5 Tips on Selling Your Home During the Holidays

Yes, we all know the holidays are here! People get busy shopping, decorating, and visiting with family and friends. Buying/selling a home seems to be the last thing on people's minds...but guess what? It's not! True, the market does typically slow down, but the SERIOUS buyers and sellers are still going strong! So don't get discouraged, it can still happen. Here are 5 tips that Trulia gave out for selling your home during the holidays. Enjoy!

1. Don't, if you don't have to. During the holidays, the pool of qualified and active buyers shrinks - dramatically. The cold, wet weather in some areas makes buyers hesitant to come out and view properties, and holiday travels cause others to put their house hunts on hold. Buyers also know that many sellers take their homes off the market during this period, so the forecast for receiving lowball offers is highly likely. Taking your home off the market during the holidays and relisting it after New Year's holds the potential of exposing your home to a fresh set of buyers motivated by a fresh set of resolutions. Plus, many sellers simply don't want to deal with buyers' muddy feet and scheduling intrusion while they are at home on vacation or hosting holiday dinners or guests. (Note: Most of these issues are slightly less impactful in warm-weather climates.)

With that said, there are some advantages to having your home on the market at this time of year, too. Although there will be a larger pool of buyers out and active after the first of the year, the ones who are out in the wet and the cold right now tend to be really motivated to buy. Holiday house hunters usually fall into two camps: they either plain old need a place to live fast, or they need to close escrow on their new home by year's end for tax reasons. Given that post-tax credit buyers have been characterized by an almost stunning lack of urgency, keeping your home on the market over the holidays is one way to try to capitalize on the urgency this season's motivated buyers face, due to their circumstances.

2. Ditch the holiday decor or make it meticulous. No Charlie Brown trees, people. Staging your home at its festive holiday best can truly backfire if your seasonal staging comes off as amateurish or overdone. Too much decoration can do more harm to a prospective buyer's first impressions than good.

If you DO decide to decorate, rethink it as staging with some holiday cheer; this will help you follow the staging mandates of depersonalizing and decluttering your place. If you have a dining room, stage it for a holiday dinner - many a buyer has bought a whole house around their holiday dinner fantasies. Help them visualize their first Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa hosted at their new home (psst - that's your home, in the vision).

But keep your holiday decor somewhat secular and ethnically neutral, if possible. Trees, garlands, lights and bulbs are great - but if I personally were selling my home during the holidays, I'd probably pack my family's nativity scenes away. You might now want your cherished family heirlooms exposed to the public, in the first place. And you definitely don't want to let your ethnic or religious stuff interfere with the buyers' inability to envision their own holidays in your home.

3. Set a few, clear "no show" dates and times. There is no faster way to lose a potential buyer than to make it difficult for their broker or agent to schedule a showing for your home. Sellers seem to forget that most often, buyer's brokers are scheduling multiple properties to be shown in a couple of hours'-long-showing - if the other 3 dozen homes for sale in your neighborhood are vacant or very easy to show, and yours is not, that is an easy way to tip buyers toward a competing property.

By the same token, it's understandable that you may need to blackout showings on particular holidays or times when you're hosting guests. So, rather than going through the drama and frustration of back and forth scheduling arrangements, give your listing agent a couple of clear guidelines around the holiday season showings and ask your agent to include these dates in the confidential remarks for buyer's agents on MLS. The keyword here is "a couple" - if there are multiple, whole weeks or lots of half-day times slots during which you don't want your home shown, consider taking it off the market and relisting it in the New Year.

4. Expect some inconvenience and irritation. Selling during the holidays can be rewarding, but smart sellers approach it knowing it won't always be fun. Go in with realistic expectations. Some buyer is highly likely to track rain, mud or snow into your house, at some point. If you're home for a long staycation, chances are good that someone will interrupt your Zen for a showing. These things will happen, but the upside is that an uber-motivated buyer-to-be may also come see your place. Avoid the emotional rollercoaster and irritation by expecting these issues and chalking them up as par for the course.

5. Engage in safe, sensory staging. Holiday food smells like spiced cider, pumpkin pie and baked appley/cinnamoney things are about as universally comforting as smells get. It certainly wouldn't hurt to do some sensory staging to create a sense of comfort and cheer. Also, remember that dreary winter weather can make even the loveliest house and showing take on a gray cast; counteract this by making sure your home is well-lighted and -heated. One thing though, if your holiday home is a candle-lit home, make sure you leave no candles burning if you clear your family out for showings!


http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2010/11/5_tips_for_showing_and_selling_your_home_during_the_holidays

Best Christmas Song of ALL Time!

