Encinitas, California
An informational source for people who are relocating, with a particular focus on moving to the Carlsbad area of North County San Diego, with advice, guidance and true stories to help you on your way and make it a great journey, from a REALTOR� with plenty of personal (4 major moves, most recently from Boston to Carlsbad, California) and professional relocation experience. Are you running into problems selling your home? Need to find a new one quickly? Never moved before and haven't a clue? You'll find some great tips on how to solve your relocation issues here. Or ask me a question any time and I'll share some solutions or tell you where to get more information.
CA DRE License #01490977
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Nov. 8, 2008
We often talk about first time buyers, but somehow first time sellers get lost in the shuffle.
Just like new buyers, some sellers have never sold a home before and need help.There is lots to know, and while they are now seasoned buyers, they have to wear a different hat to sell their first home.
I have worked with a number of sellers recently who had no experience selling a home before. As a result, and to better help sellers who may be selling their first home, or thinking about it, I developed my First Time Seller's Handbook.
My first time sellers' handbook is something I share with seller clients once we start working together to give them all the information they need about showings, offers, due diligence and more.
However you can download a summary of my First Time Sellers Handbook to gain a better idea of many of the issues you need to think about as a seller.
If you are in the Carlsbad area (San Diego area) and would like to set up a time to meet and discuss selling your home, please let me know.
For folks in other areas of the country, I hope this handbook summary will help you get started. And if you need a qualified agent to help you in your area, please don't hesitate to let me know as I have a large referral network around the country and would be happy to help you find a qualified listing agent to assist you.
Jun. 30, 2007
Categorized in: Due Diligence
 This is a strong recommendation for both buyers and sellers, whether you are a first time buyer, first time seller, or experienced in both buying and selling. And if you are relocating to a new state this is even more important since things are likely done differently there than what you may be used to.
READ your contracts.
Let me say that again. READ your contracts.
I have seen several recent situations where buyers and sellers got into hot water because they made assumptions about their transactions, only to later find out those assumptions were wrong. Once things are signed, or the deal is completed, it is too late to find out that something important was missed, or forgotten, or you agreed to something that you wish you hadn't.
Unless you are obsessive, you probably don't like taking time to do this (I am the same way). Contract language is not fun to read, and is often hard to understand. It is certainly boring. But important details an easily be missed.
- Check dates
- Make sure things are spelled correctly
- Review ALL financial stuff to ensure it is correct
- Is the address right?
- Are all the blanks filled in that need to be?
- Is your SS# correct (in the closing docs usually)
- Make sure you read terms and conditions, AND understand the implications of them, and what happens if certain procedures are not followed.
Make sure you ask about things you are unclear about before proceeding. It might save you some major aggravation later.
Have a great weekend!
Jun. 27, 2007
 Whether you are buying or selling as part of your relocation, I suspect most of you will want to work with an agent in order to accomplish the goal of sellling your home and buying a new home.
You may have already selected that person. Or maybe plan to use the agent that helped you before and who did an outstanding job. Or a good friend who you trust has given you a referral. GREAT. You are on the way.
Maybe, however, you are looking for an agent, along with doing other research on home buying and home selling. The Internet is a great way to do this - but I imagine many of you already know that. If not, you will be amazed at what you can learn.
Say you are relocating to Carlsbad, CA (yep, my home town). Go to Google and type in Real Estate Agents in Carlsbad, CA and what do you find?
You will see a link for ACTIVERAIN, a fabulous real estate networking site with agents, loan officers, home staging professionals and many others from around the country. The link takes you to a list of professionals in California, and you will see that I am #5 in California (but #1 as a real estate agent - 3 of the top 5 are mortgage brokers, all excellent by the way - I know them - and the top guy is president of a real estate software company - I know him too, and I use his virtual tours in my marketing). There is a tremendous amount of information here if you take time to look at it, and it doesn't cost you a thing. Sort of like an on-line interview, in the comfort of your home.
