Lofts in Long Beach

Excuse any typos as I am sitting at the Wilmore in Long Beach with my glass of wine and Ipad and blogging.  It's January and I have been out showing property in 85 degree weather. Normally it would be about 65 degrees, but we are having a warm spell.  I currently have a customer who wants to purchase a loft to live in. Long Beach is converting more of the older buildings to lofts and it's great to see the inside of these homes. Sometimes they feel a little stark to me, maybe a little unfinished. I am not sure if I like one large unfinished space. Tonights showing was exciting, it made me realize what could be done! I have seen a lot of lofts and none have been finished this nicely. This unit located in the Kress Lofts was extra special. The owners had taken some of the cement floors and polished them to a high gloss. They had taken old barn wood and laid a floor in the living room with it. Beautiful contrast of materials. It made the open space feel warm and cozy.  The ceilings were 14 feet high and they had elevated a section to make an office space. This made the office feel private and gave you storage underneath.  It also divided the bedroom from the living room. I was ready to move in. I loved this place. I actually told my client that it felt like a glass of great wine!
After, I decided to go to the Wilmore in Bixby Knolls and get myself a great glass of wine. I also love the Wilmore. Great atmosphere and great people.
If you are looking for a loft in Long Beach give me a call at 562-882-1581.  We can go look at a few then, I will treat you to wine at the Wilmore!

Dog bed under stairs-looks so comfy!

Love the large windows

Huge cement beams

Happy New Year!

Every year I take off between Christmas and the New Year and rejuvenate. This year I was up in Big Bear. We are so lucky to live in Long Beach and be only two and a half hours away from skiing and other mountain sports. I bike rode, snow boarded, and went to look for some old mines. On New Years Day I drove down and cleaned the office and got organized. I love that fresh start feeling that comes with the New Year. While I was in Big Bear I took a picture of this tree. This tree was moving to me as I wondered how many years it had endured and it was still beautiful, full of color. May your New Year be filled with many blessings. Love from Allison Van Wig in Long Beach California. 

2702 Arbor in Lakewood California

This great Lakewood home will be open tomorrow January 5th 2014 from 1pm-4pm

Large living room with picture window

Updated kitchen

Nice backyard with brick patio

SELLING YOUR LAKEWOOD HOME IN THE FALL

Thinking of selling your Lakewood home in the fall and need some quick staging ideas that may bring you more money?

 

It seems that here in California we do not decorate for the seasons as much as other states do. We decorate for Halloween of course, but that does not help sell the home!

 

Here are a few tricks I use when staging some of my listings.

 

·        Decorate the table with a runner and some small brightly colored squash. It gives the home a warm and welcome feel.

 

·        Open your favorite cookbook and get a recipe holder. This shows them how great your kitchen would be for cooking.

 

·        Put pumpkins on the front steps … try two or three; two orange and one of those cool white ones. It adds a little color and is less expensive than flowers … besides no watering is required.

·        Buy a picture frame breakfast tray and take a picture of the front of your home and mount it in the frame. Put this on the coffee table with some cookies on a small plate. It just makes your home look so special. Call me if you want me to do this for your home!

 ·        Some cinnamon and maple soy candles always make the home smell welcoming; or boil some cinnamon or vanilla in some water on the stove.

·        Try to arrange the furniture with an open feeling and eliminate any clutter.

·        Put the trash cans outside and just use a small one under the kitchen sink.

·        Hose off the patio furniture and add a couple of beach towels to the back of the chairs and put a couple of magazines out so it shows them how nice it would be to read outside.

 

Fall is here and the holidays are right around the corner … if you have any questions at all about selling your home at this time of year, I would love to talk to you … with more than 25 years of experience in selling homes, I have lots of ideas and tricks that have help all my clients to sell their home … I would love the opportunity to do the same for you … just give me a call 562-882-1581.

Why Did My Home Appraise for Less Than What I Agreed to Sell It For?

Knowing How Home Pricing Works Can Avoid Appraisal Issues

When it comes to selling a home and avoiding problems with appraisals, it takes a skilled real estate agent who understands the appraisal process to avoid issues that could potentially kill your deal! If that happens you may be asking yourself, “why did my home appraise for less than what I agreed to sell it for?”

For several years now, property values in the Long Beach and Lakewood areas have been increasing. This plus the fact that we have limited inventory on properties that are priced well and many times some homes may end up selling for more than they are listed for.

As a Listing agent, my job is to make sure and provide the assigned appraiser with three GOOD comparable sale for them to use in their valuation process.
This marks the difference between a good agent and a “not-so-good agent”!

