Sellingyourhome – Artisan Sotheby's International Realty

Sebastopol Home Décor Tweaks are a Springtime Phenomenon

There is something about spring that gets everybody at least thinking about fixing up the house, and it’s that time of year again. Throughout the length and breadth of Sebastopol, home décor decisions are being pondered. Ambitious landscaping and fix-up plans are being laid, budgets drawn, and troops assembled (the troops will be armed with paint brushes and rollers, hedge clippers and rakes).

Perhaps it’s the weather; perhaps the angle of the sun—or maybe even this month’s clock-adjusting exercise—for whatever the reason, this time of year is when we look around the house and decide changes will be made!!

It’s also the time of year when occasional disagreements between Sebastopol’s husbands and wives have been known to crop up. The Home Improvement section of the realtor^® web site just ran a feature titled “When Couples Disagree About Home Décor,” which promised to tell who the winner is in such arguments. It pointed out that women have different priorities than men (women: “leather makes those embarrassing noises each time you sit or stand” vs. men: “but you’re going to freak out each time someone sits on [the linen cushions] with a drink”). The woman who wrote the article says that she won the argument—but admits that now she freaks out every time someone sits on her sofa with a drink (it’s already freckled with water marks). So maybe the man won in the long run…

If your home décor efforts are getting special attention this season because you plan to add your home to the Sebastopol listings, “what’s hot” might suddenly be more of a consideration. But a different home décor impasse can come about when the fashion zeitgeist points in one direction while your personal taste pulls in another. Even worse, you may find that the fashion world is arguing amongst themselves!

The Realty Skinny says, for instance, that gray is about to overtake white in popularity (simultaneously also “pushing out the beige era”). That’s not a problem for The Washington Post, which agrees that “gray makes all your possessions pop out” (except, I have to believe, the gray ones). On the other hand, the Pantone Color Institute, which practically wrote the book on color, couldn’t disagree more. They think that pinkish Rose Quartz (“warm, embracing”) and faintly bluish Serenity (“calm-inducing”) are what’s happening right now. In fact, it/they are its Color[/s] of the Year. That is because “the pairing…brings a feeling of calm and relaxation into the home environment.” That would be welcome—especially when you’re freaked out about the water marks on the sofa.

You don’t have to be selling your home for home décor tweaks and garden renewal to occupy your thoughts, but if you do, I hope you will give us a call. Our free, no-obligation consultation will let you in on the latest Sebastopol market information. We think you’ll agree that knowing exactly what’s happening has a definite serenity-producing effect!

Sebastopol Real Estate Market Watch

Sebastopol is a unique and wonderful town. There are many that joke about it’s residents being organic, free range, sustainable, yoginis, such as in a recent article in the press democrat http://www.pressdemocrat.com/gallery/4412428-181/they-might-be-from-sebastopol but it is taken in stride. The quiet, unassuming, slow lifestyle that West County supports draws many to this area every year and creates a unique real estate market.

October 2015 has shown the Sebastopol Real Estate Market to be in line with much of the country, increase in value with signs a slight time of year slow down. Increased home values, August 2014 the median home price was $628,00 and October 2015 we ended at $747,000 for a 19% increase. Demand remains high and inventory on the lower side, although we are seeing a normalizing of this phenomena in October. Inventory in August was only 1.9 months vs. September and October it has increased to 2.5 months on inventory. The average balanced market tends to be a 3-month supply of inventory.

Sebastopol mirrors San Francisco’s real estate market pretty closely and according to Realtor.com San Francisco is one of the top 20 hottest markets in the country right now. http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/the-hottest-housing-markets-of-august-2015/

That being said, there are so many contributing factors involved in deciphering value in a Sebastopol area home such as:

Multiple micro neighborhoods. There at least a dozen different smaller neighborhoods within the larger Sebastopol Community. There are more agriculturally driven neighborhoods, suburban, and live and work.

Challenging to provide a “competitive” value to homes due to several contributing factors. Some examples of this are: proximity to downtown, amount of acreage on the property, is there plantable land fro grapes or apples? What is the water accessibility, septic or well, private well or community well? What is the zoning on the property, agricultural? Multi-use?

We are often asked if we think now is a good time to purchase or sell a home. Our answer will always be the same. Let’s get together and talk about your specific property. We are well versed in the many intricacies of this market and happy to give you a free evaluation of either your home value in today’s market or assessment of the best values in the current inventory.

