February Silicon Valley Real Estate Update

Quick Market Summary: With the median price up 25.5% in the last year in Santa Clara County, we're still in a continued hot streak. Amazing, yes, but that doesn't mean every single home went up that much. Median price is the middle transaction of those that closed escrow during the month. It's more accurate to use median prices as an indicator of the overall trend. Supply and demand -- low inventory or supply coupled with high demand means higher prices. Basic economic theory. When record low inventory is mixed with a goodly amount of buyer demand, you get higher prices. Median prices continue to set records — in Santa Clara County it was $1,155,000 and $1,550,000 in San Mateo County in January. The Santa Clara County median price for condos/townhouses is $750,000. Demand continues to outstrip supply in Santa Clara County as 73.0% of homes that closed escrow sold for more than list price inferring multiple offers and a record for this time of year. It was 66% in San Mateo County. Will demand increase as we get into early spring -- we'll see but this is what occurs each year almost without fail.

Nuts and Bolts: Inventory or the amount of homes available for purchase in Santa Clara County was 452 down 27% from last year at this time. Sales (accepted offers) were 675 down from 689 or 2.0% from the same month last year. You'd think that sales would be down as much as inventory if you believe that some agents say that sales are limited by inventory. They forget that there is another variable to consider -- turnover. A faster market or one with a shorter number of days on market easily cancels or mitigates a lower level of inventory. Think the turnover in the fruit and vegetable portion of the market versus the turnover for packaged goods. Average days on market has dropped to just 17 -- lowest ever!

For San Mateo County, inventory of single family residences stood at 197 in January. Sales (accepted offers) were 252. Each of these much lower. For both counties, the inventory continues to lag far below the historical average for this time of the year placing pressure on buyers as evidenced in the predominance of multiple offer situations and heated competition between buyers trying to enter the market.

Sale price to list price ratio, an important key market condition indicator, shows that for Santa Clara County transactions completed during January this ratio stood at 108.5% and the highest ever for this time of year. The all time high of 110.0% was reached in the heady days of the “Dot-com” period in 2000. Last year at this time it stood at 101.4%.

Take a look at the chart below from MLSListings.com which shows the Santa Clara County sales price to list price ratio trend since 2001. Any value above 100% is an average that is above list price and infers multiple offers.

The hottest market in Santa Clara County belongs to the      Cupertino/Sunnyvale market area (median price of about $2.28 million) at 116.6% which means that the average closed sale has a sale price 16.6% higher than the list price! It also registered a low median days on market at just 9 which means half the inventory sells in just nine days! The coolest is the South County (Morgan Hill and Gilroy) market area (median price of about $0.85 million) with 100.3% and 30 days of unsold inventory.

Days of unsold inventory are at a record low of just 23 for Santa Clara County and 27 for San Mateo County. This means that for Santa Clara County that the entire inventory, if held static, would sell out in less than 23 days!

Even with the backdrop of the hot market we're still seeing a cooling off of the high end of the price ranges in the Los Altos/Palo Alto and Los Gatos/Saratoga market areas. These high-priced homes are staying on the market longer than those more closely aligned with the median priced homes in those same areas. Sellers need to be more aggressive with listing a home that has an expected sales price substantially higher than the median in the immediate area.

San Mateo County’s overall sale price to list price ratio stands at 109.6% with the highest ratio and hottest market area in the North (Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco) market area (median price of about $1.13 million) at 113.7% with a median days on market of 11. The coolest is the Coast (Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, Montara) market area, (median price of about $1.39 million). As was the case with the high end in Santa Clara County, we’re seeing the same characteristic with those higher priced homes in San Mateo County in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Hillsborough and Woodside along with the high part of the range in the Bay Cities and Redwood City. San Mateo County’s sale price to list price ratio chart is from MLSListings.com.

Take a look at the chart below from MLSListings.com which shows the San Mateo County sales price to list price ratio trend since 2001.

As always, market dynamics change and the supply and demand relationships can vary by area. If you would like specific market condition information for your area or neighborhood or a current home valuation, please feel free to call me, your Remax Agent! You are welcome to leave your comments or questions or contact me directly at my website. Check out and “like” my Facebook Business Page (have over 750 likes – help me to reach 1,000!) or follow me on my Twitter Page.Thank you.

December Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Update

Quick Market Summary: Up and away. That's the characterization of the continued hot streak as November prices jumped and are 25.1% higher than the same month a year ago. Yes, you read that right! When record low inventory is mixed with a goodly amount of buyer demand, you get higher prices. Median prices continue to set records — in Santa Clara County it was $1,289,000 and $1,513,000 in San Mateo County. The Santa Clara County median price for condos/townhouses is $790,000. Demand continues to outstrip supply in Santa Clara County as 77.9% of homes that closed escrow sold for more than list price inferring multiple offers and was 75% in San Mateo County. The historical averages we've seen in most of the past 20 years of a settling down of the market come late fall, is totally out the window. The question becomes is the sharp increases we've seen at this time of the year caused by buyers getting a jump on the historically busy late winter-early spring OR will be see a continuation of the high demand next year too.

Nuts and Bolts: Inventory or the amount of homes available for purchase in Santa Clara County was a paltry 486 down from 645 last month and down from 750 the same month last year or a decrease of 35.2%! Sales (accepted offers) were 791 down from 1,003 last month and decreased 1.7% from 805 the same month last year. Closed sales were interesting — they were 738 down from 797 last month and 826 the same month last year, a decrease of 10.7%. Comparing the large reduction of inventory and the smaller drop in offers accepted, we’ve seen that turnover has accelerated. Put another way — the days on market (DOM) have shortened making our market more efficient or faster.

For San Mateo County, inventory of single family residences stood at 243 in November down from 318 last month. Sales (accepted offers) were 318 a decrease from 460 last month. For both counties, the inventory continues to lag far below the historical average for this time of the year placing pressure on buyers as evidenced in the predominance of multiple offer situations and heated competition between buyers trying to enter the market.

Sale price to list price ratio, an important key market condition indicator, shows that for Santa Clara County transactions completed during November this ratio stood at 108.5% and the highest ever for this time of year and a bit lower than the all time high of 110.0% reached in the heady days of the “Dot-com” period in 2000. Last year it stood at 101.5%.

Take a look at the chart below from MLSListings.com which shows the Santa Clara County median price trend since 2000.

The hottest market in Santa Clara County belongs to the Cupertino/Sunnyvale market area (median price of about $2.02 million) at 116.8% which means that the average closed sale has a sale price 16.8% higher than the list price! It also registered the lowest median days on market at just 9 which means half the inventory sells in just nine days! The coolest is the South County (Morgan Hill and Gilroy) market area (median price of about $0.85 million) with 101.0% and 30 days of unsold inventory.

Days of unsold inventory are at a record low of just 21.5 for Santa Clara County and 23 for San Mateo County. This means that for Santa Clara County that the entire inventory, if held static, would sell out in less than 22 days!

We still are seeing a cooling trend in the high end of the price ranges in the Los Altos/Palo Alto and Los Gatos/Saratoga market areas. These high-priced homes are staying on the market much longer than those more closely aligned with the median priced homes in those same areas.

San Mateo County’s overall sale price to list price ratio stands at 108.3% with the highest ratio and hottest market area in the North (Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco) market area (median price of about $0.98 million) at 111.4% with a median days on market of 13. The coolest is the Coast (Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, Montara) market area, (median price of about $1.27 million). As was the case with the high end in Santa Clara County, we’re seeing the same characteristic with those higher priced homes in San Mateo County in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Hillsborough and Woodside along with the high part of the range in the Bay Cities and Redwood City. San Mateo County’s sale price to list price ratio chart is from MLSListings.com.

Take a look at the chart below from MLSListings.com which shows the San Mateo County median price trend since 2000.

As always, market dynamics change and the supply and demand relationships can vary by area. If you would like specific market condition information for your area or neighborhood or a current home valuation, please feel free to call me, your Remax Agent! You are welcome to leave your comments or questions or contact me directly at my website. Check out and “like” my Facebook Business Page (have over 750 likes – help me to reach 1,000!) or follow me on my Twitter Page.Thank you.

November Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Update

Quick Market Summary: The hot streak continues as October is added to the hottest real estate market period in history! Buyers seem to be getting a jump on expected future price gains and/or higher mortgage rates. Normal market trends have late summer and fall prices drifting lower along with sales and inventory. Not so this year! In October, inventory of available homes for sale attained what looks like a record low in Santa Clara County of just 645 single family residences. Median prices continue to set records — in Santa Clara County it was $1,250,000 and $1,525,000 in San Mateo County. The Santa Clara County median price for condos/townhouses is $767,000. Demand continues to outstrip supply in Santa Clara County as 75% of homes that closed escrow sold for more than list price inferring multiple offers and was 84% in San Mateo County. Historically, we see a higher level of interest from buyers post-Labor Day that lasts for a month or so and then things tend to settle down as we approach the holidays.

Nuts and Bolts: Inventory or the amount of homes available for purchase in Santa Clara County was just 645 down from 700 last month and down from 1,116 the same month last year or a decrease of 42.2%! Sales (accepted offers) were 1,003 down from 995 last month and decreased 8.7% from 1,098 the same month last year. Closed sales were interesting — they were 797 in October, 886 last month in September but only 859 last year, a decrease of 7.2%. Comparing the large reduction of inventory and the smaller drop in offers accepted, we’ve seen that turnover has accelerated. Put another way — the length of escrows have shortened making our market more efficient or faster.

For San Mateo County, inventory of single family residences stood at 318 in October down from 396 last month. Sales (accepted offers) were 460 an increase from 393 last month. For both counties, the inventory continues to lag far below the historical average for this time of the year placing pressure on buyers as evidenced in the predominance of multiple offer situations and heated competition between buyers trying to enter the market.

Sale price to list price ratio, an important key market condition indicator, shows that for Santa Clara County transactions completed during October this ratio stood at 107.7% and the highest ever for this time of year and a bit lower than the all time high of 110.0% reached in the heady days of the “Dot-com” period in 2000. Last year it stood at 101.9%. Take a look at the chart below from MLSListings.com which shows this ratio since 2000.

Currently, the highest ratio and the hottest market belongs to the Cupertino/Sunnyvale market area (median price of about $1.80 million) at 113.7% which means that the average closed sale has a sale price 13.7% higher than the list price. It also registered the lowest median days on market at just 8 which means half the inventory sells in just eight days! The coolest is the South County (Morgan Hill and Gilroy) market area (median price of about $0.82 million) with 101.0% and 15 days.

Days of unsold inventory are at a record low of just 22.5 for Santa Clara County and 31 for San Mateo County. This means that for Santa Clara County that the entire inventory, if held static, would sell out in less than 23 days!

The high end of the price ranges in the Los Altos/Palo Alto and Los Gatos/Saratoga market areas are showing signs of cooling. They are staying on the market much longer than those more closely aligned with the median priced homes in those same areas.

San Mateo County’s overall sale price to list price ratio stands at an even higher level of 110.2% with the highest ratio and hottest market area in the North (Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco) market area (median price of about $1.00 million) at 111.8% with a median days on market of 14. The coolest is the Coast (Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, Montara) market area, (median price of about $1.23 million). As was the case with the high end in Santa Clara County, we’re seeing the same characteristic with those higher priced homes in San Mateo County in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Hillsborough and Woodsidealong with the high part of the range in the Bay Cities and Redwood City. San Mateo County’s sale price to list price ratio chart is from MLSListings.com.

As always, market dynamics change and the supply and demand relationships can vary by area. If you would like specific market condition information for your area or neighborhood or a current home valuation, please feel free to call me, your Remax Agent! You are welcome to leave your comments or questions or contact me directly at my website. Check out and “like” my Facebook Business Page (have over 750 likes – help me to reach 1,000!) or follow me on my Twitter Page.Thank you.

October Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Update

Quick Market Summary: This past several months has been the hottest real estate market period in history! Perhaps buyers are getting a jump on the normal upswing that comes in early spring of each year. Anemic inventory levels coupled with the threat of higher mortgage rates and robust buyer activity and demand provided the price pop we witnessed. In September, inventory of available homes for sale attained a record low in Santa Clara County and very close to a record in San Mateo County. Median prices continue to set records — in Santa Clara County it was $1,180,000 and $1,465,000 in San Mateo County. The Santa Clara County median price for condos/townhouses is $720,000. Demand continues to outstrip supply in Santa Clara County as 70% of homes that closed escrow sold for more than list price inferring multiple offers and was 72% in San Mateo County. Historically, we see a higher level of interest from buyers post-Labor Day that lasts for a month or so and then things tend to settle down as we approach the holidays. Things WILL settle somewhat during this period but I believe we're in for higher prices early next year provided no huge external event changes the outlook.

Nuts and Bolts: Inventory or the amount of homes available for purchase in Santa Clara County was just 700 down from 723 last month and down from 1,277 the same month last year or a decrease of 45.2%! Sales (accepted offers) were 995 down from 1,131 last month but decreased from 1,118 the same month last year. Closed sales were interesting — they were 886 in September but only 826 last year, an increase of 7.3%. That busts the myth that sales are constrained by a lack of inventory as what we witnessed was a turnover rate faster than at any time in the last 20 years!

Here is a chart of the months of inventory for Santa Clara County single family residences from MLSListings. Please note the new all-time low reached last month.

 

For San Mateo County, inventory of single family residences stood at 396, up from 330 last month. Sales (accepted offers) were 393 and increased from 366 last month. For both counties, the inventory continues to lag well below the average for this time of the year placing pressure on buyers as evidenced in the predominance of multiple offer situations and heated competition between buyers trying to enter the market.

Here is a chart of the months of inventory for San Mateo County single family residences from MLSListings. It shows super low levels but not quite historic lows. 

Sale price to list price ratio, an important key market condition indicator, shows that for Santa Clara County transactions completed during September this ratio stood at 105.9% and the highest ever for this time of year! Last year it stood at 101.7%. Currently, the highest ratio and the hottest market area belong to  the Cupertino/Sunnyvale market area (median price of about $1.86 million) at 112.3% which means that the average closed sale has a sale price 12.3% higher than the list price. It also registered the lowest median days on market at just 10 which means half the inventory sells in just ten days! The coolest market area is Los Gatos/Saratoga (median price of about $2.40 million). 

 

The high end of the price ranges in the Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Los Gatos and Saratoga market areas are showing signs of cooling.

 

San Mateo County’s overall sale price to list price ratio stands at an even higher level of 109.1% with the highest ratio and hottest market area in the Bay Cities (Belmont, Burlingame, Millbrae, San Carlos, San Mateo) market area (median price of about $1.66 million) at 113.0% with a median days on market of 11. The coolest market area is the Expensive (Atherton, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside, Hillsborough) market area, (median price of about $3.55 million). As was the case with the high end in Santa Clara County, we're seeing the same characteristic with those higher priced homes in San Mateo County in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Hillsborough and Woodside along with the high part of the range in the Bay Cities and Redwood City.

 

As always, market dynamics change and the supply and demand relationships can vary by area. If you would like specific market condition information for your area or neighborhood or a current home valuation, please feel free to call me, your Remax Agent! You are welcome to leave your comments or questions or contact me directly at my website. Check out and "like" my Facebook Business Page (have over 750 likes - help me to reach 1,000!) or follow me on my Twitter Page. Thank you.

Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Update - April 2017

Quick Market Summary: We're in the hottest market period of the year as we get more buyer activity. As we get closer to the Memorial Day weekend (graduations, nearing the end of the school year) this activity tapers off as buying a home is a choice. In March, inventory of available homes for sale decreased in each county. Sales (accepted offers) were down in Santa Clara County and up a bit in San Mateo County. Median prices increased 4.5% in Santa Clara County to $1,138,000 and 3.7% in San Mateo County to $1,395,000. Still, San Mateo County has the highest median price of all California counties with Marin and San Francisco not far behind. These levels represent record median prices for this time of year in March in the Silicon Valley real estate market. Demand continues to outstrip supply in Santa Clara County as 71% of homes that closed escrow sold for more than list price inferring multiple offers whereas in San Mateo County, it had an even higher percentage of homes that sold for more than list price of 76%.

