Tri-Valley Real Estate Blog

Have You Become Nose-blind to Your Home?

by Leave a Comment

You’ve probably seen those commercials where people have gone “nose blind” to odors in their home such as garbage, kitty litter, or cigarette smoke, but how do you know if you have become nose blind to your own odor?Have You Become Nose-blind to Your Home?

Have you ever walked into someone’s house and immediately noticed a weird smell? You might have wondered if the homeowner can smell it too. But nope, they probably don’t. Nose blindness is a real thing according to psychologists and it’s very common.

Also called olfactory adaptation, nose blindness occurs when your nose detects an odor, determines it’s not a threat, and then shuts down the receptor for that odor. So it makes sense that smells that tend to linger often get forgotten about. So how do you make yourself more aware of your interior odors? [Read more…]

Cleaning Your House for Sale When You Have Pets

by Leave a Comment

Cleaning Your House for Sale When You Have PetsFor those of us with furry family members in the home, we know that they can add to the cleaning needs inside. It can be extra frustrating if you’re trying to sell your home at the same time.

One of the most common and routine things we clean up after out animals is hair ( unless you have a hypo allergenic breed). Pet hair can work its way into carpet and upholstery and be pretty stubborn to remove. Some pets shed so much you wonder how there is any hair left on their body. One of the best ways to keep hair out of the carpet and upholstery is to help reduce the amount of shedding. Here are some things you can do to keep the hair going into your soft surfaces to a minimum. (Tips from the pros) [Read more…]

Ten of the Best Home Improvement Tips From the Experts

by Leave a Comment

If you’re thinking about improving your home, remodeling, or doing some renovations it’s important to get a lot of information beforehand so that you can plan, prepare, and budget accordingly. We’ve undertaken a few renovations over the years and while I’m not an expert, I can definitely appreciate advice and tips from those that of been there before or constantly do it as in real estate investors or flippers. Here are some of the 10 best home improvement tips from the experts. [Read more…]

7 Chores You Only Need to Do Once a Year

by Leave a Comment

We all have plenty of household chores on our to-do lists, but many of us can probably agree that hardly any of them are on our want to-do list. Here is something exciting to hear: some chores around your home only need to be done once a year. We made a list of household chores below that only need to be taken care of every 12 months. [Read more…]

Do Buyers Want to See a Home Office?

by Leave a Comment

The home office. It’s a place of intentional work, pay bills, or just sit and manage your home life. Maybe you work from home so it’s literally your office. Many sellers are creating a home office setting when staging and listing their home but is it necessary? Do buyers really expect homes to have an office?

In today’s odd climate the home office is definitely a perk. More and more people are working from home and it just makes sense but are there other uses to that spare room that people are looking for?

Do Buyers Want to See a Home Office?

 

 Home Theater.

This might sound extreme but in many markets around California, this type of room is becoming very popular. The dedicated space with surround sound, high-quality TV and visual dynamics are making a comeback in many homes.

 Family Rooms.

It all depends on how much space you have and if it’s a closed off room or open area. Many new homes have a landing at the top of the stairs that can be turned into a large play room or family room instead of an office space, which feels awkward when you have to walk through it to get to the bedrooms.

 Creative Space.

This could be an arts and crafts room or a space that one could get messy in. The floor may be tile or other material that’s easy to clean.

 Library.

If you have plenty of books, try dressing up a space room into a quaint library. Large bookshelves can even serve as dividers to section off the room into a sitting area and library. Create an inviting space by using comfy chairs or couches, blankets and good lighting.

Related: 10 Projects to Complete Before Selling Your House

 Guest Rooms.

The guest room doesn’t have to just be a bed. Create a neutral bedroom that could suffice for anyone for the nights. A neat nightstand, lamp, good book, vase of flowers, dresser, neutral decor and fluffy linens all invite guests to make the space their own for the night.

But again, with more people working from home, a home office may be among the top perks, however, having more space for enjoying the home in differnt ways are also very appealing.

There are lots of different things you can do to a room beside the typical office. If you’re selling in the Tri-Valley area, give me a call! Let’s talk about what buyers are looking for and how you can appeal to all buyers out there.

Add Up to 10% to Your Home’s Value with These Landscaping Hacks

by Leave a Comment

When selling a property, chances are the main photo for the home will be the outside. Most multiple listing services require either the front of the house or the view from the house as the first listing photo, so, you better make sure that your landscaping and curb appeal is on point. Most buyers will decide within the first five seconds of looking at the home whether or not they’re interested, which is why your landscaping and curb appeal should never be neglected. Here are some serious landscaping and curb appeal hacks that will totally change the way people look at your home. [Read more…]

House Not Selling? Here’s What You Can Do

by Leave a Comment

House Not Selling? Here's What You Can Do

If you have a home in Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore or surrounding Tri-Valley cities and towns and it’s not selling there could be a variety of reasons why. The central California real estate market is hot and prices are going through the roof and homes are selling fast but if yours is not there could be several reasons why. It’s time to step back, take a good look at your home and find out why your home may not be selling.

#1. Adjust the price.

It may simply be time to adjust the price. If you started at a decent price but your agent feels it may still be too high, it probably is. Real estate agents spend most of their time running comparable sales in the area, researching the market and have a pretty good idea of what will sell and what won’t sell. By adjusting your price to where it should be or even slightly lower, you’re more likely to get the right buyers in the door.

#2. Take a look at the photos.

Do the real estate photos really set your home apart from your closest competition? In today’s real estate market many real estate agents and homeowners are taking professional photos of their home in order to draw in the right buyers. Take a look at your home during different times of the day in different light. This can greatly affect the look and feel of your home. Make sure that the photos are professionally taken and really are sharp, clear and show your home in the best light. Also, take a look at the room in the picture; is a clean, neat and tidy? Are toilet seats put down, garbage put away and counters and tables cleared off? The picture might be of great quality but if what it’s showing is a mess, buyers still won’t want to come close.

#3. Does the condition of your home match the price?

Do you want top dollar for your home? Then you have to present it as such. Real estate agents will be honest with you and tell you that if you want a certain price, you need to make your house rise to the occasion.  Does the home warrant a high price tag? Has it been updated? Is it clean, neat and organized? Is it professionally staged? All of these things can affect your price and if you don’t present your home in a way that matches your perceived value, you simply won’t get any offers.

#4. The location or layout is funky.

This may not be something that you can change at all but it probably will affect your ability to get an offer. That being said, the only way to compensate for an odd layout or bad location is to adjust the price. Unless you want to take the time to remodel your home, adjusting the price may be the only way to get an offer. I know that’s not the ideal option but emphasizing the positive features of the home is a great way to overcompensate for the negative aspects such as living by a busy road, or an odd layout such as a bathroom off of the kitchen.

Related: 10 Must-Haves All Buyers Want in a Home

There’s usually always something that is preventing a home from selling. Finding that out as soon as you can will help you adjust where you need to in order to get it sold.

Call me today to discuss home prices in your area and what you’re home may sell for.

http://keytothebay.com/ContactMeInformationFrameless