, experience, the current market conditions, competition from similar properties, and so on. To get a property sold has a lot to do with pricing it correctly. Every Realtor knows that over-pricing, to “add a little dicker money” as some Sellers call it, will delay a sale, and often results in the property selling for less than it would have done

Price Your Property Properly

If you are a professional Realtor, you will know exactly how to prepare a professional Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) but if you are not an expert at selling properties, get advice from someone who is. Find out about the market conditions, comparable properties (ones like yours) that are on the market, are under contract, have recently closed, and those which failed to sell (because they tell you a lot, as well.)

You need to know:-

  1. What price properties like yours recently sold for

  2. The percentage difference between their original asking price, final asking price and sold price

  3. How long they were on the market (at each price) before going under contract

  4. What properties were priced at but did not sell and were taken off the market

  5. How many properties are currently on the market and at what price

  6. What price changes there have been to those properties which are still for sale

When you fully understand all the details, you understand the market you are entering. When you decide to sell your home you might be excited or you might feel daunted or sad. There is a lot of emotion involved. In addition, if you price your home wrong, you could also add frustrated, disappointed, and tired.

When you put your property on the market it will compete with similar properties, and will become subject to a law of economics called the ‘The Law of Substitution’. If you price your property ‘way too high’ for the current market, no one will view it. Other Sellers will be advised not to make the same mistake, and yours will be left sitting, with no viewings. If you price it a little too high, people will look at it – and then buy a similar one that was ‘priced right for the market’ because it was better value.

Even if you price it too high and you are fortunate enough to get an offer, most Buyers need a mortgage, so the appraiser will decide what the price should have been. If your Buyer can’t get the mortgage they need, you will either lose the Buyer or be forced to lower your price just to keep the contract together. If you lose the Buyer you will have to lower your price because you now know what your property is worth, and the next appraiser will do what the first one did. So the message is price it right the first time. Price it for your property’s location, its condition, and your competition. In the next article in this series we will look at Condition and in the third article we will explore the word Availability. All three words affect the sale.

We hope you found this article a little eye-opening, and that it will help you to price your property right. Once it is under contract, you will need a title company to prepare everything, so the transaction closes and you can walk away with ‘the highest price the market will allow’.

When your property is under contract, you get involved in appraisals, inspections, and title work. All of us, at Liberty Land Transfer, Inc, are experts in real estate and the title work that gets you to a smooth and on-time closing. If you liked this article, and you learned something about pricing your property then please raise the title order with us.

#thethreemostimportantwordsinrealestate

Liberty Land Transfer is a Pennsylvania-based title company dedicated to fostering long-term relationships. Our clients appreciate our diligence, flexibility, and attention to service. Contact us to find out why we’re the right company for you.

The Three Most Important Words in Real Estate (Part I) (2024)

FAQs

The Three Most Important Words in Real Estate (Part I)? ›

To achieve those goals, the three most important words in real estate are not Location, Location, Location, but Price, Condition, Availability.

What are the 3 most important things when looking to buy real estate? ›

What to Look for When Buying a House
  • Search for the right price.
  • Prioritize the location.
  • Think long term.
  • Assess property condition.
  • Don't focus on minor cosmetic details.
  • Stick with your must-haves.

What is the most important part of real estate? ›

Property Location

The adage "location, location, location" is still king and continues to be the most important factor for profitability in real estate investing. Proximity to amenities, green space, scenic views, and the neighborhood's status factor prominently into residential property valuations.

What is the rule of three real estate? ›

What is the Rule of 3? The Rule of 3 is simply this: You can get a good general estimate of your property affordability by multiplying your gross household income by three. For example, if your household income is $150,000, the Rule of 3 states that an affordable property for you would cap at about $450,000.

What are the 3 areas of focus with real estate? ›

The main segments of the real estate sector are residential real estate, commercial real estate, and industrial real estate.

What are the 3 things that determine price for real estate? ›

A home's value is affected by local real estate trends, the housing market, the home's condition, age, location and property size.

What are the key aspects of real estate? ›

Real estate has seven specific characteristics related to its economic impact or physical nature. They are scarcity, improvements, location, investment permanence, uniqueness, immobility, and Indestructibility. A real estate property can be classified into residential, commercial, industrial, or land.