This is the important stuff you can learn:
- Each agent (or other professional) has a profile so you can learn more about who they are and what they do. This may answer some of your questions about someone you don't yet know and give you a feel about their experience and personality. It may help you decide if you would like to work with them or not.
- Each of us write blogs on ActiveRain, such as the one you are reading here. For example, on ActiveRain I write about all sorts of things for consumers - information for first time sellers (or seller articles such as Is Your Home Sale Being Sabotaged?), things to know as a buyer, how to find an agent, market reports and community profiles, and so on. You will find probably everything you need to know in your quest to buy or sell a home, plus learn a lot about the areas you are considering living in when you relocate. What a fabulous source of information, even if you aren't ready to buy or sell yet.
- Our blogs tell us who we are (this is part of transparency on the Internet) - in reading the articles that each person writes, you will learn a great deal about them. Their integrity, knowledge, and approach to working with clients. Their personality and temperament. Again, it is like having an interview, or reading their personal biography. So, without even having met the agent, you will know enough in many cases to make you WANT to work with that person. You will feel you already know them when you meet.
I know this is a bit of promotion, but I want to help YOU find the right person to assist in your home purchase or home sale. And ActiveRain is a terrific resource. Once there you can search for professionals in your STATE and COMMUNITY. Some people will share alot of information and others will not. What does THAT tell you?
Now this is important...
The other bit of research I would suggest is to simply GOOGLE the name of the person who are thinking of working with, of the referral, or the person you find on ActiveRain. What do you find? You may not even find the person you are considering on the Internet. Hmmmm. What does THAT tell you? On the other hand you may find all sorts of information. Don't you want someone who is active in their business, who can demonstrate their knowledge, and who uses technology? And certainly take a few moments to visit their personal
One last helpful hint...
Go to LOCALISM. This is a resource for buyers and sellers, and you can search nationally to find out all sorts of things on areas that interest you. Since you are planning to relocate, this is a terrific place to start learning about your new community. Once again, some areas will have lots of information (I write a great deal about Carlsbad, for example) and others will have less.
Good luck! I hope you find this helpful. Let me know if I can answer any questions. And I know a lof of the highly ranked agents around the country...so ask me about them if you like.
Jun. 14, 2007
As a first time home seller it’s important to pay attention to the dates in your transaction (and if you are relocating, dates probably become even MORE critical).
So why keep an eye on those dates?
In typical contracts, dates are used to define when certain things are to take place. And both parties to the transaction are expected to adhere to them. Often there can be repercussions if you do NOT follow the dates; in fact the buyer could then have the right to walk away from the deal.
The other practical matter is allowing dates to slip by just delays the transaction itself, a problem for both buyers and sellers.
Also, it's just plain courteous to respect the dates that have been set, apart from any legal requirements in the contract. You should do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it.
I expect you recall all the dates that came up when you bought your first home, so none of this should surprise you. But in case you have forgotten, here are some dates that you should keep in mind (and your agent will be there to help keep you on track as well). These may vary depending on where you live and the nature of your particular contract, but most of these are applicable to California:
- Offer expiration
- Date of home inspection (may simply be during the due diligence period)
- Date by which buyers must apply for a loan
- Date to provide proof of funds for the purchase
- Date to complete due diligence
- Date to receive loan commitment
- Dates of any counteroffers and responses (may not be defined)
- Dates of repairs requests from buyer (again, may not be defined in your transaction)
- Closing date
Other dates may apply, so be sure you are aware of what they are. A CALENDAR with all the dates on it is a good way to keep track visually. Put them into your Palm, your Blackberry, Outlook, or elsewhere to keep them top of mind (and use the alarms!).
May. 31, 2007
You've received your first offer on your home (woo hoo!!) and now you need to respond to the buyers. What are you going to do?