Ok, here is my FAVORITE Christmas song of all time! What's your favorite Christmas song?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

Holiday Series!

Hello! Here is the first post of a holiday series that I'll be writing about over these next few weeks. Of course, since food is important in my life, it's also the first post :) Everyone needs a break from cooking during this holiday season! Below is a list of some of my favorite restaurants that I recommend you try! Let me know how you enjoy them!

• The Summit House 714.671.4111
• Taps 714.257.0101
• Roman Cucina 714.680.6000
• The Twisted Vine 714.871.1200
• Cafe Hildago 714.447.3202

Check out these restaurants on Yelp for further information and reviews...ENJOY!

92835 November Market Update

Well, well, well...it's been awhile! The holidays are starting up and it's so exciting. I love the holidays :) Here's your monthly market update!

Active Listings: 102 Total, 62 of these are standard sales
85 Single Family Homes, with the average list price of $817,481
17 Condos, with the average list price of $235,616

Pending/Backup Position: 25 Total, 9 are standard sales
19 Single Family Homes
6 Condos

Sold Since 11/1/2010: 17 Total, 13 are standard sales
12 Single Family Homes
5 Condos
Price Ranging from $130,000-$940,000

If you have any questions, you know where to find me!!

Discovery's Annual Charity Dinner and Silent Auction

It's that time of year again! Century 21 Discovery is hosting their 16th Annual Silent Auction and Charity Dinner. This event is our office's way of giving back to the community where we work and to which we belong! Over the years, we have raised over $183,000 and donated those funds to various charities in North Orange County, such as Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services, St. Jude Memorial Foundation, and Crittenton Services for Families.

The event is Wednesday, November 17 from 6-10pm at the Coyote Hills Golf Course in Fullerton.

We invite you to join us in this wonderful event! For more information, contact Linda at 714.626.2000.

November YPN Event!

Attention all Young Professionals! Our next meetup is Thursday, November 11, 2010 from 5-7pm. We have a NEW LOCATION at the Cantina Lounge in Fullerton: 2736 E. Nutwood Ave.

We are pleased to present our guest speaker, Tammy Newland from Keller Williams who will teach us how to read people! Come and learn how to generate more referrals by attracting investors and learn useful tips for your buyers!

Come and network with some of our local YPN'ers :) For more information, contact me at 714.928.1757 or c21stephlins@gmail.com! Hope to see you there!

Your Vote Counts!!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW

NOVEMBER 2, 2010!!

92835 October Market Update

Active Listings: 101 Total, 69 of these are standard sales
87 Single Family Homes, with the average list price of $797,350
14 Condos, with the average list price of $247,805

Pending/Backup Position: 38 Total, 17 are standard sales
26 Single Family Homes
12 Condos

Sold Since 10/1/2010: 9 Total, 7 of these are standard sales
7 Single Family Homes
2 Condos
Price Ranging from $170,000-$1,210,000

ta-ta for now :)

It's that spooky time of year again...HALLOWEEN is already one week away! Such a fun holiday where you get to dress up, have fun, and eat lots of candy! (I've already had more candy these past 2 weeks than I've had all year!) For all you with kiddies out there, here's a couple of safety tips to remember!

1. If you aren't going out with your child, make sure they are travelling in a good group of kids. Safety in numbers!

2. Remind them not to go into a stranger's house!

3. Always check before crossing streets...it's dark out and there are people on the road!

4. No shortcuts through alley-ways or backyards, etc. Remind your kids to stay in well-light areas.

5. Give them a flashlight of some sort to carry with them while out trick-or-treating.

6. Plan some sort of a safe route and know where they will be!!

7. When they come home, go through their candy before they eat any...you never know what could be in there.

8. Lastly, HAVE FUN!! It's a great holiday to go out and be a kid again :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium Changes

Hey guys! This is a looong post, but a useful one. There's been some changes with FHA loans and this explains it all!

On August 12, 2010 President Obama signed Public Law 111-229, which provides the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with flexibility with regards to the amount of mortgage insurance premiums charged on Federal Housing Administration (FHA) homes loans. FHA has an "upfront" and an "annual" Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) that is charged on all single family homes (1-4 units).

