How to Find Open Houses: A Guide for Home Buyers

Whether you’re intent on buying a home or just curious, hitting up open houses is probably the most fun part of house hunting. It can help you get the lay of the land, too.

Every weekend, hundreds of homes for sale open their doors so prospective buyers can pop in and check them out.

But how do you find them? And aside from ooohing and ahhing over backyard pools and walk-in closets, what should you do while there?

Keep these tips in mind to make the most of your open house visiting spree.

How to find open houses
Try any or all of these techniques to zero in on your dream home:

• Do an online search. We have to toot our own horn here! Not only can you peruse listings on realtor.com®, you can find info on upcoming open houses, too. Just click the “open house” box under the More Filters tab, where you can select the size and type of home you’d like to visit, and even whether it has a pool or other amenities you can’t do without.
• Find them on your phone. Yep, realtor.com has an app for that, too. Filter your search for open houses, and you’ll get an actual map of properties in your area with upcoming open houses. Tap on each one for times and other specifics.
• Use Instagram and other social media. Simply search #openhouse plus your city on Instagram, and you’ll find plenty of listings with gorgeous pictures. “I also like to keep an eye on Realtor® signs in my area and find their personal Instagram accounts,” says Alexander Ali, founder of The Society Group PR firm, who has put on some memorable open houses. “Most agents have personal accounts, and they’re great to use as a communication tool. Follow and direct message them! It’s faster than an email, and they check their social constantly.”
• Look for the signs. Even in today’s digital world, actual “open house” signs are still put up in front of properties for sale in hopes of attracting potential buyers. Try driving by or walking around a neighborhood you like, and see if there are signs or posters about upcoming open houses. Make a note of the date and time so you can plan your route. Also check your mail for open house mailers, and keep an eye out for fliers in local establishments.
• Visit local real estate offices. If you’re not ready to commit to working with one buyer’s agent, consider popping in to a few offices in your target area and asking what open houses they have coming up. It can be a great way to find listings and get a feel for which agent you might want to work with in the future.

How to make the most of open houses
It’s easy to wander aimlessly through home after home, but if you arrive at an open house with a game plan, you’ll get much more out of it. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your visits.

• Plan your path. Open houses tend to congregate on the weekend, so if you want to hit many of them or just cut down on running back and forth, it’s best to plot them out on a map, with the times they’re open, to visualize the best order to tackle them. If you’re walking from one to the other, be sure to wear comfortable shoes!
• Take photos. After seeing lots of houses, they might start to blur together. Therefore it’s a great idea to “chronicle” your open house journey with a series of photos from each house, plus notes, so when you’re reviewing them later you can remember what you liked and disliked about each property. At each house, start with a photo of the exterior and a flier, so you can identify it easily when you’re reviewing the pictures later.
• Think beyond the home you’re in. Chat with the Realtor® about the neighborhood, not just the house. “If the home isn’t something you like, they probably have others they could show you,” says Ali. “If you don’t like that house but you like the Realtor and aren’t working with anyone yet, tell them so and ask what else they have. Try not to leave an open house without at least one new phone number or listing idea, and soon you’ll find the right place for you.” But beware of engaging anyone as a dual agent.

Source: Realtor.com, Kimberly Dawn Neumann
http://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/how-to-find-open-houses/?iid=rdc_news_hp_carousel_theLatest

Doing the Open House thing

Had a great open house this past weekend with my partner Vendy Chan.

Realtors Reveal: 4 Unbelievable Open House Horror Stories

So you’re having an open house. It’s no big deal—people do this all the time, right? The only thing you have to worry about is steering clear until everyone is gone and then waiting for the offers to roll in. You’ve totally got this.

Or do you?