I won't tell you what to do since each situation is unique, as is each offer, so you need to ponder the points in the offer that are most important to you. What is acceptable? What is not? Is there a way to find a common ground on which to agree?
Here in California there is a form (Counter Offer No. ___, or C.A.R. Form CO) used to communicate a counter offer. There may be one in your state, too, or it might be done verbally, as it often was in MA. If there is no form or requirement to put it in writing, putting YOUR response to the buyer in writing is smart, even if you make a copy of the offer, make the changes and use that.
Here is what you can do:
1. You can accept the offer as it is (in a sellers market you might get a full price or better offer; in today's market this is unlikely). But the offer MIGHT be good enough for you to accept ALL the terms and condition.
2. You can accept some of the terms and conditions, but not all, and so you make a counter offer with the terms YOU are proposing (say a different price). I generally advocate making a counter, even if the offer is so low it is laughable. Who knows what the buyer's might do?
3. You may reject the offer. Some people just don't respond, as the offer expires after a certain time (either set by the buyer or by default - in CA it is 3 days). Personally, I think this is just plain rude - the buyers made their offer in writing, even though it might be ridiculous, and they deserve a response. I recommend you put your rejection in writing - the bottom of Page 8 of the CA form allows you to do this.
The process of responding is pretty easy. Just make sure you are clear as to what terms and conditions have changed. But you will find, as first time sellers, that making the decision of HOW to respond is not so easy. Just another reminder - DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
Your agent will provide the counter offer in writing to the buyers' agent. The buyers can then respond to YOUR COUNTER, with the same choices that you had. The process continues until there is a meeting of the minds and everyone agrees on final offer terms and signs the contract. [I have seen some negotiations over in a few hours, or less. Others can take days or even a couple of weeks.]
Congratulations!
FIRST TIME HOME SELLER SERIES:
Article 7 First Time Home Sellers – It’s Offer Time
Article 6 First Time Home Sellers – Make Yourself Scarce
Article 5 First Time Home Sellers - Showings
Article 4 First Time Home Sellers – The Fun Begins
Article 3 First Time Home Sellers – Don’t Forget These Questions
Article 2 First Time Home Sellers – The Agent Interview
Article 1 First Time Home Sellers – Getting Started
May. 30, 2007
 Great news! Your REALTOR called to tell you that an offer has come in and needs to be presented to you.
Some Listing agents will do this in person, others may simply call you, email you the highlights (price, closing date, down payment, etc.) or fax you a copy of the offer. However it happens (and don't be afraid to let YOUR agent know how you would prefer the discussion to occur), you should be pleased to have your first offer, especially if the property has been out there a while or you have timing issues with a relocation.
What next? Well, the agent will review the offer with you and you must make a response (this might be done verbally but oftentimes the response is written).
Let me caution you on a few things (I will assume you are in the market most folks are...a buyer's market):
1. Be prepared that the offer will NOT be full price and may be a lot lower than you would like or would be able to accept.
2. Be pleased to have an offer and prepare to discuss the terms and conditions that have been outlined (price, closing date, financing, any concessions, dates)
3. Keep your emotions in check. It is NOT the time to get angry, depressed, or insulted. The buyers have made you a proposal and you get to decide how to respond. You need to be objective and focus on the ISSUES not the EMOTIONS (remember how YOU felt as a buyer submitting YOUR offer, and how you hoped to get a response?)
4. Consider the issues that are most important. Is it price? The date of closing? Are there things you can accept if other concessions are made?
5. I would NOT reject the offer, even if it is low. Make a counter, even at or close to full price. You never know what the buyers might do. And don't be discourteous like some sellers and not respond at all (remember being a buyer yourself?)
6. Some sellers decide to wait and see if they get a better offer. Well....could happen, but so many times the first offer IS the best. And the longer the property sits on the market the more likely any other offers will be lower.
