3 reasons to sell your home in the fall

Sometimes, it pays to go against the crowd.

For example, the real estate market is definitely at a peak during the spring and the summer.

However, going against this trend and listing your home in the fall can have some very real benefits:

1. Buyers are more serious.

During the spring and summer, many buyers are more curious than committed.

On the other hand, buyers in the fall tend to be more serious.

That's because many have been searching throughout the summer and have not found their perfect home yet.

Other fall buyers are simply forced to look for a new home because of a new job, a work relocation, or because they want to get the move complete ahead of the holidays.

In other words, fall buyers make up in dedication what they might lack in numbers.

2. There's less competition.
It's no secret that most homes are listed in the spring and summer.

However, those homes that are not sold by the end of the summer are often delisted. Otherwise, they start to draw less interest because of the time they've spent on the market.

That's why if you list in the fall, you can have the benefit of standing out, as well as facing less competition than during the "hotter" seasons.

3. It's easier to move up.
If you're looking to buy a new home as well as sell your current home, then the fall offers perhaps the best opportunity.

You will enter the market with confidence and without stress, while many sellers who have been unsuccessful in selling their home during the summer will be more eager to sell.

This can make for very flexible negotiations that work in your favor.

If you are thinking of selling your home and want an idea of what it's worth in the current market, use this calculator that takes into account recent Nothern California sales:

Enter your home address here to find out what your home is currently worth.

And if you are also looking for a new home, check out some of the homes currently on the market:

Click here for all available Nothern California homes for sale.

Finally, if you are considering selling this fall, there are a few things you'll need to do differently in order to be successful (for example, how you price your home and how you present it). If you want any guidance on this, give me a call at 707-500-1787. I'm here to help.

What’s the Biggest Misconception Surrounding Home Warranties?

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What’s the biggest misconception surrounding home warranties? I’ve brought in Lisa Vizza of Fidelity Home Warranty to answer that question today.

According to Lisa, the biggest misconception is that home warranties cover everything under the home’s roof. That’s simply not true. There are limitations to what a home warranty covers. They’re more in place to offset the costs of homeownership. They’ll repair and replace the major systems and appliances in a home that fail due to normal wear and tear, but they don’t cover everything.

Still, home warranties are well worth having. I know from experience. After my family and I recently moved into our new home, our tankless water heater failed. Because we had a home warranty, though, we got it fixed instead of replacing the entire thing, which saved us about $2,000. 

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The purpose of a home warranty is to offset the costs of homeownership.

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Whether you’re in the middle of escrow or you’re already a homeowner, you can and should get a home warranty to offset the costs of the deferred maintenance you’ll have down the road.

If you have any stories where having a home warranty saved you a ton of cash, we’d love to hear them. If you reply to this email or comment on the video on Youtube or Facebook and we mention you in a future video, we’ll send you a $10 gift card.

If you have any other real estate questions or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to us as well. We’d be happy to help you.

How Often Should You Get Your Floors Cleaned?

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How often should you get your flooring cleaned? Dave Johnson from State of the Art Cleaning Services joins me today to discuss some misconceptions about preparing your home's floors as you get ready to list, as well as how often you should clean your tile, grout, hardwood, laminate, and carpet that you have in your home.

Dave says that his company does a multi-step process that begins with pre-vacuuming all of the carpets. With the use of a professional-grade vacuum, he is able to remove dry soils ahead of time. The carpet is then pre-treated with detergent and then agitated with another machine that helps loosen the soil. Through this process, he is able to remove the maximum amount of soil without using as much water so the carpets will dry faster.

This whole process helps prevent stains from reoccurring because he uses a rinsing agent on the carpet with hot water. This pulls the soap and soil back out of the carpet so you are not left with detergent residue in the carpet which will cause resoiling.

