September, 2008
Monte Azul - Greenbriar Homes in Lincoln, California
September 25th, 2008 categories: Greenbriar Homes, New Home Communities
Monte Azul, Greenbriar Homes, Lincoln, Ca
Like all homebuilders in the Sacramento region, Greenbriar isn’t doing too well. This is evident by the sales associates remarks as soon as we entered the door. The builder is taking offers. She gave us a price list and immediately said that everything is negotiable.
This is a beautiful, exclusive community that can be had dramatically lower than advertised. The models we saw were priced accordingly:
The Andes is priced at $1,359,950
The Sierra Madre is priced at $1,329,950
The Adirondacks is priced at $1,339,950
These homes are very well made and are all on 1 acre lots. The uphill lots seem to be more accomadating to backyard amenities.
If you’d like more information on this community, please contact me and I’ll be happy to represent you in your purchase.
Please see this article about the importance of representation when considering a purchase in a new home community.
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WARNING: Renters of Sacramento Real Estate
September 25th, 2008 categories: Market Commentary
There is a very real scam in renting Sacramento real estate right now. The increased inventory of bank owned homes that are vacant, largely unattended and on the market for months creates a situation where unscrupulous people are taking advantage of others.
This has been prevalent in the south Sacramento area as well as other areas of the region as well. To find out more information about who owns a property you might be interested in go to the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office website, click here.
Enjoy and, as always, thanks for watching.
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My Favorite Dry Cleaner in Rocklin
September 24th, 2008 categories: My Favorite....
I’ve been using Martinizing Dry Cleaning in Rocklin for the last year, at least, and they have done a GREAT job for me. Never a problem.
I recommend them whole heartedly. They will take great care of your clothes.
Enjoy and, as always, thanks for watching!
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Rocklin Homes Sales - August
September 20th, 2008 categories: Market Statistics, Rocklin
Rocklin Home Sales
Home sales in Rocklin decreased 16% from July of this year but increased 41% over August of last year. August is the second m month this year where sales have decreased slightly.
This has been largely due to the price correction over the last year and a half.
Overall, sales have increased dramatically over the year due to the increasing affordability in the region.
Rocklin Median Sales Price
The resulting increase in sales has been due to a corresponding decrease in values. As the graph shows, prices have come down dramatically over the last year. Rocklin has had a 25% decrease in the median sales price when comparing August 08 to August 07.
The homes in the Rocklin area have faired far better than other communities in the region and not as good as just a few. If you’re looking for homes in Rocklin, please contact me.
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What You MUST know about the $7500 Homebuyer Tax Credit
September 14th, 2008 categories: Market Commentary
This link is to my other blog article on my other site about this legislation.The government passed a bill, the Housing Rescue legislation, and gave first time buyers a tax credit of $7500 when purchasing a home between April 2008 and July 2009. That’s nice and all but what’s the truth about this “gift”? This video exposes THE detail about the government program that you’ll need to know.Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) about this from the National Association of Realtors. Also, quick facts about this from Joseph Griffin from Catawba Valley Real Estate Blog is helpful as well.Enjoy and as always, thanks for watching!
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First Time Home Buyers are BACK in the Sacramento Real Estate Market
September 14th, 2008 categories: Market Commentary
I had a nice experience at an open house. (Click here to see a GREAT deal on a home in Citrus Heights.) It’s nice to see first time home buyers back in the market.Enjoy and thanks for watching!
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Where I was 7 Years Ago Today
September 11th, 2008 categories: Market Commentary
Today is September 11 and I got up thinking about that 2 week period from the 11th to the 25th of September, 2001 and what I was doing during that time. On 9/11/01, my wife and I were 10 days from getting married with a honeymoon planned for 10 days on Kauai. It was a busy time for us finalizing all of our plans and getting ready to tie the knot.
I remember getting up about 630am on 9/11 and going to the computer to check my email as I do every morning. I got to MyYahoo homepage and the initial image I saw was the impact of the first plane flying into the WTC. I honestly thought I was looking at a preview for a movie. That was my first impression. My brain kind of flipped over inside my head.
I immediately went to wake up Andi, my wife, to let her know what was going on. We sat there in shock for the entire day watching it all unfold on live tv.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I carried around an internal anger the depths of which came from my soul. It was the kind of feeling that wasn’t expressed by me but felt by all I came in contact with. The silent, intense feeling that meant that action was going to be carried out with steadfast resolve and no concern for anything other “mission completion”. Point a to point b with nothing in between. I had been trained to feel that way when I needed but had never experienced it before or since.