An open house can be a terrifically efficient way to get lots of potential buyers in the door at once. But sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes open houses are the stuff of nightmares. Check out these true (and hilarious, because they didn’t happen to us) tales from open house hell. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The dead deal

“I was showing an awesome rental in a beautiful building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, going for a shockingly low price. I had to ask: Why so cheap? My partner pulled me aside and told me the previous resident had died of old age in the apartment, and his body had stayed there for two months. The apartment had been completely gutted, but there still lingered a faint odor. So, when I was showing the apartment, I had planned to gently and tactfully break this information, but that’s when a neighbor walks in and says she was curious about the apartment ‘because of what happened.’ At which point I had to explain on the spot.” – Emile L’Eplattenier, real estate agent and writer with Fit Small Business.

Lesson learned: Sure, you don’t want to just blurt out that someone died and rotted in the home on the open house flyer. But if your home has a particularly sordid past, the open house is a good opportunity to come clean. Serious buyers will find out regardless when it comes time for seller’s disclosure. And on the chance that nosy neighbors come around asking about it in front of potential buyers, you won’t look like you were trying to hide the home’s history.

———

Curse of the unwanted gift

“I was hosting a busy open house, and the home was vacant, which meant the utilities had been turned off, including the water.  About half-way through the open house I hear a mother shriek from the hall bathroom.  She had allowed her son to use the restroom, and this 5-year-old laid a load that a buffalo would have been proud of—in a nonworking toilet! The mother was mortified and they ran off as quickly as they could.  Thankfully, the neighbors had a bucket on the side of the house, which I filled with water and used to fill the tank on the toilet.  It flushed just fine and all was well.” – Morgan Franklin, Realtor with United Real Estate Lexington.

Lesson learned: Realtors have told us again and again that buyers will use the bathroom during a showing. If you’ve already moved out, it might be for the best to leave the water on for a while (buyers might want to test the plumbing or shower pressure, after all). Or at least pop up some cautionary signs on your toilets.

———

The house of horrors

“Going back a few years to our first year in real estate, we were really pressing for getting listings—hard. We get a call to list a property, agree to meet the owner, and when we roll up—well, I wish we could’ve captured our looks to each other on film. Horrendous. The look, the odor, the whole package. Literally the nastiest house I’ve seen even to this day. Long story short, we list, immediately hold an open house that weekend. And held our breaths.” – Robert Page, The Realty Cousins with Century 21 Alliance Realty Group in Hudson Valley, NY.

Lesson learned: Sometimes you can get lucky. “Who comes strolling in to make a cash offer? The next-door neighbor!” says Page. “We thought looking at this place was bad for a few days. This woman had been looking at this house from her windows for decades and couldn’t take another day of it. She’s since fixed the whole place up and it looks great.”

No, you may not be quite so lucky. If your house is a blighted mess, we hope you’ll take this opportunity to think about your life choices and then, for goodness sake, do some updating before you put it on the market.

———

The looky-loo stalker

“Last year I was hosting four open houses in one day which is typically the max. But so was everyone on my team! We had a total of 14 homes for sale ranging from $980,000 to $11,500,000. And the same buyer went to every single one! We have no idea how he did it, but clearly he wasn’t a (legitimate) buyer for any of the properties. Over the next several weeks he would continue to show up at our team’s open houses and oddly always wore the same outfit and had the same shopping bag from a very well-known retailer.” – Eleonora Srugo, Realtor® with the SLS team at Douglas Elliman

Lesson learned: Don’t expect everyone who walks through the door to make a serious offer. Some people may just be there out of curiosity or boredom, or because they’re a little, well, strange. Thankfully only your Realtor will have to deal with the crazies up close and personal. Just remember to take it on the chin if the number of offers on your home doesn’t quite align with the attendance at your open house.

Source: Realtor.com, Angela Colley
http://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/open-house-horror-stories/

Buyers Beware: You May Be Under Surveillance

Surprise, home buyers: You might be on hidden camera.

You may believe you’re having private discussions about the merits of a homeowner’s wallpaper, the ugly, orange tiles in the bathrooms, or the to-die-for bay windows as you tour a residence. But what people often don’t realize is that those surveillance cameras in the hallways may be turned on, according to Bankrate.com. And that smiling teddy bear in the corner? He may be taping everything you say.

