This nice video only covers the highlights of Palm Springs but it is fast paced and shows somethings you might not get to do such as hike in the Canyon or see the Jaguar from the Living Desert up close and personal. The shots from the Tram Car are clear and unobstructed and some of the best I have seen. So even if you have been before give this video a look, I bet you will be impressed.
Palm Springs California Area Real Estate
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Palm Springs Video Tour
This nice video only covers the highlights of Palm Springs but it is fast paced and shows somethings you might not get to do such as hike in the Canyon or see the Jaguar from the Living Desert up close and personal. The shots from the Tram Car are clear and unobstructed and some of the best I have seen. So even if you have been before give this video a look, I bet you will be impressed.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Palm Springs Market Statistics 2014
Short sales and Foreclosures Drop - Equity Sales IncreasePRICES RISE year over year in the Coachella Valley
Market statistics for May 2014 have been compiled and published. It shows some interesting facts and a decided change in the Real Estate market in Palm Springs. If displayed on a graph it would also show a steady line up. The trends we are about to discuss below have been steadily developing this entire year, with no retreat.
- First, the number of homes being sold as foreclosures or short sales has taken another big drop. This category is down 50% from May 2013 when 18% of homes were in this category.
- Secondly, the number of available homes is rising with about 90 more condos and 90 more homes on average – available each month. This is a wake- up call for sellers because the number of homes selling is dropping in each category and each city.
- Third and most important however is the marked increase in price. The median sales price for single family homes is now $455,100 whereas in 2013 it was $368,100 and for condos the median price is now at $232,222 VS. the 2013 figure of $182,000.
With these type numbers Pam Springs and the Coachella Valley are outpacing the Riverside County wide statistics, where a higher
percentage of homes are still in foreclosure or short sale and the median price remains over $100,000 less than Pam Springs.Obviously, the number of properties selling will drop as prices rise. The prices will rise as the supply of foreclosed and short sale homes drops. Notwithstanding that obvious equation - there is no doubt that the market in Palm Springs has returned to a more stabilized mode.
See More Information about the Palm Springs Market Area
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Happy Canada Day
July 1 2014 -
HAPPY 147th Birthday CANADA!
See our complete page about Canadian Home Ownership in the United States.
HAPPY 147th Birthday CANADA!
Trivia: Oh Canada - is the national anthem of Canada and it was written by:
Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier
See our complete page about Canadian Home Ownership in the United States.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
What If You Have Deferred Maintenance But You Have To Sell Your Home?
If your home has serious deferred maintenance issues but you must sell you have a serious dilemma on your hands.
Don’t kid yourself for a minute, the maintenance issues will cost you with buyers. Funds to create the changes needed might not be there or be hard to come by. This post will give you some ideas to help you get the most money for your home when you have to sell.
Common Maintenance issues:
Wood rot on eaves beams and decks - sand, stain or paint use wood repair filler if feasible.
Maintenance on the HVAC system – sometimes a good cleaning – filter change and service (usually under $100) will go a long way toward having the heat and cooling system pass inspection.
Water damaged cabinets (baths and kitchens) - replace floor of cabinets and/or re-stain or paint. This is not expensive and makes a very bad looking problem go away. Stains may be from household products and not water but replace them anyway. Water stains on front of cabinets from drips may possibly be polished away.
Remove items that cannot be repaired. Out of sight items cannot become an issue. If the pool heater is broken and you are not going to replace it, remove it. If the decorative fencing is rotten, get rid of it. Are most of your screens trashed? Get rid of all of them.
Worse Case Scenarios:
Don’t cover up or attempt to hide anything. This could get you sued after the sale.
If you can’t fix something obtain bids so that the repair cost number can be real – buyers will have the tendency to over inflate repair estimates. Having bids keeps the conversation on a level playing field.
Insurance – this is not a first choice for anyone but if your house has serious damage check with your insurance carrier to see about placing a claim for repairs.
Free Resources:
>Check with local vocational schools or community jobs organizations that may donate or offer low cost labor. They may do the work for a lower cost or no cost if they can use the property as a teaching project.
>Check with the city or town you live in there may be small grants or programs to help you beautify your property – any discounted or free products or supplies will really help you keep costs in check.
>Look for neighborhood organizations, they may have a yard cleanup day or even neighbors willing to donate
labor/talent on a once year one time basis. For example Spring Clean ups.
