Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation Today I’m taking a break from real estate to share a special holiday message with you. I want to thank all my past, current, and future potential clients for making this year our best and most memorable year ever. From my family to yours, have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

There are plenty of things you can do to increase your home’s value in the eyes of a buyer. Here are four landscaping tips that will help. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation Your front yard is the red carpet that invites buyers into your beautiful home. If the outside of the home is messy, rugged, or even a little unkempt, buyers will drive right by and head to the next house on their list. Here are four tips that will help you make sure your home gets the attention it deserves. 1. Cut the grass. The lawnmower should come out at least every other week, if not every week. Your yard should be nice and green, too. 2. Install outdoor lighting. This is a good way to illuminate your house at night and accent your yard at the same time. Depending on where you install the lights, they could be very appealing to buyers who view your home at night.Colorful flowers are a huge attention-grabber. 3. Consider adding flowers for color. The more color the better. Shrubbery with different blooms is another good option. 4. Keep everything clean. Anywhere where dirt and grime can build up should be cleaned on a regular basis. This includes, but isn’t limited to, your driveway, front porch, and sidewalk. If you have any questions for us about landscaping or real estate in general, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you own a pet, selling your home can be a bit more challenging. Luckily, there are four steps you can take in order to be successful. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation If you own a pet, there are a few things you need to do to make sure that your pet doesn’t ruin your home sale. There are four steps you should take:  1. Don’t leave your pets in the house during showings. You don’t want to leave your dog walking around while a prospective buyer is there. That is a huge liability issue, especially if worse comes to worst and the dog bites the buyer. Even if your dog is in a crate, it’s still a huge distraction to buyers.  2. Prepare your backyard. Your yard can be a minefield, so make sure you pick up all droppings and repair any holes that your pet has dug. Replace those areas with some kind of sod if you can and, of course, keep your pet out of this area during showings. Pet odors kill real estate deals.3. Eliminate any odors. Bad odors can kill real estate deals, and pet odors can be especially strong. You may not notice the smell but if your agent does, steam and clean your carpet and replace any bedding or pillows. Odors can affect your sale price, too, so do your best to clean your home.  4. Get rid of any pet hair. If your dog is an excessive shedder, brush them outside and give them frequent baths. If a buyer has allergies, the smallest amount of dander can make them flare up and send them running to the door. Plus, your house simply doesn’t look well-kept if it’s covered in pet hair.  Following these four simple tips will help your home appeal to pet owners and non-pet owners alike. If you have any other questions about selling your home, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Market conditions make now a particularly great time to be on the market as a seller. There are four main reasons why. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation If you've been on the fence about selling, it's probably time to jump off. These are the four main driving factors that make now such a great time to sell your house.Mortgage interest rates are still low: Low rates translate to lower monthly costs, and lower costs entice more buyers. Having more buyers is always a good thing for you as a seller. Even though rates have ticked up slightly since October, they're still hovering near 30-year lows—for now.Inventory is shrinking: When there are fewer homes to choose from, the available homes become more valuable. Low inventory and high demand are great for sellers. Home prices are rising: This is driven by the low inventory and high demand. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median home price in November 2016 was up 6.8% over November 2015. That's not a fluke—this is the 57th consecutive month with year over year gains.Job markets are strengthening: As unemployment goes down and wages go up, consumer confidence will begin to rise, which will spur on more buyers to enter the market and buy homes. That's more good news for sellers.If you're thinking about selling your house or you're still not convinced, feel free to give me a call or send me an email soon. I'd love to hear from you.

Orange County real estate expert says thanks to his clients and happy holidays. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation Today, I wanted to take a moment out of my day to show my appreciation to previous, current, and prospective clients. Thanks for making this year a memorable one! We couldn’t have done it without your support, business, and referrals. From my family to yours, have a happy holiday season and New Year, Orange County! As always, if there’s anything you need help with, please reach out to me. Give me a call or send me a text. Happy holidays!

Orange County real estate expert discusses home selling tips. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation Today I’ll be answering some of the most common questions I’ve been getting from sellers. Hopefully, the answers to these questions will help you in determining when, where, and how you should sell your home.  When is the best time of year to sell my home? The truth is, any time is a good time to sell your home in Orange County, it just depends on when you’re ready. We sell properties year-round, but if you’re looking to sell quickly we recommend listing when inventory is at its lowest in the winter months.  What steps should I take to prepare my home for sale? You never get a second chance at a first impression. Declutter your home by adding fresh paint, carpet, and colorful flowers. These will make your home more appealing to buyers. What is the value of my home? There are a number of factors that go into determining your home’s value, including a lot of data from the sales of comparable homes in your area. As a Realtor, I can use these statistics to come up with the most accurate valuation possible for your property.  How long does it take to sell my home? This depends on how aggressively your home is priced and how extensive its marketing is. If you list with us, we will make sure your home is priced properly and marketed aggressively. Our homes only stay on the market for an average of 30-40 days.  Should I price high to leave room for negotiation? The simple answer is no. A properly priced home will sell quickly close to, at, or even above the list price. Pricing your home too high will cause it to sit on the market longer and attract fewer buyers to the property. You could lose time and money by overpricing. If you have any other questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help out!

