Agent Profile

Steve Hirschler

Email: steve@thetimwoodgroup.com

Phone: 909-725-5889

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Biography

DRE#01703081 Steve and his wife Shelli have 4 daughters and have been married since 1980. Steve has strong sales ability that he acquired through years of retail management and hundreds of closed Real Estate transactions here in Big Bear. He exemplifies integrity, honesty and tenacity. Steve is committed to total customer satisfaction. He is a strong negotiator for his clients and tackles problems with enthusiasm. Steve will exceed your expectations and out work his competition. Steve's hobbies include mountain biking, water skiing, snow skiing, snow shoeing, and hiking.

Author Archive

Big Bear Short Sales? Don’t Waste Your Time!

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By Steve Hirschler on February 17th, 2010
Categories: Big Bear Buyers, Big Bear Foreclosures, Big Bear Market Conditions, Big Bear Real Estate News, Real Estate Video
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If you don’t see the embedded video, click here.

If you are looking for a deal in Big Bear, focus on the homes that can be sold.

  • In 2009, 80 short sale homes actually closed escrow.
  • That is 9% of the 893 homes that closed in the Big Bear MLS.
  • Currently there are 66 short sale listings that are in Pending, Active Contingent, or Contingent Status.
  • That’s 39% of the total Pending, Active Contingent, or Contingent Status (170).
  • Anyone want to guess what percentage of these will actually get accepted by the bank and close escrow?
  • Don’t assume that a short sale home can be sold for the listed price, many are listed well below the true market value.

Steve Hirschler

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Improve Your Price, and Improve Your Selling Opportunities.

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By Steve Hirschler on January 6th, 2010
Categories: Big Bear Market Conditions, Big Bear Real Estate News, Big Bear Sellers
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iStock_000010428861XSmallThe Big Bear Real Estate Market is not unlike any other market – Price is still the best indication of value.

The most important piece of information your Realtor will provide is the market price. Get ahead of it, and you will be on your way to your next Real Estate destination.

Spending time or money on improvements that a buyer may or may not want will cost a seller big money in a market that is falling. Get the home clean, remove the clutter from the yard and interior, paint with neutral colors if needed, replace worn flooring, make the home easy to show, and PRICE IT ACCORDING TO MARKET CONDITIONS.

If your home is on the market for longer than 60 days, and has not received an offer, it’s overpriced. It works every time, once a home is priced as the best value it gets offers. No big secret, but a very simple answer to why your home hasn’t sold.

The Bank owned / foreclosure properties that are selling are setting the bar for pricing. Most of these homes are in less than desirable condition, and many of them are not in the best locations.

Make your listing stand out as the best value by carefully considering the active listings in your price range. Watch the market closely and be ready to react quickly if a listing or sale change the playing field.

Don’t be afraid to ask your Realtor to take you to the competitive homes so that you can see the competition through a buyer’s eyes.

Steve Hirschler

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Previewing Homes Online Is Less Than Effective

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By Steve Hirschler on November 15th, 2009
Categories: Big Bear Buyers, Big Bear Real Estate News
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Finding homes online is not the most effective use of time for a buyer.

Yes it’s interesting, yes it’s entertaining, but it is a less than effective way to really shop for a home.

By far the most valuable time you can spend looking at homes is to actually have all of the information and physically visiting each home and neighborhood.

Doing this with an experienced Realtor will even be better. Most buyers will understand this very well once they are able to look with an agent that really knows the inventory and market that they work in.

Don’t get me wrong, the Internet is great, but I guarantee you that you will know more once you look at homes in person.

With all of the places that an agent can post information on a property offered for sale, and the never ending shelf life of a website, accuracy is a problem. Don’t assume that sites like Trulia, Zillow, Realty Trac, or even Realtor.com are accurate and up to date. They will only be as accurate as the feed that supplies them. Things like price changes, status, and even agency are often incorrect.

Almost weekly I get a call from a buyer that loves a home that they see online. This is great, especially since they called me! The problem is that homes look different online than they do in person. I don’t know a real estate agent that takes photos of any of the negative things that might not be attractive to a buyer and posts them on the Internet intentionally.

Looking online at homes will give you a good idea of what is available, but once you’re serious, you need to see the homes in person with a local Realtor that knows the inventory.

Steve Hirschler

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Buying Or Selling A Home In Big Bear? 3 Critical Contingencies To Keep In Mind.

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By Steve Hirschler on August 23rd, 2009
Categories: Big Bear Buyers, Big Bear Real Estate News, Big Bear Sellers
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The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) residential purchase contract (RPA) has three standard contingencies built into the contract – Loan Contingency, Appraisal and Buyer’s Inspections.  Most of the problems that come up in a real estate transaction fall under these 3 contingencies.

If the contract is left unchanged, the period of these three contingencies is 17 days after the deal is struck. As stated in the contract, the removal of these contingencies must be in writing with the C.A.R. form CR (contingency removal).

This is the paragraph in the contract that explains these contingencies:

CA RPA Contingencies

Here’s are some thoughts about each and why they are important:

Loan – The loan contingency term should be set based upon the time that is required for the lender to provide written loan approval. The shorter the time period, the more attractive to the seller, but can the buyer and the lender live up to that?  In today’s lending world, banks are very careful to check all of the Read the rest of this entry »

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What Comes First, Finding A Big Bear Home Or A Big Bear Real Estate Agent?

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By Steve Hirschler on June 9th, 2009
Categories: Big Bear Buyers, Big Bear Market Conditions, Big Bear Neighborhoods, Big Bear Real Estate News
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A classic case of putting the cart before the horse.

It’s an easy mistake to make.

With so much information available online, you might just wonder why you need a Realtor. You might be thinking, I will know a good deal when I see one. You might be thinking, Real Estate people are going to try to sell me something I don’t want to buy. You might even think that the only reason you need a Realtor is to give you the price of the home and let you inside to look. You will probably end up working with the agent that has the listing.

The problem with this is that you shopped for a house, and ended up with an agent. The listing agent has a fiduciary responsibility to represent the seller’s interests first. Why not pick a Realtor that has a history of providing excellent service?

Make a conscious choice and pick a Realtor before you pick a home to buy. Don’t be afraid to shop for the Realtor that possesses the qualities you expect. Honesty, integrity, inventory knowledge, Real Estate contract knowledge, the ability to listen and communicate effectively, patience, hard work, and fast response to your questions and concerns. It won’t take long to know if you are with one of these agents. It’s pretty easy to see when you are not.

Don’t make the mistake of driving around Big Bear hoping that a house that fits your needs and price will magically appear in front of you.

An experienced agent that knows the market can direct you to the homes that fit your criteria and eliminate the need to look at the homes that don’t. Read the rest of this entry »

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