Frequently Asked Questions for Advertisers of Property for Sale, Rent To Own Real Estate and Rentals
How do I get the best positions on HouseHitz.com for my Ads?
Below is the order that we position our ads:
- Premier Homes
- Featured Homes
-
Economy Homes
- Has a Virtual Tour or Web Link
- Number of Additional Pictures Selected
- Has Standard (FREE) number of Pictures
What does it cost to advertise on your site?
Economy Homes - free
Improve your Advertising Results!
Premier Homes BEST EXPOSURE!- Price: $9- Are viewed 80% more often than Standard homes.
- Displayed on our Home Page!
- Displayed periodically on right side of our site! They are placed above Featured or Standard homes for searches that match them. Because they are seen on the home page, on the right side of any search in your state and at the top of relevant searches, these ads are seen the most often of all ads!
Featured Homes - Price: $4
- They are placed above ecomonmy homes for searches that match them. This causes them to be seen much more often than standard homes.
Add a Web Link or Virtual Tour - Price: $15
- Will provide a link to your Virtual Tour, or website!
- Direct our Home Searchers directly to your Website, or a Virtual Tour for your home!
Do Not miss this oportunity to drive home searchers directly to your website!
Additional pictures
Additional pictures affect the order your ad is displayed in. The more pictures you have, the higher the rank of your Ad. Ads with Unlimited Pictures Display First.
- One additional picture - $1 per month
- Three additional pictures - $3 per month
- Seven additional pictures - $6 per month
- Unlimited pictures - $11 per month
What happens if I Register on your site?
- You will be able to list your rental property, Real Estate for Sale Rent to Own house or Lease Purchase home.
- You will be able to configure the system to display your contact information, or an alternative contact, automatically, including the appropriate email address as you see fit.
- You will be able to configure the system to email you directly, or to email an alternative contact, if you need.
- You will be able to edit your ads and manage your pictures at your convenience.
- We will email you a link that will allow you to remove yourself, and all of your properties at any time, with just one click.
What HTML do you allow in my ad?
BOLD
ITALIC
UNDERLINE
CENTER
LINE BREAK
I'm having problems with my login. What do I do?
If you continue to have problems, please email us at questions@househitz.com. Tell us what error you got. We will get back to you as quickly as we can.
I have registered, but I cannot post a property, what do I do?
After you log in, you should have a "Post a Property" link under "For Advertisers". If you do not have that link, select "Edit My Profile". You can change your user type in your profile. Once you have changed your profile to allow you to advertise properties, you should now have a "Post a Property" link.
If this still does not help, please email us at questions@househitz.com. We will help you get it resolved as quickly as possible.
If I Register, will I get a bunch of SPAM from your site?
How can users contact me through the site?
Additionally, when a user clicks on your summary ad, they will get a "Send Email" button. Registered users on the site may use this button to send you emails directly from the site.
How do I know how many Home Searchers are viewing my ads?
- When you are logged in, click on "Manage My Properties", When you are on the management page, each property will have its statistics on how many users have seen your ad, how many times a Home Searcher has clicked on your ad to see the details and pictures, how many times home searchers have gotten a map to your property, and how many times home searchers have emailed you directly from the site.
- Weekly, we will email you a report of your site activity. It will inform you of how many users are registered on our site, how many users have seen your ad, how many times a Home Searcher has clicked on your ad to see the details and pictures, how many times home searchers have gotten a map to your property, and how many times home searchers have emailed you directly from the site.
Do you ever email my advertisements to users.
Can I pause my ad so I won't get more calls? Will I get a refund or credit?
As long as you do not "Permanently Delete" your property, your property will continue to be available to you. You may restore the ad to displaying for the duration of the time you paid to be able to advertise it.
We're sorry. Your ad is still available to display, you may restore it to displaying at any time during the period you have paid for. Unfortunately, we cannot provide credits or refunds for advertisements that you choose to no longer display on the site.
