Another listing SOLD!
Our listing at www.395apricot.com closed escrow today. We had multiple offers on it and went Pending just 21 days after we put it on the market. It Sold for $10 more than the asking price too!
The property website listed above had 814 visitors to it!!
New SHARE feature for property listings
When you now display the details for a property, you’ll see a “Share” option in the buttons to the right of the photo (see graphic below). If you click on the Share button, it will bring up a window of over 45 places you can share this listing. Email it to your spouse at work, post it on Facebook for your family to see, Twitter it, post it on you Blog or many other social networking sites.
We think this is a great tool to let others see properties you are looking at (or see your own home that you have listed). If you do have a property listed, the more exposure you can give it, the better!
It also allows you to save listings to a personal Sharebox you can get when registering on ShareThis.com. You have always been able to save your listings on MLS Search tool itself but this requires you to register on our site. We are fully aware that other real estate sites use the “save properties” and “email new listings” features as a way to get you to supply your contact info for a high-pressure real estate agent to hound you. Any of you that have used this feature on our site know we don’t contact you when you register and only when you contact us to ask a question or for more assistance. But, we know some people have been burned by registering on other real estate sites and may want to stay anonymous until they are ready to contact a professional Realtor (like us!). This new Share option allows you to save listings that interest you but remain anonymous by saving them on the ShareThis.com site.
2000th Blog Post!
We just posted our 2000th blog post!!
And you can read them in the archives in the right column….
When I started blogging in 2003, blogger.com wasn’t around yet and I used to manually enter blog posts with html. Those early blogs aren’t part of the archives so we actually have posted more than 2000.
On a side note, I’ve been asked to speak at the annual Realtor conference in San Jose about…..blogging!
Status Field Definitions
Here are the definitions for “Contingent REO” and “Contingent SSale (Short Sale)” that are on the REO and Short Sale reports.
Contingent-REO – Mandatory mark as Contingent-REO a the time of the bank/asset manager gives a verbal acceptance. Mark as pending when the listing agent receives a fully executed purchase contract.
Contingent-SS – Mandatory mark as Contingent-SS (Short Sale) at the time the seller signs a purchase contract (it is optional to use Pending status, rather than Contingent-SS). Mark as Pending when the listing agent receives written short sale lender approval.
Keith Note: When a property goes “Pending” status, it no longer appears on the MLS Listing Searches.
Positive Medical Experience
Just had my first colonoscopy done and still feeling a bit groggy. My dad was operated on for colon cancer back in 1970 and I should have started my tests when I turned 40 but I’m a wimp when it comes to medical stuff and have been delaying it for many years.
I used Dr. Mundorf (offices in SLO and Pismo) and had the test at the Central Coast Surgical Center in Pismo Beach. The staff was really really nice and I don’t remember any of the procedure so I’ll give the doc an “A+” for that!
My wife had her test done a few years ago up at the Templeton Hospital but she remembered everything.
Thought I’d pass along my positive experience. I know the next time I need to do the test (5 years), I won’t be so stressed.
Light, Bright and Airy Home Staging Tips
So sorry I have been away for a few weeks, summer in staging has been crazy, in a good way. Every other Tuesday is my new day to gab, and share with you tips and tricks of the staging trade to help you get your home looking its best for the market. As we approach fall and students start to go back to school, the weather starts to change and the evenings get dark a little sooner, here are some things to remember…
- In the fall there tend to be fewer buyers eager to move, so your house needs to look GREAT for 2 reasons. 1. You are working to attract from fewer buyers, but still have lots of competition. 2. If your house looks amazing, you may attract someone who isn’t even shopping for a new house, but becomes a buyer because your house catches their eye!
- With the days still warm, but the evenings getting shorter, make sure that you have great evening lighting that draws buyers to look at your house as a great place to enjoy their evenings and the outside spaces of your home. Anytime you can make outside spaces feel like a continuation of the home, it will add value and make your space feel larger.
- Make your house feel move-in ready. I can’t say this enough! Fix small things that are broken, have your carpets cleaned, paint your walls- small things make a big difference.
Happy Selling! If you would like to contact me directly, visit my website at www.LightBrightandAiry.com or email me at shannon@LightBrightandAiry.com
REO and Short Sale Listing Reports Enhanced
The REO and Short Sale Listing Reports now include the status on them so you can see if they already have a contingent offer with the Bank. The status field is included on the property detail page (the one you get when you click the MLS number) but thought putting this on the Listing Report would make it easier for you to find foreclosures that don’t have offers on them already.
http://www.slocountyhomes.com/reoex.php
http://www.slocountyhomes.com/shortex.php
Rate Update and 5-10 Properties Financed
Rate Update and 5-10 Properties Financed
Mortgage rates are looking better this week due to a well bid auction of 30-Year Bonds last Thursday. Today we find the 30 Year Fixed at 4.750% (4.929% APR), the 15 Year Fixed 4.250% (4.557% APR), and the 5/1 ARM 3.750% (3.929% APR). The drop in the stock market today should help further the improvements.
With the demise of the ALT-A loan markets went the ability to finance more than 4 properties to one buyer, or did it? Well, if the subject property is Owner-Occupied, there is no limit to the number of financed properties the borrower may own. If the subject property is a Second Home or Non-Owner Occupied the maximum of financed 1-4 unit properties a borrower may have is 4.
Up to ten financed properties are allowed provided that all the following requirements are met:
- Minimum credit score is 720.
- Purchase transaction only.
- Maximum loan to value is 75% for 1 unit property and 70% for 2-4 unit properties.
- No history of bankruptcy or foreclosure in past 7 years.
This knowledge is powerful when pairing today’s real estate investor with a lender. Not all banks will operate under these guidelines.
Central Coast Lending, Inc.
(805) 771-9870
info@centralcoastlending.com
SLO Resident to be on Dancing with the Stars
It was just announced that Chuck Liddell will be on the new season of Dancing with the Stars. Good luck Chuck!
Siren Test This Saturday
It’s time for the quarterly siren test. This is the time of year when the tourists get the strange looks on their faces when the sirens go off. Details follow….
On Saturday August 22 at noon and again 30 minutes later, the San Luis Obispo County Early Warning System Sirens will be tested. The sirens will sound for three to five minutes each time, but you are not required to do anything. PG&E and the County Office of Emergency Services are only testing the sirens to make sure they are working properly in case of any major local emergency.
