Category: Real Estate

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A Cinderella Story – Anna – From Renter to Owner

First time homebuyers bring us joy! Not only are they the corner stone of the real estate market – they are the fuel. Without the first time homebuyer, it would be hard for owners/sellers to move on to their next home.

But with great responsibility comes work. And in the San Francisco Bay Area – it’s hard work. 2013 has been an interesting year in local real estate. We know prices hit bottom in 2009 and many buyers, sitting on the fence for the past several years, were unsure where the market was going. Early in 2013 these buyers got off the fence and changed the dynamic of our local real estate market.

After the New Years Eve confetti was brushed away, many buyers started looking. Earlier this year, we had very limited inventory. In fact, we’ve had low inventory since our prices dropped. Amazing low interest rates, coupled with low prices – generated some excitement.

Over the holidays, a friend and fellow Notre Dame alumni reached out to me with a question. Could she buy a condo? Before the local real estate bust, condos and home prices steadily rose. Back then a one-bedroom condo ran close to a half-a-million bucks. Not an easy price for a first time homebuyer. So when prices fell – opportunity was knocking.

With her pre-approval in hand we took Anna out for her first tour. At first, she expected her house hunt to take one month. Quickly we explained that with the current low inventory and high buyer demand, we were looking at closer to 6 months than 1 month to find and acquire a home. A frown – but she held tight.

Our first problem – there wasn’t much to look at. Once we looked at older inventory – it became a race to see the new ones. As soon as a new condo came on – I was on the phone with her setting an appointment to show it. I have got to say – Anna understood the importance of the early worm. She didn’t push the most expensive and important purchase of her life to the end of her day, or only on the weekend. Anna understood that the market waits for NO ONE! So during her lunch break or between her appointments, we’d take a look.

Earlier this year, with demand high, most units had offer dates set after the first open house. Making it a mad dash to the finish line to get her offer in. Being that we looked during the week, Anna had the opportunity to show the unit to her family and friends over the weekend and write her offer with confidence.

We must have written 5 offers in a few months. It felt like we wrote offers once a week. And slowly, as units were closing escrow – we saw it – she saw it – the market price was inching upwards and eventually she’d be priced out of the market.

Now Anna is a very savvy young woman. She saw the writing on the wall – I didn’t have to tell her it was a matter of time before we had nothing to shop for. So Anna did what all smart buyers have to do – she took a look at her ‘wants vs. needs’ list and made some reality adjustments. In the end, location was her most important attribute. She didn’t want to live in the fringes of the Bay Area just to say she had more space. Anna wanted to be close to work and near a downtown to enjoy her life.

Then a junior one bedroom came on the market in Santa Clara. Right in the heart of it – it was a great location. And you know what how important location is in Real Estate! We were quick to write an offer. Up against three others – she was out bid. Thankfully The Caton Team, with 25+ years in the business has earned a nice reputation among local agents. With a clean offer and backed up by our expertise, Anna was given a counter offer and my next call to her would prove to be most joyous.

Congratulations Anna! You were a joy to work with and The Caton Team is honored to have been the Realtors to turn you from renter into owner!

How can The Caton Team help you? We’re a call or click away!

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.

Email Sabrina & Susan at: Info@TheCatonTeam.com

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6 Wills, Won’ts and Worries of 2013 Home Buyers…. great article – had to share…

When I read this – I just had to share….

6 Wills, Won’ts and Worries of 2013 Home Buyers

Trulia Article By Tara-Nicholle Nelson

If you’ve ever taken up running, you might know what it’s like to strap on your new shoes, head over to the track and take those first few strides, then feel a pain in your chest, heaviness in your feet and possibly, actually see stars. Maybe your last steps off the track were accompanied by the thought process: “Either I’m crazy, or runners are.”

Until you have talked to a legitimate, dyed in the wool runner and told them your story, explaining why you detest running with every iota of your being you won’t know the runner’s secret: everyone feels that way at first. It’s the normal physiological adjustment to the increased load you’re putting on your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, this pain you felt when you took those first few steps. It goes away in just a moment, if and only if you keep on running.

Sometimes, knowing that others react to a tough situation by feeling the same emotions, thinking the same thoughts, or doing the same things you do flat out helps you feel less crazy, panicked and out of control of your situation. It’s the concept behind support groups but, last I checked, there really isn’t such a thing as group therapy for home buyers. (Well, some would say that’s what Trulia Voices is for, but I digress.)

