How to Hire the Right Agent

How can you be sure you’ve hired the right real estate agent? I’ll go over some ways to put your mind at ease today.

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Not all real estate agents are created equal, and there are a few things you should ask when choosing one.

First, are they a seasoned professional? Is this their full-time job or do they do this part time? Have they been in the business long enough to experience the ups and downs of the real estate market? Do they know a hot market from a slow market? Do they know what’s going on with foreclosures? Have they experienced all types of transitions? Have they represented buyers and sellers? The average real estate agent only sells one to four homes per year, so you need to make sure they know how to negotiate for you.

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If you get the home you want or the price you want, that’s what really matters, not the personal interests of the agent.

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Second, do they have a great marketing plan? What is your agent going to do specifically to sell your home or find you a great deal? Are they putting their marketing budget toward new and exciting ways to get your property seen? Are they on the right websites? Are they using great photography? What are they doing to market your home to the public to get as much exposure as possible?

Finally, will they negotiate in your best interests? Most real estate agents who don’t do a lot of business are focused on themselves and what is going to benefit them the most. It’s not about us though. If you get the home you want or the price you want, that’s what really matters. There are several stages of negotiation, so they need to be able to get you to the end with your needs in mind instead of shoving a contract down your throat to get their commission more quickly.

If you have any questions about this topic, or if you have any other real estate needs, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We’re always happy to help!

How We Can Help You Meet Your 2016 Real Estate Goals

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, we’ll discuss how my team and I can help you meet your real estate goals in 2016. There are a few reasons why you should hire my team. 

1. Experience. I’ve had the pleasure of being in the real estate business going on 16 years and helped over 500 people buy or sell real estate. I’ve been involved in every type of transaction there is, from short sales to traditional sales to trust sales. You name it. My team and I specialize in residential and investment properties, not commercial. 

2. Paperwork. New regulations mean more paperwork. Just to list a home involves over 50 pages to start the project. Purchasing a home involves even more paperwork because you have to deal with inspections, appraisals, and loan documents. I understand the contract and what to be on the lookout for as a buyer or as a seller. My team and I will make sure that your best interests are protected. 

3. Negotiation skills. As your real estate agent, I’m the buffer between an emotional buyer or seller and a great transaction. My job is to facilitate the sale and make sure everybody is getting a fair deal. 

4. Pricing. My job is to study comparable properties every day. I’ll let you know what it’s going to take to buy a home. If you’re a seller, I’ll let you know exactly how to price your house to expose it to as many potential buyers as possible. 

5. Understanding the aspects of the market.  I’ll tell you about market conditions and how they positively or negatively affect your ability to buy or sell. 

If you have any questions, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How Is the Southern California Market Doing?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

We are headed into the fourth quarter of the year, so today we wanted to give you a quick market update to get you up to speed. 

Right now, we have roughly 5,000 active listings. Over the last three months, we are listing about 1,000 properties per month and selling 735. So, we are selling about 75% of the listings that are coming on the market, but what’s going on with all that extra inventory? We are adding about 267 homes per month to our inventory and as we head into the next season, we hope to continue to sell this inventory, but for now it’s a constant reminder that price is the most critical factor whether your home is going to sell or sit on the market for an extended period of time. In the desert, we are averaging about 110 days on market. 

In Orange County, we have close to 8,300 homes for sale right now. Coming out of the selling season, you have about 3,800 listings taken per month and 2,900 sales per month. We are adding about 900 homes per month, but demand is very high, especially in the condo market, where purchases are up an incredible 17%. 

In these uncertain times, we are still seeing condo buyers buying at an alarming rate. A condo in Orange County won’t be on the market more than 60 days on average. 

As for interest rates, I predict that they are going to remain around where they are now in the coming months; there hasn’t been much to hint that they will be rising very dramatically any time soon. 

