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

Answers to Top 3 Questions Home Sellers Are Asking Today

If you are a home owner then chances are you have thought about whether or not to sell your home and take advantage of the high home values in this hot real estate market. What’s stopping you? Perhaps it’s the daunting feeling you got when you thought of it. “Where do I begin??”, ran through your head. Perhaps many more questions ran through your mind. Well, there are lots of people asking these same questions! Here are the answers to the top three questions sellers are asking themselves today:

The Top 3 questions home sellers are asking today

1. Should I sell my home first and then buy my replacement home? Or should I buy my replacement home contingent on selling? Or should I sell and then rent and then buy? Help!!! (That’s all part of the same question BTW)

In a hot real estate market many buyers are competing for the same homes. This creates multiple offer situations where prices are pushed up and contract terms are very favorable for the sellers. As a home buyer, if you are writing a contingent offer on a home you want to purchase, chances are low that your offer will be accepted. It’s not an impossible scenario, but you better have a lot of patience and tough skin to endure getting your offer rejected over and over until you luck out and find your perfect home (which is already tough to do when inventory is low!) and a seller willing to wait the week to two weeks for you to sell your house and hope YOUR buyer closes escrow so they can!

Well, if buying a home contingent on selling is not the way to go, then what about putting your home on the market and then trying to find your replacement property while you are in escrow on the sale of your current home? With housing inventory at historic lows then you will most likely end up having to settle for a house that doesn’t meet your wish list items.

The answer? Your best bet, if you have to sell your home in order to buy your next home, is to sell your home and put the proceeds of the sale of your home in the bank (or you can discuss with a financial planner or CPA other liquid options). Move into a rental in the area where you want to buy your home and search for your replacement property then. You will have better buying power then. Renting for potentially three to six months is the “cost” of selling a home in order to buy a home that checks all the boxes for you, in a market such as this one.

2. What should I do to prepare my home for sale in this hot market? It will sell itself right?

Wrong. Although there are many more buyers out there than sellers, buyers are not willing to buy homes that aren’t presentable. Buyers are making concessions like paying more for a house than they would’ve a couple years ago, or buying a home that might need a little updating, or removing their inspection contingencies. But you still need to present a good product to the market from day 1. The homes in my area (Chico, CA) that are selling with multiple offers and/or quick sales are homes in the median price range, that are clean, have great photos on the listing, and are in desirable neighborhoods. We are also seeing some gentrification happening in older, more run down neighborhoods. New buyers are coming in and taking pride in their home and neighborhoods are starting to turn around and home values are rising in those areas too because of it.

If you are thinking about selling your home then the best things you can do to prepare are:
-Deep clean EVERYTHING and declutter
-Hire a great realtor with a proven track record of selling homes in your area and who has good reviews from their clients. Then do
exactly what they tell you to do.
-Do the little repairs you’ve been putting off: fixing that broken handle, replace all the burned out lightbulbs, paint the front door,
put that cover plate on the outlet that never had one, have those carpet wrinkles stretched out by a carpet installer. All those
little things add up and buyers notice when there are a lot of deferred maintenance on a home.

3. I can push the selling price of my home up, right? Buyers will pay, right?

Wrong. The way that prices get pushed up is that a home that is for sale, that is priced at market value, receives multiple offers and those buyers bid up the price. Then, once that home closes escrow, the final sales price is then published and that becomes the new comp for homes like it. So you will want to price your home for what other homes in your area like it have actually sold for in the last 90 days. It’s important to get an objective opinion of which homes are actually comparables to your home. As a home owner, we often over-value our home and we aren’t looking at its value the same way a home buyer is looking at it. So hire a great realtor, with a proven track record of selling homes in your area that also have great reviews from their clients. Wait, I already said that earlier didn’t I?

Written by Kim Jacobi, of the Jacobi Team of Century 21 in Chico, CA. Kim and Emmett Jacobi are a husband-wife real estate team with over a decade of experience in the Chico and surrounding area. If you have more questions about selling your home, reach out and we can answer them for you so you can make the right decision for you and your household.

