Guide to Buying a Fixer-Upper in La Jolla California
By Dan Johnson | May 23, 2011
In the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California real estate market, buying a home with the intent to fix it up is one of the best investments you can make. There’s no better way to take control over your home ownership than to customize the design, floorplan, and landscaping of everything from a single story rancher to a charming Victorian – especially if you’re looking to use the current California real estate economic climate as a way to get the home of your dreams without breaking the bank.
However, as any responsible real estate agent will tell you, buying a fixer-upper can be a big challenge. Excessive or hidden damage in a home can be both dangerous and costly. Before you make the plunge, make sure you follow a few important fixer-upper guidelines.
1. Always get an inspection. Nothing will give you a better idea of what kind of repairs you’ll come across than a thorough home inspection from a trusted source. Don’t take on more damage than you, your contractor, and your budget can handle.
2. Pay attention to the layout and structural foundation of the house. If you’ve always dreamed of a large kitchen, make sure your potential new home can be adapted in terms of wiring, plumbing, and layout. Sometimes, the skeletal structure of a house prevents certain types of cosmetic changes.
3. Location matters. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a single family house in La Jolla or a condo in Del Mar; a home’s value is only as high as the neighborhood in which it’s located. A rundown building in a nice neighborhood has the greatest potential to bring an enormous resale price.
4. Know the difference between “big fixes” and “small fixes.” Things like drywall, painting, floor refinishing, landscaping, and hardware are easy to do yourself. Things like plumbing, electrical work, windows, and roofs can be more expensive and difficult. Stick to changes you can make for certain based on your skill level and budget.
When buying a home in La Jolla or looking at Del Mar real estate options, a fixer-upper can be one of the best ways to get the home of your dreams for a low overall cost. Just make sure you enter into the transaction with your eyes open, with flexibility in mind, and with Dan & Brenda Wyatt at your side.
Check out our friend at Brainerd Homes
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What La Jolla buyers desire in 2011
By Dan Johnson | May 20, 2011
If you’re selling a home in California then you should know what the buyers in your area are looking for this year. Buyers today want it all. Having spaces that mix indoor and outdoor living, like patios and decks, and a little luxury with high quality appliances will help give buyers what they want. Buyers want to drive a hard bargain and get a great deal.
Buyers demand a home in well-maintain condition. Buyers don’t want an unknown expense hanging over them after they move in. They would rather spend more to move in at first. Very few people want fixer uppers anymore. Buyers today only have enough money to buy the house, not buy it and fix it up. Having a well maintained house in La Jolla will help you sell your house.
Buyers aren’t going to settle, because they known they don’t have to. They will negotiate to get a better deal. Repairs, updates, cleaning and staging will help you win over potential buyers. Dan & Brenda Wyatt can give you a few other hints as well.
It can’t be stressed enough the buyers are very interested in outdoor living areas. Consider screened porches, outdoor kitchens and two way fireplaces. It’s a selling point if your house in Del Mar already has it.
Green features are on the top of buyers lists. Not only because it’s good for the environment but because it’s easy on the wallet. Having energy efficient appliances and triple glazed windows is a selling point.
Open kitchens interest buyers as well. Having an open kitchen in your Rancho Santa Fe home can appeal to a lot of buyers. The kitchen is becoming part of a gathering room, and blocking if off doesn’t appeal to new buyers.
Buyers are buying smaller homes and want to be able to use every inch of it. The formal rooms are disappearing. Buyers want rooms they will use all the time rather than a formal room used only a hand full of times a year.
Small touches of luxury are an affordable way to give buyers in CA the luxury they crave, without breaking the bank for you. Slightly more expense finishes give the feeling of luxury.
Check out our friend Bob Webster at Lake Geneva
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Maintaining Distance When Selling Your La Jolla CA Home
By Dan Johnson | May 10, 2011
Selling a home in La Jolla or Del Mar can be a very personal experience. After all, this is the place you’ve lived for years. Maybe you renovated the interior with your own two hands. Maybe you got married here. Maybe this is even where you raised your kids. No matter what it is that makes your home, well, home, the decision to sell isn’t one that comes lightly to everyone.
The personal attachment we all have to our homes is part of the reason it can be difficult to sell a California home.