What makes you stand out in real estate? ›

Making a unique presence in your community with events, relevant virtual resources, and consistently great photography on your listings can make you really stand out as a real estate agent. Be sure to highlight unique features of your listings to curate experiences for your ideal buyers.

What are the 5 aspects of real estate? ›

There are five main categories of real estate which include residential, commercial, industrial, raw land, and special use. Investing in real estate includes purchasing a home, rental property, or land. Indirect investment in real estate can be made via REITs or through pooled real estate investment.

What is the C word in real estate? ›

C. Capitalization rate, or cap rate: a metric used in real estate to evaluate the potential return on an investment property. Cash reserves: Money that is set aside or saved by an individual or a business to use in case of an emergency. Closing: The process of finalizing a real estate transaction.

What is the 4 rule in real estate? ›

This is a simple enough question and one many investors ask when checking on their progress toward retirement. The “4% rule” is a theory that states you should be able to retire and safely withdraw 4% of your savings every year and your money should last 30 years.

What is the rule in real estate? ›

What Is The 1% Rule In Real Estate? The 1% rule of real estate investing measures the price of the investment property against the gross income it will generate. For a potential investment to pass the 1% rule, its monthly rent must be equal to or no less than 1% of the purchase price.

What is the 2 rule in real estate? ›

This is a general rule of thumb that determines a base level of rental income a rental property should generate. Following the 2% rule, an investor can expect to realize a gross yield from a rental property if the monthly rent is at least 2% of the purchase price.

What is meant by 3 rule? ›

: a rule in mathematics: the product of the means in a proportion equals the product of the extremes.

What are the three dimensions of real estate? ›

In this Article, we demonstrate that every property question invariably involves three distinct dimensions: (1) the number of owners, (2) the scope of owner's dominion and (3) asset configuration.

What are the 4 P's of marketing in real estate? ›

Activities you choose to bring your product and service to consumers will depend on the brokerage you work for, local market circ*mstances, and competition. Whatever the combination, however, your marketing mix should include four variables, known as the four Ps – product, promotion, price, and place.

What are the three pillars of commercial real estate? ›

Commercial real estate (CRE) sits at the confluence of three distinct markets – space, equity, and debt.

What are the 4 factors that influence value? ›

The current and future importance consumers place on the four factors of value (Desire, Utility, Scarcity, and Effective Purchasing Power) represents Demand and Supply of the product or service.

What are the four elements of value in real estate? ›

The Four Essential Elements of Value are:
  • Scarcity: How much is there of it?
  • Transferability: Can it be sold?
  • Utility: Can it be used?
  • Demand: Does anybody want it?

What are the three perspectives of price? ›

For purposes of discussion, we categorize the alternative approaches to determining price as follows: (a) cost-oriented pricing; (b) demand-oriented pricing; and (c) value-based approaches.

What are the 5 essential elements of a real estate contract name and define? ›

Required Elements of a Real Estate Contract

To establish legality, a real estate contract must include a legal purpose, legally competent parties, agreement by offer and acceptance, consideration, and consent.

What is the importance of real estate? ›

Residential real estate provides housing for families. It is the greatest source of wealth and savings for many Americans. Commercial real estate, which includes income producing properties such as apartment buildings, retail shopping centers, office buildings, and manufacturing also creates many jobs.

What are three of the four characteristics of real property? ›

immobility, indestructibility, and uniqueness.

What increases real estate value? ›

Supply and demand

The basic law of supply and demand have a major effect on the housing market. Simply put, as the housing supply decreases or as demand rises, creating an inventory shortage, home values go up. A real estate inventory shortage means that there are fewer sellers than there are buyers.

How do you force value in real estate? ›

An investor can force appreciation by increasing rental income, increasing property value, or a combination of both. By running rent comparables, an investor can analyze if the existing rent is below market.

What makes real estate hard? ›

Earning a living selling real estate is hard work. You have to be organized in order to keep track of legal documents, meetings, and all the tasks that go into multiple listings. You may go without a paycheck for periods of time because the work is often commission-based. If you don't sell, you don't earn anything.

