Jill Heers

I have read a lot of articles on getting your house ready for sale and I think there are a few hints missing. So these tips are not meant to be the only things one should do like price it right and get a Realtor but is meant to introduce some often overlooked ideas. When I sold my home in Fallbrook CA, I moved out. That way my dogs were not there with the odors I am used to but other people are not. If you don't have dogs or cats or geikos and can keep your home model perfect then forget this. My father is 95 years old and still building houses. From him I have learned the value of model homes and staging. Therefore it would be smart to move a lot of your furniture and clutter (I know thats valuable stuff to you) even if you have to rent a storage room or garage. I painted my garage floor with acrylic to eliminate the dog odors and stains that concrete won't give up. Epoxy is another great idea for garage floors and there are plenty of professionals to do it. In fact putting up wallboard and painting is a wonderful idea for garages. Garages are easily overlooked in the getting ready process and is one of the important places a buyer will look at. Clean the garage thoroughly.

If you don't have enough storage in the home you can add it here. Also look to add walls under stairwells if your home needs more storage. Take down photographs of family as the buyer will feel uncomfortable invading your home and have a hard time imagining their own family living there Do not put rugs on top of carpets. Hire a chimney sweep and also a vent cleaner for both dryer and heating vents and ducts. I am used to the personality of my home such as a backwards faucet or a sticky door lock but these should all be perfect for buyers. Ask your Realtor to look at your home with a critical eye so you can get a different assessment after you think you have made it ready. Some overlooked areas are stains, dirty corners, dirty screens, dripping faucets, stained under the sinks cabinets. Overgrown landscaping may seem like tropical paradise to you but to a buyer it looks like extra maintenance.Clean everything and once a week go look for dead bugs in the window sills. UGH!

Provide your Realtor with only bottled water for refreshments so potential buyers aren't dripping stains. Visit a model house and see how the builders do it. Most of all, I can't stress enough the value of using a Realtor. I recently sold my vacation home in Bellingham WA. where my daughter who is very astute in realty lives and I hired the Realtor who sold it to me . My daughter asked why I didn't sell it myself since I am a Realtor and have her up there to help me?. I told her I believe it is most important to get a Realtor that specializes in your neighborhood and knows that states contracts and realty laws. I also offered a 7% commission rather than the standard 6%. It was well worth it. I sold in 2 months in a down market and closed in 30 days. There were some small fix it problems that the Realtors jumped in to get them solved at no cost to me.

I also use professional painters , window washers, plumbing and electrical contractors and cleaners. Its worth every penny to use a professional. For my list of vendors email me jill@heers.com

I have my very favorite places to eat in Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista. And if you are a new homeowner moving to Oceanside from someplace else you may want to know about these. Since it is next door to my office at Era Ranch and Sea Realty on the corner of Tremont and Mission one of my favorite lunch spots is Johnny Mananas Good food, good friends, Mexican American with the Costa Rican flair of its wonderful owners.

Also among my favorite Mexican eateries for lunch time is Lola's on Roosevelt and Pine in Old town Carlsbad. With a typical open kitchen you watch them serve up no lard and heart healthy white meat chicken and rarities such as sopas and Chile rellenos. I have known the folks at Lolas for more years than I can count and this year I am having my huge family (45 people) holiday party catered by Lola's.

I also just discovered a place that makes great wraps and quesadillas with a tomato basil tortilla next to 333 restaurant in the Windward Hotel building on Pacific St. It is a charming little stop with ice cream and Starbucks and gifts. For Fish I head to the Oceanside Harbor and get my Red snapper fix at The Monterey Cannery. It is fun to watch the Pelicans and the boats as they come and go. In Vista, for lunch, its hard to beat the Panera baking their own bread with delicious soups, sandiches and salads.They are on Vista Village Way near the Krikorian Theatre

For lunch or dinner I don't think it gets better than the California Bistro in Carlsbad at the Four Seasons. I love the buffet and I love the service. Just the bathrooms alone make an elegant 4 star statement as to the beauty of the place. For a quick lunch in Carlsbad or to take home dinner don't miss Prontos on Roosevelt 1 block North of Carlsbad Village drive. A family run deli with a gourmet menu and pastries

Among the jewels of Oceanside and Vista are the Quilt shows. Just 2 will be mentioned here.Oceanside Quilt Art Patricia Morris Buckley writing for the North County Times and has informed us of a fabric garden in Oceanside that is absolutely spectacular

"A decade ago, there were only a few professional artists dedicated to the textile medium of quilt-making. Today, there are so many-high caliber artists in the field that creating a juried exhibition isn't any task by any means.

Want proof? The biennial "Quilt Visions" exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art, one of the largest and most prestigious exhibits of quilt art, received 601 entries from 270 artists. Because of space limitations, the jury could choose only 39 quilts for the show.

