Friday at 5pm the dreaded call came in. "Sally - my buyer just lost his job. His company folded and closed the doors. We can't buy your listing".
My mind screamed. My seller was in escrow on his new home and HIS seller was moving out that day! We were 12 days from closing.
Crap. This is when the rubber meets the road.
So I shifted into gear. Facebook. Post. Email to my 20 year Marketing Group. Check. Email to the 105 Realtors in my office. Check. Changed status in the MLS. got it. A little prayer to The Big Guy. Done.
18 hours later "Sally I have a buyer in a short sale who is fed up - I'll bring them over. This might work." A Realtor I notified.
18.5 hours later, this: "Sally - I have a cash buyer interested in your home... hopefully writing an offer", from another agent in my office I had emailed, (and my new best friend).
Showings from the MLS??? None.
28 hours later we are in contract with an all-cash-close-in-24-days offer.
Hallelujah, ring the bell, do a dance and shout like....... well YOU know what to shout like!
Everyone's happy. Two escrows are back are track.
What did it was the network I have spent dozens of years forming. Realtors in the most productive Fair Oaks real estate company who trust me. Friends who believe me. Clients who know I'll tell them the truth. All that created the interest and buzz to get it re-sold within a day.
But mostly Nick Kellogg, with Lyon Real Estate, who is my new best friend. He did it.
Thanks Nick!
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:
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.
Fair Oaks, Ca is a charming community on the banks of the American River, upstream of Sacramento. Over 100 years old, it has one of the few Old Towns in the Sacramento area, plus beautiful neighborhoods composed of craftsman and traditional homes. And chickens?? Yep, we're known for our wandering chickens... a few of whom you will hear in my introduction!
I hope you enjoy this tour. Fair Oaks is a great place to live!
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Homes for sale in Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Orangevale, Gold River, Citrus Heights and Sacramento areas of California, plus Buyer and Seller tips.. I am "Your Fair Oaks Realtor," Sally Dunbar.
Whoooeeeeee! It's been a long time. 30+ years as a broker, and I've loved it... well most of it. There have been a few yahoos along the way, but mostly great people, many who have become my good friends whom I have sold homes to multiple times. I'm mainly in my beautiful town of Fair Oaks, (on the bluffs of the American River, upstream of Sacramento, with the cutest old town known for its wandering chickens), but venture into Orangevale (an eclectic mix of horse property dotted with infill tuscan-style estates), Citrus Heights (good values and lots of trees), Carmichael (along the river with Ancil Hoffman park and where my daughter lives), Gold River (beautiful planned development on the banks of the river with miles of bike trails), Folsom (there's more than the prison where Johnny Cash sang - a quaint old town with Victorian homes and access to sublime boating, biking, bar-b-ques, beaching, and... bookreading? ... at Folsom Lake), El Dorado Hills (gorgeous, views, with beautiful homes), Granite Bay ( famous for its schools, rural properties and estate developments, like Los Lagos), Roseville (has everything, plus a super business center), Rocklin (rural bucolic life plus gazillions of newer lovely subdivisions) and Sacramento itself (where I grew up, and hey... Arnold's weekday home!)
Wanna check out homes for sale in some of my favorite Fair Oaks neighborhoods? Here are some links straight to 'em... Old Fair Oaks Village, Northridge Country Club area, Phoenix Field, and Rollingwood. Or if you simply want to search for the good deals on foreclosures, go here.
Yesterday my client suggested I was a real estate encyclopedia, which may have been an accusation that I'm square and use way to many words, or a compliment that I really do know my stuff. I guess sometimes its both.
CREDENTIALS
AWARDS, HONORS AND DISTINCTIONS
Additionally, in 2006 I was chosen out of 900 agents to receive Lyon Real Estate's prestigious C. Mike Messina Memorial Award for excellence and professionalism. (This is my greatest aknowledgement as a realtor, as it's like a "good guy" award! Pretty special...)
I have been married to David Dunbar for nearly 30 years, and he's still my sweetie... love that guy to death. He's a contractor who only does things one way - the right way. We have a ton of fun together.
