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10 Tips to Keep your San Diego Home Cool

10 Tips to Keep your San Diego Home Cool

Some tips to save energy, money and improve the quality of our lives are always useful. So now we are beginning to feel the summer heat the following suggestions might come in handy to keep your home as cool as possible during the hot summer months without running the air conditioner flat out and feeling that fear of another massive utility bill.

1. Provide shade for east and west windows. If possible avoid running heat generating appliances until late evening.

2. Keep your home closed tightly during the day. Ventilate at night naturally or with fans.

3. Plant shade trees around the house. Don’t plant trees on the South if you want to benefit from passive solar heating in the winter months.

4. If you have an older central air conditioner, consider replacing the outdoor compressor with a modern, high efficiency unit.

5. Seal all air conditioner ducts that run through unheated basements, crawl spaces and attics.

6. Maintain your air conditioners to maximize efficiency.

7. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans. Don’t air condition unused rooms.

8. Install white window shades or mini blinds. Mini blinds can reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 per cent.

9. Hang tightly woven screens or bamboo shades outside the window during the summer to stop 60 to 80 percent of the sun’s heat from getting to the windows.

10. Try not to use a dehumidifier at the same time your air conditioner is operating. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder.

Have a COOL summer and if you any have any other suggestions to add to this please let us know!

Call us for all your Real Estate Goals, we will be happy to help you and we Answer our Phones.

Pam 760-580-1615                Joanna 760-580-1630

When Can I Buy A Home Again After Foreclosure or Short Sale?

Credit After Foreclosure, Short Sale or Bankruptcy

The answer to this question has been very vague until now.  Finally here are some answers to questions so many Californians are asking.

This article expands on an earlier post we wrote  “Short Sale? Foreclosure? What should I do?  and helps to clarify what the differences are and where your credit stands after you have experienced one of these situations.

This information comes directly from the California Association of Realtors legal department.

One of the concerns a consumer has after experiencing a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or short sale (referred to as a “preforeclosure sale” by Fannie Mae) is the ability to obtain credit to purchase another home.  Fannie Mae has updated its credit guidelines.  This legal article summarizes those guidelines.

Q 1.  How long is the time period after a foreclosure before a consumer can be eligible to obtain credit to purchase a home?

A  Five years from the date the foreclosure sale was completed. 

Additional requirements that apply after 5 years and up to 7 years following the completion date are as follows:

^.  The purchase of a principal residence is permitted with a minimum 10 percent down payment and minimum representataive credit score of 680.

^.  Purchase of a second home or investment property is not permitted.

^.  Limited cash-out refinances are permitted for all occupancy types pursuant to the eligibility requirements in effect at that time.

^.  Cash-out refinances are not permitted for any occupancy type.

(Source:  FNMA Announcement 08-16, 6-25-08 )

Q 2.  Why do the additional requirements for foreclosures in Question 1 only apply from 5 to 7 years following the foreclosure completion date? Read the rest of this entry »

APPROVED Short Sales Increase in North San Diego County

If you have been shopping for homes anywhere at all, you will soon realize the pain and agony of the all too familiar Short Sale.  The market is flooded with them. 

Many buyers and their agents are refusing to even look at them anymore.  The length of time it takes to approve and the disappointment of being rejected or out bid after waiting months for an answer is just too difficult for many buyers to take.

It looks like things might be changing though.  Suddenly, even the short sales are getting multiple offers and are refusing anymore showings or anymore backup offers.  

You have to be quick in this market.  If something good comes on the market at a good price, you better grab it, and don’t pussyfoot around about it either.  Put in your highest and best right up front, if you don’t, someone else will come along right after you and push you right out of your position with a stronger and better offer.

I took a look at a few cities in San Diego North County to see what percentages of shorts sales were on the market and how many of them are actually being sold.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how many are currently pending sale.  This must mean that  the banks are  finally approving them and are possibly getting their systems in place to deal with them at a more efficient level.

