Blackstone’s focus in the 2013 real estate market
Even if you only follow real estate casually, you’ve probably heard of Blackstone, a private equity fund that has garnered wide media attention for pumping billions of dollars into the housing market....
View ArticleHow much is one extra bedroom or bathroom worth?
A real estate agent asked me this question last week via email, so I thought I would share my response. How would you answer this question? Question: I was wondering if you could tell me how much value...
View Article6 ways to have a more valuable exchange with appraisers during the inspection
If you meet appraisers at your listings, do you feel like you have a valuable exchange or are you simply handing over a stack of comps? Help for Agents: Today I want to give some quick tips to help...
View ArticleHighlighting some market trends in Sacramento
Today I’d like to give you a little “play by play” commentary into a few Sacramento area neighborhoods. I’ll show some graphs, but then use them as a springboard to help highlight market dynamics. I’d...
View ArticleThe value of pricing your property correctly in today’s real estate market
Overpriced properties are part of life, but in today’s market with inventory beginning to increase, it is very important to have a reasonable list price. Yes, it is still a Seller’s market in the...
View Article5 tips for valuing a lake location in real estate
How do you know what a lake location is worth? How much value should you give to a house with a lake view compared to a house across the street without the view? I had this conversation recently with a...
View ArticleThe relevance of listings in a slower real estate market
Everyone knows appraisers use sales during an appraisal, but how do listings fit into the picture? What can listings tell us about the market? The Scoop on Listings: Paying attention to listings is...
View ArticleDoes an enclosed patio count in the square footage?
Can you count an enclosed patio as square footage? I had a real estate agent ask me this question recently, and the answer was going to make a huge difference in the value and pricing strategy for an...
View ArticleDoes knowing the contract price give the appraiser a target value?
Why do appraisers get a copy of the contract? Doesn’t this set the value stage? Someone asked me this recently, and I wanted to respond with a few thoughts. I’d love to hear your take in the comments...
View Article5 reasons why an appraiser CAN appraise a property above the highest sale
Can a property be appraised above the highest sale in the neighborhood? A real estate agent friend was told recently by an appraiser that the house could not be appraised above the highest sale because...
View ArticleThe problem of an addition behind a bedroom
Imagine a home owner adds a “Bonus Room” on the rear of a house. It’s nice to have the extra space, right? Well, imagine one of the rear bedrooms now no longer has a direct exit to outside of the home....
View ArticleAn appraiser’s view of cottage cheese ceiling texture
They say everything comes back in style, but I’m pretty sure cottage cheese ceiling texture isn’t one of those things. Well, I hope not. This style of texture is also known as popcorn, or more formally...
View ArticleHot Pockets & adjusting for an increasing market
Hot Pockets. Yep, I’m about to use them to explain the housing market. That either makes me deeply creative or really immature. I’ll let you decide. On a serious note though, let’s talk about this...
View ArticleHow much value does an extra bedroom add?
How much value does an extra bedroom add? The bad news is there isn’t a one-size fits all answer that makes sense for every neighborhood. But the good news is we can think through some of the key...
View ArticleChoosing comps when there is a gated community
I had a real estate agent ask a fantastic question recently about choosing comps when there is a gated neighborhood. Here’s the issue: If the subject property is NOT located in a gated community, can...
View ArticleHow do you get an appraiser to value vintage features?
It can be nerve-wracking to have an appraiser come out. So I wasn’t surprised to receive an email from someone worried about his vintage home. Will the appraiser give value to the vintage features? How...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....