Roof, Gutters and Downspouts

Rain, ice, and wind can all cause damage to your roof and gutters. Now’s the time to trim back all tree limbs and vegetation away from the roof. You also should remove debris, such as leaves and sticks from your gutters and downspouts. Clogged gutters don’t allow water to properly drain away from the home, which can cause seepage in your ceilings and walls. You can also invest in gutter guards, a screen that prevents debris from entering the gutter and directs the flow of water away from the house and into the ground.

Water Heater

You don’t want to find out that your water heater isn’t operating properly when you need it most. So use this time to perform an annual inspection, which includes having your tank’s pressure and temperature relief valve checked. In addition, remove sediment from the bottom of the tank by draining two gallons of water to improve heat transfer and the efficiency of your heater.  

Heating and Cooling System

If you have a forced warm-air heating system, you should check the exhaust vent and air shutter openings for dirt and dust. Clean any lint and dirt from the blower blades, motor and burner (if you have a gas heater). Vacuum air passages and check and replace, if necessary, fan belts. To prevent airborne dirt from circulating throughout your home, wash out your reusable filter or replace it if it’s disposable.

Doors and Windows

To help control heating costs, make sure your doors and windows are properly sealed. Now is the time to repair or replace weather stripping around door bottoms and jambs and window frames. Check for loose or missing glazing putty and caulking for deterioration. If you have storm windows, install them.

Water Pipes

Frozen or burst pipes can cause major damage to your home and be expensive to remedy. Before cold weather hits, protect your pipes in unheated areas from freezing by adding insulation, which reduces heat loss from hot-water pipes and condensation on cold water pipes. This can be accomplished by wrapping the pipes with heating tape or blanket insulation and duct tape or by encasing the pipes with preformed plastic foam. In addition, examine your pipes for cracks and leaks.

Fireplace

Before you light the logs and get ready to settle in front of a cozy fire, make sure that your fireplace is in good working order. Clean the chimney flue and, if needed, have it inspected and repaired. Check the seal on your flue, which is designed to keep out drafts. Replace the seal if it is loose or damaged.

If you decide to perform the fall maintenance yourself, disconnect the power for any electrical or gas systems. In addition, before inspecting, cleaning or making any repairs refer to your owner’s manual for all equipment for proper instructions, which should be the final authority on any maintenance.

Outdoor Surfaces and Landscaping

Fall is also a great time to seal your driveways, wood patios and other hardscape surfaces. In addition, prune tree branches away from your home and electrical wires. Plant spring flower bulbs and move sensitive potted plants indoors.

Although this list is merely a guide, it can help you keep your home in good shape and have a winter free of major repairs.

 PruCalVoices is a service of Prudential California Realty which  can be reached at (650) 589-1000. Prudential California Realty is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

The practice is called “buying a listing” and it can be an effective way to get business.  The problem is, it doesn’t serve the seller.       Often Realtors are competing for a listing and the business. The agent trying to “buy your listing” is counting on you to grab the biggest carrot dangled in front of you.  In this case, the promise of the highest sales price.   The hope is you’ll do this without weighing all the other considerations that should go into choosing your Realtor.

One of the key jobs of your Realtor is to manage your expectations as you sell your home, including sales price.  It is irresponsible for an agent to “tell”  you what your house will sell for because there is no way to know for sure.  The truth is, the final selling price will be determined by you and a buyer who has yet to come along.  There are things that can happen during a transaction totally out of your agent’s control and will impact the final outcome.  What your agent needs to do is help prepare you for those potential situations and help you navigate the process as it unfolds.  Their suggested listing price should be supported by current market trends, sales and your goals.  Otherwise, you may find yourself having made decisions based on a false prediction and all your agent can say is “Oops!  I guess I was wrong.”

When looking for a Realtor, choose one based on the things they can control.  How is their marketing, experience, negotiating skills and  are they familiar with your neighborhood?  Do you feel comfortable with the agent, do you trust them enough to put your best interests first?   Ask yourself “if this agent didn’t promise me the highest price would I still have hired them?”  If the answer is “No, I wouldn’t” then you most certainly shouldn’t.

Brought to you by Julie Cleland/Realtor
www.JulieCleland.com

The reason a home may sell faster for a higher price is often pretty obvious. Is it larger than the average floor plan in a neighborhood? Does it have recent upgrades? If the home you are trying to sell hasn’t changed since the ’70s a buyer is going to figure in the cost of a remodel when offering a price. Equally, if the paint on the kitchen wall is still drying from the improvements, the buyers have to accept they will be paying for part of that. Buyers spend numerous weekends looking around seeing & comparing what’s out there. Many sellers would be well served if they were to do the same to get to know the competition and where their home stacks up.

