Negotiation Skills – The Most Important Reason to Hire a Professional Realtor

December 13, 2008 · Kathy Wall · 5 Comments

Today has been a nerve wracking day. I have a home listed here in Brisbane that has been on the market for a couple of months. During that time, there have been 2 people who have consistently expressed serious interest. Earlier this week, one of them finally stepped up to the plate and brought us an offer. We went back and forth with counter offers and then yesterday, when my Sellers were all set to sign the most recent counter, the phone rang. Of course, it was the agent for the other interested party! He finally had his ducks in a row and was ready to bring an offer. Would we wait until today at noon before accepting the other offer? Alrighty, then. After conferring with my clients and weighing our options, we decided to wait.

It is now almost 4:30 and, needless to say, the noon deadline has long since passed. I know that the agent met with his client at 1:00 p.m., but I still don’t have an offer in hand and his calls are going straight to voice mail. Aaaaaaah! Read more

SSF Real Estate… things are looking up

December 11, 2008 · Nicole Machado · 5 Comments

As 2008 wraps up and we all grasp onto our crystal balls to determine the fate of 2009… I wanted to end the year on a positive note with some statistics from the San Mateo County Multiple Listing Service that may help to give us all a positive outlook on the Real Estate market for 2009. South San Francisco was one of the Peninsula’s hardest hit cities with short sales and foreclosures, but by the looks of it, SSF seems to be bouncing back just fine. Read more

Bay Area Real Estate’s – Perfect Storm

December 10, 2008 · Lee Ginsburg · 6 Comments

Perfect Storm = Low Interest Rates, Low Prices, and Lower Inventory.

We have all the ingredients.

If you have been waiting for prices to stabilize you are on the cusp of being late.

Homes in Daly City, San Bruno, San Mateo, San Francisco and South San Francisco are selling. To keep up with the demand Bank of America is falling behind on appraisals and is hiring outside appraisers. I spoke to a termite inspector yesterday. He had 5 inspections scheduled for the day. Need I say we did not speak long. There is a buzz in my office. Conference rooms are filled with buyer’s consultations. Banks dealing with short sales are moving faster and be more aggressively. If you are a first time home buyer or a seasoned investor; jump in, the buying is great. It is a PERFECT STORM for you. Low Prices, Low Interest Rates and Lower Inventory. Getting a Loan in not impossible
http://www.pruvoices.com/2008/12/gettin-a-loan-is-not-impossible/

If you are busy with the holidays maybe meet with me (877-Lee Sells) or your favorite realtor just to get updated on the market so you are ready to take advantage of the Best Buyer’s Market in 30 Years come January.

www.leesellsmore.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/30/RE8014CT0J.DTL

Award Winning Real Estate Company!

November 27, 2008 · Mark Hasha · Comment here

Prudential California Realty, San Bruno Is part of the Prudential Real Estate family which J.D. Power and Associates has ranked as Highest in Satisfaction for Home Sellers among National Full Service Real Estate Firms, in its 2008 survey. We are proud!

Do Home Sellers Want to Hear the Truth?

November 24, 2008 · Jean Joh · 9 Comments

On first impulse, most homeowners would say that, of course, they want their agents to tell them “the whole truth and nothing but” when it comes to the sale of their home. But do they really? There is a common mistake that home sellers make: choosing a real estate agent based on the price that the agent says they can get for the home. Don’t make this common mistake!

What is Staging?

November 24, 2008 · Francis G. Bautista · 7 Comments

Staging is when a home is furnished and decorated before it is put on the market for sale. A staged home that is well done will highlight each room, but not crowd it. The following are several questions that I will attempt to address, like: How much does it cost? How long will it be furnished for? Who pays for it? Will it yield the seller more money at the end of the sale?

Staging a home can cost any where from several hundred dollars to thousands depending on size of home, services provided and the specifics of each contract. The details of the services you expect from your stager must be outlined in the contract before you sign the dotted line. Staging companies will normally have a minimum time period (days/weeks) that a potential client should fully understand. The cost really depends on exactly how many rooms they (stager) are furnishing and for how long. The contract should stipulate several important items like exactly what time and date the furniture will be installed and removed, what would it cost if you wanted to extend or adjust the time period of your contract?, and who is responsible for the furniture while it sits in your home? It is also important to ask, when does the staging company expect to get paid? Read more

Questions! Why so many questions?

November 21, 2008 · Julie Cleland · 5 Comments

You’ve decided to go out and jump into the home buying process. Good for you! You think, this will be fun…driving around neighborhoods, looking for homes, thinking about all the ways you’ll redecorate. What you might not think about is all the questions you are going to be asked and all the personal information you’ll be expected to share. I’ve had one client lament it would feel less vulnerable standing in a room full of strangers with their skivs on than laying out all the details of their life. But like many things, that which isn’t pleasant may still be good for us. Read more

Mixing Business with Pleasure… does it actually mix?

November 19, 2008 · Nicole Machado · 1 Comment

Have you ever felt obligated to use a family member when it came to a business deal? While most of us have, has it ever left you wondering if that was the best decision? In some cases, it is an ideal circumstance. While in others it may be an uncomfortable situation that you were strong armed into. Read more