Why THIS Winter is a GREAT time to sell your home

In a normal seller’s market there really isn’t any bad time to sell your house. However, Spring in Northern CA, where our real estate market is located, is usually the best time to sell and winter is usually not the best time to sell. Why is that? NORMALLY, buyers get distracted during the holidays and choose to put off buying a house. NORMALLY, buyers don’t like trudging about in the cold and rain to look at houses and want to wait until the weather is nicer. But these aren’t normal times.

How COVID has affected our market

Nationwide, and definitely in our Chico and surrounding area, there are less homes on the market and more buyers than ever. WHY? COVID is one huge reason. The affects of COVID have been felt in more than just the health care, politic and economical arena. It has affected WHERE people want to live. Many people are now able to work from home. Thousands of jobs are now offered to people remotely, whereas before, it wasn’t the case. And these remote jobs are looking like they are here to stay. So more people than ever are asking themselves, where do I want to live? COVID has also got people thinking about where they are in life and where they want to be. Many people have reflected on those two things and have decided to make a change. COVID has affected schools, jobs, where people want to live, and so much more. Now, more than ever, buyers are in abundance.

And how has COVID affected sellers?

Nationwide, the number of homes that are on the market are low because sellers who want to upsize are finding it difficult to do so because they can sell their home quickly but can’t find their replacement home fast enough. Some sellers are keeping their homes off the market due to the pandemic- they don’t want people coming through their house. Some people don’t want to sell because they feel nervous to sell and make a move during perceived volatile and uncertain times. Unemployment rates are extremely high, inflation is up, and politics are crazy.

Why this winter is a good time to sell

There is a vast amount of unsatisfied buyers who want to be in a home of their own and quit renting, or want to be in a different location or closer to family, or want to take advantage of the amazing interest rates before they go up, or the myriad of other reasons people are pressed to buy now. Home buyers are more motivated this winter than in the past. Buyers are very specific about what they want, and turn-key homes that are updated, or have more land than a postage stamp, often see the most offers (in the Chico and surrounding real estate market). Buyers nationwide are still out there in droves, ready, willing, and able to purchase a home, when the right one comes along!

If you’ve been holding off selling…

…then CALL us! We can help strategize with you and help you come up with a plan that works for you. Information and expert advise is key in making a decision like this. Reach out so you can get peace of mind. You can also get a free, instant home valuation without having to talk to us, using a tool we subscribe to called “Homebot”. Your information will NOT be sold or given away, and this is a secure site, so check it out here!

This blog post is written by Kim Jacobi, of the Jacobi Team of Century 21 in Chico, CA. You can reach Kim at Kim@JacobiTeam.com if you have any questions or comments.

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.

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?

–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.

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.

Taking on a fixer upper?

The real deal on TV home-remodeling shows

By Stephanie Brick, posted on the Washington Post website Click here to see original post
Oct. 22, 2018 at 5:00 a.m. PDT

It is no surprise that reality television is rarely a representation of reality. How genuinely can anyone act (no pun intended) with a crew of cameras and microphones within arm’s reach? From scripted dialogue to behind-the-scenes staging, reality TV has seeped into nearly every corner of the market, and home remodeling is no exception.

Through the evolution of television, facts and fiction have generally known their respective places and, even if commingled, remained distinct from each other. Historically, there has been a differentiating line between programming intended for entertainment and programming intended for information.

Blurred lines

The difficulty is that the television industry has increasingly blurred the line between shows designed for entertainment and shows designed for education. Channels such as TLC (which once stood for “The Learning Channel”), HGTV, and even the Weather Channel and various news syndicates used to be defined by either their informative or educational programs. Now, however, they are more entertainment than information channels: You are more likely to tune in to facts or reality — when it is even presented — encased by opinions, drama, heavy editing or outright inaccurate data.

