When a family is touring a lot of houses, it can be overwhelming to choose the one that best fits their needs.  At some point the houses blend together and it can be tough to distinguish which house is best to become their home.  Forbes interviewed several people who work in real estate careers about what things will help you decide if a house is right for you and how they can tell when someone truly likes the house.

Pat Trainor, a realtor in Georgia, says that people usually form an opinion on whether or not they like the house in the first few seconds of viewing it.  They are able to sense whether that house makes them feel happy or if it just makes them feel sad and depressed.  He also said that when a person starts imagining where they'd put furniture, they're mentally moving into the home and want to imagine a life there.  Pat does advise those clients to sleep on their decision overnight because moving is a big decision.

What do you think?

It's been widely known and accepted that "reality" shows like The Jersey Shore and Keeping Up With The Kardashians are not entirely real, but what about other forms of reality shows?  Bobi Jensen wrote a blog post about her family's episode on the HGTV show House Hunters back in 2006 and what she wrote about caused an uproar. 

As it turns out, the producers of the show didn't want to work with Bobi and her husband until they had already signed a lease with the house they chose.  Instead of truly looking at three houses, the Jensen family had already picked the home they wanted and then had to find two other homes to compare it to.  “It felt like we just had a few days to scrounge up some houses to look at and it was our responsibility to find the houses …,” Jensen said. “And, finally, the producer just said find any houses you can. Just find something.”  In the end, the Jensens used two of the Jensen's friends homes as the other homes they were looking at. 

They were also not given someone in real estate careers to help them find a home.  In their episode, Bobi's husband was their real estate agent.

What do you think of this?

In this economy, everyone is looking for a way to sell their home and save the most money.  If that means cutting a few corners or doing things in a non-traditional manner, most people are okay with that.  For this reason, people have taken to consulting with someone in real estate careers and then attempting to sell their own home.  Although it's traditionally not advised to do this, that doesn't stop people from trying.  If you do decide to attempt to be your own real estate agent, here are some tips for success.

1. If your neighborhood has a homeowners association, consult with them before advertising.  They may have rules and regulations against how many open houses you can host or how many signs can be put up around the neighborhood.  It's best to find out about these restrictions before you decide whether or not to go ahead with selling your home by yourself.
2. Fixing up your home to sell is a must if you want people to be interested.  By cleaning up the outside, painting the walls neutral shades, and making small repairs (to the wiring or plumbing or whatever else needs some updating), your house will have more possibilities.  Remember, the more you put in, the more you get out.
3. Gather basic information from potential buyers before allowing them to look at your home.  By allowing strangers to enter your home without having any sort of protection, you're risking your safety.  By getting this information, you're deterring anything happening and having their information should something occur.
4. Learn the legal jargon and understand financing.  Selling your house is more than a project, it's a business deal.  You need to sound like you know what you're doing and be able to ensure you get the most for your money.
5. Control your emotions.  This one is big because as a negotiatior, it's all about having a strong poker face.  You'll need to maintain composure and keep a clear head.  Not only will this help others to take you seriously, but it will possibly enable you to have the upper hand.  Remember, in this situation you have something they want so by keeping cool, they won't be able to take advantage of you.

What other tips do you have?

When shopping for a home or even selling a home, it can be tough to navigate all of the rules.  Between what you've been taught, what your gut tells you, and what you see on television shows depicting the real estate market, it can be a challenge to figure out what you ought to do.  Here are some easy to follow tips whether you're purchasing a house or working in real estate careers.

• Don't fall in love with the decor of the house.  Although the paint may still be there, the furniture will most likely be gone if you do decide to move in.  Try to focus on the layout of the home and the setup rather than what the decorations look like.
• Do your research no matter which side of the housing process you're on.  Finding out what school district the house is in, exactly where the property lines are, and other neighborhood facts are all important details to have.  It's also important to look up if there are any sex offenders living in the neighborhood.  While this isn't the most pleasant thing to think about, it is important to know.
• Spring is the busiest time in the housing market, but there are other seasons out there.  While it may not be as busy, people are still looking to buy homes all 365 days a year so don't just wait til the weather gets warm.
• Be realistic about the budget.  Whether it's how much you can pay every month to how much it will cost to do renovations, don't forget to look into everything before settling on a price.  Just because you're pre-approved for a $100,000 loan doesn't mean you can afford that.
• Think about what you want versus what you need.  You may need a two bedroom home in a good school district but that pool in the backyard and the wrap around porch are just "wants".  Don't turn down a home that fits in your budget and fits your criteria just because it doesn't have a brick oven for pizza or a back yard big enough for a horse.

What other tips do you have?

A four bedroom two bath house in Arizona is on the market for just pennies.  Appraised at $125,000, the home is now going for a fraction of that.  A penny bid online, thought to be the first of it's kind, started online for the house.  The minimum the house can go for is $2,750 (although real estate appraisers believe the house will most likely get up to $5,000).