Nuts and Bolts: Inventory or the amount of homes available for purchase in Santa Clara County was 854, down from 1,034 or 17.4% from the same month a year ago. Sales (accepted offers)  decreased 2.9% in Santa Clara County to 1,170. In this measure, a downtrend continues in force since 2012!

For San Mateo County, inventory of single family residences stood at just 336 which decreased 10.4% from the same month a year ago. For both counties, the inventory continues to lag below the average for this time of the year placing pressure on buyers as evidenced in the predominance of multiple offer situations and heated competition between buyers.

Sale price to list price ratio, a key market condition indicator, shows that for Santa Clara County transactions completed during March, this ratio stood at 103.9% and among the highest for this time of year over the past 17 years! Currently, the highest ratio and the hottest market area belong to the Cupertino/Sunnyvale market area (median price of about $1.80 million) at 109.8%. It also registered the lowest median days on market at just 8 which means half the inventory disappears in less than 8 days! The coolest market area is South County (Morgan Hill/Gilroy).

San Mateo County’s overall sale price to list price ratio stands at 107.2% with the highest ratio in the Foster City/Redwood Shores market area (median price of about $1.79 million) at 109.7%. This indicates that this market area is the hottest. The coolest market area is the San Mateo Coast (Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, Montara).

As is always the case, market dynamics change and the supply and demand relationships can vary by area. If you would like specific market condition information for your area or neighborhood or a current home value, please feel free to call me, your Remax Agent! And as always, you are welcome to leave your comments or questions. Thank you.

Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Update

As we enter 2014, we found that the inventory of available homes to purchase fell to a record low! Just 523 single family residences were on the market at the New Year. This broke last year’s record low of 585. All the while, the Silicon Valley real estate market continues in its slower pace as it usually does this time of the year. After the holiday season, buyers and sellers start getting back to other matters like resuming their search for a home or thinking of entering the market to sell. There were 55% of the closings in Santa Clara County had a sale price greater than list price — 53% in San Mateo County. This ratio indicates or more accurately infers that there were multiple offers. Historically, the Silicon Valley real estate market shifts more toward a seller’s market after Super Bowl Sunday — the last “holiday” of the season.

Prices, as measured by the median price or the middle transaction, have been choppy to flat with a few exceptions. Santa Clara County median price for a single family residence stood at $775,000 in December, a slight decrease from November. However, San Mateo County turned in an increase to $1,050,000 from $942,000 last month as a higher percentage of higher-priced homes sold. Compared to the prior year levels, the Silicon Valley real estate trends continues to be positive. For instance, Santa Clara County’s median price stood 14.6% higher than in December 2012.

As mentioned above, the percentage of homes sold where sale price was greater than list price continues to drop but is still at a very healthy 55% in Santa Clara County. Highest is the Cupertino and Sunnyvale market area with 76% and lowest is in South County (Morgan Hill to Gilroy) with 22%. For San Mateo County, the overall percentage is 53% with the highest level in the Bay Cities of Belmont, Burlingame, Milbrae, San Carlos and San Mateo with 74%. The lowest percentage of homes that sold above list price is 19% on the San Mateo Coast (Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, Montara).

With an average days of unsold inventory (DUI) at 25, the hottest market area in Santa Clara County is the Los Altos and Palo Alto area with just 10 followed closely by the Cupertino and Sunnyvale market area. Coolest is in the East, Central, South San Jose market area at 32. For San Mateo County with an average DUI of 18, the hottest is the Bay Cities area comprising Belmont, Burlingame, Milbrae, San Carlos and San Mateo with 12 and the coolest is on the San Mateo Coast with 37. Why do I track these? Its important to understand the market dynamics of the supply versus the demand to advise clients on the most appropriate strategy to employ whether to buy or sell.

For questions, comments on the Silicon Valley real estate market or update in your neighborhood or your target area you are considering, please contact me and I’ll personally respond. Thanks for reading!

November Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Comments

Here are my observations of the most recent October transactions for Santa Clara County real estate and San Mateo County real estate. Your comments and questions are always welcome. If you see something in your neighborhood that you are curious about or have a question, please don't hesitate to share with us. If you have questions or a comment, please leave them here, or feel free to contact me through my website.

> General Market Observations and Comments -- Closings as well as the number of homes available for sale have decreased these past few months in both counties. Inventory, or the number of single family homes available for sale (supply) has stood at 2,200 in Santa Clara and 1,203 in San Mateo County. These figures are substantially less than those in the year prior. 73% of the inventory in Santa Clara County are traditional and the balance are lender-controlled (short sales 19%; bank-owned/REO's 8%); San Mateo County saw these figures at 77% for traditional, 16% for short sales and 7% for bank-owned/REO's.

Much different with condos/townhouses where 55% in Santa Clara County and 48% in San Mateo County are lender-controlled. Demand continues to point to single family residences (SFR) and away from condos/townhouses so my advice for buyers: if you prefer the life-style of a condo or townhouse, there are better buys possible. Yes, they have homeowner association dues but those often cover additional ownership features and benefits (e.g., some utilities, pool/spa, exercise rooms, and the like). One thing about it is that the owner doesn't have to worry about these items.

As for the available homes for sale -- we're seeing a bifurcated market. How I can tell is that homes available for sale have a median days on market of 69 whereas those homes that closed escrow have a median days on market of just 31. Homes priced well and in good condition, sell quickly and get the most activity (i.e., higher prices, quicker sale). Overpriced homes or those in poor locations or in poor condition (bank-owned or short sale homes are mainly in this category) stay on the market far longer.

Days of unsold inventory (DUI) for Santa Clara County stands at 57 for SFR's, 48 for condos/townhouses. San Mateo County stands at 83 for SFR's and 72 for condos/townhouses.

Days of Unsold Inventory is a calculation I use to gauge whether the market is a Buyer's market, Seller's market or what we call a Balanced market and is the intersection of supply and demand. In Santa Clara County, the Buyer's market exists for those areas above 90 DUI, a Seller's market would have a DUI reading under 45 and a Balanced market exists in between those numbers.

Mortgage rates remain very favorable in the range in the low 4% area. Since most buyers need a loan to purchase a home, mortgage rates are a major consideration in the decision and ability of the buyers to purchase. Even with lowered sales figures, escrow companies seem to be busy with loan refinance or refi activity.

For October, SFR median prices, half above and half below, stood at $550,000 and $675,000 for Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, respectively. Condos/townhouses stood at $316,500 and $355,000, respectively.

Thanks for reading my blog. I'm Tom McEvoy, Realtor with RE/MAX Santa Clara Valley -- Let me know your comments, questions, observations you may have or any future topics you'd like me to address.

To Stage... or Not to Stage

That is a question that many sellers will ask. After reviewing television shows that tout that staging can make all the difference, they believe that this is always the way to go. But, here are a few thoughts I want to share with you on the topic.

A furnished house can be cleaned, de-cluttered and “spruced up” with plants, new matching towels, a few well-placed accessories, etc. Similarly, curb appeal can be made more attractive adding a few new flowering plants, mulch over dirt areas, and even a color bowl and new door mat on the front porch after, of course, taking care of the yard by trimming trees and bushes, mowing and edging the lawn, and yes, even power-washing the walkway and driveway to remove dirt, stains and moss.

An empty house is not very appealing to anyone unless a person has great visualization skills and can picture their belongings placed in the home. This is where staging can be helpful. However, it is not cost effective to stage every empty home. Staging may make sense for larger, more expensive homes because they can be filled with furniture and accessories without making it look too crowded. I’ve observed that smaller homes and condos that are staged are frequently done so with smaller furniture pieces, smaller beds as well as fewer pieces of it. These situations look like people would not or could not live with only the furniture used in staging (smaller beds, downsized hard-case furniture like small desks, dressers and the like). An experienced agent will point this out to their buyers and ask them to visualize their furnishings in the space. I suggest to my buyer clients that they even measure room sizes to make sure they’re not committing themselves to a major replacement of furniture for their new home.

