Huntington Beach Realtor, Jeb Smith discusses thinking of your home from someone else’s perspective in order to sell faster and potentially for more money.

Planning to Sell? Think Like a Buyer. If you’re considering selling your home, there is a benefit of thinking of your house from someone else’s perspective. Doing so may allow it to sell faster and potentially for more money. The information below outlines three questions to ask yourself to help you view your home objectively and differentiate it from other homes in the market.

Although the majority of home buyers initially search online for the right home to purchase, more than 63 percent will walk through the home and nearly half will drive by it to get a view of the exterior. Photographs are great for first impressions but driving by the property provides a different perspective that allows buyers to get an idea of the home’s current status. A home with great curb appeal will entice potential buyers and prompt them to schedule a showing. What would stoke buyers’ interest in your home? Think like a buyer to find out.

Take a walk around your home’s exterior. Make a list of areas that need cleaning or repairs.

Be honest and objective. I can help you answer the following questions:

What’s the first impress of your home? Answer the questions as someone who’s never seen the home before instead of as the homeowner. Write a few words or phrases that describe yoru home, such as “classic”, “homey”, “well-landscaped”, etc…

What are the home’s best features? Note the features that stand out, such as a wraparound porch, classic columns, a well-maintained facade, etc…How can you enhance them? For example, if you want to highlight a wraparound porch, decorate it with hanging and potted seasonal flowers and place seating where appropriate to crate a tidy but inviting feel.

Which features should be minimized or improved? These are the features you’d prefer didn’t stand out to potential buyers, such as a spot in the yard where nothing grows or visible garden hoses. What can you do to help the features blend into the scenery and allow buyers to focus on the best features of the home?

Enlist help to prioritize. By the end of the walk, we may have a list of things you’d like to improve. I can also help you determine which changes are most important as well as connect you with a reputable tradesperson or service professional in our local area.

*Small details can make all the difference. To improve you home’s overall impression, do the following:

Clean or update your window treatments to ensure they create a uniform appearance when closed
Polish hardware and fixtures so the metal shines like new
Replace light bulbs in indoor/outdoor lighting fixtures
Place solar light fixtures along your walkway
*Source: National Association of REALTORS, 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

If you’re planning to sell, I can help you prioritize the updates that will help put your home n the best light. Give Huntington Beach Realtor, Jeb Smith a call at 714.376.2711 to discuss.

Jeb Smith of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Huntington Beach discusses the local Southern California Real Estate Market conditions and his Predictions for the 2019 Real Estate Market in Huntington Beach and Orange County.

 

For more information on Find My Way Home, please go directly to their website at www.findmywayhome.com. For more information on Jeb Smith, please go to www.jebsmith.net or check out his other videos here on Youtube.

How does Purplebricks work? In this video, Jeb Smith, Huntington Beach Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage discusses the Discount Brokerage Model and why hiring a discount broker like Purplebricks could end up costing you more money.

Below are some of the Reasons that I touch on in the video

1. Not necessarily local expert (which is their #1 pitch) – cover a large area in most cases

2. Managing a large portfolio of homes, hard to return calls and answer questions, etc…..

3. Agents are usually newbie agents or non-producers as why would anyone leave a successful business to work for next to nothing?

4. Agent gets paid upfront when taking listing (Fee of $1000). No incentive for them to help you sell your home unless they double end it which if that is what the agent is going for they make it difficult for other agents to show, etc….Also have to upload offers into a system and schedule appointments online. These types of things make agents not want to show homes and in some cases taking buyers out of your potential pool of buyers

5. No Exposure outside of Sign and MLS (no additional marketing outside of initial photos and matterport floor plan)

6. Due to the number of homes they are managing and being paid upfront they have no incentive to help you negotiate or get the most amount of money.

7. Were headed into a market with more inventory and where days on the market are going up which means you need to have an agent who is willing to pull out all of the stops in order to help you get your home sold (marketing through all mediums), staging if necessary………the small things that help a home stand out.