Know the Emotional Element in Selling Your Sebastopol Home

When you read up on the dos and don’ts for selling your home, there is one piece of advice that’s universal when it comes to negotiating a successful deal: don’t let emotions get in the way. It does seem peculiar that something that is so obvious about any negotiation would have to be stated at all—much less repeated so often. You have to conclude that it happens a lot.

It does, and there are deep-seated reasons. Although selling your area home is primarily a business venture, it’s one with some of the emotional overtones usually associated with creative endeavors. When an artist or sculptor, jewelry designer or photographer—any creative professional—decides to offer works for sale to the public, it’s nearly impossible for him or her to remain completely objective about how it is received. Or to avoid forming feelings about those who accept or reject the creation.

Selling your Sebastopol home only seems to be all business. True, it’s a single-transaction enterprise. It begins with preparing the property, and concludes with negotiating to close the deal. Every step of the process may seem to be all business. But in reality, it’s almost unavoidable for emotional cross currents to seep in from the very first step.

Consider preparing the property. If there were such a thing as a perfect home, this would be a cut-and-dried affair: all it would involve would be to eliminate every flaw. But since perfection exists only in some alternate universe, deciding which of a home’s features need to be enhanced, replaced, or done away with altogether involves making subjective judgments. Some of these can require paying significant amounts of money; others, significant amounts of elbow grease.

When the work is done and the results are first put on display, it’s like Opening Night. It is only human to feel personally connected with how prospective buyers react. Not only is the ‘product’ that’s being evaluated one that reflects your tastes and efforts—it’s also where you live! Your home, for goodness’ sake! It deserves to be appreciated at the very least…

Especially when it comes to the negotiations phase of selling your area home, this is one business venture wherein it’s nearly impossible to avoid the personal element. Acknowledging it is simple. And knowledge is power—if you expect that you might experience an emotional reaction at some point, you’ll recognize it for what it is. If it’s an overreaction, you will be much more likely to be able to simply take a deep breath, put it into perspective—and come up with an appropriate response. “A lot of times buyers and sellers will argue tooth and nail over things that aren’t really that important,” New York City closing attorney Sandor Krauss blogged recently; “and sometimes it blows deals.”

One of the great advantages to having a local agent by your side when selling your Sebastopol home is to have an experienced intermediary working on your behalf. It can put you at a professional distance from the direct negotiations with buyers—and their emotions! If you will be selling your home in Sebastopol this winter or spring, I hope you will call us!

Tips for Selling Your Sebastopol House this Fall

It’s October; a time of year that has a lot to recommend it. In many parts of the country, it’s the season when Mother Nature goes full throttle with the Technicolor. Sunsets can be outrageous. In some parts of the country, leaves can bid adieu with displays that put rainbows to shame. Fall weather turns the air a bit crisper. All in all, to a lot of folks, fall is the favorite time of the year.

Selling your Sebastopol house in the autumn, on the other hand, can present some special challenges. Selling your house in the springtime, for instance, doesn’t include clearing the garden of the remnants of summer growth (that is, unless you let it go the previous year!). The plusses and minuses of selling your house after the peak spring-summer real estate rush is over can be debated at length. What isn’t debatable is that to take full advantage of selling your house this time of year, you should be aware of a few specifics:

• Keep up with the season

… leaf fall for yards with deciduous plants can require almost daily attention during some periods. You’re the best judge of when the debris crosses the line from pleasantly natural into downright unsightly—but in any case, it’s a good idea to make a quick inspection part of your daily routine.

• Keep up with the weather

… leaf fall is one thing, but windy fall storms can turn a well-kept garden inside-out in a few hours. After a storm passes, be prepared to hose off the traces of muddy puddles and do some organized sweeping. It can make a big difference when you approach a house with a clear walkway (vs. one that looks like a typhoon just passed!).

• Pet areas

…they can be more difficult to manage in autumn and winter when Mother Nature can keep them indoors for longer periods or make their favorite hangouts less accessible. Being more flexible and attentive to their needs than in summertime is often necessary.

• Prepare the mechanicals

…if sudden chills descend, knowing that your heating setup is ready to go into action assures a welcoming environment for prospective buyers. If it hasn’t been in use since last spring, a system may produce some unpleasant side effects the first time it’s fired up. If yours one that needs a yearly checkup by the utility company, better not wait!

