Stuck in a Lease and Wish You Could Buy?

Are you renting and stuck in a lease agreement and wish you could buy a house now? Don’t abandon your dream and wait! Interest rates are going to rise in 2022 and you will pay more for the same house if you wait! So here are three things you can do to buy NOW!

Check the fine print

Find your lease or rental contract and look for a section that talks about early termination. See if there are any fees or requirements for terminating the lease early. If the contract doesn’t say, or you don’t have a copy of the contract, then call your property manager or landlord and ask them directly! Some leases call for a fee or require you to pay two or three months rent in order to get out of your contract early. Find out! There may not be a financial penalty.

See if there is a waiting list

Right now, housing is in demand, and not just homes to buy. If you have a property management company managing the rental you live in, they may have a waiting list of people who would jump at the chance to take over your lease! Call and ask. If you deal directly with the landlord ask your landlord if he knows anyone who would want to take over your lease. If he or she does not, then ask for permission to advertise and look for people interested in taking over your lease. Depending on your area, you could advertise for free on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or other online sites.

You won’t have two house payments at the same time

When you buy a house, there is a slight delay on paying your first mortgage payment! Let’s say you get an offer accepted on a home in February. It will take 30 days to close escrow. So then if you close escrow in March you won’t have a mortgage payment on your new house until April, or sometimes even May depending on several factors! We always advise our clients to give their 30 day notice to their landlord once we have passed about the halfway mark in our escrow and we see that everything is looking good to close. Because you won’t have a house payment for another month that gives you plenty of time to stay living in your rental, close escrow on the house you’re buying, and then take your time moving.

If you are currently renting and would love to buy a house before your lease term is up, reach out to us! We can help you!

Written by Kim Jacobi of the Jacobi Team of Century 21 in Chico

Let’s talk laundry rooms

Are they essential?

A survey done in 2018 indicated that the first two features for a home that buyers consider essential are living rooms and laundry rooms. Interestingly the survey showed that for first-time home buyers, the living room ranked first and laundry room was second; but for 2nd+ time buyers that reversed with laundry rooms being first and living rooms ranking second.

Indoor Laundry Room.

A 2019 report showed that laundry rooms rated top spot for most wanted home feature for home buyers. The humble laundry room – a place for washing and drying clothes – has now the potential to be so much more. According to a September 2020 article in “Kitchen & Bath Design News” the laundry room can become a flexible space that includes being a hobby and craft area or even a home office.

Sellers, remember when getting your home ready for sale, that the laundry room – no matter where it is located in the home – deserves as much attention as everywhere else so that buyers will be attracted to the home. Whether the laundry room is in a little closet off the kitchen, in the basement or even in the garage:

1. Clean, clean, clean. Make sure the washer and dryer are clean both inside and outside the machines. Move them out from the walls and clean behind and don’t forget the floors! Go outdoors and check the dryer vent, making sure that area is as clean as everything indoors. It doesn’t matter if the appliances are remaining with the sale, what matters is that they are sparkling so that the buyer can appreciate how beautiful the laundry area can be.

2. Spruce up the laundry area. Paint, if possible. Organize, put up shelving. Add attractive lighting. If the laundry area is in the garage make the laundry area appear separate. Organizing the garage wouldn’t be a bad idea before potential buyers show up.

Forget the days of the dark, dank and dingy spot where the washer and dryer was located. Laundry rooms can be bright, functional and inclusive spots for all kinds of household uses. House Beautiful has an June 2021 article listing “50 Small Laundry Room Ideas.”

Looking for a home to buy? Have a home to sell? Let Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, help you with all the details, from location to loans. Contact them today.

What is a Front Door?

A home’s front door is a welcoming portal.

It is the curb appeal centerpiece.

When you think about it, the front door of a home is the entrance. It is the way in. Front doors lead to the treasures that lie within: a sparkling home that’s inviting and warm.

If you are a buyer and you approach a home with an eye to purchase, one of the first things you notice is the house’s front door. A front door says so much about the house and can set the tone for the rest of the home.

–Is the front door shabby in appearance? Is the paint peeling? Does it have a screen door that sags and has holes in it? If it is made of metal, is it rusting? Does the door hang well in the frame? Is the door handle old and chipped? Is the color of the door unappealing?

OR

–Is the front door an attractive style and color? Does it have personality that says come on in and stay awhile? If not a new installment, has the door been newly painted and repaired? Is the hardware new and updated? Does the frame around the door match the rejuvenated condition of the door itself?