I walked around that way for about 3 days before I came to my senses and saw the futility of feeling as I did. It wasn’t healthy and I let it go to rally behind those around me who were truly afraid of what was coming. Being reassuring for others was more important than retribution.
My wife and I got married with no delay. On the 20th, the airlines lifted restrictions and we flew to Hawaii on a virtually empty plane to enjoy our first vacation together as husband and wife.
When we landed in Kauai, it was like a ghost island. There was no one on the beach, the hotels were virtually empty, no traffic; the perfect vacation.
My wife and I both agreed that we would have preferred it otherwise.
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5 Reasons You Need a Realtor when Buying a New Home
September 4th, 2008 categories: New Home Communities
Buying a new home is substantially different than buying an existing home. I would know, I’ve sold many resale homes and I’ve also worked for one of the largest, publicly held home builders in the nation, Pulte Homes.
This gives me a depth of knowledge when working with a new home buyer that other Realtors who haven’t had this experience can’t possibly know. No amount of fancy letters behind the name of any Realtor can substitute for successfully selling new homes for a builder and working in that environment.
The Pitch: Buying a new home? Call me. It would be a mistake not to let me represent you with my experience in tow.
Now, beyond that, here are some other reasons you want representation when purchasing a new home.
The Contracts and Disclosures
The paperwork in buying a new home is vastly different than purchasing a resale. Realtors selling a resale use, mostly, California Association of Realtors (CAR) forms approved by the CAR attorneys in concert with the Department of Real Estate. New home builders do not. You’ll need someone who understands these differences to explain it to you. Can someone whose never seen them do this adequately? Your call, I’m just asking!
Warranties and SB 800
New homes are legislated far more than the resale side of the business. Ask most Realtors what SB 800 is and you’ll get a blank stare most of the time. Understanding this will help you to realize why buying a new home is so beneficial. This is a MAJOR difference between buying new and existing homes.
Use the Builders Lender?
Using the builders lender can be tricky. Some of the builders are using outside lenders while others have their own lenders who are under the same umbrella and affiliated with the builder. Some Realtors will tell you that using the builders lender isn’t a good decision. The proof will be in the fees charged and the incentives offered. I generally recommend that the buyer uses the builders lender as the cost of using your own lender won’t be offset by incentives. Incidentally, Pulte Homes has the best team of mortgage people I’ve ever run across. I would ALWAYS recommend using their lender when purchasing a Pulte or Del Webb home.
Construction
New home sales consultants are trained in the current building standards of the homes they sell. It’s part of objection handling and knowing the difference between one builder and another. Understanding quality workmanship is critical to buying a new home. Trust me on this. The builder who built my home built it with
components that won’t hold up in a stiff wind. Every sales associate that works for the builder who built my home lied about quality. They had to or they were not trained to know the difference. Do you want to take that chance? Knowing the difference between builders and what they build is critical to peace of mind.
and finally
GET THE BEST PRICE AND TERMS
You don’t work in the sales department of a homebuilder like Pulte without learning a thing or two about what they will do and what they won’t do. Once I had a Realtor come and “negotiate” a sale for his client on a home that was a month from being finished. He was trying to discredit the community and it’s pricing in an effort to get a better deal for his client. I simply told him we don’t negotiate and asked if he needed me to leave the room to chat with his client which I did.
When I came back he asked me for a $5K discount on the home priced at base plus upgrades. $5K…$5K!!! I smiled and excused myself to chat with my community manager to tell her that I just saved the company $10K. I had been authorized to give up $15K to make the deal work if need be. By “negotiating” he cost his client $10K she didn’t have to spend. INEXPERIENCE COST HIS CLIENT THOUSANDS!
The reason for this is knowing how the builders figure costs and where to ask for discounts. It’s not hard once you’ve worked in the industry to get the best possible price for your client. The $5K discount cost the builder about $1,500. That’s no discount. This is where I can really help.
Well that’s my take. I wouldn’t trade my experience at Pulte Homes for anything. Some of the most professional and caring people I’ve ever worked with. What I learned there will help me to be successful in the future. I will always favor Pulte and Del Webb homes because they are one of the best production builders out there, bar none.
If you need representation purchasing your new home, and believe me you do, please call me at 916-532-7653. I’ll be happy to help you or someone you know.
By the way, there are WAY more than 5 reasons to be represented when buying a new home. Check Gena Riede’s article about her take. It’s a good one.
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