Today’s rapidly rising prices and generally volatile market does make things tough for buyers, so we thought we’d systematically explore – and then share – what’s going on inside the minds of the buyers on today’s market. Hopefully, sellers will find some insights for marketing their properties, too.

Fresh off the presses, here are some of the insights and takeaways from our latest American Dream Survey, pinpointing the things today’s buyers worry about, will and won’t do in their quest to get their own corner of the American Dream: a home.

Worry: Mortgage rates and prices will rise before I buy. Trulia’s Economist Jed Kolko reports that “the top worry among all survey respondents who might buy a home someday is that mortgage rates will rise further before they buy (41%), followed by rising prices (37%).” The worry is valid, given the fact that the market was depressed for so long and has a long recovery road ahead of it. It’s compounded by the fact that buying a home has gone from something that used to take a month or two and now routinely takes 6 months, 9 months, a year or even longer!

Here’s the deal: you can’t stop prices from rising. And fixating on this particular fear poses the potential pitfall of rushing to buy or making compromises that will turn out badly in the end. Don’t dilly dally, if you’re ready and in the market, and don’t mess around making lowball offers with no chance of success. But otherwise, don’t let this fear drive your buying and timing decisions.

Will: Be aggressive. B. E. Aggressive. Economist Kolko explained, “among survey respondents who plan to buy a home someday, 2 in 3 (66%) would use aggressive tactics such as bidding above asking, writing personal letters to the seller, or removing contingencies, to name a few.” What buyers do and don’t do in the name of aggressively pursuing their dream homes (and, consequently, what sellers expect) is slightly different in every town.

Knowing that other buyers are facing down the same challenges you are and coming up with similar, aggressive solutions can help you feel a little less crazy about your thought processes and emotions and the desperate measures that come to mind when you hear how many others think “your” home is their dream home. And that puts you back in control of what can sometimes feel like an out-of-control situation. Reality check: you are 100% in the driver’s seat when it comes to how aggressive you want to be in your pursuit of any given home, and which specific tactics you leverage in the course of that pursuit.

Worry: I won’t find a home I like. Forty-three percent of people who plan to buy a home in the next 12 months expressed the concern that they might not be able to even find a property they like. Perhaps these people were just seriously persnickety, but I suspect there’s a bigger issue at play here. All of us can find a home we like, but whether there’s anything we like enough to buy in our price range is a completely separate issue.

This worry, then, seems to be closely related to the fear of rising prices – buyers are rightfully fearful that home value increases will put their personal dream homes out of their price range. This is why it’s super important to:

be aggressive about seeing suitable properties as soon as they come onto the market
work with an agent whose offer pricing advice you trust
adjust your house hunt downward in price range if the market dynamics include lots of over-asking sales prices, and
not to let months and months go by while you make lowball offers or otherwise be slow to come to the reality of what homes are actually selling for in your area.

The sooner you put yourself seriously in the game and make reality-based offers, the more likely you’ll be able to score a home you like in your price range.

Worry: I will have to compete with other buyers for the home I like. Twenty-seven percent of those who plan to buy at some point in the future and 32% of those who plan to buy in the next year said they feared the prospect of facing a bidding war. This worry is well-grounded. In California, the average property receives four offers – but stories of dozens of offers abound. And it’s not just a West Coast phenomenon: buyers from coast to coast trade tales of getting outbid and having to throw in their firstborn child, lastborn puppy and most precious earthly possessions just to get into contract.

Truth is, market dynamics vary from town to town, and even neighborhood to neighborhood, but if you’re buying on today’s market or planning to buy anytime soon, bidding wars, multiple offers and over-asking sales prices are a reality you will probably have to factor into your house hunt.

Won’t: Bid way more than asking. Only 9 percent of wanna-be buyers said they would bid between 6 and 10 percent over the asking price for a property. This finding surfaces the uber-importance of checking in with an experienced local agent to get a briefing on precisely how much over asking homes are selling for in your area. This empowers you to tweak your online house hunting price range low enough that you can make an over-asking offer and be successful without breaking the bank. And once you’ve gotten a reality-based estimate of the over-asking norm, it will loom less ominously in your mind’s eye as a potential American Dream-killer.

Worry: I won’t qualify for a mortgage. Thirty percent of all people who identified themselves as planning to buy a home in the future said they were worried they might not be able to qualify for a home loan. (Interestingly, only 25 percent of buyers in hot markets like Oakland and Las Vegas expressed this concern – rapidly rising prices and knowing lots of other buyers are closing transactions in your town seems to ease this fear.)

