Get Cashin 2009

You will never spend as much money at one time as you will when you buy a house. I remember writing that enormous check for my first house, a two bedroom bungalow near the police station. The house was a wreck, run into the ground by the former owner, and it was a great financial opportunity for me. Still at the time of closing the sale, I couldn't see the potential profit I could make once I fixed the place up and flipped it.

All I could see was the gaping hole left in my bank account where my life savings used to be.  It made me feel faint as I signed off on such a huge investment. My dreams of quitting my job and building my real estate empire started to fade away into the reality of mortgage payments and high repair bills, but after a hard year of working during the day and renovating the house during the night, I finally got it into shape and put it back on the market.

The house was listed for 12 days before the right offer came in, and seeing that offer sheet was the most rewarding moment of my life. My dreams of entrepreneurial success were alive again and I was full of passion and determination. The person who ended up buying the bungalow mentioned something in passing that caught my ear and stuck with me for days afterwards. He said 'I wish there was some kind of discount, like Home Buyer Rebates. It would be nice to get a little money back.' Truer words have never been spoken. When a car dealer has a sale, one of the incentives he offers is a cash back rebate, so why don't home sellers do the same thing? It would be a great way to swing a potential buyer in your house's favor. As it turns out, there is something like that available, if you look hard enough.

I found an agent that actually gave clients a rebate based on the cost of the house and the commission being paid by the seller; so on the day when the sale closed, I had an additional ten thousand dollars in my pocket. I can assure you that the extra money made all of the hassle of moving considerably easier to handle. Every home buyer owes it to themselves to ask their agent for a rebate, and don't stop asking until you find an agent that says 'yes'.

About the Author:

Jake Pont has made the transition from account manager to a full-time real estate speculator, and the transition was helped by his discovery of home buyer rebates. He has opened an office and hired a team of employees to process his expanding list of homes being prepared for sale. He is happy to discuss the realtor rebate with anyone who is looking to buy a house, and he plans to host a seminar on the topic this winter.