I have seen people who have not used our preferred vendors actually end up with carpets that looked good initially but were dirty again a few weeks later. They chose a cheaper company that used a lot of chemicals and the cleaning process left a detergent residue in the carpet. Besides being not good for the carpet, it is also not good for the homeowner because they spend a lot of money to have their carpets cleaned only to have them soiled again in two weeks.

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I have seen people who have not used our preferred vendors actually end up with carpets that looked good initially but were dirty again a few weeks later.

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Dave suggests that if you have allergy issues you should have your carpets cleaned once a year. Carpet manufacturers recommend getting them cleaned every 12 to 18 months depending on your lifestyle. If you have a lot of pets or you have your windows open a lot, you may want to have them cleaned every six months.

Tile and grout cleaning is also done by State of the Art Cleaning Services. Dave says that they are familiar with all kinds of tile, including marble, travertine, and ceramic. He says that cleaning tile is a relatively simple process because the dry time is very quick. When you are looking to sell a house, cleaning these areas makes a big difference because clean, white grout really pops in the photos

To close, Dave wanted to emphasize that his company strives to provide the most outstanding service with a 100% guarantee for his clients. That means that if you are not entirely happy, they will go back and try to make you happy and, if after that you still are unhappy, you will not owe him anything because of his 100% money-back guarantee.

If you have any additional questions or are interested in buying or selling a home, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to speaking with you.

Buyers: Don’t Forget to Do These 7 Things When Purchasing a Home

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If you’re a new homeowner, here are seven tasks you need to take up to keep your homeownership experience as stress-free as possible:

1. Save for unexpected problems. You can’t stop your dishwasher from breaking, but you can set aside the funds it will take to repair those kinds of items. Here in California, I recommend saving 1% to 3% of your home’s purchase value. For example, if you bought a $400,000 home, save about $4,000 a year to account for unexpected problems.

2. Form an inspection habit. You don’t want to wait until you have a big issue like a rodent infestation or mold growth. An inspection habit can be the difference between a simple fix and an unaffordable disaster. Take the time to properly inspect your property and check areas like your attic or roof at least once a year. If you’d rather have a certified home inspector give your home an annual inspection, give us a call so we can refer you to the best inspectors in the business.

3. Buy a bunch of furnace filters. Your furnace’s filters have to be replaced quite often. By changing them regularly, you can not only save money by making your furnace last longer, but you can also improve your health. Remembering to buy new filters at the hardware store isn’t always easy, so buy in bulk. The exact number you need will depend on your furnace. First though, take a look at your furnace and make sure you know what size filter it needs. This tip also really helps if you have allergies. In Solano County, we’re known for having some of the worst hay fever in the entire country.

4. Get to know your appliances. Just like cars and TVs, your appliances have different life expectancies. Furnaces usually last 15 to 20 years, while water heaters tend to reach the end of their lifespan at about 10 years. Find out how old your home’s appliances are when you move in and plan for their replacement. Another useful tip we recommend is to get a home warranty when you purchase your home and renew it each year. Doing this can really cut down on the replacement costs because they cover all the major systems and appliances.

5. Take advantage of tax credits. Did you know you can receive tax credits for installing solar panels or purchasing energy star appliances. If you’re purchasing a maintenance-deferred home, there are also energy-efficient mortgages you can obtain. 

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Make sure all of your hard work pays off by keeping a record of your repairs and their costs.

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6. Start keeping records. Whenever you make some kind of home improvement or repair, write it down. Make sure all of your hard work pays off by keeping a record of your repairs and their costs. Keep in mind that appraisers will add the full amount of any repair you make to your home’s overall value if you do it within six months of selling.

7. Beef up your insurance. Take a look at your homeowners insurance policy and look for relevant gaps. This is another situation where professional advice can be really helpful. Two areas to consider are flood and fire protection, which aren’t always included in standard policies. You should also consider bundling your car insurance with your homeowners insurance since you now have a much bigger asset—your home—to lose in the event of a lawsuit.

If you have any questions about these tasks or you have any other real estate needs, don’t hesitate to me and my team. We’d love to help you.