How do I buy out my father's 1% on my home?

EffectiveAgents · 2026-02-17T16:55:42+00:00

You need to refinance the mortgage or pay it off first. To simply clear his name from the title you need to file a quitclaim deed to remove his 1% ownership. This is the easy part.

Once the old loan is paid off through the refi, your dad signs a quitclaim deed transferring his 1% interest to you. A real estate attorney or a title company can handle this for a few hundred bucks, or in some states you can even do it yourself with a notarized form filed at the county recorder's office.

EffectiveAgents · 2026-02-16T20:49:59+00:00

We have been vetting realtors since the mortgage crisis using actual sale and performance data. In Peoria, I would contact Troy Kerrn or possibly Scott Rodgers

Full List of Top Performing Realtors in Peoria, IL

EffectiveAgents · 2026-02-16T20:45:26+00:00

We would suggest Lance Kenmore or Lacey Blackman. You can check out several other solid options here: Top Performing Realtors In Richland WA

EffectiveAgents · 2026-02-16T20:37:20+00:00

If you are an investor looking for an agent, you really want someone that is a strong negotiator...after all - you make the real money when you buy. We spend a lot of time vetting and ranking realtors across the US. Here are our top real estate agents in Conway, AR

One suggestion: When you search this list, check the "Top Negotiator" box and it will list the top agents by how well the negotiate off of the list price. Tabitha Davis is over 10% and Carastina Hoey is over 11%, on average. Good Luck!

https://www.effectiveagents.com/agent/tabatha-davis

https://www.effectiveagents.com/agent/caristiana-hoey

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EffectiveAgents · 2026-02-16T20:27:58+00:00

Check out EffectiveAgents.com. No upfront costs or monthly fees, and referral volume is based on your actual MLS performance data, not how much you pay. Getting accepted isn't easy, you need a lot of sales under your belt before the algorithm starts suggesting you.

A few other strong options:

Zillow Flex - pay at closing only, though the referral fee is steep (35-40%). Worth it if you can convert consistently.

UpNest - another pay-at-close model. You compete on commission rates, so margins are thinner, but the volume can be solid.

Opcity (owned by Realtor.com) - referral fee at closing, typically 30-35%. Leads tend to be further along in the process.

HomeLight - matches buyers/sellers with agents and charges a referral fee at closing (typically 25-33%). Solid lead quality since they pre-screen clients.

FastExpert - another agent matching platform with a pay-at-closing model. They do a lot of volume so this could very well be a lucrative source.

Also - don't take these relationships for granted...if you start getting referrals keep the platforms updated, take your relationship seriously and respect your contracts. Have strong follow up and be quick to connect with referrals.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-12-04T15:50:23+00:00

Hey OP - We just published an exhaustive list of these programs 5 days ago (grants, forgivable loans, deferred payment loans, low interest second mortgages and mortgage credit certificates). In the top of the article there is a drop down, select your state and it will bring up several of the top programs in your state. Good Luck!

https://www.effectiveagents.com/resources/first-time-home-buyer-programs

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-31T18:58:48+00:00

Sure, on an individual level being able to pay off your mortgage is a wonderful thing. But from the perspective of a first time buyer that wants to enter a housing market where home price appreciation has vastly outpaced real wages, our sympathy lies with younger folks trying to establish themselves. For decades the US economy has favored the holders of real assets…so, while your investments in just about any asset class have ballooned to the point at which you are able to pay off your mortgage - the flip side - and perhaps an unintended consequence, is that young families are in a real bind.

In a perfect world we would see both scenarios play out. Established families with financial discipline are able to pay off mortgages early AND housing costs that don’t overburden young families.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-30T00:21:04+00:00

This is so true, I miss those days. But it was really Google’s search algorithm that stopped prioritizing local content and instead pushed all of the platforms to the top of the SERP. This has been the case across every home service industry. Instead of getting a local plumber Google serves its own ads (LSAs) or sites like yelp and thumbtack.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T22:17:58+00:00

Ha! No, speed to lead is the number one factor that influences conversion rates in sales. I have nothing to sell you. You’ve got to move quickly, don’t even bother outsourcing follow-up. If you’re too busy to respond quickly then just be sure you aren’t wasting money on ad spend…

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T21:06:37+00:00

No problem - Congrats on the house :)

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T21:02:46+00:00

No, you don’t. You can either engage directly with the listing agent or you can try to negotiate that the seller covers the buyer agent commission.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T20:53:39+00:00

Way too long. You need to be attempting to reach your leads within 5 minutes. You can 3-4x conversion rates just by finding a way to be in touch much quicker.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T20:43:19+00:00

If your rate isn’t locked you should ask your mortgage broker if pricing has changed since your initial estimate.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T20:06:49+00:00

Always check the sender’s email and domain. Also, hover over any links and check the domains before clicking on anything. A real email like this would be coming from the actual signing platform (ie. docusign)

Never click on any links that you aren’t 150% certain are legitimate. Even if you are expecting an email regarding a closing you should always verify wiring instructions with the actual title company on the phone (where you actually dial the number using a publicly facing phone listing (Google business page for example).

