Pricing your home in Lakewood California

How do you price your home correctly in today's market?

 

The most common answer you will hear from most other real estate agents, is that you look at the comparable sales and judge from there, making adjustments accordingly.
 
Yes, that's a good start ... but what about the overall market supply? Often I see agents completely forgetting to factor in market supply.

 

A good agent looks at supply, square footage, floor plan, ambiance, upgrades and backyard design.
 

Long Beach has been experiencing a shortage of listings for some time now and a skilled agent knows how to capitalize on this low supply situation. This translates into thousands of extra dollars for you.
 

If you are thinking of moving, please give me a call ... I would love the opportunity of speaking with you.
 
The first step in setting a record price! 562-882-1581

Make Your Kitchen Look Like A Million Dollars

Staging a home is one of the services I always offer my clients ... Here is some information on what it is, how it affects the sale and various tips on how to make your home look as inviting and cozy as possible.



This Kitchen Invites The Buyer

So what is staging?
It is the process of specifically decorating a room, or home, in order to make it more attractive to buyers. One of the most popular places to engage in staging is the kitchen, which is often a deciding factor in whether someone ends up purchasing a home.


Why does Staging affect the sale of a home?
The reason that staging works is because it plays on subtle, subconscious, psychological factors that control human behavior. When a person looks at a home and evaluates it they do so through an emotional filter, that is based on their cognitive perception of reality. By making changes that automatically trigger feelings of comfort, joy, beauty, and hope it is possible to make a space seem more intriguing, and attractive, making a person more likely to fall in love with it.

What Should You Do First?
The first thing that you want to do when staging a kitchen is to make sure that it is completely neat, tidy, and orderly. The surfaces should all be free of stains, grime, and muck, and all of the utensils showing should be brightly washed and shimmering.

Here is an example of an un-staged kitchen vs. one that is staged.

It is also important to minimize the number of features and items that are on display in the kitchen. Barb Schwarz, also said, “Staging does not require lots of expensive furniture; in fact good stagers will limit the amount of furniture to keep the space open.” That means getting rid of superfluous appliances and storing any items that don’t directly add to the decorative beauty of the space. It may even be necessary to purchase a storage unit to hold your kitchen tools until the home is sold.

Be Yourself But Keep Buyers In Mind Too

As far as style, you need to walk a fine line between being generic and unique. You want the space to stand out in people’s minds, but at the same time you also want it to be accessible to the widest audience possible. Making it feel family oriented may chase off a couple without kids, or single people. On the other hand strange, modern, and eclectic items can be a problem for more conservative potential buyers. Finding the right balance will give your kitchen a great look that will have a broad reaching appeal.

Eliminate Clutter And Emphasize Cleanliness

In general you want to avoid storage accessories such as boxes, bins, and trays. If you want to display a few attractive pieces these should be immaculate, with the rest stored away out of sight until you are ready to use them in your new home.

If you have a kitchen table that centerpiece to should get extra attention. Make sure that there are not too many chairs crowding around it making it look cluttered. Table runners and tablecloths should generally be avoided, as they can quickly grow dingy if not constantly cleaned.

In some extreme situations it may be necessary to effect minor repairs in order to get a kitchen looking perfect for staging and sale. Staging is generally different from actually renovating and is more on the decorative side of the visual arts. However minor repairs can do a lot to make the space seem more desirable.

Remember, staging a kitchen is a great and inexpensive way to make a home much more desirable to prospective buyers. It allows you to put your best face forward, creating an illusion of possibility, which people can then fill in using their own hopes, aspirations, and imaginations. If you would like more information on how I would suggest how staging a home, just give me a call ... 562-882-1581.

 
 

 

525 SEASIDE WAY - HARBOR PLACE TOWER

525 Seaside Way Unit # 304 Harbor Place Tower is for sale!

Stunning ocean front condominium in prestigious Harbor Place Tower.

One of the best floor plans available, only two of these in the building. Two master suites each with their own sitting areas.

Over 1300 square feet of living space. Gorgeous hardwood floors, custom built storage cabinets, open kitchen with breakfast bar and dining area.

Nice large patio that can accommodate a table and chairs.

Walk to downtown restaurants and shops. Building has 24 hour security, pool that you can swim laps in, spa, fitness center, sauna, and beautiful interior sitting areas. Unit includes two parking spaces.

Harbor Place Tower is one of the most sought-after residences in Long Beach. This ivory hi-tech, 22 story building s at the corner of Linden and Ocean Blvd. Constructed in September of 1992, it offers 220 residential units, one commercial unit plus several office spaces.

