During the past year many local real estate agents in the Fresno/Clovis area, as part of their marketing programs, have begun providing their clients home staging walk through consultations from Selling By Design-Staging. The home stager and the client walk through the home while the staging professional discusses changes that the client can make which will enhance the home. The client is free to take notes.   In this home we suggested the owner remove heavy drapes, and a large recliner, as well as move the large sofa from the middle of the room to the wall. The changes opened up the room and brought in more light.         Staging consultations have paid off big time for both the agents and sellers in quick, profitable sales. To encourage those agents, and others who would like to a... 10/05/2012

Home Sale Trends Woodward Lake Fresno, CA.  93730Picking up a home around one of the few man made lake communities in Fresno may be more possible than ever with the current interest rates and prices.  The Woodward Lake community is one of the most highly desired areas in all of Fresno.  Consumers can buy with confidence in this neighborhood and not need to worry about the quality of the area deteriorating, etc.  This 20+ year old development is situated perfectly in the north side of town where economic obsolescence won't be a factor 30 years from now.  Looking at the sales data on paper can't give a detailed picture of the market trends as the homes on the water will have significantly different price points than any of the homes non on the water.  These stats throw all of the homes to... 10/03/2012

  At Selling By Design- Staging we specialize in creating an atmosphere in a client's homes that will make potential buyers say, ” Wow. This is it. This is the one I want.” Over the past several years our home staging has given the “Wow Factor” to countless homes, large, small, vacant or furnished and even to apartment complex models.   Choosing the right home staging professional for a listing is be the best marketing investment a seller can make and will more than pay for itself when the home is sold. At Selling By Design-Staging we take pride in giving our clients affordable excellence by tailoring our work specifically to fit the home's size, style, location and furnishing needs. We stage occupied homes, using the owners furnishings, as well as vacant properties, in which we supply ... 10/03/2012

  Woodward Park Located in the north eastern part of Fresno, Woodward Park was founded by the late Ralph Woodward, a long-time Fresno resident. He bequeathed a major portion of his estate in 1968 to provide a regional park and bird sanctuary in Northeast Fresno.  You can access the park by driving on the scenic Autoban drive or from Friant Road.  The park is an amazing 300 acres.  Woodward Park is the only Regional Park of its size in the Central Valley and offers so many amenities such as a multi-use amphitheatre that seats over 2,000, fenced dog park, equestrian trail, numerous bird species, authentic Japanese Garden, exercise par course, five miles of multipurpose trails, children's playgrounds, a lake, 3 small ponds and picnic areas The park is open April through October, 6am to 10p... 10/01/2012

  If My House Is Already In Foreclosure Can I Short Sale? Yes you can still short sale your house. It really depends on how far along you are in the foreclosure process. You have to remember that the foreclosure process can take a long time. We have seen foreclosure court cases drag out for 2-3 years. The good news is that you can short sale your house, even if the foreclosure has already started. An experienced short sale agent can tell you for certain if you have enough time or not. You may have more time than you think.  Average foreclosure timeline has double and tripled. The foreclosure court system is overloaded and can’t handle the avalanche of files coming their way. However don’t wait too long before contacting an experienced Fresno Short Sale Specialist.  See if you qualify fo... 10/01/2012

  About once a year I take a break from my usual home staging tasks at Selling By Design-Staging in Fresno, CA to address the issue of  photographs on the MLS or multiple listing service. Many home stagers have echoed my sentiments (or maybe I am echoing theirs) about the plethora of  really bad pics which are used to advertise homes via the internet. Photo bombs, or pictures where a person or animal jumps into view unannounced to the subject of the photograph, were one of the subjects of  segment on national news today. These appearances, this time by animals invading a photo, are good for a great laugh. Not so however when they occur in photos of homes listed on the MLS. Unintentional as I am sure they are, these bombs, not usually seen in a staged listing, distract potential buyers a... 09/14/2012

  When selling your home, hire a local Realtor, not one in the town where you currently live! Our buyers found a home on Zillow and asked us about it as we had not sent it our automatic Fresno MLS listings to them.  We got on the MLS and low and behold it was not there.  We googled the address and found the listing and called the listing agent who lives in Northern California, nowhere near Fresno CA.  It took him 3 days to call back.  When we asked the agent why he didn’t have it listed in the Fresno MLS.  His response was “How do I do that?  I put it on Craigslist and Zillow I thought that would be enough”  REALLY????  How are you going to expose the property to the local market and hold your fiduciary responsibility to the seller? And to top it off, the property is a short sale that i... 09/02/2012