Of all the worries on the list, this is the one over which a smart buyer has the most power. So exercise it! Work with a mortgage broker who was referred by friends, family members or an agent you trust. And ideally, work with them months – even a year or more – before you plan to buy. They can help you put an action plan in place around boosting your savings and credit score, and minimize your debt and credit dings, that you can work to minimize mortgage qualifying dramas when the time is right. They can also help give you a stronger sense of what you can afford vis-a-vis your income, to help you anticipate any challenges related to what sort of home your dollar will buy in your market.

ALL: What worries do you have about today’s market? Which steps are you willing to take in your quest to achieve the American Dream?

I read this article at: http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2013/07/6_wills_won_ts_and_worries_of_2013_home_buyers?ecampaign=cnews20+and1308A&eurl=www.trulia.com%2Fblog%2Ftaranelson%2F2013%2F07%2F6_wills_won_ts_and_worries_of_2013_home_buyers

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.

Email Sabrina & Susan at: Info@TheCatonTeam.com

Call The Caton Team at 650-568-5522

Visit our Website at: http://thecatonteam.com/

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Thanks for reading – Sabrina

Buying the Perfect House – True Story

Buying the Perfect House

When we dream of our first home, the sky’s the limit. We dream of spacious bedrooms and a terrific yard ready for a BBQ. We dream of custom kitchens with architectural detail. We dream of thoughtful neighbors and the right school district. We dream and it is awesome.

Then comes reality. The house on the perfect street has a vintage kitchen. Or the home with the spacious family room abuts the freeway. Often times a buyer grows frustrated looking for their perfect home.

Let me spare you some heartache. YOUR perfect home is not out there. Why? Because you haven’t made it yet!

Yes, it is that simple. In our 25+ years of real estate experience, we have gone down this path with each buyer we meet. Some are quick to realize and quick to adjust. Others refuse to budge and often lose out on some great opportunities.

It’s probably the hardest conversation to have with a buyer – aside from the ‘you were outbid’ talk. Because it forces a buyer to quickly adjust their needs and wants list – if – they want to become a homeowner here in the gorgeous San Francisco Bay Area.

How can a buyer make the right decision? That’s a great question – because there is a perfect home out there – you just have to see its potential.

Determine your true budget. That means, before you start looking at homes, you’ve written out your monthly budget as it stands today – AND – you’ve written out your budget post home purchase. The worst feeling in the world is writing an offer and being unsure you can afford the offer price. So part of a buyers homework is to determine how much you can afford on the monthly mortgage payment and then talk to a bank. Often times the max purchase price the bank says you can spend – isn’t what you feel comfortable spending. And that is the information your Realtor needs to know BEFORE they start house hunting for you.

o Make sure your budget accounts for more than just the mortgage payment. Home ownership includes property taxes,

insurance on the home, and a reserve fund for those expected/unexpected home repairs.

Determine why you are buying your home. Do you need more space? Are the kids starting school and you want to settle into a nice neighborhood? If you can pinpoint exactly why you want or need to buy – your Realtor can help hone in on the homes that fit the bill.

Make a true Needs and Wants list. Be ready to adjust that list as you see what your can afford.

Be Flexible. In our experience – 9 times out of 10 – a buyer buys a home that doesn’t fit the original plan. Why? Either they fell in love with the home or they realized what they thought they wanted was out of their price range or what they thought they wanted was more of a wish than a need.

Be REALISTIC! The hardest part of the home buyer journey is the reality check. You cannot expect to buy a three bedroom two bath on the Peninsula if your budget is only $400,000. And being a stick in the mud isn’t going to help you! Ask your agent how they think you can get the most bang for your buck. Often our first time buyers find a better opportunity when they open up to other areas or types of homes.

Whatever type of home you are looking for in the Bay Area, The Caton Team is here to listen to your wants and needs and work with you to achieve home ownership. What can we do for you?

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.

Email Sabrina & Susan at: Info@TheCatonTeam.com

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Thanks for reading – Sabrina

What Will Waiting to Buy a Home Cost You?

What Will Waiting to Buy a Home Cost You? Great article from Realtor.com

At the end of June, mortgage rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped to 4.5 percent, up from 3.9 percent on June 1 — and a notable jump from the historically low 3.35 percent monthly average rate toward the end of 2012. However, while higher rates do mean an increase in monthly mortgage payments, experts are urging potential home buyers not to resign themselves to renting for the next few years just yet — it’s still a good time to buy a home.

