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Elizabeth Weintraub
Making Repairs that Payoff When Selling
Making repairs that payoff when selling is a very important conversation to have with your Realtor. This article below was written by Elizabeth over a decade ago and is a topic that we have with sellers on a daily basis. Enjoy.
–JaCi Wallace
A seller who is putting his home on the market next week needed to get his home in shape to sell, but he had a few marks on his kitchen wall that required repair. He had tried to match the wall color in the kitchen, but could not find a good match. As a result, he ended up with two big splotches of brownish shades on his brown wall. He wanted to leave it that way. He was tired of making repairs and spending money to fix up his home before selling it.
Even though I explained to him that a buyer who is handing over more than a half-million dollars for his home will want it turnkey and ready to move into, the seller was adamant that he was not going to repaint the kitchen. As a compromise, he is painting one wall a darker shade of brown. Because in a buyer’s market, if a buyer can easily spot defects in a home, the buyer is likely to pass it by in favor of a home that needs no work. Buyers are looking for reasons to eliminate homes from their home buying lists.
Read more about Repairs Before Selling.
Making repairs that payoff when selling could net a seller a higher profit so for sound professional tips about what to repair, call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors with RE/MAX Gold, at 916-233-6759.
Elizabeth Weintraub
Downsizing to a Smaller Home
Home downsizing to a smaller home is a blog that Elizabeth Weintraub wrote for another publication, Enjoy. JaCi Wallace.
Sometimes bigger isn’t better, and I have come to that conclusion in my own life. At one point, I owned a ranch home that was 8,600 square feet. For just two of us and one cat. It was enormous and way too much space for me to handle. Just walking from the kitchen to the bedrooms was a trek. I actually considered installing a moving walkway until I realized how incredibly silly and stupid it would be.
It was a pain to clean, the utilities were expensive and the mortgage payments absurd. I struggled with this home for almost two years before I realized that I should sell it and consider downsizing to a smaller home. A smaller home also meant I could get rid of a lot of furniture. Ultimately, smaller quarters meant I spent less time taking care of the home and had more time to spend with friends. It made dinner parties a lot more intimate and comfortable.
If you are interested in downsizing and or selling your home call Weintraub & Wallace with RE/MAX Gold, 916-233-6759.
— Elizabeth Weintraub
Why Pending Sales Contracts Cancel
Below is a great post Elizabeth wrote about canceling contracts for another site in 2007. We just had a buyer cancel on a 1031 exchange and it was out of the blue. I think this is a timely article and thought we would share it with our readers. Great writing about real estate is applicable even a decade later. Enjoy! — JaCi Wallace
Wondering why contracts cancel? Well, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings is an expression some agents use when an offer has been accepted. That’s because offers can fall apart and blow up, especially after a home inspection. Contracts cancel. But the reasons contracts cancel aren’t always about the home inspection. Sometimes, buyers freak out.
It seems normal to go out and look at homes without experiencing anxiety because after all, you’re just looking. Some buyers can look at homes for more than six months before making up their minds which home they want.
Signing an offer and waiting for an acceptance, however, is an anxious time for many home buyers. And it’s not until the offer comes back accepted by the seller that the reality of the situation begins to sink in. That’s when buyers bolt straight up in bed at 3 AM, eyes blazing and hands sweating, asking themselves, “What did we just do?”
If you want to buy or sell real estate, or talk about why contracts cancel, call Weintraub and Wallace at RE/MAX Gold at 916.233.6759.
— Elizabeth Weintraub
About Writing Offers Without Viewing a Home
Writing offers without viewing a home is an article that was written by Elizabeth for another publication. Believe it or not, this was written over a decade ago. This subject is as much an issue today as it was in 2007. — JaCi Wallace
“One of the services I offer my Sacramento sellers is, upon receipt of an offer, I always check MLS to find out if the buyer’s agent had accessed the lockbox. We can tell if the agent opened the box. If we have 10 offers on a home, and 9 of the agents showed it and one did not, the agent who did not show the home is at a severe disadvantage. Because we will tell the seller that her buyer has not seen the home. A buyer must see the home.
Having said that, I did buy a house in Hawaii that my husband did not see. It’s not because he didn’t have a chance to view it, it’s that he wasn’t in Hawaii and wasn’t about to fly over to the island to inspect a property that his Realtor wife had already viewed. But most buyer’s spouses are not like that. Typically, there are two decision makers.
Now, I have asked agents directly if they showed the house and they will say, “yes, the wife saw it.” So then I have to ask: did you go inside? Because I’ve had agents “clarify” when pressed that the wife had driven by. Which is different from what I asked. I was asking if the buyers were writing offers without viewing a home, and Realtors are required to tell the truth under the Realtor Code of Ethics.
Further, spouses will often use each other as excuses. Ever try to pin down a guy to an appointment time and he’ll say, “Let me check with my wife?” That means you’ll never hear from him again.
If you want to sell your home and ensure your buyers see your home before they make an offer, call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors, with RE/MAX Gold at 916-233-6759.
— Elizabeth Weintraub
Choosing the Price to Offer on a Home
Choosing the price to offer on a home is always a tough decision for buyers. They often expect us to tell them. I always run a market analysis. This shows the fair market value on the subject property. This step gives a buyer the information needed to decide on a price. This article below was written by Elizabeth Weintraub for another publication over a decade ago. It is a quick easy read with great pointers. Enjoy. — JaCi Wallace
Instead of plucking a number out of thin air, there are better ways to figure out how much to offer for a home. Realize that legal issues may prevent your real estate agent from naming a price for you, but your real estate agent can absolutely be instrumental in helping you figure out how much to pay.
In a buyer’s market, you may find these facts to be true:
- Sometimes the price you offer may have little to do with the list price of the home.
- The price you decide to offer may be unrelated to the sales price you will eventually agree upon.
- Sometimes the home is already priced under comparable sales.
Read more about Choosing the Price to Offer on a Home.
Would you like to hire an experienced real estate team that provides valuable information step-by-step through each milestone of your sale or purchase? If so, call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors with RE/MAX Gold. We are here to provide valuable information to you. 916-233-6759.
