Francis G. Bautista

Short sale?
May 12, 2009 · Francis G. Bautista · 6 Comments

thumbnailcak8m4paWhat is the ubiquitous term: short sale mean? Many people may have an idea of what that term means, the following is a condensed version of a short sale.  A short sale is when the owner of a property is upside down meaning they owe more than what their property is worth and they cannot refinance for that exact reason. They have fallen behind on there payments in many cases due to a jump in interest rate or loss of job. One option is to short sale the property and attempt to sell it before it goes into foreclosure. A short sale may satisfy a sellers outstanding debt (if the seller did not pull equity) and is not as bad as a foreclosure for their credit. The operative words are ”as bad” I want to be clear it will negatively impact the sellers credit to some degree.       Read more

Francis G. Bautista

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

Lee Ginsburg

Pricing Homes to Sell in the Bay Area
November 2, 2008 · Lee Ginsburg · 2 Comments

Pricing homes to sell.  Please note I said “To Sell” not just “For Sale”. Correct Pricing in today’s Bay Area’s Real Estate Market is more important than ever.  To review market value please check out,   http://www.pruvoices.com/2008/10/what-is-market-value/  Overpriced homes do not get viewed.  They remain on the market for a long time, become stale and even after chasing the market with price reductions usually sell below market value.  Buyers think something is wrong with it; the sellers are frustrated and desperate.  Read more