26 Apr 2022After more than a decade in the real estate industry and working as a broker in central California, I have fine-tuned my answer to these questions and would like to share my insights into how real estate agents can use “tactical empathy” to negotiate on behalf of their clients.
22 Oct 2021Did you know that you are responsible for anyone who steps foot on your property, whether you invited them or not? If you’re like most homeowners, you may not be aware of your responsibility to keep children and others safe in your neighborhood. You may believe that the safety of neighborhood children, as well as other visitors to other properties, is the responsibility of their parents (or other property owners). However, according to state law,
16 Jul 2021Most homeowners are unaware that their property could be legally taken from their possession by a trespasser. It sounds outlandish, but unfortunately, such a shocking transfer of ownership can happen, and property owners should be educated on their state’s laws regarding this process. Knowing the rules can help homeowners reduce the risk of losing their property unexpectedly or being taken advantage of.
12 Apr 2021This past year has seen a surging real estate market – home prices have continued to climb as Americans navigate the ever-changing dynamics of the pandemic. A recent report released by Realtor.com shows that, on a national level, median home listing prices in March 2021 were $370,000 – 15.6% higher compared to the year prior (March 2020). Prices in the largest U.S. metro areas “grew by an average of 12.1% year-over-year with some markets seeing
20 Nov 2020Since 2011, the residential real estate market has been steadily climbing. Housing prices have increased year-over-year in most major markets, with the housing medium rising 55% over the last decade (June 2010 to June 2020). This bullish market has proven beneficial to investors and homeowners across the country. However, as a result of the 2020 market, some analysts predict that 2021 may experience a significant shift. We may be transitioning to a bear market as
19 Aug 2020When selling your home you may be responsible for paying capital gains taxes, which are defined as taxes paid on the positive difference between the sale price of your home and the original purchase price. To understand how much you will owe you will need to know what the adjusted basis on your home is. However, unless you have been involved in multiple real estate transactions, you may be unaware of what this means. Therefore,
11 May 2020As spring — the most popular time for homes to be sold on the market — approaches, shelter-in-place restrictions remain in place on both federal and state levels, creating numerous challenges for those looking to transact. Unfortunately, the unanticipated outbreak of COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the real estate market. Although the numbers and data are still being collected, there are a few trends that have been prevalent since the pandemic hit the
7 Apr 2020Since the outbreak of COVID-19, businesses have been shut down, thousands have been laid off from their jobs, millions have applied for unemployment, and people have been asked to stay at home until the pandemic is under control. With all of this being said, homeowners and renters are now faced with the challenge of paying rent, even if they do not have the income to pay. In this article we will outline government initiatives that
11 Feb 2020To finance a home on a vacant lot you will need to obtain a construction loan. These vary drastically when compared to residential loans since they are directly associated with building a house. Construction loans have different terms and bring different value to the borrower. Here are the steps simply outlined to build your dream home from the ground up. Getting the Land Before you can build a home, you will need to secure the
1 Jul 2019If you plan to buy or sell a residential home in California, you will likely use the California Residential Purchase Agreement and Joint Escrow Instructions (RPA-CA) contract to specify the terms of the deal and how they will be executed.
4 Jun 2019Imagine purchasing the lot of your dreams, with beautiful views, in the location you’ve always wanted, and then finding out that you are not allowed to build on it because it’s not a legal lot!
