If you need to, or want to sell your home in Palo Alto you should hire a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent. Yes, you could probably put a piece of cardboard on your front lawn saying "For Sale" and get 10 offers, but this is a complicated transaction, and finding a buyer is just one part of a very large undertaking.  So I will make the assumption that you have already decided it is in your best financial and peace of mind interest to hire a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent and will give you some ideas on what you should consider. Palo Alto has no shortage of good Real Estate Agents, so you have plenty from which to choose. I always say that being in a relationship with a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent is like being married, just for a shorter period of time than most marriages. (Brittney Spears' 1st ... 01/24/2013

When you sell your home in Palo Alto you want it to look as good as possible. Yes, if it is old and small it may be torn down; but chances are someone who wants to keep the house will also be interested in making an offer on your Palo Alto home. So, you want to make it as attractive as possible, while keeping it neutral. As a Palo Alto real estate agent I can assure you neutrality is important when selling a home in Palo Alto because the potential buyer needs to be able to picture themselves and their furnishings in your house. This is much easier if you do not have something like thick velvet red curtains or broken plastic shades. There are two big potential problems with window coverings when you sell your Palo Alto home. There are few things more specific and less neutral than window... 01/23/2013

3 California-Centric Events Connected to Silicon Valley on January 22 By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley real estate guide selling homes in San Jose Are you an inquisitive person who enjoys learning? 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 my favorite print and online magazines Mental Floss, the National Geographic Society or  Smithsonian Magazine. Other times I find articles or facts online at  The History Place, Brainy History,orDates In History.These events for today’s blog post are primarily from Wikipedia. While these interesting items are intriguing, they have nothing to do with my real estate busines... 01/22/2013

Buyers, sellers, investors, welcome back to another installment of Real Estate Jargon, aka, simple explanations of real estate terms not normally found in nature. Compensation to real estate brokers is typically a commission paid by the seller upon completion of a real estate transaction. However, the standard California Association of REALTORS® residential listing form (CAR Form RLA) states in Section 4: "real estate commissions include all compensation and fees to Broker." So, what all could be included in compensation? Commissions are paid to both the broker who represents the seller (Listing Broker) and to the broker who represents the buyer (Selling Broker). Since both are paid by the seller, Section 4.A of the listing agreement specifies the amount to be paid to the seller's broke... 01/21/2013

3 Strange But True Events That Occurred on January 21 By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley real estate guide selling homes in San Jose Today of course is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. My uncle Bill Byington marched today in the Seattle, Wash. MLK event. This holiday is celebrated on the 3rd Monday of January, so it varies. However, it’s fitting that U.S. President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. If you’ve read my www.ActiveRain.com/Resultsblog, you know one of the pastimes I enjoy is discovering random learning new facts and interesting truths from history. I often locate interesting items while reading our local San Jose Mercury News, or one of my favorite magazines to read, Mental Floss or  Smithsonian. Other times I find articles or fact... 01/21/2013

Whenever a repair request or complaint crosses a landlord’s desk, they need to assign a level of urgency to the task.  Like any business, rental property doesn’t automatically dispense monthly cash like an ATM.  Tenants and the property itself require constant care and attention. Here are the four levels of priority we assign to rental property issues and opportunities as they become known. 1.    Health and Safety.  Any conditions that pose a risk to the health and safety of tenants, residents* and visitors must be addressed immediately.  In addition to a list of plumbers, electricians and other service providers who offer 24 hour emergency services, most landlords keep an emergency fund or line of credit available to cover these costs. 2.    Lease Compliance. If the landlord doesn’t pr... 01/19/2013

When you sell your Palo Alto home your real estate agent will discuss with you when you should have open houses. This is an extremely important part of the Palo Alto home sale, so you must take this very seriously. Most likely the first open for your Palo Alto house will be the Broker's Tour. This happens on Friday, and most of the homes that are being offered for sale in Palo Alto will be open for other real estate agents to see. Some may also bring potential buyers with them. This open house happens on Friday morning from 9:30-1. Many agents will offer an enticement for agents to come to the open house such as a catered lunch, coffee cart, or gift certificate. When selling your home in Palo Alto this broker's tour is a great opportunity for agents to see your home, and let their clien... 01/17/2013

