Selling your home is easier then you thought!
Whether your’re listing equestrian homes or a single-family residence, selling your home may seem like an emotional decision. The truth is, it’s essential to remove all emotions from this life-changing process and completely detach from your abode. Whether you’re working with a realtor or a listing agent, there are some basic steps you can take to help prepare the property for listing.
Every seller wants to get top dollar for their home and for the process to move along as quickly as possible. It’s understandable that homeowners have a hard time letting go of the family residences, condos or equestrian homes they’ve spent so much of their life in, but a critical part of the detachment process is to learn to think about the property as a commodity. Sellers need to be objective and consciously think of the property as an asset that must be liquidated.
The first step in preparing a property for sale is to de-personalize it as much as possible. You’ll want to start this process as soon as you make the decision to sell, especially if you’re working with a short sale Realtor. The more time you can avail yourself to do this, the smoother the transition will be.
Start by packing all the family photos, albums, keepsakes and heirlooms—you may want to rent a storage space so you can strip as much as possible from the walls, closets and rooms. If there are products in your bathroom that you don’t use all the time, pack them up and store them as well. By removing these types of items from the property, you make it easier for potential buyers to visualize themselves living there.
You’ll also want to make the decor as neutral as possible, since everyone’s taste is different. Think about the demographic your property appeals to and try to visualize what may turn those potential buyers off. Eliminating items that showcase your personal style will actually help you maximize the amount you may be able to get for your house.
De-personalizing is also instrumental for selling equestrian homes. Stables, barns and outbuildings should be neat and tidy and the entire property should be as clutter-free as possible.
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Homeowner’s Insurance
Once you’ve found your own slice of heaven in the form of Palm Desert, Indian Wells or La Quinta real estate, there are other essential items to take care of—one of the most important is to obtain your homeowner’s insurance policy. The majority of the time, lenders require their clients to buy one, but if they don’t, it’s still something we highly recommend purchasing so that you can protect one of the most important investments you’ll make in your lifetime.
Whether you invest in La Quinta real estate or property in another part of the country, it makes perfect sense to protect something as important as the home you own. Once you’ve already complete a transaction as complex as buying a new home, obtaining a homeowner’s policy is easy. It’s very similar to other types of insurance—you will need to meet the company’s policy requirements and pay regular premiums. Once you do this, the company you sign up with guarantees to reimburse losses from any damage that falls under their policy.
Basic policies typically protect against damage to your property that is caused by weather or a home disaster, such as a fire, wind, lighting and hail storms, in addition to vandalism and robbery. Most policies include reimbursement for any costs associated with your family having to leave the premises due to the damage and repair time, such as meals out and the cost of a hotel. Most companies do not include earthquake and flood damage in a basic policy, though many offer it as a separate policy, especially in California. Most policies also protect homeowners against lawsuits filed against homeowners by parties claiming they suffered injury on the owner’s property.
Even if you buy your home outright or your lender doesn’t require it, homeowner’s insurance is one of the best ways to protect your real estate investment.
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Spectacular settings garner more money/sf in la quinta
It is HOT here in the Palm Springs area..afterall, we are a desert! Normally our summer season slows down quite a bit from high season, and this summer DID slow down. However, it has been a steady stream of sales for established Realtors. I just sold another Listing and am actively seeking new Listings here in our desert cities so that I may expose them to my supurb marketing system! July saw our 7th consecutive month of price increases for our Riverside County homes (CDAR housing report). Absolutely true, but my Sellers have to be careful not to OVER price their property. Whether you own Land, an Equestrian Ranch, or a Residential property, price it appropriately to SELL!
Your Realtor should advise you of a price/sf that is based on solid comparables and recent sales. After that number is established, you and your Realtor must review carefully y our own personal situation. Do you need to get out now? Are you ok with taking a chance that you will get more money in the high season? Are there family issues? Share all the pertinent information with your Realtor and your La Quinta property will SELL! Who wants to see a FOR SALE sign stuck in the ground if not to actually SELL their property????
My Sales over the past 3 weeks..
1. Lavender Way, Canyon Crest in central Palm Desert. I am representing the Seller and we listed at $413,500..a little ahead of the market. We received a full price cash offer after a couple months of extensive marketing/showings.
2. The Hideaway Golf Club; La Quinta. I brought my Canadian buyers to this lovely home with startling golf course, to Santa Rosa mountain views. $2,795,000. Our local high end golf clubs have been gaining traction over the past 6 months and I expect the price/sf to see a slow, stead rise throughout the winter season.
3. PGA West, Norman course; La Quinta. I am representing the Sellers at $1,349,000. Again..just ahead of the market based on recent comparables, but a very patient Seller. Listed at approx. 100 days, we got our number.
If you are looking to Buy or sell your home in La Quinta, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells or the more easterly areas of our Valley, give me a call at 760-285-3578.
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Purchase money to Rental income..
I’ve been reading about these large investment groups, Blackstone, Colony Capital, and others and wondering if we’d see them here in the La Quinta or Palm Springs Valley area..well here they are! This morning on the MLS, the La Quinta Cove recorded about 40 sales..and were they under-valued! I checked property histories and TAx records..sure enough. Block purchases and sales.
Investment groups, Hedge Funders..all buying blocks of homes for huge amounts of cash, cleaning them up cosmetically and renting them! Good or bad? Both I think..
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Now’s the time to replace items you want to take with you when you sell your home!
You’ve depersonalized, decluttered and rearranged—now it’s time to really get moving. Whether buyers are searching for Indian Wells real estate or equestrian homes in the Coachella Valley, there are certain things you can do to increase the appeal of your property as you prepare it for sale. Now is the time to replace and repair some of the items in your home.
