Should I Use An Air Freshener When Selling My Palo Alto Home

Many Palo Alto real estate agents and stagers may suggest using a plug in type air freshener when selling your Palo Alto home. Is this a good idea?

The way a home smells can have a profound effect on how buyers feel about your home. However, some buyers are allergic  to the perfumed smell that comes out of some air fresheners, and some buyers will be concerned that you are trying to cover up a bad smell, like a musty odor.

There are arguments for and against using artificail smells. If you want my opinion, here it is:

1. If you can fill the house with fresh flowers while you are selling your Palo Alto home, that is better than an artificial air freshener. This is easier to do in the spring and summer. However, you can get good flowers all year round at Trader Joe's or the Farmers markets on Sat and Sun.

2. If you have pets with strong odors, like Basset Hounds, or very old and smelly cats then it is a good idea to get an air freshener. These smells will go away when you move so you do not have to worry about being accused of covering up a material fact of your house.

3. If some of your furniture in the home you are selling in Palo Alto is old and musty it would be worth removing it and having your home staged with more modern looking and less smelly furniture. Then add some fresh flowers or a little potpourri to give a better emotional hit from the house.

4. If your home is musty smelling because of water damage, wet soil in the crawl space, or unseen mildew then the decision is a little harder. If you believe your home will be torn down you may have a different decision than if you think the home will be lived in as is or perhaps remodeled. If your home is a candidate for tear down, like an old 2 bedroom one bath Midtown home, then it will be more pleasant to have an air freshener while it is for sale.  if the Palo Alto home you are selling smells but it is large and beautiful and just musty smelling, as many older Palo Alto homes are, do what you can to find the source and get it re-mediated before you sell your Palo Alto home. The investment will be worth it!

So the bottom line is if you are selling your Palo Alto home it should smell as good as possible. Fresh flowers are best, but if you decide to use an artificial air freshener, try to get one that smells as natural as possible. Citrus and jasmine may be better bets than cinnamon or roses.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please fell free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto

www.marcymoyer/com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

Should I Sell My Palo Alto Home Off Market?

The answer to the question, "Should I sell my Palo Alto home off market ?" is.... wait for it..... It Depends.

The way to get the highest price and the best terms for a house is to give it maximum exposure on the open market.

However, right now the inventory is so low and communication between agents so good, that off market selling of Palo Alto homes with excellent target marketing is giving good results to home owners trying to sell their Palo Alto homes.



The most common reasons for wanting to sell your Palo Alto home off market are:

1. Privacy. Some people do not want hordes of people descending on their home, or knowing what their home is worth.

2. Convenience: For some Palo Alto homeowners the amount of work that needs to be done to put a home on the open market is unreasonable. There may be someone at home who is disabled or ill. There may be sensitive pets at home.

3. Safety: Some Palo Alto homeowners are concerned that bringing strangers into their home will put their families or themselves at risk.


What ever your reason for not wanting the public in your home make sure that if you want to sell your Palo Alto home off market that you give very clear directions to your realtor. Make a decision about the following and make sure your real estate agent knows your wishes:

1. Discuss how your home is to be marketed. If your agent is going to put 2 page color ads in the local papers or on-line with your home's address, it sort of negates the privacy desire. If there are going to be ads you might want just the name of the street or the neighborhood and a picture of the back of the home or an inside room if there is going to be any advertising.

2. Be very clear about how and when the home can be shown, and to whom. It is perfectly reasonable to ask your agent to contact individual agents or offices and to set limited times for showings. There are so many people who are looking for Palo Alto homes to buy and so few homes that your agent should be able to get a good pool of potential buyers with a few emails and phone calls.

3. If you want to prevent unqualified buyers from viewing the home feel free to ask your agent to require that anyone who is going to be brought in by his or her agent show proof of funds and/or loan approvals.

4. When you sell your Palo Alto home off market pricing may be a little different than on a fully marketed home. The common practice of under pricing a Palo Alto home is not the best method in an off market sale. I believe you should price your home at market value and then if the market is appreciating you may get more. A bidding war is not really compatible with a private sale.