These moderate increases in payments may still be manageable, particularly if buyers look at less expensive properties, or negotiate a lower price.

For example, the difference in monthly payments for a $200,000 home at 3.9 percent and one at 4.5 percent is just $70.03. If budgeted correctly, this could be a manageable expense.

Rick Allen, chief operating officer of Mortgage Marvel, is one expert who says now is still the time to buy a house. His platform records online mortgage loan applications, about a million transactions a year, which serves as a barometer for how well the housing market is doing. He says that refinances are down, as to be expected with a rate increase, but that “shouldn’t scare people off.”

“Relatively speaking, rates are still at or near historic lows,” says Allen. “A 4.5 percent mortgage is still an incredibly attractive rate at which to finance a home. From a real estate perspective, we’re not far off from recent lows, and we’re heading to improve real estate values. The combination of those two factors make this still a good time to buy.”

As the unemployment rate continues to decline, Allen says we’ll see more potential homeowners enter the market as well. Though Allen says “theoretically, rates could go through the roof or back down to the floor” but he personally believes we’ll see rates around 5 percent through the end of the year.

This is the early stage of the recovery of the housing market, and the rising interest rates encourage potential home buyers to be more decisive, and act quickly. As more homes are bought, supply decreases, so prices may rise even further. So if you’ve been thinking about buying a home, don’t lose your confidence, but it may be prudent to act quickly as rates continue to rise.

My 2 Cents

I couldn’t agree more – and I am NOT trying to fear monger. The truth of the matter is – no one has control of the Real Estate market. We as a collective influence the market by our actions or lack of – but it the end – the market will move at its own pace. In our experience, those trying to figure it out or ‘play the game’ generally miss the boat of opportunity.

Instead The Caton Team has our clients consider what their overall plan is, and generally having a home to live in is pretty high on their list. So we tackle the market in the moment and do our best to achieve their goal of homeownership.

I read this article at: http://www.realtor.com/news/what-will-waiting-to-buy-a-home-cost-you/?cid=EML301130

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.

Email Sabrina & Susan at: Info@TheCatonTeam.com

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Will Rising Mortgage Rates Cool the Market?

What a FANTASTIC question that Realtors and their clients are certainly thinking. Please enjoy this article from the Daily Real Estate News.

A big jump in mortgage rates over the past two months may start to cool the rapid rise of home prices in the second half of the year, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Mortgage rates have shot up from lows of 3.59 percent in the beginning of May, to 4.58 percent during the last week of June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Rates are at their highest levels in two years.

“A rule of thumb holds that every one percentage point increase in interest rates reduces affordability by 10 percent, so the recent move in rates just made homes about 10 percent more expensive to buyers who need to finance their purchase,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Still, economists say mortgage rates at 4.5 percent or 5 percent is still very affordable by historical standards. Merrill Lynch analysts say that home prices would have to rise by 20 percent or mortgage rates would have to soar to around 6 percent to chip away at housing’s affordability.

Some economists see rising mortgage rates as a positive. John Burns, chief executive of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, says that rising rates produce more sustainable price increases. “I don’t think it’s the end of price increases, but I think they’re going to moderate significantly,” Burns told The Wall Street Journal.

Source: “Why Home-Price Gains Will Slow Amid Higher Mortgage Rates,” The Wall Street Journal (July 8, 2013)

I read this article at: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2013/07/09/will-rising-mortgage-rates-cool-market?om_rid=AACmlZ&om_mid=_BR3FkGB8zy7Id2&om_ntype=RMODaily

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.

Email Sabrina & Susan at: Info@TheCatonTeam.com

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http://thecatonteam.com/PropertyDetails?fl_hook=1713296615&show_description=yes&show_address=yes&presented_by=&show_virtual_tour=yes

Thanks for reading – Sabrina

FOR SALE – Gorgeous Home in the El Granada Highlands – 3 Bedrooms 3 Bath plus Bonus Rooms

For more information and photos – please visit our website at:

OPEN TODAY – SATURDAY 6/15 from 1-4pm

WELCOME COME TO EL GRANADA

Nestled in beautiful El Granada just north of Half Moon Bay, a lovely setting on the gorgeous California coastline.

This spacious home features a reverse floor plan, with one bedroom and bath located on the main level and one master bedroom and one bedroom with private baths downstairs along with an additional bonus room.