Just SOLD - 3249 E Rialto Fresno CA - Fresno Short Sale Fresno, CA, Finally closed this nice 3 bedroom home with a pool by Fashion Fair Mall in Fresno CA.  I originally met the sellers in August 2011 to discuss options including a short sale.  They made a decision to list with me as a short sale in November 2011. We had an offer within a few days and a short sale approval within 30 days.  As luck would have it, the buyer came to do inspections and brought a family member who talked her out of buying an older home as it would be too much work for her so she cancelled.  During this time the sellers were in the process of moving out and had a flood that ruined the beautiful hardwood floors and walls.  It took several months for the work to be completed and we could get it on the market aga... 09/01/2012

  BofA FHA Short Sale Process   Fresno, CA – A FHA short sale is a totally different animal than a HAFA or traditional short sale.  If you are selling or buying a home that has a FHA backed loan, please be prepared to be patient.   FHA short sales go through a 3 tier process.  Here is BoFa’s timeline and steps for FHA Preforeclosure Sales as of July 2012 for their time process.   5 – 7 days:  Initiation – Homeowners must call Bank of American to start process   35-45 days:  PreQualification (1st Phase) – Complete third party authorization to speak to bank on behalf of homeowner(s), review welcome package with homeowner, coordinate appraisal access.  If short sale is approved, have Approval to Participate (ATP) letter signed and back to bank within 7 days.  TIPS: submit all required docu... 08/26/2012

  What is the Reason for an Arms-Length Affidavit on a Short Sale?   An arms-length affidavit is a document created by the sellers lender in an attempt to prevent sellers from selling to a relative or business associate and to help curb mortgage fraud. The reason the bank does not want a seller to transfer title to a relative in a short sale is because sellers cannot profit from doing a short sale.   It had come to the attention that in the past sellers had made agreements with relatives or friends to act as pretend buyers. After the transaction closes, those pretend buyers transfer title back to the seller, meaning the sellers have repurchased their home at maybe half the cost, which greatly benefits those sellers. But banks make the rules, and banks say sellers can't benefit. If they ... 08/26/2012

YAY!  Just got a first time VA home buyer approved in Fresno CA   We love working with first time home buyers and especially verterans.  We received a floor call a few weeks ago from a lovely young couple who were looking to buy a home in Fresno CA.  They had VA financing and only up to $120,000.  With a very low inventory here and lots of cash investor buyers we knew this would be a hard job to get done in this price range. After submitted a few offers and trying to keep the first time fresno home buyers positive, we got a call that our offer was accepted!  YIPPEE!  No counter offer, just an acceptance on a bank owned property! Can not wait to hand the keys to this young family and we are so happy that they choose to work with us.     08/24/2012

Ashlan Village - Gated Community in North West Fresno We have a great little gated community conviently located near Highway 99, shopping and Central East High School.  Community consists of less than 80 homes on streets named, Naomi, Javier, Brianna, Derek, Corey and Kylie.    Homes range from 1007 square feet to 1775 square feet and you have 2,3,4 and 5 bedroom choices.  Prices range in low to high 100's.  There is a community play and grassy area.  HOA fees are under $100/month. Ashlan Village is a great little community in North West Fresno to live.    Contact me for more information on this community.       08/21/2012

  Short Sale 101 - Can my current Fresno Realtor® handle my short sale?   This is a question that really needs to be researched. Short sales are specifically designed to be handled by experienced short sale specialists who have many short sales completed under their belt and the proof to back it up. There may be Realtors who claim they can take on a short sale, but it’s very important to check out their proof to those claims. It would be devastating to begin a short sale only to see it was rejected due to an incompetent Realtor who claimed to be able to bring you to a successful completion of your short sale. When searching for a short sale specialist, make sure you have a list of questions you would like them to answer and make sure you can feel completely comfortable with them. There ... 08/21/2012

  How do I qualify for a Fresno short sale?   While lenders have become more lenient in recent times, there are typically three qualifications required for a short sale.   1.     Financial Insolvency (no other major assets),   2.     The proceeds from the sale of the property, after all closing costs are paid, are less than the amount currently owed on the property, and   3.     Financial hardship. Some acceptable hardships may vary, but some common ones are;   loss of income or employment, divorce or separation, relocation or job transfer, property in need of repairs without recourses to make repairs, major illness and medical expenses, death of a family member, vacant rental properties, etc.   In most cases, a short sale is not for those who want to sell, but only for those that have ... 08/20/2012