Buyers notice front doors, no doubt about it. What about sellers? If you are a seller, go outdoors and literally stand on the street in front of your home. What does the front door say about the home’s curb appeal? Installing a new front door, according to some estimates, can add as much as 90% ROI when it comes to selling your home. This article has some great options to consider for door replacements.

Ever walk around some neighborhoods and notice the color of front doors? What colors made you look twice? Popular now is everything from mulberry to blue to orange. Check out this article to see how color can make a front door pop.

There are many aspects to both buying and selling a home. Whether you are a first-time buyer, or you are someone looking to sell your current home, Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, are available to answer questions and start a conversation. Contact them today.

Looking for a new home?

How do you know what you’re looking for?

Here’s a helpful checklist to give you some ideas.

Let’s run through a fun scenario. Let’s imagine you and your partner are relocating to this nice Northern California community and need to find a home. Or your family is growing and you need a larger home. This checklist also works if you are a couple whose chicks have left the nest and you now need to downsize. Regardless of your situation, you’ve decided a change is necessary. In all these cases, how do you know what to look for?

First set up three categories of priorities: what the home must have, what you would prefer and what you would be willing to be flexible on.

For the building itself are you looking for a single story home or one with two levels? What kind of square footage? Is the year it was built important? What about whether or not it has been recently updated? Is it important to you that it be move-in ready or are you good with a “fixer-upper?” Do you need the home to have a garage? One car or two?

Does the property need to have a yard? Front yard and back yard? Size of yards? Do you want the property to have fencing? What about patios and/or decking? Do you need to have a home that has a pool? Space to park an RV? Would a property that has outbuildings such as a shop or storage shed increase its interest for you?

How many bedrooms do you want? How many bathrooms? Is an indoor laundry room important? What about a den or office space? Do you want a dining area or is a breakfast nook sufficient? Does your lifestyle dictate that the home have a formal dining area? A formal living room? Do you need a great room?

What about flooring? Is carpeting important to you or are you looking for hardwood floors? Would dual pane windows be a must have?

Is a fireplace important? What are your requirements for heating and air? Septic or sewer? City water or well?

Once you’ve made a preliminary list of the must haves, the what you’d prefer and what you would be flexible on, take a look at the current market and see what is available. When you’re ready to do some serious house searching, find a realtor you can trust. With a real estate agent to guide you, look online and visit open houses. See what “must haves” may need to be moved to the “flexible” category. Your realtor can help to narrow down your favorite areas of town based upon what you want in a new home.

Home buying can seem a daunting task. However, if you hone in on what is most important to you it will make shopping for a new home more enjoyable.

Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, can help you develop a checklist that highlights and includes exactly what you want in a new home. Contact them today to begin a conversation.

You Must Master This When House Hunting

Excerpt from: Take Note! This Is the One Thing You Must Master When House Hunting


By Jamie Wiebe | Sep 27, 2018 From the Realtor.com website

Average home buyers look at 10 houses before they find The One. And unless you’ve lucked out with a photographic memory, remembering the details of all those homes can prove challenging. Wait, which one had that weird bathroom? What was the address of that awesome house near the lakeshore?

If only you’d written it down.

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It might not be the most exciting skill to learn, but good note-taking can keep you organized and dramatically simplify your home search. Yes, you already know how to write things down. But are you writing down the right things?

Jot down your impressions of size


You might be wowed by the size of the place when you walk inside, but you’re omitting crucial information if you’re not comparing that impression with the actual dimensions. Most homes come with a spec sheet, and if you’re surprised to discover the cavernous living room is just 9 feet by 9 feet—smaller than your bedroom at home—then make a note. Clever staging might be tricking your eyes, and getting the space to feel that enormous with your own furniture might be a challenge.

“Looks can be deceiving, and many agents have the means to perfectly stage a property,” says Vincent Averaimo, who works in real estate law. “Sometimes that means it looks bigger than it really is.”

Record your gut feeling


When you step into the home, what do you feel? After a long day spent driving to a dozen different homes, you’re likely to forget that feeling.

So make sure to write it down. Did you feel relaxed and comfortable? Slightly ill at ease? Did an intangible thrill race along your spine?

“When you have found the home for you, there’s a special feeling that you get,” Roberson says.

While you’re at it, dig into the specifics of why you got that special “yes!” feeling. Was it the bay window in the master bedroom? The 500-bottle wine cellar you’re already dreaming of filling up?

