Gina Cefalu's (ginacsellshomes) Blog

"Gina - Money is missing $$ - anyway you can check the lockbox?" - was the text I recieved this morning. I decided today would be a good day to use the "Showing Activity" feature on my lockbox.  My client was missing a few hundred dollars (in quarters) from  his display jar in the house and wonde...

My daily walk with my dog J.J. was the same it had been for most mornings....over the last four years. We have our route, on the path, carrying my baggie. JJ sniffs all the other dogs he encouters and we make pleasantries with our fellow neighbors. The dog owners have a special bond - we talk - w...

The Remax Broker in our office just sent us some "telling" information about the Contra Costa Association of Realtors.  She pulled all the pending properties in our system (Paragon is the name of the program that runs the MLS for our association) There are currently 3926 pending properties in our...

Here's some positive news...I just listed last Thursday, a beautiful single-level duet in Clayton. We priced it correctly, hired a staging consultation (Kym Hough, Staged to Sell).  The sellers wanted to implement the staging recommendations themselves. We painted the interior, including baseboar...

Wow! Just spent a weekend with pre-approved first-time homebuyers who are looking at starter condos and townhomes.  We had over 100 properties to choose from and then whittled the list down to 26 listings. Based on pictures alone, the client wanted to see 10.  Only 7 were thoroughly seen; because...

Fellow Realtors, I've been a member of Toastmasters - a public speaking club and leadership club for over a decade. There are community clubs around the country. If you want to check for a local club near you - check the website. www.toastmasters.orgMy club is community based - we meet at a local...

These were the words out of the mouth of my 6-year old....who thinks every "For Sale" sign is "Mommy's sign"...(I wish). Actually motherhood and the juggling act is what lead me to a sales career in Real Estate. I'd worked in consumer product sales - Johnson & Johnson and a local Bay area company...

I've lived in my court in Danville  for 5 years..there are only 8 houses and all the neighbors know one another -in a cordial sort of way. My next door neighbor and I have children the same age - so the kids like to play in the court and have playdates. We've borrowed eggs, vanilla, cups of sugar...

I've heard so many complaints from my fellow Realtors on the subject of pricing - that many sellers are not ready to hear the "truth" on the correct pricing of their home. More, now than ever it's so important to be truthful and realistic.  I've decided that it's more important to be upfront and ...