NE Altadena Real Estate: Tired Traditional Offers Mass Market Appeal

Looking for a great value? I don’t know of any buyer in the Altadena real estate market who isn’t! Every home will sell and any deficiency can be overcome through pricing. Although many sellers don’t want to believe it, this is an industry fact. Sellers often don’t understand that location, condition, how a home shows, ease of access are all factors that impact a home’s value and desirability in the marketplace. Furthermore, most of the population has limited vision. What they see is what they are buying. For this reason, homes that are “staged to sell” generate the highest sales price in the market. Often sellers do not want to spend the money to improve the condition of their home. Some sellers don’t understand why their furnishings and personal property would not be appealing to buyers; after all, they like it and a buyer is not buying their furnishings, they are buying the real property. A seller is selling their home; a buyer is buying a house. Showing one’s home can be a very emotionally taxing process. It takes both time effort to prepare a home for showings and it becomes an intrusion on a seller’s time. Due to this fact many sellers attempt to limit or restrict the hours a home is available for viewing. When attempting to show properties to prospective buyers too often the listing office states, “That time is not convenient for the seller. Can you make the showing later or tomorrow?” What sellers fail to understand is that agents make showing appointments in advance and this requires the coordination of not only the buyer’s schedule, but the agent’s schedule as well. There is a reason the showing is being scheduled at a requested time. To just alter the time often means that seller may miss that showing. If you are a seller in the marketplace, you have made the commitment to sell your home. With this commitment comes some inconvenience. If you truly want to be the benefactor of highest possible sales price, I suggest you do the following: Price your home appropriately. This may mean making an adjustment due to your home’s location, adjoining parcels, and overall condition. Repair any blatant deficiencies such as pealing trim, overgrown landscaping, etc. Stage or “re-position” existing furnishings so that your home shows in its best possible light. Make showings easy for agents during normal business hours, seven days a week. This is most critical in the first 14 days of marketing. If you are buyer in the marketplace, consider the following: A seller is selling their home, you are buying a house. Don’t buy the home based upon how it shows. View the home as if it were vacant. This is what you will see once you obtain ownership. Look beyond the cosmetic improvements. It is the “guts” of the home which will cost you money in the long run. Sellers are often highly emotional about the sale of their home; as it is very personal. Try to be accommodating to a seller with a restricted schedule if you feel the property may suit your needs. If the home has been on the market for a while, don’t be shy about making an offer to overcome one or more of the deficiencies described herein. My Altadena Real Estate Top Property pick this week is 2115 Roosevelt Avenue, Altadena. This tired traditional has been owned by the same family for many years. It rests in a highly sought-after NE Altadena Real Estate area near Eaton Canyon hiking trails. The home offers a good floor plan, three bedrooms, plus a den, 1.75 baths, and a pool. Removing wallpaper, refinishing the hardwood floors, updating the kitchen and bathrooms, would make this an ideal home. There is even room to expand the rear bedroom and to add a 3rd bath. This property is exceptionally well priced at $675,000. What I appreciate most about this home is its “upside potential.” It rests among more expensive properties and thus, it cannot be over-improved. 7 Day Altadena Real Estate Market Recap New Offerings: 2115 N Roosevelt Ave | $675,000 | 3/2 | 1,610 | 9,454 1775 Craig Ave | $749,000 | 3/2 | 1,722 | 9,996 2377 Ganesha Ave | $798,000 | 3/2 | 2,152 | 5,948 Back-up/Pending: 637 Alameda St | $795,000 | 3/2 | 1,709 | 10,761 1026 E Palm St | $849,000 | 5/3 | 3,039 | 8,483 1200 Sunny Oaks Circle | $979,000 | 3/3 | 3,371 | 19,238 1922 N Pepper Dr | $1,078,000 | 5/4 | 3,791 | 9,450 2790 Holliston Ave | $1,095,000 | 3/3 | 3,196 | 13,068 1937 Mar Vista Ave | $499,900 | 1/1 | 1,036 | 9,779 2397 Highland Ave | $1,295,000 | 4/4 | 3,078 | 15,984 2225 Mendocino Ln | $1,399,000 | 5/6 | 3,955 | 11,430 Closed Escrow (sales price) 1701 Craig Ave | $635,000 | 3/3 | 1,492 | 8,107