How we process information changes when that entertainment/education line is blurred — specifically, when programs designed for entertainment start introducing elements of their show as factual (or vice versa). It is a sneaky way to tip the scales: The entire show is easy to register as entertainment. So when little “facts” or context-specific truths work their way in, we have our guard down and accept them, often without even thinking about it. At times, almost insidiously, these programs start to rebalance themselves in our minds as mildly educational. This is the danger zone of misinformation.

Search for fixer-uppers in Butte County Click here

As a design professional, I believe one of my responsibilities is to help educate my clients. Despite living in the information age, we are surrounded by misinformation — and it can be nearly impossible to differentiate between the two without proper guidance. I see the source of this problem regularly when I tune in to shows about remodeling. So how can you tell what is true to the screen and what may be — directly or indirectly — propagating misinformation?

When it comes to home-remodeling reality TV, context is everything.

First consider the context of the home: Where is it located?

In some renovation shows, the city, state or even country (a surprising number that air in the United States are produced in Canada) are omitted. This becomes a honey pot for misinformation when numbers are then, inevitably, discussed.

Pricing for materials, labor and overall project budgets are not consistent across the United States, and any dollar amount needs context to have value. A $50,000 budget will yield wildly different results for a project in the heart of an East Coast city than it will in a Midwestern suburb. Always think to question where a project is located if numbers are discussed on a remodeling show.

It should also be noted that budget and total project costs may be influenced by the channel paying its regular and/or guest cast members each episode. (Do you think the designers, contractors and homeowners are only receiving 15 minutes of fame as compensation?)

Next, consider the episode in the context of its series.

Does it follow a formula? Confident designer makes lofty promises on seemingly low budget; problems are discovered during demolition; lofty scope must be dramatically reduced “to resolve discovered problem” or an egregious budget increase is required . . . every time.

To their credit, many of these shows do an excellent job communicating this true reality: Once construction has started, sometimes hidden or unknown existing conditions are revealed that warrant (or require) an unexpected increase in scope — which results in an increase in cost.

For instance, disintegrating pipelines or tangled DIY electrical work behind drywall usually cannot be detected — or accounted for — ahead of time. (As I tell my clients, we are still working on X-ray vision technology.)

However, this does not happen with every single household or project. So if you notice it happening — on a dramatic scale — during every episode of a reality TV show, recognize this consistently injected drama for what it is: a real representation of renovation risks? Perhaps. An excuse to get out of building that third-story addition that was never even close to realistic for the proposed, yet accepted, budget? Definitely.

Third, what is the context of the final results you are seeing?

Extravagant scopes on extremely short timelines are simply unrealistic. In theory, you could hire a huge workforce — but have you ever tried to find more than one really good craftsman or contractor to work on your home? How about a hundred? Even with the best of laborers, tight timelines rarely set anyone up for quality success.

In recent years, the grand unveiling of these finished houses have been quietly revealed as — sometimes — just grand shams, showcasing a meticulously composed staging. What you see is a beautiful, furnished, finished space, but just beyond the camera’s precisely calculated pan is an unfinished room and incomplete home.

Not knowing a project’s geographic context can lead to a misperception of budget and costs. Having only the pinhole sightline of a camera’s view can lead to unrealistic timeline expectations — even if just as an indirect, trickle-down effect.

We all know building a custom home from scratch in a week is unrealistic under normal circumstances. But does it not still, despite this acknowledgment, make three weeks for a bathroom remodel seem a little longer than it should be?

Whether or not your project is filmed by a crew and broadcast to the world, all architecture projects are governed by three factors: time, money and quality. If you are lucky, pick any two — speedy schedule, low cost, genuine craftsmanship — at the sacrifice of the third.

Many home-remodeling TV shows seem to deliver all three. These may be excellent sources for entertainment but should be recognized as poor sources of information.

Stephanie Brick is the owner of Stephanie Brick Design in Baltimore.

A Note from the Jacobi Team’s Kim Jacobi: Hey! We hope you stick around on our website and check it out! You can search for homes, sign up for our newsletter, and more!