When you sell your house, there are a few certain steps you can take to maximize your sale.

We spend a lot of time helping homeowners prepare for the market. A lot of people think this starts way later in the process, when in reality, they should spend a lot of time preparing their home to get the most money in their pocket. You want the house to look its best to buyers and get maximum exposure.

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Pre-inspections help you avoid unpleasant surprises during the escrow process.

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There are five key steps you should take when listing your home:

These steps will put you on the right path to finding the right buyer. Just last week, we sold a home with our marketing plan and received offers within 48 hours. The best part about today's market is that with the right marketing, you can achieve amazing results.

If you have any other questions we can answer, don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’d be honored to help you.

Happy New Year!

Before I get started with the new year market update, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for working with us in the past. We look forward to helping you in any way we can in 2017.

2016 was a very exciting year for real estate, and all signs point to last year’s trends continuing into 2017.

Over the next few years, we should see a consistent appreciation. We won’t see the high peaks that we’ve seen in the past, and economists are predicting a steady appreciation of maybe 3% or 4%. This means the market will continue to grow and stay healthy.

One of the biggest problems we are facing right now is low inventory. If you are looking to sell your home, don’t wait until spring to put your home on the market. Consult with us over the next 30 days and let us get you prepped to get your home sold before the competition rises in the spring.

A hot topic in the real estate world right now is the rise in interest rates. They just went up to barely over 4%. However, historically speaking, interest rates are still very low. Now is a great time to take advantage of the market if you’re a buyer, as your house payment could still be less than the cost of renting a home.

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Interest rates are still historically low.

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Many people believe they have to have a large down payment to purchase a home, and that’s simply not true. There are options for buyers that you may not even be aware of, such as zero money down and 3% down options. It’s very likely that a house payment will be the same or less than a rent payment, so it’s smart to buy and build your equity instead of building your landlord’s.

If you have any other questions, please give me a call or shoot me an email. I look forward to helping you with any real estate needs.

What are the current conditions of the Northern California real estate market?

Home sales are always a little bit slow around this time of year going into the winter, and this year is no exception. With fall in full swing, is it a good idea for home sellers to wait until spring to list their homes on the market? Here are a few reasons why I think that right now is a great time to sell your home and take advantage of our strong market:

1.  Interest rates are still low. The Fed is talking about meeting in December to talk about raising mortgage interest rates, but it’s important to note that they have had this same meeting multiple times and did not end up changing anything. These low rates are keeping homes affordable for home buyers right now.

2. Buyer demand is still high. My office alone has a huge list of buyers that we’re in contact with who are all looking for homes right now.

3. Inventory is low. We need homes to sell, and fewer homes on the market means less competition for you if you decide to list now.

I’d also like to answer a quick question from one of our viewers who asked, “Does installing solar panels help increase the sale price of your house?”

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It’s a great time to take advantage of our strong market.

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In my experience, I have never seen any buyers pay over the comparable market value on a home just because it utilizes solar technology. I think that solar power is great for the homeowners, but if you’re thinking about selling your house at all in the near future, I would hold off on installing this.

In terms of value, I’d compare solar panels to pools: some appraisers may add $10,000 or $15,000 in extra value when coming up with a price for the home, but the addition will probably cost around $35,000 or more. This is not a great return on investment, especially if you’re thinking about selling in the near future.

One other thing I’d like to mention about the real estate world is about a service that we provide to buyers which most agents don’t. The low inventory levels can leave home buyers frustrated right now, especially when they know exactly the kind of home they want in a specific neighborhood but can’t track it down.

To help people in this situation, we will set up a consultation with these buyers and determine exactly what they are looking for in their next home. Once we nail down all of the specifics, we’ll actually go out and find the home that they’re looking for, whether we have to go door-knocking on houses in the neighborhood or send out mailers. This gives our buyers the option to go out and look at homes that are not yet on the market and make an offer on a property without having to compete with other buyers.

If you have any other questions about our market or you’re looking to buy or sell a Northern California home in the near future, give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to help you!

Today I wanted to stop by with a market update to talk about the current state of the Northern California market and answer some of your questions.

The weather is changing, but the fall market is doing great like it has been all year. There is talk that the market may be shifting, however, because there is some concern over high home prices. We don’t know where the market is going, exactly. One thing I’m sure of is that we’re not heading toward another bubble because this is nothing like 2006.

