Calming the Anxious Home Buyer Buying a home is an exciting event in one’s life, but there is no doubt that it can be a harrowing experience, especially for first-time home buyers. Between the buyer’s time commitment, their financial considerations, and the emotional upheaval, if you are a licensed real estate agent representing a buyer, you may have your hands full. But there are things you can do to calm the buyer down, to help alleviate their stress, and to make sure things go as smoothly as possible. Just How Stressful is the Homebuying Process? Homes.com conducted a study of…
Should You Stay or Should You Go? The kids are grown and -- if you are lucky -- out of the house. There are no more clothes on the floor of their two bedrooms and the bathroom they shared stays clean and dry for weeks at a time now. (Hard to imagine a few years ago, right?) Kids or no kids, perhaps you are about to retire, or you retired recently. Lucky you! Do you, or you and your spouse need all that space? Will you still want to walk up and down those stairs in five or ten years,…
How Are Property Taxes Assessed in California? In 1978, California voters passed Proposition 13 (“Prop 13”) by a margin of nearly two thirds of the voting population. If you are a long-time California resident over 55 years old, you probably remember it well and have some idea of its impact on property taxes and community services. If you are younger, you may not know much about it. But if you are a homeowner (or about to become one), or a real estate agent (or about to become one), it’s important to understand what Prop 13 is and how it affects…
To Stage or Not to Stage? That is the Question When you visit a client’s home prior to putting it on the market, you will undoubtedly take note of the home’s condition. That’s a big part of your job. Does it need new paint? New carpeting? Is it cluttered with knick-knacks, family photos, children’s toys, the dog’s chewies? Is the kitchen faucet leaking and the sink full of dishes? Is the furniture old and worn or too big for the house? Can you smell the litter box, or the diaper bin? Is the front lawn balding or turning a beautiful…