>Many cities have a bi yearly or quarterly program to pick up large items, extra yard waste electronic waste etc. Use these to clean your property out to the best of your ability. Just being clean and neat can help your home look better cared for.
Home Warranty plan for Sellers: Check with your listing agent. In some areas of the country home warranty products are common place and buyers expect to receive this coverage when they purchase the home. What you may not know is that the plans have seller coverage as well. Usually on a per-diem basis while your home is on the market and in escrow. The rates for these plans are typically very reasonable ($50 a month) and can cover unexpected systems failures and problems while the home is being sold. Best of all they typically are paid out of closing funds and do not require up-front payment.
Don't lose thousands to save a little effort and a few hundred dollars. There are ways you can make any property look better and stand out to prospective buyers.
Don’t kid yourself for a minute, the maintenance issues will cost you with buyers. Funds to create the changes needed might not be there or be hard to come by. This post will give you some ideas to help you get the most money for your home when you have to sell.Common Maintenance issues:
Wood rot on eaves beams and decks - sand, stain or paint use wood repair filler if feasible.
Maintenance on the HVAC system – sometimes a good cleaning – filter change and service (usually under $100) will go a long way toward having the heat and cooling system pass inspection.
Water damaged cabinets (baths and kitchens) - replace floor of cabinets and/or re-stain or paint. This is not expensive and makes a very bad looking problem go away. Stains may be from household products and not water but replace them anyway. Water stains on front of cabinets from drips may possibly be polished away.
Remove items that cannot be repaired. Out of sight items cannot become an issue. If the pool heater is broken and you are not going to replace it, remove it. If the decorative fencing is rotten, get rid of it. Are most of your screens trashed? Get rid of all of them.
Worse Case Scenarios:
Don’t cover up or attempt to hide anything. This could get you sued after the sale.If you can’t fix something obtain bids so that the repair cost number can be real – buyers will have the tendency to over inflate repair estimates. Having bids keeps the conversation on a level playing field.
Insurance – this is not a first choice for anyone but if your house has serious damage check with your insurance carrier to see about placing a claim for repairs.
Free Resources:
>Check with local vocational schools or community jobs organizations that may donate or offer low cost labor. They may do the work for a lower cost or no cost if they can use the property as a teaching project.
>Check with the city or town you live in there may be small grants or programs to help you beautify your property – any discounted or free products or supplies will really help you keep costs in check.
>Look for neighborhood organizations, they may have a yard cleanup day or even neighbors willing to donate
labor/talent on a once year one time basis. For example Spring Clean ups.>Many cities have a bi yearly or quarterly program to pick up large items, extra yard waste electronic waste etc. Use these to clean your property out to the best of your ability. Just being clean and neat can help your home look better cared for.
Home Warranty plan for Sellers: Check with your listing agent. In some areas of the country home warranty products are common place and buyers expect to receive this coverage when they purchase the home. What you may not know is that the plans have seller coverage as well. Usually on a per-diem basis while your home is on the market and in escrow. The rates for these plans are typically very reasonable ($50 a month) and can cover unexpected systems failures and problems while the home is being sold. Best of all they typically are paid out of closing funds and do not require up-front payment.
Don't lose thousands to save a little effort and a few hundred dollars. There are ways you can make any property look better and stand out to prospective buyers.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Solar Homes Save Big Money
In this article the rapidly declining cost of solar installations VS. the potential savings is highlighted with colorful graphs. There are state by state breakdowns for each category including pay back time andaverage 20 year savings. Interestingly enough the saving vary widely state by state (due to different energy rates) with Hawaii coming in on top with a predicted $60,000 plus savings in 20 years time.According to the charts, in California, you can cover the cost of Solar install in just 9 years and the average savings for 20 years tops $34,000.
It might be easy to assume that California is at the top of the pack in Solar energy power but sever states are ahead of us as this chart including the surprise of New Jersey from Zachary Shahan shows:
Looking for a solar home that ensures you have no utility bill - Look at this great 4 Bed 3.5 Bath newer construction pool home:
Having It All Above It All
Overview Maps Photos Features Description Neighborhood Market Stats |
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| Our recent listings Golf Course Lot In South Palm Springs Luxury Palm Springs Pool Villa Remodeled Starter Home Having It All Above It All Palm Desert Bungalow
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Friday, June 20, 2014
Top 10 Ways To Prepare your Home To Be Listed For Sale
How would you like to lose $10,000 or $15,000 on the sales price of your home before the first person ever sees it? Yeah, probably not the way you wanted to start the sales process at all.
