How to pre-pay your Sacramento County property tax before the end of 2017

Some Sacramento homeowners may benefit by paying the second installment of their property taxes now, early, instead of waiting until April when payment becomes due. The Sacramento County Tax Collector's office suggested that people wanting to make an early payment should not mail payment, and instead visit their offices and make payment in person.

It is also easy to make a payment online if you want to save yourself the trouble driving downtown to H Street, paying to park, and waiting in line. There is a small convenience fee for using a credit or debit card. There is no fee for using an electronic check. The website to make an online Sacramento County property tax payment is https://eproptax.saccounty.net. Simply enter your address, then click the link on the left to "Pay Tax Bills Online." Then you will check the box next to the amount under "Installment 2". Then click "Pay Now".

The new "tax reform" bill, which was passed by congress and signed by the president last week, makes some key changes to the deductibility of property taxes. For those who itemize their tax deductions, in most cases property taxes used to be fully tax deductible, however under the new legislation there will be a $10,000 cap in the deductibility of state/local taxes and property tax combined.

My husband and I pre-paid our second installment of property taxes for our home using the free e-check option so we can deduct the full amount this year...our property taxes aren't all that high, but we definitely pay a lot of state income tax. In 2018, we will likely exceed the new $10,000 cap with state/local taxes and property tax combined.

Please be sure to consult with your CPA or other tax professional before paying early...

2017 - my real estate transaction statistics and how I compare to Sacramento market averages...

I closed what will likely be my final real estate transaction of 2017 yesterday - not that I have any shortage of work to do between now and the end of the year! 2018 is shaping up to be extremely busy as well.

I like to track the statistics of my transactions, and toward the year end I always reflect on what I have done, how I compare to the rest of the agents in the market, and how I can improve. So for the sake of transparency, I thought I would post some statistics and my thoughts on the coming year. Keep in mind, I am not a part of a "team" and this is all my own production. This year, all of my transactions are in Metrolist MLS, so this information is easily verifiable...in 2017:

-I closed 38 transactions and closed $13,448,865 in volume. My lowest transaction was $95,000, and my highest transaction was $815,500. The average was $353,917 and the median was $334,500.
-65.8% of my transactions were past/repeat clients (which is amazing to me!) 34.2% were new clients.
-81.6% of my transactions were residential properties (condos, single family homes), 15.8% were multi-family properties (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes), and 2.6% were other (commercial, land).
-57.9% of my transactions I represented the seller, while 42.1% of my transactions I represented the buyer.
-My typical residential listing sold for an average of 101.64% of its original listing price (meaning, 1.64% over the original listing price) in just 11.55 cumulative days on the market. The distinction of original and cumulative is important...original means even after a price reduction from the initial listing price, and cumulative means even if a property is re-listed or comes back on the market.
-My typical multi-family listing sold for an average of 101.4% of its original listing price (1.4% over the listing price) in just 6 cumulative days on the market.
-My typical listing had an average of 3.8 buyer offers on it!

Comparing these statistics to the overall Sacramento real estate market averages, I had a stellar year.

For one, to qualify for the Sacramento Association of Realtors Masters Club, a realtor must close $5M in transaction volume and a minimum of 8 closed transactions. Clearly I blew those numbers out of the water. I would guess that with 38 closed transactions and nearly $13.5M in volume I am likely in the top 1-2% of all agents in greater Sacramento.

My clients are all over the spectrum from first-time buyers, move-up buyers (those who sell their home and then purchase another home), investors, sellers of property they inherited via a trust or probate, sellers retiring and moving out of the area, sellers divorcing, etc. My average and median transactions at $334,500 and $353,917 are right in line with the average and median home prices in the Sacramento region according to Trendgraphix data. My high and low range indicates I work with a broad economic client spectrum as well, from those working with downpayment assistance to those among top-income earners in the region. Unlike past years, I did not close any short sale listings in 2017 (though I do have a short sale listing that is pending/approved, and scheduled close in 2018). Distressed properties are a very small part of the marketplace right now though just a few years ago they were the bulk of my transactions.

My listing statistics are also excellent...according to Trendgraphix for Sacramento County, the lowest average days on market for a single family listing in the last 14 months was 19 days on market, versus my listings at 11.55 cumulative days on market. My original listing price versus final selling price ratio is also outstanding as my listings sell for 101.64% above original listing price on average, versus the highest month of the last 14 months at 100%. I think these numbers are indicative of my strategic approach to listing property -- complete with pre-listing inspections, staging, repairs, professional photography, 3D virtual tours, and multi-faceted marketing.

Of course I hope to improve these numbers next year in 2018...so we shall see how that shapes up! If you think we would be a good fit to work together toward your next property sale or purchase, I welcome your contact via phone or email.

What needs to be removed from a home before the close of escrow?