The top floor features cathedral ceilings for a light and airy feel with walls of windows in the living room overlooking the trees and peekaboo views of the ocean, inviting you to cozy up by the stone fireplace and enjoy the views. The kitchen, with green house window shares this light and bright feeling and spills into the family / dining room. Enjoy the deck that connects the main floor living room with the down stairs bedrooms. Skylights stud the home with additional sunshine.

Downstairs the master suite mirrors the living room with walls of windows and another cozy fireplace to enjoy. There is a second bedroom downstairs along with a large bonus room and spacious finished basement with extra storage. The deck on this level allows for private outdoor relaxation.

This lovely home has a dehumidifier – great for the coast – along with a professionally encapsulated crawl space by Bay Area Moisture Control to add ample additional storage. The finished basement, accessed through he laundry room, has more storage and a second bonus room that could be used as an office with a separate entrance. The two car attached garage has a workbench, wrap-around custom cabinets to eliminate clutter and easy access to holiday decoration or those Costco hauls.

In addition to a functioning well, with water softener and 1000-gallon storage tank – the homeowners won the City Water Lottery and paid approximately $20,000 to tap into City Water. The owners have also installed drainage around the property and automatic sprinklers in the front and back gardens. For convenience a built-in vacuum for cleaning ease.

To truly appreciate this home, you have to take a look for yourself. Please contact Susan or Sabrina Caton – The Caton Team Realtors for a private viewing. 650-568-5539 or Info@TheCatonTeam.com

For photos – visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151619904857835&set=a.10151619904572835.1073741825.294970377834&type=1&theater

Email Sabrina & Susan at: Info@TheCatonTeam.com

Visit our Website at: http://thecatonteam.com/

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Please enjoy my personal journey through homeownership at:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/04/28/24-7-home-features/2106203/

Thanks for reading – Sabrina

How Much Would You Pay For…

Being a full time Realtor – I get some great questions. One of my favorites pertains to upgrades and how they affect resale value. Please enjoy these two articles I found very interesting. My comments are in italics.

Buyers Will Pay Extra for These Features

By DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS

Some home shoppers say they are willing to spend thousands of dollars above the price of the home in order to have certain interior features.

The most coveted home features tend to center around the kitchen, such as stainless steel appliances and a kitchen island, says Errol Samuelson, president of realtor.com.

24/7 Wall St. used data from the National Association of REALTORS® to determine some of the most desired home features. Here are eight features that made the list and how much extra, on average, buyers say they’re willing to pay for having that feature in a home:

Central air conditioning: $2,520
New kitchen appliances: $1,840
Walk-in closet in master bedroom: $1,350
Granite countertops: $1,620
Hardwood floors: $2,080
Ensuite master bath: $2,030
Kitchen island: $1,370
Stainless steel appliances: $1,850

Sometimes paying the premium for a fixed up home works out for a buyer. This past weekend my client felt it made more sense to pay more for a turn key home since the interest rate is a right off and you’d have a higher write off with a more expenseive home – compared to spending their weekends fixing up a home. Each client is different with a unique budget and point of view.

What would you pay for?

Before making the decision to buy, people shopping for homes consider hundreds of factors. They include location of the house, the school district, size of the lot and also interior features. Most buyers insist on a house that grants most of their wishes, but shoppers often settle for a house without getting everything they want.

When it comes to certain interior features, many are willing to spend thousands of dollars above the price of the home to have them included. At least 60% of buyers said they would be willing to pay more for central air conditioning, new kitchen appliances and a walk-in closet in the master bedroom if they did not already have these features.

Many of the features homeowners desire involve the kitchen. They include stainless steel appliances and a kitchen island. The kitchen is a major focal point for home buyers, said Errol Samuelson, president of Realtor.com.

“People, in general, have shown more interest in having big and beautiful kitchens, and the kitchen is acting as an informal gathering place,” Samuelson said in an interview with 24/7 Wall St. “We have gone from the ’70s where it was about Hamburger Helper … and now we’ve got the Food Network where people are more interested in exploring cooking.”

The desirability of some characteristics vary depending on the home buyers’ age. In the survey, more people age 35 to 54 found the internal features of a house to be very important in making a decision than any other age group. When people are younger and buying their first home, they are primarily interested in jumping into the real estate market to build equity, and the features are less important, Samuelson said. “For the younger demographic, home is a place to sleep and a place to store your clothes, but you are out all the time,” he said.

