Check out what I saw when showing homes yesterday in Citrus Heights. It's the best cat house I've ever seen! I was crackin up!
"Wow, we found it... this is THE ONE. Now, my Dad says to always offer 5% less, my friend had to pay over full price, and I hear of bank foreclosures at fifty cents on the dollar. EEEHHHHHHH.... how am I supposed to know what to offer? After all, I don't want to pay too much, and I sure don't want to be a duck in THIS market. Heck, we want to feel like we are STEALING a home!"
OK, folks, I hear this every day from buyers. And it's a good question. But when you figure that one home may be over-priced and the next may be under-priced, you realize it's a different answer for each home. It's not a one-size-fits-all answer.
Here's what I do with my buyers. These are the steps I take to figure out what price to offer.
Hope that helps. Call me if you want to talk strategy on buying your next home.
I hate spending money when I can't see the results. That's why I liked buying my new Mac - a big bang for the buck. Or a vacation... a great use of money. Tangible results make me happy.
Then there's dry rot. Now there's something fun to spend your money on. (remove tongue from cheek....) Talk about a sucker of cash that could have been avoided.
You get dry rot when water lingers on wood. The little dry rot vermin LOVE wet wood. (so do beetles and termites, by the way... and toxic mold is not far behind if there's sheetrock nearby.)
Some rot comes inadvertently... an undiscovered roof leak, an unknown toilet leak (eeewwwe...). But a lot of it could have been avoided with a little diligence. Sprinkler Watch is the diligence I'm talking about today. Ya gotta get on this one, or it will cost you big time! Listen up as you learn the ins and outs of sprinkler-caused dry rot.........
So how's that for a fine mess we can get ourselves into? Grab your screwdriver right now, and go adjust your sprinklers. You'll thank me...
Two days ago I walked into my client's home, beaming, throwing hugs around, and announced "This is why I'm not an lister of bank owned properties". We then sat down to sign their acceptance of their new home in Crosswoods.
See, I've toyed with the idea of ramping up as an REO lister, since that's where alot of our market has gone the past few years. But the thought of not being available to horse around showing a buyer a gazillion homes before they find the right one is what stops me. As an REO agent, you run a finely tuned machine... you don't have time for no stinkin' buyers. But me? I love taking care of my peeps. I love being available for them, and being a part of their life.
So back to these buyers, C&P. We had looked at homes in Crosswoods, and were contemplating 4 of them. I was OK with any of them, but none of them had the magic I know Crosswood's can have. But there wasn't much else available. Friday night, as my buyer was preparing his email to me to make an offer on one of them, I checked new listings one more time. BINGO... perfect floor plan, perfect location, perfect price..... in short PERFECT.
I called my buyer. Stop the presses... we have a hot one. Can you meet me at 8:30 in the morning?
I rolled up at 8:25. "It's sold", C said... "to us." They hadn't even been inside, but they could tell it was perfect. (We went inside anyway, and yep... it was perfect.)
Two amazing things. Turns out I had sold it to the sellers 12 years ago. I thought of them often, in fact every time I saw the honkin gouge down the side of my Lexus where I backed out of their drive once and hit their garbage can. They recently had both just passed away, and the son was selling their home.
Next, as we were leaving, a mother turkey strolled by with 7 or 8 babies in tow. C&P had jaws agape. It was clearly a sign.
This sale wasn't big, but it made my day, my week, probably my whole month and beyond. My buyers are ecstatic, it all feels right.... in fact magic happened. I love it when it all falls together so magically.... especially for good people.
No amount of successful bank haggling would have left me with the same feeling.
To find homes in Crosswoods, look here. It includes condos and townhomes for sale in all of Citrus Heights.
Congratulations.... you want to sell your home. And you are right, you have done some amazing upgrades, and your home IS special. It IS worth more than anyone else's.... ;o)
But this is the time to get real. Why? Because you are going to get your hopes up, you're going to exhaust yourself cleaning and painting, and packing up all that stuff you've accumulated. And you are going to put up with realtors coming by at all hours, and making appointments and not showing up. It's frustrating and a lot of work.
