Selling homes today presents challenges and requires creativity and cooperation between the fields of real estate sales and home staging. Sure times are tough, but hard times can bring great new ideas and actions into being. Several weeks ago I posted a blog about a savvy real estate agent who not only knew the value of home staging, but actually helped the owners and me, the stager, prepare the home for sale. She went the extra mile and was rewarded with a profitable sale one day after the staging was completed! The next agent who contacted Selling By Design-Staging had several new builds listed, and an owner who wanted them sold asap, but was not willing to pay for staging. A dilemma indeed, and since Selling By Design-Staging's inventory was mostly being used already in other listing... 04/12/2012

Who Should I Hire to Sell My House, Fresno, CA.? You may soon be asking yourself, "who should I hire to sell my house in Fresno, CA.?"  Although prices have not jumped back up to what they were in the boom years and they probably won't for a very long time, we are noticing more of a stabilizing trend in home sales in the central valley.  Although short sales and foreclosures still make up roughly 50% of the sold homes every month, prices are not plummeting like one would expect when half of the homes being sold are "distressed properties."  If you have equity in your house and you want to upgrade or downsize, now may be a good time for you to consider selling your house in order to make your next move. Before you can ask the question, "who should I hire to sell my house in Fresno, CA," ... 03/27/2012

Homes For Sale Woodward Lake Fresno, CA. 93720 & 93730 What are the housing trends and homes for sale at Woodward Lake Fresno, CA. 93720 & 93730?  Over the last six months, the sales have been averaging just under $128 per sq. ft.  Prices vary significantly for the homes with lake access off of their private backyard docks verses those with no lake view, etc.  You will find homes listed for sale at more than $250 per sq. ft. and ones listed around $100 per sq. ft. so there is a wide variety of homes in this 1,000+ home development. The homes for sale at Woodward Lake in Fresno, CA. 93720 & 93730 are ideally located for convenience and active living.  Just to the south you will find a commercial center at Ft. Washington and Friant which offers several choices for eating, dining as well a... 03/26/2012

We’re going to review some of the common mistakes that first-time buyers make, and we’re going to show you how they can ruin your opportunity to buy your first home. How to avoid those types of blunders? You'll find out in our HousePro Academy online course, Home Buying 101. MISTAKE #4:  Failing to do your "Due Diligence" Research The fourth common mistake made by buyers is neglecting to do their “due diligence”.  Due diligence just means researching the property and the neighborhood.  You need to do the footwork to find out what’s going in with the house.  You cannot simply rely on your Realtor® or the listing agent.  Getting inspections is one important way to research your house.  But it’s your responsibility to find out about the neighborhood, the neighbors, the community, and the a... 03/25/2012

  It has been well known for several years by home staging and real estate professionals that on line photographs are the all important first impression that over 80% of potential buyers will receive of a home. That is why most home stagers and real estate agents urge sellers to make sure their MLS photos will attract to rather than divert traffic from their homes. Poor  MLS photos of a home will inspire house hunters to quickly click the " next listing" button and move on to look at a house that has better photos. Only after finding a home that shows well on line will many prospective buyers schedule an appointment to visit a listing in person. With this in mind here are 7 blatant photographic buyer turnoffs.   Rooms that have no visible purpose  Personal grooming products on bathroom ... 03/20/2012

  Selling By Design-Staging                              Staging A Model Apartment; An Effective Marketing Strategy   Last December, a week before Christmas, Selling By Design-Staging got a call from an apartment manager who wanted to have a renovated apartment staged to use as a model. I had never done home staging for an apartment, but it sounded interesting so I agreed to do the job, figuring that he would want it staged after the first of the year. Surely not before Christmas!   Wrong. As many investors do he want the apartment staged ASAP, as in two days. Could I do that he wanted to know. "Of course," said Superwoman (out loud). Inside I said, " You want it WHEN ?" But we at Selling By Design-Staging never shrink from a challenge. ( I'm still 18 if I don't look in the mirror.)   S... 03/16/2012

Fresno MLS Homes For Sale If you are wanting to see Fresno MLS homes for sale, you can find a variety of information online.  Some of the problems for home buyers when they are searching for homes online is that they visit national websites that are very user friendly.  While they are user friendly, they rarely have accurate data as there are no "internet police"  to make them update their housing information.  These websites exist so they can sell advertising to local real estate agents by having their face and phone numbers on the side of the web page, etc. If you want to see Fresno MLS homes for sale that are actively for sale, you will eventually find that these national websites are not the best source of information.  They will have housing data that is old.  They will show houses... 03/14/2012