Theatre is alive in the Bay Area. Not only does Palo Alto have many options, but also not far is San Jose, which is also full of viable options.     San Jose Repertory Theatre shows current, beautiful shows. Their seasons consist of 7 shows. For the last two years, this has included Rick Lombardo's, the artistic director, adaptation of The Christmas Carol. The actors are consistently superb. The house is a comfortable size where the view is great from almost any seat.   To make theatre more accessible they offer a number of events and discounts.   Seniors; people who are 65 years and over, teachers, ASL, and military members receive $6 off their tickets. Students generously receive 50% off their tickets. Out N' About night saves $10 off a scheduled day of the performance.   Pay What Yo... 01/17/2013

Palo Alto homes and condos are leading Silicon Valley in demand due to increased employment in the area and lack of homes for sale in surrounding communities.  Of 25 homes now on the market, only 8 are priced under $1M.  Not surprisingly, all are condos. Here are Palo Alto homes and condos for sale under $1M as of January 13, 2013.  Click on a property’s Price to view photos and the MLS listing.   Price Location Bed/Bath Sq. Feet $995,000 555 Byron Street #305 2/2 1,548 $868,000 411 Pepper Avenue 3/1 987 $822,000 2585 Park Boulevard #Z214 2/2.5 1.230 $799,000 750 University Avenue 2/2 1,313 $799,000 155 S. California Avenue #G-102 2/2 1,117 $729,000 101 Alma Street #202 2/2 1,032 $509,885 4250 El Camino Real #199 2/1 960 $479,000 131 Hawthorne Avenue #E 1/1 663   Contact Usfor help buyi... 01/12/2013

In case you have not noticed this is an amazing time to sell your home in Palo Alto. However, if you have children who are still in school you may not want to disrupt their school year so you may be thinking of putting off selling your Palo Alto home until school is out. This may not always be necessary. There are dozens of people who just want to buy in Palo Alto. It does not matter to many of them if they have to wait a few months for possession because it could take many more months to get an offer for a Palo Alto home accepted. If you are selling your home in Palo Alto and you want to stay until school is out you need to tell your agent to explain to buyers that while you are able to close before June, the house will not be available for the new buyers until the end of June. You may... 01/11/2013

When selling a Palo Alto home your real estate agent will suggest that you open an escrow account with a title company before you put your home on the market. Most agents have title companies they prefer to use and an escrow officer with whom they like to work. For example I always choose Lee Kocjan with Fidelity National Title in San Carlos. Most agents will have worked with a specific escrow officer so if you have someone you want to work with be sure and let your agent know. When selling your home in Palo Alto title and escrow are handled by the same company even though title and escrow are two separate things. The escrow officer will order a preliminary title report. This will confirm who has the right to sell the property, who has a lien on the property (your mortgage and property ... 01/10/2013

When you sell your home in Palo Alto do you need to tell potential buyers about Palo Alto? The answer is no you don't have to, but I think it is a good idea.  Palo Alto is a wonderful place to live, and not just because the schools are so good. Many of today's buyers are trying to buy a home in Palo Alto because of the schools, but if they knew about some of the other wonderful aspects of Palo Alto they may be even more motivated to purchase your home. When selling your Palo Alto home I would suggest that you leave information about some of our community treasures like the Palo Alto Children's Theatre, the California Ave and downtown Farmer's Market, the 4th of July Chilli Cook-Off, Stanford Theatre, Stanford Shopping Center, Theatre Works, soccer and t-ball teams, the Children's librar... 01/06/2013

When selling your Palo Alto home you need to disclose everything you know, including the lot size. One would think that informing the potential buyers of your Palo Alto home how large the lot is would be easy, but in fact it can get a little tricky. Also the exact size can be very important to a potential buyer of the Palo Alto home you are selling for a variety of reasons. 1. The buyer may want to build a new home and the lot size determines the square footage of the new home to be built. 2. The buyer may want to expand your home and again an exact lot size is needed to know how much expansion is possible. 3. The buyer may want to put up an accessory building or sub divide a large lot and needs the exact lot size to know if it is possible. The problem with disclosing the lot size when ... 01/05/2013

