Sellers | Serving North County Real Estate Blog by Casey Cooke

Sellers Category

Keep Your Home California…Details here…

said on May 12th, 2012 filed under: Market Trends, Sellers, Short Sales and Foreclosure

I read about this a week or so ago in relation to the “Keep Your Home California” program and then just caught this story in the UT so I thought I would share it…

Keep Your Home California is a program that was developed in collaboration with numerous community partners, foreclosure counselors, housing advocates and others directly involved in helping struggling homeowners.

Eighteen states, including California, have been designated as “hardest hit,” either because they are struggling with unemployment rates at or above the national average or steep home price declines greater than 20 percent since the housing market downturn. The Hardest Hit Fund® was created by President Obama to provide targeted aid to families in these states.

On June 23, 2010, California received approval to develop four unique foreclosure prevention proposals with Hardest Hit funding. California was ultimately awarded nearly $2 billion in funds to help at least 100,000 eligible California homeowners avoid preventable foreclosures. You can read about these different programs by clicking here…

You can check out the UT post here…

If you’re a struggling homeowner in California with a mortgage owned by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, then you may have a shot at a home-loan reduction through this program. Here is the link to the UT article so you can check it out.

One thing the UT article did not point out is where a homeowner goes to find out if their loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and so potentially eligible.

You can use these links to do that:

Click here to see if Fannie Mae owns your loan

Click here to see if Freddie Mac owns your loan

Now, from what I have read this sounds like a great program, but much like the others that have come out so far, the eligibility criteria is pretty restrictive. The first step is to educate yourself and then if it sounds right you need to find out if Freddie or Fannie own your loan. From there reach out to a certified counselor by calling into the program directly.

If the program is not right or you are not eligible and you think a Short Sale might be your next step please call me directly. You can also learn all about Short Sales by clicking here and checking out my other website, www.CaseyStopsForeclosure.com.

I hope that was helpful!

Thinking of selling your North County Home?

I earned my spot as the #1 overall agent AND the top listing agent at Coldwell Banker Vista Village for 2011 by listing more homes for sale than any other agent in my office.

My team of experienced professionals can help you whether in Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido, or elsewhere in North County. I have a very detailed, written marketing plan designed to drive more traffic to your home and get it SOLD quickly, and for top dollar with minimal stress and hassle.

Call me directly at 760-216-6604 or email me at Casey@CaseyCooke.com.

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for reading this, I hope I have been helpful!

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Vista Village and was the overall #1 agent for 2011

License#01845539

Phone (760)216-6604

Casey@CaseyCooke.com

said by Casey Cooke Leave A Comment

Are Home Values Going Up or Down? Its all in the Showings….

said on May 12th, 2012 filed under: Buyers, Casey's Take, Market Trends, Sellers

As showings go...so do the sales!

I came across this post/article and thought I would share it.

As a busy listing agent I am able to stay in tune with the local market by the overall buyer demand for my listings and how many showings that demand manifests into. If I list a home that I know is priced right and I get a more activity that usual it could be just that home. If that activity trends across all 8 to 10 or 12 homes I have listed across North County, well then that is indicative of something greater going on and also of what is to come. It is no secret that the current market has heated up tremendously. It started in February-March with a spike in buyer demand which manifested in more showings and multiple offers. We are now seeing that this activity has led to lower inventory as homes continue to get snatched up quickly. We are also seeing and will continue to see (for the immediate future at least) a spike prices.

I have to give credit to the team at Showing Suite for putting this data out as I have swiped the graph from them. Showing Suite provides a 3rd party product that tracks home showings and then automatically solicits feedback on the listing agent’s behalf from the agent who showed the home. The product is very slick and I highly recommend it to all listing agents. This allows Showing Suite to track the average number of showings each month across thousands of homes listed for sale.

The graph tells the story in advance. The number of showings plunged toward the end of last year, so did offers and values. But they ticked up at the start of the year and were on a near vertical climb from late December through March. It is no surprise that total number of sales have gone up and now so are values as the available inventory trends down.

So if you are curious how hot the market is, just find a busy listing agent(I mean just call me) and ask them how many showings they are generating on their current listings.

Thinking of selling your North County Home?

