When I promise my potential sellers that I will never leave them wondering about what is happening with the sale of their home, I mean it. I don't promise things I don't mean. It means I know what it's like to have your home on the market. Every day you wonder: will it sell today? Will the buyers who just toured my home want to make an offer? Part of my job is to relay this information to the seller and to keep the seller informed. The worst email I could ever receive would be from a seller telling me they haven't heard from me in a long time and wanted an update. OK, second worse email. Worst would be somebody dying. Or maybe Mt. Hood Winery closing.But I try to set expectations with my sellers. One of the ways to set an expectation is to discuss the approximate length of time it takes... 07/11/2018

If the Sacramento real estate market makes you feel like there's something happening here; what it is ain't exactly clear, then you've come to the right place. We're at the tail end of a long strange trip. What is wrong with me this morning, I can't stop the music, LOL. Every thought that pops into my head, it's like we have an app for that, no, wait, it's a song.Yes, no doubt about it, Gwen, our market is a big squirrely. We are spooning up a big old second-serving of bok choy but two minutes later you're hungry again. Hey, Chinese food. Inventory is going up yet sales are trailing.  I'm sure you'll soon read reports with corporate spins, as there always has to be a positive spin to real estate. Nobody wants to be accused of sending sales into the abyss, like a devil in disguise. You c... 07/10/2018

Don't you just love it when you are judged by the company you keep? Years back, one of my team members told me shortly after she became licensed that she felt embarrassed to be working in the profession, by the way some potential clients treated her. As though she was inconsequentional or replacecable. Agents don't always get respect from the public.Real estate is a rough, competitive business. But it doesn't mean you can't stand out or you can't make a difference. We make a difference every single month with our closings when we help our clients realize dreams and goals. Does that mean we will take any abuse dished out by some of the unstable people we run across? This means we take the time to make sure we want to work with our clients before taking them on. Sometimes that means cance... 07/09/2018

As of this particular moment, I have no active listings in MLS. Yes, I have sold all of my inventory. Which is very unusual for me at any time of the year. Almost always I carry a few in inventory. In fact, can't recall the last time over the past 7 years of our seller's market that I've ever sold every single listing to reduce my active inventory to zero.However, lately, buyers have been demanding price reductions before they will act. The good news is I'm not completely out of homes to sell for very long as I have at least one new listing going live in MLS this coming Friday, maybe two.You can read more in my personal blog today about how a slight price adjustment generated an offer at this link: Newer Natomas Home in Parkwalk at Westshore Pending. 07/08/2018

My first plan was the Cosumnes River hike.  I was trying to think of places not too far away from our home in Land Park where my husband and I could go on the Fourth of July. Just to get out into the glorious summer day. He really dislikes driving long distances over holidays. The drivers irritate him immensely; whereas I barely acknowledge knuckleheads. Instead, I accept those drivers as a fact of life and just avoid them.But my husband takes every move they make as a personal affront. He is also concerned a drunk driver, and those numbers grow over the holidays, will smack into our car. Not an unreasonable concern. So walking it was. Besides, most people were spending time at home, so perfect time for us to get out. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: A Lazy Four... 07/05/2018

Nobody wants to come right out and admit that our market in Sacramento is changing. That causes alienation and confusion among sellers and buyers. However, I felt the tide begin to move away from a seller's market in May. It doesn't mean all hell is breaking loose as shifts in the marketplace are normal. We're becoming a bit more stabilized, and I expect we'll see the news from C.A.R. soon.In the meanwhile, some agents are reverting to "old school" methods of selling real estate. Like plastering their faces on a bus bench (which always seemed degrading to me) or deciding to conquer new territories by door knocking. One such guy showed up at my door in Land Park yesterday, begging for listings.Team member Amy asked if I told him who I was. Why? What would be the point of that disclosure?... 07/04/2018