Even the not-so-neurotic sellers often want to know exactly who wants to buy their homes, what they don’t like about them, and just how far they’ve fallen in love with the residences (useful information when it comes to negotiations), say real estate agents. And what better way to find out than to play Big Brother?

“It’s not unusual to see a camera at the edge of a playroom,” says Atlanta real estate agent Jen Engel. “But people don’t realize they’re on.”

Engel once represented a seller who used a “nanny cam” to record everything potential buyers said about the seller’s home. Engel learned of it after the property sold.

“They want to know what people don’t like,” says Engel. “They want to know if there’s an issue they’re not being told about.”

The cameras are most likely legal, although the laws can vary by state, says Indiana University law professor Fred Cate.

“It’s against the law to record someone on audio or video if they’re in a situation in which they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, [such as in] a changing room or a locker room or a bathroom,” says Cate, author of “Privacy in the Information Age.” “But when you’re in somebody else’s house with a real estate agent, it’s a little harder to argue you really have an expectation of privacy.”

For sellers, getting that honest (if ethically murky) feedback can inspire them to make changes—such as replacing that ’70s kitchen flooring or putting in new carpeting.

It can also be valuable during negotiations to know just how much buyers want the home—and how much they said they’d be willing to pay for those properties when they thought no one else was listening.

That’s why Houston Realtor® Greg Nino cautions his Re/Max Compass clients to play their hands close their vests and not say anything that could potentially be used against them—from commenting on the family pictures on the wall to gushing about how they finally found their dream home.

“I’ve had sellers actually go and spy on buyers to see if they are the kind of people they want living in their house,” Janine Acquafredda, a Brooklyn, NY–based associate broker at House-N-Key Realty, told Bankrate.com.

But Boston real estate broker Douglas Bray of Century 21 Cityside doubts that’s common.

“What’s important is if someone is financially qualified and capable of purchasing the home,” he says.

Of course, sellers may simply feel nervous about having strangers in their home, amid their possessions, and want some measure of security.

“If the home has precious works of art [or other valuables], then by all means, I think cameras are an important part of the home-selling process,” Bray told realtor.com®. “But it’s important that people be told there are cameras present. That’s just useful in making everyone feel comfortable.”

Source: Realtor.com, Clare Trapasso
http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/buyers-under-surveillance/?iid=rdc_news_hp_carousel_theLatest

My New Listing on 2087 Limewood Dr, San Jose - Open House Sat, April 30 & Sun, May 1st from 1-4:30pm

OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, April 30th 2016 from 1pm to 4:30pm

Sunday, May 1st 2016 from 1pm to 4:30pm

A charming North San Jose home you would be proud to own.  This well maintained home was remodeled in 2012 and features a great floor plan, spacious bedrooms, two full bathrooms, dual pane windows, dual facing fireplace and fresh interior paint.  In addition, recently added an alluring driveway, lawn with automatic sprinklers & patio. Conveniently located on a quiet street close to schools parks, freeways, the Great Mall and the future BART Station.

Property Features:

3 Bedroom

2 Baths

Living Area 1,300 Sq. Ft.

Lot Size: 6,099 Sq. Ft.

Built: 1964

Double Pane Windows

Laminated Flooring in Kitchen

New Interior Paint

New Patio

       New Driveway

Landscaping

Laneview Elementary

    Morrill Middle School

Offered at: $799,000

 

Mimi Wang, REALTOR®
GRI, CPRES, SRES, CIPS, CDPE, HAFA, REO
BRE #: 01775814
(408) 569-3808
mimi@mimihomes.com | www.MimiHomes.com
10420 S. DeAnza Blvd., Cupertino, CA. 95014
Fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese
Your REALTOR® for Life!

These 10 Expenses Are Why Realtors Don’t Make The Kind Of Money You Think They Do

People often think when I tell them I am a Realtor that the money is rolling in and I do little work. The fact is that the opposite is usually true. Real estate IS NOT an easy business despite what many think, and the money, well, it can be relatively good, it's not just rolling in.



