Short answer is you likely are getting a fair bid. Particularly if you are getting at least two bids. I like to think that people are inherently honest. But now and again “greed” sets in and if they see a “fish out of the water” or someone who doesn’t seem to have done this before, they get greedy and bump their prices up. When that happens you never know how high is high till you shoot at the moon. So, they sometimes do.. shoot high. If they get the job they feel so proud of themselves. This shouldn’t happen to an unsuspecting borrower. That is why your HUD 203k consultant is there – to protect the public. If the client brings a contractor to the project, it isn’t our job to change that contractor. We just need to verify the bid is “reasonable” for the project and not way over inflated... 08/08/2012

Lake Van Ness - Fresno Exclusive Gated Community Lake Van Ness is man made lake that features some of Fresno's finest custom built homes all in a gated community. The community consists of homes built by many of the top Central Valley home builders. There are less than 150 homes in this exclusive community.   Most people who live in Fresno have no idea this community exists. You can drive right by it and not even know there is a lake surrounded by these million dollar homes. Homes range from 3,000 to 6,000 square feet and prices range from $600,000 to $1,500,000.  Currently there are only 2 homes for sale, $1,175,000 and $1,450,000.                                                  In addition to Lake Van Ness, Fresno offers a few other lake communities, Woodward Lake in North Fresno and... 08/08/2012

I've always found it interesting to see a home going down the street on it's way to another site, just waiting for someone to throw out some dish water out the back door... lol , not really In the case of moving a home from one site to another several things must be present to qualify for a 203k loan. 1) The house being moved must be on it's original foundation. It can't have been moved already to a storage site while awaiting a lot to move it to. 2) HUD engineering must observe the home on the present site prior to the move and at the new location once sit & bolted on the new foundation. 3) The mover's insurance must cover the home during the move. Look at the contract many movers have it suggested the borrower is responsible for damages up to $2,500, I don't think this will fly with H... 08/07/2012

  The Historic Tower District in Fresno CA   The historic Tower District is Fresno’s dining, arts and entertainment district. The Tower’s character is set by a wide variety of businesses. Restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, performing arts venues, theaters, galleries, bakeries, delis, plus a unique blend of specialty retail establishments are all within walking distance of each other, and most are locally owned andoperated. The Tower District in Fresno CA is considered the cultural epicenter of the Central Valley.  This incredible, established community is full of charm and exciting events.  The Tower District is home to such cultural events such as, Mardi Gras Parade, The Fresno Reel Pride Festival, Taste & Toast of The Tower, Pooch Parade Canine Carnival and Costume Contest and much more.... 08/06/2012

How long will a short sale take? This is the question of the day! There are many factors involved in the  time-line of how long it takes to complete a short sale.  First, it is important to price the property correctly to procure a sale.  Secondly, market and make the property available to be seen.  Once an offer is received and accepted, your Fresno Short Sale Realtor will submit a short sale package to the lender for their approval.  The approval process from this point has historically taken anywhere from 2 weeks to 12 months (depending on who the lender is).  However, typically the lender will respond within 60-90 days with either a denial or short sale approval letter, requesting that the sale be completed usually within 30 days.  For more information on short sales and avoiding f... 08/04/2012

Looking for a North East Fresno CA Home with a Pool?  Search all 68 available homes here.  Homes values range from low $140,000's to over $2,000,000.  We have tradition, short sales and bank owned properties available for you to view.  North East Fresno covers the River Park, Woodward Lake and Copper River areas.  These areas are highly sought after.  Close to shopping, hospitals and freeway.  Fresno living at its finiest. 08/04/2012

Do you Qualify for a HAFA short sale in Fresno CA?  And what is HAFA anyway?  Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program   If you can't afford your mortgage payment and it's time for you to transition to more affordable housing, the Home Affordable Foreclosure AlternativesSM (HAFA) program is designed for you. HAFA provides two options for transitioning out of your mortgage: a short sale or a Deed-in-Lieu (DIL) of foreclosure. In a short sale, the mortgage company lets you sell your house for an amount that falls "short" of the amount you still owe. In a DIL, the mortgage company lets you give the title back, transferring ownership back to them.   In either case, HAFA offers benefits that make the transition as favorable as possible: Unlike conventional short sales, a HAFA ... 08/01/2012