But it's quadruply frustrating if you do all that work... get your hopes up... make new plans AND THEN YOUR HOME DOESN'T SELL because it's overpriced! Bummer.... Way Bummer, in fact. Actually it's even worse if it's goes into escrow, but it won't appraise. Dang their appraisers.... they have their heads up their.....
Hold on now. They are not the problem. I promise. They've got rules and guidlines, and they are only doing their job.
So how do you assure that your home will sell AND appraise, especially after putting in all that work, and putting up with all those pesky agents with their buyers.
Check out the following video and you'll find out how. You'll also see how good I look in blue how to how to adjust your expectations to what will most likely happen. And if it doesn't make sense.... call me. I'm here to help.
To check out homes for sale in the Fair Oaks area, click here.
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For Real Estate in the Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Orangevale, Gold River, Citrus Heights and Sacramento areas of California. I focus on doing what is right for my clients, regardless of my personal gain.
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), Carmichael (where my rental is and 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 ya go... 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 AND HONORS
Additionally, in 2006 Sally Dunbar was chosen out of 900 agents to receive Lyon Real Estate's prestigious C. Mike Messina Memorial Award for excellence and professionalism.
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 is a Senior at 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 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).
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. It's 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 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
"I know many real estate agents in the Sacramento area, but when it came to choosing an agent to list and market my elderly parent's home in Del Dayo Estates, I knew I wanted Sally to be the one. She is enthusiastic and diligent with her listings and her follow-up in the whole process was fabulous. She was wonderful and patient with my dad and kept all of the family members informed each step of the way. I highly recommend Sally for all of your real estate needs." Patti Codiga
"Sally really knows her stuff." Dr. Gregg Heise
"After 274 days on the market with another reputable agency we called Sally. She presented her marketing plan, and walked through our home and made several suggestions, which we implemented immediately. With her changes, our home just shined! She had an offer for us in 11 short days. Even better, we closed in 15 days. Sally's professionalism, candor, and expertise were the best gifts we gave ourselves for the holidays!!!! We will always recommend Sally to our friends and family." Curtis and Rosemary Asby
"Sally is a true pleasure to work with. She was very informative, patient and extremely understanding. Sally is a true professional who we would recommend to anyone we know." Paul & Ida Mamika
"Sally was awesome. We will recommend her to friends and family. She was the only professional aspect I witnessed in this cutthroat industry. We were fortunate to have found her!" Randi & Allen Hampton
"Sally's highly competent negotiating skills were of great benefit. She got an excellent purchase price for us!" Doug & Mary Kuhl
"Sally is by far the best agent I know." George Raab, her Dad
"Sally has empathy for her clients, the knowledge and negotiating skills to make transactions happen, the marketing savvy necessary to represent any property and the drive to get it all done. There have been few people who I have observed in the some 30 years that I've been in the real estate profession who have combined so many elements into such an outstanding career. Her career can only be described as exceptional. I'm proud to work along side her." Clay Sigg, Vice President/Managing Broker, Lyon Real Estate
"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
"I found Sally to be caring, efficient, and professional beyond the word. Her follow-up with detail was impressive." Carol Delzer
"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
"We will, as we always do, tell anyone and everyone about you! And of course any move or change we make MUST have a "Sally Dunbar" mark." Gail & Mike Arno
"Thank you for all of your hard work in finding and helping us buy our house. We know it wasn't an easy process, so thanks for sticking with us through it all. You have our future business and well as our sincere recommendations. " Kurt & Debby Smith
"You are wonderful and we truly appreciate your help, guidance, professional knowledge, and above all else your sweet self." Joe & Snow Nemeth
"Sally Dunbar did a fantastic job. I cannot think of one thing that would have made my experience more pleasurable." Wade Serrian
"Minnie and I really want to thank you for your work in selling our home. Your professionalism, attentiveness and overall outstanding knowledge was always evident. We appreciate you." Bob & Minne Buyse
"Thank you for making the house sale so easy. I did just ‘sit home' and let you do it all. You are the best!" Alison Majer
"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
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