Fresno Office Building on West Shaw went up in smoke today, Wednedsay, October 20, 2010     This afternoon the building diagnolly across the parking lot from our Keller Williams Realty office went up in smoke.  Apparently a company was working on the two story building's roof when the something went wrong and the crane working on the building caused a fire to begin.   The rest of this story is just what I HEARD, and you know how that goes, so nothing has been verified!!!  Word or rumor has it that they didn't call the Fire department immediately, the workers tried to extinguish the fire themselves.It is being said that this delay caused much more damage to the inside of the building.  Had the firefighters been able to respond quicker, they could have saved more of the building from bein... 10/20/2010

Decided to add some more photos of my recent home staging in Fresno Ca. This home is an example of how staging can make a home stand out from the competition. 10/13/2010

Selling By Design-Staging in Fresno, Ca just finished preparing this lovely home for sale. The owners diligently followed all of our home improvement suggestions which included new lighting for the dining room and stairway, paint touchups, and decluttering. Selling By Design-Staging used some of the homeowner's furniture and art and brought in other necessary pieces. The home was in great shape already and the staging really made it pop. Professional photography made the photos of the property really stand out from the competition. It was wonderful to work with clients who understood the need for staging a home before it went on the market. They were a joy with which to work and made the job a pleasure.   10/13/2010

"Staging Works!" The joyful real estate agent exclaimed upon selling a home that had been on the market for months and sold one week after being staged. The house had been vacant and was being ignored by buyers. A woman who had seen it vacant, but was not impressed with the property, came to see it after Selling By Design-Staging had furnished and accessorized it. She fell in love with the house and made an offer that day! It is now under contract. So as home stagers know, the relatively small investment in furnishings can make a huge difference between a property selling quickly and languishing on the market for months. As one happy REA says, " STAGING WORKS!"                                     Livingroom Before                                  Livingroom After                        ... 09/07/2010

Real Estate 101-LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!  You won't find many people that don't know those 3 key words when it comes to Real Estate and values.     So I must ask our National Media why in the world would you give a report covering over 3 million square miles of land????  If you drive across these beautiful United States, you would expect to drive over 3,400 miles.  Is the National media saying that home values and sales are the same in San Diego, California as Richmond, Virginia or Detroit, Michigan or Austin, Texas?   Hello? Is the weather the same everyday in these cities as well?  NO!!!  It's not.  I can drive 134 miles on a 110 degree day here in Fresno and be chilled by the cool breeze and 65 degree air of Cayucos on Central Coast.     And guess what else???  The median pric... 08/25/2010

Bullard High School in Northwest Fresno will be put to the test this season after winning it's first Division 1 Valley Championship last season while going 13-0.  Bullard begins it's season playing 4 of the state's top football programs.  All of those teams will be looking to knock off the Knights and break that 13 game winning streak.           This is sure to be one of the toughest seasons for the Bullard High Knights and coach Don Arax.  Luckily, Coach Arax, has been working hard building the program from the ground up through the Bullard Youth Football League as well as Bullard's main feeder school, Tenaya.  This vision and organization should help Bullard establish themselves as a top football program for the years to come.   Bullard High School Football Schedule 2010 DATE TIME OPP... 08/24/2010

Fresno Clovis Real Estate Market Update July 2010   The real estate market in Fresno and Clovis is holding steady and continues to see plenty of positive activity. In July 2010, 530 single family homes sold in Fresno and Clovis for a median price of $161,000.  Of these 530 homes, 40% were bank owned, while 60% were either short sales or traditional sales.  The median price of a bank owned home was $125,000 while a non-bank owned home was $177,500.  The average days on the market for the sold homes was 61 days.    Lowest Priced Home Sold in July 4134 E. Washington-Sold 7/1/10 Bank Owned, 1 Bed/1 Bath, 708 SF Located in Southeast Fresno $30,000 Cash   Highest Priced Home Sold in July   12400 Via Tuscania-Sold 7/26/10 Trad. Sale, 4 Bed/4 Bath, 4827 SF Located in Monte Verdi in Clovis $950,... 08/17/2010

Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) You may have received a letter from your lender notifying you of a new government programs for homeowner mortgage assistance called "Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA)."   This program appears to hold some promise for streamlining the lengthy short sale process and also offers incentives for homeowners and lenders to participate.  Here's some of the basics for those currently upside down on their home:  What is a Short Sale? A homeowner works with a local realtor to sell their property for a current market rate and the mortgage lender agrees to accept the net proceeds of the sale even if the proceeds are less than the total amount due on the mortgage.  What is HAFA? -  http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/hafa.html First, the progr... 08/13/2010

This is part two of my blog on the transformation by Selling By Design-Staging of an otherwise lovely vintage home in Fresno,CA, which was plagued by a scary paint job worthy of Dracula's castle. Originally a bedroom,  used as a "media" room, it was a big turnoff to buyers. Enough said.                                                       Before Painting                                                            After Painting   PS. The bed is a work in progress. More to come. 08/11/2010

It is amazing what furniture and paint can do to make a home more appealing. Selling By Design-Staging in Fresno, CA  used furniture, accessories and paint to transform a vintage home from deserted and lonely looking to cozy and inviting. The home, built in 1938, resting on a street arched by mature trees, has four bedrooms and three baths. One of the bedrooms had been painted "eggplant" (looked black) and red to be used as a media room. It had a grim, haunted feel to it and was screaming for PAINT. The entire house begged to be staged. Selling By Design-Staging went to work on the transformation. A few days later, VOILA!                                    Living Room Before                                Living Room After      Stay tuned for part 2 of the Harvard Ave. transformation. N... 08/10/2010

    Takumi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar in Fresno, Ca. is a wonderful place to enjoy a delicious meal.  They have a variety of dining options to meet everyone's needs.  Takumi has been open for just over a  year now and is located on Shaw and Valentine at 3486 West Shaw Avenue in Northwest Fresno.           Takumi has become one of my favorite places to go for lunch.  For one, it is simply delicious, and second, the lunch specials they have Monday thru Thursday are hard to beat.  You can have the Tepanyaki lunch special for $8.95.  Now, that's a deal!!!  The lunch special consists of Chicken, Steak, and Shrimp. You also get the soup appetizer, fried rice, and vegetables.  I can never finish it all.  They also have a box lunch special that is priced right at $7.95, but I have to adm... 08/04/2010

There they sit, the UNSOLD, (like the last kid picked for the team) nice homes in good neighborhoods, great curb appeal, but ignored by buyers. As a home staging professional in Fresno, CA, I have been asked by people why some homes sell quickly and why others remain for sale for months, sometimes even a year or more. This sad drama is taking place all over the country, not just in Fresno. We know, it's the economy, right? Partially, but not completely. Many homes sell within a few months, some in as little as a week. So what is the problem with the houses that don't sell? Ask any home stager, or look through the MLS ( Multiple Listing Services) pictures, and you will find the answer. Assuming that the home is priced correctly and is in a good location, the reason it remains on the mark... 07/21/2010

       Northwest Fresno is home to Bullard High School, some fabulous parks, restaurants, and stores, and a variety of homes from your basic starter home to multi-million dollar mansions.  The majority of Northwest Fresno is in the zip code of 93711, although there are some great pockets of homes right around Bullard High School that fall in the 93704 zip, and some newer construction farther West in 93722 that feeds into Bullard as well.  For the purposes of this report, we will be discussing only 93711.     Homes Sold For The Last 12 Months in 93711     In June 2010, 33 homes closed escrow in 93711.  The Average Days on the Market for the sold homes was 53 days.  The median price was $237,000.  This has been the most closed deals we have seen in the last 12 months.   Of the 33 sold hom... 07/21/2010

Come out and support the California Odyssey U17 Girls soccer team Saturday, July 17 from 8 am - Noon at the Rite Aid on the corner of Willow and Nees in Northeast Fresno.   Get your car washed and help an amazing group of young ladies raise money- It's a Win Win!!!    Can't make it to the car wash and you still want to make a tax deductible donation to our team?  Contact me for details.     Want to know more about California Odyssey Soccer?  Just click the soccer ball.     Next Weekend-July 23-25 Odyssey will be playing in the Pleasanton Rage College Showcase where 88 college coaches will be scouting their future stars.  Visit the Rage Website to follow all the latest tournament information.   See you out there-The Darling Girls will be washing cars Saturday morning!!!   Go Odyssey!!!  ... 07/16/2010