8. If there is an issue that arises during the transaction where the Seller is unwilling to give in and the agent on the other side isn’t willing to help, there is no chance an agent making $1000 is going to step up to resolve the problem and help the deal close. Real Estate is all about negotiation and it doesn’t stop at accepting an offer, this is why you hire a professional. Everyone is a professional until you actually need one.

If you would like more information on me, please go to my website www.jebsmith.net or check out my other videos on Youtube and Facebook.

Jeb Smith, Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Huntington Beach and Scott Schang, Branch Manager of Buy Wise Mortgage in Huntington Beach discuss the changing housing market in a longer form conversation.

In this conversation, we discuss Interest Rates, Discount Brokerages (Purplebricks Realty) and the advantage to hiring a professional when getting a loan or hiring a Real Estate Agent to sell your home.

For more information on Scott, check out www.findmywayhome.com and for more information on Jeb, go to www.jebsmith.net.

Thanks for taking the time to watch.

Huntington Beach and Coldwell Banker Real Estate Broker, Jeb Smith discusses the local Orange County Real Estate market and what you can expect as a Buyer or Seller this time of year.

Is it a Buyer or Seller’s Market? Are we in a Real Estate Bubble? I discuss both of these items along with the general real estate market conditions as well as my predictions as we move into 2019.

If you would like more information about me, please check out my other videos here on Youtube and Facebook. Thank you for watching and I look forward to seeing you next month.

Real Estate Market Update – Housing Bubble or Just a Market Slow Down? Jeb Smith of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Huntington Beach discusses the recent slow down that we are experiencing in the Orange County, CA housing market as well as what you can expect as a Buyer or Seller as we move forward.

For more information on the 6 Reasons that Homes Don’t Sell that I mention in the video, click here

I appreciate you taking the time to watch!  Thanks for your support.

 

This is Jeb Smith with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Huntington Beach back with your September 2018 Orange County Real Estate Market Update. Now that school is back in session and stores have started to advertise Christmas, means that we have started the transition in our Fall Market. With the fall market, generally comes less homes on the market coupled with less buyer demand. Will this year be any different?

Over the past few weeks we have continued to see new homes coming to the market where normally we would have seen a peak in our active inventory in late August. In fact there are around 1,700 more homes on the market right now than this same time last year. I know the inventory is a big topic and has been for some time but I personally believe a lot of the reason our inventory is so much higher isn’t necessarily because the market is slowing down but because there are a lot of over-priced homes on the market sitting as Sellers stretch the price. When inventory was much lower these homes might have sold due to the lack of available options but now that Buyers have options, these homes are taking a backseat to the homes that are priced according to fair market value. With that being said, we will likely continue to see new homes coming on the market for the next few weeks as Sellers rush to get their homes on the market and into escrow before the peak of the Holiday season just before Thanksgiving.

During this same period where we’ve been adding inventory, we have also seen our buyer demand drop by nearly 15% from this same time last year. This means there are around 350 less pending sales than this same time last year. I don’t believe this is because there are necessarily less buyers looking but more the seasonal effect of kids going back to school along with summer vacations and a little uptick in interest rates have buyers being a little more cautious in certain price points. As I”m out doing open houses, there are still a ton of buyers coming through looking for the right home. That along with multiple offers on homes tells me that our market still has steam left in the tank.

When you take both the added inventory along with the decrease in buyer demand, you get homes sitting on the market longer than just a few months ago. While this is somewhat to be expected for this time of year, it’s also something to consider if you are looking to buy or sell into today’s real estate market.

As we edge closer to a balanced market, one where buyers and sellers are equal we have to be more mindful of the real estate landscape as things are changing a bit and you need to make sure that you are on the right side of the change especially when considering buying or selling. It is still a Seller’s market but only when the home is priced correctly so the days of overpricing by a large margin hoping to drive up the price is likely out of the equation.

If you are seriously considering selling or buying in this market, you should be working with a full time professional Realtor so they can help guide you through the process. As a seasoned professional, I’d love the opportunity to earn your business. If you would like more information about me, please go to my website jebsmith.net or check out my other videos on facebook and youtube. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and look forward to seeing you again next month.

