With an over forty percent growth rate since October, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com has become the solution for numerous homeowners and the answer to many prayers. “In general we feel like we can really help turn this [real estate] crisis around,” comments Brian Stroka, co-founder of www.OnlineHouseTrading.com. “It’s the first time in history that this type of technology has been able to help in a down market,” added Stroka, referencing the assistance of the internet in match making two home sellers.
Andrew Bou, a current Georgia resident found house swapping online to be his salvation. “I was relocating to Georgia because of my job”, says Mr. Bou, “and I was having a hard time getting out of the Florida real estate market. “[www.OnlineHouseTrading.com] wound up being a perfect solution to selling a home that had just a hand full of showings in the twelve plus months his home was on the MLS.” In fact, once Mr. Bou completed his home trade from Florida to Georgia he then found a home within his Atlanta area community that better suited his family’s needs. In a market where many are at their wits end in the selling process, Mr. Bou had now sold two homes within 8 months using www.OnlineHouseTrading.com.
When asked about the process at www.OnlineHouseTrading.com, Mr. Bou explained, “It matches you with what you’re looking for, whether that be location, or the size of the house. The houses won’t necessarily have the same value, so the difference would need to be compensated for with a cash exchange or in the size of the new mortgage(s). But you can find what you are looking for. Actually, in my situation I had it both ways; the first home trade was an equal trade and on the second trade there was a slight cash exchange.”
Mr. Bou became aware of swapping houses online for the first time when his mother told him about an advertisement she had heard. While considering trying a home trade himself, Mr. Bou discussed the idea with his Real Estate agent. “My Realtor didn’t know much about it, but said ‘anything you can do – go ahead and try.’ She was even willing to let me out of our contract because she felt sorry for me.”
Being unfamiliar with the process of swapping houses online, he began scouring the internet for information; that’s when he came across the www.OnlineHouseTrading.com site. The www.OnlineHouseTrading.com fee was only $19, and Mr. Bou thought, “What do I have to lose? I’ll admit that at first I was a bit skeptical, but obviously it was the best $19 I ever spent!”
The first house Mr. Bou tried to sell, located in Florida, was listed with a Realtor for over a year with no luck. Then he listed his house with www.OnlineHouseTrading.com and finally found the solution he was looking for. “It was really fast,” says Bou. “With the first home trade we connected in about a month; with the home trade, less than a week. Then the deal was done a month later.”
When asked about his experience, Bou had this to say: “The first home trade was more rigid because we were new to house swapping. The process was a little tougher that time because we were looking for anything to get us to Georgia and knew we would probably have to move to a smaller house for the same money – but it got us moved!”
“We did wind up downsizing because of the value of the two properties. Our original property was a 3600 square foot, 5/4 and we traded for a 2200 square foot 3/2 because the properties were of equal value.” The Bou’s second home trade was with a couple in Atlanta, who were ‘empty nesters’; they downsized and the Bou’s upsized.
With regards to finalizing his two swaps, Mr. Bou observed that, “The biggest challenge on the first home trade was having to write the contract without a Realtor and having to figure out how it was done.” On the Bou’s first home trade in Florida, they wrote their contract on a standard, generic contract form then, together with the other buyer, had it looked over by an attorney. As far as the financing and actual closing goes, “I paid cash for mine, but the people I swapped with had no problems at all. There were no issues with the home trade; one bought, one sold – simultaneously.”
After living in their first Georgia house for 6 months, the Bou’s went directly to www.OnlineHouseTrading.com to find their next home. Mr. Bou remarked that his second home trade was “more low key, friendly”. The two buyers worked together. “We even hired one attorney to go over the paperwork and split the fee. Then we went in together with a moving company that gave us a better price because they were doing two moves! We both moved the same day. It was great, because one of the things you have to worry about with swapping houses is the mover getting to one house before the other mover has taken everything out of the other house!”
Mr. Bou’s advice for those considering a home trade? “The thing you have to remember is that both parties are trying to get as close to fair market value as possible on their homes. It’s not a regular selling arrangement. To have this really work, you have to approach house swapping with a flexible mind-set; a handshake kind of deal. You have to work with each other – give and take. Make sure you are dealing with people who will work together with you. Go in, do your inspections and all the other tasks you would normally do with a real estate transaction.”
About www.OnlineHouseTrading.com
www.OnlineHouseTrading.com is the online real estate listing service that connects two sellers to buy each others homes, using sophisticated matching technology. By taking the information of thousands of traders nationwide, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com acts as the online dating service for the real estate world. Combining the information from both sellers and buyers, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com is transforming the way people buy and sell their homes today.
Brian Stroka, President of www.OnlineHouseTrading.com says. “What’s more, their story provides hope for people facing today’s crumbling real estate market.” and “House swapping is also ideal for military personnel or professionals who need to transfer or relocate quickly.” Also, many Realtors are listing their clients swapping profiles in our database and having success finding buyers for their listings.
Already, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com has been so hot that it has landed stories in publications such as Money Magazine, USA Today, Time, and The Wall Street Journal and on several prominent TV shows, such as “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America”, “Oprah Winfrey”, “Fox and Friends”, “ and “The Early Show on CBS.” A viable solution for the crippled real estate market, house swapping is an easy, cost-effective process. Working much like search engines on matchmaking websites, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com collects a user’s pertinent information regarding his or her home and then matches it with a property featuring the inverse criteria. The two sellers benefit by receiving a price closer to market value; the swapping process — or the selling of the two homes between the perfectly matched sellers — is an extremely streamlined operation.
“The word is spreading like wildfire that house swapping really works,” Stroka says. “We’re seeing amazing results through www.OnlineHouseTrading.com and are thrilled to offer a viable solution to buyers and sellers everywhere.”
About www.OnlineHouseTrading.com
www.OnlineHouseTrading.com is the online real estate listing service that connects two sellers together using sophisticated matching technology, to buy each other’s homes. By taking the information of thousands of traders nationwide, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com acts as the online dating service for the real estate world. Combining the information of both sellers and buyers, www.OnlineHouseTrading.com is revolutionizing the way people sell and buy real estate today.
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