As if getting a home for less than a new car isn't enough, the current owner is throwing in some presents. According to abc news, the owner initiated some incentives. The person who places the highest number of bids during the reserve period automatically gets $15,000; the person with the second highest number gets $5,000.

This isn't a dilapidated old house either.  The auctioneer bought it at foreclosure in January for $81,000, then put in $20,000 of improvements. The home has new carpet in the bedrooms and living room, new paint, new fixtures, and, in the kitchen, new cabinets, granite counter tops and appliances.

Would you buy this?

When it comes to selling your house, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.  With so many factors playing into how much you can ask for your house, it can be difficult to think of how much to ask for your home.  Between how the market is going, how much you paid for the home originally, how much other homes in the area are going for, what rennovations you have made, and countless other attributes, you will need to appraise your home or have a real estate agent to do it for you.  Here's how:

1. Understand what having your house appraised really means. When an appraiser gives you his opinion on your home's value, it is the price that a ready and willing buyer would pay in the current market. It does not mean what the house will sell for a month from the appraisal.
2. Determine the square footage of the house. This information may be available with your property tax information. If not, you will need to measure all the rooms, and calculate the total square footage of the house. Typically this would not include the square footage of your garage, and would include any patio covered by the house's roof trusses. Yet, local real estate agents may calculate this differently. Since you will be comparing your property to similar houses in your area, you will want to make similar comparisons when referring to data. Therefore, you will want to check with the local Realtors association to determine the local standard when stating square footage on listings.
3. Take an inventory of your house's amenities. Items such as granite counters, tile roofs, landscaping, fireplaces, exterior walls and extra garages will increase the value of a house. For example, if you and your neighbor have identical houses, yet you have granite counter tops, your house will be worth slightly more. Yet, if you have identical houses and you have a brand new water heater and they have an old one, this would not necessarily increase the appraisal value of your house.
4. Locate at least three properties in close proximity to yours that have sold in the last six months. If you live in a housing tract, the ideal comparable property would be another house in your tract with the same floor plan.
5. Look for recently sold properties that are of similar age to yours and within 200 square feet of yours in size. Ideally you want a house that with similar age, size, amenities and neighborhood.
6. Determine the appraisal value of your house by comparing it to what the three comparable houses actually sold for. You will first need to make adjustments to each house's sold price, by adding or subtracting based on the differences between those houses and yours. For example, if your house has a tile roof, and one of the sold properties has a less expensive shingle roof, you will add to the sale price. But, if the situation is reversed, and your house has a shingle roof, and the sold house has a tile roof, you will subtract from the sale price. The adjustment will not be the actual cost of adding the item; it will be a fraction of that amount and will vary by region and local market conditions

Would you do this?

The economy is hitting everyone hard, but especially when it comes to their houses.  As the unemployment rate hits 9%, more people are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage and therefore, having their homes foreclosed on.  As a real-estate agent, this gives you more opportunities to purchase houses that may not be very old.  Ideally you could turn around and sell these homes for cheap, but it will still be difficult.  Even so, the way to go about selling a foreclosed home is different than selling a home from a family.  Here's how you can do it:

1. Become a member of the National REO Brokers Association (NRBA). Dues are somewhat high, but membership benefits (listing in its online directory, learning materials and access to foreclosed property listings, among others) should more than offset the cost in the long run.
2. Complete a reputable Certified Foreclosure Specialist program to learn about your specialty and to demonstrate your professional commitment to this specialty in the eyes of potential clients.
3. Use the NRBA and online listings to gradually build a foreclosed property database. Use your experience as a sales associate and broker to locate the banks that hold the liens on listed foreclosures, and pitch your services to them. Don't forget to seek referrals from satisfied clients.
4. Gradually build a buyers' list. If you have an existing general real estate practice, start with your existing buyers' list and expand from there. Buyers' lists can be built using newspaper, magazine and Internet advertising, as well as a well-designed SEO-friendly website. Foreclosed homes tend to be relatively easy to sell because they are often priced far below market value. Advertisements for real estate buyers attract those looking for a home to live in, but more often attract speculators looking to "flip" houses for a quick profit. Consequently, you will need to screen potential buyers to eliminate those who cannot afford to buy because they will waste your time.
5. Obtain a basic Real Estate Appraiser's License from your state's Office of Real Estate Appraisers or its equivalent. In most states, this requires about 150 hours of classroom study. Although this step is not an absolute necessity because you can always hire an appraiser, the more you understand about how to assess the real value of foreclosed homes, the better you will be buying and selling homes.
6. Begin buying and selling foreclosed homes on your own. To do this effectively, you are going to need money, credit and experience in evaluating the true value of a foreclosed home. You can bid on bank-owned homes at foreclosure sales, at tax-lien sales and at private sales. If you do your job well, your profit margins can be spectacular. If you do it badly, you might go bankrupt.

Would you take this risk?