My real estate practice as a top listing agent in Sacramento is to actively market, in part by also targeting Bay Area buyers and their respective agents. According to an article published last month in the Sacramento Bee, we should see a surge of Bay Area buyers this summer, most likely carrying our Sacramento real estate market. They predict 1/3 of all summer buyers in Sacramento will hail from the Bay Area.On top of that, according to the Bay Area Council survey, 46% of Bay Area residents said they plan to move out because it is too expensive to buy a home there. You can read more about this story in my personal blog today at this link: 985 Regatta Drive in Sacramento is Now Pending with Bay Area Buyer. 07/03/2018

This year we had to pick which weekend we would not hold an open house for the Fourth of July weekend. Most July 4th weekends are easy to define because they involve a 3- or 4-day weekend. This year, with the 4th of July happening smack dab in the middle of the week -- and thank goodness this is one holiday the government doesn't change to "oh, let's just make it a Monday," when it's not -- well, it's a bit more complicated. Further, celebrating on some other day like a Monday is like saying, let's celebrate Christmas at Thanksiving because it's more convenient, or singing Happy Birthday to an August baby in September. Just not fair when they switch specific days like that. Since even Sacramento agents need a break over the 4th of July, our research points to the 4th of July weekend is ... 07/01/2018

Home sellers always want to know what they can do to make more money on the sale of their home. Some sellers might even be glued to a certain sales price, a number they roll over and over in their minds. Often, that number is not based on reality but on a future wish, a desire, a hope, a zestimate, ha, ha, ha.  Or, it's based on what their neighbor thinks, an unemployed war veteran, and if you can't trust a war veteran to provide top-notch financial advice, whom can you trust? And, we thank them for their service.Or, maybe sellers believe all homes are the same size, configuration and nothing matters other than pricing. Like a loaf of wheat bread. Hey, Tom and Mary's house sold for a million dollars so we should get the same price, even though our home is half the size. Because, news fl... 06/30/2018

This morning a seller emailed to share her thoughts about the CMA I sent to her. This is the comparative market analysis, reflecting market conditions and suggesting a listed price. The seller felt the price was $100,000 too low, and said she really needs that extra $100K to move out-of-state, even though she recognizes and acknowledges that achieving a higher price is impossible.She implied that I could somehow magically create this extra pile of money for her. Like giving her 3 wishes and she only wants to use one lousy wish, gosh darn it. Well, I do try to stick it out until the end. Even when the sale is challenging, like this home that backed to the roaring sound of the freeway, Interstate 5.One buyer who was very interested was blind. I made the funny but horribly insensitive rema... 06/29/2018

6625 S Land Park Drive Sacramento, CA 95831  Location! Location! Location! Beautiful 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in the highly desirable neighborhood of South Land Park. Great schools! New roof in 2015! Home features separate living and family rooms with wood burning fireplaces, great layout, and a huge lot with a spacious backyard. Master bedroom w/private bath. This is once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a nice home in a great neighborhood that has tremendous potential.  Jake DaRosa | DRE # 01704082BKCO Real Estate Team | DRE # 01406150916-402-5786 06/27/2018

4714 Greenholme Dr #3 Sacramento, CA 95842 Great home for investor or 1st time homebuyer. Affordability at it's best. 2 Bedroom 1 Bath home conveniently located near freeways and public transportation. Jake DaRosa | DRE # 01704082BKCO Real Estate Team | DRE # 01406150916-402-5786 06/27/2018

There are quite a few first-time home buyer programs available that will help buyers with closing costs. However, they generally add an extra layer to the mortgage process. Could involve attendng a class for first-time home buyers. And sometimes these loans need to be repaid at a future date.Not to mention, not every seller gets excited about home buyers utilizing down payment assistance. Some sellers think if the buyer finds a defect that the buyer can't afford to repair, the buyer will cancel. So sellers gravitate toward offers with more generous down payments. But there are other ways to get help. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: When Can Home Buyers Ask Sacramento Sellers for Help With Closing Costs? 06/27/2018

