Century 21 Chico Archives - The Jacobi Team, Century 21 Select Real Estate, Inc.

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

Appraisal vs Realtor Market Analysis

What is an appraisal?

An appraisal is a report that’s performed by a licensed appraiser. They go out to the subject property and look at the size, square footage, lot size, age, and different amenities. Amenities include solar panels, upgraded bathrooms or kitchen. Does it have a pool, or a shop? Is the roof new or old? Then the appraiser puts together a report that includes other properties in the area that have sold that are very similar. They will make comparisons side by side with those comparable homes, or “comps”, and come up with a value based on that information. An appraiser’s most common client is a mortgage banking institution. That appraiser is hired to act as the bank’s “eyes” to see if that property is worth what the bank will be lending on. For lending institutions giving out a government backed loan, such as an FHA or a VA loan, an appraiser must be specially certified with an FHA or VA appraisers license. Appraisals can cost $500-$1000, depending on the appraiser.

What is a market analysis?

A market analysis is essentially the same thing, except it is performed by a real estate professional. But the process is the same. The realtor will go out and takes a look at a property and all of its amenities. Then, looking at the current homes for sale, pending sales and past sales that realtor will come up with a range of what they think the home would sell for if it went on the market that day. Home owners will often get a market analysis if they are thinking about selling their home. They also will often ask more than one realtor to give them a market analysis, and use it as a litmus test to see which realtor they want to hire. A market analysis is a free service performed by nearly every realtor.

Which one is better?

An appraisal and a market analysis are both an opinion. Each appraiser studies the comps and amenities and will come up with a value based on their interpretation. Sometimes two appraisers can come up with different values of the same home. A realtor does the same thing. The main difference between an appraisal and a market analysis is that an appraisal often happens after the home has already been exposed to the market and received an offer from a ready, willing and able buyer. A market analysis is most often created before the market has seen that home and the realtor must use their knowledge of the market to predict what that home would sell for. A good realtor will get it right nearly every time. Set side by side, if an appraiser were to go out and perform an appraisal on a home before it is exposed to the open market, and a realtor were to create a market analysis of that same home at the same time, the two should be similar. This is because both the appraiser and the realtor are going to be looking at the same market activity.

The Final Say

A buyer and a seller, negotiating a contract, are ultimately the ones who will determine fair market value. Worded another way is, what an able buyer wants to pay, and what a motivated seller is willing to take for a sale becomes that property’s fair market value. So how do home prices rise? When more and more buyers are able and willing to pay more than what a home is listed for sale at, then those sales become next month’s comps. And so on. Appraisers and realtors alike try not to go further back than three months when looking at past sales.

If you would like a free market analysis of your home, reach out to us! Click here and fill out this quick form and we will contact you shortly! We service these following California communities: Chico, Hamilton City, Orland, Paradise, Magalia, Forest Ranch, Oroville and Durham.

Have you thought about what makes your home so special?

It’s a good question to ask when you are thinking about selling.

What led you to purchase this home?

Highlighting the unique features and benefits of your home is essential in ensuring that it receives the value it deserves. To do this it is important to help your real estate professional get to know your home as well as you do.

Let’s explore – from your point of view as the owner – what might be most attractive about your property to a potential buyer.

1. What made you purchase this home? Was it location? Was the neighborhood special or is the home convenient to shopping? Are there natural features that enhance the area such as parks or streams? Is the home sitting on a corner lot with large trees? What were some of the specific things about this home that made it attractive?

2. Which features of the home have you enjoyed the most? Maybe the property has a pool in the backyard; outdoor grilling station and/or a fire pit. Could be the layout of the home – open floor plan, fireplace, indoor laundry. Maybe the kitchen is large and inviting. Could be the basement playroom.

3. What are the features that a typical buyer might miss when they walk through? Put yourself in the place of a buyer who is unfamiliar with the home and you were doing a guided tour. What special features would you point out? Walk-in closets? Extra deep cupboards? Built-in storage in the garage?

4. What other features or benefits should be highlighted? Your real estate agent will be of great help in suggesting what other ways your home will shine when it is listed.

Deciding to sell your home is a big decision. After all you bought it and enjoyed it and now you want someone else to see and appreciate all the cool features that you have over the years. Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, are experts in navigating the ins and outs of home selling and buying. Give them a call today.

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.

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.

Getting Ready To Sell Part Two

Addressing the home’s interior

Last week we looked at the exterior, now for the interior

It’s exciting to think about selling your home but it can be a little overwhelming. Where to begin? In last week’s post we looked at 10 points to think about regarding the exterior of the home. Let’s turn that same thinking to the interior of your home. Again, your budget and the time you can spend will determine how much of these things you can do. Doing all of them will ensure that your home is a shining star once it hits the market. Doing most of them will ensure that your home is ready for buyers to come and look and fall in love with your home. Doing none of them means you have to adjust your price to include an “as is” or “fixer-upper” sale.