- Homeowners who associate positive memories with a house are more likely to value it at higher than the market rate. This can make it difficult to find a balance between what you think your home is worth and what it will reasonably sell for.
- Staging a home you love (and still live in) can be more challenging than staging an empty space. Packing away your personal belongings (e.g., pictures, knick knacks, books) to give your home a more streamlined and sell-able look for up to months at a time can put a strain on your enjoyment of the home selling and buying process.
- It can also be hard to put all your trust in another person’s hands. Selling a home in La Jolla and the outlying areas often requires that you have open houses, walk-throughs, and open doors to everyone from real estate agents to nosy neighbors. Having others view your home – oftentimes while you are not there – requires that you put personal reservations about privacy aside.
Although this paints a rather bleak portrait of what selling a home entails, the truth is that people buy and sell homes every day. They upgrade to new family homes in La Jolla suburbs and move to downtown condos with chic views – and are usually more than happy with the outcome.
One way to get past issues of trust and privacy is to put your home in the hands of a real estate agent you trust. Your agent works as an advocate for you and your house, making sure that everything proceeds safely and with a minimal hassle. And because your agent knows the Del Mar real estate landscape, it’s easier to settle on a price and a staging set up that will get you faster results.
Dan & Brenda Wyatt has been working in the California area for years, and knows exactly what it is that makes local homebuyers interested. To minimize your anxiety and sell a CA home quickly and easily, feel free to call our office today.
Check out our friends at Real Estate in the Poconos
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9 Things to Consider Before Buying a Home in La Jolla
By Dan Johnson | April 25, 2011
Don’t just buy a house because the prize, style and size are what you’re looking for. Emotions run high when buying a home in California. You can forget about the factors that make a difference in buying the perfect home for you.
The neighborhood is not always what it seems at first glance. There may be a park around the corner so you assume the area is full of kids, but when you visit the park, its young couples walking their dogs.
1. Talk to neighbors
Find out how many neighbors are homeowners. It is harder than you think to tell if people are renters or homeowners. Find out all you can about the La Jolla.
2. Visit at different times of day
See what goes on near your house throughout the day. Is there morning traffic that drives past loudly, are the kids playing at the park going to distract you? Is the house in Del Mar exactly what you are looking for at all hours of the day, not just when you visited the house?
3. Quiz the sellers
Find out what problems they have had with the house, and if they fixed them. It’s a good idea to know what your house is prone to, like the basement floods when it rains, so you can take preventative measures. That way there are no surprises after you have bought the house in Rancho Santa Fe.
a. Get a detailed list of all home improvements, when possible.
Knowing how much the repairs cost is great for new homebuyers, you can tell if cheap materials were used, so you will know you will need to redo them sooner than expected.
4. Get a home inspection
Virtually all houses have defects, according to National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents. Some will be obvious and most will be curable. But knowing what needs fixing can help you negotiate a lower price – or at least prepare you for costs you’re soon to incur. Strongly consider getting inspections, too, for lead paint, radon and wood-eating pests.
5. Consider the view
See what the houses on either side of you look like. When you buy the house in CA you are stuck with the view. So consider if the houses are something you can look at everyday.
6. Ask for utility bills
You may adore the Cape Cod architectural style or the high ceilings and walls of glass in a modern home but the utility bills may be more than you can afford to spend every month. Also ask for the water bill, the landscaping may be gorgeous but you may not be able handle the upkeep.
7. Check with city hall
NAEBA recommends looking into the property’s and neighborhood’s zoning, as well as any potential easements, liens or other restrictions relating to your property. The seller should disclose these facts, but it’s better to be safe. Dan & Brenda Wyatt should be able to help you with this.
8. Reconsider the bells and whistles
Are you sure you can live with a one-car garage, can you afford the pool. Be realistic.
9. Explore the surrounding area
You don’t want to be surprised by a strange smell from a nearby agricultural area, after you buy the house. Or be startled by the sirens from the police station around the corner. Get to know the area a little bit, if you’re moving more than just across town.
