It's a House Feeding Frenzy

Despite all the doom and gloom regarding the housing market in the news, I'm seeing a strong comeback. I was out showing homes in Elk Grove zip code 95757 last Saturday and there were homes buyers and real estate agents all over the area. Everywhere we went we were all bumping into each other.

I have a few clients who have even lost out on homes before they could even make an offer. The smart banks are starting to list their foreclosed homes around the $100 per square foot mark. One home some clients missed out on was a 3-year-old home listed for $103 a square foot. Before we could even make an offer it went pending with 12 offers and going for more than asking price.

So, ignore the media...the Sacramento Region housing market is coming back and you won't know we hit the bottom until about 6 months later.

Staging Your Home to Sell

Many factors are combined for a successful home sale: competitive sale price, well-kept home, marketing, excellent property photos, curb appeal, desirable location and lastly, good staging.

Good staging consists of the following (for additional tips, go to http://www.hgtv.com/ and search "staging"):

1. Remove clutter
   You may love your salt and pepper collection, but buyers won't. Make your home look like a model home and be sure to have at least 50% of space on everything. This includes closets, shelves, the garage. If buyers see stuff crammed everywhere they will unconsciously think there's not enough room for their stuff. Rent a storage unit or two.
2. Take down your family photos
   All those photos of junior are adorable, but it will distract buyers and take their focus off of your home.
3. Clean inside and out
   I know this seems obvious, but I can't tell you how many homes I show where there are dirty dishes in the sink, crumbs on the floor, yucky litter boxes, Fido "droppings" on the lawn...you get the picture.
4. Hide the toys
   Get a toy box and use it. Whatever doesn't fit in the toy box, goes in storage. Make it look like the adults own the home, not the kids.
5. Remove unnecessary furniture
   Although it may be useful for your family to have a couch, love seat and Dad's favorite recliner, it is probably making your living room small. The less furniture, the bigger your house looks. This goes ditto for huge bedroom furniture -- unless, of course, you have a 1200 square foot master suite. Be sure there is ample space for a family to tour your home and not have to squeeze between furniture pieces to move around.
6. Put away the exercise equipment
   You're probably not using it anyway, except to hang clothing, so for the sale of your home, put it away. The only time this is okay, is when you have a room that is specifically being used as a workout room.
7. Hire a professional home stager
   Professional staging has become a booming business and can really help in the quick and profitable sale of a home, particularly in a challenging home selling market. To find a home stager in your area, visit www.stagedhomes.com/

2008 is the Year to Get Off the Fence

Since the day after Christmas, my phone has been ringing off the hook with clients -- both new and long-time fence sitters -- who are getting ready to purchase a home. It looks like buyers are starting to figure out that we may be close to rock bottom. Of course, no one really knows we've hit rock bottom until about six months afterwards.

Our well-priced listings are getting lots of showings and I can just feel the offers coming in. This is the year to buy a home. If you're a buyer waiting for the right moment, this is it. Get out there, shop and make offers. In my opinion, we won't see a year like this for a long time.