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Thinking of
selling?
 Sometimes the thought of selling
brings excitement because the move is on
to something else in life. Sometimes its for a
bigger home... a better job... retirement... a
new town... or to move closer to family and
friends. Other times it is a
must-sell-move, like is often the case this year
because of escalating loan payments.
Whatever your reason for selling, this
section will help you prepare to do it wisely so you
maximize your bottom line.
When
I represent sellers my focus begins
with helping them put their home's best foot
forward. Like meeting someone for the first time,
houses don't get a second chance to make a
good first impression. Our interior
and exterior tips in this section will get you on
the right path. However, professional
staging has proven time and again to be an
investment that really pays off for sellers. Kathy Rojas,
Interior Design Specialist with Dressed to Sell is an excellent choice for
staging your home. Her talent is extraordinary and
her fees are very competitive.
From
listing the home through close of escrow I guide
sellers through a complex maze of
paperwork including effective planning and
marketing, inspections, negotiations, disclosures,
reports, repairs, financing snarls, contract clauses and
other aspects. Always with the goal that my
sellers realize the most for
their property in the least amount of
time and with as little inconvenience as
possible.
When
it is time for you to sell, please call me. Until
then . . .
Best regards,
Joanne,
Your
San
Francisco Bay Area Real
Estate Broker
P.S. This is one of our property
marketing video tours: Home For Sale Slide
Video
Tour
To View Video Tour:
Windows
Media Player 11 for Windows: Click Here
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Tips for selling your home during
autumn:
Are you
thinking about selling your home but not sure if autumn
is the best time?
Well, it turns out this is a great time of year
to list your home for sale! While autumn
often signals a slowing down in the real estate
business, there are still many serious buyers out
there. To
ensure that your home looks its best, follow these easy
guidelines.
1. A home shopper's
first impression is everything. The moment they pull up
to the curb, they'll make an instant judgment. You'll
want to be sure it's positive. You can begin by making
sure leaves are raked, and your shrubs and bushes are
pruned.
2.
Make sure your patio area is inviting and
attractive.
Clean your patio furniture and arrange it keeping
the views from indoors in mind. Spruce up the
area with a few container plantings or a small water
feature.
3. Most fall buyers
are families with children so try to make it look as
child friendly as possible so potential buyers can
envision what the space will look like for their own
children. Make sure the back yard isn't covered in
leaves.
4. Now is an
excellent time to paint your house. If your house's
exterior looks drab and you're in a buyer's market, you
may want to consider painting to instantly raise your
home's visual appeal.
5. If you're
selling your home during the fall, there's nothing more
inviting to a potential home buyer than the aroma of a
freshly baked, cinnamon-laced apple pie. Not a
baker? Then
just set a pot of water to simmer with some cinnamon
sticks in it.
6. Decorate both
the interior and exterior of your home with festive fall
embellishments and bright orange pumpkins. A small bale of
hay and miniature harvest corn can quickly brighten up a
dull dining room table.
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Frequently
asked questions about
selling.
Your Home's
First Impression
Make it lovely to look
at and
Friendly and
inviting
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Q: How much is my
home worth?
A: The short answer
is only as much as a buyer is willing to pay. And,
you the seller directly influence a buyer’s decision as
to how much they will
pay.
Q: Do I have to
spruce up my house or can I sell it as it
is?
A: The short answer
is this depends on how your home shows right now, what
price you’re willing to settle for and how long you want
to be on the market.
Usually the better a
home shows, the higher the selling price.
If you do not make your home attractive to
buyers in the market, more than likely your competition
will. That
can mean you may lose a buyer, lose thousands of
dollars in selling price, lose time, become stale
on the market and ultimately sell for less than you
could have.
Q: Do I have to
have any inspections before I put my house on the
market?
A: Yes and no. Think about
this, if you have a termite inspection on your home
before you accept an offer from a buyer you will know
how much money will be needed to repair your home. That dollar
amount will affect your bottom line. If you agree in
a sale to provide a termite clearance, then you will
have to pay for the repairs noted in that report. In a
typical market, buyers look to sellers to provide a
termite clearance at the seller’s expense. Since this can
be quite costly, knowing the amount of repairs before
accepting a buyer’s offer is
critical.
If
on the other hand you are in a hot market area, where
multiple bidders are abundant and wigwams are selling
for the price of mansions, then you might be able to
sell “as is,” and make no termite or other repairs. In this case you
would be wise to have a termite report on hand to
provide a buyer so they know upfront what they’re going
to be responsible for. 
In
California
it is no longer “Buyer Beware.” Sellers of
single family homes and units up to four have a legal
obligation under civil code 1102.3 to
disclosure anything they know or should
reasonably know about their property.
If after the escrow
closes a buyer finds out your property is riddled with
damage that you did not disclose they have grounds to
bring legal action against you. They
will probably win as the courts for the most part
are sympathetic to buyers. There are many other
possible causes of action a buyer can bring against a
seller. I am experienced in guiding my sellers
through the disclosure maze to
successfully avoid the pitfalls that lead to
litigation.
Understanding
your legal responsibility you would be wise to conclude
you should get inspections on your home beforehand. I recommend
sellers get at least a termite inspection. If their roof is
more than two years old I also recommend they get a
roof inspection. If they have made
any alterations to the home, then a general home
inspection and a trip to the city to obtain copies of
permits is essential as well.
Q:
How do I go about selling my
property?
A: You are off to a good
start by reviewing the information here on my
web site. If you
would like to talk with me about possibly representing
you, please give me a call or send me an email
with your phone number and I will call you.
The
following tips will help you influence a
buyer and maximize your selling price.
I hope to hearing from you
soon. In the meantime, take care,
Joanne
Your San Francisco Bay Area Real
Estate Broker |
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 510-538-0222
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 800-474-9934
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Liberty Floor
Covering
2437 Tripaldi Way, Hayward, CA 94545 -
Phone:
510-786-0119
Browse
their web site |
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Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO
Realtor
"For Old-Fashioned Service in
Cyberspace"
Advantage Realty
Advantage
Mortgage Associates
3205 Whipple Road - Union City,
California 94587
(510)
429-4800
San Francisco Bay Area
San
Francisco East Bay Real Estate
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