Much of the general public is oblivious to all the costs associated with being a real estate agent. They mistakenly believe we all drive Benz’s and are grossly overpaid. Nothing could be further from the truth. Carrying a real estate license comes with great expense, and we have to charge our clients accordingly to cover the costs of doing business.

According to Payscale.com, the median yearly salary for real estate agents is $44,488. Most agents don’t even sell five homes per year. With that in mind, there’s a myriad of monthly costs that must be covered, whether we sell a home that month or not.

To demonstrate that it’s not all fancy cars and mansions in the lives of agents, I’ve listed 10 things real estate agents blow their commission checks on which the public has no idea about.

1. Lockboxes:
These little guys, who hang on your door when your home is for sale, are not cheap. Think about it, these are boxes that are destruction proof and operate by satellite. Not to even mention the expensive supra key that you have to buy and have a subscription to, in order to unlock the boxes. Agents who have 10+ listings have thousands of dollars in lockboxes alone.

2. Signs:
An agent can’t sell a home without a sign. Signs aren’t free. Much like lockboxes, when an agent has dozens of signs, they have lots of money invested. The design and shipping alone is hundreds of dollars. Agents use yard signs, open house signs, location signs, sold signs, pending signs, and in the HOA controlled neighborhoods, designer signs. It adds up very quickly.

3. NAR Dues:
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is America’s largest trade association, representing over 1 million members involved in residential and commercial real estate. Not all real estate agents opt to join NAR and become REALTORS®, but the vast majority do. And guess what—NAR wants its money every month. And they don’t take IOUs.

4. MLS Dues:
On top of belonging to NAR, you have to pay monthly to have access to the MLS. The MLS is the source that lists all the homes for sale. Trulia and Zillow don’t have near as much data as the MLS. The MLS charges a hefty monthly fee to list and sell the agents’ homes. It’s very much a necessary tool in the agent toolbox.

5. Marketing Materials:
The agent’s main job is to market. They market properties and themselves. Between websites, business cards, flyers, and belonging to sites like Zillow and Trulia, the average agent will spend almost $1,000/month on marketing materials. Some spend $10,000+ in marketing each month. It’s not cheap to spread the word about a multi hundred thousand dollar asset for sale.

6. Advertising:
Paid ads aren’t cheap. Whether it’s on Facebook, a billboard, or the baby seat in a shopping cart, ads cost a lot of money. They’re the lifeblood of a good agent. That’s how they sell your home—by advertising it.

7. Website Hosting:
If you’re going to sell real estate in this digital age, you need a website. You’ve got to have a place for your prospects and clients to come and search for homes. That website has to feed into the MLS (another fee to do that), and the website has to be responsive. The average custom website costs $5,000 and comes with a monthly charge of $200. You starting to see the pattern here?

8. Open Houses:
You may think that we just sit in your home using up your free wifi, but that’s not the case. Depending on the agent, there’s food involved as well as balloons, signs, ads, and staging—all designed to make the place look and feel like a million bucks. I’ve even paid to have someone mow the yard and trim the bushes before an open house. I didn’t have time to wait on the owner to take action.

9. Closing Gifts:
In most markets its customary (but not necessary) for agents to give a gift to the clients after doing business with them. What most don’t know is that they usually send one to the title company and the loan officer as well. When everyone puts in hard work, the agent wants to reward them so they continue to do so. You may view it as frivolous, but you can never be too nice to title companies and banks. When you need a favor, gifts go a long way.

10. Office Space (often included in an agent’s commission split—read more here)
Most people think that agents have a job with an office. They don’t realize that the broker charges for the office space and the furniture that occupies it. Just know this: Nothing is free in the real estate game. Not even a place to do your work. Agents are nickled and dimed to death. And as you know, commercial office space isn’t cheap.

So next time you’re thinking about hiring an agent, and you think their fees are a little high, think of this list (which is just a fraction of what’s really paid for). They’re all things to facilitate properties getting moved faster and for higher dollar amounts.

It’s not easy, cheap or always fun being a real estate agent, but the smile we see on our clients’ faces when they buy a new home or profit from selling their old one, makes it 100% worth it.


