Why Dec 26 is a Great Day to Sell Your Santa Clara Home

I know what you are thinking, I am going to wait till after the first of the year or the spring to sell my Santa Clara home. It would be stupid to list a home during the holidays, no one does that. Or no one is looking for a home during the holidays.

I need to respectfully disagree with those sentiments. I believe December is a great month to sell a home in Santa Clara, especially right after Christmas.

Here are the reasons I think selling  a Santa Clara home on Dec 26th this year is a great idea.

1. The inventory has never been lower. As of today there are only 51 homes for sale in Santa Clara. A buyer's market doesn't even happen until there are over 100 homes for sale. List this month and you will have no compettion.

2. There are many people who are planning on moving to Santa Clar who are using winter break to come and look for a home. When there are only 51 homes for sale it is not hard to see how much your home will be apprectiated.

3. If you list your home on Dec 26 or there abouts, you could get the out of towners who are here over vacation looking for homes. Kepp it on the market 2 weeks with an open house the first week in Jan and then take offers the following week. This way you can also get the locals who were out of town Christmas week.

4. Registration during Open Enrollment for Santa Clara schools is Jan 9-Feb 6 so there are many people with school age children who want a Santa Clara address before open enrollment ends. Selling a Santa Clara home at the end of December would work perfectly for these families.

So in my opinion if you are ready to sell your home in Santa Clara then my sugestion is don't let a great opportunity pass you by. If you are ready to list in December, wait until after Christmas day, and then get it on the market. Your results will be very satisfying.

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

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

Cal BRE 01191194

650-619-9285

Landscaping does Matter When Selling a Home In Santa Clara Ca

2013 has been an amazing year for Santa Clara Sellers. With inventory at historic lows and interest rates at historic highs, Santa clara homes for sale have been flying off the shelf.

However, now it is summer, and there is a normal shift in the market. The 20% appreciation that we saw in the first 6 months of the year is leveling off which is typical for this time of year. Interest rates have gone up by about 1% and while still low, are high enough to keep the affordability of a home in check for some buyers, and inventory has increased.

This does not mean it is a buyers market, or that prices are crashing, but it does mean Santa Clara sellers can not get lazy, especially if you want to get top dollar for your home
When a buyer first sees a home they get an impression which is hard to shake. Many people will look at a home and get a feeling for whether it is for them or not. They also get a feeling for whether the house needs work or is ready to move in. This feeling may not be based on reality.

You may have a Santa Clara home to sell that has been impeccably maintained structurally. It could have a new heater, an upgraded foundation, copper pipes, and new windows. However, if the landscaping is over grown it will look like a fixer. If the exterior paint is peeling, it will look like a fixer. If the home is cluttered and messy it will look like a fixer.

What happens if your Santa Clara home looks like a fixer? It is not pretty.
First of all you will get offers from flippers, mostly amateur who will think they can get the house for 100K less than asking so they can make a profit. You will have first time buyers not even make offers because they have no idea that for $10,000 they can make the house look beautiful. The work will seem overwhelming. And you will have buyers who love the house, but not be able to afford it at today's interest rates.

So, when you are selling your Santa Clara home, act as if the market is a buyer's market and make your house look as good as possible. You will be rewarded with an easier and more profitable sale.

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

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

Silicon Valley Buyers Do Not Pay Their Own Agent's Commission

Today I met with a lovely family who wanted to sell a home in Santa Clara they no longer live in. I met them at the home and went over a number of things about the value of the home, what I would do to help them sell, including my staging, painting, and landscaping, and current market conditions. When we got to talking about commissions they were flabbergasted. I told them what commission I wanted and how it would be split between the buyer's agent and myself. That's when things got interesting. They were flabbergasted that the seller paid the buyer's agent commission and asked why. I was flabbergasted they asked. In 17 years in real estate I had never been asked that question. I just took it for granted that everyone knew that the seller pays. Period. When they asked me why all I could think of was because that is the way we do it. I did talk a little about how in the old days the seller's agent was the agent for the house, and represented the buyer and seller unless he or she agreed to something called sup agency, but that this was not done anymore in California. If the seller's agent represents both sides everyone has to agree to it and it is not automatic. After I left I realized that I had never really thought about why the seller pays commission to the buyer's agent, except by habit. But I think the main reason is that the seller will have cash at the end of the transaction (unless of course it is a Silicon Valley short sale where the bank pays the commission and closing costs) and the buyer often uses all of their available cash just to buy the house. If the buyer had to pay the commission it would mean many buyers just would not have enough money to buy a house. So the answer was really simple and i feel silly for taking it for granted. After all everything in real estate is negotiable, but some things that are so common we don't even stop to think about why they are so commonly done. I am glad I had the chance to do that today. If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Santa Clara County please feel free to contact me. Marcy Moyer Keller Williams Realty www.marcymoyer.com marcy@marcymoyer.com 650-619-9285