Here goes, 10 points to consider for the interior in getting ready to sell:

1. Get a storage unit or clear a space in your garage and start packing! It’s time to declutter and open up the space. Pack up all knick-knacks, personal photos, clutter, etc. Your goal is to have your bookshelves, closets and surfaces have barely anything on or in them. Kitchen and bathroom counters need to be completely bare except for hand soap. You want potential buyers to see the home and envision themselves living there.

2. Replace any burned out bulbs or faulty light switches. If a prospective buyer goes to turn on a light and it doesn’t turn on because of a burnt out bulb, they may think the worst and figure there’s something wrong with the electric system in your home. You might consider getting a whole house inspection done to find out all the little things that could be fixed. A buyer usually gets a whole house inspection but if you get to it first then they won’t have anything to request from you to fix during escrow.

3. Pet or smoke odors can lose you thousands of dollars off the sale of your home, so if you have a pet or you smoke, consider waiting to deep clean the home until a week before your home goes on the market and then the cleaning smells will be fresh for the rush of buyers when they come the first couple weeks.

4. Deep clean the entire house: windows, sills, blinds, curtains, carpet, cabinets, walls, baseboards, trim, ceiling fans, surfaces, tub and toilet stains, grout stains, etc. And remember the oven! Consider having your carpets professionally cleaned and have any sections that have stains or rips repaired. If your budget allows, hire professional cleaners to come in and do the deep cleaning.

5. No cobwebs anywhere. Especially just before open houses or showings, take a duster and go over everything.

6. Paint brightly colored walls a neutral color like beige, sand or off white. This will help prospective buyers to better imagine their own color schemes in the home.

7. Patch and paint any holes. This is a good task to do just prior to deep cleaning.

8. Repair leaky faucets, loose doorknobs, cabinets that don’t close all the way, etc.

9. Small updates that pack a big punch could include new, modern faucets in kitchen and bath; newer, modern ceiling fans and light fixtures; new throw pillows and area rugs and new towels for the bathroom.

10. If your home is in the City of Chico and was built prior to 1991 and you bought it more than 10 years ago then you will need to ensure that you have R30 ceiling insulation in order to sell your home. The buyer can take responsibility for that but that is something that the typical buyer will expect a seller to do. So if you do it ahead of time then you will be better off. This is something you can discuss with your real estate agent.

There are many ins and outs to getting a home ready to put on the market. Emmett and Kim Jacobi – The Jacobi Team – are experts in navigating the intricacies of selling a home and also of buying a home. Contact them today to start a conversation.

Getting Ready To Sell

First Let’s Look Outside

We’ll look at the interior in next week’s post.

Getting ready to sell your home? Here are 10 points to think about. Your budget and time will help you to prioritize the list and help you to make decisions on which items can actually be done. Doing all of them will ensure that your home is a shining star once it hits the market. Doing most of them will ensure that your home is ready for buyers to come and look and fall in love with your home. Doing none? Well that means you may need to adjust your price to make it an “as is” or “fixer-upper” sale.

Okay, here we go, a 10 point to-do list for the exterior:

1. Landscaping: pull weeds, trim bushes and trees and mow the lawn. For a finished look to the flower beds add fresh bark and a pop of color with some annuals planted near the front door.

2. Power wash the exterior and touch up areas of peeling paint. If you can afford it, paint the whole exterior if your home hasn’t been painted in over 10 years. Make sure all cobwebs are removed from the exterior at the very least. Shake out the welcome mat and dust down the front door.

3. Clean all the windows and replace any broken or missing screens. If you have windows that are cracked – or missing – have them replaced if you can. The windows are the eyes of the home and you want yours shining brightly.

4. Get a roof inspection if your roof is over 15 years old. Get any repairs done that will ensure that a buyer can get a loan on the home.

5. Get a pest inspection done and have all dry rot and wood destroying pest issues addressed. This will ensure that a buyer can get a loan on your home as well.

6. If you have a septic system and are not connected to city sewer, ensure that your septic tank is pumped and inspected. If the inspection shows major problems with the septic and you do not have the money to fix it, ask your real estate agent about a “buyers a credit” to go towards septic repair.

7. Replace any missing or broken bricks, pavers, shingles or stones anywhere on the exterior or walkways. Now is a good time to look at the driveway – is it cracked? Buckled? If you can afford to, give your driveway some loving attention as it will increase the curb appeal of the home.

8. If you have a chimney make sure there is a properly installed chimney cap. The roofer can do that when he goes up to do his inspection. There are many points to be considered about chimneys, here’s an interesting article.

9. If your heating and air system is older than 15 years consider having it serviced and inspected. You might consider have the home’s ducts checked, cleaned and repaired if needed.

10. Does your property have fencing? If so, take a walk around and check for possible wear or damage. Maybe all that is needed are a few new boards here or there. Or, if you can afford it, you may need a whole new fence. Broken down fences can be a negative to a buyer, whereas a newly painted, repaired fence can make the property look loved and cared for and increases its value.