What is the 10 rule in real estate? ›

A good rule is that a 1% increase in interest rates will equal 10% less you are able to borrow but still keep your same monthly payment. It's said that when interest rates climb, every 1% increase in rate will decrease your buying power by 10%. The higher the interest rate, the higher your monthly payment.

What are 4 of the major real estate risk concerns? ›

Real estate investing can be lucrative, but it's important to understand the risks. Key risks include bad locations, negative cash flows, high vacancies, and problem tenants. Other risks to consider are the lack of liquidity, hidden structural problems, and the unpredictable nature of the real estate market.

What is the golden letter in real estate? ›

Golden letters are persuasive letters that real estate agents send to homeowners in an effort to get them to list their home with the agent. In other words, they are a type of marketing material.

What is the full form of ABC in real estate? ›

Always Be Closing (ABC) is a motivational phrase used to describe a sales strategy. It implies that a salesperson following the regimen should continuously look for new prospects, pitch products or services to those prospects, and ultimately complete a sale.

What is the word fee in real estate? ›

The real estate term fee simple describes a landowner's complete and total ownership of a piece of land and all properties on it. The fee simple owner may do anything they wish on the land, as long as it falls within established easem*nts and zoning laws.

What is Rule 70 in real estate? ›

The 70% rule can help flippers when they're scouring real estate listings for potential investment opportunities. Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home.

What is the 80% rule in real estate? ›

The 80% rule means that an insurer will only fully cover the cost of damage to a house if the owner has purchased insurance coverage equal to at least 80% of the house's total replacement value.

What is the 4 3 2 1 rule in real estate? ›

4-3-2-1 rule

The front quarter of the standard site receives 40% of the total value. The second quarter receives 30% of the total value. The third quarter receives 20% of the total value; and the rear quarter receives just 10% of the total value.

What is the 50% rule in real estate? ›

Like many rules of real estate investing, the 50 percent rule isn't always accurate, but it can be a helpful way to estimate expenses for rental property. To use it, an investor takes the property's gross rent and multiplies it by 50 percent, providing the estimated monthly operating expenses. That sounds easy, right?

What is the 100 10 3 1 rule? ›

Many real estate investors subscribe to the “100:10:3:1 rule” (or some variation of it): An investor must look at 100 properties to find 10 potential deals that can be profitable. From these 10 potential deals an investor will submit offers on 3. Of the 3 offers submitted, 1 will be accepted.

What is the 36 rule in real estate? ›

A household should spend a maximum of 28% of its gross monthly income on total housing expenses according to this rule, and no more than 36% on total debt service. This includes housing and other debt such as car loans and credit cards. Lenders often use this rule to assess whether to extend credit to borrowers.

What is the 25 rule in real estate? ›

To calculate how much house you can afford, use the 25% rule—never spend more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay (after tax) on monthly mortgage payments.

What is the 5 and 2 real estate rule? ›

The 2-out-of-five-year rule states that you must have both owned and lived in your home for a minimum of two out of the last five years before the date of sale. However, these two years don't have to be consecutive, and you don't have to live there on the date of the sale.

What is the 20 rule in real estate? ›

The rule, applicable in many financial, commercial, and social contexts, states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. For example, many researchers have found that: 80% of real estate deals are closed by 20% of the real estate teams.

What does rule 4 mean? ›

You may not be familiar with a Rule 4, or R4 - that is until it has been applied to your bet and you receive a lower payout amount than you were expecting. Rule 4 is an industry wide deduction rule created for when there are non-runners in a horse/greyhound race after the final declarations have been made.

What is the best Rule of Three? ›

The outline of an effective speech has three sections: an introduction, body and conclusion. The repetition is powerful because it can make a message more persuasive, more memorable, and more entertaining.

What are the 3 rules of 3? ›

Normally, the rule of threes contains the following:
  • You can survive three minutes without breathable air (unconsciousness), or in icy water.
  • You can survive three hours in a harsh environment (extreme heat or cold).
  • You can survive three days without drinkable water.
  • You can survive three weeks without food.

What are the 3 main dimensions? ›

Everything around us, from the houses we live in to the objects we use in everyday life, has three dimensions: height, length, and width.

What are the 3 known dimensions? ›

The world as we know it has three dimensions of space—length, width and depth—and one dimension of time.

