by Roberta Murphy San Diego Vacancy Rates the Highest Since ˜95 headlines the San Diego Union Tribune. Those are words that should should send shivers down the spine of San Diego real estate investors, homeowners, home sellers, and potential home buyers throughout the county. But smart home buyers and savvy real estate investors should know by now to read between the lines and below the headlines. If we take the…
by Roberta Murphy I just returned from a meeting of top real estate agents in North County San Diego. There was much discussion about what is selling and what is not. Aside from market issues (luxury home market is strong here and multiple offers are not uncommon for buffed homes in the $1.5 million and up range), the issue of home presentation and staging was at the very top of…
by Roberta Murphy What if there were a wood treatment that not only disgusted termites, but repelled mold and fungus as well? This dream is now a reality at least for those fortunate custom home builders and remodelers who are able to demand their choice in wood. Though it makes for colorful framing (think Smurf blue), Bluwood has captured the interest of homeowners who wish to avoid the hazards of…
by Roberta Murphy There has been much discussion lately regarding the nefarious practice of agents cancelling real estate listings and relisting them at the same price the same day to create more attractive market times. That practice is forbidden by most MLS systems, including the San Diego MLS (Sandicor), but I am beginning to wonder if there might be a way to put this crime to good use. What if…
by Roberta Murphy The Acorn loan isnt exactly a financing program for luxury homes (particularly in San Diego, San Francisco and Manhattan), but how about for friends, kids and relatives who may need some help in purchasing or refinancing their homes? I have already spread the news among certain clients, nieces and nephews throughout the country, and am the new heroine of real estate. The Acorn Loan is probably one…
Many real estate agents, home sellers and home buyers roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders when the subject of variable or value range pricing for homes is discussed. This value range property pricing strategy has been successfully used in the San Diego real estate market since the mid-1990s. In those days, it was an innovative vehicle used to bridge the gap between sellers wanting yesterdays prices and buyers demanding…
by Roberta Murphy I attended a San Diego real estate luncheon today and was handed a booklet with identical questions posed to agents along with their printed answers. The questions were solid and most of the answers made sense. But I nearly choked on a piece of broccoli when I read this statement from a well-known agent in our area: œBuyers are still and always will be liars. Dont talk…
by Roberta Murphy Real estate pricing has become a minefield… particularly for homebuyers and homesellers in volatile markets such as California, Nevada, Arizona and other former hot spots. As real estate markets shift, the old comparable sales model for offers and pricing may no longer be quite so valid–and could in fact be dangerous. If sellers overprice their properties–based on prior sales that may have occurred some months ago–they run…
The following article, written by Roberta Murphy, originally appeared on The Real Estate Tomato, and has been republished here for our readers enjoyment. If Move.com Wants to Murder HouseValues.com Here’s How I Think It Should Happen. Plotted by: Roberta Murphy I don’t think Move.com has a homicidal eye on HouseValues, but perhaps it should. If Move.com wants to meet its impressive goals, it must. HouseValues with its drip system is/was…
I just overheard a news report that Redfin is coming to San Diego, and I am tapping my pen in wonder. I imagined one of our San Diego real estate listings and I imagined receiving a call from a stranger asking to see the property. In the natural course of conversation, I would ask if the caller was working with an agent. If the caller responded that they were working…
