Berger Points Broadcast

Well, good afternoon, everyone. My name is Chris Berger, and it’s time for a Berger Point. You know, people talk about or hear about something called buyer’s remorse. Pretty much everybody knows what that is. You go out and buy something on Amazon, you don’t like it, you send it back. You know, you buy a car, generally you’re going to keep it, but some people do try to take it back. Same thing wit...

You know one of my favorite things to discover is how a house is being heated whether it’s gas, electric, or oil. So, you sort of search around you look at the listing and in this particular listing that the two buyers I was going with it was heated by natural gas. A big win because natural gas is of course, supported by the town and it’s piped into the home. You can monitor the cost easily becaus...

Well, good afternoon, everybody. My name is Chris Berger, and it’s time for Berger Point. You know, down through the years, traditionally, when the seller would put in the listing as is. So the house is being sold as is.  So the connotation is that basically there was something wrong with it, or that’s the feel that a buyer would get. And as a result, generally, it would attract less buyers and br...

How do you make your home different selling it from others and how do you make the buyers come and look? Well, basically it comes down to one thing and that’s pictures! Also too, if the home is vacant you might want to consider staging. Well what exactly is staging? Well, you hire an outside firm to come in. Bring in furniture and they will actually decorate — in a simple way — the living room din...

You know, adding value to your home - seller - buyer - what do you look for? What are the hidden treasures that you really want? Well, you know a lot of people are looking for city water, as well a,s a city sewer and the reason for that is because at that point you don’t need a well or you don’t need a septic system. However, you pay for each individually, each month or quarterly, so always keep t...

You might have heard the term dual agency and what is exactly a dual agent? Well, a dual agent is somebody that represents both the buyer and the seller. This traditionally is frowned upon and it’s actually illegal in Florida, but the bottom line is is that when the listing agent signs with you to sell their home that agent has a fiduciary responsibility to you and to you only. So they are respons...

Well, good afternoon everybody my name is Chris Berger and it’s time for a Berger Point. You know, recently I was working with a buyer and we made an offer on a home… And whenever a buyer makes an offer there’s always going to be contingencies. Now, two acceptable contingencies are of course the first one;The ability to get a mortgage —- and most sellers will gladly accept that. Well, the second c...

You know, people talk about buying foreclosures or buying a short sale. So what exactly does that mean? Well, pretty much everyone knows what a foreclosure is. That’s something where the banks — who held a mortgage on the property — have the ability to collect that mortgage and foreclose on the property and title now belongs to the bank. That’s very important because when a foreclosure happens and...

You know, recently I was out with a client and we were looking at different properties around 1,600 square feet. What we did find, the last home that we looked at was close to 2,000 square feet and a much more poorer state than the one in 1,600 square feet. We talked about space because space is so important. Regardless of what it looks like now, think about what it can become!  That’s so importan...

You know, recently over the last couple of years, and I’ll say since COVID, all of a sudden we’re hearing the highest and best offer. What does the highest and best offer actually mean? Well, to the seller, okay, they are looking for their best possible price that they can get. And for the buyer, they’re now considering to put their best foot forward. Whereas if you go back 20 years in the old day...

You know, I wanted to speak to you a little bit about the timing of a sale, and why is that important? Well, traditionally April, May and June has been the listing time for sellers to put the home on the market. Why is that? Well, both buyers and sellers — they’re looking to place their children in school by September. So that has always been the critical time here in the New York area, in the Hud...

You know, recently we decided on this flip house to put a border of gravel around the whole foundation because that does more than a couple of things. Aesthetically it looks much better, of course .Second it’s reasonable in price and third it provides outstanding drainage. So when the water from rain or your gutters you know overhang it and they’re leaking a little bit well the water hits the grav...

You know recently I was driving by and I saw a for sale by owner sign and I’m looking at the property and I’m trying to figure out why that owner decided to go and sell the property on his own. Well he has a number of obstacles that he has to overcome and the primary obstacle is pricing the home correctly. How do you do that? Well, one thing that a realtor does provide, it’s called a CMA, or a Com...