I earned my spot as the #1 overall agent AND the top listing agent at Coldwell Banker Vista Village for 2011 by listing more homes for sale than any other agent in my office.

My team of experienced professionals can help you whether in Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido, or elsewhere in North County. I have a very detailed, written marketing plan designed to drive more traffic to your home and get it SOLD quickly, and for top dollar with minimal stress and hassle.

Call me directly at 760-216-6604 or email me at Casey@CaseyCooke.com.

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for reading this, I hope I have been helpful!

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Vista Village and was the overall #1 agent for 2011

License#01845539

Phone (760)216-6604

Casey@CaseyCooke.com

said by Casey Cooke Leave A Comment

Most Americans beleive rents AND home prices are set to rise…

said on April 11th, 2012 filed under: Buyers, Casey's Corner, Market Trends, Sellers

This is from Fannie Mae’s Quarterly National Housing Survey they issue every ninety days. Fannie Mae also does a monthly survey covering different aspects of the housing market.

Here are some record numbers we found interesting in Fannie Mae’s March report.

1. Thirty-three percent of respondents expect home prices to increase over the next 12 months, the highest level over the past 12 months.
2. The percentage of respondents who say it is a good time to buy rose to 73 percent, the highest level in over a year.
3. Forty-eight percent of respondents think that home rental prices will go up, the highest number recorded to date.
4. On average, respondents expect home rental prices to increase by 4.1 percent over the next 12 months, the highest number recorded to date.

Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae, capped the report off by stating:

“Conditions are coming together to encourage people to want to buy homes. Americans’ rental price expectations for the next year continue to rise, reaching their record high level for our survey this month. With an increasing share of consumers expecting higher mortgage rates and home prices over the next 12 months, some may feel that renting is becoming more costly and that homeownership is a more compelling housing choice.”

I have been saying it for quite some time now and it appears the rest of the country is falling in line. 2012 is the BEST year to buy we have seen in quite some time. I beleive at the entry level in San Diego we have hit bottom and will bounce along there for quite some time. The upper end still has some falling to do since the “move up” buyers are gone, but the entry level market is robust with buyers and the mid- tiered homes are moving as well.

If you are thinking about selling and have been sitting on the fence, now may be the time to get off that fence while the spring market is upon us.

If you have been thinking about buying now is a great time to take advantage of pricing we have not seen in years and record low interest rates.

Thank you very much for reading my blog! I hope you found it helpful. If you enjoyed reading this, please let me know by adding a comment below or sending me an email. If you have any additional questions please submit those as well and you may see them on a future blog post.

Here are a few additional articles you may find useful!

1. Free help for people in Foreclosure! Click here for some great resources.

2. 5 tips for checking out a neighborhood before you buy!

3. How does a mortgage application effect your credit score?

Thinking of selling your North County Home? My team of experienced professionals can help you whether in Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido, or elsewhere in North County. We specialize is helping sellers sell their North County homes for top dollar with minimal stress and hassle. Call me directly at 760-216-6604 or email me at Casey@CaseyCooke.com.

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have about the process.

Thank you for reading this, I hope I have been helpful!

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Vista Village, License#01845539.Phone (760)216-6604 . Casey@CaseyCooke.com

said by Casey Cooke Leave A Comment

Am I a Real Estate Expert?

said on April 10th, 2012 filed under: Casey's Corner, Casey's Take, Sellers

I often get asked the question, am I an “expert” in Real Estate?

Or would I consider myself an “expert” in a certain field of real estate, such as listing homes or short sales? Or a certain neighborhood? I saw this post and thought I would share it.

What exactly does it mean to be an expert? Does that mean we should know everything there is to know about Real Estate? I had a client tell me last year that I was like a “Real Estate Encyclopedia”. I completed two very difficult sales for him and he had lots of questions for me.

Either way, if you are buying or selling a home in today’s market, you need a real estate expert. However, we must realize what the term ‘expert’ actually means. An expert in any area cannot give perfect advice as no one can predict the future.

But they can give excellent advice based on their insight into their field.

If you go to an attorney with a legal challenge, he/she will look over your case and give you your options. They realize they cannot guarantee the outcome of any of the options. Still, they give the best advice possible and allow you to decide the option with which you feel most comfortable. They then will put together a strategy which hopefully will bring about the most favorable conclusion.