You probably have time to consider the terms and decide how you want to respond (check the date of the offer expiration so you don't miss this). The buyers will likely appreciate a response fairly quickly. Dawdling over it does not do anyone any good. It's YOUR decision but discuss this with your agent. Keep in mind that you and the buyers want to meet on happy grounds...there is no winner or loser.
Next step? The response.
FIRST TIME SELLER SERIES
May. 22, 2007
A couple of other points about showings. This may not be obvious to you now, but if you think back to the time you spent as a buyer, you will likely agree.
PLEASE, make yourself scarce when a showing is taking place. And I don't mean sitting in a corner of the room or hanging around outside on the patio. In order to maximize the opportunity for the potential buyers, you need to NOT BE PRESENT at showings.
- I know you will be anxious to hear what buyers have to say
- And want to share information about your wonderful home
- And feel a need to answer questions
- Or provide details about all your improvements
- And perhaps you are nervous about them walking around your home even though they ARE with an agent (BTW if you are working with an agent do NOT allow unaccompanied buyers in the home - call your agent right away if someone stops by).
Remember how YOU felt when you wanted to tour a home and the sellers were there? Didn't you feel uncomfortable? Weren't you uneasy about walking around, opening closets, peaking behind closed doors, and making comments about the home, the decor, the yard? Didn't you sometimes just decide to leave?
Please allows buyers to take their time looking at your home and imagining themselves living there. They can't do that when YOU are there. And any questions they have can be relayed to YOUR agent through THEIR agent.
The OTHER REASON to not be present is that you may say something, unwittingly, that may jeopardize your ability to negotiate the best deal possible. Let your agent handle the sharing of information so that everyone gets the same message.
FIRST TIME HOME SELLER SERIES:
Article 5 First Time Home Sellers - Showings
Article 4 First Time Home Sellers – The Fun Begins
Article 3 First Time Home Sellers – Don’t Forget These Questions
Article 2 First Time Home Sellers – The Agent Interview
Article 1 First Time Home Sellers – Getting Started
May. 21, 2007
Your property is now on the market and ready for showings to begin.
- The lockbox is in place (with a key that works)
- There are brochures in the brochure box (hopefully with extras that you can use to refill when it gets low - do NOT let it go empty, this is frustrating for buyers who stop by)
- The home is listed on the MLS with GREAT PHOTOS, a VIRTUAL TOUR, and no typos or incorrect information (details on the home and amenities, directions to the home, etc). Ask to see the MLS listing to make sure.
- Repairs have been done, the curb appeal is outstanding, there are no odors in the house, all the lamps have working lightbulbs, and you have completed everything your agent has suggested to make the house shine
- All the personal stuff has been put away and the house is STAGED for showing.
Depending now the arrangements for showing (appointments, accompanied showings, agents must call in advance OR can come whenever), you will hopefully see a good flow of people. Every morning before you head off to whatever you do, or even if you are home, you will need to make sure the house is in showing condition. You never know when someone will want to come by. It's a hassle but you need to make sure the home looks its best at all times. Remember what a turn-off it was for you when you were looking at homes and they were a mess, or smelled?
Unless you are in more of a seller's market, the competition is stiff, and buyers these days are being very fussy about the homes they look at, since they have so many choices. And many look for reasons to NOT BUY as opposed to reasons TO BUY. A messy house is a good reason to NOT BUY.
This can be a real challenge, especially if you are preparing for your relocation - looking for a new home, job hunting, starting to pack, and so on. Certainly if there are some things that cannot get done for these reasons, or some packing boxes are out, buyers will likely understand, especially if they know that you are in the process of moving. But try to minimize it. The faster you get your home sold the sooner you can move yourself to your new location.
FIRST TIME HOME SELLER SERIES:
Article 4 First Time Home Sellers – The Fun Begins
Article 3 First Time Home Sellers – Don’t Forget These Questions
Article 2 First Time Home Sellers – The Agent Interview
Article 1 First Time Home Sellers – Getting Started
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