 

Allison Van Wig has listed unit #304 and this unique floor plan is one of only two in the entire building ... take a look at this breath-taking property ... take a virtual tour of this home and then call Allison Van Wig for a private viewing ... 562-882-1581

HOME FINANCING JUST GOT A LOT BETTER

 HOME FINANCING JUST GOT A LOT BETTER ... HOW YOU ASK?

NEW CONVENTIONAL LOAN PROGRAM OFFERING 3% DOWN PAYMENT & ...
INTEREST RATES HAVE COME DOWN A LOT IN THE LAST 23 DAYS ...

In mid December, interest rates for this new conventional loan program was 4.625% ... as of today 1/7/2014, the interest rate for this same program is 4.375% ...

What does this mean to the average home buyer?


If you were to purchase a $400,000 home putting 3% down, your payment would be $80.00 less than it would have been a few weeks ago!

What does the difference of $80.00 to $100.00 a month translate to when considering how much to offer on the home you just fell in love with?

That $100.00 would increase your purchasing power by $10,000!

Now that the holiday season is over and with Spring on the horizon ... now may FINALLY be the time to become serious about becoming a homeowner.

There are so many resources available to help get you started.

If you would some recommendations ... just let Allison of Van Wig & Associates know as we would love the opportunity of helping you make your homeownership dreams come true.

To see what homes are available just visit www.AutomaticHomeSearch.com .

LAKEWOOD CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE MARKET STATISTICS

Do Homes Sell During The Holidays?

What is the real estate market like in Lakewood California during the holidays? The answer is that properties are still going strong in the Lakewood California real estate market. This video has all the information for November 2014 for Lakewood!

 

See Video for Real Estate Market Update

Many people often think that during the holidays real estate sales slow down. Yes, it is true that less buyers are out looking but,  the ones that are looking are very serious about buying this time of the year.

 Sellers, also please remember that if you want to sell your home at this time of year that the best buyers come around during the holidays; plus many relocation companies have higher transfer percentages at the end of the year.

Also, as an added enticement, many of our listed homes smell great with holiday baking. Feel free to watch my market video update on Lakewood and call me if you have any questions about your selling or buying strategy.


Lakewood Home Price Update

SOUTH OF CONANT - LIVING IN ONE OF LONG BEACH'S MOST AFFORDABLE NEIGHBORHOODS

SOUTH OF CONANT ... Long Beach California

South of Conant is a well known neighborhood in Long Beach offering tree lined streets, parks and neighborhoods just perfect for raising a family.

These homes were built post WWII from 1947 to 1951.

Located just East of Clark to Bellflower Blvd and just South of Conant over to Woodruff this area of Long Beach offers everything you could want.

South of Conant

Currently there are thirteen homes listed for sale in this area. The prices range from $440,000 for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with 962 sq feet to $610,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with 1148 sq feet.

I just listed a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with 1164 sq feet on a 5581 sq ft lot.

Visit this home's property website with price and lots of pictures

This home has hardwood floors in the living room and formal dining area. Upgraded kitchen with ample space and an inside laundry.

The master bedroom has two closets. The den could be used as a 3rd bedroom.

Large backyard with a patio and grassy area. Best of all is the two car garage with a very long driveway and RV parking.

Great area close to the bike path and park.

For more information about this home or any other home in this area ...

give me a call or visit www.SuperBroker.com

562-882-1581  

SEPTEMBER 2014 HOME PRICES FOR LAKEWOOD CALIFORNIA

This year is going by so fast ... I just realized that here we are already in the middle of October and I have not yet posted the September 2014 home prices for Lakewood California.

 OR  Click here for Lakewood Price Video

If you would like a better idea of what YOUR HOME may be worth just give me a call 562-882-1581 as I would love the opportunity to give you more detailed information about how the sales and listings in your particular neighborhood have resulted in changing the value of YOUR HOME.

How have the homes in Lakewood changed?  Floor plans used to be similar in Lakewood, but over the years everything has changed. Some homes have gone through major renovations with add-ons and others have installed air conditioning and upgraded kitchens. All these make a major difference when it comes to determining the value of a home,

When Lakewood was first built is was the only city at the time to have Magic King Garbage Disposals installed. Very innovative! Over the years and during my 28 years as a Realtor listing and selling homes in Lakewood, I have seen a variety of changes to Lakewood homes.

Feel free anytime to reach out to me ... I would be happy to share my information and the benefit of my experiences with you! Allison@SuperBroker.com