When people get older, settle down with a spouse and start raising a family, they still consider the home and its features as investments. However, they often start to build more of a connection with the house, and the details of the home become important to improving quality of life in the home, and less so for long-term investment. The house becomes a “personalized area that separates [the occupants] from the outside world,” Samuelson said.

While a high percentage of people said they would pay more for some features, how much they were willing to pay was not necessarily that high. Although six in 10 home buyers without a walk-in closet said they would be willing to pay more for a house with one, those people said they would only spend an additional $1,350, much less than what a walk-in closet typically costs.

The features described are not necessarily the most important deciding factor for potential home buyers, Brendon DeSimone, a Realtor and real estate expert with Zillow, told 24/7 Wall St. When looking at house, he said, the first things people consider are factors such as the neighborhood, the school district and the difficulty of the commute to work.

“Everything starts with location,” DeSimone said in an interview. “You can have the best house in the world, but if it’s not in the neighborhood and school district where everyone wants to live, you are just not going to look at it.”

Using data from the National Association of Realtors, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 11 features that most homeowners were willing to pay more for. We also looked at the median amount that these people would be willing to pay to obtain that feature. In addition, we looked at data from the National Association of Realtors about whether prospective home buyers found certain features to be very important. That information was further broken down by factors such as home buyers’ age, whether they were looking to move into a new or previously owned home, and whether someone was a first-time or repeat buyer.

Based on those factors, here are the 11 most desirable home features:

11. One or more fireplaces > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 40% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,400

Some 40% of home buyers without a fireplace said they would spend additional money for at least one and cough up an extra $1,400. The fireplace, while always popular, was less necessary when several TVs were going in the house all at once, Samuelson said. But he speculated that having a home with fireplaces may become more popular in the future as people spend less time watching TV and more time on tablets and e-readers. These people may find the fireplace a good place to cozy up and use their devices, he said.

10. Eat-in kitchen > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 40% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,770

The people most interested in an eat-in kitchen tend to be in the 35-to-54 age range, with 30% of those prospective home buyers indicating this is “very important” in a house. Meanwhile, just 21% of those under 35 years of age and 20% over 55 feel the same way. More people, especially those who are raising families, want kitchens that look into family entertainment rooms. Some have even made it a family hangout by placing big-screen TVs and other electronics in the kitchen. “Buyers who are in families want to be in one space and do it all,” DeSimone said.

9. Home less than 5 years old > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 40% > Amount willing to pay extra: $5,020

Some people simply want a newer home. For those willing to pay more for a newer home, the median that people would dole out was more than $5,000. Although this is a lot of money compared to most features, that money could be a wise investment in the long run. Maintenance costs are considerably less in newer homes compared to older homes, Samuelson pointed out. He also noted that newer homes tend to be much more efficient, attracting people who are environmentally conscious.

8. Stainless steel appliances > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 41% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,850

Like most features, stainless steel appliances are most important to people between the ages of 35 to 54, with 23% considering them to be a “very important” investment, compared with just 16% of those under the age of 35 and a mere 11% of those over the age of 55. From a cost perspective, stainless steel appliances are not necessarily the best investment. Samuelson noted that stainless steel wears out far easier than most other common materials. Also, the children in the house can also get their fingerprints on the appliances, requiring more cleaning. However, Samuelson said people are primarily driven to buy stainless steel appliances because they look more attractive.

7. Kitchen island > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 48% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,370

Kitchen islands are most important to people ages 35 to 54, with 24% indicating that it is a “very important” characteristic. Just 19% of people under 35 and 13% over 55 considered this feature important. DeSimone noted that kitchen islands often come in handy for those who are raising a family. It provides additional room to put out food for the family and allows the kitchen to become more organized. Although the desire for a kitchen island is high, those who do not have one but want one are only willing to shell out $1,370, less than most other features.

6. Ensuite master bath > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 49% > Amount willing to pay extra: $2,030

Once again, the ensuite master bathroom tends to be more important to people ages 35 and older. “It kind of goes to the ‘home is my sanctuary’ mentality,” Samuelson said. This, along with a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, has become more important in the past 10 years or so. Many people are eager to make their bathroom more “homey” by doing things such as installing televisions on the wall. The fact that many master bathrooms have two sinks is also an appealing option for married couples, Samuelson added.

5. Hardwood floors > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 54% > Amount willing to pay extra: $2,080

Some 25% of buyers under the age of 35, and 28% of those between 35 and 54, considered hardwood floors “very important” when looking for a home. Only 17% of people ages 55 and up felt the same way. In previous generations, homes with carpets were considered better in order to conserve energy, DeSimone said. Even today, older people are more likely to feel more comfortable with carpeting because the insulation makes the home a little bit warmer. But for younger people looking to have many guests at the house and for people with children, hardwood floors are desirable because they are easier to clean than carpets.