Check out our friend Tracy King at Pigeon Forge
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The Importance of Curb Appeal In La Jolla
By Dan Johnson | April 24, 2011
Most real estate agents will tell you that the best time to sell a home in the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California areas is during the late spring and early summer months. When the weather turns warm, the vibrant growing season commences, and children can be seen playing happily in the yard, potential homebuyers really begin to connect with a house – even before they set foot across the threshold.
In real estate lingo, this is known as curb appeal.
Most potential homebuyers make a decision about a house within the first 30 seconds. For example, simply driving by a well-kept single family home for sale in the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California areas is often enough to cause people to pull over and make an immediate call to their realtor. That’s because an inviting exterior promises an inviting interior.
To get the kind of curb appeal that really gets noticed, you have to be able to detach yourself from your home. You may have lived there for months or years, and have probably learned to overlook the overgrown shrubbery next to the sidewalk or the mailbox in need of repair. However, these are the first things potential homebuyers will see. You have to view your home as objectively as possible in order to begin making the necessary repairs to get noticed.
Look out for:
• Visible mold or mildew on the house, roof, or sidewalks
• Outdated exteriors
• Yard clutter
• Dirty gutters, siding, or windows
• Chipped paint
• How your home appears at dusk or even at night
• Overgrowth in the yard or on the sidewalks
• Dead plants or leaf piles
• Overly personalized doormats
Of course, if you’re really motivated to sell your home in the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California areas, you may also want to consider upgrading your landscaping. Like staging your home or making repairs, restorative landscaping can give your house just enough polish to entice a higher level of buyers. In fact, in a recent study, it was determined that good landscaping can actually add 6 to 11 percent to your home’s sale price.
We all know that selling a home can be hard work. Increase your chances of success by making sure your potential buyers are impressed before they even get out of the car.
Check out our friend at Real Estate in Cypress
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Your Dream La Jolla Home: Why Neighborhoods and Communities Matter
By Dan Johnson | April 7, 2011
Finding the right home in La Jolla isn’t always as easy as relying on a checklist of square footage, number of bathrooms, and the upkeep of the yard. Although these types of features are important when determining where you want to live and raise a family, another important consideration is the neighborhood where your dream house is situated.
La Jolla and Del Mar homes for sale are noted for their family-friendly communities and idyllic backdrop, but that doesn’t mean that every home is ideally placed. Before you purchase a home in any California city, it’s important to research what the rest of the neighborhood has to offer.
Schools
Schools are the number one consideration when it comes to choosing a good neighborhood in CA. If you have kids, the reasons are easy to spot: you want your children to have access to a good, safe education. However, even homeowners without kids need to keep this issue in mind, especially if you plan on selling the house some day. Top-rated schools will not only keep your property value high, but they’ll also serve as an appeal to potential homebuyers in the future.
Crime and Sex Offenders
Few people want to live where they feel unsafe or fear for their families. That’s why you should always check the crime rate and search for registered sex offenders in the area. Never take a neighborhood at face value; a place that looks charming during the day might have a high rate of break-ins, while a neighborhood that looks less savory might actually have a strict neighborhood watch program in place and several policeman living nearby.
Walkability/Livability
Suburbs in the region of La Jolla are generally good places for a slower pace of life, but the ability to walk to the market, the park, or to run simple errands might not be as high as what you can find in a more urban center. At the same time, La Jolla suburbs might be better for taking a scenic evening stroll. When determining where you want to live in California, keep in mind what is more important for your lifestyle: being near amenities, or being near other families with similar goals as you.
The same is true for things like construction zones, local garbage plants, train tracks, playgrounds, dogs, or industrial zones nearby. Make sure you take a walk through your potential neighborhood during the day and in the evening to see what types of noises, smells, and sights you will have to get used to.
The Neighbors
Nothing tells you more about a neighborhood in Del Mar than the neighbors. Does everyone keep their homes and yards in good order? If a visually-appealing community is important to you, you might want to look around to make sure everyone else feels the same way. You might also want to investigate why. Is upkeep important to the neighbors, or is it held in place by strict homeowners’ association rules? Are you ready to make the same level of commitment?
Also, you’ll want to determine the types of people who live nearby. Is there a large percentage of young families? Teenagers? Professionals who are rarely at home? Although these things can and will change, they will tell you a lot about the overall neighborhood culture.