Lake Van Ness Offers Private Lake Community Fresno, CA. 93711 If you want to look important, Lake Van Ness offers a private lake community in Fresno, CA. 93711 with security guards at the entrance.  This community is unique to Fresno with estate sized homes completely surrounded by a security gate and all of the homes have lake access off of their private docks.  This development is almost out of place in the central valley.  My last housing update in this community was back in May of 2011.  That report found that the four sales in 2010 averaged about $241 per sq. ft.  Since June of 2011, there have been four sales ranging from $181-263 per sq. ft. with the average being $222.  There may still be more of a dip in these home prices in the future as there are fewer people in the Fresno ar... 03/12/2012

Homes for sale Clovis Unified School District Fresno, CA. 93711, 93720 & 93730 If you are interested in homes for sale in the Clovis Unified School District in Fresno, Ca. 93711, 93720 & 93730, you are one among many others.  To home buyers, one of the most attractive features of living in north Fresno is the Clovis school district.  If this describes you, then know that the competition is tough in these areas, especially as there isn't a surplus of nice listings due to the distressed housing market.  If you are looking at homes for sale in the Clovis Unified School District in Fresno, CA. 93711, 93720 & 93730, it would be best that you have your financing figured out before you look.  What typically happens is a buyer will locate the perfect house that has recently been painted, fresh ... 03/08/2012

                                                                The following is taken from an Agent’s Remarks section on a listing in the Fresno MLS. Agent remarks are comments by the listing agent that are only seen by other agents on the MLS. This happens to be for a multi-unit property – that now only has one tenant ( I wonder why) This is a VERBATIM CUT AND PASTE: “A sophisticated investor will be able to see past the cosmetic damage and get to the value. Most of the units are not secured, so just go over there and snoop around. The only tennant is very nice and will likely give you a little tour. Homeless sometime camp out in the unsecured units, so enter cautiously. There was a murder in one of the units, but the murderer has not been seen around for awhile, so you may (or may n... 03/06/2012

Market Update Lakefront Homes Woodward Lake Fresno, CA.  93730 & 93720 Six years ago if you would have googled "market update lakefront homes Woodward Lake in fresno, CA. 93720 & 93730," every home selling on the water over 3,000 sq. ft. would have probably been over a million dollars.  Today there is only one home on the water that is listed for over a million and it s 4,197 sq. ft.  It is a great time to pick up a home in WL for an investment or just to call home.  SEE WHAT IS STILL FOR SALE IN WOODWARD LAKE TODAY!! Woodward Lake is a community built around a man made lake.  All of the homes have HOA fees to help cover the costs of the club house, tennis courts, basketball courts, green areas and the lake in general.  Yearly HOA fees range from $400-1,600 depending on if you have a wa... 03/06/2012

Market Update Destinations by Granville Homes Fresno, CA. 93720 The highly desirable Destinations by Granville Homes in Fresno, CA. 93720 are creating a buzz for home buyers and so I decided to do a market update for all those interested lookers.  My last blog about this community back in August of 2011 revealed that the recent sales in the community averaged $124 per sq. ft.  Today when I look at the sales data within the last six months, there are only three sales or 33% of the number of sales that there were six months prior to my August 2011 post.  The most current three sales have averaged almost $120 per sq. ft.  This market update for Destinations by Granville homes in Fresno, CA. 93720 seems to point to a drop in prices by $5 per sq. ft. but with only 1/3 of the amount of sales ... 03/05/2012

Appriasals in Fresno CA -  It is just one person's opinion!   My husband just passed his real estate exam and is waiting for his license to come in.  I have been having him do odds and ends for me so he learns the business.  I have a new escrow for buyers who are getting a FHA loan on a flip property so there has to be two appraisals.  I made the appointments with both apparisaers and asked my husband to open up the property for both appraisers.  He told the appriasers that he was new and waiting for his license and asked them if they minded if he followed and took notes.  The only thing I asked of him was ask the appriaser if there are any conditions.  First apprasier called out 2 items, second appraiser called out 2 different items.  I was concnerned that the heater did not work and t... 02/26/2012