• Anticipate success!

Selling your Sebastopol home in fall and winter may take a little extra vigilance when the weather acts up, but buyers at this time of year can be more eager to close on their new home. Be organized for success, which can mean everything from having a year’s worth of utility bills ready to show, to scoping out where you’re headed next.

Selling your Sebastopol home efficiently takes some organization and planning. A good first step is to get in touch with a Sebastopol real estate professional who will pitch in and help every step of the way. In other words—call us!

Increasing the Value of Your Sebastopol Property in Four Steps

As soon as you decide that you will be putting your Sebastopol property up for sale—whether soon or at some point in the foreseeable future—it’s also time to get strategic about growing your property’s value—starting with a generous dollop of objectivity.

The difficulty stems from a truth about how everybody perceives much of their property’s value. We escape from hurly-burly of daily living by retreating to the comfortable confines of our home—our place. A good part of its value to us and to our family is its sheer familiarity—the “hominess” that makes it our personal haven. But some of the very things that make it so comfortable to us will be off-putting to outsiders—and they are the prospective buyers.

Our great leather easy chair (the dark brown one that’s gotten a few shades lighter where we sit, and a little off-color where the spills happened) may look a bit peaked to the untrained eye, but it’s been that way for years: who cares? The back door needs to be bolted to stay shut…we do that without even thinking about it—hardly an issue! The sofa may sag, but it sags exactly right (for us)! The bathroom window that’s sort of stuck (okay, maybe it’s painted shut)…etc. etc. etc.

Professionals are of one voice about the real value you add to a property when you go to the trouble of systematically depersonalizing it. It helps to approach doing that seriously and deliberately—to tackle it in an organized manner. There are any number of ways to go about that, but here is one way that will pay off:

Step 1

Make a list. Starting from one end of your home, note with pencil and paper every nit-picky detail that is other than what you would expect to find if it were a brand new home. This is not as easy as most people assume, because there will be such a great number of details, that a.) will be very tempting to start skipping some of the minor ones, and b) you will find it hard to resist the urge to start fixing the easy ones as you go along (don’t do it: you’ll derail the list-making!)

Step 2

After a decent interval, sit down with the list and re-classify each item into an Easy Self-Fix List and a Professional-Attention-Needed List.

Step 3 Get bids from the appropriate Sebastopol professional tradespeople, calculate which fit your budget, then schedule the work.

Step 4 Get started on your own endeavors to address the Easy Self-Fix List. You’ll be able to organize your own efforts to finish up about two weeks after the last of the tradespeople are scheduled to finish their projects (a two week grace period is realistic: you are aiming to finish everything about the same time).

Following these four steps will put you well on your way to increasing the value of your Sebastopol home. And at any point in the process—from before Step 1 to the satisfying moment that closes Step 4—give us a call to discuss how to convert all that increased value into a profitable home sale!

Market of Opportunity

Sonoma County attracts thousands of people every year. Situated just minutes from the Pacific Ocean and ancient redwood forest, home to award-winning winemakers and chefs, the juicy and versatile Gravenstein apple, and it’s friendly inhabitants, it is no wonder why Sonoma County turns many visitors into permanent residents each year. We welcome all new members of our community and encourage even more to find out what makes Sonoma County such a great place to live! For both newcomers and old-timers, the Real Estate Market in Sonoma County continues to see the affects of low inventory and high demand creating a significant sellers’ advantage.

According to the 2014 Sonoma County Indicators Economy, Environment, Health, Society, Tourism, Workforce Abridged Edition report there has been a 6% increase of tourists visiting Sonoma County. The quality of life in our area, accessibility to outdoor pursuits and even air quality drives visitors and permanent residents here by the thousands each year. This does not surprise us and we are encouraged by the upswing as it serves as a benefit to our communities all across the County. Tourism, as well as new residents, can only bring increased revenue that benefit our local shops, restaurants, wineries, apples orchards, markets, hotels, schools, residents and community supported foundations.

Another result of the increased interest in making Sonoma County home is in our local real estate market. Over the last year we have watched the Sonoma County housing market and, in particular, Sebastopol develop into what’s known as a seller’s market. The high demand for housing, coupled with a low inventory of homes to sell, creates an advantage to anyone selling their home. Our daily conversations with our clients are increasingly more about multiple offer situations, shorter times on market, and a greater sense of urgency in moving forward quickly.