As an advisor, it comes down to return – whether or not the projected increase in selling price will at least offset the cost of the staging. It makes more sense to either stage or partially stage a more expense home or condo than sinking some big bucks in a lower priced home. I’ve seen many homes where the amount of staging was “over the top” and cost would have, in my opinion, been a waste.

While partial or full staging can be quite expensive, I offer my clients a sensible, complimentary way to take the edge off of their empty home and that is to accessorize key areas: kitchen, baths, fireplace mantel, etc. This, in addition to a thorough cleaning, can help to make an appealing difference and help prospective buyers project themselves into the home. Conversely, accessorizing a large home is meaningless as the house just overwhelms the accessories and the accessories are lost in the space.

If you are thinking of selling and have not made a decision to work with a certain agent and would like an assessment of what things are necessary to prep the home for the market, please give me a call. I’ll arrange to stop by and offer my suggestions and advice on a complimentary basis. If we later end up working together, that’s fine. If not, that’s OK too because either way, you’ll end up with information that will help you sell your home faster.

To illustrate some of my concepts, I have included before and after photos of a master bath in a Gilroy townhouse that I sold last year.


Thanks for reading!

Why you should choose me to sell your property

Some might have you believe that there are two types of sellers. Those that have to sell and those that want to sell. I believe that a seller need only to be informed and advised so they make the best decision possible for their situation.


This starts with employing what I call the Four "P's" of marketing: preparation, pricing, planning and process.


Proper preparation has to do with giving the best first impression possible given constraints of time, money and circumstances. I coach my clients that prospective buyers and their agents usually spend but a few minutes forming their opinions of your home so it's important to ask the following important questions quickly:

• is it competitively priced?





• does it have a clean/shows-well appearance?





• does it offer or add what I call "value" to the marketplace?

Since markets do change, being competitively priced is important because you need a buyer's agent phoning their client to say "we gotta see this one" and prospective buyers searching online for a new home to basically say the same thing! I consistently research market trends to develop the best marketing strategy to get your home sold in the quickest amount of time and for the most money.

For your home's appearance you need only put yourselves into a buyer's mindset to see where there can be improvements made and remember to not overlook the negative things! I advise you on the appropriate high-payback items to make your home market-ready and coach you that how you live in your home is not how you show it! Depending upon the situation, I may recommend differing levels of home staging from accessorizing (complimentary service to my clients) through partial or full staging using an accredited home staging professional I've worked with. I've built up an impressive array of trades people to refer my clients to for virtually anything you might want to do to maintain or market your home.

Think of "adding value" to the market as not just merely a reduction in price but features or benefits your home offers that "showcases" your home and differentiates it from others. For example, features would be remodeled kitchen/bath. Benefits would be better schools and community offerings. I ask questions to quickly learn of other features and benefits not apparent to a quick glance or tour. When advising clients to make changes, I'm careful to work within their budget and/or time constraints. I look for high-payback items designed to increase your net -- otherwise, why do them.

Proper planning and an effective process are the only ways to assure you get the most out of marketing your home -- that is, the highest net (or what I call "walkaway capital") that the market has to offer. I advise my clients how to balance time and money to accomplish their chief goals of obtaining the highest net within the least amount of time and do so smoothly. To that end, I advise you to begin any negotiating from a position of strength rather than a position of weakness as so many sellers do. The structure of this advice is held in a customized, comprehensive marketing plan and strategy that are crucial to the successful outcome of your sale.


The main marketing elements of my plan are the use of: traditional and new-technology based online approaches.

To learn more about me, please click the My Background link under my photo in the right column.

I was awarded the designation Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) because of my experience and education in dealing with seniors as their transactions tend to be more complicated due to their large equity positions and tax exposure. I advise my clients to obtain the legal, tax, loan, financial planning input before making a decision to sell as it may be in their best interests NOT to sell. If they don't have a trusted expert in these areas, I refer them to a professional. The only compensation I receive for these and other professional or trade referrals is the satisfaction that I've helped someone seek to be better informed and ultimately make a better decision for themselves.

Please give me a call at 408-830-0092 to include me when you're ready to interview agents or just to meet and get to know each other better. If you have questions or feedback, feel free to leave me a comment.

Thanks for reading!