Happy Holidays everyone! It's been a great year for our real estate team, and we never could have had such a successful year without all of your help. Thank you for all of your business and referrals!
I also have a tip for you today. You know how hard it is to take Christmas pictures, right? Everyone is busy and on a different schedule, and it's hard to get people in the same place at the same time. Going to the mall and taking a photo isn't very fun and it's expensive, too.
Here's your solution: Bass Pro Shops! They offer free photos with Santa! I went to the location in Rockland and it's open until 10pm. They're going to be doing this until the 24th, so hurry on down there!
"List and sell your home during the holidays? What are you, crazy?" That's the reaction you'll get from most people when you suggest selling during the holidays. However, the holidays are a great time to sell. With the right strategy, selling during the holidays gives you a competitive advantage. Here's why.
There are serious buyers out there. You don't get many buyers who are "just looking" this time of year. If someone is out looking for a home during the holidays, they mean business. They're motivated.
There are fewer homes on the market for buyers to browse. There are less listings available. That means less competition and more money for you.
After the holidays, listings will substantially increase. More homes on the market means more competition and less demand for your home, which means less money for you.
You can restrict your showings during the holidays.You can still celebrate the holidays with your family. Restricting showings will also increase demand, as buyers become more eager to see your home.
You can sell now for more money and buy in the spring. You don't have to move until January or February, after your taxes are done. Selling during the holidays gives you the unique opportunity to sell high and buy low. You will have more flexibility later if you sell sooner.
As you can see, the holidays are a great time to sell. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!
Because of cancer my son will never get to meet his grandfather. Cancer sucks, and today I want to invite you to join the fight against the disease. November is also known as 'No Shave November' or it's also called 'Movember'.
This month is typically dedicated to men's diseases such as prostate cancer and testicular cancer. All you have to do is sign up on the website and donate some money if you feel like it. But the fun part is that you let your facial hair or mustache grow out during the month. It's a show of solidarity towards those battling these cancers, and it's a lighthearted way to approach a rather serious issue.
So, I urge you not to shave this month. If that's not possible for you, I urge you to donate to a charity - any charity - that is helping to eliminate cancer. I want to make a difference, and I want my grandkids to be able to meet their grandparents.
I know this is a rather somber topic, but please donate and participate if you can. We need all the help that we can get!
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions you may have!
Today we are excited to be talking about the major mistakes that you can make that will screw up the sale of your home. I’m going to give you four of the most common ones today, so hopefully you will be able to avoid them in the future. They are:
1. Selling FSBO
Trying to sell your home on your own is admirable, but just doesn’t make sense. There are so many things to take into account when selling a home, not to mention the fact that most FSBO homes end up listing with an agent eventually anyways. Why waste the energy, time and frustration of doing it yourself, when you could just hire a professional to get the job done for a reasonable price and make sure your home sells for top dollar.
2. Mispricing your home
Incorrectly pricing your home can be a big problem. Price it too high, and you’ll get no showings or offers until you reduce it. If you underprice your home, you may get too many offers to keep track of, and it may be hard to sell for top dollar. A good agent can come in and help you price your home correctly for top dollar.
3. Using lousy photos
We’ve all seen them online, the weird sideways pictures with bad lighting, and clutter in the background. Nothing turns off potential buyers more than bad online photographs. You need to have a professional photographer take pictures that tell the real story of your home, that’s what will attract people to your home online.
4. Ignoring the backyard and landscaping
Oftentimes, people will make a decision on whether they like a home or not in the first 15 seconds of seeing the property. Having nice landscaping will help quell buyers' fears. Don’t ignore the backyard though, that’s an easy way to turn buyers off as well.
There you have it, the four major mistakes that will screw up your home sale. If you are thinking of buying or selling soon, give me a call or send me an email. I’d love the opportunity to interview for the job, and I look forward to hearing from you!
I love October, and I love Halloween. With this being said, I'd like to tell you a little bit about my three favorite places to take my family during this spooky time of year.