Remember, if you want to sell your Palo Alto home without full exposure to the market there are plenty of ways to do that. Just make sure your wishes are clearly stated to your Palo Alto real estate agent and you should be able to sell your Palo Alto home for market price or above.

If you have any questions about selling home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

What is the best way to sell your Palo Alto home when you have pets? In a word, quickly.
Selling a home in Palo Alto can be stressful for humans, but for pets even more so. It is very disruptive for our pets to have the house invaded by hordes of strangers, food and litter boxes to be put in different places, and to be locked into small spaces.

So what do you do if you are selling your Palo Alto home and you have pets?



Let's start with some things that are not a good idea:

1. Leave a sign on the door saying, "please don't let the cat out" and let the cat have the run of the house. No one will remember and the doors will be left open allowing your declawed, helpless cat out.

2. Leave a note saying, "your adorable little dog is totally friendly so just come in." Your fightened angel may get her tail pulled by a todler and bite. This is not a normal situation.

3. Take away the litter box from a cat who uses one regularly in an attempt to keep the litter smell out of the house.


Some more appropriate options when selling your Palo Alto home with pets.

1. Price your home appropriately so it sells quickly. That way there will only be a week of disruption.

2. On open house week-end have the house open all day, not just 1:30-4:30 so that you maximize the number of people who can see your home and minimize the time you need to make arrangements for your pets. Get your dogs out of the house for the open house and put your cat in a crate if she is not allowed outside.

3. If you are not going to restrict your home to appointment only do not leave your dog loose in the house. Either put her in a crate or the garage and tell people not to go in the garage. Or have week day showings by appointment only and remove the dog for showings.

4. If your cat goes in and out at will make sure you have a picture of your cat near the door so that a buyer does not accidentally let someone else's cat in your house.

5. If you do not want your cat outside put him in the garage or a crate and do not let anyone go in the garage.


It is not fun to sell your home in Palo Alto when you have to think about your pets also, but it can be done. If you need to do appointment only it is not the end of the world. You can schedule showing times ahead of time at your convenience and long open houses. There is so much interest in Palo Alto homes for sale, a motivated buyer will work around your schedule and it will be much easier for your four legged friends.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

Repairs Need to Disclosed When Selling A Home in Palo Alto

If you are selling your home in Palo Alto that you have been living in for 20, 30, 40, or 50 years, you have probably done a lot of repairs and/or improvements over the years. When it comes time to sell, the disclosures will ask you to list these improvements. The amount of space you are given is fine for someone who has lived in a house 5-7 years but completely useless for many of the long time Palo Alto residents who have spent decades here. Palo Alto is such a wonderful to place to live, there just are not that many people who want to sell their Palo Alto home and move somewhere else.

However, if you are one of those people who is going to sell your home in Palo Alto the easiest way to disclose your repairs and upgrades is to make a separate list and add it to the disclosures, not to try to fit them on the existing paperwork.

Start by having one list for the repairs you have made. This would include things like calling rotor rooter to snake out the sewer line, or fixing a leaking sink. If the thing you repaired is no longer in the house, like a burner on a stove you no longer have then it does not have to be listed.

You should have another list for improvements. This would be things like putting in double paned windows, a new kitchen, or a new roof. You will find this list very helpful when you have to determine the basis of value when selling your home in Palo Alto. Talk to your accountant about that one.

So if you are a long time Palo Alto homeowner and you are going to sell your home in Palo Alto be sure and make a list of the repairs and improvements you have done over the years and add them as an addendum to the standard disclosures. Do not just fill in the repairs you can fit on the disclosure page and stop there.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

DRE 01191194

Should I Remodel My Kitchen Before Selling My Palo Alto Home?

If the home in Palo Alto you are selling looks like this you probably need to do something
.
If the Palo Alto home you are selling looks like this, probably not.


