When Selling a Mountain View Ca Condo Which Contingencies Are Riskier?

If you are a Mountain View condo seller which do you think is riskier for you, not the buyer, taking an offer with a loan contingency, or taking an offer for your Mountain View condo for sale with an inspection contingency?

This question pre supposed several givens:

1. You have multiple offers from which to choose

2. The buyer has been fully pre-approved by a direct lender, is from this country or has the legal status necessary to obtain a loan, and did not ask for an appraisal contingency.

3. You have done all of the inspections on your Mountain View condo before the sale including property, termite, roof, chimney, and have all of the HOA documents.

So assuming all of the above conditions have been met, and you have several offers which are around the same price, which would you prefer?

As a Mountain View Real Estate Agent my choice is different than what you may think.

I think it is riskier for a seller to take an offer for the home being sold in Mountain View from a buyer with no loan contingency, but a property/disclosure contingency.

Here is my thinking/experience:

1. Most buyers in this market have ample income and assets to get a loan. As long as there is a strong pre-approval letter a loan contingency should not be a problem. If you have a strong buyer and one bank has a problem with the loan, there is most likely another bank who will do it. With a loan contingency there is only one reason to get out of the contract, and that is the buyer just can not get a loan.

2. A property/disclosure contingency is open ended. The buyer can use any excuse about the property, neighborhood, schools, city government, they want if they want to get out of the contract to buy a Mountain View condo for sale. Also, things can come up on the buyer's inspections that could ultimately cost money if they say they will not buy the house if you don't fix, replace, or do something expensive to the Mountain View condo for sale.

I believe if you have to choose between an offer for the Palo Alto home you are selling with a loan contingnecy, and one with a property contingency, the loan contingency is generally the less risky of the two contingencies.

If you have any questions about selling a condo in Mountain View please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

Mountain View Ca Real Estate Market Update Feb 24.2013

As a Mountain View Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Mountain View?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.


There are currently 13 single family Mountain View homes for sale
There are currently 16 Mountain View town homes/condos for sale.
There are currently 21 pending sales of Mountain View single family homes.
There are currently 27 pending sales of Mountain View Town homes/Condos.
As of Feb 24, 2013 there were 23 single family Mountain View homes sold ranging in price from $685,000 to $2,165,000.
As of Feb 24, 2013 of 2013 there were 33 Mountain View Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $250,000 to $1,075,000.


These numbers are still low, but a little better than last week. I still expect an increase in inventory, but possibly not till late spring or early summer till we see a significant difference.
If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454


If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Mountain View please feel free to contact me.

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

Palo Alto Real Estate Market Update Feb 23, 2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.


There are currently 26 single family Palo Alto homes for sale up from 24 last week.
There are currently 7 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, the same number as last week.
There are currently 19 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 14 last week.
There are currently 9 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, the same as last week.
In Jan of 2013 there were 14 single family Palo Alto homes sold ranging in price from $1,999,000 to $6,500,000.
In Jan of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $500,000 to $938,000


These numbers are still low, but a little better than last week. I was hoping they will be doubled by the end of February and triple by the end of March but as of now that seems unlikely. I still expect an increase in inventory, but possibly not till late spring or early summer till we see a significant difference.
If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.
http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.
Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
D.R.E. 01191194
650-619-9285

Palo Alto Real Estate Market Update Feb 17, 2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.


There are currently 24 single family Palo Alto homes for sale down from 25 last week.
There are currently 7 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from 8 last week.
There are currently 14 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, the same as last week.
There are currently 9 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, up from 8 last week.
In Jan of 2013 there were 14 single family Palo Alto homes sold ranging in price from $1,999,000 to $6,500,000.
In Jan of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $500,000 to $938,000



These numbers are low, but not really worse than last week. I am hoping they will be doubled by the end of February and triple by the end of March. I am an optimist. However, as this is a holiday week-end I expected a drop in inventory which did not happen so I will take that as good news.
If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.
http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.
Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
D.R.E. 01191194
650-619-9285

Palo Alto Ca Real Estate Market Update 2/11/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.


There are currently 25 single family Palo Alto homes for sale up from 25 last week.
There are currently 8 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, the same number as last week.
There are currently 14 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 12 last week.
There are currently 8 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, up from 6 last week.
In Jan of 2013 there were 14 single family Palo Alto homes sold ranging in price from $1,999,000 to $6,500,000.
In Jan of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $500,000 to $938,000


These numbers are low, but better than last week. I am hoping they will be doubled by the end of February and triple by the end of March. I am an optimist. However, as this is a holiday week-end I expect a drop in inventory when I report next Monday and and increase the following week.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.
http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.
Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com

Palo Alto Sellers: Which is Riskier, A Loan Or Inspection Contingency?

