Q. Can you show me other companies listings too?
A. Yes! We can show you not only our listings but all homes listed by all Real Estate companies (i.e. Coldwell Banker, ERA, RE/MAX, Century 21, Windermere, Prudential) that match YOUR home criteria.

Q. Can you help me with For Sale By Owners?
A. Yes! Many homes For Sale By Owner do work with Real Estate agents. If you happen to run across any that interest you please let us know and we will contact the seller on your behalf, research the properties history, county records and taxes. We will then schedule a private showing of the property and negotiate the best offer.

Q. Why should I get approved first? I know I have good credit.
A. Put yourself in the shoes of the seller. Do they personally know you? Do they know you have great credit? Some sellers will not even allow showings unless the prospective buyer has an approval letter in their hand. How about when you make an offer? Unless you plan on paying all cash upfront you have absolutely no bargaining chip to negotiate unless you are pre-approved. The only way you can prove your credit worthiness today is with a loan approval letter.

Q. Why do I need a Real Estate Agent? I can buy a home on my own.
A. Yes, you can buy a home on your own. But why would you? Especially when we will do all the work for you for FREE. Yes, FREE!

It would be like going to court to defend yourself without an attorney!

Did you know that when you drive through neighborhoods calling on houses for sale the listing agent with their name on the “For Sale Sign” has a legal obligation to the seller…not you? They are bound by law as the sellers agent, to act in the “sellers” best interest. Is that who you want to work with? Don’t you want an agent who looks after YOUR best interest, someone who isn’t trying to “reel you in” and “sell” you something you really don’t want?

We can help you as a “Buyers Agent.” At no Cost, fee or commission!

In addition appox. 99% of all homes for sale are exclusively listed by real estate agents, meaning the home sellers don’t work with the general public without being represented by a licensed real estate agent.

Q. Can you sell NEW homes?
A. Yes! Any new home by any builder. Just call us and we’ll meet you at any new site development. Avoid talking with the “site agent” as they may actually work for the builder, not you. We’ll make sure you have all the facts upfront.

Q. How do you get paid?
A. The seller has already agreed to pay a real estate fee to both the sellers’ agent to advertise the home and to the buyers’ agent who does all of the leg work of selling the home.

Q. What if I’m not ready to buy yet?
A. Many people we meet with are just collecting information to get prepared financially in advance. That is the smart thing to do. We suggest investing a few minutes of your time by talking with us so you can get all the facts and we can learn your housing needs. Only then can we offer you the best advise to get you on the right path to owning your own home.

Q. I can’t afford to buy right now.
A. First determine if it is real or imagined. Is there a real financial issue or are there just butterflies in your stomach? Because prices are going up not down, ask yourself ‘can I afford to wait?’ Give us a call. If it’s a real financial issue there may be alternative financial solutions so you can own now and still feel comfortable.

Q. Can I use my lender?
A. Yes. You can use any lender you choose. Just remember that there is a high percentage that you will never do business with this lender again. Do you know them well enough that when you get to the closing table there will be no surprise fees? The lenders we work with know if they don’t give you the best service they could lose, not one loan, but literally “hundreds” of future loans from our team. Whom do you suppose will give you the best treatment and service?

Q. My agent friend is giving me advice.
A. Let’s keep it simple. Have a full-time professional Real Estate Agent give you the help you need. Keep business-business and personal-personal.

Q. Can I buy with no money down?
A. Probably. Speak with our preferred lender. There are 100′s of loan programs and down payment assistance programs we use that allow most buyers to buy a home with no money down. It has never been so easy to buy a home.

Q. How do I use my V.A. eligibility certificate?
A. Easy! Call our lender and inform them you have V.A. entitlement, or think you should have, and they can help you use your government benefits. Together we will walk you through the process step by step and at your pace.

Q. Can I buy with no/bad credit?
A. Most likely, Yes! There are loan programs that allow people to buy based upon their current financial ability, not just based on past credit ratings. FHA is a good example of a first time/second time buyers program with minimum credit established even using your rental history and utility bills as your credit to own a home.