What are the 3 things you need to buy a house? ›

To buy a house, you'll need a qualifying credit score and debt-to-income ratio, proof of income and employment, and enough cash to cover the down payment and closing costs. Specific qualifying requirements will vary depending on your loan program and mortgage lender.

What are 3 of the 6 things you need to buy a house? ›

The process can differ among lenders but in every case, there are six boxes to check off when applying for a home loan: Get your down payment together; pick a lender, check your credit score, check your debt-to-income ratio, set aside closing costs, and apply for pre-approval of a mortgage.

What are the top three reasons to buy a home? ›

Share
  • Tax benefits. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, and some of the costs involved in buying a home.
  • Appreciation. Historically, real estate has had a long-term, stable growth in value. ...
  • Equity. ...
  • Savings. ...
  • Predictability. ...
  • Freedom. ...
  • Stability.

What are the 4 most important things you need to buy a home? ›

What Do You Need To Buy a House? 7 Requirements for 2023
  • → 1. Qualifying Credit.
  • → 2. Proof of Income and Finances.
  • → 3. Cash Needed to Close On Your Home.
  • → 4. Home Buying Budget.
  • → 5. Mortgage Loan.
  • → 6. Mortgage Pre-Approval.
  • → 7. Real Estate Agent.
  • → Final Thoughts.
Jan 5, 2023

What are the 7 steps to buying a house? ›

A Home Buyer's Guide: 7 Steps to Take Before Purchasing
  1. Determine how much house you can afford. ...
  2. Research your housing market. ...
  3. Build your savings. ...
  4. Reduce your debt. ...
  5. Improve your credit. ...
  6. Get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. ...
  7. Shop for a home and make an offer. ...
  8. Conclusion.
Jan 12, 2023

What are the key points you consider buying a house? ›

Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned investor, here are some of the most important things to consider when buying a home:
  • Debt-To-Income Ratio.
  • Duration of stay.
  • Job security.
  • Down payment.
  • Emotional state.
  • Local market indicators.
  • Mortgage rates.
  • Supply and demand.

What are 5 things you should do before buying a home? ›

A step-by-step guide to buying a house
  • Understand why you want to buy a house. Purchasing a home is a major decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. ...
  • Check your credit score. ...
  • Save for a down payment. ...
  • Create a housing budget. ...
  • Shop for a mortgage. ...
  • Hire a real estate agent. ...
  • See multiple homes. ...
  • Make an offer.
Apr 28, 2023

What are the six main factors to consider when choosing a house? ›

Here are six factors you should always consider when buying a property.
  • Location. The location of the property is one of the most important factors to consider. ...
  • Size. The size of the property is another important factor to consider. ...
  • Property Age. ...
  • Property Condition. ...
  • Property value. ...
  • Your Budget.
Sep 20, 2022

What should a house must have? ›

Wi-Fi, gas, water and electricity are all must-haves for your new home. Schedule a supermarket delivery. You can get all the heavy essentials, like canned goods, brought right to your door to give your pantry a head start.

What are 3 factors that affect demand? ›

These factors include:
  • Price of the Product. ...
  • The Consumer's Income. ...
  • The Price of Related Goods. ...
  • The Tastes and Preferences of Consumers. ...
  • The Consumer's Expectations. ...
  • The Number of Consumers in the Market.

What are the 4 factors of demand? ›

Four factors that affect demand are price, buyers' income level, consumer taste, and competition.

What are 4 factors that cause high demand increase? ›

The demand for a good increases or decreases depending on several factors. This includes the product's price, perceived quality, advertising spend, consumer income, consumer confidence, and changes in taste and fashion.

What are the 3 advantages of home ownership *? ›

When it comes to buying a home, there are numerous perks that come along with just the house itself; financial stability, financial strength, tax deductions, a permanent home, and a sense of belonging in your community.

What's your top 2 priorities when considering buying a home? ›

Some of the most important factors to consider when buying a house are price, size, and location. Knowing your priorities ahead of time can help you act fast in a hot real estate market.

What makes a house high value? ›

Age and condition. Typically, homes that are newer appraise at a higher value. The fact that critical parts of the house, like plumbing, electrical, the roof, and appliances are newer and therefore less likely to break down, can generate savings for a buyer.

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