Understand What Goes into House Prices in a Competitive Market
Even in a seller’s market, home sales depend on certain factors that may require you to be flexible.
You may be selling a home in a competitive market — for example, with low inventory and high demand. And you may be thinking “Yay!” or at least “Whew.” You know you’re likely to have more interested buyers, better offers, and a quicker trip to contract than you’d have otherwise. But along with that good news comes the need to manage your expectations by understanding what determines house prices and home sales. Factors include the right real estate agent, local market conditions, buyer preferences, seasonality, and mortgage rates versus inventory.
Read More
7 Important Repairs to Make Before Selling A House
The most critical things to do to increase your home’s value before putting it on the market.
As a smart seller, you'll want your home in tip-top shape - yes, even in a spicy hot sellers’ market - but you don't want to eat into your profits by overspending on home improvements. You won't be around to enjoy them anyway. The key is to focus on the most important repairs to make before selling a house to ensure every dollar you spend supports a higher asking price.
Read More
Home Buying & Selling During the Pandemic: What You Need to Know
Technology and good-old-fashioned creativity are helping agents, buyers, and sellers abide by COVID-19 health and safety practices while getting deals done.
Some buyers are touring houses virtually. Others visit in person while remaining at least six feet from their agent. Sellers are hosting open houses on Facebook Live. Appraisers are doing drive-by valuations. Buyers are watching inspections via video call. Masked and gloved notaries are getting signatures on doorsteps.
Read More
How To Successfully Sell A Home In Today's COVID-19 Environment (video)
Jeanne Mulhern and Liz Kroft discuss how selling a home in Santa Cruz County can be done successfully, safely and almost entirely online in today's COVID-19 environment.
If you are wondering how to achieve your goals of selling, we have all of the answers and are here to guide you through the process from the initial interview all the way through to the closing table.
Believe it or not, now is still a great time to sell for many homeowners, let us show you why.
Read More
What To Repair Before You List Your Home For Sale
When you’re getting ready to list your home, it’s of the upmost importance to ensure you are showing it in the best light. Taking time to highlight its strengths and fix up some of its possible weaknesses can make a big difference in how fast it sells. Here are our top five recommended repairs to make before selling your home.
Read More
What Does The Coronavirus Mean For Santa Cruz County Real Estate?
The Coronavirus Looms Over An Expectedly Robust Spring Season In The Housing Market
Until a few weeks ago the historically little inventory, healthy economy and low mortgage rates had the Santa Cruz County housing market humming along. Much of that hasn’t changed all too dramatically, yet.
Read More
The Buyers Are Coming! 23 Packing Tips for Moving When the Pressure’s On
There are a million things you’d rather be doing than packing right now. Basically, anything else. But when you sell your home, moving is no longer a matter of if but when, so it’s time to face the music.
Plenty of contracts fall through because the buyers came to take possession, but the sellers couldn’t get their stuff out in time. Don’t be caught as one of those sellers who showed up at closing half-asleep because they were up all night moving.
Read More
Short Sale & Foreclosure: How Are They Different?
As unfortunate as it can be when homeowners fall behind on mortgage payments and must face the possibility of losing their homes, short sales and foreclosures provide them options for moving on financially. The terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually quite different, with varying timelines and financial impact on the homeowner. Here’s a brief overview.
Read More
How To Make Moving Stress-Free for Your Dog
Moving can be fun and exciting for us, but for a dog it can mean stress and anxiety. Their routine gets changed, they are moved to a new location possibly without all the family members present, things don’t look, sound, smell familiar. The following tips will help make sure your dog is as stress-free as possible before, during, and after the move.
Read More
