Realty World Tri-Shasta

There are definitely a lot of homes on the market right now here in Shasta County and the one question that is most likely keeps running through your head is how to make your home more appealing then all the rest in the same price range? The answer to that is simple presentation. Not only is it important to keep the house clean and free of visible damage for an appointments that potential buyers may schedule to view your home, it is also important to have an open house free of the same problems but with a little more effort.

If you read the paper you will notice that there is a section that advertises the times and dates an open house is going to be held, you will also notice that a majority of these open houses are held on the weekend during the afternoon. Why not schedule your open house and a completely different day? For example, old your open house on a Tuesday during the lunch hour or in the evening time when people are off of work.

Another tip is signage. Make your signs visible but also make them appealing to the eye. You will want something that is going to draw in any potential buyers.

When it comes to the home it is important to make sure every room within the home (even the garage and the yards) are clean. In the kitchen or dining room have drinks and snack readily available, this will cause the potential buyer to want to stay longer and talk about your home. If you have pets see if a friend or family member would be willing to watch them during your open house. And, get the family out of the house! You want a one-on-one basis with any person who walks through your door, and it is easier when you are the only person dealing with them.

So good luck on your next open house, I hope it goes great for you!

Southern Shasta County and Northern Tehama County

Anderson (including Happy Valley)

There is a total of 102 active listings within the Anderson area, the average days on the market is currently sitting at 153 days. The low price is $59,900, the high is $2,799,000, the average price is $286,391, and the median price is $212,400.

There is a total of eight listings available for under $100,000; there are 33 between $100,000 and $200,000, 35 between $200,000 and $300,000, 11 between $300,000 and $400,000; seven between $400,000 and $500,000; two between $500,000 and $600,000; none between $600,000 and $700,000; two between $700,000 and $800,000; none between $800,000 and $900,000; two between $900,000 and $1,000,000; and two above $1,000,000.

There has been 12 new listings on the market within the past week, the prices range from $94,900to $354,900.

There is currently 66 listings in escrow, the prices range from $41,400 to $649,000.

There was three closings within the past week, the prices ranged from $55,500 to $187,000.

Cottonwood (including Lake California)

There is currently 120 active listings within the Cottonwood area, the average days on the market is currently sitting at 168 days. The low price is $90,000, the high price is $1,295,000, the average price $306,958, and the median price is $252,450.

There is one listing available for under $100,000; there are 27 between $100,000 and $200,000; 45 between $200,000 and $300,000; 18 between $300,000 and $400,000; eight between $400,000 and $500,000; five between $500,000 and $600,000; one between $600,000 and $700,000; one between $700,000 and $800,000; none between $800,000 and $900,000; one between $900,000 and $1,000,000; and three available for over $1,000,000.

There were 17 new listings for this area within the past week, prices range from $90,000 to $1,350,000.

There are currently 30 listings in escrow, prices range from $85,500 to $450,000.

There were no closings within the past week.

Prices are down here in Shasta County and so are interest rates, if you are looking to buy a home this is the time to do it. There are some great homes out there that are available at a good price, and they are not lasting very long on the market. On a majority of the homes listed for under $200,000 it at times has been a bidding war, and we have seen properties go for mare than what they are listed for.

First time home buyers, now is the time to move. Go out and get you pre-qualification or pre-approval done with the lender of your choice. If you go and do that first you will be able to figure out how much money you may have to bring into the transaction and be able to figure out how much home you are going to be able to afford.

Also figure out what area you want to live in and start to look there, if you don’t find what you are looking for expand the area you want to look. And the most important thing is to just go out there and view homes, even attend Open Houses if necessary, to get the feel of what you are looking for. That way when you come across that “certain” home there will be no question as to whether or not this home is made for you.

The best way to decide what you are looking for in your first home is to write it down on a list. Sit down and discuss with your partner esactly what you guys are looking for, what is important, what is not important, and what would be a nice feature but you don’t have to have. When you then view homes keep that list in mind, or refer to it with each home.

Now, if it comes down to more that one home compare those homes to each other and that little list you carry around in your pocket. Compare and contrast, even work out a special numbering system. If worse comes to worse go back and view those homes again. Your agent should be more than willing to take you back to those homes as many times as necessary to help you make your decision.

So good luck and good hunting.

Sorry about missing last weeks market analysis for the Anderson and Cottonwood areas. I was attending a social media class offered by Realty World; I found the course to be very helpful and informative, I am glad I went. Now, on the the market analysis…

Southern Shasta County and Northern Tehama County

Anderson (Including Happy Valley)

There are currently 107 active listings within the Anderson area. The average days on market is currently standing at 147 days. The low price is $62,900, the high price is $1,750,000, the average price is $267,492, and the median price is $200,000. The listing available for $62,900 has two bedrooms, two baths, is 1,032 square feet, and sits on 4.2 acres. The listing available for $1,750,000 has four bedrooms, four and a half baths, is 4,100 square feet, and sits on 82 acres.

There is currently eight listings available for under $100,000; there are 43 listings available between $100,000 to $200,000; there are 28 available between $200,000 and $300,000; there are 12 listings available between $300,000 and $400,000; there are six listings between $400,000 and $500,00; there are four between $500,000 and $600,000; there is one listing between $600,000 and $700,000; there is one listing between $700,000 and $800,000;  there is one listing between $800,000 and $900,000; there are two listings between $900,000 and $1,000,000; and there is one listing available for over $1,000,000.

There has been 21 new listings within the past week, there is currently 53 listings pending (in escrow), and there has been seven closing within the past seven days.