The most important thing to remember when selling your Palo Alto home in this very hot market is to answer the question: Can a typical family cook in my kitchen? If the answer is yes, then I would recommend staging before trying to sell your Palo Alto home. A person buying your home can remodel the kitchen to their heart's delight after the fact, but if you spend a lot of money on remodeling before selling your Palo Alto home you could be wasting money by doing something that is not what the buyer wants.


However, if your kitchen looks like the top one, it is so bad that most people would probably not want to cook there. If that is the case I would suggest getting appliances that work, paint the cabinets, and put on a low cost solid surface counter. That way the kitchen in the home you are selling in Palo Alto will be livable if the eventual buyer wants to wait a while before spending the money to upgrade the kitchen.

Remember, when selling a home in Palo Alto the kitchen does not have to look like it came out of Sunset Magazine. As long as the buyer feels that it is good enough to cook in, even if it is only temporarily until they do a full remodel, then you should be ok.

The market for selling Palo Alto homes is so strong that the difference between what you spend and what you get from a big remodel do not justify spending $30,000 to $50,000 before selling your Palo Alto home.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

Are Newspaper Ads Effective For Selling A Home In Palo Alto?

The short answer to the question are newspaper ads effective for selling a home in Palo Alto is no.
If you need more explanation then I am happy to give it.

According to The National Association of Realtors (who studies these things extensively) only 2% of buyers find the home they buy through newspaper and print ads. My guess is in Palo Alto home sales that percentage is even less because we have such a high percentage of internet savy buyers in this area.

So, why are there so many huge ads for selling Palo Alto homes?

Simple answer, agents are actually advertising themselves more than they are the Palo Alto home they are selling.

That is fine, everyone has a right to promote themselves.


However, if you are selling your Palo Alto home then you should be more concerned about how your home is going to be advertised on the internet than in the local papers. Nationally 36% of buyers find their home on the internet and probably more in Palo Alto.

Open house annoucements are not useless, especially if they show up on the online version of the paper.

Now I am a fan of newspapers and would like to think that they will survive the digital age. But my personal fondness has nothing to do with helping you sell your Palo Alto home.

To get the most exposure for selling your Palo Alto home have the most internet presence possible. That means make sure your agent uses virtual tours, single property websites, listing syndication, blogging, and enhanced listings on the major real estate websites like Realtor.com, Trulia, and Zillow.

So, if you are selling a Palo Alto home, those big, colorful ads with fabulous pictures taken with a wide angle lens will make a great momentum, but that is not what will sell your Palo Alto home, the internet will.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.
Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

How To Clean Out A Milpitas Home Before A Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a Milpitas home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell Milpitas homes in probate and it works really well!

1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the Milpitas home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW, but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the County of Santa Clara will come to take paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.


So, if you have a home in Mipitas to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in Milpitas you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your Milpitas home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.


If you have any questions about Selling a Milpitas e home in Probate please feel free to contact me.


Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

How To Sell A Palo Alto Home With A Broken Brick Chimney

The first thing to do when you are trying to sell your Palo Alto home and you find out your brick chimney is cracked is: don't ignore the situation and don't panic, it is not the end of the world.

Chimneys of homes built in Palo Alto, unless they are newer homes, were usually built with brick chimneys that do not have metal reinforcements to withstand earthquakes. In the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989 many chimneys cracked at the roof line. What this means is that the already weak structures is even more vulnerable to coming down in the next earthquake.

Many homeowners are not aware that their chimney is broken and only discover the problem when the home is inspected prior to selling their Palo Alto home.

This potentially dangerous crack can be fixed before the chimney comes down for about $3000 or if you wait for an earthquake to bring it down, the damage it can cause can easily run in the $20,000 to $30,000 range.

So if you had a chimney inspection before trying to sell your Palo Alto home and the inspector said the chimney is cracked at the roof line, or that the chimney moves when it is pushed on, you have two choices.

1. Get it fixed before you sell your Palo Alto home. You will have to shell out about $3000 but it will make your home more appealing to buyers and if there is an earthquake during the time you selling your Palo Alto home you will be safe from this particular danger.

