All Blog Entries by Lauren Spencer

4 Tips for Buying a Santa Cruz Home for Sale (Doing It Right the First Time)

Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 1:01am. 1 Views, 0 Comments.

If you’re looking for a Santa Cruz home for sale and you’ve never bought a home before, you might think, “This won’t take much time.” Typically, just the opposite is true.   Buying a home frequently takes quite a bit of time.

Of course, the whole home buying process will go much faster (and smoother) if you do things the right way. If you’re a first time buyer looking for a Santa Cruz home for sale, take some lessons from the pros. The following tips will help make the buying process fly:

1. Weigh the Benefits - Before you actually go house hunting, weigh the pros and cons of buying a home. Can you really afford it? Is it a good idea, or are you caving under pressure from family, friends, your doctor and the next-door neighbor?

Make sure that you’ve actually…

3 Tips to Buying an Eco-friendly Home for Sale in Santa Cruz

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 1:01am. 2 Views, 0 Comments.

Buyers are becoming more concerned about their personal environment, from eco-friendly carpeting to energy efficient appliances. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly home for sale in Santa Cruz, but aren’t sure how to find it, here are a few tips on what to look for:

1. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) – Although the number is growing, only a few builders are employing eco-friendly practices during construction. However, those that do can qualify for the EPA Indoor airPlus designation. These homes are designed for better IAQ, which means a healthier home for you. Rest assured, if a builder meets this designation they’ll tell you about it. However, just in case – ask!

2. Energy Efficient – If it qualifies for the EPA Indoor airPlus designation, the home for sale in…

3 Things You Shouldn’t Say No To With a Home for Sale in Santa Cruz

Sunday, September 5th, 2010 at 1:01am. 4 Views, 0 Comments.

The point of having your home for sale in Santa Cruz is to… well, sell it, isn’t it? I mean, it makes logical sense, right? Yet, too often, home sellers seem to think that selling is as easy as “hire agent, put sign in front, sold.”

This attitude, especially in a slow real estate market, has left many a seller empty-handed. They say “no” when they should have said “yes.” They have all these reasons why they won’t “A, B or C,” rather than just doing “A, B or C” for their home for sale in Santa Cruz.

What am I talking about? Well, here are just a few of those “don’t say no” things:

Buyer Incentives
Listen – a slow market or not, you do have competition. What does this mean? You may have the best house on the block, but if your neighbor’s house has higher…

NRT's Top 1,000 Sales Associates

Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 1:01am. 8 Views, 0 Comments.

August 2010

Lauren Spencer
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Aptos
7979 Soquel Drive
Aptos, CA 95003

Dear Lauren:

Elite. Exceptional. Unparalleled. These are the words that come to mind as I think of your performance during the last three months, which has resulted in you placing at number 920 among NRT's Top 1,000 Sales Associates for the second quarter of 2010. To put this accomplishment in perspective, you rank among the top two percent of the company's 45,000 sales associates. In light of continuing market challenges, this is nothing short of remarkable.

I am so deeply impressed with your commitment to service which undoubtedly contributes to your success. Thanks to a dedicated corps of agents like you and your esteemed Top 1,000 colleagues, Truly…

When Santa Cruz Homes for Sale Don’t Fit the “In” Crowd

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 1:01am. 6 Views, 0 Comments.

It’s time for some tough love, here. Your home doesn’t fit in with other Santa Cruz homes for sale. It doesn’t play well with others. When you put it on the market, you priced it more than 8% higher than the other Santa Cruz homes for sale. Frankly, it’s a market bully.

Look, I understand that you want to make the most out of your investment. Maybe you’ve done some serious remodeling that you feel warrants the price hike. I’m not putting any of that down, but I’d be doing you a disservice if I let you ignore the facts.

• There is no longer a federal tax credit to entice buyers and get them interested.
• Your house is competing with several foreclosures – many of which are priced as low as the lender can handle.
• The longer your house sits on the market,…

The FSBO Mindset: Successful Ways to Sell Your Santa Cruz Real Estate

Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 1:01am. 8 Views, 0 Comments.

When you first set out to sell your home, you are probably excited by all the possibilities, maybe a little scared, and often thinking about the best ways to save money. Many times saving money when selling Santa Cruz real estate means trying to sell it as a FSBO (For Sale By Owner). If you have the conviction, the salesmanship, and the knowhow you might be able to sell your home yourself and keep the commission in your pocket. There are, however, a few key elements you should be aware of when attempting to sell your own home.

Your House—Not Your Home

The first trick of selling your own home is to immediately stop thinking about it as your home. It may seem like an insignificant change and purely a matter of semantics but as your 'home' you will have far…

Seller’s Remorse: What Happens After Your Santa Cruz Home Sells

Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at 1:01am. 6 Views, 0 Comments.

It happens to everyone at some point. You walk away from the closing table wondering if you made the biggest mistake of your life. Did you sell your Santa Cruz home for less than it was worth? Will you be able to create new memories in your new home? This is called seller’s remorse.  Here are some tips to prepare for it and survive it:

• Seller’s remorse is a fear, and you should deal with it just like you would any other fear. Talk about it with your friends, family, and real estate agent. They can listen to you and reassure you that you made the right decision.

• Remind yourself of the facts. Facts are the opposite of fear, and they will help take your focus off your fears. If you are moving because of a job relocation, you had to sell your home. If you…

Rising Trend Points a Way to Keep Your Santa Cruz Home

Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 1:01am. 7 Views, 0 Comments.

According to RealtyTrac, 1 in 70 homes have received foreclosures notices since January, 2010 – a total of 1.7 million houses in the U.S. Was your Santa Cruz home one of them? In previous blogs, we’ve covered several ways to avoid foreclosure, but a rising trend has brought another possibility to the forefront.

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, many individuals are surviving the economic blues by expanding their households. By the end of 2008, more than 16%, or 49 million, of Americans lived in a household with more than one generation. Although the statistics aren’t back yet for 2009 -2010, experts expect the numbers to be even higher.

These Americans aren’t all young college graduates moving back in with mom and dad, either. Parents have…

Owe More than Your Santa Cruz Home is Worth?

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 1:01am. 9 Views, 0 Comments.

If you’re a homeowner who is unable to refinance to a lower interest rate because your Santa Cruz home’s value has decreased, there’s hope.

A program called the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) has been extended for another year.  This program, intended to help borrowers whose homes have fallen in value, was due to expire as of June, 2010.  Fortunately, HARP has been extended and will now stay in effect through June 30, 2011.

How does HARP help?

The program allows qualified borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth to refinance at lower interest rates.  It’s projected to help 4 to 5 million homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

If you’re a Santa Cruz home owner whose mortgage interest rate is significantly…

Is Your Santa Cruz Home for Sale a Victim of DIY Remodeling?

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 at 1:01am. 13 Views, 0 Comments.

Has your Santa Cruz home for sale been victimized by DIY remodeling projects? Did they not quite turn out like you thought they would? You aren’t alone; I’ve walked into houses with cabinets hanging at a slant and the owner proudly telling me they did it themselves.

Leave it to a pro.
Not everybody can be a remodeler. Not everybody is handy at everything. For instance, I can change the oil on my car, but I leave engine overhauls to the professionals.  Why? Because that’s what they do, and they do it well.

Now, many people choose to do remodeling themselves because they think it’s cheaper – and it often is when done right. However, knowledge is power. It’d be cheaper for me to do my own engine overhaul, too, but I’ve never done it before and don’t know how.…