3 May 2019Do you own a property which has appreciated considerably since you purchased it? Have you been hesitant to sell because you want to avoid paying capital gains tax? If you've answered yes to either of these questions you may benefit from using a Deferred Sales Trust (DST). If you are at risk of paying a substantial sum in capital gains tax when selling your home, and if you either don’t quality for or would like
8 Apr 2019As you may have read about in our newsletter last month, 2019 is slated to produce a long list of multi-billion-dollar IPOs from San Francisco Bay Area heavyweights like Lyft, Uber, Palantir, Pinterest, Airbnb, Slack, Postmates, and Instacart. According to Patrick Howell O'Neill, this will results in a massive and sudden injection of liquid cash into a region already infamous for having the nation’s priciest real estate. While the impact may not be as sudden
1 Apr 2019Tiny Homes are catching the attention of people all over the country (have you seen the HGTV show Tiny House, Big Living?). Here in Santa Cruz County, we’ve had quite a few clients ask if they can put a Tiny Home on a lot. The short answer is, “it depends”. Read the more comprehensive answer below. What is a “Tiny Home”? A tiny home is typically one that is under 400 square feet, though some
26 Mar 2019If you are buying or selling your home and have just written or received an offer, there is an important clause to be aware of: Dispute Resolution. Most offers to purchase and sell residential real estate in the state of California are written using the California Residential Purchase Agreement And Joint Escrow Instructions form (RPA-CA). When full executed by you and the other party this contract specifies the terms of your sale, including the purchase
11 Mar 2019Mobile homes provide an affordable housing option in expensive real estate markets like Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area. On the other hand, with the value of their land increasing, mobile home park owners have been under more pressure to close mobile home parks and sell their lots to developers. Mobile home lots closed across California. CLICK to launch full interactive graphic. (Data visualization by Katie Kramon/Peninsula Press) Given the shortage of affordable
6 Mar 2019Did you know that the San Lorenzo Valley Watershed has the highest density of septic systems of any comparable area in the State? This means, if you are buying or selling property in the San Lorenzo Valley (Ben Lomond, Felton, Brookdale or Boulder Creek), you’ll likely have to understand what it means to own and what can go wrong with a septic system. The following are typical questions that buyers and/or sellers will ask when dealing with septic systems:
26 Feb 2019Did you know that 77% of buyers’ agents reported that staging made it easier for their clients visualize the property as a future home? Additionally, buyers are 40% more likely to walk through a home that they saw online if it is staged. This is why many sellers opt to stage their homes before putting them on the market. For those that don’t know, staging is the practice of styling and furnishing a property to
31 Jan 2019Did you know that, if you are 62 or older, you may be able to use a reverse mortgage to purchase a home? In this article we cover how you can use the equity in your current residence to purchase property; different Reverse Mortgage options on the market today, and how this financial decision will impact your heirs. Using a Reverse Mortgages to Buy a Home You may have heard of using a Reverse Mortgages
24 Jan 2019How you price your home will determine if and how long it takes to sell. Pricing it well requires an in-depth understanding of our local real estate market conditions. On average, in 2018, homes that had a price decrease were on market for 69 days and sold for $554 / square foot. Compare that to all homes that sold without a price decrease: on average, they were on the market for 17 days and sold
7 Jan 2019In the wake of a passionate election season in which affordable housing was one of the major topics of debate, a large housing project was just approved in the City of Santa Cruz. The Pacific Front project is a 205-rental unit housing project which includes ground-floor commercial space and two floors of parking garage. Have you ever heard of Measure O? Under this measure, developers of housing projects must make a certain percentage of their
7 Jan 2019As 2018 comes to a close, we are starting to see the housing market slow down in California. According to the California Association of Realtors, the statewide sales-to-list price ratio (sales price / list price) has hit the lowest level in 20 months and was down from a year ago: 98.5 percent in September 2018 compared with 99.1 percent in September 2017. We are also beginning to see inventory rise as homes stay on the market longer. Can
4 Jan 2019We all do it. From time to time, we all procrastinate on our home maintenance and upkeep. What if this year was different? We propose that all those reading this article create an action plan, noting what maintenance and upgrades their home 1) needs most, 2) probably should have, and 3) would be nice to have. Once you’ve made your list and checked it twice, create an action plan for the year (because unfortunately Santa
8 Dec 2014Sacred Places Real Estate and Schneider Estates incorporate VASTU Wisdom: The house is a temple of living for human being. The space enclosed in a building is Prasada Purushan -- energized building -- Building is a living organism, built of musical units of measure. Our buildings are alive. They are sacred. Is having your home and life become more sacred something you want to learn more about? Connect with us for conscious real estate