Nebraska Home Sales » Greg Essink

6309 Y St Lincoln

Greg Essink — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:31:07 +0000

1829 North 57th St Lincoln

Greg Essink — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:41:20 +0000

Foreclosures: A Good Deal?

Greg Essink — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:34:52 +0000

By Greg Essink, Nebraska Home Sales REALTOR®

We have all seen the ads on TV or heard them on the radio proclaiming the “Good Deal” that foreclosures are, but are they? Well, the answer is yes and the answer is no. Foreclosure properties can be a deal on the surface but you need to dig a little deeper to get the whole story. Buyers generally think that a foreclosure property price is based on what the outstanding balance for the mortgage but that fact has little to no impact on what the property’s listed price.

When selling a foreclosure property the banks usually get a minimum of two opinions of its current value, one from an appraiser and one from a real estate agent. Both will look at comparative sales and comparable active listings and come up with what they believe is fair market value or what they believe the property will sell for on the open market. Many factors go into the value of a property, but in our market, condition drives price.

You may see a property for sale that you think should be worth $150k but only listed for $100k and think this must be a good deal. The story, once you get to the property, will likely change and sometimes drastically. New carpet, fresh paint on both the interior and exterior, carpentry work, and appliances are needed to get this “deal” property up to your standards. Another point that the typical buyer also needs to remember is that if they are going to be using many of the federally backed loan programs, such as an FHA loan, properties that have condition issues will likely not qualify for financing.

While there may be good deals out there, using the help of a seasoned Nebraska Home Sales agent will help you in your search in getting the property that meets your expectations and save you some time in the process.

You’ve Heard of Christmas in July? How About Spring Cleaning in December!

Greg Essink — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:16:40 +0000

We’ve already received nice emails about recent changes to our web site. Lots of behind-the-scenes upgrades and we are now adding bigger property photos like these. (You need to click on the smaller photos to see the big ones!) Research has shown photos are the No. 1 feature buyers want to see on real estate web sites. We now have the biggest photos in Lincoln. Note: Because of MLS limitations, we’re only able to offer the big photos on our own listings, but we think they really make a difference.

We’ve also made our web site more social: You can now login with your Facebook, Gmail or Yahoo account to ask a question on our site. Or click the Recommend button on each property to share it with your friends on your Facebook page. Our agents all have blog pages now that update with our new Facebook pages. More big changes are in the works … all part of our commitment to being the technology leader for real estate sales in our fair city.

Make Sure that Fireplace has had a Good Cleaning

Greg Essink — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:16:19 +0000

We’d really like to sell you a new house, but not at expense of your old one. As temperatures drop, now is the time that people are using fireplaces for the first time all year. Dirty or blocked fireplaces can be a real hazard. We’re reminded of one home owner who set off a carbon monoxide detector on a converted gas fireplace after forgetting to open his flew. Now is the time to review fireplace safety with your family members. If you have any doubts, ask an expert. It’s also a great time to check batteries in fire alarms and install or replace your carbon monoxide detector. Remember to also change your furnace filter.

We’ll Probably Never Sell A Home on Mars But This is Still Neat

Greg Essink — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:15:59 +0000

With holiday shopping and Nebraska coaching rumors, you might have missed the NASA announcement that challenges our assumptions about the building blocks of life. Turns out that arsenic-based lifeforms can exist. That’s a big deal to NASA because it means the next time we go hunting for life outside of our little planet, we shouldn’t just look for aliens made of the old reliables: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Couple that with the report that there are three times as many stars up there as previously thought and it makes you wonder what might be out there.

Around the holidays, it also is a scientific message that carries a little bit of hope. Life, it seems, finds a way.