If there are specific items in your home that you love or are very attached to, this is the perfect time to remove them. For example, there might be a chandelier that has sentimental value, or perhaps you really like those curtains you installed when you moved in. If that’s the case, remove them now before your house is shown to prospective buyers. The last thing you want to do is show the house with that item in it and have the buyer fall in love with it themselves! Replace those items with something that looks equally attractive, and no one will ever know the difference.
Another major component of your property that may need to be replaced in certain areas is carpeting or flooring. While you probably don’t want to make a large expenditure at this stage, if there is a room where the carpeting or the flooring is damaged beyond repair, you may want to simply replace it. Permanently stained carpeting can dissuade even the most eager buyer from purchasing your otherwise lovely Indian Wells real estate property.
If you’re selling a property that falls into a unique category, such as equestrian homes, assess specific areas with the same mindset. If there is something in particular in the barn or stables that you can’t live without, remove it and replace it before anyone sees the property.
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Making sure your house is neat and tidy is a great step to getting it sold!
Every real estate agent or short sale Realtor will tell you that when they give tours of properties, potential buyers love to open every cabinet, drawer and closet that they can. Naturally, they want to see what kind of space they may be working with if they do purchase the home, but you can also chalk some of that inclination up to good old curiosity. Make sure that everything is clean and organized—you want to convey the image that every single thing in the house has been well taken care of, from little things like drawers to the big things like rooftops and plumbing.
Ways to organize your cabinets is to ensure all dishes are stacked neatly and with their matching accessories, turn the handles on coffee cups the same way, and put any mismatches at the very top, as far out of sight as possible. In your closet, hang like colors and items together and turn hangers to face the same direction. One short sale realtor gave us a great tip—try SlimLine hangers to maximize space in the closet. They’re flocked so that clothing stays in place and their slim design improves the overall aesthetic of the closet—plus, everyone knows that extra room is key. Get racks to organize your shoes and a laundry sorter that is out of view so that potential buyers aren’t looking at your laundry.
Employ these types of tactics in every area of your house and you’ll be well on the way to selling your property!
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Tips on how to get your home ready for Short Sale!
Careful planning and preparation are what transforms a property into a marketable, irresistible purchase. Once you’ve removed a lot of the personal touches and family heirlooms, it’s time to truly de-clutter your home. Imagine searching for homes for sale in Palm Springs and finding a listing that looks like a dream come true, and then you arrive to actually look at it and there’s a virtual junkyard in the garage. Even though potential buyers know that the current homeowners will be vacating soon, it’s very hard to visualize it without all the junk and personal belongings. Trust that your agent or short sale Realtor will be thrilled when you let them know you are de-cluttering your property.
It’s hard to believe how much clutter a family can accumulate over a short period of time. Set up some areas for things you will store, things to be donated and others that will simply be tossed. Be ruthless as you go through your family’s belongings and clutter and apply some rules to make the process less agonizing. For example, rule one can be, if you haven’t used something in a year, you probably don’t need it and won’t use it again.
If you’ve already listed your home in Palm Springs for sale, then it’s time to secure a storage room or bin from one of your local facilities. This way, you can get a head start on moving and start storing those knickknacks that you like, but that don’t need to be out during this process, as well as big items that are just taking up space, such as seasonal sports gear. Remove books from bookshelves, CDs and DVDs from their respective racks and other similar items—these can all go in storage since you don’t use or need them on a regular basis. Think of it this way, you’ll be way ahead of the game when it’s time to pack and move.
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..Don’t forget to sign and return all your docs!
Buyers and Sellers of ALL properties here in the Palm Springs Valley-return all of your documents! Whether it’s a Short Sale, Foreclosure, or equity Sale, there always seems to be a “few missed.”
A word of caution to Buyers and Sellers alike…please review your docs carefully and return them all. Docusign helps dramatically, but as the deal moves forward, there are going to be disclosures coming from the other side, negotiations on Repairs and credits, Pest results and potential negotiations..really, on and on.
Read your documents slowly, review them carefully, call with any questions, sign and date every single place indicated (I always put large arrows so you cannot miss them.), and return them all together when possible as it is then easier to track what you have signed and returned. If a signature/date place is missed, it will be returned. Not a panic, but a time waster.
With so many of my Sales coming from out of towners, it is really critical to slow down, ask questions, then take your time signing/dating the docs. Most importantly? Return them! Always call with ANY questions, then follow up and return all the docs. If you delay, you may misplace something and then when the clock is ticking down, the pressure intensifies..who needs that?
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Palm Springs – Maybe you’ve done it . . .
or you know someone who has – that is, paid a contractor up-front for work to be done on their home . . . and then it didn’t get finished or was done poorly or the contractor skipped town.
California consumers are now being alerted by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) about what the law is regarding down payments paid to contractors – painters, landscapers, or any other type of construction contractor. It is illegal for a contractor to ask for or accept a down payment of more than 10% of the total home improvement contract price . . . or $1,000, whichever amount is less.
Consumers who were victimized and have filed complaints with the CSLB tell investigators they were unaware of a legal limit for down payments. And there are many unlicensed operators out there who also don’t know about this California law. If that is the case, this should be a red flag for you if you are looking to have work done by them.
If you are asked for a large amount of money up front before beginning work at your home, the worker may not be licensed or have the skills necessary to perform the work satisfactorily. There have been many cases where unlicensed operators have taken a substantial down payment from a homeowner and never start the project. It is virtually impossible at that point to recoup your money.
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