I just thought I would share this funny real estate story with you.  Had a short sale listing in Fresno CA that we just finally closed on.  Buyers waiting about 7 months for this home (issue with BPO and that is not a funny story).  The house was a single story with 5 bdedrooms and a pool for $165,000.  Here in Fresno we have many, many buyers waiting to purchase a home with a pool (it is 101 in Fresno today) and our inventory is very low.    Well yesterday I received a call from the buyers agent asking if I knew who owned the vacant land in back of the property because the buyers want to REMOVE the pool!  WHAT?  They paid about $10,000 more for that home due to the pool.  There were other models available with out a pool and they waited for this one.   Sometimes I don't get it but at l... 08/01/2012

   In two previous blogs ( Lipstick On A Pig) I noted the work of JMK Properties of Fresno CA. In parts one and two of the series pictures were were shown of the property pre-renovation, after renovation but prior to staging, and photos of the final product, an expertly renovated home, enhanced by Selling By Design-Staging, also in Fresno CA. As I stated in Part 2 the home sold for asking price the first day on the market. Here are some more examples of why it sold so quickly. It is my hope that seeing what JMK Properties did with this home will inspire other investors when renovating a home for sale. Addressing all the home's needs, not merely glossing over them, but doing quality work which, along with home staging, will greatly increase the possibility  of a quick, profitable sale.  ... 07/12/2012

Things To Do Before You List Your House For Sale, Fresno, CA. If you are wondering what different things you can do before you list your house for sale in Fresno CA. in order to get top dollar then this post is for you.  The homes that are getting the most attention and the most offers and even above asking price offers are the homes that are move in ready.  These homes need little to no fixing.  Many of these homes are investor flips but some of them are traditional sales.  The majority of homes that buyers out there are looking for are homes that they can just move right into without paying excessive contractor bills for remodeling, etc.  Therefore, if you want to expose your home to the largest pool of buyers, it would be good to put a fresh coat of paint on your house if it has not ... 07/10/2012

Part 2 of Lipstick On A Pig   In my last post I discussed staging  a home renovation done  by a new company, JMK Properties of from the Fresno-Clovis area in CA. Owned by Fred and Corina Jimenez, the company bought a distressed property in a working class neighborhood and completely restored it from curb to the backyard.   Using good materials that were consistent with other renovated homes in the same price point, they took a rundown eyesore and transformed it into a lovely family home. No detail was overlooked; nothing glossed over.   After the renovation had been completed they called Selling By Design-Staging to enhance the home with furniture and accessories. The home was a pleasure to stage. It sold the same day it went on the market for full asking price!           After Renovati... 07/03/2012

As a home staging professional, I hold my breath (sometimes literally) when I go to consult on an investor owned renovated home. You never know what you will find. Unfortunately sometimes an owner, in an attempt to make a quick buck, does the bare minimum amount of restoration, usually paint and new flooring, leaving the bathrooms, kitchen and landscaping in the same worn out, often filthy condition as  they were when the house was purchased. Lipstick on a pig! And they hope that staging will provide that final coat of "lipstick" needed to produce a quick sale and huge profit. So, after "waiting to exhale," I was extremely pleased to see the work of one of Fresno's new home renovators, JMK Properties, owned and operated by Fred and Corina Jimeniz. Owners of a construction company which ... 07/01/2012

Years ago I would comment on how lop-sided the market was to the sell side.  For example in THIS POST from Aug. of 2007 the stats showed that sellers were over buyers by over 3 to 1.  Things have really changed.  Last week on one of our Fresno MLS 24 hour market watches we had one day that was REALLY balanced. Take a LOOK: Notice the New Listings = 47 and the Pendings (properties that went into contract) = 47 and the Solds (properties that closed escrow) = 46. That’s a pretty well balanced market. Here’s a look at today’s stats: Notice that  Pendings and Sales are little bit more than New Listings.  Lately this has been typical. Translation: Everything coming onto the market is getting scooped up. An imbalanced market to the sell side took prices down.  If the Market continues to show b... 06/25/2012

Just want to give a thumbs up and shout out for Legend Heating and Air Conditioning.  I called several business to find out what they charge to come out and look at my unit (which happened to be blowing warm air) and of the ones I contacted all of them required a service charge of around $60.00 just to come out and look at the unit.  Paul from Legend Heating and Air Conditioning was the only one who said he would come out and look at the unit at no cost and then give me an estimate for repairs. Legend Heating and Air Conditioning Paul: (559) 458-1549   06/22/2012