What mapping system do you use? How can I know your maps will display my property properly?
We recommend testing the "Get Map" button while posting your your property to assure that it displays correctly when selected.
Do you know anyone who buys houses?
Do you have links to other sites?
What is Owner Financing?
With some houses sellers are able to actually provide the loan for you, without you having to go to a bank. This works well if you have a good sized down payment (at least 8-10% of the purchase price- $15,000-$25,000) but have bad credit, that keeps you from getting a reasonable loan.Owner financing can also work well for investors who want to acquire more properties, but do not have a 25% down payment, or do not want the loans to show up on their credit report.
With owner financing, you actually buy the property from the home seller and make monthly mortgage payments directly to them. The advantage over the rent-to-own option is that you get all of the tax benefits of owning the home, which can save you thousands of dollars every year on taxes. You also own the home and can do major improvements, additions, and whatever you want (within reason). Often times, there are less loan costs than if you had gotten a traditional home loan.
Doing owner financing is also a fairly simple process. The buyers and sellers sign a Purchase Contract, an Installment Land Contract, and a couple of other short documents. The paperwork take about an hour and a half, and then you own your own home.
HouseHitz.com strongly recommends that buyers entering into a owner financing agreement consult legal counsel. All real estate agreements carry significant legal ramifications and appropriate legal representation is strongly recommended.
What is Rent To Own?
Rent To Own (also called lease option, and/or lease purchase) refers to a contractual arrangement between the tenant and landlord whereby the tenant rents the property, much like any rental arrangement you have had. The difference is that the tenant also has the GUARANTEED right or option to buy the property at an agreed upon price sometime during the rental period. This is kind of like a "rain check" at a department store. While the tenant has the OPTION to buy the property, they DO NOT HAVE TO buy it. The landlord MUST SELL the property to the tenant at the agreed upon price, if the tenant so chooses.
Benefits to you of Rent To Own Housing
Depending on your particular situation, there are several advantages of a Rent To Own house over a standard rental house:
- Rent-To-Own allows you to move into your own house now, with a relatively small down payment, even if you have credit problems that would keep you from buying a house. Once you are in the house, we work with you to improve your credit over the next year or two, so you can easily qualify for a good loan.
- Once you have lived in the house for 1-2 years, it can be possible to get a refinance loan, which is typically easier and cheaper than getting a loan to purchase a house.
- Generally, you can treat a rent-to-own home like your own home. You can paint and decorate it to suit your tastes and make improvements you would never think of doing with a home you are just renting.
- A rent-to-own home lets you "try out" an area or house before you are actually locked into a 30 year mortgage.
How Do You 'Rent To Own' a House?
Rent-To-Own is a simple process! The tenants and landlord sign a Lease Agreement and an Option To Purchase Agreement, each about 2 pages long. Generally, the Lease Agreement on a Rent-To-Own home differs from a standard Lease Agreement in 2 ways:
-
There is an option fee paid to the landlord for the guaranteed,
exclusive right to purchase the property during the lease term.
This is similar to the down payment required on most home loans,
but is generally less money. Typical option fees range from $3,000
to $7,000, depending on the home and your credit history.
If the tenant buys the property during the lease period, the entire option fee is credited to the tenant as part of their purchase. If the tenant does not purchase the property, or if they default on the lease agreement, they lose the option fee. -
Because the tenant is to become the owner of the house, typically
the lease requires that the tenant be responsible for all
day-to-day maintenance and repairs under a fixed amount (usually
under $500). All this means is that you will fix the leaky toilet,
change the light bulbs, etc. If the furnace or roof needs
replacing, the landlord is responsible for those major repairs.
The Option To Purchase Agreement simply states that the tenant has the right to buy the property at a fixed price during the lease period.
HouseHitz.com strongly recommends that tenants entering into a lease purchase or rent to own agreement consult legal counsel. All real estate agreements carry significant legal ramifications and appropriate legal representation is very strongly recommended.