The new MIPs are effective on all FHA loan applications dated after October 4, 2010. For 30 year and 15 year mortgages, the upfront MIP will go down to 1.00% from 2.25%. The upfront MIP is a one time charge that gets added on to the base loan amount. The base loan amount would be the difference between the sales price and down payment on a purchase. The annual MIP will have an increase. For 30 year loans with less than 5% down payment, the annual MIP will increase from .55% to .90%. It will be .85% for 30 year loans with more than a 5% down payment. For 15 year mortgages, the annual MIP will be .25% with a 10% down payment or less. There is no annual MIP for 15 year mortgages with more than 10% down payment.

For 30 year loans originated after January 1, 2001, the annual MIP is automatically canceled after the loan balance reaches 78% of the original sales price, or the appraisal on a refinance, provided that at least five years of payments have been made. For 15 year loans the annual mortgage insurance is canceled after the balance reaches 78%, regardless of the length of time that payments were made. The upfront MIP has a partial refund schedule if the loan is paid off within the first few years.

Comparing the new vs. old MIP: borrowers will owe less on their home at closing but pay a higher monthly payment. Based on a $300,000 sales price the monthly payment for principal, interest, and mortgage insurance is an estimated $69 higher with the new premiums in effect. The good news is that FHA had the authority to raise the annual MIP to 1.55% but chose not to do so.

Prospective home buyers would want to compare all of their home financing options before making an offer on a home. Conventional loans with mortgage insurance may be an option for borrowers who have at least a 5% down payment, the required credit score, reserves, good job history, and do not need a co-borrower to qualify. An FHA loan will allow for a down payment of 3.5%, using gift funds for the purchase, co-borrowers are allowed with restrictions, and the credit scores requirement are not as stringent as Conventional loans.

Bill FitzMaurice
Home Loan Consultant
Professional Home Mortgage
Cell: 949.291.1770

Best Chicken Recipe

Alright, so food is a pretty big deal in my life. I love to cook and LOVE to try new things! I'm constantly looking for new recipes to try or new restaurants to visit (Yelp is a HUGE help in that search). I came across this chicken recipe last week on allrecipes.com and it was SO good, I just have to share it!

Original Recipe
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 ounces Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Slather mustard evenly over chicken, then pour teriyaki sauce over all. Sprinkle with bacon bits, then cover with cheese.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

We made a few changes: we used spicy Dijon mustard, didn't use bacon bits, and instead of Parmesan cheese, we used Mexican blend, which we put on halfway through cooking. We also added some minced garlic...We served it with some cous-cous with sauteed tomatoes, zucchini, and spinach. DELICIOUS!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Aimees-Quick-Chicken/Detail.aspx

New PLACENTIA Listing

Ok, everybody, here is a GREAT opportunity! I just listed a beautiful home in Placentia in a great community! This is the largest floorplan in this community with 2,000 square feet and 3 bedrooms, 3 baths and an upstairs loft. The kitchen is open with granite countertops, a center island, and recessed lighting. The interior was freshly painted, and the carpet will be replaced! An association pool and spa is right down the street for your enjoyment! The backyard has a nice patio area and a beautiful, grassy, and well-maintained side yard. The virtual tour link will follow!

Ten Reasons to Buy a Home

1. You can get a great price. We're four to five years into the biggest housing bust in modern history and prices have come down a long way. Will prices fall further? Sure, they could. You'll never catch the bottom and most likely will miss it completely.

2. Mortgages are cheap. You can get a 30 year fixed rate loan for less than 4.5% free money. What's not to like? These are the lowest rates on record. If/when inflation picks up, you won't see these rates again in your lifetime. Should we get deflation, and rates go down, you can refinance!

3. You'll save on taxes. You can deduct the mortgage interest from your income taxes. You can deduct your real estate taxes too!

4. It'll be yours! You can have the kitchen and bathrooms you want. You can move the walls, build an extension or paint everything bright orange. You will feel better about your own place if you own it rather than rent it.

5. You'll get a better home. It can be really hard to find a good rental. Generally speaking, if you want the best home in the neighborhood, you're better off being the owner.

6. It offers some inflation protection. Over the long term housing has tended to beat inflation by a couple of percentage points a year. Especially in Orange County. That's valuable inflation insurance, especially if you're young and raising a family and thinking about the next 30 or 40 years. According to CAR, statewide medium price is up 8.6% for the past year and it is the 10th consecutive year-over-year gain!

