Drought Resistant Landscaping

As I am out driving around I am seeing a lot of people turning to drought resistant landscaping.  Lawns are being dug up and the new landscaping is going in.  It is everything from simple and clean to elegant and colorful.   It occurred to me that not only are they saving money on water, helping the drought situation, but their gardening costs and work will go down.  I have seen some beautiful landscaping and I wanted to share it with you, but I hesitate to take pictures of peoples homes and post them.  With that said I found a great web-site with a lot of ideas and beautiful pictures to take idea's from.  I have attached the link for you to see.  Have a great day!!!  
https://www.google.com/search?q=Drought+resistant+yards&tbm=isch&tbo=u source=univ&sa=X&ei=6UM1VabKEYSrogSDg4CgDg&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=655

Spring is Here, Market is Hot, 3 Costly Mistakes Buyers Make

This hot selling season is still predicted to be tight when it comes to inventory. That means that buyers need to bring their ‘A ‘game and keep their head on straight if they’re going to snag their dream home. As an agent, it’s my job to help buyers understand the market we are in.

Here are three common, costly buyer mistakes that often arise when the market is hot, offers are plentiful and prices are rising—and what I can do to help you as my client.

1. Wishing the House Was in a Different Neighborhood

You have seen two-dozen houses and put in a dozen offers. As your agent I understand your frustration.  The home that you want—a move-in ready three bedroom in safe neighborhood, good school district, a close commute to work—exists. But that home often doesn’t exist in the most covetable neighborhood in town at the price point you can afford.  It doesn't mean it doesn't exist somewhere in a different neighborhood.

As your agent, this can be one of the most frustrating situations for you the buyer and for me..  I want to get you in the best home we can find in your price range and I know we can find that home, it may take time but it will be there.  That home may be out of your dream area, but I will always do the best I can to meet all of your needs and as many items of your wish list as possible.

As much as I would like to find that perfect home in your dream neighborhood in your price point, reality may be it doesn't exist in that neighborhood. 

Here’s the truth you have to base your expectations with reality that a hot market dictates. If you have searched that dream neighborhood and can't find what you want in your price range It’s time to get real and understand we either need to look in another area or you will have to have the cash or borrowing power to come up with the difference of what you can afford and what you want.  It is the only way to compete with other offers or find that home that could meet your needs in another area.

When a buyer has been outbid a double-digit number of times, something about their approach is not working.  It may be that you are under bidding based on the market value, it could be that you don't have the cash to out bid people who are offering cash above appraisal price, or it may be that you can't compete with the type of loans other people are using.
 Conventional loans, the buyers come in with high down payments which is attractive to sellers because in the sellers mind the buyer has more skin in the game, more likely to get the home appraised because the more down payment you come in with the less you have to borrow and the appraisal won't need to be as high, plus the loan can close in 30 days.

FHA loans are looked at second to conventional loans because they do have a down payment (usually smaller) and they can close in 30 days.

VA loans can be more difficult (no because it is a veteran buying the home) but because there is no down payment, the seller has to pay for more of the costs for closing the transaction, and it often takes 45 days to close.

And of course cash is still king.

It’s time to work through your priorities list and decide what is most important to you.  You either need to downgrade your specs in terms of properties you seek—looking for something smaller or in less-pristine condition—or you need to shift your location criteria.

2. Hoping That Perfect House Gets No Other Offers

There’s a fine line between wishing something were true and denying the reality of what actually is true. When buyers face reality, even when it’s painful, it allows them to make an action plan for getting the best possible results with the resources they do have —or a plan for getting more resources.

Ultimately, only you as the buyer can decide how much you can offer on a home. I can advise and provide data to help frame the decision, but you are the be-all, end-all decision maker. Buyers who opt to make a lowball or often times at-asking offer in situations where they are virtually guaranteed to run into high levels of competition are setting themselves up for failure.   

As your agent, it’s important to depend on the data in these situations. Poor decisions by buyers most often result thanks to a lack of education about the situation. In these times both you as the buyer and myself as your agent need to exercise patience. 

3. Wishing Prices Weren’t Going up so Fast

Here’s the deal: when prices were flat or falling, you as a buyer would (understandably) stressed at the prospect of buying a depreciating asset. Now that they’re ascending, it’s not at all uncommon to see buyers upset and complaining about that as well.  But the moment escrow closes, that price will be added to the comps in the area that can either increase the value or decrease the value accordingly. 

Rising or prices and a recovering market might be just what is encouraging you to buy, which may make it harder for you to get everything you want.   Prices go up based on the economy, the job market improving, and people feeling more optimistic about the future. If many of these other things might not be materializing, that wouldn’t be so great either.