So what’s the difference between that mid-2000s market when we had the housing bubble and what we’re seeing right now? For starters, there is not a lot of fraud going on right now like there was back then. There are four key factors to consider as well, starting with the price-to-rent ratio, which is about 18% lower than it was in 2005. The price-to-income ratio is also about 12% lower, meaning homes are more affordable for people than they were in 2005. Additionally, the percentage of mortgages for purchases is 15% lower, so there is more cash in the marketplace. Finally, there is about 50% less house flipping happening.

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One thing I’m sure of is that we’re not heading toward another bubble.

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As for questions we’ve received from viewers, well, we have enough for the next 10 installments of our video blog! We appreciate you reaching out to us with topics that interest you. The question I wanted to answer today is, “Is the current pace of home sales sustainable?"

We have had a massive increase in the last five to seven years, but the bottom line is that we are still nowhere near the amount of homes that were selling in the bubble, and we’re on the same pace that we were on before the bubble, not during the bubble. If you want to avoid any risk of a potential market shift, I would suggest meeting with me now to discuss what it would take to get your home sold.

Finally, I wanted to end things on a happy note with a fun story about some clients who recently got married. They each had their own home, but were able to put them on the market and sell them for more than they were expecting. They were then able to put that money toward buying a great house together, and it was simply amazing.

Thanks again for submitting your questions; we encourage you to keep doing so. If you have any questions for us or you’re thinking about selling or buying a home, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

In these monthly market updates, we will be talking about the current industry and answering all of your questions about real estate.

I’ve been in the industry for 16 years now, but I’ve lived in Northern California my whole life. I got into construction at a young age, then shifted my focus more towards real estate once I decided I didn’t want to swing a hammer every day. It was my entryway into something different. I’ve always had a passion for growth, so I combined the two. Back when the market turned, I decided to get my license. Since then, I have become the broker and owner of the entire company.

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I shifted my focus from construction to real estate.

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We are excited to announce that we have just launched our own independent company called Aspire Real Estate. It’s the same trusted Cory Meyer marketing system, but more focused on helping others in the community because we are no longer dealing with big franchises.

If you have any questions for us that you would like answered in an upcoming market update, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

Right now is a very exciting time to be in the real estate market. In fact, we are on pace to get the highest number of sales since 2007 in the U.S. Usually, the market is either a buyer’s market or seller’s market. However, low interest rates and low inventory have created a perfect storm. Whether you are buying a home or selling a home, now is a great time to be in real estate. To learn more, watch this short video!

Right now is a very exciting time to be in the real estate market. In fact, we are on pace to get the highest number of sales since 2007 in the U.S.

For buyers, now is a great time to be in the market because interest rates are so low. As a buyer, you really want to make a smart decision, as prices will continue to go up. If you can find the right home, get the right interest rate, and figure out the right mortgage payment, now is a very smart time to buy because interest rates are once again near historic lows.

Usually if the market is good for buyers, it’s bad for sellers. However, the market is actually in a perfect storm. Inventory is very low and demand is very high. Since so many people are entering the market to take advantage of low interest rates, home prices are going up, making now a great time to sell. In other words, being in the real estate market is a win-win situation for buyers and sellers!

If you have not yet purchased a home, there are a few steps you can take to begin the process. We recommend meeting with a qualified mortgage professional to figure out your ability to purchase. Most people make the mistake of thinking that they will get pre-qualified after they find a home; don’t do that. Get pre-qualified now.

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Whether you’re buying or selling a home, now is a great time to be in the market!

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Even if you are not buying a home for another year, getting pre-qualified alerts you to any credit issues you may need to resolve. That way, you can put yourself in the perfect position to buy at the best possible rate and with the best possible loan product. We can set you up to get pre-qualified before you start looking at homes.

Recently, we helped a homeowner who was trying to sell his property ‘For Sale By Owner’ for a long time. We went in for an interview and showed him our marketing plan. We listed the home for more money that he did in order to cover commission and closing costs. We wound up netting more money for the seller than he would have gotten on his own, and we sold his home in five days!

If you have any questions about our current market or how we can help you meet your real estate goals, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!