4. Granite countertops > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 55% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,620

Among homeowners between the ages of 35 and 54, 24% viewed granite countertops as “very important,” compared to 18% of people under 35 and 18% of people over 55. Although just one in every five prospective home buyers said granite countertops were very important, 55% of those who bought a home without such a countertop said they would pay extra for it. Both DeSimone and Samuelson agreed that the granite countertop is more of a style issue than anything else. “There has been more emphasis on the beautiful kitchen these days, and granite countertops are a part of that,” Samuelson said.

3. Walk-in closet in master bedroom > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 60% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,350

A whopping 60% of homeowners were willing to pay extra for a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, with 44% of people between the ages of 35 and 54 viewing this feature as “very important,” compared to just 35% under the age of 35 and 36% of people 55 and older. DeSimone said the walk-in closet is desired for two main reasons: space and status. The space is very desirable for people as they get older and acquire more clothes, allowing people to be more organized. Having a walk-in closet in the master bedroom is also a status symbol. When giving a house tour, DeSimone said, people want to say, “Hey, check out my closet,” in the same way they say, “Hey, have you seen my new kitchen?”

2. New kitchen appliances > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 69% > Amount willing to pay extra: $1,840

About 69% of homeowners said they were willing to spend more money for new kitchen appliances. Unsurprisingly, people who are looking to buy a new home find this far more important than people who are eyeing previously owned homes. People who are the first to live in a specific house tend to want everything to be new in the house because they consider the house truly “their own,” DeSimone said. People also do not want to have to deal with the stress of broken appliances. “They don’t want to come home after a horrible stressful day at work and find the dishwasher isn’t working or the fridge is making noises.”

1. Central air conditioning > Percentage of home buyers willing to pay more: 69% > Amount willing to pay extra: $2,520

Nearly seven in 10 homeowners said they would be willing to pay more on central air conditioning — the same as new kitchen appliances and more than any other feature. Central air conditioning was considered “very important” by more than 60% of people in all age groups. Samuelson noted that although people were willing to shell out approximately $2,500 for the feature, that is far less than what it would actually cost to install central air conditioning. “There is a difference in people’s preference and what they are willing to pay for,” Samuelson said. “They may want the steak but are on a macaroni budget.”

I would love to hear your two cents! Comment here or email me anytime at Info@TheCatonTeam.com

I read this article at: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2013/04/29/home-buyers-say-they-ll-pay-extra-for-these-features?om_rid=AACmlZ&om_mid=_BRfpyKB8yORuS4&om_ntype=RMODaily

And

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Related: Fastest growing boomtowns

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The home bidding wars are back!

Always nice to find a good article to share. Enjoy By Les Christie CNNMoney

The home bidding wars are back!

The bidding wars are back. Seemingly overnight, many of the nation’s major housing markets have gone from stagnant to sizzling, with for-sale listings drawing offers from a large number of house hunters.

In March, 75% of agents with broker Redfin said their clients’ offers were countered by rival bids, up from 56% who said so in late 2011.

The competition has been most intense in California, where 9 out of 10 homes sold in San Francisco, Sacramento and cities in Southern California drew competing bids during the month. And at least two-third of listings in Boston, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York generated bidding wars.

“The only question is not whether a new listing will get multiple bids but how many it will get,” said Kris Vogt, who manages 14 Coldwell Banker offices in the Sacramento area. One home in an Elk Grove, Calif., subdivision recently received 62 separate bids. The final sale price was for more than $150,000, well above its $129,000 asking price.

In Cambridge, Mass., two condos that could be combined into one large home hit the market two weeks ago for $800,000 each, according to Pat Villani, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New England.

“The brokers stopped taking names after the number of bidders reached 250,” she said. The winning bidder offered $2 million for both units.

Homebuyers eager to purchase before home prices and mortgage rates rise are finding few homes for sale as sellers hold out for better deals, said Glenn Kelman, Redfin’s CEO.

Many homeowners are still underwater, owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, and they want to wait until selling becomes profitable again. By doing so, they can avoid short sales, which carry big hits on credit scores, 85 to 160 points, according to FICO.

“Many people have been holding on for a profit and they’re just now getting their heads above water,” said Kelman.