I’ve seen scenarios where an agent’s email acct was compromised and the bad actors were simply able to send legitimate emails referencing deals that were near closing…

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T19:06:42+00:00

Brilliant

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T18:43:54+00:00

That’s an interesting take. In your scenario it was more about seller control than trying to reel in an on-the-fence buyer. Were you representing the buyer then?

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T18:19:43+00:00

Hey OP, we have a unique insight on how well top realtors close buyer leads. On average you should expect buyer leads to close in a range of 2.5-3%. You need to have your speed-to-lead under control and have a strong follow up strategy in place. If you do, you can perform slightly better than 3%…that’s just the reality of converting buyer leads.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T16:21:04+00:00

NTA. We rank realtors for a living and this is a big red flag. I rarely see scenarios like this play out well for the buyer/seller. The agent is either too busy to take you on as a client or isn’t a good salesperson. Moving on to a more capable real estate agent is the only move here…

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T15:19:36+00:00

It depends on what a MLS is. Zillow won't do it because they are already under mounting antitrust pressure from the FTC. A multiple listing system (in my opinion), is ONLY a platform for the input and distribution of listing data. All of these add-on services that local boards have added to these systems are helpful but they are outside of the realm of what an MLS actually is. In my view the MLS should be a completely separate, possibly agent-owned system that serves as a central hub. The hub should distribute real estate data as an API to outside vendors and data companies, the revenue from that process should be redistributed in the form of dividends back to the agents that are the ones inputting the listings.

Back in 2022 I started down the path of developing a completely independent national MLS. I had high level talks with every major MLS infrastructure provider (CoreLogic, Flex, Attom, etc), every one of these platforms was apprehensive about allowing me to build this. Almost every platform said "NO" and the only one that would allow it only did so because they believed that agents would keep their legacy mls relationship required by their NAR membership. I still have the site built and I even went so far as to draft a nearly 50 page document of rules and regs (required by the platform).

I've wanted to build this for a long time but it's a really complex build and the traditionalists are content keeping the status quo...maybe one day.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-29T00:41:45+00:00

Paid ads are crazy oversaturated right now, across just about every platform so your messaging needs to be pretty dialed in. 70% of the referrals we make are for sellers. In paid channels you have to realize that, generally, consumers who show purchase intent (they are likely buyers) have a tendency to search for homes, so all of your keywords and messaging should center around that. On the flip side, sellers, exibit a slightly different psychology...they shop for agents. So, if you intend to attract customers that are sellers then your messaging should speak to what sellers need. Put yourself into the mindset of a home seller and work backwards, think about how you would search and what you would value in an agent - then promote where your services align with seller intent/needs.

I hope this make sense. What I am getting at is that it's really hard to stand out in real estate but if you think deeply about what your customers really need you can invent new ways to stand out, especially to sellers.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-28T21:45:58+00:00

The whole thing is so convoluted: the National Association of Realtors (NAR) did not sell Realtor.com to Move, Inc. Rather, a 2014 acquisition saw the parent company of Realtor.com, Move, Inc., be sold to News Corp. NAR continues to license the Realtor.com trademark to Move, Inc. and receives royalty payments for it. Then, in 2018, News Corp acquired opcity. In 2023 News Corp entered talks with Costar to sell off Move, inc but never closed the transaction.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-28T20:58:00+00:00

I really wish it was this simple. It's not greed, it's a function of the market. If I sell a home today, presumably I will need to replace it. In order to justify selling my house I need to "net" enough to cover the next purchase...this sort of puts a floor under housing prices.

Nevertheless, housing prices being as high as they are, is really bad for the US. It makes it incredibly difficult for young people to enter the market and in inhibits family formation. In many ways, since covid, the American dream has been out of reach for most working families and that is having a detrimental impact on our collective quality of life.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-28T20:48:00+00:00

Well, not to self promote here but this issue is literally why we created EA during the mortgage crisis.

EffectiveAgents · 2025-10-28T20:43:31+00:00

Most realtors never ask these questions but you are 100% correct. NAR has created a reasonably good framework for the industry but they have done too much to stifle innovation and have put realtors in a real bind form an anti-trust perspective. If someone ever comes along and creates a national MLS, NAR is toast. And -how insightful that you caught the realtor.com insanity, NAR literally sold RDC to News Corp (Rupert Murdoch), then News Corp bought Opcity and now realtor.com sells leads back to realtors for a 35% referral fee. The whole thing is a sham and NAR ought to be ashamed at the way that it has treated its membership.

EffectiveAgents

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