It happens every day in cities across the country. Someone puts their house on the market in a woefully inadequate state. Oh sure they cleared off a counter top, or finally threw away the mountain of clothes in the laundry room that no one wears or claims to be theirs anymore but that was it. Well, okay you did vacuum the living room. Not enough! Not even close!
Don’t think for one minute that NOT preparing does not matter and “buyers will look past it” or “You’ll get to it next weekend”. Nope, the reality is that you just threw away 10K perhaps more. In fact I would suggest that the most expensive cleaning service in town is a bargain compared to losing that much money just because you don’t want to clean.
Your local agent should be able to walk through the house with you and tell you frankly what needs to be done. We offer all our sellers a 26 point Maximum Value Audit free of charge. A written report that will detail exactly what needs to be done to maximize the value in your home. Sometimes it is not cleaning it is small repair and replacement items.
Examples of the items I have helped sellers with over the years include: tarnished, dull and worn out
looking door knobs – a small item but one of the first things buyers saw on an impressive set of double doors. A secondary bedroom with a bad carpet stain, that we were able to find a remnant for at $139 this gave the room a new and fresh appearance. Another time we simply stained the boring gray concrete around a pool to match the existing wall on the property- it really popped and we sold it to the first buyer. Don’t get carried away with unnecessary new weekend projects just stay focused on existing issues with the home as is.
1) A deep clean. Corners, windows, tops of ceiling fan blades, grout and all ledges.
2) You are moving so throw away things you aren’t going to move – do it now
3) Box up items that you won’t use for the next three months (seasonal for example)
4) Clean the screens on the windows or take them off if appropriate
5) Straighten the garage – but it is okay to stack boxes in there you are moving
6) Replace worn out comforters, doormats, decorative towels, shower curtains etc.
7) De-clutter all surfaces especially baths and kitchens (less is more)
8) Replace all light bulbs –remove most if not all family photos
9) Touch up paint as needed – corners doors – heavy traffic areas
10) Remove any dead landscape replace with simple plants or ground cover and mow lawn
While these items may seem obvious or small they are not. They will help protect the equity you have built up in your home. Buyers will discount for a poorly maintained home. Homes that do not show well do not sell quickly. This is all in your financial best interest.
If your home has significant deferred maintenance look for our upcoming article about how to deal with those issues when you don't have the funds to do so.
For more helpful home ownership, buying and selling tips please use the search feature on this blog in the right hand column or contact us on our website at www.PSagent.com
Don’t think for one minute that NOT preparing does not matter and “buyers will look past it” or “You’ll get to it next weekend”. Nope, the reality is that you just threw away 10K perhaps more. In fact I would suggest that the most expensive cleaning service in town is a bargain compared to losing that much money just because you don’t want to clean.
Your local agent should be able to walk through the house with you and tell you frankly what needs to be done. We offer all our sellers a 26 point Maximum Value Audit free of charge. A written report that will detail exactly what needs to be done to maximize the value in your home. Sometimes it is not cleaning it is small repair and replacement items.
Examples of the items I have helped sellers with over the years include: tarnished, dull and worn out
1) A deep clean. Corners, windows, tops of ceiling fan blades, grout and all ledges.
2) You are moving so throw away things you aren’t going to move – do it now
3) Box up items that you won’t use for the next three months (seasonal for example)
4) Clean the screens on the windows or take them off if appropriate
5) Straighten the garage – but it is okay to stack boxes in there you are moving
6) Replace worn out comforters, doormats, decorative towels, shower curtains etc.
7) De-clutter all surfaces especially baths and kitchens (less is more)
8) Replace all light bulbs –remove most if not all family photos
9) Touch up paint as needed – corners doors – heavy traffic areas
10) Remove any dead landscape replace with simple plants or ground cover and mow lawn
While these items may seem obvious or small they are not. They will help protect the equity you have built up in your home. Buyers will discount for a poorly maintained home. Homes that do not show well do not sell quickly. This is all in your financial best interest.
If your home has significant deferred maintenance look for our upcoming article about how to deal with those issues when you don't have the funds to do so.
For more helpful home ownership, buying and selling tips please use the search feature on this blog in the right hand column or contact us on our website at www.PSagent.com
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