Is Your Home Ready For El Nino?

 Give your home some TLC before rain storms and cold temperatures will surprise you with an unexpected roof leakage or a high energy bill in Fall and Winter. Below are some of my family's checkpoints before I let them carve the Thanksgiving turkey:

Think Gutters: Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts.

Be an Energy Efficient Ambassador: Seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors with weather-stripping and caulk.

Get on Top, Check Your Roof:Inspect your roof for damaged or curled shingles, corroded flashing, or leaky vents.

Walks the Walks: Take steps to repair damaged sidewalks, driveways, and steps.

Chill out. Drain and winterize outdoor faucets and irrigation systems.

Freshen Up: Clean or replace dirty furnace filters.

Give Your Furnace a Physical. Have a professional inspect your heating system.

Gather Round the Hearth. Check fireplaces for soot or creosote build-up. Better yet, schedule a visit from a reputable chimney sweep.

Keep the Humidifier Humming. Clean the plates or pads to ensure efficient operation.

Keep the Fires Burning: Wood stoves are making a comeback. To avoid a deadly situation, be sure to inspect yours before firing it up and check with your city for "No Burn Days". 

Keep your family safe at home. A home safety check should be an annual ritual in every household - I schedule this on the Fall Forward Day when I am not only switching the time on my clock but also test smoke and CO monitors, inspect fire extinguishers, review fire escape plans, have gas appliances checked and rid my home of clutter. 

THE CO$T CONUNDRUM - Homebuyers Beware of Unexpected Costs

If you buy a new home, there is more to budget for than just mortgage and down payment. As stated in the July 2015 edition of The Epoch Times, 75% of homebuyers will face a costly emergency repair within the first 12 months of moving into their new home. Most homebuyers reported that they spend more time and money on remodel projects and unexpected damages than they initially anticipated.

Blocked toilets and pipes, a clogged train, and a broken heating or a/c system belong to the most frequent repairs within the first 12 months.

It is recommended to homebuyers to budget 1% of their home purchase price for repairs so that there is no rude awakening after close of escrow from the dream of owning a home.

Enjoy Cinco De Mayo!

Hollister Wine and Beer Stroll Coming Saturday, May 2nd

Walk through historic downtown and have a glass of Pinot or beer. Coming Saturday, May 2nd, check out charming Hollister

There Is No Bad Time to Buy A Home - All You Need Is The Right Strategy - Do You Have One?

Don't Sleep On It If You Want To Sleep In It!

#absorption rate

Millenials Discover the South County Suburbs

....and I hope that home sellers in Morgan Hill, San Martin, Hollister and Gilroy are dancing the happy dance right now because the majority of Millenials are not looking for that expensive ocean view in San Francisco or urban loft in San Jose's Santana Row - no, they are placing offers in our affordable suburban and rural neighborhoods.

Countdown to TRID - More Changes for the Lending Industry and Real Estate Business

Some important changes affecting the real estate industry, consumers, and the mortgage industry in particular will go into effect for loan applications dated August 1, 2015 and beyond.  It is called TRID and stands for TILA RESPA INTEGRATED DISCLOSURES. This major regulatory change will mandate industry-wide changes to disclosures and closing documents.  

The forms impacted by TRID include combining the GFE and TIL into one disclosure called the Loan Estimate (“LE”), and combining the final TIL and HUD into one disclosure called the Closing Disclosure (“CD”). However #TRID is more than simply new forms.  Check out the video seen at Sacramento based Scott Papapietro, www.bigvalleymortgage.com.

https://apmortgage.webex.com/apmortgage/ldr.php?RCID=793481a7c71b770423746c1172b6d082

Open House tomorrow 3/7 from 1PM - 5PM - New Blossom Valley Listing

#open#house#real#estate#Blossom#Valley#San#Jose

We will hold this beauty open coming Saturday, March 7, 1 - 5PM.

Come and visit us in this warm and inviting ranch on 367 Avenida Manzanos in the family friendly Blossom Valley Neighborhood w/ easy access to freeways.

Among other great features, there is custom woodwork throughout the house, a fireplace, a spacious backyard with grass to play on for the kiddos and a sparkling pool to relax after a hard day's work.

Listed for under $ 619,000. It won't last so don't miss our open house.

Active military, Veterans, I am a certified Military Relocation Specialist and trained to assist active military and veterans. Let's find your next home! From every transaction I donate to Dreampower Horsemanship to help veterans suffering from p.t.s.d. to get free therapy.

And you all know, where there is Special Agent Silvia holding open, there is always homemade cake!

Questions? Do call me at 408.706.0671. I would love to assist you purchasing your new home.