Q. How long does the whole process take?
A. A normal closing date is 30 to 45 days from the original offer date. Remember it can be very costly to close at the beginning of a month! Closing dates are a negotiable item. Marketing time all depends on the condition, terms and area of your property. Also marketing time has a lot to do with how the market is in your neighborhood.

Q. What are normal “closing costs”?
A. When you hear the phrase “closing cost” people tend to think this is one price, however closing costs consist of several items. Some are as small as recording fees, others as large as discount points. The basic rule of thumb is that your closing costs will be close to 3% of sales price. Remember closing costs are also negotiable, however, this depends on the type of financing you and the buyer have worked out. It is always best to know what your costs could be before putting your property on the market.

Q. What can I do to make my home more desirable?
A. If it’s possible take time to look at new builder models. These companies have spent several thousands of dollars trying to see what pushes buyers’ buttons. Have a neighbor or a friend critique your home from the curb to the back yard. You tend to overlook items when you have lived in the home for any period of time. A home looks bigger when it is brighter, shows better when there is less clutter and sells faster when it smells better.

Q. Should I wait until I finds another home?
A. That depends on how the market is in your area? What is the time on market? What financing terms are you giving? In a good market, sellers will not look at an offer till the buyer’s home is sold. However, in a bad market it might be several months before you sell your property. Notice the homes in your area: are they selling quickly or have they been on the market a while? Remember – if your property is sold or in escrow you have a lot more bargaining power.

Here are just a few differences between selling your property yourself and using a real estate company.

Real Estate Company

Qualified buyers.
It costs nothing to use a real estate agent to purchase a home and most people don’t understand all the legalities of the buying process, so they use licensed real estate agents.
Out of state buyers don’t have time to shop, they use a real estate agent.
Real estate companies have hundreds of houses to show.
Know the people they are contracted with.
Know every aspect about the legal part of real estate.

Selling By Yourself

Unqualified buyers.
Bargain hunters; people know you are trying to save the commission so they take it off the top of your asking price.
Buying or selling a home is an emotional process. Most people prefer to have a third party involved.
You only have ONE home to show them.
Big security risk. BE CAREFUL!!!!

Buy or Sell a Home with us…and Use Our Truck For FREE!

Or if you Lease a Home It’s Only $60 per day.

Below are the rules of the road for the American Classic Homes FREE Moving Truck:

$2500 deductible for our insurance company should anything unexpected happen during your move.

Only customers with a HUD closing statement buying or selling with American Classic Homes, American Classic Homes employees and employees of Non-Profit Charitable and Community Organizations are covered by our insurance. Personal automobile insurance coverage does not apply to this vehicle because of the weight of the vehicle.

Truck must be returned with a FULL tank of gas.

24 hour FREE rental applies to a home purchase or sale and $60 per day afterwards for a maximum of 3 days. If you lease a home the charge will be $60 per day for a maximum of 3 days.

Driver responsible for all damage to vehicle.

Driver must have a valid drivers license.

Driver must be 25 years of age or older.

Driver must have current insurance card.

Truck is to be used in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties only.

Truck is not to be used in bad weather such as snow or ice.

We reserve the right to offer customers a reimbursement of up to $50 towards an alternative moving vehicle (U-Haul, Ryder etc.) at our discretion. Customer must provide receipt for reimbursement.

Truck use is only for our retail owner occupied customers only, it is not a benefit to our investor customers.

This truck may also be available FREE to local Community and Charitable Organizations. Call for more info. Subject to availability. Truck will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis with customer priority. One free charitable rental per year per charity. To be used by the organization for the organizations purposes. i.e. moving offices, moving items to a charity auction site, etc… It is not intended for use by the organizations end users.

The Renters Marketplace at American Classic Homes has developed a cost effective way to own rental property without all the problems that are associated with it. We offer everything from basic to property management to premium services and maintenance. Check out our competitive packages and pricing below.
Our variable fee structure is designed to put more money in your pocket each month. The pricing is as follows:

If the rent is $1,199 / month or less. The management fee is $79 / month or 8%, whichever is less. $49 is the minimum fee.

