Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Is this a good time to sell my home?

As Realtors we are asked many questions.  "How's the real estate market?" "How much is my home worth?"  "Is this a good time to sell? (or buy?)"
As with every decision in life there are pros and cons.  There are many factors to take into consideration before deciding when to sell a home.  Many homeowners believe selling a home during the fall or winter months is not a good idea and that the spring is the only time a house should be sold.  This is the furthest from the truth.  Certainly most real estate markets across the United States experience a "spring market rush" every year.  There is no doubt that the "spring market" is a great time to be selling and buying real estate, however, the fall and winter seasons may be the best fit for you for many reasons.

Less Competition
During the fall and winter there are fewer homes on the market so the greater the probably that a buyer will look at your home.  It's the supply and demand theory.  This also increases the probability that an offer on your home will be at the maximum amount. Homes are bought and sold 365 days a year.  During these months are when the serious buyers are out there, putting up with the cold and rain (or snow).

The Best Agents are Always Up To The Challenge.
Any real estate agent who tells you that the fall or winter months are a bad time to sell is not someone you want selling your home.  A great real estate agent will know how to adapt to the current season and market.  If a real estate agent doesn't have any suggestions on making your home more desirable for the current season, you should be concerned about the creativity they are going to use when marketing your home.

Quicker Transactions
Right now there are fewer real estate transactions than there will be in the spring. This means mortgage lenders have less loans to process and home inspectors have fewer inspections to do.  One of the most stressful things for sellers and buyers is when they don't get answers in a reasonable amount of time.

By considering the reasons above, you will be able to determine whether now is a good time to sell or if you should wait until spring.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Home Staging, Truth in Advertising

Staging is not about dressing up the home to make it look pretty. It's more about the 3D's, Decluttering, Depersonalizing, and Deep Cleaning. You can enhance different areas of your home with plants and candles, you can set the table, repaint the pink wall in Sienna Sand, move your hobby collections into storage and even put lipstick on grandma. All of these things will help the backdrop look more inviting. but people will eventually learn the truth. None of it changes the basic infrastructure. Overselling can be dangerous. We have been successful by underselling and over-delivering.
Sometimes buyers see a listing that says the home is "model perfect". only to arrive at the subject home and it looks like Ted Kaczynski's cabin. I don't have a more delicate way to say this but it pisses buyers off.
Photos are the same way. Photographers can make the photos look "too good". Sometimes a home is stretched out, colors are enhanced, and natural landscape is made to look green and lush. Don't get me wrong. Our photos are still awesome, but they are honest.  Our photographers and videographers are professionally trained for real estate.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

FREE STUFF!

There are now more than 100 mountain residents taking part in 95033free. These include both people with good extra stuff that they no longer need and would like to have it put to use. Also there are postings of things needed by our neighbors. Online we are virtually opening our garages, sheds, barns, closets, and cabinets to give away their treasures to fellow mountain residents.
If you live or work in the 95033 zip code and agree to the group guidelines, you are invited to sign up on 95033free.com.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Mountain Biking in the Demonstration Forest


Ride Summary:
Interlocking loops make this interesting to ride several times.

Trail Description:
There are several trails to choose from. Though there may only be about 10 miles of trails, there is still surprisingly a lot to choose from making a variety of loops and alternate routes possible. The best bet is to start on the Ridge Trail and then taking any variety of side trails making up your route as you go. The forest is relatively small so it's pretty hard to get lost. You may end up with a good climb to get back to your car though. The best way to ride these trails is to just go for it.
How to get there:
From Los Gatos or Santa Cruz Take HWY 17 to Summit Rd. Go EAST. Follow Summit for about 6 miles (it will turn into highland Rd.) When you get to the three-way fork in the road, stay on Highland which is the center fork. Follow Highland to the small bridge over a stream

Additional Notes:
A mudslide had Highland Rd closed for a while but it is now passable.

See video of mountain biking in the demonstration forest at http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=mountain+biking+demonstration+forest&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Rent Vs Own Calculator

Here is an easy way to figure out the whether you should continue to rent or if now is the time to buy a home. Go to http://www.marksmithloans.com/ and click the menu button Rent vs Own Calculator.