2. Sell the house "As-Is" just disclosing the defect and let the buyer factor that expense into their offer. You will not have to put the money out up front, and the market is so hot in Palo Alto it may not effect the price very much. However, if there is an earthquake during the time you are selling your Palo Alto home and the chimney comes down, taking part of the roof and siding with it you will be sorry.

Because the market is so hot with so many multiple offers there are many things a Palo Alto home seller can leave for the buyer to do, like termite work, old water heaters, and even old roofs. Most homes are sold "As-Is." But leaving a broken chimney is a gamble.

So the question is: "Are you feeling lucky?" If not, fix the chimney.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Palo Alto
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

How To Clean Out a San Jose Home Before a Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a San Jose home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell San Jose homes in probate and it works really well!

 1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the San Jose home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW, but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the County of Santa Clara will come to take the paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.

So, if you have a home in San Jose to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in San Jose you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your San Jose home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.

If you have any questions about Selling a San Jose home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

Tips For Selling a Palo Alto Home in the Rain

The raining season is starting. If you are thinking of selling your Palo Alto home in the rainy season (Dec-March) it really is a good idea. There are many reasons that it is great to sell early in the season rather than waiting until the spring to sell your Palo Alto home.

1. School registration opens at the end of January. Since some of the elementary schools have more registrants than they have places, if you do not register your child when registration first opens they may be sent to a school in a different Palo Alto neighborhood. Many buyers want the school issue settled and do not want to wait until Aug. to find out where their children will be.

2. If a buyer sees your Palo Alto home for sale when there has been 6 inches of rain in the last week they will feel more confident that the roof doesn't leak and the crawl space is not flooded and will be more likely to offer with fewer contingencies.

3. Open houses are a major Palo Alto form of entertainment. If it is raining the serious buyers will not be deterred from coming to see it, but your nosey neighbors will.

4. There is less competition from other homes in the market in Palo Alto in Jan and Feb than in April or May.

There are some things you can do to make sure your home shows well even on dark, raining days.

1. Keep the lights on when selling your Palo Alto home, whether you are home or not. This is not very environmentally sound, but do it.

2. Keep the heat on when you are selling your Palo Alto home. Make your visitors feel warm and cozy.

3. Do not use the fireplace when selling your Palo Alto home. Many buyers and their children could be allergic to the smoke. If you have a gas fireplace use it, and if not you might think about getting a portable electric fireplace to make the house seem cozier.

4. Make sure you have plenty of mats for people to wipe their feet when you sell your Palo Alto home. You are going to get some mud and dirt in the house no matter what you do, so be prepared to do extra mopping and have plenty of Resolve carpet cleaner on hand.

5. When selling a Palo Alto home in the rain put out fresh flowers. I know they cost more in the winter, but the effect will really brighten up the house.

So open the umbrella and get your Palo Alto home on the market so you can sell it and get a jump on the competition.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

How to Clean Out a Sunnyvale Home Before a Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a Sunnyvale home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell Sunnyvale homes in probate and it works really well!

 1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the Sunnyvale home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW, but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the City of Sunnyvale will come to take paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.

So, if you have a home in Sunnvale to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in Sunnyvale you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your Sunnyvale home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.

If you have any questions about Selling a Sunnyvale home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

How To Clean Out A Menlo Park Home Before A Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a Menlo Park home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell Menlo Park homes in probate and it works really well!

 1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the Menlo Park home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW, but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the City of Menlo Park will come to take paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.

So, if you have a home in Menlo Park to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in Menlo Park you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your Menlo Park home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.

If you have any questions about Selling a Menlo Park home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

How To Clean Out A Palo Alto Home Before a Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a Palo Alto home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell Palo Alto homes in probate and it works really well!

 1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the Palo Alto home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW, but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the City of Palo Alto will come to take paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.

So, if you have a home in Palo Alto to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in Palo Alto, you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your Palo Alto home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.