If you go to a doctor with a serious ailment, he/she will give you your options and work with you to develop the best treatment program. They cannot guarantee any program’s success. They will, however, monitor your progress and adjust your treatments or medications. They will stand next to you until the best result is achieved.

Real estate is no different. A true real estate professional will understand your options and simply and effectively explain them to you and your family. Once you chose an option, they will strategize a plan to help you accomplish your goals. They will standby you as the process evolves and will help you make the necessary adjustments if necessary.

They cannot see the future any better than doctors or attorneys and thus their advice will never be perfect. However, just like those other professionals, an expert agent will give you excellent advice that will bring about the best possible outcome.

This post appealed to me because this is exactly how I approach my job. I have a vast amount of transactional experience to draw from which means I have experienced most scenarios before. I also have an ongoing appetite for education and I regularly attend seminars and training events. This means I can sit down with my clients, learn what they are trying to accomplish, then give them a list of possible actions and outcomes. This means I can predict with a high degree of accuracy which course of action may be the best.

Does this make me a “Real Estate Expert”? Absolutely. ;~)

Here are a few additional articles you may find useful!

1. 7 Ways to get TOP value for YOUR home!

2. Using comparable values to price your home correctly

3. What is a “Strategic Default?”

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have about the process.

Thank you for reading this, I hope I have been helpful!

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Vista Village, License#01845539.Phone (760)216-6604. Casey@CaseyCooke.com

said by Casey Cooke Leave A Comment

Top Reasons People Buy A Home…

said on April 7th, 2012 filed under: Buyers, Casey's Take, Sellers

Enough Said...

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have about the process.

Thank you for reading this, I hope I have been helpful!

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Vista Village, License#01845539.Phone (760)216-6604 . Casey@CaseyCooke.com

said by Casey Cooke Leave A Comment

Understanding opportunities in distressed properties-watch the video here

said on March 10th, 2011 filed under: Buyers, Market Trends, Sellers, Short Sales and Foreclosure

Understanding opportunities with distressed properties

Nationwide, 1 in 7 homeowners are behind on their mortgage. Many are severely delinquent and already in Foreclosure. The ongoing issues in the real estate market are causing difficulties for many, but opportunities for others. Banks are working hard to find ways to unload these properties to get them off their books, often at steep discount.

This creates opportunities for both buyers and sellers.

For homeowners in distress it means banks are becoming more motivated to work with homeowner to avoid Foreclosure by selling the home for it’s current fair market value. Many favorable changes to both Foreclosure and tax laws in California means an experienced Realtor can often sell these homes through a Short Sale. This helps the owner avoid a Foreclosure, and provides a fresh start for the seller, owing nothing to their previous lender and having no tax liability. Each situation is different, and we always recommend every homeowner should seek competent legal and tax advice before proceeding, but the reality is that this is a real solution and we have helped dozens already.

For buyers this means a tremendous opportunity is developing to purchase Real Estate at a tremendous historical discount. Interest rates are very low, prices are the softest they have been in years, and banks are highly motivated. This has created a “perfect storm” for savvy buyers to step in and earn a substantial profit.

This video will explain the foreclosure process and show you how you can purchase these distressed properties at a steep discount.

Also, please click to open the handouts in the Download section.

If you have any questions or want to discuss opportunities further, whether for buyers or sellers, please contact Casey Cooke directly.

Click Here to Watch the Short Video!

Thank you very much for reading my blog!

Here are some additional articles you may find useful:

Thinking about a Short Sale? I can help you Short Sale your home whether in Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido, or elsewhere in North County and never pay your bank another dime.

Send me an email at info@CaseyStopsForeclosure.com and we can set up a free consultation.

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have about the process. Or, if you prefer, you can call me directly at 760-216-6604.

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker, License#01845539.