7. It's risk capital. No, your home is not the stock market and you shouldn't view it as the way to get rich. But if the economy does surprise us all and start booming, sooner or later real estate prices will head up too. Equity in a home is another way of linking part of your portfolio to the long term growth of the economy and still managing to sleep at night.

8. It's forced savings. You're just paying yourself by building equity. As a forced monthly saving, its good discipline. It's not all about appreciation, think debt reduction too.

9. There is a lot to choose from. CAR's unsold inventory index for single-family resales in August was 6.1 months vs. 4.6 months a year earlier. More keep coming onto the market too. That means great choices as well as great prices.

10. Sooner or later, the market will clear. Demand and supply will meet. The population is forcasted to grow by more than 100 million people over the next 40 years. Prices will rise and so will interest rates.

Provided by: wsa.com

92835 September Market Update

Active Listings: 113 Total; 77 of these are standard sales
90 Single Family Homes, with the average list price of $800,210
23 Condos, with the average list price of $242,556

Pending/Backup Position: 37 total; 17 are standard sales
30 Single Family Homes
7 condos

Sold Since 9/1/2010: 8;
4 of these are standard sales
All 8 are Single Family Homes
Price Ranging from $469,900-$1,333,000

Until NEXT month! (October already!)

YPN Cruise for a Cause Pictures

Hellooooo :) Yesterday was our First Annual YPN Cruise for a Cause. The event was a huge success! Thanks to everyone for their help and support!

YPN Cruise for a Cause

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know about a great event our YPN group is holding THIS Saturday, September 18. As an organization, we decided it was time to start giving back to the community and help those in need.

On Saturday, we will be holding YPN's First Cruise for a Cause! Tickets are only $50 and include a FOUR hour Huntington Beach Harbor Cruise, food, drinks, and a great opportunity to network! Also, all of the proceeds are going to help the kiddies over at the Children's Hospital of Orange County!

Come by for a great event and help support such an amazing organization (CHOC)!! :)

For more information, contact Joey Vargus at 714.245.5500 or visit YPN's website at http://tripleplayypn.wordpress.com/

One Year...

This past week was my one year "anniversary" in the business. It's crazy how fast a year can go by. Nevertheless, it has been one of the BEST years of my life. Yes, it is a lot different than being in school. I thought that was hard; going to class, doing homework, etc. But no, that was the easy life. Real estate is a constant workflow that just never ends. There is always something to do, whether it's floortime, farming, cold-calling, showing property, or holding open houses. And it doesn't end there; you have to constantly keep up with the market and research and attend classes to make sure you are as up to date as possible. So yes, it is a LOT harder than school, many more hours are put into it, BUT I absolutely love it. I love the stress that comes along with it, working long hours to get something accomplished. I love helping people find their dream home and guide them along to making one of the biggest decisions of their lives. I love the thrill of a closed escrow. Being a real estate agent, without a doubt, is what I was meant to do. So cheers to the first year, with many many many more to come!

92835 Market Update

A lot has been happening this month...I thought I'd provide a brief market update for the 92835 zipcode here in Fullerton!

Active Listings: 117; 80 of these are standard sales
100 Single Family Homes, with the average list price of $855,767
17 Condos, with the average list price of $235,088

Pending/Backup Position: 39
31 Single Family Homes
8 Condos

Sold Since 8/1/10: 9
7 Single Family Homes
2 Condos
Price Ranging from $375,000-$1,500,000

Until next time! :)

New Listing

Hellooooo everybody! I just listed a GORGEOUS home out in Corona in the Eagle Glen Community! It is almost 3,000 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 FULL baths, and a huge loft! The home was built in 2001 and is in great condition. It is also a STANDARD SALE, which is pretty rare these days, especially out in Corona! This is a nice, well-kept community in a great school district! Take a look! Or for more info, click on the link below!

http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=2274841

St. Jude Medical Center

Every year, St. Jude Medical Center puts on one of the most emotional, touching, and inspiring events in Fullerton. Typically in October, A Walk Among the Stars is a fabulous silent auction and luncheon, followed by a fashion show that features cancer patients and survivors as models. All proceeds from this event supports the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center.

This year's event will be held on October 10, 2010, with the theme "Imagine!" It will be at the Anaheim Hilton from 10am-1pm. Individual tickets are $75, but tables are also available to purchase. This will be an event you do not want to miss!