Short sales and bank owned property impact prices in a number of ways. First, if it’s a short sale that in and of itself reduces value. A buyer knows these are unpredictable and will offer less because they are going to make up for it in hassle. On the flip side, they may pay a little more if the home is a straight sale. In addition, short sale comparables aren’t entirely an accurate representation of the current market. Comparables are based on recent closed sales, when the offer on a short sale or bank property was actually written in an “earlier” market. I just recently closed a short sale that was 9 months in the making. So while the offer was written last August, it showed up as a comparable in April. There had been a shift in the market upward so my buyer was thrilled to be buying on the low side but it potentially has the effect of dragging other properties down. All that said, they are still in the comparable mix and impact all the other properties in the area.

Finally, comparables must be recent and all inclusive. Three months is generally the time frame used in appraisals so any property sold prior to that means nothing to the appraiser. They also look at the entire neighborhood. As a seller you are not going to be able to direct them to make comparisons to just the one house that sold high. It does you no good to keep pointing to the high sold price while ignoring multiple others on the lower end of the scale. That price might have been more about the buyer than the house, maybe they paid more because Mom lived across the street. It doesn’t matter, since it will be looked at as a fluke instead of the norm.

In the end, those who are best informed about a house values and most likely to get a deal, are those keeping up with what is going on out there, where they stand with the competition and are realistic about today’s market.

For other thoughts on Real Estate visit my web page at http://www.juliecleland.com

Julie Cleland
www.JulieCleland.com

 If a seller wants to sell and a buyer wants to buy then there is no reason a deal can’t be worked out.  This is predicated on the idea that both parties are going into this with a willingness to negotiate in good faith.  Writing under asking is not a bad idea, writing a reasonable offer below the asking says to the seller “I like your house and want to buy it, we just have a difference in opinion of value.”  A low ball offers sends a different message.      Like it or not, the seller may see your low offer as an insult based on the idea that you think they are an idiot who doesn’t recognize the value of their asset.  It says, “I’ll throw something out there and see if anything sticks.” It does not say, “I’m committed to getting this deal done from start to finish.” 

I witnessed buyers missing out first hand with a listing currently on the market.  The first buyer wrote an offer below asking, that the seller accepted as is.  It was below what she wanted, as well as the comparables, but the she liked the other terms.  Upon hearing the offer was accepted, the buyer backed out.  A week later the same buyer wrote another offer but even further below his original price.  He felt he had not negotiated well as the seller accepted the first offer.  At this point, she felt he was not negotiating in good faith and was trying to take advantage of her.  He refused to budge and the deal did not happen although he really wanted the house.  The seller just couldn’t take him seriously.

 In the second case, an offer came in even lower.  I was open with the agent about other interested parties and was going to let them know if they wanted in, they needed to write an offer immediately.  Another, much better offer arrived.  The seller decided to outright reject the first low offer.  She didn’t feel it was close to fair and not worth bothering with.  This was much to the dismay of the agent.  She kept repeating “I told you to counter!!”  My response, “Nothing says the seller has to!”  There are 3 answers on the table for the seller, an outright “yes”, they can counter, and again, they can just say “NO!”   

If finding a house with a distressed seller, that is willing to let the property go for a song, is what you are looking for, then by all means, go in low.  If however, you really want the house, you will have much better results if you go in with the attitude of co-operation and fairness.

My tale started when I began working with clients who had a very set idea about what they were looking for.  They were pre-approved         and there was a reasonable expectation that buying a home was something they could do. Over three months I wrote 3 offers with them, answered over 100 e-mails, reviewed 6 to 7 disclosure packages, and made over a dozen trips to show property. Not a big deal, all work that is expected to be done in order to get a client in contract. Except…turns out they couldn’t buy any of the homes they wrote on, visited or considered because their financial situation had changed. When the change was brought to my attention I implored the clients to speak to the lender to reevaluate their ability to buy. The client refused. She insisted that there was no reason not to keep searching and then just see what happens when they found a place they liked. I could not get them to understand that in taking that approach they would continue to waste everyone’s time. Instead, I was fired. If I was unwilling to help, she would find someone who was. In other words, she shot the messenger. Six months later, they did in fact end up buying a house. A house that cost 54% less than what they told me they could spend, in a city they gave only a brief thought to, and in a neighborhood that was out of the question. In other words, I was right…but it was a small consolation.

It is difficult for people who earn a paycheck to understand what it is like to work on a commission based system. If you’ve had days when you’ve gone to the office and just “phoned it in” instead of having a really productive day your paycheck would not reflect the difference in effort. It’s not like that with what we do. We go on faith that the effort we put in up front is going to pay off when we accomplish our client’s goal. If your Realtor has not dealt with you in a fair way, or lacks follow through etc…then by all means, find a new one. But don’t take your ball and go home if they are the one giving you news you don’t want to hear.   And please respect that as professionals we have to make decisions on where to spend our resources, which are limited. We make those decisions based on conversations with the client.  A realtor has major responsiblities towards their clients but that road is not a one way street.   You expect us, and rightly so, to treat you as the client with respect, honesty and fairness.  A good realtor has earned no less.