Phone (760)216-6604. info@CaseyStopsForeclosure.com

As ALWAYS. Casey Cooke and Coldwell Banker want you to know that defaulting on your mortgage, going into Foreclosure and doing a Short Sale or Loan Modification can have serious tax, legal, and credit consequences. We ALWAYS recommend you seek the advice of competent tax and legal counsel and consider all of your alternatives. We can help you, but we are not attorneys or tax professionals and therefore this should not be construed as tax or legal advice at any time!

said by Casey Cooke 3 Comments »

Top 7 ways to stage your home for maximum sales value

said on March 9th, 2011 filed under: Sellers

Thinking of selling this Spring? Staging can make all the difference

It is true. The tendency for those who have not worked on staging in the past can be to dismiss it, but I caution against it. I know first hand that taking just a few hours to work on the list below can really boost your sales price, reduce your time on the market, and maximize the return on your sale. I have seen it work first hand.

1. Start with a clean slate(and house!)

Before you can worry about where to place furniture and which wall hanging should go where, each room in your home must be spotless. Do a thorough cleaning right down to the nitpicky details like wiping down light switch covers. Deep clean and deodorize carpets and window coverings. Wipe all the baseboards, etc. If you don’t have time you need to hire someone who can go room to room and clean the home top to bottom.

3 Surefire Tips to get Top Dollar for your Home even in a slow market.

2. Stow away your clutter

It’s harder for buyers to picture themselves in your home when they’re looking at your family photos, collectibles, and knickknacks. Pack up all your personal decorations. However, don’t make spaces like mantles and coffee and end tables barren. Leave three items of varying heights on each surface, suggests Barb Schwarz of www.StagedHomes.com in Concord, Pa. For example, place a lamp, a small plant, and a book on an end table. I personally have found that most people have way too much stuff on hand during the sale of their home. If you have a basement or an attic just get a box or some bins from Home Depot and start stashing all the stuff you don’t need. You are going to be moving soon anyways, you might as well get a jump on it!

3. Scale back on your furniture

When a room is packed with furniture, it looks smaller, which will make buyers think your home is less valuable than it is. Make sure buyers appreciate the size of each room by removing one or two pieces of furniture. If you have an eat-in dining area, using a small table and chair set makes the area seem bigger.

Attention Buyers-Are Short Sales a Real Deal?

4. Rethink your furniture placement

Highlight the flow of your rooms by arranging the furniture to guide buyers from one room to another. In each room, create a focal point on the farthest wall from the doorway and arrange the other pieces of furniture in a triangle around the focal point, advises Schwarz. In the bedroom, the bed should be the focal point. In the living room, it may be the fireplace, and your couch and sofa can form the triangle in front of it. This creates distinct functions for each room and also makes them appear larger.

5. Add color to brighten your rooms

Brush on a fresh coat of warm, neutral-color paint in each room. Ask your real estate agent for help choosing the right shade. Then accessorize. Adding a vibrant afghan, throw, or accent pillows for the couch will jazz up a muted living room, as will a healthy plant or a bright vase on your mantle. High-wattage bulbs in your light fixtures will also brighten up rooms and basements.

6. Set the scene

Lay logs in the fireplace, and set your dining room table with dishes and a centerpiece of fresh fruit or flowers. Create other vignettes throughout the home—such as a chess game in progress—to help buyers envision living there. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light.

How to talk to your lender when you need assistance

Make your bathrooms feel luxurious by adding a new shower curtain, towels, and fancy guest soaps (after you put all your personal toiletry items are out of sight). Judiciously add subtle potpourri, scented candles, or boil water with a bit of vanilla mixed in. If you have pets, clean bedding frequently and spray an odor remover before each showing.

7. Make the entrance grand

Mow your lawn and trim your hedges, and turn on the sprinklers for 30 minutes before showings to make your lawn sparkle. If flowers or plants don’t surround your home’s entrance, add a pot of bright flowers. Top it all off by buying a new doormat and adding a seasonal wreath to your front door.

Here are a few additional articles you may find useful!

When we talk, I will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have about the process.

Thank you for reading this, I hope I have been helpful!

Casey Cooke is a licensed Real Estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Vista Village, License#01845539.Phone (760)216-6604. Casey@CaseyCooke.com

Casey Cooke specializes in helping homeowners sell their North County homes for top dollar with minimal stress and hassle. Vista realtor, vista real estate, vista home sales, sell my vista home, Shadowridge realtor, Shadowridge real estate, Shadowridge home sales, sell my Shadowridge home, Carlsbad realtor, Carlsbad real estate, Carlsbad home sales, sell my Carlsbad home.

said by Casey Cooke 3 Comments »