Silicon Valley luxury homes and estates express the finest neighborhoods on the Peninsula, though ultra-luxury homes priced above $10M continue to sell slowly. Here are Silicon Valley’s Top 10 luxury homes and estates for sale as of January 4, 2013.  View photos and details by clicking on the Listing Price for each property.  Please contact me if you have any questions or if I may assist with your search of Silicon Valley luxury homes and estates.   Top 10 Silicon Valley Luxury Homes and Estates City Listing Price Bed/Bath Sq. Feet Lot Acres Woodside $85,000,000 9/8.5 9,000 91.94 Atherton $34,888,000 6/7.5(4) 12,508 1.61 Woodside $29,500,000 4/6 14,000 3.00 Atherton $21,800,000 6/10 14,000 1.25 Atherton $21,500,000 6.7(3) 11,800 1.06 Los Gatos $19,995,000 6/7.5(2) 11,257 50.00 Portola V... 01/04/2013

If you are selling a home in Palo Alto your real estate agent may suggest that while the home is available to show you should leave the sound system on with some genre of music playing. Should you? The answer to this question is very personal. Personally I do not like showing a home where the stereo is playing, even when it is music I love (like Broadway songs) Unlikely staging, which helps a Palo Alto buyer imagine what the rooms are for, and how much furniture can fit in a room, music does not help me imagine anything except what is the noise like without the music? Some buyers may love having soothing music and feel like it makes the home more homey and relaxing. So here is your problem. If when selling your Palo Alto home some people like the music and some don't, and you play music... 01/03/2013

Is this a good time to sell your  Palo Alto Condo or Town Home? The answer is YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!! I can not stress this enough. If you have a condo or town home in Palo Alto you are thinking of selling, don't hesitate! The market is screaming for you to get it done, now. There are currently 5 town homes/condos on the market in Palo Alto. I did not forget a zero. 5. In a seller's market there would generally be 15 units for sale. In a buyer's market you need to have over 25 units for sale. 5 is so low there are no words to describe the market. Apple and Google are growing like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors, and like the plant, would love to take over the world. The number of people moving into the area with good jobs and the need of a place to live is astronomical. They are o... 01/01/2013

When it comes to keeping copies of their utility bills, property tax bills, or even mortgage statements, homeowners run the full range from tossing the bills when they pay them to keeping them for many years past when they need to.  Here are five reasons why homeowners should keep copies of their utility bills on file for a reasonable period of time. 1.  Dispute Resolution.  If the paper trail you keep for home expenses consists of a box of cancelled checks, you have proof of payment but no information to back up why your bill is the amount you’re being charged.  If you’re being charged for excess usage that wasn’t yours or being charged a commercial rate when you should be charged the residential rate, it’s better to have a copy of your bill in hand rather that than to rely on the util... 01/01/2013

10 World-Changing Events That Happened on December 30 By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley real estate guide selling homes in San Jose Are you an inquisitive person who enjoys learning? 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 my favorite print and online magazines Mental Floss, the National Geographic Society or  Smithsonian Magazine. Other times I find articles or facts online at The History Place, Brainy History,orDates In History.These events for today’s blog post are culled from History Orb. While these interesting items are intriguing, they have nothing to do with my real estate business, helping people ... 12/29/2012

5 Important Interesting Items That Occurred on December 28 By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley real estate guide selling homes in San Jose If you’ve read my blog, you know one of the pastimes I enjoy is learning new facts and interesting pieces of history. Sometimes I come across intriguing stories while reading our local San Jose Mercury News, Mental Floss or  Smithsonian Magazine. Other times I find articles or facts online at The History Place, Brainy History, Dates In History or the National Geographic Society. Today’s collection of facts was found at History Orb. While these interesting items are intriguing, they have nothing to do with my real estate business, helping people like you buy and sell homes in Silicon Valley, Calif. and beyond. I admit, they just add fun and fascina... 12/28/2012

The real estate market in Palo Alto is probably one of the best ones for sellers in the county. There are many times more buyers than sellers in Palo Alto, but that does not mean every home sells instantly with multiple offers for hundreds of thousands of dollars over asking price. If you are a Palo Alto home seller and own a home that may have a limited market appeal there are some things you can do to help you get a better price and terms when you sell your Palo Alto home.  There are several reasons why your Palo Alto home may have a limited market appeal. these include: 1. Located on a busy street 2. Located very close to the Cal Train tracks 3. Located very close to 101 4. Having an odd floor plan, like having 2 bedrooms on one floor and 2 bedrooms on another floor 5. Located close ... 12/28/2012