If you have any questions for us or are looking to buy or sell in Southern California, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How Will Home Sales Affect Your Buying and Selling Decisions?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

I recently read an article in USA Today that discussed how home sales recently spiked to an 8-year high in June. This is fantastic news, and is most likely happening due to the resurgence of buyers who had previously gone through a short sale or foreclosure. These buyers have finally waited out their time to be able to purchase again.

Because of this influx in buyers, we are currently seeing prices driven to an all-time high. If you’ve even been considering selling your home, now may be an opportune time to do so. Why else? Well, for starters, interest rates are going to rise soon. We aren’t sure when or by how much, but we do know a rise is impending. Now could be the best time for you to sell in the foreseeable future.

If you’ve been on the fence about buying, here’s the question you need to answer for yourself: How long do you plan on living there? It’s not about when you buy, it’s about how long you keep the investment. If you buy right, you can take advantage of the market down the road.

I hope these tips were useful. If you have any additional questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you!

Are Home Inspections Necessary in SoCal?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Welcome back, everybody. Today we are talking about home inspections, and whether you should get one on your next home purchase or not. 

I recently spoke with a few buyers, one who was purchasing a new construction home and one buying a resale home. They both asked me the same question, which was, "Should I have a home inspection done before I buy?"

My first bit of advice is YES! Get a home inspection on any home you plan on purchasing, regardless of whether it's a resale or a newly built home. With an inspection, you will have an independent professional who is going to check every corner of your home for any imperfections it may have. The inspection itself takes just a few hours, but it could save you so much more in the long run. 

Ten years ago, I purchased a new construction property. As I walked through the property with the builder's representative, who is there to protect the builder's interest, I noticed about 25-30 items that needed to be addressed. Once I ordered a home inspection, they found about 25-30 more problems that I completely missed. 

Once we are armed with that list of items, it puts us in a better position to negotiate and get the things fixed that would have cost a lot more. 

On a resale property, we usually make a request for repairs. However, with older homes, things are going to come up, and you're not going to be able to have everything fixed as a buyer. The problem here is every buyer wants everything done on a home inspection, while sellers don't want to do anything. The trick is finding a happy medium, such as fixing all of the health and safety concerns and not as many of the cosmetic issues. 

If you are buying or selling, we recommend you get a home inspection. If you get one as a seller, it's a great incentive to offer buyers in a difficult market. 

So, get a home inspection and protect yourself. And if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Should You Offer a Home Warranty?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey everyone, today we are discussing home warranties, and whether you should get one as a buyer and whether you should offer one as a seller. 

The first question we're going to answer is, "What is a home warranty?" Basically, it's something the seller pays for at the close of escrow to insure the appliances, A/C, and pool equipment. Most buyers will ask for the sellers to offer a home warranty, since the buyer hasn't lived in the home before. 

By paying for a home warranty, you are ensuring that this property is being sold in good condition and if something goes wrong, the buyer would pay a service call to the home warranty company to replace it. In 99% of offers, the buyers will request a home warranty. The only two cases where you will have to provide a home warranty as a buyer are in the case of a short sale or foreclosure. 

The home warranty generally costs between $400 and $700, depending on the size of your property. By providing a home warranty, you are extending in good faith that the home is in good condition and everything is in proper working order.

If you have any questions about home warranties, or anything else real estate related, don't hesitate to give us a call. We would love to help you out!

What Do Recent Southern California Market Trends Mean for You?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I have a quick market update for Southern California, so you can have an idea of what to expect when buying or selling real estate this summer! 

Here are the most recent numbers for Orange County:

• Active listings: 8,454 properties, a 20% decline from last year
• Sales: 2,944 sales, a 10% decline
• Days on market: About 60 days

Here are the numbers for the Coachella Valley:

• Active listings: 6,372 properties, a 4% decline from last year
• Sales: 841 sales, a 6% decline
• Days on market: Around 100 days

What do these numbers mean for you? Give me a call or shoot me a quick email to learn whether now is a good time to buy or sell. It really depends on your particular situation, and I would love to sit down and break down the numbers with you. I would love to hear from you and help you make the most of current real estate conditions!