If you are a Palo Alto home seller which do you think is riskier for you, not the buyer, taking an offer with a loan contingency, or taking an offer for your Palo Alto home for sale with an inspection contingency?

This question pre supposed several givens:

1. You have multiple offers from which to choose

2. The buyer has been fully pre-approved by a direct lender, is from this country or has the legal status necessary to obtain a loan, and did not ask for an appraisal contingency.

3. You have done all of the inspections on your Palo Alto home before the sale including property, termite, roof, chimney, and foundation if appropriate.


So assuming all of the above conditions have been met, and you have several offers which are around the same price, which would you prefer?

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent my choice is different than what you may think.

I think it is riskier for a seller to take an offer for the home being sold in Palo Alto from a buyer with no loan contingency, but a property/disclosure contingency.


Here is my thinking/experience:

1. Most buyers in this market have ample income and assets to get a loan. As long as there is a strong pre-approval letter a loan contingency should not be a problem. If you have a strong buyer and one bank has a problem with the loan, there is most likely another bank who will do it. With a loan contingency there is only one reason to get out of the contract, and that is the buyer just can not get a loan.

2. A property/disclosure contingency is open ended. The buyer can use any excuse about the property, neighborhood, schools, city government, they want if they want to get out of the contract to buy a Palo Alto home for sale. Also, things can come up on the buyer's inspections that could ultimately cost money if they say they will not buy the house if you don't fix, replace, or do something expensive to the Palo Alto home for sale.

I believe if you have to choose between an offer for the Palo Alto home you are selling with a loan contingnecy, and one with a property contingency, the loan contingency is generally the less risky of the two contingencies.


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
D.R.E. 01191194
650-619-9285

Palo Alto Sellers, Should Your Real Estate Agent Represent A Buyer?

There is an easy answer to the question should the real estate agent for the Palo Alto Seller also represent the buyer?

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!

Should I say it again? NO!!!!!

There are many reasons why Palo Alto real estate agents should not represent the Palo Alto buyer and Palo Alto seller from the Palo Alto real estate agent's perspective, but this blog is about why is is not good for the seller.

Selling a home in Palo Alto is a big deal. There are very few on the market, right now only 25 single family Palo Alto homes are for sale. There are hundreds of people trying to buy a home in Palo Alto so each home that is for sale in Palo Alto will most likely get many offers, especially if it is listed for less than 2.5 million. While it is not illegal for a Palo Alto real estate agent to represent both the buyer and seller in a single transaction it is pretty impossible to be objective when there are 20 offers and your Palo Alto Real Estate agent is representing one of them. 

When you sell a home in Palo Alto your Palo Alto real estate agent should be able to guide and advise you as to which is the best offer, what is the best way to counter, or not counter, what are the pros and cons of each offer. If your Palo Alto real estate agent is also one of the buyer's agent, just how objective is that advice going to be? 

So, when you you are selling a home in Palo Alto make sure that your wishes about the Palo Alto real estate agent's representing or not representing a buyer are known up front. If you don't want it (which I hope you dont't,) get it in writing 

with the listing agreement.

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

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

When Selling a Home In Palo Alto Should You Counter Multiple Offers?

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am asked this question many time. When selling my home in Palo Alto should I give multiple counters to the buyers who make offers?

In my opinion there is no right or wrong answer, but I can give you what I think are some common sense guidelines.

1. Where is the original list price? When you sell your home in Palo Alto your Palo Alto Real Estate Agent will give you an opinion as to where your home will sell. It will generally be a range between what he/she thinks the bottom and top are. It is just a guess, although most Palo Alto Real Estate agents will be able to give you an educated guess. If you decide to list the home at the top of that range, your decision to counter or multiple counter an offer may be different than if you list at the bottom of that range. You will have a better chance of getting a higher price with a counter or multiple counter if you have listed at the lower end of the range than at the higher.

2. Are there several offers that are all clumped together in price and/or terms? If you are selling a home in Palo Alto and the list price is $1,600,000 and the highest offer is $1,675,000, but there are a number of other offers between $1,665,000 and $1,674,000, with similar contingencies, or lack of contingencies, then as a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I would advise you to counter all the offers in that price range. 

3. If the home you are selling in Palo Alto is listed at $1,600,000 and you have one offer at $1,7000,000 with terms that are acceptable, and all the other offers are $1,675,000 and below, I would advise taking the highest offer and working with that one. My rationale is "Dont get greedy." If only one person thought the home was worth $1,700,000 and you counter that person, he/she may walk away, leaving you with offers that my never even get to $1,700,000.

4. If the home you are selling in Palo Alto has a current market value of $1,600,000 at the top of the price range, and that is where you list it, I would advise that you take the best offer of $1,6000,000 or higher and be happy you got it. If the best offer is $1,610,000 and the other offers are in the $1,550,000 range, do not expect that the others will come up, just because one buyer did.

