Life and Real Estate in The San Ramon Valley
Bernard Gibbons - The English Agent (J Rockcliff Realtors)
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Posts by Bernard Gibbons - The English Agent (J Rockcliff Realtors)
450 Ideas To Improve The Value Of Your Home – even if you have no plans to sell!
October 12, 2011
Many of us are regular viewers of programs like Weekend Warriors and Landscaper’s Challenge on HGTV and they make it seem so easy. But those of us that have followed their examples know it generally isn’t as easy or as affordable as is often suggested. Sure, the materials for some of these projects may not cost a fortune but that is often all that is considered. The TV producers frequently get contractors to donate their time in exchange for the valuable publicity they receive, so the true cost of the project is never appreciated. Still, it usually makes a good story.
The problem with many home improvement projects is that they simply cost too much to accomplish when compared with the value they add to your home.
The book pictured here, “450 Ideas To Help Your Home Sell Faster“, contains a wealth of information and suggestions for no-cost or low cost things you can do to improve the value of your home. I have acquired distribution rights to this excellent book and my primary intention was to give a copy to all of those sellers I work with who have the time to carry out some cost-effective improvements before placing their home on the market. Having digested the contents, I quickly realized that even if you don’t plan to sell your home for a while, this is an excellent resource for ideas to make it more pleasant to live in. This is no small brochure. There are 52 pages of content covering every room in the house as well as the outside and even the garage. If you would like a copy, send me an email to bernard@bernardgibbons.com. I will send one to you by return email within a few hours. There is no cost or obligation to you and I hope you find it of interest.
If you are thinking about buying or selling anywhere in the San Ramon Valley or Lamorinda and you need advice on any aspect of the process, give me a call and I’ll arrange to meet with you and evaluate your situation. There is never any obligation and I am always happy to hear from you.
Bernard Gibbons – “The English Agent” – (925) 997-1585
bernard@bernardgibbons.com
bernard@bernardgibbons.com
www.JustSanRamonHomes.com is the complete real estate resource for home buyers and sellers in San Ramon
Bernard Gibbons, CA DRE License #01331583
J Rockcliff Realtors . 15 Railroad Avenue, Danville, CA 94526
Reducing The Stress When You Sell Your Home And Buy Another One
September 13, 2011
One of the biggest headaches most people face when selling their home is how to tie it into the purchase of the home you are moving to. Should you sell first or buy first?
If money is not an issue, there is no problem. Just buy your next home first and then list your existing home for sale. But for most of us, money is an issue so that approach won’t work very often.
First Carry Out A Feasibility Study
Having decided you want to move or you need to move, the first step should be to see if your expectations are realistic. There are two key questions you have to ask yourself. The first one is a two-step question: “How much can I realistically expect to sell my present home for and how much cash will that leave me with after settling the outstanding loan and costs associated with the sale?”
The second question to ask is “Based on the cash I will have available after selling my present home and the amount of monthly mortgage payments I can afford and qualify for, can I realistically expect to buy a home that meets my expectations?”
You will have noted that “realistically” is a key word in each question. Realism is crucial to holding down your stress level.
Answering The Questions
The answer to the first question can be found by seeing what homes similar to yours are selling at now. To do this, you need to use a local Realtor who will have access to such information. Call me or another agent you know and trust, and you should have the answer to your first question within a few days.
A Word Of Warning
Don’t be tempted to shortcut the process by using a web site such as Zillow to get an automated valuation of your home. These are notoriously inaccurate.
The Home Search
Now you know how much you can spend it is time to see what is available. This time the Internet does come to your rescue. There are various ways to use it of course. You can go on to some web sites where virtually every home listed on any Multiple Listing Service in the country can be found. Or alternatively, you can use a web site like mine where you just search homes for sale in the local geographic area where you want to buy. You will still see all of the homes that are listed for sale in the area complete with all the data that is available but the search procedure will be less cumbersome.
Putting It All Together
By now you know if your plans make sense. If not, you can either adjust your expectations or just decide to stay where you are a while. But assuming that you want to make the move, your next step is to get your home ready for sale, another area where an experienced Realtor, such as me, will provide you with lots of help and advice. And then get it on the market.
What If It Sells Too Fast?
