Eureka, CA

Last month one of my sellers was in escrow with a buyer that I also represented and the deal was going great, but then, a couple weeks before closing, there was a last minute glitch in the buyer's financing and they could not move forward with the purchase. That put a strain on my sellers because they had the property on the market before and were eager to sell.

I assured them that I would do my best to help sell their house and planned a series of Open Houses and even started producing a video home tour of the property. They stuck with me and were confident in my ability to help sell their house, and today, just a week and a half after we heard the bad news, we received news that there is another offer for their property! I was excited to call them on the phone to tell them the good news. At first, my seller was skeptic and was afraid that I was joking with him, but sure enough, it was a real offer and we are hopeful that we are opening escrow soon.

So a message to all the sellers and real estate agents out there, do not give up and keep working hard and be patient, because you never know when the next buyer will come along.

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For homes and properties for sale in Humboldt County, Eureka, CA, call Lucky at 707-442-4851, email lucky@luckystarrealty.com or visit www.luckystarrealty.com

Yesterday I almost lost two real estate transactions that I have been working on for almost a month now, and the clients whom I have been showing houses with for almost three months. All the precious time, energy and costs that I have spent would have gone to waste had I not stepped in this morning and helped facilitate the communication between my clients and their loan officer.

The situation was that my clients' loan officer needed a document to be signed by them, but that document asked so many seemingly unusual and personal questions, questions relating to their bank accounts, addresses and more, that my clients got overwhelmed and could not understand why they had to go through that. They were telling me that when their cousin bought a property a few months back, she did not have to go through such documents and they thought the loan officer whom I choose for them was being too difficult and rushing things without thoroughly explaining things.

When I spoke with the loan officer, she explained to me that the lending standards and requirements have gotten more strict and therefore, she needed that information. After I conveyed this message to my clients, they calmed down and told me that they did not understand the situation before because the loan officer had not clearly explained those documents to them. With my clients being from an Asian decent, it was hard for them to understand because of the language barrier as well, and they were more comfortable when speaking with me about things.

I also felt that they were intimidated or felt "stupid" to ask the loan officer questions because of their language barrier. So I have told both my clients and the loan officer that I would like to be with them every time they have meetings about the loan process and I will definitely be with them for the final loan signing at the title company.

Sometimes communication is a hard issue to overcome, especially with both sides have language barriers or when one party is too intimidated to ask questions of the other party. Our job as real estate professionals is to help facilitate the entire home buying or selling process and I was happy today that I was able to help facilitate the communication so that the transactions would go through.

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Looking for a home or property in Humboldt or Del Norte county? I will go the extra mile and help with facilitaing and overseeing the entire transaction to help it be successful. Call Lucky at 707-954-7926 or email: lucky@luckystarrealty.com or visit my website: www.luckystarrealty.com www.luckystarrealestate.com

If you own one of the Eureka California Victorian Homes then you know keeping your home maintained or fixing something in your home is a labor of love. Especially working on your windows. The windows in Eureka California Victorian Homes are like the eyes of your home. IF you drive around any victorian in Eureka and compare the ones with old historic windows to the new vinyl windows which one appeals the most to you? Usually it's the old window look. It has that craftsmanship that a new vinyle window just can't give you.

So, Even if you’re not into learning how to repair, or renovate your charming old single pane windows in one your Eureka California Victorian Homes, sometimes it’s good to get an overview so you have a general understanding about the process before hiring an expert or just getting plain frustrated and replacing those “old worn out windows” with vinyl dual pane. Because there is nothing like the look of an old wood window - not even a similar vinyl copy can truly replace the original charm and character of it's original.

I had an opportunity last Saturday to sit through a window restoration workshop hosted by my friend Bill Hole who heads up the Preservation and Restoration program at Humboldt County California’s College of the Redwoods.

And I truly learned an incredible amount during the six-hour workshop. Currently the CR restoration and preservation students are restoring one our prized Eureka California Victorian Homes. A Queen Anne specificaly on F Street right in the heart of Eureka CA called The Annie B. House. I have to admit, once you understand the brilliance in the old window design, especially since the old window has done its job for over 115 years, you might think twice about removing them.

The fascinating thing about these windows is that they were made and assembled in a factory during the Industrial Revolution. Think about it. Each piece on your window was duplicated hundreds of times on a factory line, assembled at the factory and shipped to the building site. The whole window, including its casing was then installed into the home.