This is Jeb Smith with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Huntington Beach back with your August 2018 Orange County Real Estate Market Update. We are now in the middle of our summer selling season with the Autumn market on the horizon. Over the last few months we have started to see inventory levels rise but at the same time we have also started to see buyer demand drop. Let’s take a few minutes and talk about how that may affect you as a Buyer or Seller in today’s market

The Summer Season is typically known as the best time to buy and sell real estate because historically it’s been the time of the year when most properties close escrow. What most forget to realize is that those homes that close during the summer time often go into escrow in April, May and June. While the summertime gets the credit, the best time to actually sell your home is typically in the 2nd quarter of the year and this year has been no different.

While we are starting to see inventory levels rise we are also starting to see a lot of over-priced homes on the market sitting which in turn is causing our inventory levels to build even further. This coupled with a recent decline in Buyer demand has caused some to think that the trend of the market has changed and is now in the favor of buyers. The truth is that a lot of buyers are now distracted with summertime activities which has changed their short time focus and there house shopping has taken a back seat. At the same time, there are a lot of buyers who are frustrated with the process of buying a home as they are getting outbid on house after house and decided that they are just going to wait to continue to the process. That coupled with over-priced homes on the market is creating the picture that the market has changed when in fact, it’s still a market very much in favor of Sellers especially in the lower price point of homes.

This is a trend that happens every year, the only difference is that this year it’s a bit more exaggerated because inventory has been so low for so long. Even though we have seen more of a substantial move in available homes for sale, we are still a ways from a so-called balance market where Buyers and Sellers are favored equally. This is still a Seller’s market with one key exception……Your home needs to be priced according to fair market value. As we move into the Autumn market, inventory levels should start to level off and even decrease as we head into the Holiday Season. As available homes for sale level off and buyer demand remains strong, the market should continue it’s sideways to upward move for the foreseeable future.

If you are seriously considering selling or buying in this market, you should be working with a full time professional Realtor so they can help guide you through the process. As a full time professional Realtor, I am available to answer any questions you have about the process and would love the opportunity to help. If you would like more information about me, please go to my website jebsmith.net or check out my other videos on facebook and youtube. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and look forward to seeing you again next month.

Good afternoon. I’m Jeb Smith with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Huntington Beach with your May 2018 Orange County Real Estate Market Report. Over the past 8 months or so we have seen a lack of inventory driving our market in certain price ranges making it a difficult for Buyers to find the perfect home. While inventory is still low by historical measure, we have started to see more homes coming on the market causing our inventory to build ever so slightly. As many of you are aware, it’s typical for more homes to come on the market during this time period but buyer demand still seems to be pretty strong. In my personal opinion, a lot of the homes that I’m seeing come to the market these days seem to be over-priced based on fair market value and likely a big reason we are starting to see the inventory numbers rise.

While inventory has risen, remember, all real estate is local and things definitely vary by city and price point. I’ve personally had clients writing offers on homes that I thought were priced high only to find out that there were multiple offers 20-30K over the asking price. In speaking with other Realtors, this isn’t uncommon, especially under the $750K price point. So if you are a buyer looking to purchase in this market, make sure you are working with a Professional who can help educate and guide you through the process.

As a Seller it’s critical now more than ever to speak to a professional about what is going on in your specific price point. While there are certain price points selling quickly and above the fair market value there are also certain price ranges that were once flying off the market, now taking a little longer to sell even when priced according to market value.

On the interest rate front, the trend is still for gradually higher rates which is also putting pressure on buyers. In the last 10 days we finally seen some improvement after rates had been on a constant climb since the end of last year. While rates should moderate, if you are thinking of buying or refinancing, the time to act is now.

I don’t see the market making any drastic changes in the near future but I do expect to continue to see our inventory build as we head towards the end of summer which is typical for our market.

Buying or Selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make in your life and that’s why it’s imperative that you work with a professional who can guide you through the process. If you are a Buyer or Seller and have questions about the process I would love the opportunity to help guide you in the right direction. If you would like more information about me, please go to my website www.jebsmith.net or check out my other videos here on Facebook or YouTube. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to watch and I look forward to seeing you again next month. Make it a great day.