If the rent is $1,200 to $1,599 / month. The fee is $99 / month.

If the rent is $1,600 to $2,000 / month. The fee is $129 / month.

All rents $2,001 / month and over are priced at 8%. That is a whole 2% less than our competition.

To get started contact Larry Cutting at 206-228-3994.

Q. How can I evaluate the real cost of property management?
A. Unquestionably, the largest expenses associated with property management is a result of vacancy rate and quality of tenant performance. Only by comparing the resources and services that address these concerns will one come to an understanding of the cost that may result from choosing one property management company over another. We invite you to consider the following:

The great majority (90%) of perspective tenants now use the web to find a new home. Every management company recognizes this fact, so all have web sites to compete for market share of perspective tenants. It is also important to know that people choose “organic” search results over “paid” placement advertising. Renters Marketplace absolutely overwhelms all other residential property management companies in ALL of the Puget Sound cities on ALL of the search engines. Search on the primary key phrases that tenants use to locate homes for rent. (Example: “Seattle property management”, “Bellevue homes for rent” on Yahoo, MSN, All the Web”, Google, Alta Vista, or any other search engine.) Try the same key words with any of the fifty common city names such as Renton, Kent, Woodinville, etc. We receive over one million hits per month so our top search engine placement gives our owners an overwhelming advantage for having their rental properties found by thousands of prospective tenants. That translates into less vacancy cost and a better opportunity to select a qualified tenant.

Also, we have a sizeable leasing staff that allows us to be handle the volume. We rent about twenty-five percent of our homes while our competitors are taking the weekend off.

Q. How much do property management services cost?
A. The minimum management fee is $49 per month or eight percent (8%) of the rental amount, whichever is less for our Starter Plan. Check out our variable rate structure. In addition to the monthly management fee, an owner should expect the equivalent of one month’s rent per each new tenancy for advertising, lease-up commissions, photo tours, and move-out and move-in home inspections. Use of the Multiple Listing Service is optional and but highly encouraged, the more people that see your property the better. The charge for a lease-up is only billed after a tenancy is executed. We expect full payment of the lease-up commission at the time of lease signing.

Q. What are the current market conditions for renting a house?
A. The Puget Sound economy is strong, people are moving in record numbers to most all of the cities, there has been strong appreciation of property values, and most economists predict continued strong growth in population. With the dollar weak on the international exchange rate, foreign investors see value in buying U.S. real estate. However, this good news must be tempered because investors are purchasing single family homes in record numbers and flooding the market with rental properties. As a result, occupancy rates and rental incomes have remained stagnant over the past two years. More then ever before, aggressive marketing and a knowledge of the rental demographics for each specific area of the area is necessary to minimize vacancy.

Q. How long will it take to rent my house?
A. There are multiple factors that have to be taken into consideration to answer this question. Here are some general guidelines, however, keep in mind that amenities, pricing, and location are important factors in predicting success. It is important to know that the time required to rent a property is region specific with some areas renting relatively quick and others continuing to be a challenge. Several management companies are now advertising “no Deposit”, “bad credit OK”, lease option with no qualifying”, “no rent payment for 30 days”, etc. We believe that renting to an unqualified tenant is nearly always a big mistake and that you may pay dearly for that mistake in the very near future. We encourage high qualifying standards for tenants with the price set to rent the property within 30 days. Because of the uniqueness of each home, we will work up a rental market analysis for you at no charge.

Q. If I place my home in property management, how much control do I have in making management decisions.
A. As much or as little as you want. Take for example maintenance decisions. Most owners place $300-$500 in a maintenance trust to be used in case of minor repairs. They dont want to be notified every time a faucet leaks. However, if there is a more expensive repair, they do want to be contacted and involved in evaluating the bids and choosing the vendor. We will work out an understanding with you about the degree to which you want to be involved in tenant selection, maintenance and repair issues, setting rental rates, etc.