Goblin Gardens is a great one to start out at, but something that makes them special is that they have authentic covered wagons. It'll make you feel like you're out in the old west.
Bishop's Pumpkin Farm is another good choice, and this is a massive pumpkin patch. I've been there multiple times, and it's like the Disneyland of pumpkin patches.They have a zipline, and I actually never knew that it was there because the whole place is so massive! I've never done it but I've always wanted to. This one is located in Wheatland, but it's worth the trek!
Dave's Pumpkin Patch is probably my favorite out of all three. It's in West Sacramento, and it's run by Vierra Farms. What really makes this place special is the 'Pumpkin Chunkin', a cannon that shoots pumpkins 500 yards! I know all you dads out there want to see that - I'm pushing really hard for my family to go there this year.
If you're just looking for some pumpkins to decorate your home with, I'd suggest looking at Green Acres. They have a great selection and it's very inexpensive.
As always, if you need any real estate assistance whatsoever, please don't hesitate to contact me! I look forward to hearing from you.
Moving and buying a new home is an exciting experience. The one thing that no one talks about, though, is how tough moving can be on your entire family. Today, I've got 6 tips for you on how to bring finality and closure to your home so you can enjoy the fresh start.
1. Drive through the neighborhood before you go. Take a video of some of the local places and landmarks that you enjoy so that you have those memories preserved. 2. Throw your own going away party. Invite all of your friends and family, even set up a photo or video booth. This is the last time you might be able to get all those people together in one place. 3. Take one last walk-through of the home with all of the family. Take a look at and be aware of all the special memories you have in that home, and reminisce about them. 4. Take a picture of your entire family in front of your old home. 5. Take a picture of your entire family in front of your new home. Then take both of these pictures, frame them, and hang them up in your new home. 6. Make plans to come back and visit the neighborhood within a year. If you do that, there is a piece of you that can hold on to the feeling that you will be coming back soon. This will help bring closure and finality to your whole family.
If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!
We are in the midst of a hot August market, and we just wanted to take a moment today to give you a quick update. Here’s a peek at July’s numbers, and what to expect in the coming months.
We are still in a hot seller’s market right now, with just 1.9 months of inventory. Sellers are loving how quickly their properties are moving, as the average days on the market for the entire Sacramento area is at just 25 days.
There is still time to get your property on the market this summer and take advantage of these conditions. Homes are selling in under a week when priced correctly. They are also selling for 98% of their original list price, a great figure. Sellers can still command that high price for their home.
If you are looking to buy a home, now is an excellent time to do that as well. Interest rates are near historically low levels and lending guidelines are looser. If you have any questions about the market or how you can take advantage of it, feel free to give me a call or send me a quick email. If you text me, you can get a link to our free app as well. I look forward to speaking with you soon!
Buyers often ask me whether or not they absolutely need an inspection done on a potential home. Almost 100% of the time I tell them that they should have a professional inspection done.
Even if you're buying a brand new home, it may still have something wrong with it. When you're investing in something such as a home, you will want to ensure that it is in proper working order. This would be like buying a car without test driving it and getting a mechanic's report on it.
Give yourself peace of mind, and allow the inspector to crawl under the home and into the roof to ensure that you're not purchasing a home with a major underlying problem.
If you want to do some research on home inspectors, you can look them up on the American Society of Home Inspectors.These are the professionals that I refer to my clients, and they will perform the work right in front of you and tell you exactly what's going on.
If you need any referrals for home inspectors of pest inspectors, please don't hesitate to contact me!
A lot of people have been asking me lately, "What can I do to get my home to sell? What major renovations should I be making?" They think that major renovations will get them the biggest return on investment.
My answer may surprise you: Don't make any major renovations before selling your home. Construction projects always cost more than you think they will initially, and since you won't be around to enjoy the new improvements, it's really just money down the drain.
Minor improvements can go a long way. Start with the front yard. Research shows that curb appeal can make a buyer love or hate a home before they even step through the front door. Clean up the yard, get rid of grease spots on the driveway, and trim any shrubbery. Make sure everything is nice and beautiful.
