Sherry Lee Cox, REALTOR(R)/ Broker/ Certified Foreclosure Specialist/ePRO

Weekday twilight open houses are a very good alternative or addition to traditional weekend open houses. As we all know, a home in the evening with its lights on casts gentle light and always makes the home look more inviting. Also, families have hectic routines, and carving out 2 hours on the weekend to preview homes becomes even more difficult with baseball, soccer, football schedules and the holidays.

Refreshments aren't critical, but if you send invitations to the neighborhood and offer snacks as an inducement, you are more likely to have a great turnout. If you offer wine, be sure to make it a white wine in case of any spills. (Serving alcohol could pose liability issues for the seller or yourself, so check with your local association first.)

Here are some advantages to a weekday twilight open house:

• They are especially great for homes with terrific views.
• They are convenient for many young professionals or empty-nestors who may prefer a week night over a weekend.
• Your open house may stand out amidst all of the weekend open houses.
• Some sellers find this more convenient. They may prefer to make themselves scarce for a few hours having dinner in town than give up a sacred weekend afternoon.

  If you have any real estate questions or general questions about San Luis Obispo North County, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.

The holidays are still 2 months away, but I thought I would share with you my recipe for old-fashioned apple pie so you can try it before the big event. I have been preparing this recipe for friends since the late 1970's, and I always get fabulous compliments on it. The recipe is easy but looks like you slaved over it. I used to make my crust from scratch, but the new pie crusts already rolled out in boxes (Pillsbury or Vons/Safeway) works just fine. No one will ever know the difference....

Pastry for a 2-crust pie
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons flour
Dash of salt
5 Granny Smith or Pippin Apples sliced and pared
4 tablespoons of butter in pieces
1 egg yoke mixed with a little water

1. Put 1 pastry roll out into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and refrigerate until needed.
2. Preheat oven to 425F.
3. In large bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, flour & salt mixing well.
4. Add sliced apples to bowl tossing lightly to combine.
5. Turn into refrigerated pastry-lined pie plate mounding high in center.
6. Place broken pieces of butter in center and around center. Yummy!
   
7. Place 2nd pastry on top of apples, turn under sides and crimp edges decoratively.
8. Make several slits near the center for steam vents.
9. Mix 1 egg yolk with a little water. Lightly brush mixture over the top of the pie avoiding edges.
10. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.
11. Cool partially on a wire rack. Serve warm alone or with French Vanilla Ice Cream.

    ENJOY!

If you ever dreamed of buying real estate in Paso Robles as an investment or rental, now may be the time. Buying a house around $350,000 with today's interest rates and rental rates increasing over the years would put you in a position of positive cash flow sooner than in the past. Also, when the real estate market improves, the escalation of values of lower-end homes are going to be the ones that appreciate the fastest.

Just like the stock market, you can never time the absolute bottom of the real estate market. You are never going to find it more affordable than today. Values may continue to go down just a tad over the next 6 months, especially over the holidays, but any small amount of loss in value will be made up by locking into the low interest rates we are currently enjoying.

There has never been more opportunity to invest in real estate than there is now. If you are a first-time home buyer, someone looking for a dream home to live in for a long time or looking for an investment property and the market goes down only 5 percent, that's barely a real estate commission, and remember the seller pays that commission, not you. So, contact me, and we'll go out and find your dream home or investment property while the opportunity still exists!

If you have any real estate questions or general questions about Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo North County, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.

I decided to include this email in my blog site, because I believe it answers a very valid question with regard to how the new property tax base is computed by the San Luis Obispo County Assessor's Office when a buyer purchases a short sale.

Thank you, Beth, for your great question!

"Ms. Cox,

Thank you for the interesting article explaining short sales. One of the things I am concerned about is the property tax base for a home that has been sold short. Do you have any information about what that tax would be based on? Or, in the alternative, can you suggest someone I might contact in order to find out so that I can calculate all my expenses prior to a purchase? Appreciate the information and the very informative website.

Beth"

Career Opportunities - Join the Keller Williams Family

• Your home must be every buyer's dream home...

There is a point where improving your home doesn't pay off. Don't get too carried away with repairs and replacements. A REALTOR will show you competing properties on the market so you can make sound judgments on what improvements to make on your home.

• Minor repairs can wait...

Most buyers are looking for homes that are move-in ready. You would be very surprised at what most homes look like during broker caravan. They look like model homes! Do not mean to scare you, but it is true... In this market, you need to put your best foot forward from Day 1! "You never get a second chance at a first impression."

• Curb appeal is not important...

Buyers will probably never make it through the front door if the outside does not appeal to them! Real Estate Agents and buyers alike often drive by homes before deciding whether they want to preview them. It is all about first impressions. Make them want to come inside!

• Price your home high and negotiate down...

Bad idea! Often buyers will not even come inside your home if they think it is priced above their comfort level and/or above comparable listings in the area. Many, many sellers during the last 2 years have chased the market down only to still be on the market but asking $200,000 less than 2 years ago. Don't make this mistake! A competent REALTOR can show you a Comparative Market Analysis that will show you the ballpark of what your home is really worth. He/she is a professional... Take their advice to heart!

• You are better off selling your home For Sale By Owner and saving yourself the commission you would have paid to a real estate agent...

If you can do this and net as much as a real estate agent can do for you, more power to you, but the National Association of Realtors surveys consumers every year, and the results show that 70% of these For Sale by Owners say they would never do it again. The result is usually netting less than if they had a real estate agent working for them; not to mention the time expended, paperwork and liability issues.

• If you receive an offer, pause and make the buyer wait...

You should respond immediately to an offer; especially in this market of short sales and REOs in most locales. If a buyer makes an offer. the buyer at this moment in time is ready to buy your home. You do not want to lose a sale because you have stalled in replying.

If you have any real estate questions or general questions about San Luis Obispo North County, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.