We have 2 daughters, and we should have had more, but who knew they would be so entertaining and fabulous? Roxy is a Financial Analyst and UC Davis graduate. She saves me every time I'm half-way through a spreadsheet and realize I am not a financial analyst. Thank God those things email well. She's a great dancer, and we both have an obsession for cowboy boots. Christy graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and is another great dancer. She's our comedian, and has brought the joy of newfangled music to my life. Thanks to her, my favorite group is Incubus, and the song Everlong can bring me to tears! I have lived in Fair Oaks since 1979, having returned to Sacramento from Santa Barbara, where I had lived since high school (don't ask who would leave Santa Barbara for Sacramento... it was for love, and it was the best choice I ever could have made!). Our family loves this area, and is involved in bike riding (ask about our world-class bike trail), sailing (on Folsom Lake), walking our fabulous trails (you feel like Lewis and Clark), snow boarding (I found a two carat diamond ring in the snow once), water polo, swim, and occasional jaunts to Sand Mountain and Florence Oregon where we go duning with our extended family (ask about our dutch oven pies). My Mom was a realtor, too, so I learned from the best. She's still pretty cool. I'm also a pretty avid reader, and am in a book group.
I love my area and can't wait to show it to you! And I promise you, we'll have fun! (If you have skipped over my discreet links above, I'm done with gentle reminders! You HAVE to watch my video of what I love about Fair Oaks. (If you don't see a link, go to www.sallydunbar.com - it's right there. Fair Oaks is my town, and I LOVE it. I want to share it with you. Aw come on... tried to drop subtle hints!)
I hope you will have fun prowling around my blog. Check out my posts on BUYING A HOME, SELLING A HOME, STAGING, Getting a loan, the Economy, Things I've learned in life, and some fun stuff just for more thigh-slappin fun.
I'LL ALWAYS DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR MY CLIENTS.
A few years ago, Gloria called me to list her home on the bluffs of the American River. I was excited! She then confided she was recently widowed, and needed a change. She was sad. I told her she had the best investment she could possibly find - a rare home with a smashing river view. I suggested she strip wallpaper, repaint, install new carpet, replace her windows (to improve her view!), and paint-out her dark-beamed ceilings. And to then see if she needed a change. So she did. And today, 8 years later, Gloria is still enjoying the view from her lovely new windows. And her home has tripled in value! While I talked myself out of a sale, it was the right thing for Gloria!
I do the right thing for my clients because it's the best way to lead your life. If you want to buy or sell, call me. We'll figure out the best way to proceed, then we'll make it happen. You have my word! And if that means encouraging them to do nothing, then I've done my job well.
DRE lic # 00809499
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TESTIMONIALS about Sally Dunbar
"This is the 7th home we have bought. Sally was the best agent of them all." Joni and Gary Matson
"Without Sally's support, perseverance and professional expertise we wouldn't have been able to purchase our first home. I respect Sally not only for her expertise and tenacity, but also for the amount of effort and pure hard work she puts into her job. Throughout the entire transaction, Sally made certain that my best interests were being met. She even made the extra effort to be present at the signing of escrow, which is another example of her dedication to her position. Her efforts are to be loudly applauded by this happy client. " Sarah & Rick Walker
"Sally listened so well we bought the first home she showed us! It even matched our decorating. She really keyed into our needs." Patricia & Jerry Hall
"You are wonderful and we truly appreciate your help, guidance, professional knowledge, and above all else your sweet self." Joe & Snow Nemeth
"You are such a pro and always do such an amazing job. Thank you." Nancy & Gene Mansfield
"How great a realtor are you? Let me count the ways:
You tirelessly showed houses to me and quickly learned which ones were ‘me' and which ones were not. You saved me a lot of time. You found out I was almost 55 and you knew that 55 was the magic age to transfer an existing tax base. You told me I should wait 8 months before looking - after you had spent countless hours showing houses to me! You saved me $140/month in taxes. You gave me suggestions for simplifying my home so that it would show best. And you suggested small but impacting improvements. You helped the house sell quickly and at top dollar. You knew the market in my area and in other comparable areas and helped me set a reasonable price. You attended the loan signing with the title company for the house I was buying and caught their mistakes, saving me $2,000 in closing costs. You knew the laws so well you were educating the people at the title company and giving them documentation on a lesser-known law which protected me. Two escrow officers said ‘Boy, you have a really good realtor'. You attended the home inspection of the home I was buying, and helped me determine what the seller should be requested to repair. When my first buyers dropped out at the last minute, you delivered the bad news as soon as you learned it. AND you had already contacted the realtor for another offer we had received on the house and they were still interested! As a result, the close of escrow was only delayed by one week. You put me in touch with loan brokers, moving companies, and other organizations that I needed. You answered my e-mail, answered my phone calls, answered my many, many, many questions. You calmed my anxieties and you rejoiced with me over my new home. Sally, you are the best!" Marsha Raigoza
If you have the patience to keep reading, here are some more. You might want to warm up your coffee first, however.
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