What Can You Learn from a Home Inspection?

I’m joined today by Paul Mazzetta, who is quite possibly the world’s best home inspector, to talk about the most important facets of a home inspection.

When looking for an inspector, you want someone who has considerable experience and is certified by the state and nationally. In a home inspection, you’re looking for things like age and functionality of the systems to get an idea of the condition of the home you might buy. It’s not an exhaustive overview, but rather an evaluation of the current condition for a buyer.

The big ticket items are the ones to look at closely.

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Paul says he tends to look at the big tickets items as things all buyers should be aware of. He looks for structural issues, age and condition of the plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and roofing. Everything else from there can be repaired relatively inexpensively.

Again, I think Paul is the best in the business, and if you want to get a hold of him about inspections or home maintenance, you can call him at 925-244-1451.

If you have any real estate questions, you can always give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

The Key to Relieving Seller Stress

We all know that selling a home is one stressful event. The process can go from easy to nerve-racking very quickly.

If you have any type of control over the reason why you’re buying or selling a piece of property, then it will help your mindset tremendously. But if you were forced into it for some unknown reason, then you’ll probably feel a little bit crazy. You’ve got to try to control that and control the people around you if it’s affecting them, too.

It all comes down to the way you’re viewing it.

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Ultimately, it all comes down to the way you’re viewing it. When you get stressed out and you’re freaking out, stop, breathe, and think about the opportunities you’re moving into. As the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. It’s cliche, but that’s quite literally what’s happening in your life right now. Think about where you’re moving and how nice the home looks. If it’s got a pool, think about that!

If you have a licensed Realtor who knows what they’re doing, they’re going to take you by the hand and guide you through this process just like how our team does for our sellers. Shift your mindset from being defeated and fearful to uplifting, happy, and peaceful. Once you do that, you’ll start to see beautiful things.

If you have any questions or would like assurance that you’re doing the right thing, give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to help you in any way we can.  

5 Tips to Sell Faster Than Your Neighbor

I wanted to give you five tips I give to homeowners who want to sell their home faster than their neighbors.

1. Update the landscaping: If you've got gopher holes, dead grass and old, ugly flower beds, get rid of them all! Pretty your yard up with some cheap sod and flowers because you need to impress the buyer with the first thing they see, and that's the outside of the house.
2. Move out, or at least make it appear you've moved out. Simply put, keep the house clean! Pick up the toys, clothes, and dirty dishes, and keep them put away. We want to showcase the home, not the way you live in it.
3. Use fresh paint and fresh carpet because they do wonders for the buying process. In addition to sprucing up the smell, new carpet will get rid of the paths of grime in those high-traffic areas.
4. Video walkthrough: In today's market, this is imperative. We have a company that creates video walkthroughs called All Access that uses professional photos and even drone work because it helps the buyers not only see the home, but feel the home as well.
5. Price it right the first time. I get it, we all want to get the most money possible for our home. The worst thing you can do for your home sale though is overprice the home and watch the listing go stale, and then have buyers attack you because they think they're going to get a deal.

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Don't get left in the dust while your neighbors count their cash.

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If you have any other thoughts or questions, contact me! My team and I would love to help you out with any questions you have on buying or selling a home in the Bay Area. I hope to hear from you soon!

Why Pre-Listing Inspections Work for Bay Area Homes

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a Free Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions

As a Bay Area real estate expert, people come to me with a lot of questions. For instance, here’s one of them: Is it important to get a pre-listing home inspection? Many sellers don’t like spending the money on these inspections because typically it is the buyer’s responsibility to take care of all the inspections they deem necessary.

However, we recommend that all of our clients get a home inspection, as well as a roof inspection, termite inspection, or anything else your property needs. Get them up front so you can disclose everything to an incoming buyer.

“The pre-listing inspection

 protects you as a seller.

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These inspections will cost around $1,000 or less depending on the size of the home. However, you will end up saving tens of thousands of dollars. If you disclose everything upfront and provide the inspection results to the buyer, they can’t turn around and demand a $20,000 price reduction because something is wrong with the property that wasn’t disclosed.

A pre-listing home inspection prevents the buyer from beating up on you at closing. If you cannot afford a pre-listing inspection, we understand. We will disclose as much as possible in order to protect you at closing. If you can afford it, it’s the best way to go because buyers will go in with their eyes wide open and you are covered as a seller.

If you have any questions about today’s video or about real estate in general, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How to Prepare Your Bay Area Home for Springtime

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a Free Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions

If you’re planning to list this spring, there are a few measures you can take to prepare your home for the busiest real estate season of the year. Check out the following tips!

• Amp up curb appeal. The winter probably took a toll on your front yard. Add some mulch, trim the bushes, and replenish the lawn. First impressions are crucial when selling!

• Resolve repairs. Take care of any problems before you list. This is an opportune time to maximize value.

• Touch up on dated features. For instance, people will pay up to 5% more on average for dark hardwood floors.

• Paint the property. Don’t get cheap with paint, either. A fresh coat of paint can make a home appear to be new, when it’s actually old.

• Be serious about the market. Get creative with how you advertise the home. Use social media, emails, videos, etc. in order to get the widest exposure possible.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling in the Bay Area, give me a call or send me an email today! I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the local real estate market or the value of your property.

What Five Things Often Ruin the Selling Process?

