New Listing - 4342 73rd Street, Sacramento, CA 95820

Amazing, recently renovated 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1918sf Colonial Acres home on HUGE approximately 0.44ac lot. This serene setting feels secluded but is still close to all the fun urban hot spots! You will be WOWed by unmatched style and features! Step inside to find a formal living room, adjacent formal dining area. Lots of sunny windows spill natural light. New kitchen with oversized gas range and quartz counters overlooks backyard and family room! Huge pantry/utility room has lots of extra storage and food prep space. Large hallway bedrooms and remodeled hallway bathroom! Sunny den/4th bedroom/zoom room. Enviable primary suite features a large walk-in closet, stunning ensuite bathroom. HUGE park-like backyard has a variety of spaces to enjoy coffee and conversation or dine al fresco on a crisp evening. Lots of sunny spaces to tend to the garden, or play. Serene areas shaded by tree canopy. Storage shed, chicken coop, RV access for your toys. Composition roof, central HVAC, dual pane windows, laminate and tile flooring throughout. All this located near schools, parks, restaurants, UC Davis Medical Center, CSUS & more. Don't wait! MLS# 221134072. Offered at $549,900. For more photos, a 3D virtual tour, and more detail, please visit 4342 73rd Street, Sacramento, CA 95820.

Out with the old, and in with the new...

In 2021 I became a real estate cliche: my professional headshot turned 10 years old. It is a little bit of a joke amongst realtors that many of us tend to use SUPER old photos of ourselves. I am not one to plaster my headshot all over everything, but, umm, my old image was taken when I was 33. Well, I am now 43. And while I am still really young by realtor standards despite my 16+ years in the business, a lot happens in a decade.

So I am 10 years older now. I still think I look like my younger self, but I don't need to live in my younger, less-wrinkled, blonde highlighted days. I mean I do want my new clients to recognize me the first time we meet!

I hate having my picture taken...so here's to hoping this one takes me into my 50's. And I am sure by then I will have more wrinkles and at least a touch of gray. LOL

Received the 5-STAR Award for the 8th year in a row!

I have received the 5-STAR Award for the 8th year in a row! Such a huge accomplishment to be repeatedly nominated for this award.

Featured in NPR's Marketplace for a story relating to what pandemic real estate trends will endure after the pandemic...

One of my clients and I were interviewed by NPR Marketplace reporter Matt Levin for a story that aired nationally yesterday. How has the COVID19 pandemic changed the housing market? There are numerous ways, however this segment mostly centered on use of technology to fuel buyer attention to listings. You can check out the broadcast here.

Of course, in the early days of the pandemic, we often found ourselves isolating at home, avoiding contact with others. Surfing home listings online was not a new thing, but in light of in-person home showings being more difficult and potentially unsafe to do, and open houses were literally illegal to conduct, more agents incorporated virtual tours into their marketing repertoire. This is something I have done to market my listings for years, but in the pandemic I noticed that virtual tours became more widely adopted. 

Some virtual tours are more sophisticated than others. The professional photographer I work with uses a really cool tool called a "Matterport" camera that captures 3D video of a home so you can virtually walk through it. It's super awesome. Others just do hand-held iphone walk-through videos posted to Youtube. But you get the idea. I do think home buyers and sellers alike will come to expect this sort of thing.

I have also noticed more "virtual staging" in listing photos. This is essentially photoshopped furniture into images of vacant rooms. You've probably seen this if you have looked through a lot of listings and not realized you were looking at virtual staging rather than real furniture. 

The way appraisals are performed has changed as well. That shift toward a "hybrid appraisal" had already started before the pandemic, however the "Stay-at-Home" orders fueled a rapid adoption of hybrid appraisals. In a hybrid appraisal, someone documents the condition of the property, and sends information and photos to an appraiser who then completes the analysis of value. The appraiser him/herself does not visit the property. In the pandemic, sometimes the homeowners themselves would supply information (this practice of the homeowner providing the info was mostly contained to the early months of the pandemic and has not continued)! Agents are also sometimes asked to supply that information. Most often now, it seems that a 3rd party is sent to the home to quickly take photographs and collect other details. Then an appraiser in an office somewhere else does the analysis. The result is the appraisals that are conducted in this manner are delivered faster. 

As a result, contractual timelines can be shortened. I do foresee these shortened timelines becoming more customary moving forward just because of the added convenience for everyone involved.

Anyway, listen to the broadcast and enjoy.

New Listing - 2610 Watson Street, Sacramento, CA 95821

Del Paso Manor 2-3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1276sf cutie! You will love the bright floorplan that spills natural light throughout. The living room features a huge bank of sunny windows overlooking the front porch and front yard. A formal dining room leads to the updated kitchen, which offers lots of storage and counter space and overlooks the HUGE backyard. Two spacious hallway bedrooms, each with ample closet space! Large bonus room makes for a fabulous home office or 3rd bedroom. The backyard has an expansive covered composite deck, perfect for entertaining, and lots of sunny space to garden or play. Large side yard for all your toys or recreation vehicles. Storage shed. All this with wood floors, dual pane windows, plantation shutters, crown moulding, composition roof, and central heat and air conditioning. And can you say location location location? This adorable home is in an ideal spot just a hop skip and a jump from Dutch Brothers, restaurants, shopping, parks, schools, and more! Don't wait! Offered at 399,900. For more photos, details, and a 3D virtual tour, please visit 2610 Watson Street, Sacramento, CA 95821.