Neighbors also matter when it comes to the type and sizes of homes they have. Are there a large number of foreclosures? That could indicate a lowering neighborhood value. Are the other houses very different than yours in terms of value? (Note: Being surrounded in houses much higher in value than yours means that you may pay more in property taxes. Houses with a lower value means that you may end up having a difficult time selling in the future.)
Buying Your New La Jolla Home
Buying a home, whether it’s in the center of La Jolla or on the outskirts of Rancho Santa Fe, is a big undertaking. It’s important to look beyond the physical structure of your dream house to notice all that’s going on around you. After all, the place you call home is about more than four bedrooms and three baths; it’s about your way of life.
If you’re ready to learn more about purchasing a home in CA, contact Dan & Brenda Wyatt today. We’ll match you with the perfect home—including neighborhood amenities.
Check out our friend at Homes for sale in Alpharetta
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5 Steps to Home Ownership In La Jolla
By Dan Johnson | March 28, 2011
Know what you want. Before you start looking at houses you need to decide what you want and need for your new home. Has your lifestyle changed? Does La Jolla fit your needs or is Del Mar better for your new lifestyle, or do you prefer the schools in Rancho Santa Fe? The answers to these questions will help you find the perfect home.
Get a realtor. Buying and selling a home is far more complicated then you may think. Dan & Brenda Wyatt can help you get through the process smoothly. You will receive information about the current market condition, and the strategies that need to be applied to negotiations. Information you wouldn’t be privy to if you didn’t have a realtor.
Choose a home. No aspect of the home buying process is more complex, personal or variable than bargaining between buyers and sellers. Deciding on a home is a huge decision, and you want to make the right one. Ask yourself if this is THE home for you. Then figure out if you can really afford the home.
Make an offer. In practice, the offer depends on the basic laws of supply and demand: If many buyers are competing for homes, then sellers will likely get full-price offers and sometimes even more. If demand is weak, then offers below the asking price may be in order. In California its best if the realtor contacts the seller with the offer.
What’s next? Moving in. The sellers leave the house ready to be painted and cleaned for you, not spotless. The house is the single largest asset that most people own so Enjoy your new home in CA!
Check out our friends website at Poconos
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Staging Your La Jolla Home
By Dan Johnson | March 24, 2011
Staging your home is a great way to prepare your home to sale and to make it look alluring to buyers in the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California areas. Staging your home has become popular during the last decade. Read this article to find out some great ideas on how to get your home ready for potential buyers and get it sold sooner, rather than later.
Within the first minute, people decide if they could live in your home. The problem is that there are so many homes on the market right now, that if yours doesn’t catch their eye immediately, then they have other choices. The struggling housing market is forcing people to take more drastic measures to sell their homes. Many homeowners say they need all the help they can get. With the market not being so good, there are ways you can make your house stand out. Staging your home is the way to make your house stand out in the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California areas.
The idea of home staging is to highlight your home’s best attributes and positively affect potential buyers. Staging your home isn’t about your own tastes. It is about making the home appealing to the general population. Whether you go at it alone or use a stager, you need to have the attitude that your home is no longer your home.
Following are some tips to consider:
- Take down family pictures. Potential buyers need to picture themselves in your home, not you!
- Staging your rooms to show off their true potential. Clear out clutter or other personal items that will distract buyers.
- Painting the walls yourself is the cheapest upgrading option you have. This will really attract buyers. Try a neutral tone.
Staging your home is a great option to make your home stand out in the La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe California areas. Let us, Dan & Brenda Wyatt, your agents offer you advice about how to make your house more attractive to buyers.
Check out our friends at York Harbor Homes
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Selling a La Jolla Home: Why You Have to Engage all Five Senses
By Dan Johnson | March 15, 2011
If you’re getting ready to sell a home in La Jolla, you probably have a checklist of ideas for making your home more marketable. CA homes tend to sell better when they have more immediate appeal; for example, well-tended yards, impeccable siding, and a welcoming kitchen can go a long way in enticing homebuyers in the area. There are a number of ways you and your real estate agent can work together to make these things happen, and one of the best ideas is to ensure that you’re engaging all of the senses.
Sight
When selling a Del Mar home or preparing your La Jolla home for viewing, you should pay attention to both the big picture and the details of your house.