Sometimes sellers, in their haste to move out, decide to "gift" to the buyers some of their personal property. And when I say "gift" what I really mean is - they can't fit all of their stuff into the U-Haul, or are too lazy to remove the junk from the garage and make that final dump run, or they think because the house wasn't fully cleared out when they bought it as a bank repo they can just leave it in a sub-par state for the new owners. WRONG. Sellers are contractually obligated to remove all debris and personal property prior to closing.

A seller's "gift" is often a buyer's unwanted crap that they then have to remove, donate or dispose of. I recently had a seller client who left all kinds of stuff in the property despite our conversations that they would remove everything and have the home cleaned and ready to go...escrow closed, buyer got the keys and was really upset. And rightfully so.

The buyer's agent called me to make me aware of the situation. Of course I was horrified. I had to have a pretty blunt conversation with my seller (which candidly, I never want to have to do) to emphasize that what they did was not ok and they needed to take responsibility to correct this situation. Needless to say, they paid someone to come and remove the junk-- and probably paid a lot more to have that done on short notice after the fact than they would have if they had proactively done it before they moved out.

A little planning is the key to an less stressful move-out. And I have a lot of go-to people who can help off-haul junk, clean, or whatever. Ask me for help! It is a hectic time for sure. However, a seller's poor planning is absolutely NOT the buyer's fault. And no matter which side of the transaction I am on, I will do my very best to ensure that the property is turned over to the buyers in the condition it should be.

Measure twice, cut once...or in this case order the right size doors once...

I was showing a really nicely renovated Antelope home to a buyer client the other day, and wanted to take a look inside the fireplace. That's something I routinely do, looking for evidence of cracks inside the firebox area and other things...the doors of the fireplace were open and pushed to either side. When I was done looking inside the fireplace, I went to shut the doors. Ooops! They don't exactly fit this space. Sounds like a request for repairs in the making.

New Listing - 1018 Lochbrae Road, Sacramento, CA 95815

Adorable 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1,220sf Woodlake home! You will love the spacious layout, large living space, fireplace with gas insert, gleaming wood floors throughout, remodeled kitchen with stainless appliances, tile flooring, cherry cabinets, remodeled bathroom with dual sinks, lots of storage space! Energy efficient features such as dual pane windows, whole house fan and central heat and air. Huge backyard with shed. Sewer line was replaced in 2011. Composition roof with 2-year certification. All this and just a 10 minute commute to Downtown Sacramento! Located in the vibrant Woodlake community near parks, schools, and public transportation. Don't wait! Offered at $299,900. For a 3D virtual tour and more information, please visit 1018 Lochbrae Road, Sacramento, CA 95815.

New Listing - 4320 20th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95820

Adorable, well-loved 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 888sf Oak Park home is ready for a new owner and is the perfect blank canvas for your personal touches. You will love the wood floors, spacious living room, cozy fireplace, attached 1-car garage, composition roof, all on a large corner lot. Located near public transportation, parks, schools, and just down the street from a community center. Don't wait! Trust sale. Offered at $185,000. For a 3D virtual tour and more information please visit 4320 20th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95820.

Featured in a KCRA3 story about the federal tax reform proposal...

The new federal tax reform proposal was announced this week, and there are some major ramifications for homeowners if this passes in its current form. I was interviewed by KCRA 3 News specifically regarding the proposed cap on the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID).

Under current tax law, homeowners may write off mortgage interest on mortgages up to $1,000,000. The new tax proposal seeks to reduce this to mortgages up to $500,000. So what's the big deal about this? California is a "high cost" state...While the current median home price for September 2017 in Sacramento County is $348,000, there are plenty of higher priced areas in and around Sacramento, such as Davis, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, East Sacramento, Land Park, Arden Park, Sierra Oaks, and others.

Additionally, the median home price for the entire state of California is $555,410. That means that more than half of all home sales in California are more than $555,410. That means that potentially more than half of all home sales in California may be affected by this cap and owners potentially will suffer some reduction of mortgage interest deductibility.

I would urge you to research the tax plan and ask your congressional representative to reconsider elements of the plan that may adversely affect homeownership. View the news story here.

Why I hire a professional photographer for my listings...

Recently I was with a professional photographer at one of my listings as we were readying it to hit the market, and just for fun I decided to take a couple photos of the house myself just to compare to the professional pics side-by-side. There's no comparison: my photographs are lame. The lighting is inconsistent, there is this bleary quality around the windows, the composition is not ideal, and the rooms totally look small.

The professional photographers I hire to shoot my listings are amazing. It is SO critically important in marketing a home to have amazing photos -- we want a buyer to emotionally connect with a home before they ever set foot inside. Good photos generate excitement, and excitement generates lots of showings, and lots of showings generates offers.