New Listing - 8323 Northvale Way, Citrus Heights, CA 95610

Lovely updated 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1749sf Citrus Heights home is ready for a new owner! You will love the open, light and bright floorplan in a super convenient location. Plank flooring throughout and freshly painted interior! Enter to find a formal living room with sunny windows looking out the front yard. Spacious family room has vaulted ceilings, cozy fireplace, and large pull-down screen for the ultimately movie night! Huge kitchen has a an eat-in nook. Remodeled hallway bathroom is wheelchair accessible and has an over-sized stall shower! Spacious hallway bedrooms. Large primary suite has vaulted ceilings, ensuite bathroom with dual sinks, and a huge walk-in closet. The backyard has lots of sunny space to garden or play! All this with a large 3-car attached garage, dual pane windows, central heating and air, indoor laundry room, hook-ups for central vacuum, and LOTS of storage space. Located in close proximity to parks, schools, public transit, shopping, and more! Don't wait! Offered at $499,900. For a 3D virtual tour, more photos and information please visit 8323 Northvale Way, Citrus Heights, CA 95610.

Sellers, receive a high dollar request for repairs? Get a second opinion...

The buyer on one of my recent listings submitted a whopper of a Request for Repairs...the scope of work consisted of several big-ticket items -- replacing the sewer line, re-plumbing the entire house, and making substantial repairs to the swimming pool and pool equipment. I think the full value of the work based on the bids the buyers had obtained was in the $50,000 range. YIKES! 

The seller, of course, was understandably upset about this and they were trying to wrap their minds around either absorbing the costs of repairs or absorbing a massive price reduction. Even in this hot Sacramento real estate market, some sellers may consider negotiating or accepting requests like this without questioning the validity of the request. Sellers, please don't do that.

I immediately wanted to know two things: (a) were these issues legitimate? And (b) if the issues were legitimate, were the bids the buyers provided competitive prices? 

Some home sellers do not realize -- in the face of massive requests like this, you can and should get a second opinion. We quickly called a couple of my go-to contractors and the seller's pool guy for second opinions and competitive bids.

So to replacing the sewer line: (a) yes the issue was partly legitimate. As it turns out the second contractor was of the opinion that only about half the repairs recommended by the buyer's contractor were actually necessary. And (b) the competitive bid was about a third the price ($8,700 vs. $28,000)!

To re-plumbing the entire house: (a) no, not legitimate. The seller had disclosed some plumbing leaks and the buyer decided that they would prefer to re-plumb the house, however this work turned out to be an upgrade rather than a necessity. And (b) the seller did not obtain a second bid and flatly rejected this part of the request.

To resurfacing the swimming pool: (a) no, not legitimate. They stated that resurfacing would be an upgrade and not a necessity.  And (b) the seller did not obtain a second bid and flatly rejected this part of the request.

Repairing the pool equipment: (a) yes, some repairs were necessary. And (b) competitive bid was much less!

In the end, the seller agreed to reduce the price by $10,000 to offset the future expense of repairs, and the buyer completed the purchase of the home as-is...$10,000 is still a chunk of money but still less than the cost of the legitimate repairs...and without validating the request and getting other opinions and bids, that could have easily been a much higher number, and it is a FAR cry from a $50,000 haircut. This is a great outcome for the seller.

So the moral of the story -- sellers, don't let a buyer walk all over you. Validate exorbitant requests like this one and get second opinions and competitive bids.

New Listing - 8863 Springhurst Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95624

Lovely updated 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2251sf Camden Park home in Elk Grove is ready for a new owner! You will love the open, light and bright tri-level floorplan and great location. Enter to find a formal living room with vaulted ceilings. Formal dining room. Huge spacious kitchen has a breakfast bar counter and an eat-in nook, all overlooking the large family room and fireplace. Downstairs bedroom and full bathroom. Upstairs find a large primary suite with huge closet, ensuite bathroom with dual sinks, soaking tub and separate stall shower. Spacious hallway bedrooms. Upstairs hallway bathroom has a tub/shower. The backyard has lots of sunny space to garden or play! All this with a large 2-car attached garage, central heating and air, tile roof, indoor laundry room, and LOTS of storage space. Newer fencing. Brand new flooring throughout and freshly painted interior! Section 1 & 2 pest clearance. Located in close proximity to parks, schools, public transit, freeway access, shopping, and more! Don't wait! Offered at $599,900. For more photos, information, and a 3D virtual tour, please visit 8863 Springhurst Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95624.