If you have any questions about Selling a Palo Alto home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

How To Clean Out a San Bruno Home Before a Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a San Bruno home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell San Bruno homes in probate and it works really well!

 1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the San Bruno home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the City of San Bruno will come to take paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.

So, if you have a home in San Bruno to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in San Bruno you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your San Bruno home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.

If you have any questions about Selling a San Bruno home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

How to Clean Out a San Mateo Home Before a Probate Sale

There is nothing I enjoy more than helping a family sell a San Mateo home left to heirs through probate. I know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy, but I am who I am. Over the years I have developed a system to sell San Mateo homes in probate and it works really well!

 1. Look at a home and see if there are valuables that are worth selling in the San Mateo home in probate. Many homes are left with enormous amounts of personal property, sometimes with value and sometimes not. For example crappy cars have value, but beautiful over stuffed furniture does not.

2. If there is something of value to sell I usually recommend calling an auction house to come and take over the job of selling the personal property they believe will sell. I like DGW but there are others. They sell the property at auction, deduct their percentage and fees, and send a check to the heirs.

3. The next step is to separate the recyclable items and find places to recycle. There are people who take metal, The Ecunemical Hunger Project will take clothes, and the City of San Carlos will take to take paint.

4. Next are items that can be donated. Organizations like Goodwill and Saint Vincent De Paul will take some furniture.

5. After everything that can be sold, donated, or recycled is gone then call the haulers. I like Junk King. Since it costs money to haul away trash I only do it after all other ways of disposing of unwanted property have been exhausted.

6. Once the home is free of personal property and debris, the process of making it look as good as possible for sale can begin.

So, if you have a home in San Mateo to be sold through Probate and it is filled with stuff, it may seem overwhelming. Many people who lived through the depression maintained the habit of never throwing anything out. If you are the personal representative for the estate of a home in Probate in San Mateo you may feel overwhelmed. But if you use a system (or hire me and let me organize the sale of your San Mateo home in Probate ), it becomes a much less daunting task.

If you have any questions about Selling a San Mateo home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

What is a Good Pricing Strategy For Selling A Home In Palo Alto

When selling a home in Palo Alto one of the biggest questions is, "how should I price it?" The market is so tilted towards sellers, what should you do to get the maximum amount when selling your Palo Alto home? Should you list, high, low, or at market?

Some agents and Palo Alto home sellers like to price their homes very low in order to generate as many offers as possible with the idea that this will get you the best price and terms with 5-20 buyers bidding on your home.

Here are the pros of under listing your Palo Alto home:

1. You will probably get many offers and someone who is really motivated to buy may offer more than they might have if there were fewer offers.

2. Contingencies will probably be waived by the buyer in an attempt to be more competitive.

Here are the cons of under listing your Palo Alto Home:

1. Sometimes events happen that are out of your control and the offer date may coincide with some event that make buyers think they do not want to buy a home. (Like a precipitous drop in the stock market one day.) You could be left with only a bottom feeder and not get the price you want. 

2. The feeding frenzy that goes along with so many offers stresses people out and they may offer something that they really should not have. They are more likely to become uncomfortable with their purchase and this is a situation that is more likely to lead to a post closing lawsuit than if the buyer was totally comfortable with their offer.

If you over price your Palo Alto house it will most likely sit. Buyers are very knowledgeable right now and are unlikely to put up with a listing price they feel is unreasonable. You will most likely get less money by over listing when selling your Palo Alto home and you will be more vulnerable to buyers demanding long contingency periods and demands for repairs or credits.

My best advice for selling your Palo Alto home is to price it on the lower end of fair market value. At this price you should:

1. Get multiple offers with a good chance of getting a very clean offer without having to deal with 20 offers and people feeling they have been bullied into making an outrageous offer.

2. Have no or reasonable contingencies and if a buyer makes an offer on your Palo Alto home with no contingencies it is more likely to be because they are comfortable with your inspections and disclosures and not out of fear of not getting the house.

So remember, if you are selling your Palo Alto home it is important to think carefully about the pros and cons of various pricing strategies.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285