Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Nevada Builder Trade In program helps buyers buy, sell
Smith team offers strategic, multistep process
This summer’s housing market was heated in Las Vegas, with thousands of sales of existing and brand new homes, and the median price of homes sold through the Multiple Listing Service soared to over $300,000 in September, according to the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.
Some homeowners have cautiously watched the market uptick, moving trucks helping people move in and out of homes, and the ongoing construction of new-home neighborhoods with thoughts of selling their home and purchasing a brand new home. Now is the “perfect time” to do so, according to Realtor Robin Smith of the Nevada Builder Trade In Program.
“Homeowners who have been watching the Las Vegas Valley housing market know that resale prices are way up and the highest they’ve been since 2007 and that signs leading to new-home neighborhoods are plentiful,” Robin Smith said.
“October is really a good time to sell your current home because your home’s assessed value is compared to those in September, when prices hit an 11-year high. It’s also a great time to buy a brand new one because some builders are starting to feel anxious to sell more homes in order to meet their year-end neighborhood sales goals.”
Smith explained that despite homeowners’ interest in moving into a brand new home, some are cautious in taking the step because the idea of selling and buying a home at the same time seems stressful.
“The Nevada Builder Trade In Program helps remove the stress because we help you every step of the way — from negotiating a contingency purchase with a homebuilder to marketing and selling your current home to closing the purchase of your brand new home,” she said.
The program, which is operated by Robin and Robert Smith of the Smith Team at Keller Williams Las Vegas, has helped hundreds of homeowners buy a brand new home on contingency through a strategic, multistep process.
The first step: Meeting with the Smith Team in the homeowners’ current home.
“During this first meeting, we will discuss why you’re thinking of buying a new home, where you are in your new home search, and how the Nevada Builder Trade In Program can help. We also offer you an idea of how much you may be able to sell your current home (for) by assessing your home’s features and reviewing recent sale prices of nearby, comparable homes.
“With this information, you’ll be able to determine how much you feel comfortable spending on a new home and then see if builders are offering the type of home you’d like to buy at the price you want to pay,” Robin Smith said.
“Through this process, some homeowners decide to not move forward, while others learn that their existing home has gained so much value that they can sell it and afford to buy their dream home.”
If a homeowner selects the Nevada Trade In Program, the Smith Team will help in their new-home search among the 100-plus floor plans available at 50-plus builder-partner neighborhoods located throughout the valley.
“Our builder-partners construct homes in all parts of the Las Vegas Valley and in different sizes and styles that can meet just about everybody’s needs. We’ve helped young couples merging households, move-up buyers, growing families and empty nesters. Some of our clients are just beginning their newhome search, while some already know the neighborhood where they’d like to live,” Robin Smith said.
After the brand-new home is selected and the contingency agreement is accepted by the builder, the Smith Team lists and sells the current home at a reduced commission, while offering the buyer’s agent the standard 3 percent commission. After the sale, the Smith Team helps arrange moving services or helps locate a temporary rental, if needed, between the sale of the current home and the completion of the new home.
To learn more about the Nevada Builder Trade In Program, contact the Smith Team at 702-460-5080, visit ISellLasVegas.com or inquire at a builder-partner neighborhood.
Homeowners interested in purchasing a home on contingency at a non-builder-partner neighborhood and receive benefits similar to the Nevada Builder Trade In Program should contact the Smith Team before starting their home search.