You know, recently I was discussing with my client who was selling their house the disclosure document that they have to fill out. Basically, on this disclosure document they have to put material facts that are wrong with the house and everybody is pretty much open with it. But sometimes things can get hidden and sometimes the seller is not even aware of it until the inspection is actually made. A...

Well, good evening, everybody. My name’s Chris Berger and it’s time for a Berger Point. You know, I attended a meeting today of real estate agents and it really came to my attention how important the real estate attorneys are to the sale of both the buyer and the seller. And what do I mean by that? Well, I learned a long time ago, 25 years now, that an attorney can be a deal maker or a deal breake...

Good evening, everybody. My name is Chris Berger and it’s time for a Berger point. You know, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about an all cash offer and what exactly that means and how the process takes place. Well, you know, you have a seller, they list the house, you have a buyer wants to buy your house. Well, now, of course, the process is close to being the same as a mortgage. However, th...

Good afternoon everybody my name is Chris Berger and it’s time for a Berger Point! You know, a lot of people aren’t even aware of the damage that gutters — or better said clogged gutters — can do to your house and how easy it is to remedy the situation. So, when you’re going to look at a house or sellers, when you are selling a house, make sure your gutters are clean and working. That’s easy to se...

Well, good evening, everybody. My name is Chris Berger and it’s time for a Berger Point. You know, down through the years, probably one of the toughest decisions for a homeowner and buyer to make is when to move. When is the best time to move and how do they coordinate it? Well, I want to speak to the coordination of it and your alternatives. So if you are a seller, try to find a place to live tha...

You know, I often talk about reducing taxes. So, people who owe taxes on the property are always looking to save money. Many times the answer is really not too far away. One of my favorite programs is really a farm program. And what I mean by that is that if you have chickens on your property or if you have a couple of sheep or let’s say you have a beehive. Well, a lot of people aren’t going to wa...

Well, good afternoon, everyone. My name is Chris Berger, and it’s time for a Berger Point. You know, a lot of people wonder about the value of a good inspection of the home and when it should be performed. Typically, the buyer always hires the inspector, so that inspection report is for the buyer’s eyes only. Now, it’s up to the buyer whether or not to share that and they usually do when they want...

You know, one of the requirements of a listing agent is to provide a disclosure form to the seller. What’s a disclosure form? Well, the seller has the obligation to disclose material facts of what’s wrong with the house. OK, so what’s a material fact? Well, it could be a broken step that’s loose in the front or broken railing. That’s an obvious fact. It also can be an oil burner that doesn’t work,...

You know, when a seller wants to upgrade their home, a buyer wants to come in and see everything that’s pristine and one of the things that sellers do, and I’ve always advised them to do, is if they have a den, okay. For example, and there’s an old rug there, we’ll take up the old rug. Say your den is 10 by 15. That’s 150 square feet. That’s all. Go to the big box scores. Pick out a nice laminate...

Chris Berger - Long Time Realtor and Triple State Licensed in NY, FL and CT - offers some stellar tips for negotiating a property deal and getting the home you want. Join me on Substack for the latest Berger Points ---> https://bergerpoints.substack.com Download my 1st Time Home Buyers Guide for FREE --> https://bergerpoints.com

In this Berger Point, Chris Berger gives you a must do before you sign that contract on the dotted line and buy a home. Chris tells all his clients to drive by the home when it's raining - this is why.... Join me on Substack for the latest Berger Points ---> https://bergerpoints.substack.com Download my 1st Time Home Buyers Guide for FREE --> https://bergerpoints.com

In this Berger Point, Chris Berger tells you a litle bit about what a Reverse Mortgage is and whether or not you are qualified to get one if you want to. Join me on Substack for the latest Berger Points ---> https://bergerpoints.substack.com Download my 1st Time Home Buyers Guide for FREE --> https://bergerpoints.com