There is a real art to knowing when to counter, when to multiple counter, and when to accept. Hopefully you will have picked a Palo Alto real estate agent who is savy enough about these negotiations to help guide you through the process of selling your home in Palo and getting you the best price and terms for the home you are selling in Palo Alto.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto or picking a Palo Alto real estate agent please feel free to 

contact me, a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent myself.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

Cutest Town Home In Mountain View Ca For Sale: $488,000

2510 W Middlefield Rd, Mountain View, CA Cutest Town Home in Mountain View! Updated home with an inviting patio, great schools, and convenient location. 2BR/1+1BA Townhouse   offered at $488,000 Year Built 1976 Sq Footage 968 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Covered spaces Lot Size 1,074 sqft HOA/Maint $470 per month DESCRIPTION This one is adorable! Welcome to Charleston Village, Tahoe in Mountain View. This chalet style town home features many great upgrades including hardwood floors, slab granite kitchen counter, upgraded baths, new carpet, new paint, high ceilings, a large inviting patio, and wonderful location close to Palo Alto, Google, Central, 85, and 101. Great schools include Monte Loma Elementary and Los Altos High. (Buyer to Verify)   see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES - Dining room - Laundry room - Living room - Storage space - Dishwasher - Dryer - Garbage disposal - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Washer - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Fenced yard - Cable-ready - Covered parking - Off-street parking - On-street parking - Granite countertop - Hardwood floor - High/Vaulted ceiling     OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES - Nicely updated adorable Town Home

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Front Living Room Fireplace Dining Room KItchen Half Bath Inside laundry Bedroom 1 Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 2 Full bath vanity Full bath tub Patio Patio

Contact info: Marcy Moyer Keller Williams Realty marcy@marcymoyer.com (650) 619-9285 For sale by agent/broker

Palo Alto Ca Real Estate Market Update 2/3/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 21 single family Palo Alto homes for sale.

There are currently 8 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale

There are currently 12 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes

There are currently 6 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos

In Jan of 2013 there were 14 single family Palo Alto homes sold ranging in price from $1,999,000 to $6,500,000.

In Jan of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $500,000 to $938,000

These numbers are low. I am hoping they will be doubled by the end of February and triple by the end of March. I am an optimist.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

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

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

Getting Palo Alto Real Estate Agents To Show The Home You Are Selling

When you sell your home in Palo Alto one of the things you want to make sure of is that other Palo Alto Real Estate Agents will show your home. this is important because while many buyers will find your home on the internet, they will almost always be using a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent to help them make the offer, so you will want to make sure other Palo Alto Real Estate Agents enthusiastically want to show the Palo Alto home you are selling. The last thing you want is to have a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent bad mouthing the Palo Alto home you are selling.

Here are some simple steps you can take to keep everyone feeling your home is a great one to have their client try to buy.

1. When you interview Palo Alto Real Estate Agents be gracious and smile, even if you can not stand the Palo Alto Real Estate agent in front of you. You may not hire this person, but he/she may end up having the buyer for your home, or know another agent who does.

2. Pick an agent who has a good reputation in the community and who never, or only rarely double ends a property. (represents the buyer and the seller on the same home) The reason for staying clear of agents who double end properties is because other agents will feel it is a waste of time to present and offer on a home when the listing agent will have the inside track on getting an offer accepted.

3. If you interview multiple Palo Alto real estate agents try to make the ones who you do not choose feel as if it is not their fault. Tell them you found someone you feel is a better fit for you, not that the agent is mean, incompetent, or smells bad.

4. When your Palo Alto Real Estate Agent has a broker's house for other agents make sure he/she has catered food, a drawing, or coffee cart to make other Palo Alto Real Estate Agents anxious to visit your home.

5. Your Palo Alto Real Estate Agent will put a disclosure package together to give to other agents who have interested 

clients. Make sure your agent has a way to get these to other Palo Alto Real Estate Agents easily. They should either email or have an online site where the disclosures can be accessed. It is annoying to have to pick up a disclosure package at your realtor's office, so verify that your agent can deal with this electronically.

6. Be nice to agents when they call. If you are still living in your Palo Alto home when it is for sale Palo Alto Real Estate Agents will call to let you know when they want to show your home to their client. Be nice and try to accommodate the schedule of the buyer. Obviously you do not need to let people in at 10 at night or 5 in the morning, but try to let them show on as short notice as possible.

This is not rocket science. If you want as many Palo Alto Real Estate Agents as possible to show your home and encourage their clients to make offers, be nice, let people come see your home as often as possible, and choose an agent with a good reputation in the real estate community.

If you have any questions about picking a Palo Alto Real Estate agent to help you sell your home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me, a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285