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Palo Alto, CA Real Estate News

By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Today’s home selling tip addresses wheeled distractions that might be found in or around a home for sale.  Unless the home is zoned for a used car lot, sellers might want to consider if extra vehicles on the premises are distracting potential buyers from the home’s better selling points. A finished garage housing a collection of Ferraris or vintage Mercedes might be a point of interest, but a back yard used as a parking space for a seldom-used Dodge Dart, Audi Fox, or boat trailer could be considered cluttered space.  Just as sellers benefit by featuring interior flooring that is in good condition, they also benefit when yards, driveways and garages are de-cluttered.  Buyers are able to confirm that driveway and garage surfaces are not stained or cracked and that grass really can grow ...
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By MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900, Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years
(Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty)
    10 Weird and Surprising Events That Happened in History on April 16 By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley real estate guide selling homes in San Jose What do Gandhi, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. have in common? All 3 share an important anniversary today, April 16. Do you enjoy learning new things daily? If you’ve read my blog, you know one of the pastimes I enjoy is discovering new facts and interesting pieces of history. I like to share intriguing stories from our local newspaper the San Jose Mercury News, as well as from some of my favorite print and online magazinesMental Floss, the National Geographic Society or  Smithsonian Magazine. Sometimes great finds are located at History Orb and Wikipedia. Other times articles or facts are found online at The History Place,...
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By Marcy Moyer, Probate, Trust, and Investment Specialist
(eXp Realty of California Silicon Valley Probate, Trust, and Investment Sales)
  If you are a Personal Representative for a Palo Alto Probate Sale I am sure you are overwhelmed with all of your responsibilities. It is not an easy job! You may be charged with selling a home or condo in Palo Alto in Probate. If so, this a a great time to be doing that. However, even in a strong seller's market, you have to do whatever you can to get the best offer for the Palo Alto Ca Probate estate. One of the most important things you can do right now is to get the Palo Alto probate home fully inspected before you put it on the market. It may seem as if you are spending money on inspections that could be spent by the potential buyer. After all, the buyer of the Palo Alto Probate home you are selling has to buy it "As -Is" so the estate will not be making any repairs anyway. This ...
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By Caroline Hobbs, Reward Realty
(Reward Realty)
Making and offer in the bay area's competitive market can be very intimidating to even the most savy buyers. It is important that you work with a realtor who can help guide you through the process and get you an accepted offer.  First off, congratulations on identifying a property you are ready to make an offer on! No property is "perfect" however, this means you have found a property in which the good outweighs the negitive. In a competitive market, such as the bay area, often it is the buyer's motivation that will get an offer accepted. At this time, homes are selling with multiple offers, often a significant amount over the list price. When you find the right property, it is important that you make your highest and best offer. We have seen sellers accepting offers without giving buye...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
A common home selling tip from brokers involves use of “seller credits” or “seller concessions” when a feature of the home is obviously in need of repair or replacement.  Credits and concessions are merely specified reductions in the offering price when a particular structural or visual feature detracts from a property’s relative market value. When a home is in less-than-perfect condition and repair or upgrade is not practical, sellers have three options – they can sell it “as-is”, offer price concessions, or ignore the blemish.  Ignoring the problem, which I call the “so what?” negotiating argument, can be effective when homes are in short supply and demand is strong.  The same is true for offering the property “as is.”  In a “seller’s market” it’s likely that buyers will emerge who a...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
It’s tax day, so today’s home selling tip is this:  talk to your tax guy (or gal) before selling your home or investment property. There are literally dozens of variables that will determine the tax treatment of a real estate sale, including your age, income, assets, marital status, how you hold ownership (e.g. individual, trust or company), how long you’ve owned the property, what you originally paid for it, what you’ve invested in the property after you bought it, where the property is located… and more! You may want to consult with a real estate broker initially to determine a reasonable price range, but don’t sign a listing agreement until you clearly understand the potential tax consequences of a sale. Check back daily for more useful tips for selling California real estate. ------...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Today’s home selling tip is for anyone who is considering selling their home tomorrow or ten years from tomorrow.  The features of your home and market conditions will greatly influence the success of the sale, but when you meet for the first time with a broker to start the selling process, we want to see your papers. Here is a list of the paperwork usually requested by brokers prior to putting your home on the market.  Every seller’s situation is different, but this should get you started. 1.    Original building plans, land surveys and building permits.   These verify that every part of the structure was properly built and inspected.  If the previous owner didn’t pass along the original plans when you purchased the home, you may be able to obtain them from the builder or from the city...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Investors, here are Northern Silicon Valley multi-family properties for sale as of April 14, 2013.  