  What is a short sale?   A short sale happens when a lender is willing to accept a lower pay off on a loan than what is currently owed.  In a short sale, the borrower will owe more on the property than the home is worth at its current state, however, a short sale happens only when a homeowner qualifies through some kind of hardship.  For example, you owe $200,000 and your home is worth $150,000 today.  Once approved for the short sale, the lender will be accepting the low pay off of the mortgage loan and in addition will pay the sellers closing costs plus commission plus may even offer the seller a cash incentive at closing.   Need more information on short sales in Fresno CA?  Contact me now for a no obligation consultation.     08/20/2012

Fresno Short Sale Specialist     What is a real estate short sale in Fresno?   A quick sale in real estate, also commonly called a short sale, happens when a lender is willing to accept a lower pay off on a loan than what is currently owed due to the borrowers inability to continue making payments.   What does it take to qualify for a Fresno Short sale?   While lenders seem to be easier to work with lately regarding qualifications, there are usually three borrower qualifications that most lenders require for a Fresno short sale.    Negative Equity – The proceeds from the sale of the property, after all closing costs are paid, are less than the amount currently owed on the property, Financial Insolvency – Financial insolvency means that the borrower has no other assets that could cover t... 08/20/2012

We have less than 900 homes to sell today in Fresno CA   Here are the latest FRESNO MLS numbers. Wow we only have 881 active single family homes in Fresno and Clovis! To top it off we sold 572 of them in the past 30 days! You can see the break down below that number...it shows how many are Short Sale, Foreclosure and Traditional.                   Last Week This Week Dif   Traditional Short REO Active 888 881 -7 -0.79% 616 154 111 30 Days Active 352 348 -4 -1.14% 222 68 58 30 Days Pending 575 570 -5 -0.87% 306 145 119 30 Days Sold 561 572 11 1.96%                                                         It is a good time to buy and sell.  If you need to know more, contact me for all your Fresno Real Estate needs.                                                                            ... 08/20/2012

Fresno CA FHA Short Sale Sold after short 8 Months!   Well I finally closed a FHA short sale listing with BofA after 8 short months!  I am so happy that buyer and seller stayed motivated through out the process.  Here is my timeline of events:   12/15/12 Submitted file to Bofa 12/29/12 Assigned to Phase 1 negotiator 2/17/2 negotiator asked for updated documents 3/26/12 Assigned to Phase 2 negotiator 5/24/12 Received written approval and assigned to Phase 3 negotiator 5/24/12 Phase 3 negotiator asked for documents to be redone 8/10/12 Closed escrow In between each date, I called, emailed and nothing.  On 3/26/12 I tweeted to @bofa_help and got the approval letter.  On 7/24/12 I tweeted again and finally negotiator called and said he would get everything set for us to close on 7/26/12 the... 08/15/2012

Central Unified in Fresno Back to School Today in 107 Heat   Yes, it is going to be 107 today here in Fresno CA and our kiddo's are on the bus with new clothes and backpacks on.  You can count on the clothes being shorts and not long pants today.  Central Unified is the first district in Fresno to start school.  The district has only 22 schools total which consist of 12 elementary, 3 middle, 2 high school, 1 K-8, 1 continuation, 1 adult and 1 community and district size is approximatetly 15,000.    Homes in the Central Unified district are made up of track and country homes and lay on the east and west of Highway 99.  Real Estate can range from $70,000 to $700,000.  There is a home for every type of living in this community. Living in Central's northwest fresno community is conviently l... 08/15/2012

A few weeks ago Selling By Design-Staging was contacted by a real estate agent who had a client who was trying to sell a vacant property. The home, a duplex in an upscale neighborhood, within walking distance of some great restaurants and shops was fairly priced, but had been on the market for over three months with no offers. During the staging consultation walk through with the seller and agent I made several suggestions regarding painting, cleaning, and the replacement of cabinet hardware, light fixtures and ceiling fans.  We also decided to stage it by bringing in furniture and accessories. The suggested changes were made (minus the chandlier and fan replacement,)  the staging was completed and the home sold within three weeks, causing the happy seller to write "I wish we had hired ... 08/09/2012