When buying a home in Sacramento during a seller's market, it's not as easy as just writing an offer. Often, a buyer needs to "sell" herself to the seller. She may need to give the seller a better reason to choose her offer over other offers. One of the rules of sales is to avoid presenting information in any sort of light that a seller could consider a drawback. For example, you don't know the seller's politics. This is divisive territory. You may feel your beliefs are very personal, and you're driven by morals and principles to take a stand with your political leanings, but if doing so alienates you from buying a home, what have you accomplished? Are you prepared to sue? If so, good for you, go at it. Or, do you just want to buy a home? It's even more complicated, I think, for LGBT ho... 06/26/2018

This subject reminds me of sellers from last fall who refused a full price offer. They did it by countering the offer. Now, their home faced the freeway, of all things. You could watch from the front yard the big rig trucks and strings of cars whizzing by overhead. The location was noisy and visually unappealing.After 3 weeks on the market, we finally received a full price offer and the seller rejected it. Why? Because they thought they should ask the buyer to pay more than they were asking simply because it was a seller's market. They did not realize how lucky they were to even receive a full price offer. These sellers were also a bit perturbed about the home they won in multiple offers. Yes, they had already bought another home with my team. Since they were involved in a multiple-offe... 06/25/2018

In many ways, reviewing offers on a future date makes it much easier for a Sacramento listing agent and her seller. However, that tactic can also backfire in so many different ways, which is why I would like to discuss this concept today. It sounds very appealing to tell a seller she can list her home for a week or two, gather all the offers that float in her direction, and then, over a cold drink, leisurely choose which to accept or counter. But that scenario only happens in the best of all worlds. It can also blow up in your face. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Tips When Selling a Home and Reviewing Offers on a Future Date. 06/23/2018

Fortunately, for this Sacramento Realtor, my company, Lyon Real Estate, maintains 17 offices throughout the Sacramento region, so I can pop in to meet clients at any of them. However, I imagine in the next decade all of that will or probably should change. Brick and mortar is so 2005. At least not the size and scope we have in operation today. Who needs all of that empty space?IIRC, I last met face-to-face with a potential client, a seller, in my Elk Grove office maybe two years ago. For me, when listing homes, I just go to their house. I can see buyer's agents needing a private space to vet clients, present stats, review the process, but not their own desk.And, as you know with me, it makes no difference whether I'm in Sacramento or in Hawaii when I am working with my sellers. The proo... 06/22/2018

Even though we have an increase of inventory in Sacramento, demand seems to match. However, some homes in our incredibly hot seller's market are not selling. Why is that, do you think? I know everybody likes to say price, but it is not always price. Part of it is the expectations Millennials have set for themselves. They tend to look at properties differently than, say, Baby Boomers.And I blame the darn flippers for the Millennial attitudes. Because solid older homes without updates are not as desirable to buyers anymore. Ten years ago, those types of homes would be snapped up, but not today. There are other reasons, too. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Why You Cannot Sell Your House in This Hot Sacramento Market. 06/20/2018

When our refrigerator in Sacramento showed signs of losing its digital mind, it wasn't an easy thing to buy another refrigerator. Aside from a ton of options to weigh, width and height considerations, it would be nice, I figured, if the refrigerator lasted more than 9 years. They make them to wear out eventually or break. Not enough new homeowners to sell refrigerators to, I guess, gotta tap the existing market and make them return sooner.And the competition for refrigerators, for example, is fierce. One top-rated refrigerator that was available quickly in Sacramento was only available at Home Depot, and we refuse to shop there due to Home Depot's political contributions. Since we could not wait, we ended up buying a reputable brand for refrigerators, GE.But when you are remodeling and ... 06/19/2018

My friend in Denver, Joan Cox, wrote a blog about waiting for people. Interesting, I thought, about how long some people will wait and how impatient others are. We all have our own set tolerances. What I find irritating, though, is when people make an appointment and then don't show up or call. However, I have actually done that myself. Glass houses and all.I can recall a specific (and reoccuring) instance. Ask my manicurist.I see my manicurist every two weeks, just like clockwork. However, it's the alterating schedule that can throw me for a loop. If I am sucked into my computer, which is how my husband phrases it when I'm completely focused on work, I can forget. Fortuntately, I have trained my manicurist to call me if she looks up and I'm not there. Because I am always on time or ear... 06/16/2018