A good agent will meet the appraiser at the property and come prepared with information on comparable properties. I always go through the improvements of the property with the appraiser to ensure they are aware of all the features of our subject property.

PLEASE NOTE THE VIDEO BELOW WAS RECORDED IN 2013 but the information about why a GOOD AGENT should meet the appraiser is still true today.

WHAT IS A COMPARABLE SALE?
Must be within the same city, within customary neighborhood boundaries, preferably within ¼ mile of the subject property but no more than ½ mile and within the past four month. They size also need to be a like-type property and within 150 Square feet of our listing; for example if our home is 1200 sq. ft. then we would use homes between 1050 and 1350 sq. feet.

WHAT ABOUT ACTIVES AND PENDINGS?
Appraisers will look at these but they do give them much weight to the value. The sold properties are the only thing that can be realistically considered a true comparable. My job is to inform the appraiser why your home is worth the price we accepted an offer for and how the home differs from the properties that may have sold for a lesser amount.

SO WHAT HAPPENS IF WE STILL DON’T APPRAISE FOR THE SOLD PRICE?
In a rising value market such as the one we are currently experiencing (Spring/Summer of 2013) my strategy is and always will be to do everything I can to prevent an under-value issue but we don’t have to accept that under-value appraised value.

WE HAVE THREE CHOICES TO MAKE
1. Reduce the price to match the lower appraised value.
2. Ask the buyer if they are willing to pay more and/or perhaps meet them half way.
3. Rebut the appraisal and determine why the appraiser did not consider the comps that we felt were a good representation of our subject property’s value.
In conclusion … when hiring an agent to sell your home, make sure they understand this appraisal process and are experienced in the successful resolution to problems should they occur.
If you would like more information about this subject … just give me a call 562-882-1581 or visit www.SuperBroker.com

Contingency Sales and the Challenges of buying real estate as a second time, move-up buyer.

 

What is a Contingency, Concurrent Closing Sale Anyway?

Contingency Sales and the Challenges of buying real estate as a second time, move-up buyer. Why it is important that the agent you hire understands the ins and outs of handling this type of transaction?

Second time home buyers are different as they have a clear understanding of what they are looking for in their next home. But the challenges of avoiding a triple move can be difficult to overcome if the agent you hire is not experienced in handling this type of transaction.

Selling your existing home and buying another property and having both escrows close together can be very difficult if not handled correctly. Buying and/or selling real estate is stressful and challenging enough without complicating the situation with problems that are easily avoided.

Allison talks about how to overcome the challenges of selling & buying at the same time.

So where do you start?

When hiring an agent to sell your existing home make sure and interview at least two or three agents to determine their experience in the concurrent closing of a contingency real estate sale.

Beware of the advice that an agent may give you about just selling your current home first to get that part of the transaction out of the way … after all; you would still have the cash in the bank with which you would use to make your next purchase. View the video I published that goes into more detail as to how harmful this strategy can be and how you may actually lose money in the long run!

Hiring an agent that is experienced and who has successfully closed concurrent, contingency real estate transactions in a rising home value market is critical to your success as a seller and second-time, move-up or empty-nest home buyer.

In my video I further explain how I recommend proceeding should my home sellers not be successful in finding their next home within the specified period given in the sales contract of their existing home.

For more information or to discuss your individual situation, just give me a call.

Allison Van Wig 562-882-1581

Allison Van Wig to Ride in Tour of Long Beach for the THIRD Year in a Row ~ Giving Where She Lives as A Keller Williams Realtor

As a Broker-Associate Realtor with Keller Williams Realty I believe strongly in giving back to the community where I both work and live. Yesterday my whole office contributed a day of volunteer service to the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House and this weekend I will be riding in the 2013 Tour of Long Beach. This ride is a fund raising event which makes it a win-win for all!

The picture to the left is from the 2011 Tour of Long Beach, which you can read all about from my blog post from that year here. This photo appeared in the Grunion Gazette and shows me and my niece Meggan.

I had so much fun in 2012 that I decided to contribute once again which I chronicled in my blog post following up from that event … this blog post has a video that shows what this worth-while event  was all about.

This year I hope to be as successful as I have been in prior years in finishing the 31 mile course … above is a photo of me at mile 25 in the 2011 Tour!

For information about this years Tour on Saturday May 11, 2013 here is a link to the article that appeared in the Long Beach Press Telegram.

Our local real estate market is on a fast moving path so I figured that my participation in this years Tour would keep me in shape for all my Seller and Buyer Clients … if you have any questions about selling in today’s competitive market … give me a call, I would be happy to email you over a market analysis of home prices in your neighborhood …

562-882-1581 … www.SuperBroker.com