If you have a Santa Cruz home for sale and it’s sitting vacant, it's a perfect target for vandals. The signs are obvious, such as uncut grass and lights that never come on. In fact, a vacant house doesn’t just look vacant; it feels vacant.

Vandals aren’t the only problem for a vacant home for sale, however. The other problem is that a vacant home usually sells for less and sits longer than a well maintained, occupied home. So what’s the solution?

Well, if you live close by, you can visit the home, cut the grass, turn the lights on and keep it maintained. However, if this is more trouble than you’d rather go through, there’s another option – a live-in home stager.

You’ve probably heard or read a slew of information about home staging. If you haven’t,…

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The extension of the homebuyer’s tax credit, as well as the expansion to include upgrade homebuyers, has a lot of people looking for their dream home. Many are looking for that dream home in the listings for Santa Cruz foreclosures. Why?

The Law of Supply and Demand
Quick marketing lesson: every market is dependent on the law of supply and demand. When the demand for a product is higher than the supply, prices go up. When there’s more product than demand, prices go down.

This is what’s happening now, especially with Santa Cruz foreclosures. Around the U.S., the supply of homes has doubled in the past two years, reaching as high as a ten-month supply. While homebuyers have been reluctant to buy a foreclosure in the past, people are starting to rethink…

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Selling your Santa Cruz home is more than just setting a sale price and placing a sign in your front yard. It is an emotional process that can be stressful and frustrating. Here’s what you can expect to face:

• Putting your home on the market. You may have a difficult time deciding to put your house on the market even if you are being forced to move because of work or family situations. Your home holds memories that can be difficult to leave behind. You may even second guess your decision. This is a normal reaction.

• Showing your home to potential buyers. As buyers walk through your home, you may begin experiencing a new set of emotions. Your home will usually be cleared of excessive family mementos and seem lifeless to you. Keeping your home clean for…

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If you’re buying Santa Cruz real estate and talking to lenders, you’ll hear about the Good Faith Estimate. Because the Good Faith Estimate is required by law and lists all the costs associated with a mortgage, including closing fees with estimated pricing, it's a good place to start when searching for a lender.

Best practice for buying Santa Cruz real estate is to shop for lenders first. While you’re looking, ask for a Good Faith Estimate and then compare them. This will be your first indication about which lender is best for you.

Not All Estimates are Created Equal
Many closing fees for buying real estate are considered typical and have an average price range, such as:

• Title search and title insurance: $450 - $600
• Appraisal: $150 - $400

Because…

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If you're getting a mortgage on a home, your lender will require an appraisal. This is performed by a licensed appraiser who evaluates your home and determines its value. Here is a guide to your Santa Cruz home’s appraisal terms.
• Age: The actual age of your home is how long since your home has been built. The effective age is the adjusted age of your home based on improvements and repairs.

• Adjustments: Comparison Santa Cruz homes are usually not exact replicas of your home. The appraiser will make adjustments for things like premium views or swimming pools to bring the home values closer together.

• Appraisal: This is the estimated value of your home based on the appraiser’s documentation.

• Comparison approach: A type of appraisal in which your…

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Even though it may sometimes seem like it, home building and design trends are not conjured up using a crystal ball.  They are the result of surveys, observations, lifestyles, socioeconomic issues, entertainment, technology, and most importantly, the needs and desires of buyers.

Here are some of the national and Santa Cruz homes trends to expect in 2010.

Green is growing. 
A study conducted by Burst Media in late December, 2009, found that 90 percent of Web users surveyed have incorporated some aspect of going green into their lives, and overall, they are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products. 

Homes are getting smaller.
For 2010, home builders say they will focus on lower-priced and smaller homes. More than 95 percent of home…

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Saving money and going green are both hot topics right now.  So, I'm sure you've already heard the tips to turn off water while brushing your teeth, turn off TVs and computers and swap out old light bulbs for the new energy-saving versions. 
Here are 10 new ideas to help you save money and make your Santa Cruz home greener.

1. Swap stuff.  There are hundreds of online sites where you can get furniture, books, CDs, DVDs and even a place to stay for free by swapping stuff with other people.  And, I'm not just talking about Craigslist.  Two of the most popular and easy to use swap sites are  Paperbackswap.com and SwapaDVD.com.

2. Recycle your cell phone.  According to the EPA, if the 100 million cell phones no longer being used by Americans were recycled,…

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Nothing will turn off a potential buyer quicker than an offensive odor in your Santa Cruz home for sale. It may make them think you don’t take care of your home. At the very least, the odor will interfere with their ability to picture themselves in your home.  Take the time to remove odors from your home.

Here are 5 tips to make your home smell fresh and clean:

1. Clean your carpets. Your carpets are fibers that absorb odor. Have your carpets cleaned by a professional to remove odors stuck in the carpet and pad. Another option is to rent a carpet cleaner and clean them yourself.

2. Paint. Sometimes odors like smoke can be trapped in your walls. A fresh coat of paint will not only brighten your room, it can seal the walls and mask the offending odors.…

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I can hear you now, “Oh, no! Not another article on curb appeal to sell my Santa Cruz home!” To which I reply, “Oh, yes.” One more time around the block, but this time, we’re doing it in style.

The 21st Century Curb

Curb appeal is that thing you do to pretty up the outside of your home. It’s the landscaping, the painting and the checking of the little details. However, many home sellers (and real estate agents, for that matter), don’t take into account that the curb nowadays isn't just the view from the front of your house. In the 21st century, the “curb” starts right here on the Net.

Your online home listing has only three seconds - three short moments of time - to catch a potential buyer’s eye and turn them into an interested party. Unfortunately,…

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