This area includes the towns of Atherton, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale. Click here for the list >>> Northern Silicon Valley multi-family properties for sale as of April 14, 2013 – including photos and detailed information for each property.   Need help managing your units?  We provide complete property management servicesfor Silicon Valley rental propertiesplus, on an as-needed basis: ·         Annual/special property inspections ·         Problem tenant investigations ·         Past-due rent collections ·         Eviction support Contact Us for help buying or selling Silicon Valley real estate. -----------------...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Palo Alto homes and condos are in demand due to increased employment in the area and a lack of homes for sale in surrounding communities.  Of 44 homes now on the market, only 6 are priced under $1M.  Not surprisingly, most are condos. Click here to see the list >>> Palo Alto homes and condos for sale under $1M as of April 14, 2013 - including photos and detailed information for each property.   Contact Us for help buying or selling Silicon Valley real estate. Click HERE to search directly on the local MLS for Silicon Valley real estate of all types. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John A. Souerbry & Associates     Tel (650) 815-6182    (DRE 01370983)
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By Marcy Moyer, Probate, Trust, and Investment Specialist
(eXp Realty of California Silicon Valley Probate, Trust, and Investment Sales)
As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple: Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers. There are currently 33 single family Palo Alto homes for sale up from 27 last week. There are currently 7 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, up from 5 last week. There are currently 40 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, down from 41 last week. There are currently 6 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, down from 7 last week. In March of 2013 there were 28 single family Palo Alto homes sold, twice as many as in Feb.,  ranging in price from $859,000 to $7,650,000. This is a much broader price range than in Feb as well. In March of 2013 there were 12 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold, 3 times as many as in Feb.,  ran...
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By Marcy Moyer, Probate, Trust, and Investment Specialist
(eXp Realty of California Silicon Valley Probate, Trust, and Investment Sales)
When buying or selling a home in Palo Alto many people are advised by their agents to purchase a home protection plan. These plans are insurance policies against breakage of many systems and fixtures in the home. The executive summary is if something breaks during the term of the policy, (one year which can be renewed) you can call the insurance company and they will send an independent contractor out to fix or replace the broken item. The owner just pays a $50-$60 fee for the service, and all other expenses for that item are covered. Sound great right? Well, there can be some problems. The most common one happens if the person who purchased the plan did not get the code upgrade. This is essential, and if you do not purchase it and your home (like almost all homes in Palo Alot is more ...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
In today’s home selling tip, we’re going to look at creating a business card for your home.  Getting information about your home in front of as many ready, willing and able buyers as quickly as possible is critical to creating a competitive offer environment.  Brokers have a number of tools they can work with, but as a seller you can help, too.  One way is to carry a few custom-printed business cards to hand out whenever the right opportunity comes along. In my example, I’ve provided basic information about the property, a photo, a QR code, and the broker’s phone number (this is not a real listing, though the photo shows a Silicon Valley home I sold last year).  Work out the information with your broker. Cards can be designed using any desktop publishing software.  Print them yourself ...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Our home selling tip for today borrows a concept from architects who include a “panic” or “safe room” In their designs. While your home is listed for sale, potential buyers and their brokers will be viewing it throughout the day.  Although brokers and their agents are generally known for honesty and trustworthiness, it’s natural to be a little nervous when strangers are in our home while we’re away.  There are several solutions that we can implement temporarily to safeguard expensive or keepsake items while our home is on the market. 1.    Place a lock on a closet or storage room (you can unlock this space for viewing later if a buyer is serious enough for a second visit) 2.    Buy a lockable storage closet or file cabinet 3.    Install a permanent or temporary lock on one or more draw...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
In yesterday’s home selling tip we discussed selling personal property with our home, today we’ll discuss taking fixtures with us that we don’t want to sell with it. The words “installed” and “attached” can be gray areas when it’s time to sell a home.  During our period of ownership we’ll make many different types of upgrades, from chandeliers to bathroom faucets.  Each of these items was chosen based upon our personal style and some may be hard-to-find or one-of-a-kind pieces.  If they were easily installed with a few screws and bolts, it’s easy to take them with us to our new home, and many sellers choose to do just that. Buyers are often surprised when escrow closes and they enter the home for the first time as owners, only to find that several attached or installed fixtures have bee...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
It’s Spring – time for rental property owners or their property management company to conduct walk-through residential or commercial rental property inspections.  As I’ve discussed in many online articles, rental units of all types should be inspected several times each year to head off any small problems that might become major if not corrected early. Inspections two or three times per year benefit the owner and tenants by ensuring that the property is in good condition and that no problems exist that could result in complaints or vacancies.  Here are just a few tips for conducting walk-through inspections. 1.    Ask tenants if they have any issues.  These could be with the property, neighbors, or anything else that could affect their use or enjoyment of the property. 2.    Check heati...