For more information please call: 714.992.3033

Update

It's been awhile since I've posted, and a lot as happened! A few weeks ago, I attended the first Southern California YPN event, hosted locally in Anaheim. The event was a great success! We had a ton of great speakers, including Jared James (one of Realtor magazine's 30 Under 30), Tom Ferry, as well as a technology panel and economist panel. It was definitely an inspirational day of learning.

Also, I just opened escrow on a great house up in La Habra Heights. This is my client's DREAM house, and if all goes well, escrow will close in July and they will be two happy campers!

Keep in mind, June is National Homeownership Month, so all you homeowners out there...another reason to celebrate this warm weather!

New Purchase Agreement

Last week, the California Association of Realtors released a new purchase agreement. There were many changes, especially because the RPA hadn't been modified since 2002. One of the bigger changes is that the buyer is no longer required to provide a deposit check up front. They now have the option to deposit it straight into escrow within 3 days of acceptance. They also changed some of the financing terms and contingencies within the agreement. To see a copy of the new RPA and the changes that were made, visit: http://www.car.org/newsstand/news/newrpa/

USS Midway

Last week, our office took a little field trip down to San Diego to visit the USS Midway. This ship was one of America's longest serving aircraft carriers. It is HUGE and you can easily spend 3 or 4 hours just wandering around. It really is a city at sea, having once carried over 225,000 sailors. There are various levels, from the boiler room down on the bottom, to the flight deck up top where planes would often land and take off, sometimes every 45 seconds! There are hundreds of volunteers on this ship, many having spent time on it while it was active. It was amazing to hear their stories and experiences. I myself could NOT spend months on this ship, and I have tremendous respect for everyone who did. It truly takes a brave and amazing person to leave their homes and spend months and even years on a ship defending our country. Travelling down to San Diego to experience the USS Midway is an easy day trip, and I definitely recommend to anyone who is interested!

For more information: http://www.midway.org/visitors

Rent vs. Buy?

This is one of the most frequent questions we hear..."Should I keep renting, or should I buy?" Many people believe that renting is more affordable. However, they may be wrong! Usually, a mortgage payment can be as much as your monthly rent, or just a little more expensive. I urge you to take a look at the following link and play around with the numbers. It may open your eyes and convince you to go after that dream home!

http://www.phmtg.com/calc_rentvbuy.html

Soroptimist

"Soroptimist International is a worldwide volunteer service organization for business and professional women, working to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world." I went to my first official Soroptimist meeting today. I am so honored to be a part of this amazing group of women. I am excited to be inducted into this group in two weeks; the beginning of a lifetime commitment I cannot wait to make! The annual fashion show is coming up at the end of March. It is a great event I have attended many times, but never as a Soroptimist myself!

Young Professionals

Last week was our first Young Professionals meeting for the Pacific West Association of Realtors. As the chairperson, I was SUPER excited and anxious to get this group underway. We met at the Alcatraz Brewery at the Block of Orange. It was an amazing turnout and we had more people than expected. After a round of drinks and appetizers, we sat down and got the meeting started. We had a great speaker, Ricardo Bueno, who spoke about social media and our online presence. Everyone in the group really enjoyed what he had to say and picked up on a few key facts. This group is going to be an amazing addition to the real estate world, allowing young professionals to get together, network, and learn a few things along the way. After all, we are tomorrow's leaders!

Where do YOU live?

This morning I had the pleasure of attending a group meeting at Fullerton's Chamber of Commerce. Every week, people throughout Fullerton gather at 8am (a little early) for some coffee and discussion of different topics. This week, Joe Lins (Century 21 Discovery), Chris Smith (Professional Home Mortgage), and Nancy Mattaliano (Equity Escrow Group) came in and spoke about the real estate market. Since everyone there wasn't in real estate, a lot of it was about the basics of what we do. Still, it's always good to have a little refresher course. Chris Smith gave us the market snapshot for this week. The national average rate for 30 yr conforming loans is 5.010, and for 15 yr conforming loans 4.400. Basically, now is a great time to buy! Not only because of the first time home buyer tax credit, but interest rates are at an all-time low, and the prices of homes are starting to rise!

At the meeting this morning, I received a really cool book written about the street names in Fullerton. It has all the streets and their meanings listed. I figure it's an interesting little tidbit of information that clients may find interesting! For instance, our office is on Valencia Mesa Drive: "Rumor has it that this road was once (descriptively) called 'Gopher Gulch.' As years passed, the name was changed just as descriptively to indicate its topography and its product." The book is called "The Street Where You Live: Why Did They Name It...?" Interesting.