Orange County real estate expert discusses home selling tips. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation If you're thinking about selling your home, it's never too early to start preparing. Today, we want to share a few tips to help you get your home ready for the selling process so you can get top dollar. Curb appeal is crucial. Once you decide to list your house, we put it up on various websites to get maximum exposure. Some people are going to grab the address and drive by your home. You want to make sure that your yard is well-maintained, with freshly planted flowers, a manicured lawn, and trimmed plants. It's also not a bad idea to put a fresh coat of paint on your front door or your garage door.Declutter the home. Get rid of all loose items that are lying around. Makes sure there aren't any shoes, toys, magazines, or anything else taking up space on the surfaces in your home. Decluttering also means getting rid of as many personal items as you can so that buyers can imagine their family living in the home. Box this stuff up and get it out of the line of sight of potential buyers.Think about using a stager. Especially if your home is vacant, we highly recommend having a professional stager come in to make your house look like a home. Even if you're living in your home, there are some things we can do with your furniture to make the home even more appealing to buyers.Make sure all blinds and shutters are open. Do this and turn all the lights on in the home to create a warm and inviting feel for all the people who will be coming through to view your house. If you have any questions about what you can do to get your home ready for the market, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

There are tons of benefits of selling your home during the winter months. When I refer to winter, I talk about October through February. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation There are tons of benefits of selling your home during the winter months. When I refer to winter, I talk about October through February. Supply and demand fuel price and value. While the supply will dwindle significantly, this benefits buyers because of less competition. Often, sellers tend to list the most in the springtime. Although you’ll have statistically fewer buyers on the market during the winter, the buyers that are selling are extremely motivated and serious. The holiday season and cold weather distract prospective buyers from window shopping during the winter. Thus, winter buyers are dedicated to finding the right home. Yes, it’s a great time to sell in Orange County! If you’d like to talk about selling your home within the next few months, give us a call or email.

Want to get your offer accepted as a homebuyer? Follow these four tips. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation If you’re a homebuyer in our market, here are four easy, effective tips you can follow to get your offer accepted. First, understand how much you can afford. Meet with a mortgage specialist and get a pre-approval letter. This pre-approval letter is what you would send with your offer. In this market, you won’t even get a second look if you don’t have one attached to your offer.  Second, act fast. Buyer demand is high and continues to outpace supply. We’re frequently seeing multiple offer situations unfolding. If you find something you like, act on it quickly.Buyer demand is high, so you need to act fast. Third, make a solid offer. Your strongest offer will need to be comparable to other sales in the neighborhood and represent market value. Being an appraiser as well as a Realtor, this is where I can help you save money as well as ensure your offer is strongly considered. You should also include a personal letter to the seller with your offer letting them know exactly why you want to live in their home. This personal touch has helped many clients of mine win out in the past.  Lastly, be prepared to negotiate. Oftentimes, the seller will send a counteroffer. This counteroffer usually revolves around price, time of closing, or some other term inside the offer. As long as you’re a little flexible and have that pre-approval letter, you’ll be on very good footing when it comes time for them to make a decision.  If you have any more questions on how to get your offer accepted, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you.

Making renovations to your home is a smart way to add value before you sell. Before you start, however, consider these three things. Looking to buy in Orange County? Get a full Home Search Looking to sell in Orange County? Get a free Home Price Evaluation If you’re considering selling your home this year, I have a few reasons why you may want to consider renovating it now.  When it comes to selling quickly and for top dollar, your home must be in great condition or buyers will simply move on. Making renovations, whether it’s a long overdue facelift or just some minor cosmetic touch-ups, can make a huge difference. If you think you can wait to make these renovations until it’s time to list, think again. Here are a few things to be aware of that could delay your renovation plans:Renovations always take longer than you think. 1. Renovations always take longer than you think. The earlier you start, the more ready you are when you do decide to list.  2. There may be unknown issues. Once you start the renovations and any unexpected issues come up, it may add to the scope of the work and delay your timeline. 3. You need to renovate if you want top dollar for your home. You’ll get a great return on your investment if you renovate smartly and plan ahead.  If you’re unsure of what renovations to consider on your home, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help and answer any other questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you soon.