selling an overimproved home
Too Late to Buy This Remodeled Home in Tallac Village
Sorry, it is now too late to buy this remodeled home in Tallac Village. It just yesterday closed escrow. Funny, when I originally listed this Tallac Village home, I got a lot of pushback from agents telling me they thought the home was overpriced. I’m thinking that might be because they were unfamiliar with the neighborhood. See, when I take a listing, I thoroughly examine the surrounding neighborhood for comparable sales. What I noticed in this area was a big mix of homes, mostly on the lower end. There were a few a streets that reflected enormous pride of ownership, and this was one of those.
So often, I find, agents take the easy way out with comps. They will click that little button on the listing in MLS for comps. It’s called “find comparables.” While that is one way, it doesn’t necessarily show all of the comps. For one thing, not enough room. For another, its radius is not always wide enough to find the other comps. Not to mention, you’re not looking at the listing and photos, just status. Buyer’s agents are always busy, so they quickly glance at the results of the “comp” button. I don’t know if they disregard square footage or acreage and just note the sales price or what. But most of the arguments I engage in with agents over comps seem to stem from a different point of view.
With this remodeled home in Tallac Village, the concern was mostly the cement tile roof and the solar panels. Not every solar panel contract is something a buyer wants to assume. It can be a big drawback in a sale. Solar panels add no value to the home. Turns out there were a few cracked tiles and the solar company had installed the panels incorrectly. We were fortunate they came out and fixed it. However, there were still a few repairs we hired a roofing company to fix.
The rest of the home was sold strictly AS IS. Our first buyer flaked out on us in less than a week. He received the home inspection and canceled right after. I reviewed the inspection and could not find anything disturbing in it, so who knows. The guy was a doctor and what do doctors know about home construction? Well, there is always another buyer for that Sacramento home.
Fortunately, we found that new buyer within days of the first buyer bailing. She turned out to be a great buyer who was very eager to live near UC Davis Medical Center. The sellers let her adopt their chickens. Bawk, bawk. Such a smooth and nice transaction. Day and night difference over the first escrow. Sometimes, I do have to sell an remodeled home in Tallac Village twice and get paid once, but that’s how it goes in Sacramento real estate.
The important thing is my sellers closed at their asking price and are happy.