Saddleback Valley Real Estate Blog

2018-02-09 : Latest Market perspective
Click below for a comprehensive market report!


2018-02-09 : Coming Soon!
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties are rolling out a free property valuation solution that does not require you to register!


2018-02-09 : How risky is it to do a FSBO?
FSBO - For Sale By Owner. While the idea of selling your home yourself is tempting, there are many pitfalls. LIMITED EXPOSURE: Your home typically won`t get the same exposure you get when you list with an agent. INCORRECT PRICING: Sometimes it`s hard to look at your home through a buyer`s eyes, and that is why many `For Sale by Owner` homes are overpriced. TIME VS MONEY: Sitting open house, placing your own signs, creating and distributing marketing material etc. LEGAL EXPOSURE: This is the big one! Realtors have liability insurance so if something goes wrong, the client is not exposed. If you try to sell your own home and something goes seriously wrong it could end up costing you a lot of money up to losing your home!


2017-07-14 : Does staging work?
For those of you who don`t know what staging is, quite simply it is making your home look like a model home. It most often involves removing some or all of your existing furniture and decor and installing temporary furniture and decor while the house is on the market. There are many good staging companies out there who will handle the whole process including storing your furniture. While staging may or may not affect the sale price of a home, statistics do show that staging will generally realize a higher sale price. At the very least it will get your home sold quicker!


2017-07-14 : Looking to buy?
With good credit you can now get as low 3% down payment. Now is the time to start the process - If you want to find out how much house you can afford, contact me - no cost, no obligation. Get pre-qualified for zero cost.


2017-07-14 : Mortgage rates higher
While mortgage rates are higher, they are still historically low and the market is still picking up despite low inventories.


2015-03-27 : How Does the Color of Your Home Affect B
Consider this: If color influences product marketing strategies, the color of a home can be a decisive factor when selling. When preparing a home for the market, shades within the white, tan or gray color families resonate beyond pure aesthetics – according to e-commerce giant eBay, white indicates safety. For a homebuyer, a home with a white exterior can translate to concepts like "shelter"or "safe haven." Similarly, understated browns (including the aforementioned tan) signal security. Homes painted in sandy or mushroom hues read comfort and warmth. Colors like taupe, which falls somewhere between brown and gray, call to mind traditional values, homeownership included. Earthy tones like laurel green or artichoke can not only highlight a verdant landscape, but also evoke a sense of tranquility. Homes in other colors can sell successfully – our retinas tend to register yellow before any other color, so a buttery yellow exterior could be an attractive option for buyers – but non-traditional colors, like oranges and purples, appeal to very specific personalities and can significantly shrink the pool of interested buyers. It`s important for sellers to consider the home in relation to the neighborhood before swapping out the exterior color or refreshing an existing paint job. Do nearby homes share a distinct color scheme? Is each home uniquely colored? Evaluating the home`s surroundings can help sellers determine what`s most popular in their market.


2015-01-27 : Time to Buy!
All you millennials out there (25-35). It`s time to stop renting (or living with your parents) and start buying. With good credit you can now get as low as 3.5% interest with as low as 3% down payment. FHA are also lowering their mortgage insurance rates if you have less than stellar credit. Now is the time to start the process - don`t wait until interest rates rise again or you will miss the boat! If you want to find out how much house you can afford, contact me - no cost, no obligation. Get pre-qualified for zero cost.


2014-09-27 : Make your home sensational with upgrades
The lived-in look is perfectly acceptable for a home, until it goes on the market. Shabby, stained or scratched-up surfaces can keep buyers from seeing your home’s real charm. A few simple cosmetic upgrades can make all the difference.Power-wash the exterior, Patch and paint, Replace caulk, Refinish wood surfaces, Mulch your landscape beds, Invest in new light fixtures, Upgrade kitchen and bathroom fixtures.Your entryways also deserve your attention. They are where people get their first impression of your home. Spruce yours up by upgrading your door, painting, or adding an attractive welcome rug, and put your prospective buyers in a good state of mind for viewing the rest of your home.


2014-06-25 : South Orange County Market
The market is `normal`. Who says? One is UCLA Economics professor Jerry Nickelsburg. Another is Data Quick analyst John Karevoll. Another is Leslie Appleton Young from CAR. Interesting facts stated about Normal Markets. When markets are normal, builders build. When builders build, there are more jobs and unemployment is expected to drop to normal about 5.9% by 2016. Prices may not be skyrocketing like 2013 and sales this year will be down according to all sources. So what should people do in this type of market? Like people in the past have done in normal markets. Sell if you feel like selling, and buy if you feel like buying. Talk to your friendly local real estate agent (Me!). State statistics sometimes do not apply to all pockets of real estate. Prices are increasing steadily in South Orange County but don`t expect to see those crazy increases we had before the bubble burst! Mortgage rates are still great and are expected to remain stable for at least the rest of the year. Want a free property valuation? Contact me.