Source: LighterSide of Real Estate, Ryan Stewman
http://lightersideofrealestate.com/real-estate-life/agent-life/10-expenses-realtors-dont-make-kind-money-think

5 Crazy Ways to Sell Your House That Really Work!

No matter how amazing your home is, let’s be honest: Real estate is a drag-down, stops-out, winner-take-all competitive market. It can take some true ingenuity to steer prospective buyers through your front door.

Well, to help get your creative juices flowing, here are some offbeat sales tactics that some slightly daring homeowners and real estate agents have tried. And they swear they work!

Offer a cash reward

If you use Facebook or Twitter to stay in touch with friends or share photos, then there’s no reason why you can’t use it to share the news that you’re selling your home!

In order to sweeten the deal, one Canadian family decided to offer a $1,000 “reward” for any “share” that led to the sale of their home. There’s no word yet on how well it worked, but it makes sense: Why not take that split second to spread the word to your pals if cold hard cash hangs in the balance?

Have an over-the-top open house

“The days of the wine and cheese open house are over,” pronounces Alexander Ali, CEO of the Society Group. What’s taken its place are open ceremonies—basically, open houses on human growth hormones, complete with live entertainment, catering from In-N-Out Burger, mermaids in the pool … you get the idea.

These bigger and usually more upscale parties are often pricey, but they don’t have to be. The key is to make it all sound unusual and fun—all the better to cut through the open-house clutter. Just ask Wendy Flynn, a Realtor in College Station, TX, who spent a mere $200 to hire a snow cone truck to park in the driveway of a home she was trying to sell.

“Instead of the typical two to five visitors, over 50 adults and countless kids attended the open house,” she recalls. “Of those who visited, five demonstrated serious interest in the property—proof that creative marketing can help garner attention for a home.” Hey, who doesn’t like snow cones?

Create your own reality show

You turn on a camera, set up a channel, and let people peek into your home—all in an effort to help them imagine what it would be like to live there in the future. Crazy? Maybe. But live-streaming is a way to get prospective buyers to see the inside of your property without ever leaving their couch.

“Live-streaming video is a great tool: Facebook Live, YouTube, Blab, Periscope, and Meerkat are all emerging big time for real estate use,” says Ellen Cagnassola, social media manager for HouseMaster Home Inspections.

Feel a bit awkward being the “star”?  Hold an event such as a live show, or hire local talent like stand-up comedians to do a short skit in your home that you can publicize. It’ll get your home in front of more eyeballs, honest! Keep the adult humor to a minimum, please.

Play the celebrity card

Does your home have a celebrity who once slept there? Or perhaps it served as the backdrop for a movie at one point? Or maybe it evokes a certain TV show or movie? Whatever makes your property special, use it to your advantage. And if you don’t have any celeb stories, then consider hiring actors to set the scene.

Jaisa Bishop, an associate partner at Partners Trust, did just that when representing a Victorian house in San Diego that wasn’t getting enough attention.

“I employed my family members to dress in period costume and be in character. They sat in the garden while a local artist painted and brought a few of his pieces to sell. It was a great success,” says Bishop. “Guests were able to sit and have tea in the garden and eat finger foods with the characters while taking in the home. ‘Downton Abbey’ meets real estate!”

Try a little magic

When all else fails, it might be time to call in help from the invisible fairies or forces you  believe in. Kooky, sure, but it can’t hurt and it just might help. Just ask Ellen Shaikun, a broker associate with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Parks & Weinberg Realtors, who had heard that burying a statue of St. Joseph upside-down in your yard is supposed to bring a quick sale.

“I had a client who did it. When the house was still on the market two weeks later, my seller kicked into desperation mode and dug up the statue—having determined that it was buried in the wrong place for maximum impact—and moved it next to the mailbox. My seller was correct: We got an offer almost immediately. As we all know in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location!”

