TOUCHDOWN PROPERTIES, INC.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

After a combined 30 years of experience in real estate, Rick and Rachel Jones founded Touchdown Properties, a full service real estate brokerage in 1999. The unique name reflects Rick’s history in football. Rick was inducted into the Oakdale Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. With Touchdown Properties “team approach” to getting the job done, our goal is to exceed your expectations by ensuring a smooth real estate transaction experience. It has always been Touchdown Properties vision to improve and exceed the level of service currently being offered in the Central Valley real estate market. With a strong commitment to giving back to the community, both Rick and Rachel commit countless hours to community service with an emphasis on the support and education of children. Touchdown Properties also supports the community through monetary donations to numerous fundraising and charitable events. Ever wish you could see through the hype to hire the best real estate agent for buying or selling your home? However, there are things you can do to pull back the curtain and accurately assess a real estate agent’s past performance and potential success with your home. Whether you’re the buyer or the seller, here are seven ways you can find out more about your agent before you hire. Ask agents to provide a list of what they’ve listed and sold in the last year, with contact information, says Ron Phipps, president-elect of the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors. Before you start calling the names, ask the agent if anyone will be “particularly pleased or particularly disappointed,” he says. With past clients, “I’d like to know what the asking price was and then what the sales price was,” says William Poorvu, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School and co-author of “The Real Estate Game: The Intelligent Guide to Decision-making and Investment.” And, if you’re the seller, ask if these past properties are similar to yours in price, location and other salient features, Poorvu says. What you want is someone who specializes in exactly what you’re selling. Another good question for sellers is: How long has the home been on the market? SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist): Completed training aimed at helping buyers and sellers in the 50-plus age range. 5. Research how long the agent has been in business You can often find out how long the agent has been selling real estate from the state licensing authority. Or, you can just ask the agent. “If they haven’t been in business five years, they’re learning on you and that’s not good,” says Irwin. You also can look at how closely the agent’s listings mirror the property you want to buy or sell. Are they in the same area? Is the price range similar? And does the agent have enough listings to indicate a healthy business but not so many that you’d just be a number? . Sub-primes may be history, but you’ll probably still be shown homes you can’t actually afford. By getting pre-approved as a buyer, you can save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can’t afford. You can also put yourself in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Unlike pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history. By doing a thorough analysis of your actual spending power, you’ll be less likely to get in over your head. . Before you make an offer on a home, do some research on the sales trends of similar homes in the neighborhood with sites like Zillow. Consider especially sales of similar homes in the last three months. For instance, if homes have recently sold for 5 percent less than the asking price, your opening bid should probably be about 8 to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking. The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Data maintained by MetroList® may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. All information has been provided by seller/other sources and has not been verified by broker. All measurements and all calculations of area (i.e., Sq Ft and Acreage) are approximate. All interested persons should independently verify the accuracy of all information. All real estate advertising placed by anyone through this service for real properties in the United States is subject to the US Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, as amended, which makes it illegal to advertise "any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, family status or national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination." This service will not knowingly accept any advertisement for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings, under the jurisdiction of U.S. Federal regulations, advertised in this service are available on an equal opportunity basis. As the seller of one of her listings, I worked closely with Rachel and got to know her on both a professional and personal level.... We just moved into our new Home!!! Can't thank Rachel and her staff enough for making our dream come true! they were always... Rachel & Rick are AMazING!! They are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful! Rachel was always available to answer any... Sorry, we are unable to send your message at the moment. Please try again later.