Buying and Selling Homes
Staging Strategies for Homes
STAGING STRATEGIES FOR YOUR HOME
Staging your home is all about putting the best foot forward for potential buyers. By highlighting its most desirable features, you can draw more interest for your home and leave a lasting impression that is sure to help you sell it more quickly. Here’s what you should keep in mind as you prepare for your next open house or viewing!
- Help them visualize it as their own. Make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves making your house their home by removing personal memorabilia, knick-knacks, and photos. Instead replace them with simple décors, such as paintings, nature images, and plants.
- Think sleek instead of comfy. Modern-day buyers are leaning toward modern, crisp, clean interiors over comfy, homey looks. When staging your home, keep a minimalist mindset, and incorporate bright colors and metal accents.
- Deep clean the small spaces. It’s obvious to say you should clean your home before viewing, but don’t forget to cover your bases by deep cleaning the small spots. Take time to scrub porous areas like grout that may hold on to stains and baseboards where small pet hairs and dust love to cling.
- Spruce up your landscaping. The first impression your home gives to potential buyers is its exterior. Ensure you have a freshly mowed lawn, neat hedges and shrubbery, bright flowers, and a clean driveway.
- Set the mood. A home is so much more than just the way it looks, so you need to appeal to the other senses. Prior to having potential buyers over, set the mood by burning delicious smelling candles and selecting an upbeat, happy soundtrack to play in the background.
And the final step…talk to a professional to market and sell your masterpiece!
Gary and April Greer @ (951) 522-0518 OR april@teamgreer.com
Homebuilder Confidence Stabilizes
Homebuilder confidence stabilizes,
hinting at solid spring home buying season-
Despite affordability and labor concerns, homebuilder confidence held steady in March, according to the National Association of Home Builders. “In a healthy sign for the housing market, more builders are saying that lower price points are selling well, and increased inventory of affordably priced homes, will enable more entry-level buyers to enter the market,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz.
With that being said, the report also warns that affordability continues to remain a key concern for builders. “The skilled worker shortage, lack of buildable lots and stiff zoning restrictions in many major metro markets are among the challenges builders face as they strive to construct homes that can sell at affordable price points,” the report states. courtesy of housingwire.com
Southern California Sales
The median price paid for all Southern California homes sold in December 2017 was $507,000, a new all-time high that surpasses the previous peak of $505,000.
Absentee buyers (investors and second home purchasers) bought 22.9% of Southland homes sold in December 2017. The peak was 32.2% in February 2013. The monthly average for absentee buyers since 2000 is about 18.0%.
The number of homes that sold for $500,000 or more in December 2017 accounted for 51.3% of all sales. That is up from 45.4% in December 2016.
Foreclosure re-sales (properties foreclosed on in the prior 12 months) represented 1.4% of the Southland re-sale market in December 2017. That was down from 2.9% in December 2016. Foreclosure resales peaked at 56.7% in February 2009.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loans made up 16.1% of all home purchase loans in Southern California in December 2017. Riverside and San Bernardino counties experienced the region’s highest FHA share in December at 25.1% and 26.9% respectively.
Just Released from DQNews January 30th, 2018
(951) 522-0518 or april@teamgreer.com
New Recording Fees California
CALIFORNIA
Affordable Housing
Fund Document Recording Fee
With keen awareness of California’s shortage of affordable housing, the legislature passed more than 20 bills related to housing in this year’s session.
Chief among these laws is Senate Bill 2.
This law provides a permanent source of funding for affordable housing by imposing a flat $75 per document recording fee on every real estate instrument that is NOT part of a sales transaction. In this way, SB 2 is written to ensure that the fee will not burden home purchase transactions.
The fee will be capped at $225 per transaction and coordinated with other revenue sources.
C.A.R. supported SB 2 which dedicates 20% of the funds generated to affordable workforce housing and 70% of revenues to local governments for housing.
California Housing Market Forecast 2018
California Housing Market Forecast 2018
With the economy expected to continue growing, housing demand should remain strong and incrementally boost California’s housing market in 2018, though a shortage of available homes for sale and affordability constraints will be a challenge, according to the 2018 California Housing Market Forecast, released by California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.).
“Solid job growth and favorable interest rates will drive a strong demand for housing next year,” said C.A.R. President Geoff McIntosh. “However, a persistent shortage of homes for sale and increasing home prices will dictate the market as housing affordability diminishes for buyers struggling to get into the market.”
- The forecast sees a modest gain in existing single-family home sales of 1.0% next year, up slightly from the projected sales figure of 421,900 units for 2017. The 2017 figure is 1.3% higher compared to 2016.
- The average for 30-year, fixed mortgage interest rates will increase slightly to 4.3% in 2018, up from 4.0% in 2017 and 3.6% in 2016, but still will remain low by historical standards.
- The California median home price is forecast to increase 4.2% to $561,000 in 2018, following a projected 7.2% increase in 2017 to $538,500.
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Taken from CAR.org 10/17/17