“Note something you really love about the home or something that really bugs you,” says Maria Daou, a real estate broker in New York City. “If you don’t make these notes in the moment, when you are in the space, you forget what it is and all the houses start blending together.”

Give the home a numerical rating


Real estate agent Dale Schaechterle recommends establishing three “have to haves,” which must be included in your final home. Then, each time you visit a house, rate each of these must-haves from 1 to 10, with 10 being “exceptional” or even “better than desired.”

For instance, if you’re insistent on a three-bedroom home, then a home with more than three beds might get a 10, and a three-bedroom home gets an 8.

At the end, tally it all up to see which home has the highest score on the things that matter most to you.

“A perfect score is not the goal,” Schaechterle says. You’re looking for something with the best balance of everything you want that gives you “permission” to stop looking and write an offer.

Take pictures—of everything


Any good seller’s agent will stuff the listing chock-full of pictures—but that doesn’t mean you should put your camera away during the showing.

In fact, you should take photos of anything that jumps out at you—good or bad, recommends real estate broker Brenda Di Bari.

Did you absolutely adore the dual-faucet sink in the kitchen? Or were you uncertain about the strange laundry room setup? Flipping through your camera roll can help you recall the details that might not be pictured in the listing photos.

And there’s another darn good reason to take lots of pictures: Sometimes listing photos lie. A deck might look pristine on camera, but up close the boards are splitting and—oh, heavens—are those carpenter ants? Or perhaps a room that looked enormous feels more like a coffin in real life.

“Maybe there are areas of damage or concern that you want to consider before making an offer,” Di Bari says. A photo will help you remember.

Write down the renovations you’ll want (and look up their cost later)


Few houses are perfect. Jot down any obvious changes you’ll want to make—and anything that might impede a home improvement project. (Is that wall clearly structural?)

“Noting if [renovation] is even an option is really important,” Daou says.

Once you’ve figured out which renovations your potential home might need, suss out how much they’ll cost. Add that to any other must-change items, like a coat of paint, replacement gutters, or even furniture needed to outfit a bigger home.

“It almost always costs more than you think,” Di Bari says.

And what good is a dream home if you can’t afford to make it shine?

Note from the Jacobi Team


We hope you stick around and explore our website! On our site you can search for homes for sale in Chico and the surrounding area. You can also download our free Home Buyer’s Guide which is chock FULL of great info! Reach out to us if you have any questions! Thanks -Kim and Emmett

What Types of Home Inspections Can a Buyer Do?

There are lots of types of home inspections you can do when you are buying a house. In California, these inspections are generally done during escrow, and who pays for them is negotiable. No inspections are required when buying a home, unless you are getting a VA loan, then you will be required to get a pest inspection and a septic inspection, if applicable, and a well inspection, if applicable.

General Home Inspections

General home inspectors look for signs of damage and defects. They’ll often refer buyers to a specialist to investigate further and fully diagnose the problem when and if they spot something significant, or something that lies outside their scope of expertise.

A general home inspector might see evidence of wood damage and suggest that you call in a pest expert to find out what caused it. These specialists can provide you with different repair options and give you a sense of what the bill might be to remedy the situation.

Tip:

The costs of inspections are generally left to the buyer unless they’re required by an appraiser in order to get a loan.

Chimney Inspections

Some older chimneys don’t have flue liners, or the interior brickwork might be crumbling. A chimney inspector will detect these problems and can also make sure smoke is discharged properly and that the cap is in good repair. Cost: a mere $100 to $300 as of 2020.1

Electrical Inspections

A general home inspector might tell you that the electrical box is so old that it no longer complies with city code. An electrician can tell you the best brands for replacement and how much it will cost, among other disclosures.

Tip:

Be sure to check out the electrical panel and Google the model number to make sure it hasn’t been recalled.

Lead-Based Paint

The federal government banned the use of lead-based paint in 1978, but older homes-and even some built after 1978-can still contain it.2 You have a right to have the home tested for lead-based paint and to hire a certified lead abatement contractor to remove it.3

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Heating and Air Conditioning

A home inspector might measure the differential temperature reading from an air conditioner or a furnace as low, and recommend that the unit be inspected by an HVAC specialist to find out why. Most furnaces must be taken apart to determine the source of the malfunction.

Tip:

An HVAC specialist can tell you how much it will cost to fix the unit, or whether it needs to be replaced entirely.