For more from and about Julie Cleland check out www.JulieCleland.com

 In all fairness, this particular notification did print in very large letters that the program was not endorsed by the government.  In addition,  they went so far as to say that one doesn’t actually need what it is they are selling, a copy of your deed,  to prove home ownership.  While their “fine print” was actually legible and clear, many offers don’t always come with such warning.    

 I’m thinking in particular of the FreeCreditReport.com commercials.  While you are watching their catchy little commercial and listening to their jingle you might easily miss the very small print on the top of the screen that indicates you only get the “free” report when you buy what they are selling, credit monitoring.   In addition to the free report you are entitle to every year, you can also do the monitoring yourself without forking over the $14.95 per month.  They are counting on the viewer not fully understanding that they are entitled to the information without it costing them a penny. 

In both of the above cases, at least the consumer is getting something in return.  This is not always the case.  I recently had the experience of finding a home I had listed for sale, posted as a rental on Craigslist.  The scam, which has been going on for some time, involves posting a bogus rental using an address of a home for sale, ridiculously below the current rental market.  When prospective renters e-mail the person who posted the ad, they are told there is a great deal of interest so if they want the place they better send a check immediately.  Needless to say, the money is gone and the “rental” never existed. 

It’s easy to find people willing to take your money.  While not every offer is a rip-off and not every solicitation is designed to sell you nothing for something, it’s safest to approach it as if it is.  If you look at every financial interaction with a bit of skepticism and make people earn your trust you could be saving yourself a few dollars and a lot of heartache.

These thoughts on Real Estate brought to you by Julie Cleland.

 For instance, just recently I had a new buyer pre-approved for a loan, and we discovered that he actually can not start looking for a home until early next Summer.  He had to correct a major derogatory item on his credit report beforehand.  I told him to please not feel defeated!      Then, I provided him with a template letter addressing all three credit bureaus along with supporting documentation.  Finally, I re-assured him that I am willing to wait and assist him along his journey to home ownership.  

 As a result of this scenario, I researched a recent and very useful article, entitled, “Win at the Credit Scoring Game” from CNN Money that I provided to my client and wanted to share with you as well.  The article provides excellent strategies to improve your credit rating, thereby further increase your chances at future home ownership sooner than later.  Check out:  http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/24/pf/credit_score.moneymag/index.htm

www.ClaudiaTringale.com

This is the place you’ve rested your head, had numerous family gatherings and lovingly taken care of for years. You’ve decided to put your home on the market and while you understand this will involve some inconvenience, the buyers will understand this is still my home, right? Well, while this is technically true, the sooner you make the transition to thinking of your home as a product to sell, the better off you will be.

This crosses all aspects of the home selling process, starting with getting the home ready for sale. Perhaps you love that old reclining chair that has taken to years to break in but ask yourself, if a perspective buyer comes in are they going to think “comfortable” chair or do they think “eye-sore” that draws their attention away from the house itself. Is that big chair giving a skewed impression of the room size? Or when it comes to painting, now is not the time to go with those bright colors you’ve always wanted to try. It’s past thinking about what appeals to you personally and time to think about what is going to attract the most amount of buyers, in a word…neutral.

How easy are you planning on making it to show and how much care will you put into straightening up before “company” comes over? Of course, no one want their dinner interrupted but are you going to turn away a perspective buyer because it might mean you have to hold off for a ½ hour. Sure, if the buyer really wants it, they will come back. But what if they have a chance to see another property that had no time restrictions and is pretty close in size, price & neighborhood to yours? You may have lost that buyer for good or you might make a buyer question how motivated you are to sell.  Why wait to pack? You can get rid of extra things in the home now via storage or garage sale and actually make money. An uncluttered, neat home will get a higher selling price as it showcases the home itself, not the spoon collection you’ve been working on for years. Waiting until after offers have been made and you don’t really know what you may have lost in prices because you held off doing something that is going to have to be done anyway.

Even pricing requires an objective eye.  When you are thinking about what you want to ask for, how much value you are you giving to intangible things, like your memories?  These don’t mean anything to a buyer.  They look at the size, neighborhood, room count etc…when they are thinking about what they want to offer.  Do yourself a favor and look at what else is being offered in the price range you are considering.  I assure you, any buyer will be doing the same.   It will give you an idea of the competition you are up against. 

It is only a matter of time before you no longer call your current address home. It’s best to start thinking in those terms the minute you decide to put the “For Sale” sign on your front lawn.  Wait until moving day to make the mental transition can cost you time & money.