The cities I took a look at were Escondido, San Marcos, and Valley Center, here is what I found;

902 Active listings  with 460 of them being Short Sales, that is 51%

367 Pending listings with 238 of them being Short Sales, that is 64%

534 Sold properties year-to-date with 139 of them being Short Sales, that is 26%

I am highly encouraged by the percentage I see for the current pending listings.  It actually looks like we could be shifting a bit here.  Maybe the banks are catching up and they are tired of owning homes. 

This is not to say that we have seen the last of the foreclosures though.  I think we still have quite a ways to go. 

If you are out looking and have been shying away from the short sales, maybe you should give it another chance.  Many of the Short Sales out there have already been approved and you wont necessarily have to wait through it.

Whether you are a buyer or a seller, if you need help in the Short Sale department, you can give us a call.  We are here to help and we answer our phones.

Pam and Joanna
760-580-1615 or 760-580-1630

Simple Tips on How to Create a Feeling of More Space in Your Home

A well staged home creates the feeling of a good life – tranquil and uncluttered. Making some minor adjustments can really help to sell your home quickly.

• One of the ways you can do this is to try to make the space seem larger than it is by creating an uncluttered feeling- buyers will feel like they’re getting more for their money!

• Remove large bulky pieces of furniture from a small room.
• Take down drapes, open, bare windows will make the space seem larger.
• Clear off you kitchen counters – this will make the work space seem more than it is.
• Reduce inventory in your kitchen cabinets, making the space seem roomier.
• Put childrens toys out of site.
• Now is the time to clean out closets, create some space – store clothes out of season out of sight.

6 Mistakes Sellers May Make When Listing Their Home and How to Avoid Them

Well it really feels like Spring time is here, a time when many decide to put their home on the market. If you are thinking of selling your home at some stage in the near future, you might want to take note of the following  tips which could help you with this  process.

1.Pricing Your Home Too High

A Real Estate Agent can research comparable sales in your area and advise you of the appropriate price range of your property.

2. Not Staging Your Property Correctly

Put some items in storage, create more light, play more music or otherwise improve the ambiance. Your Agent can offer helpful advice to create the right first impression.

3. Ignoring the Importance of First Impressions.

Sales have been lost by unkempt lawns, cluttered closets, unpainted front doors, hard-to-work  locks, blown light bulbs, bad colors, stains, unlit areas and bad smells. Spend time on the little things. Double up on your gardening, keep things cleaner than usual. Take serious control of your pets during this period.

4. Not making the Right Kind of Repairs.

Don’t be tempted to make improvements prior to listing without consulting your Agent. Some upgrades will not yield any real increase in value, while others may increase property value substantially.

5. Not Giving the Sales Effort Enough Time.

You should never give too little time to what is inherently a long process. Homes may take 3-6 months to sell, in any market. Estimate how much time you have before you need to sell and then plan ahead to allow extra time. You don’t want to be forced to accept a disappointing offer.

6. Testing the Market.

Never put the property on the market, unless you really want a sale! Get ready for a professional sales push when you list with a great Agent. If your plan harbors some indecision, resolve it before you list, because success is every great Real Estate Agent’s objective.

Homes Sold Valley Center January 2009

  Current Market Trends for Valley Center, CA 92082
January 2009

This is just a snapshot of the activity in the Valley Center real estate market for January 2009. 

 There are many factors and variances concerning all properties, but this will give you a pretty good idea of the current value of homes in this area. 

If you are a seller, be sure to price aggressively, there is a lot of competition with bank owned foreclosures and short sales.  If you are a buyer, all I can say is…GET EM WHILE THEIR HOT!!!

What ever side of the fence you’re on, you don’t need to figure it out on your own, we are here to help, give us a call or an email, and we will handle the rest.

Pam and Joanna
760-580-1615 or 760-580-1630
pamandjoanna@gmail.com