Fair Oaks, CA

Water Intrusion in Sacramento? Better Check for Signs

I heard the rain start last night while lying in bed; we haven’t had much rain so far this year in the Sacramento area. But with the rains come the calls for help. Help? This is when we begin to see that we have water coming into the buildings, as soon as it starts raining. This could be a problem.

A bigger problem would be not noticing that we have a water intrusion problem that is causing damage to the property. What's the simplest way to find a leak? Look for one! That’s right, look for signs of water in places that it does not belong. The sooner you can detect the problem the easier it is to correct.

If you aren’t comfortable in looking for water intrusion, call a qualified contractor to check for you. If you are anywhere near the Sacramento area, we would be glad to help you.

Sometimes you just have to follow your intuition.

An apartment manager had called me regarding a small stream of water coming from the laundry room wall. The water was just enough to keep the sidewalk wet, and even a little mossy. After management shut off one of the washing machines inside the laundry room wall for a few days, the water on the sidewalk stopped. Because of that we knew it was in the drain line and only leaked when the water was being discharged.

We made arrangements to get into the laundry room to open the wall and repair the drain line and patch the wall in one day. This would be less disruptive to the residents and allow all of the machines to be functioning right away. You’d be surprised how troublesome even one “down” unit can become.

We opened the wall and found the leak right away. It was a hairline crack that was dripping water when we filled the drain line. But something still seemed wrong. Call it intuition, common sense, or dumb luck but something made me want to open the wall some more. There were no signs of a second problem, the water outside was in line with the leak inside, but I had to check. I had that feeling.

In opening the wall further, we discovered there were two additional leaks. Three leaks in the ABS drain pipe that all exited the wall in the same place. I think we got lucky on this one. Had I settled with the first crack as being the only leak, I probably would be back again to find the additional leaks today.

Sometimes you just have to follow your intuition.

I LOVE this. i just made this clip with the help of my Lyon Fair Oaks Office, for use at the end of my seller-oriented videos.

Get Listed... Get an Offer... Get Moving is our company slogan which is plastered on billboards all over town. I thought I would make use of that and the fact that our office is so teamwork oriented. We all truly help each other with our businesses, and have a culture of support.

It's super short... What do you think?

A tale of two sales. Both homes listed after advise, tweaking, repairs, decluttering, late night spent on pricing strategy and market analysis.

Seller #1 after accepting an offer within one week. "Wow, I'm an easy one for you. You barely had to do anything to earn your commission." Hmmm think I. He wants me to reduce my commission, I bet.

Seller #2 after accepting one of two offers within one week on the market. "Wow - you were worth every penny. No one can believe we sold so quickly. And for full price! You really know your stuff!"

I asked him what he meant by that. "Intellectual property is worth its weight in gold," Joe says. "You didn't fall off a turnip truck and list my home. I know you have spent years perfecting your craft. We did everything you told us to do, and it all made us money. YOU made it work because of your knowledge... your intellectual property." Seller #2, Joe, is an event planner. He gets it.

As an agent, I tend to forget how powerful the years that I spent learning these things are:

• What repairs/remodeling bring a bigger bang for the buck. Which bring in more money than they cost.
• How to get the other agent on my side, so we are both working for the same goal instead as opposing adversaries.
• How to relate to people so they want to work with you.
• How to present the disclosures to the seller so they lessen their likelihood of a lawsuit later.
• Why the best pest company is the one who finds EVERYTHING. Better now than when the buyer finds it on their own, then mistrusts everything you have told them.
• That a thick layer of shredded cedar fixes most yard woes.
• That funky furniture tanks the value of a home.
• How to talk to owner of said funky furniture about staging.
• Why paint is the #1 activity before selling your home.
• And mostly - how 20+ years of building a reputation of trust, honesty and respect within the industry benefits my clients. Agents want to work with me, because they trust me.

All that is called Intellectual Property. And it's worth something. Just ask Joe!

©2011 Sally Dunbar

Everyone knows the three most important factors in real estate... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. But when you sell your home, there are three factors that are even more important.

No don't scream at me. Location IS important. But once you own a home, you can't change the location. Or the floorplan. Or the direction if faces on the street. Or interest rates. Or whether there are buyers looking.

Nope... you can't change any of those. But there are three factors you DO have control of, and that's where you need to focus your attention.

Price, condition, and marketing. These factors are all you can change. Pick the wrong price - you are dead in the water. Buyers will scoff at you... "Geez.. who do they think they are? This isn't even good carpet! And get a load of the dated paneling! Ha!"

At the RIGHT price, they will say "Wow. This carpet is doable. And the paneling we can deal with - it might look good painted."

You can sell in any condition, but it will be reflected in your price. Spiff it up, and the buyer will pay more. "Wow. This home has been taken care of. I bet we won't find any hidden problems." If it's funky, they'll say "Man what a dump. I bet this is the beginning of what is wrong. This place is so tired and abused." Buyers will deduct more from the value than you would have spent fixing it up.

And marketing? Gone are the old days of sticking it in the computer and crossing your fingers. Staging, professional photography, virtual tours, video marketing, multiple internet sites, blogging, realtor tours, open houses... it takes a lot to sell a home. The average in my area takes 90 days. And that is not time spent twiddling your thumbs. It takes work.

As I say in my video - The Wrong Realtor Can Ruin Your Whole Day.

Take my word for it, and find a good one.

And yes... I am available.