Seller’s Resources & Advice

What Do Buyers And Sellers Want Most From Their Santa Barbara Real Estate Agents?

Your Local Santa Barbara MLS, Local Knowledge and Honesty As access to MLS information has become more widely available to the public in the last few years, a large proportion of the real estate industry has become worried that the buying public would have no need for agents once they had this information.  In reality, the major change that has occurred is that this has simply lead to a more educated client from the beginning.  Great for everyone. Remember...the MLS access, how to guides, computer generated stats on zip codes etc. tell... Continue Reading >

When is the Best Time of the Year to Buy and / or Sell Santa Barbara Real Estate?

As a Realtor here in Santa Barbara, I am often asked the question about the general cycle of Real Estate in Santa Barbara CA and thus...Is there a better time of they year to buy and sell....Is there a season? Obviously if you are a buyer or seller, different times of they year might be better than others and different markets are better than others...thus many factors go into this complex decision beyond just the time of year.  But...since enough clients seem to always ask some form of this question, I... Continue Reading >

Is Zillow’s “Zestimate” a Reliable Guide to Your Santa Barbara Home’s True Value?

Over the last several years, the prolific amount of real estate information on the Internet has allowed the consumer to gather a lot of valuable information on their own.  Many of these tools have educated both buyers and sellers in whatever stage they might be in with regards to potentially buying or selling a home. One popular tool that I have run into as well and that has been brought to my attention by several clients is "the evaluation tool" which allows homeowners to receive an "estimate" of their property's value. ... Continue Reading >

Low Cost Simple Ways to Get Your Carpinteria CA. Real Estate Ready for Sale

Many things in life that we initially love tend to go out of style at some time. Our homes are not immune to this reality, even though we ourselves have grown accustomed to our space.  We are sometimes blind to the lack of updating of our home, but if you are looking to sell your home, this lack of attention is very apparent to potential buyers. Here is a list of some great, easy to do fixes to get your Carpinteria home ready for sale. New Paint.  This is almost certainly... Continue Reading >

Top 20 Most Popular Real Estate Related Websites

Hitwise.com, a hugely reputable company that monitors traffic on the web for each website out there just came out with their list of the most visited real estate related websites.  The Hitwise rankings system is based on the market share of visits to real estate related websites among the company's own personal sample of 10 million U.S. Internet users. Realtor.com has remained at the top spot with roughly a 6.7% share of the market, although Realtor.com itself is not widely know outside of the US market.  Yahoo Real Estate remained in... Continue Reading >

Selling Your Goleta CA. Home in a Slower Market? – 10 Things You Should Consider

After the run up in Real Estate from 1998 to early 2007, Goleta sellers find themselves now in a position where they better make their home attractive to buyers if they want to sell.  Buyers have choices these days to say the least and most importantly they do not feel rushed.  1.  Make a lasting and powerful first impression Try and make your home memorable in some way. Home buying is an emotional time, with often buyers making true decisions in the first 5 minutes of seeing a home.  The curb appeal and front... Continue Reading >

Looking for a Qualified and Ethical Real Estate Agent in Santa Barbara California?

With all the information out there in the online marketplace, finding a well qualified and knowledgeable real estate agent can be difficult.  If you are local to Santa Barbara, a referral from a friend or colleague is a great place to start.  I personally would then research information online about the agent to learn about them, how they work, as well as their online presence which is so important in today's real estate market.  Then you can decide if this person is a good match or if you should look further. If you live... Continue Reading >

Historic Housing Bill Signed – How Does this Effect CA Real Estate!!

I wanted to pass on the news that the president of the California Association of Realtors sent this week via email to all Realtors here in California.  Here below is the exact email written to Realtors here in CA.   "This morning President Bush signed the "Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008." For the past several years, C.A.R. and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® have aggressively lobbied for Congress to pass numerous provisions found in this historic bill. Many of you participated in these efforts by communicating with your Members of Congress.... Continue Reading >

Little Known Advantages of Blogging Realtors – Santa Barbara and Montecito CA.

A few years ago blogging was almost an unknown in the real estate business. Here and there a few Realtors and other real estate professionals were blogging, but not to the extent that is seen today.  In the Santa Barbara and Montecito CA areas, there is currently very little blogging done by Realtors. To me this is very interesting since the use of the Internet continues to expand as THE MAIN TOOL (an often the main starting point) for buyers and sellers to search for homes, gather information about areas, learn real estate tips and meet... Continue Reading >

5 Ways to Increase the Chances of Selling Your Santa Barbara Home in Today’s Market

If you are in a situation where you need to think about selling your Santa Barbara home in today's market, here are 5 rules I think that could be of help. 1) Be honest with your price.  The most common mistake in a down market is to set your price based on yesterday's market.  Generally the first batch of buyers you get in the first 10 days will tend to pay the best price.  If you don't attract any of them, you are potentially in for a long haul with a... Continue Reading >

Is My Realtor a Santa Barbara Neighborhood Specialist in My Area?

Sometimes buyers and sellers will hire a real estate agent who works outside of an area because of friendship or thinking they could save money since this Realtor will give them a "kick-back" on their commission.  From my experience, working with an agent who does not have intimate knowledge of the neighborhood you are looking to buy or sell in can hurt you in many ways...financially speaking.  Therefore, if you choose to want to work with someone you know who does not know your area well, have them team... Continue Reading >

Do Open Houses Work in the Santa Barbara and Montecito Areas?

As a real estate agent here in the Santa Barbara and Montecito area, it is almost impossible to sell a home unless you get people in to first see the home.  With this said, one of the main first questions a Realtor is asked upon listing a home for sale is...how will their property be shown. That begs the question: Are open houses a big selling tool? Answer: No/Not really/ Barely/It can be... Most likely you will get some version of this answer from a seasoned real estate agent. The... Continue Reading >