Wishing prices weren’t going up so fast contributes to a costly denial that prices aren’t really what they are. This can cause you to make low-ball offers and waste your precious time on homes you can’t compete for within in your budget range, all while the market is appreciating —and that’s how you can get priced out of the market, right under their nose.

Don’t let your dreams fall prey to this costly wish-based pitfall. Keep in the know on how prices are trending throughout your house hunt, and use that knowledge we see through static's to power your decision-making about what price range to house hunt in and what price to offer for target properties.

Let's talk Appraisals

We just had an appraiser in our office to update us on what is going on in the appraisal world.  It was very interesting, he said that they are now requiring appraisers to have a bachelor's degree and a 2 year internship. That means that we have fewer and fewer appraisers in the field which may slowdown the appraisal turn around time and may get much more expensive.  They are also holding the appraisers to a much higher standard on their appraisals, meaning that if they over look anything it can effect their career and licensing. For more information see the link below:
http://www.orea.ca.gov/

How will this effect the home buyer or seller?  It may be more costly on the buyers side for getting an appraisal done, both buyers and sellers may be effected with longer turn around times, and sellers will want to be more particular when getting their home ready to sell.  The positive side for both buyers and sellers will be the sellers may be looking at their home with a better eye for getting it ready to sell so there will be less issues with repairs on the back end.  (Sellers should not follow an appraiser or inspector around, let them do their work)

What should a good Realtor do for you on the appraisal side?
Most appraisers appreciate the help if the listing agent provides good solid comps and the agent gives the information in a way of saying "This is how I got to the value when listing the home" or "Why I felt this was a good offer to accept" and leave them for the appraiser to look at and walk away.  It also is a good idea to make a list of all the upgrades (last 5-10 years) or special features that the property has and leave that as well.  The key words here are "leave it" don't try to explain it or engage into a conversation as this is the very thing the appraiser shouldn't do.  (Never try to steer the value, just provide facts about the property in writing and walk away).

What does an appraisers check list look like?

1.  Carbon Monoxide Detectors:  (Sellers Responsibility)  One on every level of the home and 15 feet from sleeping areas.  The link offers the California guidelines for CO detectors.  http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/strucfireengineer/pdf/bml/Frequently%20asked%20questions%20on%20Carbon%20Monoxide.pdf
2.  Smoke Detectors:  (Sellers Responsibility)  http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/informationbulletin/pdf/2013/13-006_SB745_Smoke_Alarm.pdf
3.  Hot Water Heaters Strapped  (Sellers Responsibility) Must be functional and doubled strapped  http://www.seismic.ca.gov/HOG/waterheaterbracing_08-11-04.pdf
4.  Defferred Maintance, Healthy and Safety Issues, obvious deterioration, Dry Rot, Fences falling, empty or green pools, dark substances that appear to be mold and these are just a few.
The key here is if they can see it he has to report it.
5. Electricity, Water, and Gas need to be on for the home inspection and the appraisal:  If these things are not on when an inspector or appraiser goes out they can not do their inspection.
6.  Heating and Air Conditioning must be functional
7.  All Kitchen appliances must be functional
8.  Pools/Spa's:  Must be working, Full, and not Green (They will also look to see that a pool is fenced and/or if they have alarms on all outside doors)
9.  Out Buildings:  They will look at the condition of the building.  They must appear to have been well constructed in a good workmanship manor.
10.  Stair Hand Railings:  (Staircases indoors and on decks/patio's over 30 inches)  Must be sturdy and not loose.
11.  GFI's must be installed within 6 inches of any water sources:  IE: Kitchen, Bathrooms, Laundry, and sinks.
12.  Soundness:  No broken/missing exterior windows/doors.
13.  Security: (All doors/windows to be lockable and secure)
14.  No Exterior Peeling Paint or Bare Wood
15.  Any Un-permitted Building/Additions: If so completed in a "Workman Like Manner"
16.  Any noticeable Dry Rot or Mold:
17.  Any Bare Wires:  (Light fixtures or wall plates)
18.  Fire Rated Doors from Garage entrance to Property:  (No Doggy Doors allowed in fire rated doors)
19.  Attic Ladders:  Must be installed meeting fire rated regulations

What Value is generally added for:
Pools:  $10 to $15 Thousand depending on the condition of the pool.  (Some elaborate pools may get a little more.
Mother-in Law Quarters:  This can be subjective depending what kind of comps can be shown with and without such quarters in the neighborhood.
Solar Systems:    Leased Systems have no value as they are not owned.    Seller owned usually the appraiser will take the cost of the solar system minus the tax rebate and add 1/2 of that cost.  Sometimes utility bills can be used as well to add some value.

