Propoosition 60/90, you may be able to take your low property rax base with you when you move!
5 Must do's before you sell your house
"Buyers Buy what they see, not the way it's gonna be!"
Preparation will make the difference.
From a real life first hand agent perspective, here are the 5 key items you need to start planning on well before you put your home on the market..
1/ Get a Structural Pest control report. (Termite Inspection) UP FRONT
get a local structural pest control branch 3 licensed company to inspect
Why?..
There may be dry rot, termite damage unknown and unseen. If you get the pest report ahead of time you can;
a/ Choose who performs the inspection
b/ Decide for yourself who conducts the work by getting repairs bid out to several different contractors who can usually perform the job for much less money then the inspection company that performs the inspection will charge.
Example; I recently had a pre sale pest control inspection on a Livermore home which was 25 years old. The report came back with dry rot to the rear of the house at a staggering cost of over $25,000 to repair! The seller was not happy. I was able to get the work bid out to a local trusted contractor and it was all done for $7500! Result, seller much happier! However had we not had the report up front we may have found it difficult timing wise to have an outside contractor come in.
c/ You may be able to save thousands of dollars in repairs. You simply do not want to make repairs twice, so before you replace a bathroom floor or do any painting, get a pest report.
At a minimum you will know ahead of time the issues and so eliminate any nasty surprises during the escrow sales period which is a stressful enough time as it is.
This is a structural report, by a branch 3 licensed company, not an inspection by those ant-spraying firms!
"But Gordon my friend at the office says the buyer gets the inspections", read above.
We can make recommendations on inspection companies as well as contractors who perform this type of work, call us.
2/ Get a roof inspection UP FRONT
get a local roofer to conduct an inspection
Why?
There may be a few cracked tiles, worn or split flashing, if you order the report ahead of time you can choose the inspector and can select someone local and trusted. Roof inspection companies are notorious for inconsistent reports as well as high prices. Worse are those 'free roof inspections' sometimes included with some company property inspection reports. It is advisable that you the seller avoid this kind of inspection like the plague!
"But Gordon my roof has never leaked",
"I understand, get a roof inspection."
3/ Paint where needed.
Paint is the single best bang for the buck improvement, simply put every dollar spent on paint should return $5 in sales price. Your house will look better cared for and attract more offers more quickly. You may not need to paint the entire house but using discretion take care of rooms that are children's rooms or that have seen a lot of activity. Unsure what to paint or confused over colors? call us.
Painting is money in the bank
"But Gordon, we may paint a a color that the buyers dont like,"
"I understand, get the house painted!"
4/ Get new carpet.
Along with painting this is a no brainer. Your home will look and smell like a brand new house, and if you use moderate colors new carpet can fit most buyers furniture.
It does not have to be top of the line carpet either. Sometimes a low cost remnant may be available. New carpet is a quick cheap and easy upgrade.
"But Gordon we may put in a carpet that the seller turns around and rips out, Cant we just provide a carpet credit?" "No! get the carpet replaced." Because buyers buy what they see, not the way its going to be!
5/ Stage the house.
Very important! Staging is common place today. Most buyers buy what they see, not the way a house could be. Having professional staging is a key strategy to selling your property
for the highest price, and that is what you want correct?
At Scotsman Realty Group staging is included with our services at no cost to you.
Need advice and recommendations for any of the above points? Give us a call 925 461 0993.
Q. Is staging really necessary?
A. Only if you want top dollar!
Gordon Corsie 3/23/2017
Livermore home inventory at record low!.
Pleasanton has a near record low home sale inventory. As of today there are only 34 homes for sale, eight of which are under $1 Million. This is the lowest in living memory and is making it very tough for buyers. As a result buyers have been looking further out to Dublin, San Ramon and Livermore where there is a little more choice. Weather obviously is playing a part in this and hopefully as drier days return we will see more availability.
Livermore Inventory beginning to fall
Thinking of getting Solar?
Affordability index in California falling
Or how are kids have no chance of buying a house without help!
How Brexit will affect you
Proposed change in Proposition 13 Tax may help the over 55 year crowd!
Where did all the sellers go?
This is not a "Bubble" (but we may have a small correction coming up)
What do rents and airfares have in common?
Answer;
They keep increasing! That's right over the years no matter what drama in the world occurs, both the Bay Area rental market and airfares increase!
Do you remember;
Crisis; Result;
1/ Savings and loan scandal 1987 rents increased
2/ Loma Prieta earthquake rents increased
3/Oakland Hills fire rents increased
4/Russian economy crisis (you forgot about this one) rents increased
5/Tech bubble rents increased
5/911 rents increased
6/ Financial collapse rents increased
Honorable mention to invasions of Iraq (2).
In all cases residential rents in the Bay are increased due to potential buyer fear leading to delays in decisions to purchase which drives demand for an ever dwindling supply of rental housing. This makes real estate one of the most bullet proof investments you can buy!