Source: realtor.com, Kimberly Neumann
http://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/crazy-ways-to-sell-your-house-that-just-might-work/?iid=rdc_news_hp_carousel_theLatest

Holding an Open House? Don’t Make These 7 Huge Mistakes

If you’re selling your home for the first time, you might think of the open house as the point at which your Realtor® waits until you leave, turns into a magician and, with a flick of the wrist, completely transforms the place into something out of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing.”

But here’s the truth of it: Your agent isn’t practicing wizardry on the side. And you’re not responsibility-free when it comes to the open house.

In fact, even though you’re not present for the open house (and you never, ever should be, if you want to sell the home), there are still quite a few ways that you can screw it up—and drive away potential buyers.

These seven things will, according to our experts, destroy your chances of a successful open house—and, potentially, the home sale. Are you guilty of them?

1. Leaving your pets behind

This is Fremont, CA, home stager Alice T. Chan’s biggest open house pet peeve.

“That’s an obvious thing,” says Chan, who previously worked as a production designer for HGTV’s “Flip It to Win It” and was co-host and designer for the channel’s “Power Broker.”

Letting them run free is an easy way to annoy potential buyers, who may not like pets and definitely can’t picture themselves living in any home that once housed dogs or cats. Plus, you’ll want to consider the safety of the animals.

“People are going to open the door, and the pets will fly out thinking, ‘Woo hoo, I’m free!’” Chan says.

2. Turning a blind eye to the kitchen

You might be surprised by how many homeowners ignore this entire room when selling.

“Putting dirty dishes in the sink does not make them invisible,” Chan says.

Even if the rest of the home is staged to perfection, a disgusting kitchen will turn off buyers—and that goes for your dishwasher, too. People are nosy (and eager to learn about their maybe-new home). Expect them to open the dishwasher and investigate the fridge during the open house, and prepare your home accordingly: Clean and store your dishes, and clear out any smelly food from the fridge.

The same goes for any other room you think buyers won’t bother checking out, such as the garage, laundry room, or closets. Because guess what? They totally will.

“You’re not selling part of your house; you’re selling all of your house,” Chan says. “You want to make sure everything you’re showing is in showcase condition.”

3. Not hiding your dirty bath towels

Keeping bath towels you’ve used (and intend to use again) tucked out of the way in a closet benefits you twofold: Not only does it make your bathroom look well-staged, but it also keeps them free of dirt and germs from the day’s parade of guests. Instead, swap in a clean set of decorative bath and hand towels for each open house.

“You don’t want (people) wiping their grubby paws on the bath towels you wipe your body with,” Chan says. “That’s just gross.”

4. Cleaning solo

Hosting an open house is a great time to ask yourself: Am I a good cleaner? Really? If the answer to that question isn’t a resounding “yes!” consider hiring a professional.

“Very, very few people are good housekeepers,” Chan says. “If you think you’re going to save $200 on house cleaning because ‘I can do it myself’ … well, if you weren’t doing a good job before, you won’t do a good job now.”

Not only will cleaners scrub all the out-of-the-way spots you might miss (think baseboards and switch plates), they can also help eliminate odors and messes that go back years.

“I’ve worked on houses where it was a complete hellhole, no joke: dogs, cats, smoke, the whole nine,” Chan says. “We had it spit-shined so it would show well, and no one was the wiser.”

5. Not getting a second opinion

After cleaning and staging your home, a blunt-tongued neighbor can be a godsend. Over time, you can get used to smells and odors that can linger, even after a thorough cleaning.

“You need a neutral third party who will tell you like it is, not what you want to hear,” Chan says.

So don’t be offended if they tell you your place stinks—figuratively or literally.

“You’re not in a position to be all ego,” Chan says. “You’re trying to sell your house—and that’s what you need to focus on.”

6. Not maintaining the yard

While it might seem tempting to neglect your side yard, don’t. Not only does a messy yard look terrible, but objects strewed every which way can also be dangerous.

“A garden hose strewn across the yard is a tripping hazard,” Chan says. “Coil it up to make it look nice and organized-looking.”

And unless it’s trash day, keep your bins out of sight. Nothing makes a house less appealing than a pile of trash.