Make sure the home is clean and tidy.  Most appraisers will tell you that cleanliness of the home does not matter. But, it is often assumed that maintenance and repairs being kept up go hand in hand with an image of a well maintained home.  Clean always gives the appearance of good.

If you have any questions give us a call or if you want to share any of our blogs with friends or relatives just direct them to our web-sites and look under our blogs.  (they are all available there)
                          http://skrohn.golyon.com/            or                 http://sborchelt.golyon.com/     

A School System Worth Looking At

Anyone having children in or teaching within our education system should read this

 I had the distinct pleasure of visiting several of our high schools in the EGUSD and I have to tell you that what I experienced was nothing but amazing.   Each of these schools had academy's that specialized in different types of classes that brought the student not only exposed to required school topic's but also prepared them for real life experiences and the business world.  These classes ran the gamut from culinary classes, engineering, green energy, manufacturing, digital media, biotechnology, building trades, and everything inbetween.  The goal of these academy's is to prepare our youth not only in college preparation, but also trades and skills that may only require a 1-2 year certification.  These high schools are preparing kids for real life experiences and jobs.  They are not suggesting that a child not go to college in fact these programs better prepare our kids to go to college by exposing them to many subjects that will require college degrees.  The difference, the kids are able to spend time in high school to learn about and work within many different subjects that they may decide that they really like or not leaving them with a better perspective for what they do want to pursue so they don't spend the college years or money figuring it out.

The dedication of the teachers in these classrooms were far beyond what I expected.  These are teachers who are finding ways to help keep their classes funded, have a teaching style that the kids can relate to, keeping the kids engaged in the work, and having the kids walk out of their programs well prepared for the next step.  One girl who was in the academy for green renewable energy said that she has realized through this program that her college endeavor will be engineering but the skills she had learned in this class not only led her to the path she wants to take, but also gave her skills she can use in everyday life to fix and develop ways of doing things that she would have never had.  She also said that this training would be her fallback plan so if she gets into engineering and realizes that is not for her she knows where she will go.

In a class on digital arts they had partnered with 4th and fifth grade teachers (as their clients) to make book covers for the childrens books that would visually and verbally make their students want to pick up those books and read them.  We got to see their work and not only was it as professional as anyone being paid in the that area but they had created such skilled ways of illustrating the content of their work in a way that would peek the minds of younger children.  

To really appreciate this program I would urge anyone who can to research this program and hopefully find a way to bring this kind of education to all students.  This is a game changer in how our children are taught.  I hope this inspires every parent, and educator to strive to bring this kind of education to all our youth.  There was a group of about fifteen of us with education ranging from no high school diploma to masters degrees and we all agreed we would have loved to have had this type of teaching when we were in high school.  To learn more click on the links below:

http://www.egusd.net/schools/academies.cfm     http://blogs.egusd.net/collegeandcareer/career-planning/academies-and-career-pathways/

How to Stage Your Home to Sell

n a manner of speaking, staging your home is putting its best foot forward: you're setting up each room to look inviting to prospective buyers of all types. Showcase your home’s best features, and minimizes any flaws. Clean and clear Ideally, you’d start with a completely empty home, painted in neutrals and perfectly clean. In reality, you get as close to this ideal as you can by boxing up personal items, clearing out closets and stacking everything neatly in your tidy and [now] organized garage and attic. Items that must stay out in the open need to go in bins or baskets to keep your home free of clutter. This includes toys and kitchen and bathroom items you need to use daily. And of course everything must be dusted and cleaned of fingerprints and footprints! Start the staging Your rooms should look inviting, but they still need to have the minimum furnishings possible so buyers can imagine their own belongings in there more easily. Play to the strengths of each room by accenting its best features. Create conversational groupings in common areas. Light it up Bright lighting make the room look warm and welcoming. Chase away dark corners by using both ambient lighting and accent lights. Head outside Your patio and yard should also be selling features. Clean up the furniture, make sure the cushions aren’t sun-faded, and get the garden in shape. If you don’t have a green thumb, large potted plants can dress up the exterior. Make every space count Dress up a Spartan guest room with a comfy chair and pretty lamp to create a cozy reading spot. The guest room should be obviously a guest room; the same goes for the office. Ambiguity in a room’s purpose can be confusing to homeshoppers. Make it clear what each room is for. If you have an oddly shaped landing, or a little nook in the living room, don’t ignore it: show its potential. Keep up daily This can be the hardest part! But while your home is on the market, you need to keep the garbage empty, the laundry folded, the pet toys out of sight, and the cap on your toothpaste. It’s hard to show your home while you’re still living in it, but you need to think about what a new homeowner will be looking for: a fresh start and a place for their family and their belongings. You want your home to appeal to the most number of people possible. Keep these tips in mind to help your home sell quickly and for more money!