The jury was made up of Jason Busch, curator of decorative arts at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh; Linda Colsh, award-winning professional quilt artist and Studio Art Quilt Associates board member; and Penny McMorris, art curator and co-author of "The Art Quilt," the first book on quilt design development.

"It was a difficult jury process," admitted Beth Smith, executive director of the Visions Art Museum, Contemporary Quilts and Textiles in Liberty Station. "The jury took three days to select the works, and they had to make some tough choices. At the end, they said they could have chosen two to three exhibitions from the works that were submitted."

Space limitations also played a part in the selection. Several quilts are quite large. One is more than 17 feet wide, while another is almost 7 feet high.

One interesting thing about the show is that 19 of the selected artists are in the show for the first time.

"That's interesting, because it means a lot of artists are mastering this genre," noted Smith. "These artists used every technique you can imagine. One of the techniques that's becoming popular is thread painting. The images look like a photograph because of the way artists are manipulating the thread. These new technologies are exciting to see."

The result is a show that spans from traditional quilts to artists who are pushing the boundaries. Styles range from abstract to representational.

"We have bold works next to quieter pieces," she said. "There's a lot of texture and surface design mixed with traditional works. That's what makes this a strong show ---- it's the mix of new talent with established masters. We see what's different and new next to artists who have been doing this for years."

Why?

Oceanside's climate is extremely mild with some periods of coastal fog in
the summer.

Not to take from the originality of the name, but this city truly is
"oceanside" with its location on the Pacific coast.

The perfect spot for a sports enthusiast, the area boasts convenience to
professional hockey, baseball, and football games.

The San Diego Zoo and Legoland are both a short drive from this beachfront
mecca. As are the Wild animal Park, Quilt Visions Museum and The Cultural
Arts Center and Convention hall. Music Museum, Flower Fields.

Oceanside boasts five major industries that keep the economy going strong.
The military, The biotech, the dotcom industry , flower industry, and
tourism.

Some of the things to do for free are;

1. Visit the gardens, Swamis in Encinitas, Botanical Gardens in Encinitas
and the distributors at 5050 Encinas Drive in Carlsbad. For the distributors
go early in the morning to catch the synergy of the farmer bringing in his
crop and the buyers getting their goods before their shops open and the huge
trucks that haul flowers away to Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
2. Heritage Park in Oceanside which has the old original jail house,
newspaper, blacksmith shop and more nestled in an area behind the oldest
Mission in California with its oldest California Pepper tree. Mission San
Luis Rey
3. The Old adobe on Santa Fe Rd. Between Oceanside and Vista. First house
in Oceanside and built with cast off supplies from the Mission.
4. The old tractor and Steam engine Museum next to the Old Adobe.
5. Fishing with no license needed from one of the countries longest piers
which stays lit up all night.

And more, much much more

Prices are slowly going up , but should you raise your price.?
"No" according to Dan Steward who is president of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspections

1. Don't raise the price. The uptick in home prices doesn't mean that you should get all excited and raise the price. The trick is to leave your price the same as it was-that will encourage a bidding war. Hearing news about home prices going up, and raising your price immediately as a response to that, is typically not the way to go; the home will likely sell for more as a result of two buyers fighting over your reasonable price, rather than walking away due to a price that's too high. Remember, the goal is ultimately to get more money, not to have a higher list price.

2. Remain flexible. Selling quickly means making some concessions-and we're not talking price. It's those little extras that may inspire a buyer to sign on the dotted line. Obviously, no one has the right to get your vintage grand piano in the deal. But if a buyer wants your stainless-steel fridge with ice-maker, give it up. There's more ice waiting in your new home.

3. De-clutter. For a quick sale, you may not have time to fully "stage" your home down to the accent pillows and entirely new living room furniture. But you do have time to clear out the clutter. If we saw a home we'd like, we'd look past the clutter, but most buyers won't. So, before you worry about making your home pretty, focus on making it neat. In a better market, neat is often all you need.

4. Schedule more open houses-and don't attend your own. When you have a longer time frame for selling, you can schedule open houses at your leisure, but if you want to sell fast, try for as many open houses as you can-and do not attend them, as a homeowner at their own open house often makes a potential buyer too nervous to comfortably look around.

5. Go big-and go local. If you haven't listed in MLS (multiple-listing service), it's a good idea, especially if you want to sell fast. The math is simple-more eyes on your listing equals more potential bites. But a lot of people who use the MLS forget that local advertising is important as well. Advertising in local and regional publications-as well as simply putting the word out with friends and family-are often skipped, expecting that the Internet will get the job done on its own. Using a local Realtor is a must. The higher guidelines of ethics and the latest knowledge in new realty laws and contracts keeps you secure in today's market.

Jill Heers is a Realtor servicing Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista and just attended an update class on new realty laws last week
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