There is much to consider when thinking about getting a home ready for sale. Emmett and Kim Jacobi, The Jacobi Team, are experts at helping people navigate the ins and outs of home selling. 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.

The Invisible Door

What’s bigger than the front door?

Answer: the Garage Door!

Most homes have driveways – or in some cases roadways – that lead to the garage. Some houses, of course, may not have a garage, they could have carports or nothing at all to protect the vehicles. But the majority have garages – and nearly all garages have doors.

The typical neighborhood home faces the street, with a driveway that connects the street to the garage. Unless the homeowner uses the garage for storage or as an extra occupied room, garages are used to shelter the family vehicles. And no matter what the garage space is actually used for, it still has a door that faces the street.

What’s interesting is that some garage doors are totally forgotten about in the preparation for selling a home. Which is a shame because garage doors can visually be nearly a third of the curb appeal. Also a garage door upgrade can add to the overall value of the home.

Let’s imagine that everything has been done in preparation for selling your home. The interior is sparkling clean and has been staged, ready for its first showing. The outside landscaping has been spruced up, the windows are all clean and sparkling and even the front door has been painted and fitted with new hardware.

Now walk out to the sidewalk and look at the front of the house as if you are a prospective buyer. What do you see? Is your home’s curb appeal appealing? Has anything been forgotten? Now take a look at the garage door.

* Does it need painting? Does it complement the design of your home’s overall architecture?
* Does it sag in its frame? Will it open all the way?
* Does it have an automatic opener? Does it work? Is it noisy when it opens?

To make your garage door fit the personality of your home and improve its salability consider bringing that garage door up to the standards of the rest of the home. Paint, repair or even consider replacing it. Buyers will notice it as soon as they pull up at the curb. And, if the garage door is meant to be opened and closed, they will want to see it in action during the home tour.

As with all other aspects of the home, let your garage door be one of the shining selling points. Read here an article showing some before and after examples of renovated garage doors.

The Jacobi Team can help you with all aspects of selling your home, from questions about staging the interior to tips about upgrading the exterior to improve the curb appeal. Contact The Jacobi Team today.

Staging is not just for the theater

Preparing your home for potential buyers

Both kinds of staging involve an audience. On Broadway, the stage is viewed by an audience seeking entertainment. When selling your home, staging is a way to give prospective buyers the best possible first impression you can of your home. And, in these days of COVID awareness – even though everyone is slowly venturing out into the marketplace once again – staging plays a great importance. Read here for an April 2021 assessment of the importance of staging.

Here we offer 9 points about the value, and importance of, staging your home for selling:

1. Helps your home sell faster, decreasing the amount of time it sits on the market.

2. Often it sells at a higher price, offering a higher return on investment.

3. Gives potential buyers a better first impression of the home.

4. Helps buyers visualize themselves in the home.

5. Helps make the home look move-in ready.

6. Demonstrates the home’s potential.

7. Skilled staging highlights the home’s best features, often giving the perception of a bigger home.

8. Simple, tasteful staging makes the home look new, rather than cluttered or empty.

9. Online home photos will stand out more prominently, drawing more interest.

Staging is exactly that…setting the stage for your buyers to see your home in the very best light possible. At the Jacobi Team we offer professional staging to help you maximize the salability of your home. Contact us today.

A fun checklist for selling your home during the summer

Tasks for summer selling

How about flowers

Selling a home during the summer months actually isn’t all that much different than in any other season of the year. Here’s a quick list of things you can do when the weather is warm and the sun is shining:

Outside:

1. If painting the exterior is not feasible at least give the exterior of the house a power wash.
2. Make sure your front door says “Welcome!” Brighten it with a coat of paint and new hardware or replace it with a new door to add overall sales value.
3. Is there a flower bed next to your front entry? Spruce it up with fresh flowers, trim any bushes and make sure the lawn is mowed.
4. Spiders! Remember to take a broom and de-web. Sure they’ll be back but you want them not so noticeable on home showing day.

Inside:
1. Open the curtains! Let the sunshine in and keep the lights turned on. When you’re showing your home you want it to shine like it is on Broadway!
2. Make the interior comfy by turning on the AC and ceiling fans. Speaking of ceiling fans, make sure they are clean and sparkling (they often get forgotten on the cleaning to-do list).
3. Empty out closets (and cupboards) about halfway. You do still live there, but you want your potential buyers to see that there is plenty of closet space–they will sneak a peek!
4. During showings place crisp white sheets over the beds. You don’t need to get expensive ones, but white looks so summery.
5. Place a vase of fresh cut flowers on your kitchen counter. A way to bring the summer inside.

And, because it’s summer, consider filling the kitchen sink with some ice and mini bottles of cold water.

Have an awesome home showing! The Jacobi Team.