While your home is on the market, you should be aggressively searching for the home you want to buy. Then as soon as you agree a sale, you already know which home you want to write an offer for. This is how most people tie the two transactions together. A useful tip is to list your home with the proviso “seller may need a 2-4 week rent-back”. This allows for the fact that simultaneous closings are not always easy to arrange so the move is much better controlled.
Another approach you may want to think about is listing your home “contingent on seller finding a replacement home”. Again, this takes away the possibility of you selling your home and having nowhere to go.
Buying Before You Sell
Provided that your home is listed for sale at a realistic price, there is nothing stopping you writing an offer on another home, Contingent on you selling your present home. Contingent offers are not the most attractive offers to a home seller but provided that the buyer’s home is priced realistically, a seller will sometimes consider it.
Other Options
If you really want the most stress free sale and purchase, I recommend that you consider selling first, then renting on an interim basis while you find your next home. Yes, it means moving twice so there are some added expenses but a number of clients of mine have done this and they say it was definitely worth it, not just for relieving the stress but it also gave them time to find the prefect home.
If you are thinking about buying or selling anywhere in the San Ramon Valley or Lamorinda and you need advice on any aspect of the process, give me a call and I’ll arrange to meet with you and evaluate your situation.
Bernard Gibbons – “The English Agent” – (925) 997-1585
bernard@bernardgibbons.com
bernard@bernardgibbons.com
www.JustSanRamonHomes.com is the complete real estate resource for home buyers and sellers in San Ramon
Bernard Gibbons, CA DRE License #01331583
J Rockcliff Realtors . 15 Railroad Avenue, Danville, CA 94526
Restaurant Review – Mangia Mi, Danville, CA
September 13, 2011
I wonder how many of my readers even know of the existence of this little restaurant. A relative newcomer to the Danville restaurant scene, it is nestled down a short walkway off Hartz Avenue, just a little south of the Veterans Hall.
It may be small but it makes terrific use of every inch of space. To get to the entrance, you pass by the outside dining patio, then on entering, you find yourself in what feels like a very stylish, yet informal, wine bar where there is a lively buzz of conversation, a long bar with stools, surrounding an open kitchen, and as many tables as can sensibly be fitted in. And they do need every table. Mangia Mi is obviously becoming one of Danville’s most popular eating places for those in the know.
Sylvia and I visited for an early dinner on a Tuesday in September. We expected to find a pretty empty restaurant, but already it was filling up. They don’t take reservations, incidentally, and it does get full, but people seem happy to wait for a table while they have a glass of wine. As it was a beautiful evening, we took a table on the patio and enjoyed a glass of chardonnay while we perused the menu, where the emphasis is on quality, fresh ingredients and relatively simple but authentic Italian food.
We both passed on the appetizers and went straight to the entrees where Sylvia decided, for a change, to have a pizza, where they had five or six varieties to choose from. Her selection was the “Carni Suprema” – Marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, and caramelized onions. This was a thin crust pizza with a generous amount of topping and we both agreed it was delicious. The small (ten inch) one was just right for one person (plus a small slice for me).
For my entrée, I had one of the day’s specials – grilled prawns with a mango salsa, served on a bed of mesclun sald. I wondered if I needed a side dish with that (the menu had a few sides) but our waitperson thought probably not and she was right. This dish comprised six or seven enormous prawns that had been cooked to exactly the right point on a grill and tossed in a phenomenal mango salsa. Very, very tasty.
As this is an Italian restaurant, I figured that a tiramisu for dessert would be a good test of authenticity, and they passed with flying colors. In fact this may have been the best tiramisu I have ever tasted.
If all of this sounds like it may be expensive, nothing could be further from the truth. All of the main courses are under $20 (even a filet mignon!) and most are under $15.
Don’t miss Mangia Mi. This is now one of my favorites. Read more about them on their website at www.mangia-mi.com.
Bernard Gibbons – “The English Agent” – (925) 997-1585
bernard@bernardgibbons.com
bernard@bernardgibbons.com
www.JustSanRamonHomes.com is the complete real estate resource for home buyers and sellers in San Ramon
Bernard Gibbons, CA DRE License #01331583
J Rockcliff Realtors . 15 Railroad Avenue, Danville, CA 94526