selling: Marin County Sellers -- Timing Your Home's Entry Into The Market
- 01/11/10 04:07 AM
This time of year we are often asked "should I put my home on the market now, or wait until the spring selling season?" A few observations: 1. We have not experienced a "normal" season or predictable cyclical trend in Marin County since the August '07 sub-prime meltdown. In fact in most cases since August 2007, selling sooner was better than selling later. You will recall in Q4 '08 and Q1 '09 our slogan was, "we'd rather set the comps than have them used against us!"2. On November 1, 2009 in Marin we had 947 SFH and condos on the market as active. … (0 comments)
selling: How to Lose Your Net (Impact of Overpricing in Mill Valley, California)
- 10/10/09 03:05 AM
Barring special circumstances, there is generally nothing more important to sellers than the net amount of funds they retain when their home is sold. As every real estate professional will attest, pricing correctly for the market at the outset of the listing period is far and away the most important factor in the sales process — as they say, "price conquers all buyer objections." Each year in the real estate industry, numerous books are written, classes are taught, and sermons are delivered on the topic of pricing. Managers implore their agents to advise their clients about the dangers of over-pricing and … (0 comments)
selling: Mill Valley CA (Luxury Homes & Real Estate — Home Selling Update 2009)
- 05/09/09 10:11 AM
We are consistently asked by our clients (sellers), "when will our markets return to normal?" We formed our definition of a normal Marin County market in our Q3 2008 Luxury Newsletter (call us for a copy) only to be followed by the October '08 stock market meltdown. A normal Mill Valley market over the past ten years has been an annual average of 377 single family homes sold (31 per month). For the past six months the total has been 78 (16 per month). The number of units sold is off roughly 50%. Without closings we have limited comparables to make … (0 comments)
selling: Who Pays What? -- Costs of Buying / Selling Marin County Homes
- 09/25/07 06:14 AM
The Seller generally pays for: real estate commissiondocument preparation fees for the deeddocumentary transfer taxespayoffs for all loans against the propertyjudgements, liens, etc. against the sellerrecording charges to clear documents of record against the propertyprorated taxesany unpaid HOA duesany tax delinquenciesnotary fees incurred by sellerbonds or assessments (as agreed in contract)home warranty (as agreed in contract)The Buyer generally pays for: title insuranceALTA inspection feesescrow feesapplicable document preparation feesrecording charges for documents cast into buyer's nameprorated taxesHOA transfer feesloan chargesinterest on new loan(s) from the date of funding to 30 days prior to date of first paymentinspection fees (pest, home, roof, etc.)homeowners policy's first yearnotary … (0 comments)
selling: Rethinking Improvements Prior to Selling
- 01/06/07 07:22 AM
I often get questions from folks thinking of selling their home about whether or not to remodel or make other major home improvements prior to putting their home on the market. And the answer is never an easy one. It depends on what the seller is hoping to achieve. There are a couple of types of sellers. First, you have those who just want to sell "As-Is" and don't want to put a dime into a house they are selling. Second, you have people who just want to do the minimum of what it will take to attract the most buyers and … (2 comments)
selling: Quick Set of Showing Tips
- 01/06/07 06:37 AM
LIGHTS: Open the drapes unless there is an objectionable view. In most rooms, you should turn on lights for a bright and cheerful look. Lamps and indirect lighting are preferable, but use overhead lights if that's all there is in a particular room. LIGHT SWITCHES: If a wall switch operates wall outlets, plug in a lamp or radio to demonstrate that the switch works. When a buyer flips a switch and nothing happens, s/he instinctively suspects a problem or feels let down (I know I do). AROMAS: Set out some fresh flowers, both for their appearance and fragrance. Right before an … (1 comments)
selling: “Just Under” Pricing—for what it’s worth, my 99 cents...
- 12/23/06 06:34 AM
For years real estate agents have recommended pricing homes using a technique called "just under" or "9-ending" pricing. Thus, up until recently, almost all homes were priced "just under" what the seller was really thinking the home was worth (e.g., a million dollar home was priced at $999,999). It was a ubiquitous tactic even though most agents, when asked, weren't really sure why they did it-after all, you see that kind of pricing everywhere from supermarkets to car dealerships. Surely, those folks know something profound about pricing strategies and buyer tendencies. But, over the past couple of years, lots of agents have … (25 comments)
selling: Words That Sell & Words That Smell
- 09/29/06 12:32 PM
Real estate ads are funny. They use puffery to put positive spin on a property. In a given market, almost all the ads are pretty much the same--no variation. Beyond that, they almost always have a picture of the agent (almost certainly, it would make more sense to have an additional photo of the house, no?)--same pose in almost every one. I look at the picture I've used for years and it makes me want to make an appointment for a new look picture--soon, very, very soon.Anyway, my point is that there are words that have actual power in bringing in more money. Common Real Estate Ad … (2 comments)
selling: Pre-Sale Inspections (To Do Or Not To Do)
- 09/03/06 03:27 PM
OK, you want to sell your house and you prepared by the book. You painted, cleaned, de-cluttered, freshened up the yard, had the windows cleaned . . . everything by the book. Now, how is this for an idea: Inviting a professional home inspector and pest inspector to come through your homeand spend three hours identifying every defect he can find. He can then put together a fancy bound report, a copy of which you will be obligated to proivde potential buyers. It will probably cost about $600. Sound crazy? Maybe. But, it is the smartest thing you can do. In a continuing education class for brokers entitled "How to Avoid the … (2 comments)
selling: Thoughts on Colors & Marketing Homes for Sale
- 08/22/06 10:17 AM
Today I was with clients walking through a bread and butter home in a desirable neighborhood in Mill Valley, California-average home, some very nice upgrades, decent yard, partial views, all in all, a pretty decent deal priced at $1.2 million dollars (I know this last part sounds crazy to those of you outside of the Bay Area). But the thing that struck me (and a few other agents I spoke with) was the alarming and unsettling use of paint. The home had that intoxicating smell of new paint, but the colors used made me nauseous. In the brochure, the agent described … (2 comments)
selling: Marin County Absorption Rates Becoming Bloated
- 07/26/06 07:53 AM
Marin County, California sits just north of San Francisco and boasts some of the most expensive real estate in the nation. Last month, the median home price in Marin County again tickled the million dollar barrier, falling just short of that astonishing threshold. While those living in Marin (Mill Valley, Tiburon, Belvedere, Ross, Kentfield, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Greenbrae, Corte Madera, Larkspur, and Novato) are often well-heeled, they are not immune to the effects of rising interest rates and the overwhelming barrage of mostly negative media coverage of the "state-of-the-market." While prices in Marin have continued rising incrementally over the past few … (0 comments)
Christie's Great Estates | Pacific Union International
Office: (415) 448-1118
Mobile: (415) 350-9440
Real Estate information about Marin County, California--Mill Valley, Sausalito, Tiburon, Belvedere, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, and Novato. Community descriptions, sales information, and more.
This time of year we are often asked "should I put my home on the market now, or wait until the spring selling season?" A few observations: 1. We have not experienced a "normal" season or predictable cyclical trend in Marin County since the August '07 sub-prime meltdown. In fact in most cases since August 2007, selling sooner was better than selling later. You will recall in Q4 '08 and Q1 '09 our slogan was, "we'd rather set the comps than have them used against us!"2. On November 1, 2009 in Marin we had 947 SFH and condos on the market as active. … (0 comments)
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