Cottonwood (Including Lake California)

There is currently 108 active listings within the Cottonwood area. The average days on market is currently standing at 162 days. The low price is $39,900, the high price is $1,700,000, the average price is $331,167, and the median price is $259,00. The listing available for $39,900 has one bedroom, one bath, and is 550 square feet. The listing available for $1,700,000 has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, is 2,476 square feet, and sits on 112 acres.

There is one listing available for under $100,000; there are 25 listings available between $100,000 and $200,000; there are 44 listings available between $200,000 and $300,000; there are 16 listings available between $300,000 and $400,000; there are 11 listings available between $400,000 and $500,000; there are four listings available between $500,000 and $600,000; there are no listings available between $600,000 and $700,000; there is one listing available between $700,000 and $800,000; there are no listings available between $800,000 and $900,000; there is one listing available between $900,000 and $1,000,000; and there are five listings available for above $1,000,000.

There was seven new listings within the past week, there are currently 35 listings that are pending (in escrow), and there has been three closings with the pest week.

For those of you interested in how Shasta County Real Estate has been rolling…http://www.redding.com/news/2009/oct/22/shasta-county-home-sales-picked-up-in-september/

The most important element of successful home showing is to let your realtor do the presentation. Many potential buyers feel like uninvited guests around homeowners and become intimidated. Especially during the first showing. It’s in your best interest to rely on your local Shasta County realtor for this vitally important part of the sale. But there are lots of things you can do that make a world of difference.

~Give your home a warm glow by turning on all the lights, even those in the closets and the basement.

~To make rooms appear larger and more inviting, open the curtains and blinds

~At night, turn on the porch light or any other exterior light that’s available.

~Run the hot water while grinding a lemon or lime in th garbage disposal for 30 seconds to a minute.

~Never apologize for appearance, after all it has been lived in.

~Arrange your furniture to allow comfortable access within rooms.

~Turn off the TV, and tune the radio to a classical station at a low volume.

~Make the beds and straighten towels.

~Empty all the waste baskets and take out the kitchen trash.

~Get rid of dirty dishes and other clutter on the counter tops and tables.

~Pets are a red flag to many potential buyers. Put them outside or take them for a walk during the showing.

For many people, selling a home can be even more stressful than buying a home. Your realtor understands this and will do everything possible to facilitate the process in as painless a manner as possible. But the fact remains that if you want to sell your home you have to make it available for showing. That’s why it’s so important for you, the seller, to observe these fundamental requirements:

Please make every effort to cooperate with your agent when he or she calls for an appointment.

Like you, many times buyers are on a tight schedule. That’s why a Key Box on your property is to your advantage. It helps assure your home gets shown to every prospective buyer.

Occasionally your agent may stop by unannounced to show your home to interested parties. Please try to cooperate–who knows, it may just be the big one

When looking for an agent here in Shasta County, or any other county in that matter, to help you buy or sell a home, people are wonder which agent would represent them the best? The best advice I can give someone is to sit down and talk to several agents and get to know them a little better. Pick the one that you are the most comfortable with, and who answers your questions the closest to how you would want them answered.

Here are some questions that could possibly help you along that journey of finding an agent:

1. How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job?
2. How many homes did you and your company sell last year?
3. How close to the initial asking price of the home you sold were the final sale price?
4. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home?
5. What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide to you?

It is important to know the type of questions you are going to ask, and the answers you expect to hear, before you sit down with the agent you are going to interview. It is always great to take notes, that way you can compare notes later on when you sit down to decide what agent you are going to use.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Upon reviewing the market for Anderson, CA this is what I have found for the active Single Family listings and Single Family Residents sold within the past month.

In Anderson, its self, there are currently 123 active listings. And the break down per price and Average Days on Market (Avg DOM) are as follows:

• $80,000 – $89,999 there is one listing that has been on the market for 88 days
• $90,000 – $99,999 there is one listing that has been on the market for 147 days
• $100,000 – $119,999 there are four listings and the Avg DOM is 94 days
• $120,000 – $139,999 there are three listings and the Avg DOM is 157 days
• $140,000 – $159,999 there are eight listings and the Avg DOM is 100 days
• $160,000 – $179,999 there are five listings and the Avg DOM is 185 days
• $180,000 – $199,999 there are seven listings and the Avg DOM is 178 days
• $200,000 – $249,999 there are 27 listings and the Avg DOM is 153 days
• $250,000 – $299,999 there are 16 listings and the Avg DOM is 191 days
• $300,000 – $399,999 there are 23 listings and the Avg DOM is 202 days
• $400,000 – $499,999 there are 11 listings and the Avg DOM is 249 days
• $500,000 and over there are 17 listings and the Avg DOM is 188 days

In Happy Valley, which is a small community on the outskirts of Anderson, there are currently 10 active listings and the break down goes as follows:

• $180,000 – $199,999 there is one listing and it has been on the market for 122 days
• $200,000 – $249,999 there are three listings and the Avg DOM is 98 days
• $250,000 – $299,999 there are three listings and the Avg DOM is 82 days
• $300,000 – $399,999 there are two listings and the Avg DOM is 107 days
• $500,000 and over the is one listing and it has been on the market for 219 days.

The number of homes sold over the past month in Anderson was 13, the volume was $2,259,040, the average price was $173,772, the median price was $160,000, and the Avg DOM was 148. For Happy Valley there were two Single Family Residents sold within the last month, the volume was $405,000, the average price was $202,500, the median price was $202,500, and the Avg DOM was 184.