Wood Damage

You’ll find wood-destroying critters in just about any part of the country, but they particularly thrive in warm climates. A pest inspection discloses not only the presence the likes of termites or powder post beetles, but it also identifies non-pest issues like dry rot. This type of inspection can cost as little as $50 or so as of 2020.4

Foundation Inspections

A home inspector can tell you if your home was built on a slab or a raised foundation and note suspicious cracks, but a foundation engineer can tell you if the home is sliding or the foundation is faulty. This type of inspection can run $300 to $1000 as of 2020.5

Pool and Spa Inspections

Pool and spa experts can offer an estimated life expectancy of the unit based on crucial key components such as the heater or spa blower. These specialists also check for leaks.

Tip:

Sometimes pools can be covered under home warranties for an additional cost.

Roof Inspections

Get your own roof certification on an older roof, even if the appraiser requires it and the seller won’t pay for it. Make sure the company is reputable and likely to be in business later if you should have to make a claim.

Sewer or Septic System

Get a sewer or septic tank inspection. Some older homes might not be connected to a sewer system. Modern inspection technology inserts a digital camera into the sewer line and pushes it through to the main line. Many sewer inspectors will even make movies of the process for you.

Soil Stability

Testing the soil is important if you’re buying a home on the side of a hill because you don’t want the home or any part of the hill sliding away during a severe rainstorm. Some areas also are prone to soil contamination.

Landscaping Inspections

The best way to determine if the trees and bushes on the property are healthy is to hire an arborist to inspect them.

Water Systems and Plumbing

A plumber can tell you if galvanized plumbing needs to be replaced. Some galvanized pipes are so clogged that you can barely fit the lead of a pencil through them.

Inspect the construction and find out the depth of the water table, including water sanitation, if the property has a well. This type of inspection will run about $165 as of 2020.6

Gases and Chemicals

A mitigation contractor can test for radon or methane gas and recommend ways to remove it. Qualified formaldehyde inspectors can also determine the presence of unacceptable levels of this colorless and flammable chemical, which is often used in building products. It’s been known to cause cancer in rats.

Tip:

A radon check can set you back as little as $10, if you purchase a home test kit.7

Asbestos Inspections


Contrary to popular belief, general home inspections don’t include tests for asbestos. The only way to tell if a material actually contains asbestos is to have it tested by taking a sample to a lab.

Tip:

Don’t rely on do-it-yourself home tests.

Mold Inspections

Mold is typical in residences in damp, humid climates, and it can trigger health problems even in healthy individuals. An inspector can test for its presence and determine what type of mold, if any, is present.

Document Inspections

Not all inspections are physical. Researching records can turn up significant information, too:

Square footage:


You might want to verify the square footage of your home because public records sometimes contain mistakes. Buyers or their lenders can hire an appraiser to provide this measurement.

Easements and encroachments:


Your owner’s title policy will disclose easements, but ask the title company to send you the actual easement documents from public records, too. You can also hire a surveyor to inspect and prepare an improvement location certificate (ILC), which will show any encroachments.

Lot size and boundaries:


A preliminary search for a title policy will give you a plat map, showing the boundaries and the size of the lot. Consider hiring a surveyor if you want this information verified. Don’t rely on fences to determine boundaries, but be warned. This type of survey can cost as much as $675 and as low as $346 as of 2020.

Permits and zoning:


Go to your city planning department and ask to see the permits on the home. Sometimes people remodel without permits. The zoning department can also tell you if running a home-based business is legal where the home is located.

If You’re Buying in an Area Prone to Disasters

You might want to add one more item to your inspection checklist if you’re buying in an area that has a history of severe weather events, such as flooding, hurricanes, or tornadoes. A disaster inspection can tell you if the property suffered any resulting damage and how well it’s likely to stand up to another such event.

BY ELIZABETH WEINTRAUB
Updated November 13, 2020
At the time of writing, Elizabeth Weintraub, CalBRE #00697006, is a Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate in Sacramento, California.

About Us

What does a former Alaskan fisherman and a former music teacher have in common? Real Estate! Emmett and Kim teamed up in 2015 to form The Jacobi Team. Together they bring what one person alone could never do: the best qualities of two people, combined with leveraged time and focus, creating high quality, high success representation for buyers and sellers of real estate. Real Estate is not an easy career, so why do it? “Because we care about people and we love the uniqueness every person, and every property brings. We truly feel joy and satisfaction when we help someone.” -E and K

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Emmett Jacobi, CADRE#01896904
Contact us by emailEmmettJacobi@gmail.com
Contact us by email 530-519-6333

Kim Jacobi, CADRE#01963545
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Contact us by email 530-518-8453

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