 

This Month In Real Estate: March 2015 - SCC South County Edition

South County, you had exactly the same number of homes sold like same time last year which means you did better than Santa Clara County as a whole which was down 12% year over year. Home prices are up year over year and month over month. The low interest rates continue to be attractive for anybody looking to buy. Do you? If yes, you know what to do. Together we will make it happen!

Oh, btw. don't forget to spring forward next weekend!

Your's truly, always working hard right in your neighborhood. 

Happy Valentine!

#valentine

Get to Know the Unzillowables in Your Home

Inaccurate Zillow 'Zestimates' are known as a source of conflict between buyers, sellers, and their agents. The buyer complains that the list price is too high if the Zestimate is lower and the seller is not happy either if his agent suggests a list price lower than the Zillow estimate.

According to Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff, "Zestimates are a good starting point" but have a "median error rate" of about 8%. There is a reason why Rascoff is rather cautiously defining what a zestimate should be, nothing more than one factor in pricing a home.

As a real estate consultant, I am committed to come up with the most accurate estimate not only if clients want to list their home with me but also if the neighbor asks for a free price estimate.

It indeed is a team effort between the homeowner and the agent to come up with a home value that is right on the market and competitive.

While the basis for Zestimates are simply past sales in the extended neighborhood, my price estimates include a comparative market analysis known as a CMA, and more important, the factors x, y, z or as I call them, "the Unzillowables."

How does the school district look like? Does the home have a pool? Is the home very well cared after or is it in a fixer upper condition? Is the neighborhood child friendly? Even the timeline of the owner when he or she wants to be out of the house is a factor. Military families have less time than civilians to sell their homes once they get their PCS, the military relocation order. They tend to list slightly below market value to attract as many offers as possible in short time to be able to close escrow within short time.

No matter what the individual challenge is for the seller, it is always the agent's personal walk-through and the owners honest feedback that will be key factor to work together until both parties agree on a number to be the most accurate estimate and future list price. The appraisal plays a crucial role as well in this process.

No computer result can replace a great homeowner-listing agent relation based on trust, expertise, and honesty.

More about this topic from Kenneth R. Hearney.

#Zillow#Home#Real#Estate

A Low Cost and Beautifully Designed Living Room Table

#Table#Doityourself

This Month in Real Estate - January 2015 - South County Edition

#Real Estate#South#County

Compared to Santa Clara County as a whole which shows the number of sales down compared to last year January, the South County is slightly up. However last months sales numbers are down. Low interest rates are attractive for buyers and sales numbers would be better with more inventory.

I know you know that somebody knows of someone

4 Simple Steps to Improve Your Credit Score

I read this great advice in a report written 

by ScottHalliwell  |  San Antonio, TX  |  ‎12-01-2014

FICO score, VantageScore, BlahBlahBlah score.

You may already know that credit scores come in many many different forms and flavors. And you’ve probably heard that having a good score is important.

But did you know there are some surefire moves to getting a good score or improving one regardless of the scoring model being used?

Four ways to build a better credit score:

• Be in the game. To improve your credit score, first you must actually have credit. This typically starts with getting a credit card or a loan from an institution that reports to the credit bureaus. For credit newbies, a secured card might be a good way to get in the game.

• Be on time. Your credit score is designed to inform potential lenders how risky it might be to lend you money. Will you pay them back or just take the money and run? So you’ll want your payment history to be impeccable, no matter which scoring model is being used. Never, ever be late with your payments. Better yet, pay early.

• Be debt-averse. You can demonstrate creditworthiness by demonstrating restraint. Backward though it may seem, if you use too much of the credit extended to you at any point in time, you will hurt your score. So don’t carry balances on credit cards or lines of credit, and if you do, keep the balance to less than 20% of what’s available. You have to be in the game, but not all-in.

• Be patient. Credit history includes the word history for a reason. Potential lenders want to know that you’ll be a good borrower in good times and bad, and building or rebuilding that image of reliability takes time. Who cares if you’re a good borrower for a month? But a few years or a decade? That’s a bigger deal.

If you’d like the nitty-gritty details on how credit scoring works, please check out the information on myFICO.com and your.VantageScore.com. But if details aren’t your thing, these tips should get you started.

Furniture for Horse People

The perfect recliner for my horsie friends in the South County

This Month In Real Estate, January 2015, Santa Clara County, South County, and Gilroy Edition AT A Glance

2015 starts with a seller's market in Santa Clara County as well as  in the South County and Gilroy. Interest rates continue to be low and attractive for homebuyers. There is opportunity for everyone in this market.

Host My Next Dream-Maker Party!

There is nothing better than handing out the key to a first-time homebuyer. It can be you next time. You know what you want, and I have the local real estate knowledge to help you realize it. Let's be the next winning team!