Fresno Clovis Real Estate Market Update for June 2010   June 2010 brings us another month of positive Real Estate activity in the Fresno, Clovis market.  Our Median Home price has remained stable at $169,900.  There were 661 Single Family Residences that closed escrow in Fresno and Clovis during the month of June.  The average days on the Market for the properties that sold was 57 days, that's less than 2 months!!! Below, you will find the data for the past 12 months for homes that have sold.  Notice that 64.91% of the homes that sold were not bank owned, while 35.1% were bank owned.         As far as new properties that were listed, we had a total of 885 new listings hit the market in Fresno and Clovis in June.  Of these new listings 268 were bank properties while 597 were non bank pro... 07/16/2010

It is legal to buy and set off Safe and Sane Fireworks in Fresno and Clovis on the 4th of July from 8 pm until midnight.  They are on sale all over Fresno and Clovis.     If your looking for a booth to buy from, go to Peach and Shaw in front of the AutoZone or to the intersection of Sunnyside and Nees.   These booths are being sponsored by the California Odyssey Soccer Club.     California Odyssey is a non-profit Competitive Soccer Club in the Central Valley.  They have some of the best players in the Valley, State, Region, and Nation.  Not only do they have some of the best players, but the best teams and coaches as well.  Be sure to visit the Odyssey web site for more information about the amazing achievements of these young, talented athletes.   Buying your fireworks from these two s... 07/01/2010

The ultimate goal of Selling BY Design-Staging in Fresno is to create an atmosphere in a home that is warm, inviting and appealing to the largest number of potential buyers in a given market. As most do staging professionals, we strive for a look that is neutral, but not overtly "staged." Choosing the right accessories, those items that add style and splashes of color, without having the look of a furniture store display, is key to achieving  the WOW effect. With this in mind the question arises, how much is too much? While watching a home staging show the other night I was stunned to see a staged home in which it seemed that in the case of fake food, enough was never enough. As the homeowners toured their staged home the wife remarked, "There is so much fake stuff. It looks too staged.... 06/29/2010

Wine and Design, a class on home staging tips presented by Selling By Design-Staging,  was according to those who attended, " fun, informative, eye-opening, and motivating."  One of the participants emailed me the next day and said that she had already started staging her home, though she is not even thinking of selling. She just got so inspired by the class that she had already trimmed the bushes outside the house and done a lot of decluttering inside as well. Selling By Design-Staging in Fresno CA has done many redesign projects for homeowners who do not intend to sell, but just need help sorting, decluttering and adding some new decorating touches to their homes. Beginning to redesign and organize one's own home can be a daunting task. Many people just need some suggestions by an imp... 06/29/2010

HAROLD PENNER:  Fresno Real Estate Market Analysis Fresno Condos: A Good Buy? One of the questions often asked by clients is, "Are condominiums a good investment in the Fresno County area?"  Current Price:Certainly, the price is compelling.  Investors, first time home buyers and retirees are currently picking up Fresno County condos for an average of $106,354 (approx. $74 per square foot).  That means mortgage payments hover around $800 for a 1,200 square foot condo.  For many buyers, condos provide an extremely affordable and attractive option. So price isn't the question right now.  But, should you buy is the question.  The Central Valley is traditionally a single family home environment.  Is there enough demand for condos in Fresno? With volatile real estate swings how does the value... 06/24/2010

Only three days until Wine and Design! Fresno home owners and real estate agents, Selling By Design-Staging is presenting  a free class outlining what home owners can do themselves to boost their home's selling potential. The class is being held at The Tasting Room, a lovely wine shop located at 7775 N Palm Ave, Suite 105 on the southwest corner of Palm and Nees. Come and enjoy a relaxing hour of wine and home staging tips. The class is free, the wine sold at a discount (soft drinks are free.) You will leave the class with a clear knowledge of the steps necessary to sell a home quickly and for a profit. Participants in this first ever home staging event will recieve literature and home improvement, or home staging checklists. Don't forget. Tues. June 22nd 6:30pm SEE YOU THERE! 06/19/2010