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By MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900, Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years
(Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty)
When Are 2013 Santa Clara County, Calif. Property Taxes Due? Wednesday, April 10, 2013! by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Silicon Valley guide and Cupertino real estate agent selling homes in San Jose A nice senior gentleman called me today and asked me, “When Are 2013 Santa Clara County, Calif. Property Taxes Due?” He also couldn’t locate his San Jose tax bill. I told him to hurry and pay his property tax bill, as it will be considered late after April 10, 2013. Then helped him search online to find the correct amount to pay and where to go to pay it online or in person. Santa Clara County Tax Time is here again...property tax time, that is. Technically this portion of property taxes were due on February 1, 2013, and will still be considered paid on time if received into the Tax Collector's offi...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Palo Alto residential lots are scarce as general inventory of homes in the area are leading Silicon Valley’s housing market recovery.  Very few single family lots have come on the market, driving many who would like to build a custom home in Palo Alto to resort to buying tear-downs and rebuilding.  If you’re looking for a home site to build on in Palo Alto – tear-down or an empty lot – we can help. Here are Palo Alto residential lots and land for sale as of April 9, 2013.  Click on the property’s Address to view detailed information and photos.   0 LOS TRANCOS RD, PALO ALTO, CA 94304   $12,500,000                0 PAGE MILL RD, PALO ALTO, CA 94304   $3,890,000                 Lot sizes are approximate and use of the land is subject to local government regulation and approval. Contact Us...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
This home selling tip is about courtesy as much as preserving your privacy.  When leaving home for the day, turn the volume on your telephone answering machine’s speaker all the way down or mute it. A home with a lock box may have any number of visitors during the day.  If callers are leaving messages on your answering machine while a potential buyer is walking through, there’s a possibility that someone will be listening in on what may be a private message.  Simply turn down the volume! Check back daily for more useful tips for home selling. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John A. Souerbry & Associates     (DRE 01370983)
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Today’s home selling tip is one that will brighten your day as well as make your home more attractive to potential buyers.  It’s simple – use fresh flowers to accent rooms and settings.  The visual impact is significant, but fresh flowers also sweeten the air and impart a sense of good health. Rather than just placing your favorite flowers in your home, look for flowers that highlight the color scheme of your décor and that have a pleasant aroma.  If you’re lucky enough to have a productive flower garden on the property, that’s a selling point and you can share that information by placing a small tent placard next to the vase telling buyers where they came from. Place flowers throughout the home whenever buyers are expected, including open house days and before “lock box hours.”  Make ...
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By John Souerbry, Homes, Land & Investments
(Cordon Real Estate)
Our home selling tip of the day focuses on one of the most important spaces buyers will see when they tour our home – the garage.  We often spend a lot of time and money preparing the interior of our home for sale, perhaps with new paint, carpet and window coverings.  We will de-clutter every room, packing up unused furniture and other items for storage.  But then we sometimes end up working against ourselves when we take that old furniture and overflowing stacks of boxes and store them in the garage. Moving clutter from the house to the garage solves one problem while creating another.  Home buyers often comment that they can’t see the value of the garage when it’s used for storage rather than for parking.  In fact, it’s frequently said that when a garage is used for storage it’s a sig...
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