7. Forgetting to stash your drugs (no, seriously)

There’s a reason stagers depersonalize your house. Sure, they want potential buyers to visualize themselves living within its walls—but they also want to remove any ammunition against you during the negotiating process.

One place to look is the medicine cabinet, which should be emptied during an open house.

“You don’t want people knowing your identity. You don’t want people stealing your meds,” Chan says. “And you don’t want them to think, ‘Oh, I know this medication, I know why they need to sell the house,’ because cancer treatment or something. You don’t want people to get information from your house that they can use as leverage.”

The same goes for family photos and things such as walkers and canes: For example, if you’re elderly, they might consider undercutting your price under the assumption that you can no longer take care of your home.

Keeping buyers from learning your personal details isn’t just good staging—it’s good business sense, too.

Source: Realtor.com, Jami Wiebe
http://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/holding-an-open-house-dont-make-these-7-huge-mistakes/

Don't Be a Scaredy Cat About Selling Your Home

Happy Halloween folks!

Don't Be a Scaredy Cat About Selling Your Home


Selling a home is one of the most challenging activities we undertake in life. It’s a huge transaction with financial, emotional and practical implications. Not unlike meeting with your CPA or going to the dentist, the thought of putting your home on the market may be enough to make you run for the hills.

If this is true for you, rest assured — you’re not alone. Here are five big fears many sellers face, and ways to cope with them.

My home won’t sell

The home sitting on the market is the number one fear of most sellers. Particularly if they need the money to buy another house or move on, the fear of the home not selling can be overwhelming.

It might be helpful (or incredibly stressful) to know, but for the right price, and in the right condition, any home will sell. It all depends on local market conditions.

Don’t decide to sell at the last minute. Get with a real estate agent months or even a year before you think you need to sell, and plan ahead. In some markets, it could take six to nine months to get an offer.

I’ll have to do work to my home to sell it

Many sellers are embarrassed by their home and know that it needs work in order to bring in the masses. Yet homeowners often want to go from A to Z without having to deal with prepping the home for sale.

Sellers need to understand that the ultimate sale price of their home directly correlates with its condition. The more time and money you spend prepping your home for sale, the more money you’ll get.

If you’re fine with leaving some money on the table for the next owner, do the bare minimum. But with a little time and money spent on cleaning, replacing, storing and staging, you can get your home in tip-top shape.

Lean on your real estate agent for help. Good agents double as project managers for prepping homes for sale.

My home won’t sell by my target date

If a life event such as a job transfer, death in the family or divorce has you under the gun to sell in a certain time frame, this may be your leading fear. Trying to sell a home quickly can be incredibly stressful, not to mention disruptive.

If you need to move your home, you will need to price it at or below the most recent comparable sales. Buyers today look for value and will flock to a well-priced home.

Double points if you can get your home showing in amazing condition quickly. In some markets, well-priced homes in good locations sell with multiple offers.

My agent wants to price my home too low

Your real estate agent’s pricing strategy should be transparent, and together you should come up with a plan. A price reduction should never come as a surprise, and an offer within just two days of going on the market should not be a shock.

If you don’t trust your agent’s judgment on price, or you feel you and she don’t have aligned strategies, don’t list with her.

However, if you don’t agree with her price, but you hear the same number from multiple agents, that could be a sign that you aren’t being realistic.

I feel exposed with people walking through my home

Face it: To sell your home, you have to open it up to the masses. I once had a client completely break down when she came home to 10 people mulling around 10 minutes after the end of the open house.

Take down all of your personal belongings like photos, diplomas and the like. Remove all small and expensive items and put them in a safe.

While it’s important to have your home decorated for showings, it’s sometimes easier on sellers to depersonalize the home as much as possible, prior to listing. Some people prefer to move and sell the home empty or staged because they simply can’t deal with the headache. Put a safety plan in place with your agent if you have those concerns.

The whole idea of selling a home is stressful and most people fear it — and for good reason. Moving is very disruptive, and selling a home brings up lots of concerns.