Even all those fancy decorative pieces you see on the exterior of many older homes…also manufactured.

Each piece on an older window fit together perfectly. If you’ll look closely you will not find any nails used to keep all those parts together. They all fit together snugly. And at least in Humboldt County California, because most windows were made with old growth Redwood, many of them are still in good shape… even after 100 years of being in your house. They just need a little TLC. A little maintenance goes a long way and can sometimes be remarkably cheaper than spending $$$ to replace a window (parts and labor included). You just need to find someone who has experience working on older windows or do it yourself.

Older windows if restored to its working condition will actually keep drafts out. The drafts you feel in your house are the result of windows that need a little tweaking to seal out the cold. Another reason your windows may not work properly is because several coats of paint have been applied to each window part over the years. Certain parts need to be free of paint in order for them to move properly.

There are many things you can do to bring your old windows back to life:

Old hardware covered in paint can be brought back to life with a little TSP Substitute (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) soaking and a good cleaning using a metal brush wheel.

Need to replace a sash cord (that holds the window weight)? You don’t have to pry off the window casing trim to get to the pulley/weight system. All you have to do is pull off a small piece inside your window.

And a final tip from the experts: When starting to free up painted parts off your window, on one of your Eureka California Victorian Homes try using an army knife to cut through the paint before you start removing any pieces. Then slowly and patiently start prying parts away using a small prying tool.

So if nothing else I gained an incredible appreciation for the ingenuity that went into the old window design and I am more than happy to slowly repair each and every one of my old windows in my Eureka California Victorian Home so they last another 115 years for all to appreciate and enjoy.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. * Eureka California Victorian Homes: Window Restoration Class*

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Contact Jessica Bigger, Realtor®, RE/MAX Humboldt Realty at 707-496-5770 to list your Victorian or Craftsma home for sale or to purchase your first or next home in Eureka, Cutten, Bayside, Arcata, McKinleyville, Westhaven, Trinidad and the rest of Humboldt County California.

To view all Humboldt County CA Historic and Luxury Homes for Sale Click Here, then click on Search Area Listings at the top of the web site. I know Humboldt County CA well and can help you get your home Sold or help you buy your next Humboldt County California Home. Call today!

Today I attended the Humboldt County Association of Realtors Equal Opportunity Committee meeting. We discussed issues relating to how our Realtor Community works with and reacts to the public, especially to prospects and clients. The main thing we got out of today's meeting was that we as an association, need to come up with a directory or resource to help the Realtor community when they are working with clients who are from minority groups. This directory would be a valuable resource providing connection to language interpreters, different ethnics groups, cultural events and other resources.

Sometimes it is helpful for real estate agents to have interpreters with them when a client is not able to speak English,but this language interpreter should be certified so that they are able to fully interpret what is required in the contracts, inspections or any other real estate related activity. This resource will be nice to have and will help the real estate community, at least in Humboldt County California, when dealing with clients who are not capable of speaking English and understanding the contracts.

The first step our committee is proposing, in coming up with such a directory, is to contact local Humboldt County Real Estate Brokers and inquire them about their needs for such a directory and if so, what sort of need would they have for that resource. We will also ask brokers if they have staff in their offices that do have those language and cultural knowledge and skills to be able to help out their fellow real estate agents in the association. They might also have suggestions to other resources in the community as well that will be helpful.

This is a first step in helping the public, especially minority groups, in achieving the American Dream of home ownership. If their real estate agents cannot help them or understand them, then who will?

Tonight I was walking my client through with signing he's disclosure documents over the phone (I had emailed them over to him because he lives 4 hours away in Santa Rosa and his property is here in Eureka) and he mentioned that he liked me better than the other real estate agent that he had been working with. I asked him why, and he replied, that I had returned his phone calls!

I was surprised because I usually always try to return clients' phone calls within the hour and I was under the impression that all agents adhere to this unspoken code. But apparently not, because although the last agent my client was with is from a big company and had been practicing real estate for years, my client still favors me because I am courteous, patient, answers his questions and explains things clearly, and I return all my client's calls.

So to all real estate agents out there who want to be successful, remember to always return your client's phone calls, emails and text messages, even if it is at the end of the day because your client will appreciate you for it.

For more information about real estate in Humboldt County, Del Norte County and the cities of Crescent City, Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, McKinleyville and other surrounding area, feel free to give me a call, because you know that I will always try to return your calls promptly.