How Can Professional Photography Help You Sell Your Home?

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Today, our photographer Darren joins us to answer some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to the importance of professional real estate photography when listing a home.

Just about everyone begins their home search online nowadays, which makes high-grade photography more important than ever. While browsing photos of homes online, it is obvious which ones were taken by professionals and which ones were taken by the agent listing the property. The biggest difference is how bright and well-lit homes look when a professional takes pictures of them.

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Professional photography is crucial if you want your home to look great online.

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Darren uses wide-angle lenses to make rooms feel exactly how they do in real life. A smartphone isn't able to capture that due to the size of the lens and the quality of the camera itself. Professional-grade cameras and lenses make it possible to fit more in the frame and make homes look their absolute best for online viewing. It makes people feel like they're actually in the room you're photographing, so you need to hire a professional who knows how to make it happen.

It's not all about photos. Darren and his team take walkthrough videos of listings and will even bring in drones to take aerial videos of them. There is obviously no way for you to do this on your own, unless you want to invest a huge sum of time and money into it. A professional photographer will give online home searches the chance to see the home from every conceivable perspective. If you want the details of your home to really stand out, a professional photographer knows how to make that happen!

If you have any questions about getting the most money possible for your home, or about real estate in general, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. If you want to get a hold of Darren to ask questions about professional photography, you can contact him through www.BootstrapBeta.com and view his team's featured work there as well.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

How to Maintain Curb Appeal in a Drought

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Today, we discuss a topic many homeowners in the area are dealing with right now: dead lawns. What should you do if you're trying to sell in these drought conditions? 

The last thing you want is a brown yard if you're trying to get your home sold, but under current dry conditions here in Northern California, is there really anything you can do about it? You have two options:

• Qualify for a rebate: If your lawn is still alive, you can qualify for a rebate from the Solano County Water Agency to make your yard more water efficient. This means taking out some of the turf and putting in drought-resistant soil or ground. The rebate is a dollar per square foot up to $1,000.

• Spray paint your yard: We are seeing a lot of this nowadays. There are paints that are nonflammable, nontoxic, and look a lot like real grass. It's only about $150-$200 for the entire front yard and last 12-16 weeks. So, the money you would have spent on watering the yard for 4-6 weeks can be stretched further by having your yard painted.

We've found that a lot of buyers in Northern California understand that we're in a drought and aren't looking for perfectly manicured lawns. However, it definitely helps your curb appeal to have some resemblance of a nice yard. You don't want the yard to be completely dead, so we recommend taking advantage of the above options.

If you would like to know how to go about getting the rebate, where to find a good yard painting company, or if you have any real estate questions of any kind, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to be your go-to resource for all things real estate here in Northern California!

Could Waiting to Sell Your Northern California Home Cost You?

Selling Your Northern California Home? Get a free home value report
Buying a Northern California Home? Search all homes for sale

With the spring selling season just around the corner, many homeowners plan on waiting to list their home until buyers have flooded the marketplace. Today, we share 5 reasons why it's NOT a good idea to wait to sell your home:

1. Demand is strong: According to the numbers, foot traffic is currently the highest it has been in the last five months. In fact, a home we recently listed had multiple showings and received multiple offers in the same day! 
2. Competition is going up: As the spring season gets closer, more and more homeowners are going to list their home. With less competition now, you're more likely to get a more favorable value for your home. 
3. The process is quicker: The selling process will be much quicker now. The banks and the lending industry get bogged down in the spring and early summer because there are so many people looking to make a move. Now is a great time to list your home because underwriters, lenders, and bankers aren't getting bombarded by mortgage requests. 
4. Interest rates are low: Rates are expected to rise as high as 5.5% by the end of the year. Putting your home on the market, getting the best price possible for it, and locking in an incredibly low rate for your next property would be the smart thing to do right now! 
5. It's time to move on: What's the reason you've been thinking about selling? Do you want to move closer to family? Are you looking to save money? Have you been wanting to downsize or move up? Whatever it is, now is the time to make a cost-effective move in Northern California. Trust me, you won't regret taking advantage of these great conditions.

 
This spring market is predicted to be one of the hottest of all time. Waiting too long to make your move could cost you money. If you've been on the fence about making your move, the time has come to decide. With conditions as great as they are, I recommend you take advantage while you can!

If you have any questions, or if you would like any real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to reach out to me via phone or email. I would love to hear from you!