The number of new listings in all Sonoma County January 2015 decreased by 32% from last year, and in Sebastopol alone that number decreased by 81% with a 20% decrease in the number of days the properties spent on the market.

If you have been considering selling your home to downsize, upgrade, or finally find the perfect panoramic view to build your dream home, now could be an advantageous time to do it.

There has been much discussion in Real Estate circles about the Federal Reserve increasing the standard mortgage rates soon. As of this blog post the rates for a 30-year fixed loan is 3.96%. Couple these low loan rates with the growing need for homes in our area; it is not likely that our current seller’s market will change soon.

It is gratifying to see our community continue to bounce back from the housing crisis of 2006/2007. As local housing continues to increase in value and people are able to gain some stronger footing in their homes, we remain cautiously optimistic that this high demand for new housing, and low interest rates will provide communities all over Sonoma County with a richer diversity of people and strong financial growth.

Love it or List it

We are often asked if remolding a home will not only increase the value of a property but pay for itself upon resale. It is tough to say definitively, but for the most part, any renovation you embark on should hold the greatest value in your enjoyment and quality of life. Remodeling a home with the sole intention of increasing its resale value is likely to fall short of expectations.

Why? There are many factors that come into play when determining a value of a property, including what buyers might be willing to pay. The trick in real estate is to find that balance between the two.

Sometimes even cosmetic decisions can affect the resale value of your property. If you remodel your kitchen and select a countertop that you enjoy but is unique in its color and texture, the likelihood of multiple buyers enjoying the same style is small. This creates a much more narrow pool of people you can sell your home to. Selecting furnishings, appliances, colors and flooring that accent the architectural integrity of your home, as a focus, can prove to be a much safer investment if resale is your focus.

Consider your neighbors, location of your home and its current value. Some homeowners remodel their homes right out of a profit. If your home was already at the top threshold in market value, adding additional pressure to gain any remodeling costs at resale can end badly. You can over spend and over value your home.

Not all remodels provide the same bang for their buck. Kitchens and bathrooms typically steal the spotlight in a home remodel, but they aren’t necessarily the ones that have the highest return on investment when you sell your home. Smaller, less sexy renovations give you the bigger bang for your buck such as: a new front door, replacing the siding, new windows, deck addition or a minor remodel to a kitchen. One of the lowest returns on investment has shown to be a home office.

Fundamentally, your home is your castle. You have worked hard to purchase it, you take pride in maintaining it, and you have enjoyed living in it. If there are some things that you would like to do to spruce it up and make it more functional, esthetically pleasing, or bring it into the modern world, do it for your enjoyment. This way if you do recoup your initial cost of the remodel it is a win-win situation.

Still considering taking the “hammer and nail plunge”? Consider these questions posed by Realtor.com in a recent article on home remodeling. They might help you clarify your decision to remodel or give you pause and allow you to adjust the scope of the project.

http://www.realtor.com/advice/is-remodeling-your-home-worth-the-cost/

How long do you plan to live in your current home?
Will you get to enjoy the results of your remodeling project?
Will the remodel meet an immediate but temporary need? Or be an investment in your lifestyle?
How old are you? What kind of income do you anticipate in the years ahead?
If you are close to retirement, is now the time to invest in home improvements?
How much chaos can you live with during the renovation process?
Does your house—the floor plan, the garden, the bathrooms, everything—work for you?
Will your home need a lot of updates? Will there be simple ways to update things like energy usage?

Once you have taken a deeper look into this journey and you are still game, call us. We are happy to come out to your property and give you an obligation-free assessment of your plans from a real estate perspective, as well as access to our vast list of experienced and trust-worthy service providers that can assist you with your improvements. A professional perspective from a realtor, home appraiser, or interior designer could save you a lot of money in the long run.

My wife and I have had many of these conversations over the years and we still chose to remodel our home, consciously disregarding any resale value it may or may not bring us in later years. We are committed to living in our home for an infinite number of years and decided what we would gain in personal enjoyment would far exceed the money spent.

We have designed and created a living space that is ideal for our lifestyle, tastes and wallet, and are immensely pleased with the results – regardless if everyone likes our choice of bathroom tile!