Santa Cruz County Sale Price/List Price Ratio

Most, if not all, Santa Cruz real estate buyers begin with an Internet property search. Even buyers who are working with real estate agents start the weed-out process on the Web.

Because real estate has such a strong virtual presence these days, smart internet marketing (including price setting) is an absolute must for selling your home quickly.  Here are a few pricing techniques to maximize the number of potential buyers who find your home when they search for Santa Cruz real estate online:

• The theory of 9s - Most real estate search engines have parameters that filter listings based on $25,000 or $50,000 price blocks. For instance, you can search for houses valued $150,000-$200,000 or $200,000-$250,000. Many sellers don’t seem to take this into…

Do you think you have a good handle on what a reasonable price would be for your Santa Cruz home for sale? In today’s rollercoaster real estate market, the right price could be the difference between a quick sale and your house sitting for months without a single bite.

REALTORS® are experts when it comes to housing market values. However, if you’re planning on selling your house yourself, do you even know where to begin? Below are four tips the pros use to set a price that gets potential buyers in the door and still allows you to get the most money from the sale of your property.

Four tips to price your Santa Cruz home for sale like a pro:

1. Study your history – Take a look at what properties in your neighborhood sold for when you bought your house…

Contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in July, increased 3.2 percent to 97.6 from a reading of 94.6 in June, and is 12.0 percent higher than July 2008 when it was 87.1.  The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it was 100.7.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better.  “The recovery is broad-based across many parts of the country.  Housing affordability has been at record highs this year with the added stimulus of a first-time buyer tax…