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a Free Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions

Today, I want to discuss five things that can ruin your home sale. A lot of people think that there is virtually no way to ruin a home sale because the agents in our area generally do a very good job. However, there are a five things you can do that might derail a sale:

1. Not using a professional agent. A professional is someone who is a certified Realtor, not someone who simply has a real estate license and works every now and again. Work with someone who knows the laws and regulations, has the proper insurance, and does deals every single day!

2. Mispricing your home. We all know that the market fluctuates. On any given Sunday, your home may be worth $50,000 more or less depending on a variety of factors. I personally like to price homes conservatively, as it often allows you to capture a larger audience and hopefully create a bidding war.

3. Bad or no pictures in the MLS. If you don't have pictures in the MLS, buyers are going to click away from your property so fast it will make your head spin. Also, if you're not using a professional agent, they will get fined for not having photos on the MLS. You need lights on and a clean home in all of your pictures. Hiring a professional photographer is a very good idea if you want to WOW people shopping online.

4. Ignoring your front and backyard. If you come to a date dressed in your pajamas, your hair standing on end and with bad breath, do you think you're going to get a second date? The same goes with selling your home. The yard and exterior of your home should be looking spectacular for when potential buyers arrive.

5. Staging your home. Should or shouldn't you stage the home? We think so, especially if you're able to. Buyers who view your home are mentally moving in -- they're picturing all of their stuff in the home. A professional stager will make it so that they don't have to imagine all the possibilities for themselves; a stager will help them SEE it.

There are many, many more things that can go wrong with a home sale -- these just happen to be the top five. If you have any questions about getting the best results when selling, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

How We Helped Alan Sell His Home

 "We got great results and are happy with them.  They did a good job with the open houses and had a great stager.  They also identified a good moving company for us to use. The team helped us above and beyond!"
 - Alan Beringsmith, Home Seller

How Can You Help Conserve Water in the Bay Area?

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a Free Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions
Today, I want to touch on something that is affecting, or will affect, all of us if we don't do something about it soon. Of course, I'm talking about the drought! 

For us here in California, we all need to take responsibility for what's happening and actively try to reduce our water usage. If you want to reuse some water, a good idea is to take a few buckets into the shower with you. The water you collect can then be used to water plants around the house and in the landscaping. Also, if you do a lot of cooking, you can take the water you use for boiling outside and water your plants.

There is no better time to upgrade your appliances. Go down to the store and take a look at low-flow appliances, which include shower heads, toilets, and dishwashers that use significantly less water than traditional appliances. These will only cost you a few extra bucks and you'll be helping out our community!  

If your landscaping is dying, you have to let it go. It's unfortunate, but the amount of water it takes to keep elaborate landscapes healthy is just too much in our current climate. Remember, brown is the new green! However, if you really need green in your yard, you can always install fake sod. It's a bit expensive, but it will work out financially in the long run! There are other environmentally friendly ways to make your yard look great, like planting cacti, succulents, and other plants that don't need much water to survive. 

These are just a few ideas that will help you save water and help the communities. If you would like more tips, or if you have some tips you would like to share with us, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to help our community save water! In order to get through this epic drought, it's going to take all of us!

What Pricing Strategies Work in Danville?

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a Free Home Price  Evaluation  Call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions.
Hey everyone, today I want to talk to you about something near and dear to my heart: pricing your home.

Pricing a home is an art form. You want to be able to get the most money possible, but you don't want to jack up the price on your home, because that's when it won't sell. What you really need to think about when you're making the decision is what the market conditions are like. Based on these conditions, we know the correct route to take when it comes to pricing your home. 

Let's run through a few examples of how we would price your home in various market. If we were in a hot seller's market, this is when we would push your price to the highest level, to get you the most amount of money while buyers are out there competing for the best homes.  If we were in more of a neutral or transitional market, we would price your home a little bit lower than comparable ones, so buyers see the value in your home, and in turn, give it more interest. If our market was dead and homes were struggling to move, we would price below the comparables so when buyers are out there, they are looking at your home for value and know they are getting a good deal. 

Buyers always want a good deal when it comes to buying a home, and making sure they get that deal is a matter of perception. If we give the perception of value for your home over the competition, you'll win every time.

I hope you enjoyed my little tip for you today. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you!

You Won't Believe This Special Offer

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Bay Area? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a Free Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions.
The biggest misconception out there is that the spring is the only time to put your home on the market if you want to maximize your home sale. That simply isn't true. The fall has a lot to offer, as there is typically less competition among sellers, and buyers are more serious. 
If that's not enough, we have an offer that just might change your mind about waiting until spring to sell your home. Everyone that buys or sells with the McDaniel Callahan TEAM in the last quarter of 2014 will get a free iPod, iPad, or iPhone!
If that interests you, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to make the buying and selling season a profitable one for you - the gift is just an added bonus!
Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Looking to Downsize in the Bay Area?

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Bay Area? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a Free Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (925) 838-4300 to answer any of your real estate questions.

A problem many folks have been confronting lately is the inability to find the right size home. With low inventory on the market it can be tough to find the perfect home with a view, and many homeowners simply don't need the big family home anymore.

The kids have left the nest and there's a lot of unnecessary space; they now want to downsize somewhere away from the city. Whether you want a view of the mountains, a lake, or the ocean, it can be difficult to find a property that fits your needs.
How can we help with this problem? We have access to multiple homes that aren't listed on the MLS. There are many people interested in selling or looking for the right buyer, but it can be hard to get in touch with them. That's where we come in. We'll use our resources to connect you with the home you're looking for, even if it's not currently on the MLS. 
Give us a call or shoot us an email for the help you deserve. We'd be happy to help you out, and look forward to seeing you soon!