Those who want to sell and buy a new home are encountering a market where it’s difficult to find a new place of their own, said Vogt.

Over the past few months, Jackie and Cliff Kaufman have bid on four different homes in St. Petersburg, Fla., including one short sale and a foreclosure.

The pair, who have two adult children and run an online jewelry business, said they bid $5,000 more than the $495,000 asking price on the first home they had their eye on and never heard back from the seller’s agent. They were later told the house sold for nearly $550,000.

Next, they bid on a short sale listed for $600,000. This time, they came in $10,000 above the asking price and again, they were beaten out. The house was only on the market for two days.

The third attempt to make an offer on a bank-owned property was also met with silence.

“It was very frustrating,” said Jackie Kaufman. “We felt we were always on the outside of the loop and that people who won the homes had the inside track.”

By the fourth try, the couple successfully bid through a listing agent, who they believe pushed their bid harder in order to earn a double commission since she was representing both the buyer and seller in the deal. And they managed to get the place for $30,000 less than the asking price.

They were lucky. Inventories of homes for sale continue to shrink. In February, the National Association of Realtors reported a 19.2% decline in inventory year-over-year. While the number of homes for sale should rise with the onset of the spring selling season, housing inventory is expected to remain low, pushing prices higher.

And new home construction, especially in markets hit hard by the housing bust, is still moving forward at a snail’s pace, since the cost to build the homes is often more than what the property ends up selling for, said Jeff Culbertson, president of Coldwell Banker’s Southern California operations.

Even though home prices are on the rise, the balance between buyers and sellers has been thrown off balance, said Kelman.

“With buyers out in force and sellers cautious, the market is in an awkward ‘tweener’ phase,” he said.

I read this article at: http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/04/real_estate/bidding-wars/index.html?source=linkedin

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The Reality of Real Estate Reality TV – by Sabrina Caton

The Reality of Real Estate Reality TV

Aside from my passion in real estate, I love writing and learning about movie and TV production. A while back, a high-school friend of mine, Robin, was on one of the popular Real Estate Reality shows that so many of us are addicted too. As soon as I finished her episode I was online asking her questions about her experience and how it all worked out.

The truth behind “real estate reality” TV was as enlightening as it was awesome. Why? Because the truth set me free! It confirmed it’s an entertainment show and not a true reflection on how buying a home really works.

Robin told me the episode is shot backwards. They had already purchased their condo, they had spent plenty of weekdays and weekends house-hunting with their agent and doing the real work. However, after they closed escrow on their new home, the production of the show started. They walked through their future home and pretended to shop it. Then the producers found two other properties, ones they may or may not have seen prior to buying and they walked through those too – pretending to pick it apart or discuss their likes and dislikes.

Then at the end of the show, they reveal which unit they bought and it’s all smiles and a shot of signing a one-page contract. So not a true picture of what it takes to buy a home!

The relief spilled over me. Of course, I knew these shows were for entertainment. Going on 10 years as a Realtor myself, I’ve rarely showed a home, drew up a contract, got the contract accepted and closed escrow in 30 minutes, minus the commercial spots. But the people, the real buyers, are watching the show and not thinking about it as entertainment as much as following a buyer’s journey.

That’s where the hard part starts for us Realtors! Get a new client in the car, ready to show some homes and they tell you – we only want to do this for about a month. Scrape my jaw off the floor and break the truth to them. In today’s real estate market, at least here on the SF Peninsula – you’ll be house hunting for months! Some people can handle it some cannot. I guess it’s one of those moments where you separate the men from the boys.

So I thought I would write a blog about it and share my ‘Ah-Ha’ moment. Because we, (myself included before I became a licensed Realtor), would sit down and enjoy these shows and in the back of our minds we believed it was that easy.

In the last year or so, the SF Peninsula has switched from a buyers market, with plenty of inventory in various price ranges and condition, to a sellers market, with limited inventory and even the trashy properties receiving multiple offers and over bidding.

Real estate, as all things are, is cyclical. What goes up, goes down, then up again. That’s when I remind my buying clients that life is not like those TV shows, not even close to the ones branded as Reality TV. If you truly want to own a piece of the Silicon Valley, it is going to take work, patience, and flexibility. And the view from my drivers seat is fantastic. There are opportunities out there for each buyer, they just have to open their eyes and their mind – and drop the ‘reality’ from those TV shows.

So get off the couch and in my car – we’ll take you on a real Real Estate journey – just a bit longer than 30 minutes.

Thanks for reading! Sabrina

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