What Does a Flattening Market in Riverside County Mean for You?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, I want to share a quick market update so you know how the market is doing and what to expect moving forward. It's really a tale of two cities right now, as there is quite a disparity between Riverside County and Orange County. Let's take a look at the numbers!

In Riverside County, appreciation has stabilized, as we're coming out of 35 months of year-over-year appreciation. A lot of buyers in the Coachella Valley are from foreign countries, and because their purchasing power dropped with the fluctuating value of the dollar, they haven't bought as many homes as they did in years past. This isn't necessarily bad news, but we are starting to see the market level off after years of growth. 

If you're selling in Riverside County, you need to price your home correctly if you want to have a successful home sale. Buyers just aren't as active as they once were in this area. 

On the other side of the coin, Orange County is the 5th fastest growing market! Inventory is low and demand is incredibly high, so this is an incredibly competitive marketplace! Most homes are selling in under two months, and the homes that are in the best condition and priced right are going even faster. In order to lock in the home of your dreams in this active market, it's crucial to work with a real estate professional for the best results

If you have any questions about market conditions in your particular area, give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to help you make the most of market conditions, wherever you're at! 

Can a Single Photo Sell Your Home?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Before I begin, I'd like to let everyone know that we're always looking for new talent on our team. If you know anyone with experience in real estate, whether it's buying, selling, or administrative work, we could use their help. We're always looking for good team members. 

Homes are marketed primarily on the Internet right now, and almost 90% of people are searching for homes online. This is why it's so crucial to have professional photographs taken of your home if you wish to sell for top dollar. The better your photography is, the more views and attention your property will receive.

Home buyers are also very busy, and when they see a good home with nice features, they tend to jump on it. Photos provide buyers with a good idea of what type of condition your home is in, and this helps to find better buyers for your property. It's especially important to highlight the best features of your home, as well as any upgrades that have been done on it. 

Have you ever seen a home online that you liked, but you couldn't quite tell what the home was like from the photography? You probably just skipped it and went on to the next listing, and that's what people will do with your home if it's not photographed well. To capture the best photos outdoors, early morning and dusk work best. If you're taking photos on the inside, the midday is best because the sun will be shining on the inside and natural light presents the home in a beautiful way.

This may seem obvious, but make sure your photos are straight, clear, and focused. If you look on the MLS you'll see some very poor photos, and you should have a good idea of what you need to avoid by looking at them. 

The most important thing to remember is that a great photo is no substitute for a great price.

If you're looking to sell your Southern California home, please don't hesitate to contact me. Now is a great time to sell!

Do You Know How to Handle a Multiple Offer Situation in Southern California?

There are many great Orange County and Coachella Valley area homes for sale. Click here to perform full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (949) 441-0701 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The busy spring market is in full swing here in Southern California! With so much activity in our market, many people are asking whether listings are receiving multiple offers. The short answer: Yes, yes we are! 

If you are a seller who has received multiple offers, it means you have priced your home well! This is a fantastic situation to be in and, because our market is so competitive, you can jockey those offers against each other to get more money or better terms. Sometimes your home will close quicker as a result! 

From a buying standpoint, if you are making offers that aren't getting accepted, you need to step back and reassess your situation. Are you paying cash? If you're not, your offer is a lot weaker than every other buyer who is offering a cash deal. If you're getting a loan, the least you can do is get a letter of pre-approval from a lender. When you get one, be sure your agent is sending it in with each offer you make! You also need to ensure you are making a clean offer; avoiding contingencies and other troublesome requests in your offer will go a long way toward making it more attractive to the buyer.

If you have any questions about multiple offer situations, whether on the buying or selling side, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to help you accomplish your buying and selling goals in the Southern California area!