Dinner Starters Between Kids and Parents

They just had a lot of research done on how important it is to have family dinners and get dialogue going with the kids.  A vendor happened to send me this information and I wanted to share with you.  The link has great conversation starter for all different ages so check those out as well.  Hope you enjoy! Dinner Dialogue   Communication between parents and kids has never been easy—in fact, one aptly titled parenting book first published in 1957 was called, "Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing." If you need a little help getting your family to talk around the dinner table, here are some helpful facts and ideas to get the conversation going. Fact: Family dinners are good for you!Many scientific studies over the past 15 years confirm regular family mealtimes are good for the brain, health and morale of all family members; lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, obesity and eating disorders; and lead to higher grade point averages and self-esteem. Build a strong foundation. Children are easily discouraged by disinterest, disapproval and distraction so avoid checking your voice mail or email during mealtimes. Make dinner the exclusive domain of your family, and take time to set the stage for your kids to show them you're willing to give as much, or more, of what you're asking of them. Set the example and focus on the short time you have together. Use conversation starters. Even young children want to be recognized and included in dinnertime chitchat. While sometimes a simple, "What did you do today?" will result in a great conversation, usually kids need a gentle nudge to get things going. But even teens can be lively conversationalists (just ask their friends!) with only a little encouragement. Test a few of the conversation starters below: "What can your favorite toy or cartoon character do that you'd like to do?" "If you could be an animal, what would you want to be, and why?" "What was the most memorable dream you've ever had? What happened?" "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" "What's the craziest thing you've ever eaten?" "Did anyone read anything interesting online or in the newspaper today?" "If you could have one person over for dinner, who would it be? What would you talk about? What food would you serve?" "Do you know how your parents met?" "Do you know some of the lessons that your parents learned from good or bad experiences they had when they were kids?" "Do you know some of the jobs that your parents had when they were young? What would you like to do for a job when you grow up?" Check this link for more great conversation starters for all ages. And remember, you can encourage your children to speak up when you speak humbly and unabashedly. Revealing an embarrassing or challenging experience can help your children realize it's okay to open up. Sources: The Family Dinner Project, Purdue University Center for Families

The Housing Market Heats UP as We Get Into Spring

Spring brings out the buyers many of whom want to be ready when school goes back into session in the fall.  Giving them the opportunity to get moved in and the kids settled in a new school.  New homes are certainly on a lot of buyers minds with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the sales of new homes is going gangbusters. The sales of re-sale homes is not picking up quite so fast.  There are several reasons for that including the lack of re-sale homes on the market, and the desire to have that brand new home.  It also takes 30 to 45 days to complete a sale on a re-sale home and the number of sales in this area is not tracked until the home closes escrow and is recorded.   New home sales are tracked differently so sales are reported earlier. It is always best to look at the number of homes pending on the re-sale side as that is the best indicator of how the market is doing most recently.  Pending sales are up and are 8.4 percent higher than last year at this time.  This marks the fifth time for year over year gains. The National Association of Realtors says current activity in the re-sale homes "is convincingly up compared to a year ago despite the lower levels of homes available". "The difference this year is the positive factors supporting stronger sales, such as slightly improving credit conditions, more jobs and slower price growth." states Lawrence Yun chief economist for NAR. A March CoreLogic report also showed that January home prices rose nearly 6 percent from a year ago. In 2013, investors were blamed for pushing prices upward, but it has been suggested that prices are rising again due simply to a lack of inventory in markets large and small across the nation. This news could result in a very competitive housing season for homebuyers. Freddie Mac is also expecting 2015 to be the best year for home sales and new construction since 2007, according to its March 2015 U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook. Freddie Mac cited an improving job market, rising rents and expanded credit availability as some reasons for its positive outlook. Bottom Line for Homebuyers: This is an exciting time for home buyers, with more newer homes available, and continued lower interest rates.  Even when buying a new home it can be a big help for the home buyer to have their own Real Estate agent to work on their behalf through the process. (This is without cost to the buyer)  Please call us or text us if you have anyquestions and be sure to check out our Web-sites at www.sborchelt.golyon.com or www.skrohn.golyon.com.   Phone:  Sandy 916-544-2066  or Steve 916 425-1100.