Top Ten Mistakes Homeowners Make When Facing Foreclosure in Fresno, CA   1.  Fail to educate themselves regarding their rights and options. 2.  Avoid their mortgage company and do not return phone calls. 3.  Allow feelings of fear or hopelessness to prevent them from taking action. 4.  Procrastinate until their options are gone. 5.  Make decisions based on emotions instead of facts and proper education. 6.  Pay for fee-based education or counsel. 7.  Refuse to accept the reality and urgency of their situation. 8.  Turn to unregulated real estate investors for help. 9.  Follow advice from friends or family that leads them down the wrong path. 10. Fail to seek professional advice from a specialist.   If you are facing foreclosure in Fresno, CA, please contact me for a complimentary consul... 01/31/2012

I know we read alot on the internet when reading about the foreclosure process.  Here is California we are a non-judicial state.  Below is the difference for your refrence.     Two Different Systems: Judicial and Non-Judicial   Judicial Process                                                                                                     Non-Judicial Process Use state court system during foreclosure Use trustee to process foreclosure; courts not required Homeowner carries the deed Beneficiary (investor) carries the deed Default recorded at county courthouse Default recorded at county courthouse Bank Investor must go through courts before foreclosure process can be initiated Bank Investor does not have to go through courts to initiate foreclosure process Court verifies default statu... 01/28/2012

Is Bankruptcy in Fresno CA the Best Option in my Situation? Bankruptcy is a sensitive topic that should never be discussed or considered lightly. Many individuals believe that bankruptcy is an opportunity to be “freed” from their financial obligations and hardships, and have a new beginning. Unfortunately, individuals who have actually gone through bankruptcy describe it differently. Financial advocate and national radio and talk-show host Dave Ramsey describes his experience with bankruptcy: “Don’t let anyone fool you. I have been through bankruptcy and have worked with bankruptcy for decades, and it is not a place you want to visit. Bankruptcy is listed in the top five life-altering events that we can go through, along with divorce, severe illness, disability, and loss of a loved one... 01/28/2012

Short Sale Timeline for Sellers in Fresno CA The Short Sale Timeline diagram is a general illustration of the stages involved in completing a short sale and the number of days each stage usually takes. Short sale timelines differ between banks and do not always follow the process illustrated on the diagram. While few banks will ever process short sales in the same amount of time, most banks will still adhere to the same stages illustrated in the diagram with very few exceptions or revisions. Short Sales: Step-by-Step The short sale process is complicated and must be done right in order for the result to work out in the best interest of the homeowner. For this reason, many banks require that the homeowner be represented by a licensed real estate agent. The majority of the tasks performe... 01/28/2012

All Parties Can Benefit from a Short Sale Buying a short sale property can be a good deal to all parties involved. The bank benefits by not having to complete a costly foreclosure process, then having to maintain, insure, and sell–or auction–the property at an amount that is usually less than the amount received through a short sale. The homeowner is completely freed from the burden of an unsustainable mortgage with far less damage to their credit. The short sale allows them to purchase another home in 2-3 years–instead of 5-7 years compared to foreclosure. The buyer is able to purchase a great home at a great price. Most short sale listings can be successfully purchased at an 3-5 percent discount in most markets, which is oftentimes a better discount than buying bank-owned–REO–listings... 01/28/2012

A review of my week working short sale deals in Fresno, CA.   Property A: Received offer in Sept 2011.  Two loans on property.  After MUCH follow up I receive approval from first and second on same day last week.  Property is vacant and seller goes over to get pool ready for inspections and discovers AC unit coils have been stolen from unit on the roof.  Homeowners insurance was cancelled as the insurer did not want to insure vacant property and quotes were high.  Both lenders were put on notice that property was not insured.  Lenders will not pay for AC replacement.  Deal in jeopardy   Property B:   Approval letter received from lender and it is short the amount of unpaid taxes.  Lender states they have been paid on their side.  County tax office still shows outstanding.  Ask lender fo... 01/27/2012

  A good chart to review when considering foreclosure alternatives in Fresno CA.  Most homeowners in a distressed-mortgage situation are not aware of the programs and options available to them to prevent foreclosure. Even homeowners who proactively seek out resources and assistance are oftentimes confused by the complexity of foreclosure and mortgage jargon.   Here is a good Home Owner Guide to help in the process.     Foreclosure Alternatives at a Glance   01/27/2012