Can You Help me Sell My Home?

if you are battling the daunting and complex issue of putting your home on the market this article is for you.

Moving is as much a financial decision as it is a personal decision. If you are like me with an aversion to transitions, a good team, realtor, financial advisor, handy person, mover, and stager, can help mitigate the task at hand.

At Zephyr Real Estate we partner with lenders, packers, movers, and stagers to make an overwhelming transition feel stress free and manageable. We also work with Opes Advisors, a Mortgage company, that offers financial advice free of charge. This is extremely valuable when gaging the best use of your equity in your house towards your long and short term goals.

So where is the market?

In 2017-2018 The Bay Area the home values have been steadily climbing. The good news is that as home prices increase at a slow and steady rate, which they are, there is less potential of a fast drop in the market.

Low inventory is driving home prices up and that is causing some difficulty with investment, and first time buyers.

Good news, if you are looking for top dollar, now is the time to sell. Here are some things to consider when getting ready to sell:

Find a realtor that will position your house so it attracts the right buyers with the right motivation, and has been pre-approved by a lender.

Most houses looks better when staged. But before staging a few home improvements go a long way in getting a better price for your property.

Steps to Putting your Home on the Market:

Consider focusing your home-improvement dollars on these areas:

Paint is the number-one investment when upgrading. Buyers love the look and smell of fresh paint.
Curb appeal: You only get one chance to make a first impression. Plant flowers, trim shrubs, and paint the trim. Consider adding a fun color to your exterior front door.
Kitchen and bath: You don’t need expensive appliances or countertops, but new faucets, fixtures and upgraded hardware on cabinets go a long way.

Want a bonus tip that doesn’t cost a dime? Clear out the clutter. Neat clean closets and tidy shelves make your home look larger! Move large furniture into the garage. The more

spacious a home looks the more perceived value. Also it gives a buyer a chance to picture them selves and their family living there.

2018 is going to be a strong year for sellers however the interest rate going up may be a factor when it comes to the dollar amount buyers are comfortable with.

Personally my husband and I were in the same confused state almost

two years ago. We owned a custom home in Sunnyvale, CA,

close to my husband’s job, and my work. We knew once we sold in

Silicon Valley we would be maximizing the use of our equity to buy our dream home.

Once we agreed on moving back to the North Bay

I got excited. To gain financial clarity we took our big question, how much can we afford, to our CPA who specializes in real estate. Dennis gave us a clear picture of our finances and the dollar amount that was comfortable with our income. Removing that obstacle it felt safe to start looking at homes. It took 6 months, to find our new home. We made an offer contingent on selling our Sunnyvale home and surprisingly it got accepted. This put our purchase and move into a “caffeine” driven process.

Relocating 90miles north had its

ups and downs. Being in Real Estate where I was building a new community was challenging as most of my business comes from referrals.

But that said it is joyous to be in Marin and now almost two years here folks are getting to know me and my business is starting to thrive. If you have been reading my blogs I always

Emphasize finding the right realtor. Every transaction is a process and your trust and confidence in your realtor is so important as you get closer to selling. Personally your “right timing” should always out weigh the market. If you have the flexibility I would recommend placing your home on the market in the spring. That said with so many buyers and minimal inventory, I would tell you one thing regardless of the time of year, Go For It!

Darcy Elman

Zephyr Real Estate