For a bigger picture viewpoint, try to see everything with fresh eyes. When you pull into the driveway, what overall impression does the house give you? Is it clean and well-cared for? Does it look like the sort of place a family would want to live?
Then, as you walk up to the front door, pay closer attention to the little things: the state of the flowerbeds, a cracked panel of siding, or an unsightly satellite dish at one corner of the house. These little things are often the easiest to fix in terms of time and money.
Do the same thing as you walk through each room of your house. Take a quick survey from the doorway, and then walk through to make note of smaller defects. Different homebuyers look at different things, so it’s best to ensure that even the littlest problems are attended to.
Sound
The sounds of an ideal California home are pleasing to the ear, and you should do your best to keep them that way. Avoid running any noisy appliances when you’re expecting potential homebuyers to stop by. Televisions, radios, and even kids playing outside can all contribute negatively to the experience. When possible, you should either opt for silence (to demonstrate the peacefulness of your home) or use light background music that won’t be offensive to anyone. If you live near the water or wilderness, you might also open a few key windows to let in the most natural sounds.
Smell
It’s long been held as a “rule” of real estate that you should bake cookies or light a vanilla-scented candle when you show your home. These traditional smells are ones that most people associate with happy memories, which can trigger better feelings about your CA home for sale.
While you don’t have to stick to traditional baking smells, the idea is a good one. However, if you use scents, choose ones that are inoffensive, are hypo-allergenic, and aren’t too obvious. You can also choose smells suited to particular rooms. Light and airy scents are well-suited to bathrooms, while the baking smells tend to do better in living rooms and kitchens.
Touch
In most cases, you don’t want people walking through your home to touch your personal possessions. However, the sense of touch can be important. Plush carpeting is welcoming in bedrooms and living spaces, while cool hardwood or tile makes a kitchen feel cleaner and more efficient. Crisp, clean appliances promise a treat for the fingertips even if the potential homebuyers don’t make actual physical contact.
For the sense of touch, it’s best to promise a great tactile experience, rather than actually provide one. Place soft furnishings next to clean architectural lines. Throw a cozy blanket over some leather furniture. Choose draperies that are either light and airy or heavy and warm, depending on the mood you want to set.
Taste
When you have an open house in La Jolla, keeping appetizer trays on hand can go a long way in making a good impression. Elegant sandwiches, tasty tarts, and other bite-sized treats cause people to linger and take a better stock of their surroundings. Food at a open house, while potentially messy, is also more likely to draw other real estate agents. At the end of the day, greater exposure – whether it’s potential buyers or real estate professionals other than your own Dan & Brenda Wyatt – means a greater likelihood that your home will sell quickly and easily.
Selling a CA Home
A house is more likely to sell if it seems like a home. When you engage all the senses, you’re doing more than showcasing the physical features of your house – you’re demonstrating how comfortable and welcoming it is. And in today’s market, taking those few extra steps can make a huge difference in how quickly your La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe home sells.
Check out our friends at Homes for sale in Windsor CT
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Easy steps for first time homebuyers in La Jolla, California
By Dan Johnson | February 23, 2011
First time homebuyers can make serious mistakes, however with these tips and with Dan & Brenda’s ’s help you can get through buying your first home in La Jolla with ease.
Don’t make a frivolous offer on the house you want. The market is definitely a buyers market, but that doesn’t mean that houses in great neighborhoods are getting several offers. Put in some research to figure out what a good offer is, don’t try to shortchange the seller. Houses in Del Mar are desirable, so make sure you put in the right offer so you can get the house of your dreams.
Don’t guess at how much you can afford. Ask for help, find a broker or banker, they can help you. Also take into consideration that the cost of buying a house is more than the sticker price. There are costs to owning a home in California.
Not taking the neighborhood into consideration is a major mistake. Make sure to spend time in your new neighborhood before buying the house. Understand the atmosphere, and the good and bad things you will experience while living there.
Finally take the time to find an agent that works for you. Most people in Rancho Santa Fe don’t think you need one, but having an agent represent you during the home buying process is a surefire way to get it done quickly and correctly.
Following these easy steps can help first time homebuyers in CA get the perfect house without making a serious mistake.
Check out our friends website at Alpharetta Homes
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