2014-04-03 : The Five Biggest Turn-offs For Homebuyer
1. Overpricing: If you ignored your agent`s advice and listed at a higher price than recommended, you`re going to get some negative feedback from buyers. The worst feedback, of course, is silence i.e. no showings and no offers. 2. Smells: Pets, lack of cleanliness, stale air, water damage, and much more. You may not even notice it, but your real estate agent may have hinted to you that something needs to be done. 3. Clutter: If your tables are full to the edges with photos, figurines, mail, and drinking glasses, Too much furniture confuses the eye - it makes it really difficult for buyers to see the proportions of rooms 4. Deferred maintenance is a polite euphemism for letting your home fall apart. Things wear out, break and weather, and it`s your job as a homeowner to keep your home repaired. 5. Dated décor: Harvest gold and avocado green from the seventies can date your home. Textures like popcorn ceilings, shag or berber carpet, and flocked wallpaper can also date your home. When you`re behind the times, buyers don`t want to join you. In conclusion, the market is a brutal mirror. if you`re guilty of not putting money into your home because you believe it`s an investment that others should pay you to profit, you`re in for a rude awakening. You`ll be stuck with an asset that isn`t selling.


2014-02-24 : DIY Painting tips
Paint before removing the carpeting, because it’s being disposed of anyway. Painting season: Spring and Fall are the best times to paint interior rooms. Natural light increases as the days get longer, so the accuracy of wall and ceiling coverage is at its peak. By summer, the light can be blinding. In winter, there’s not enough light. Ventilation is crucial. Even with today’s top-performing no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, opening windows and doors to keep air circulating and paint drying properly is key to a really good job. What about exteriors? Choose partly cloudy and still days in the 60s, nights in the upper 40s.


2013-11-15 : No tax on short sale debt relief
The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (C.A.R.) has been working with California Sen. Barbara Boxer to protect distressed homeowners from debt relief income tax associated with a short sale in California. As part of this effort, Sen. Boxer requested the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide guidance on whether mortgage debt forgiveness in a lender-approved short sale would be taxable income under federal law, given California`s recent non-recourse laws for short sales, which were hard fought victories by C.A.R.The IRS has clarified in a letter that California`s troubled homeowners who sell their homes in a short sale are not subject to federal income tax liability on `phantom income` they never received. The IRS recognizes that the debt written off in a short sale does not constitute recourse debt under California law, and thus does not create so-called `cancellation of debt` income to the underwater home seller for federal income tax purposes. This clarification rescues tens of thousands of distressed home sellers from personal liability upon expiration of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 on Dec. 31, 2013. C.A.R. is seeking a similar ruling from the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), which has been awaiting the IRS action; C.A.R. anticipates the FTB will act promptly. Short sales may raise other tax issues and, as always, you should speak with your tax professional regarding the tax consequences of a short sale.


2013-10-27 : We`ve Changed our name!
We are now Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California! Well, that was a mouthful. Seriously, Prudential California Realty has been owned for some time now by Home Services of America inc. which is held by Berkshire Hathaway owned by the one and only Warren Buffet. Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company and this is the first time ever that Berkshire Hathaway has put their name to an actual company. Warren Buffet thought very highly of Prudential and the decision was made to change everything to the new Berkshire Hathaway brand, This meant changing all the logos, stationary, signs, business cards etc. so you can imagine it was quite an undertaking which is one of the reasons I haven`t blogged for a while. Now that the dust is starting to settle I will try and blog on a more regular basis and I promise you I will try to keep it lighthearted and not too heavy on the real estate stuff (which I know you can all get on the internet anyways).


2013-08-20 : Get it done for less.
A man was sitting at a bar enjoying an after-work cocktail when an exceptionally attractive young woman entered. The young woman noticed his overly attentive stare & walked directly towards him. Before he could offer his apologies for being so rude, the young woman said to him, "I`ll do anything, absolutely anything, that you want me to do for $100 on one condition." Flabbergasted, the man asked what the condition was. The young woman replied, "You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words." The man considered her proposition for a moment, withdrew his wallet from his pocket & slowly counted out five $20 bills, which he pressed into the young woman`s hand. He looked into her eyes & slowly, meaningfully said, "Paint my house."


2013-07-29 : Good Realtor?
Two real estate agents decided to start a new career selling shoes.The two real estate agents go to Africa to open up new markets. Three days after arriving, one real estate agent said, "I’m returning on the next flight. I can’t sell shoes here. Everybody goes barefoot."At the same time, the other real estate agent sent an email to the factory, "The prospects are unlimited. Nobody wears shoes here!"


2013-07-12 : Amazing mobile search app!
Prudential are moving ahead with some great technology. Download their fantastic new property search app for your mobile phone. Click for details!


2013-07-01 : Ladera Ranch heating up?
Just sat an open house in Ladera Ranch last Saturday and Sunday. There appears to be quite a bit of inventory just now in Ladera Ranch. There were open house signs everywhere pointing in all different directions. I was surprised there wasn`t a sign pointing upwards! Early afternoon was a hive of activity with Realtors wandering around planting their little arrows! Go take a look next weekend. Lots of nice condos for sale. Take Avondale from Antonio Parkway and follow the signs. If you see anything you like, call me. 949-302-0161


2013-06-27 : I`ve moved to a different broker.
As you have probably guessed by now, I have moved to Prudential California Realty from Coldwell Banker. Nothing wrong with Coldwell Banker - A great company but for various reasons Prudential seemed a better fit.