Housing Inventory is Down Demand is Up Fresno, CA. Were you waiting for the market to hit rock bottom before you bought a home?  You better hurry up and buy one because the housing inventory is shrinking like never before.  A study done by Inman news found that from May 2012 compared to May 2011, Fresno has over 48% fewer residential properties for sale on the market.  Fresno has had the 2nd largest decline in inventory in the entire nation for metro real estate.  What is this lack of inventory doing to our market you may ask?  Demand is back and consumer confidence is here like we have not seen in a long time.  I am hearing reports of listings getting 10-20 offers.  All cash offers for full price and asking for no repairs or inspections are not the winning bid in some cases.  If you ar... 06/14/2012

As part of my continuing education as a home staging professional in Fresno, Ca for Selling By Design-Staging I like to keep up with local MLS listings. Lately I've noticed that  a lot of the photos are up close shots of details in the home. Highlighting the home's finishes, granite, back splashes, unusual or expensive floor tile designs,stained glass windows etc. is always a good idea, but most of the pictures should be shots of the whole room. The detail shots should focus in on what has already been photographed in a wide shot. I just saw a listing in which only one out of 14 shots was of a whole room. The others, all closeups were pretty, but confusing. There is nothing to show off the square footage, windows or room flow. I couldn't tell if it was staged or even cleaned. Hmm, maybe... 06/12/2012

A Transaction Coordinator (TC) is a person who manages all the paperwork required in a transaction, from listing through to closing.  She is trained on legal compliance so she know what disclosures to send out, what documents must be signed when, and sets the deadline dates based on the contract.  As you know, top salespeople are NOT good at doing paperwork, so they rely heavily on a TC.  She is the person who reviews all the documents, compiles them in the file, and prepares the file for final Broker verification.  Most of the transactions are being managed online nowadays, so the TC can be located virtually anywhere.  Large brokerages hire a full time TC on staff, but smaller brokerages use an independent TC who works for multiple brokerages at a time.  A TC is an extremely valuable t... 04/19/2012

NEW MODELS AT CARRIAGE HOUSE IN SE FRESNO NOW OPEN! Our popular Yale plan has some great new features, including a large, open great room, kitchen and breakfast room. The Grand Re-Opening of our new models, in April, at Carriage House in Fresno, at Saddleback and Fender, off Shields and Armstrong, was a success. In case you missed it, you're welcome to stop by our new Welcome Home Center which is open Fridays through Tuesdays from 11am to 5pm. We'll be happy to give you a tour and show you Lennar's Everything's Included homes. We have new, updated models that include the Yale (shown above), the Radcliffe (shown below) and the new 3-bay garage version of our popular Muirwood plan. For more information, please give me a call at 1-888-215-7581 or email me at CentralValley@lennar.com.   04/19/2012

In responding to a blog from Tanja today, she posted about having arguments with family members, and how to prevent that in the future.  It made me think.  http://activerain.com/blogsview/3141812/how-do-i-not-pick-a-fight-with-someone-who-s-wrong- Yes, am an opinionated person -- I guess it's the American way, eh!  Also, being a "logical" and "analytical" thinker, my brain has a certain need to have all the facts exactly correct, in order to process the information.  When I was a kid, it really annoyed adults that I spouted off my opinion and gave the correct answer.  I now know that people do not like to be shown that they are wrong, even if they are wrong.  It hurts their ego.  So I've set out to be more gentler when talking to friends and family and clients. I have learned to stop an... 04/16/2012

Yesterday I wrote a post about a staging project for a group of new builds that an agent and I had undertaken. Today in Part 2 I will go over the plan in more detail as a few questions arose regarding payment and fees. As I stated before, the agent bought some of the large pieces of furniture, a sofa, two chairs, a headboard and an area rug. I shopped for them at bargin stores which took about five hours during which I charged my hourly rate. We got some good deals I supplied the dining set, the beds, bedding towels, pillows, art and accessories. Staging the first house took about four hours. When we moved from the first home to the second, right next door, I hired my regular moving team. Since the house was larger and I brought in more of my inventory it took six hours. The agent and I... 04/13/2012