San Fernando Valley Real Estate Podcast with Scott Himelstein

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a San Fernando Valley home? Get a full home search   Selling your San Fernando Valley home?  Free Home Price Evaluation You may have heard the Fed met this month and increased interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. The real estate industry has been talking about this meeting for a long time. However, the interest rate hike doesn’t affect mortgage rates instantly. The market expected this, and it was already built into mortgage rates. Rates still remain around 4% to 4.25% for a 30-year fixed mortgage. Now, we have a new question to consider. How often, if at all, will the Fed increase rates in 2016? This might be the only hike we experience, or it could be one of many. We can’t predict what will happen. However, I am confident we will see low rates heading into the new year. Further increases are likely to be gradual. Prospective buyers and sellers have some time before these higher rates set in. However, a slight increase of interest rates can make a big difference on your home loan. For example, maybe you have a home worth $300,000 with a 3.9% interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage. Your total interest payment would be $212,500. That number shifts to $231,295 with a 4.25%. That’s a significant price difference of nearly $20,000! There are a few things to keep in mind. We have a whole generation of first-time home buyers that have never experienced the meaningful rate increase. It’s new and unfamiliar territory to all of them. Even with a slight increase in rates, now is still a great time to buy. Don’t purchase more than you can afford, as always. It’s likewise an opportune time to sell. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home next year, get a head start today. Reach out to me by phone or email! I’d be happy to help answer any questions and serve your real estate needs.

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a San Fernando Valley home? Get a full home search   Selling your San Fernando Valley home?  Free Home Price Evaluation What is online curb appeal? Well, it's the same as old school curb appeal, but it involves marketing your home online. Nearly 97% of buyers look at homes online before they view them in person, so having a strong digital presence is important. It all starts with your photography. It needs to be professional if you want to stand out. We have a professional photographer on our team, and the difference is amazing. It's so simple, yet so important for your online curb appeal. When people peruse the listings online, they have to be captivated by your photos. Depending on the location of your property, we can also use a drone to shoot footage of your home. This will definitely make your home stand out among others on the MLS. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marketing your property online. The Internet is where most of the action takes place when you sell your home, so you have to invest in an agent that will market your home effectively online. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a San Fernando Valley home? Get a full home search   Selling your San Fernando Valley home?  Free Home Price Evaluation Meteorologists predict El Niño and heavy rainfall will approach Southern California this winter and spring. Today, we compiled some tips to prepare your home for the serious, upcoming weather! Fix leaks. Dry heat may have caused wooden structures to shrink and open up, which creates leaks. Call your roofer today to avoid any leaks during inclement weather. Often, leaks occur at metal connecting points, so rid your roof of debris.Clean your gutters and downspouts. Again, clear debris from this area. Do it again after the first rainfall of the season. Seal up holes.Invest in a generator. If your neighborhood is vulnerable to power outages, this could be a wise investment for your family.Paint the exterior wood trim of your home. Paint cracks can carry water directly into the wood. It could cause termite invasion, mold, or dry rot.Examine your window glazing compound. Pull away from the glass paint. Loose paint can allow rain to penetrate your windows. Don’t let rainwater into your home.Check your balcony and deck slopes. Water should flow away from walls and instead, directly into drainage systems. Water shouldn’t touch the structure of your home. If you have any questions about this topic, or if you would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to contact. We would love to help you out!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } "Recently, the Himelstein Group helped Ann and Carol move into a beautiful new home. Ann was not looking forward to find a new house; she has friends who have had really bad experiences buying and selling real estate.  A big part of Ann and Carol's success was due to our expertise and knowledge of the industry. We helped begin the search, market their home, negotiate with other agents, and every other aspect of the process. Our ability to get things done smoothly went a long way toward put their minds at ease! Ann believes that the respect we've earned from the community helped our dealings with escrow officers, loan offices, other agents, and lenders. Our relationships with those people went a long way in facilitating the process for her!  We went above and beyond Ann and Carol's expectations by being helpful in more ways than they expected. Things like setting up a trustworthy loan officer and making sure they got a wonderful insurance plan really made the experience one to remember.  Thanks to our contacts and industry expertise, Ann and Carol never had reason to question what we were doing. We created an environment of trust so that they never had to stop and wonder whether everything was going according to plan. An added bonus, they said, was my sense of humor and friendliness! After our experience together, I'm happy to call Ann and Carol my friends. Should they move again in the future, we'll work together yet again!" - Scott

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a San Fernando Valley home? Get a full home search   Selling your San Fernando Valley home?  Free Home Price Evaluation Has your property tax bill increased? Do you know what you can do about it? Do you know why your property tax has gone up? Today, we'll answer those questions for you. Fueled by an increase in home sales, the assessed value of all taxable property in Los Angeles County rose 6% this year. That's the largest jump since 2010 and that's what the county assessor reported last month. Los Angeles County released a report on the 2015 assessment roll. Taxable properties were valued at a net total of 1.26 trillion dollars. That's a 73.1 billion dollar increase from the previous year. The tax roll is strong. Last year, every city in Los Angeles County experienced increased home sales compared to last year. The assessment roll also reported on over 2.3 million taxable property parcels, 318 pieces of business equipment, 46,000 boats and 3,100 aircrafts. Each year, the county assessor must evaluate all residential and commercial properties. Taxes levied off 1% of the assessed value of the property. Under Proposition 13, the assessed value of a property can never increase more than 2% unless it's sold. The majority of homeowners in LA County will see a 2% increase in the value of their homes. San Bernardino County will see an increase of 5% in home value, surpassing their previous high in 2008. In LA County, property sales were the biggest factor in the increases in the assessment roll, as we saw a 3% jump in home sales from 2014. This report continues the steady upswing in property values that began in 2010. From 2007 to 2010, the assessment actually declined and homeowners saw a decrease in value. About 200,000 properties haven't fully recovered. These properties are mostly located in the northern part of the county, but there has been an increase in value in LA County. If owners disagree with their new assessed value, they may file an appeal before November 30. We can assist with that. We don't charge anything. If anyone tries to charge you to file the appeal, you need to know that it is illegal to charge for that and report them. We will provide you with comparables to appeal your home value. Go to the assessor's site to get the petition form. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a San Fernando Valley home? Get a full home search   Selling your San Fernando Valley home?  Free Home Price Evaluation Several sellers wonder if they've missed their chance to sell their homes as we head into the winter months. Many people have asked me, "Is it a good time to sell in the fall?" Actually, fall is a great time to sell. If you look at the numbers, you'll see that inventory in the fall is extremely low. In our last video, we talked about how inventory has dropped by almost 40% across the San Fernando Valley. Right now, listings are at a premium. We have more demand than supply due to historically low interest rates that continue to hover around 4%. Even if you look at the statistics over the last few years, you'll see that more listings close escrow in November, December, and January than the number of listings on the market. Because rates are so low, buyers don't want to lose out. If your home is priced right, fall is a very good time of year to sell. If you look at June, July, or August, when our 2015 inventory levels were at their highest, the buyers had a lot of choices. In the fall, with winter approaching, fewer homes are on the market which means sellers will be in a good situation because there is less competition. If you wait until March or April to list your home, then you need to prepare for a lot more competition. Ultimately, if you want to sell your home, now is the time to do so. If you have any questions for me, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!