There are a ton of inexpensive fixes for your home that can get you the biggest bang for your buck. If you are interested in more tips to get your home to sell quickly and for top dollar, please give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help.
The greater Sacramento area has been seeing a lot of changes lately. Today we are going to give you a market update for the area, with the latest stats from the month of July. Here is what’s been going on:
We are definitely still in a seller’s market, with about 1.7 months of inventory. That number is down from 2.1 months at this time last year.
The average sale price is up 1.6% just from May of this year! That is incredible growth.
The average days on market in Sacramento is down to 25 days.
The median home price has increased from $290,000 to $294,000 in just one month.
As you can see, sellers are able to command a higher price in this market when priced right and marketed correctly. As for buyers, historically low interest rates and looser lending guidelines are both great incentives to lock in a purchase, and an interest rate, now.
If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Talk to you soon!
I get a lot of questions from my clients, and one of the most common ones is, "Why is my home not selling?" There are actually three common reasons why homes don't sell, and we will be discussing them today.
The condition of the home: This is ultra-important to buyers. They don't want to buy a home in good, bad, or medium condition. They want a home in great condition!
The price of the home: Your home should be priced comparably and also have similar features and be in similar condition. Instead of giving buyers incentives to repair, actually repair the home yourself. This will allow you to price your home higher.
Lack of exposure: This is often the biggest reason why a home doesn't sell. You can't just put the home on the MLS and expect it to sell. A good real estate agent should be able to put your home through multiple avenues to get your home sold. This should increase demand, which will also increase your sale price.
So, if you're in the market to sell, please don't hesitate to give me a call. I would love to sell your home quickly and for top dollar.
Today we're going to take a break from real estate to discuss something that's equally important: pizza. There are a lot of good places for pizza in Sacramento and Roseville, and today I'll be speaking about a few of them.
Chicago Fire Pizza is the first that comes to mind. It's a chain with various locations in the area, and they serve up gourmet pizza in a rustic atmosphere. I'd try the Great Chicago Fire pizza - it's got a habanero drizzle on it, and if you like hot stuff then you would like this pie.
Primo Pizza is another classic. It's a smaller place with a pub atmosphere, and everything on the menu is great. The beer selection is huge, and I would recommend that you try the cheesy garlic twists.
Now, my all-time favorite pizza in the area is Celestino's Pizza. Unlike other places where they just put a basic marinara on their pies, this place really goes above and beyond. I would highly recommend the Tony Soprano pizza, which comes with salami, mushrooms, and olives. They also have craft beers and a large menu that is sure to please everyone.
If you go to any of these places, just let them know that Chris Reese sent you! As always, please contact me if you need assistance buying or selling in Sacramento!
Today, we share the latest market update for the Roseville area!
Right now, it's still a seller's market. There isn't a lot of inventory available for sellers looking for a new home. For example, there are 1,222 homes for sale in Placer County, and the average time on market is 32 days. In Sacramento County, there are 2,620 homes for sales with an average market time of 28 days. Eldorado has 795 available homes with an average market time of 41 days on the market. Finally, Yolo County has only 253 available homes with an average market time of 24 days.
With so few homes on the market, and so many buyers out there, sellers are able to demand a higher price for their properties. Buyers are willing to pay higher prices because it's a great time to buy with interest rates so low, and because prices are expected to rise in the near future. The average 30-year fixed rate is around 4% and the average 15-year fixed rate is roughly 3.25%! This is outstanding considering the fact that the average 30-year interest rate over the last 30 years is around 8%!
Now is the perfect time to sell! If you price your home right and market it effectively, there is a chance you can sell in under a month! Just recently, in fact, we listed a home that received multiple offers within the first few days and sold for above list price after only four days on market! If you are thinking of buying, now is also a good time to make a move. Interest rates are incredibly low, so now is the time to lock in a low rate!
If you have any questions about current market conditions, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to help you out!