Just know that you are not alone, and your fears are well founded. So, put them out there and approach them one by one. Planning and working with the right team can help make your home sale much less scary.

Source: Zillow Blog, Brendon Desimone
http://www.zillow.com/blog/scared-about-selling-home-185874/

My New Listing folks.

Open this weekend 10/17 & 10/18 from 1pm to 4pm

Convenience and Luxury - Well Maintained Condo Close to Santana Row

801 S Winchester Blvd #1111, San Jose, CA 95128

$553,999

KEY FEATURES
Year Built: 2005
Sq Footage: 986 sqft.
Bedrooms: 2 Beds
Bathrooms: 2 Baths
Floors: 1
Parking: 1 | Guest parking
Lot Size: 892 Square Feet
Property Type: Condo

DESCRIPTION

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What a luxury lifestyle! Beautiful gated 9 years young Villa Cortina community conveniently located close to Santana Row, Valley Fair, freeway, schools and park. The complex offers security gates, restricted vehicle access, recreational facility, elevators, pool, playground, BBQ area. First floor unit featuring two large dual pane windows, fresh paint, granite counter tops in kitchen and bath and nice floor plan.

Open House: 10/17/15 & 10/18/15 - 1pm to 4pm

PROPERTY FEATURES

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• Living room
• Master bath
• Storage space
• Pantry
• Range / Oven
• Refrigerator
• Dishwasher
• Microwave
• Garbage disposal
• Stainless steel appliances
• Balcony, Deck, or Patio
• Heat: forced air
• Central A/C
• Ceiling fans
• Double pane / Storm windows
• Cable-ready

COMMUNITY FEATURES

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• Elevator
• Secured entry
• Controlled access
• Gated entry
• Disability access
• Shared pool
• Fitness center
• Clubhouse
• Playground
• Barbecue
• Guest parking
• Covered parking
• On-street parking
• Garage - Attached

Contact info:
Mimi Wang
Century 21 M&M and Associates
408-569-3808
mimi@mimihomes.com

Safety First when listing your home for sale

I always tell my clients this very advice when I'm about to put their property on the market. This video from C.A.R. sums it up in a fun way.

Come To My Open House Sat & Sun 1:30 to 4:30pm - 5462 Carls Ct, San Jose

OPEN HOUSE!
Saturday, August 15th 2015 - 1:30 to 4:30pm
Sunday, August 16th 2015 - 1:30 to 4:30pm

$769,888, 4Bd/2.5Ba Single Family House, 1960 sqft.

Mimi Wang | Century 21 M&M and Associates | 408-569-3808mimi@mimihomes.com | 5462 Carls Ct, San Jose, CA 95123 Blossom Hill Elegance - 5462 Carls Ct, San Jose - Open Sat (8/15) & Sun (8/16) 1:30 to 4:30 4Bd/2.5Ba Single Family House $769,888 Year Built 1999 Sq Footage 1960 sqft. Bedrooms 4 Beds Bathrooms 2.5 Baths Floors 2 Parking 2 Garage Laundry In Unit Lot Size 3400 Square Feet DESCRIPTION Come home to elegance and serenity. With an open floor plan, vaulted ceilings and abundance of windows, this home is filled with the warmth of natural light. Situated at the end of a cul-de-sac, you are greeted with beautiful landscaping that invites you in. Conveniently located close to schools, parks, shopping and a freeway. NO HOA FEE! San Jose see additional photos below Unit Features - Living room - Walk-in closet - Master bath - Family room - Storage space - Pantry - Range / Oven - Refrigerator - Dishwasher - Microwave - Garbage disposal - Stainless steel appliances - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Yard - Fenced yard - Lawn - Heat: forced air - Central A/C - Air conditioning - Double pane / Storm windows - Cable-ready - Granite countertop - Fireplace - High / Vaulted ceiling Community Features - On-street parking ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Contact info: Mimi Wang Century 21 M&M and Associates 408-569-3808 mimi@mimihomes.com For sale by Agent/Broker Posted: Jul 24, 2015, 9:21pm EDT