Are you a Santa Cruz real estate investor or home buyer who wants to buy a short sale in order to get a great deal?  Unless you’re a seasoned short sale buyer, it’s not as easy as you may have been told.  In fact, there are so many steps to the process, this blog post only covers the first five.

1. Hire an experienced Santa Cruz real estate agent.  The first thing you want to do is find a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about buying short sales in your local market.  Unless you’re already a short sales expert, you need an experienced agent to guide you through the process because most homes that are listed as short sales never even make it to closing due to problems encountered along the way.  In fact, some stats show that as few as 1 in 10 short…

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Getting from “I want to sell my house” to “SOLD” is often a long and stressful process.  The last thing you want to do is find someone who wants to buy your house and then lose him or her. 

Here are five ways to avoid deal-killing surprises:

• Get a home inspection.  If you truly don’t want any surprises, get a home inspection before you put your home on the market.  Then make all repairs needed; or disclose the problems up front, and tell the potential buyers how much you’ve reduced the price instead of making the repairs.

• Do not ask for favors.  You don’t want to suddenly ask the buyers if you can delay closing for six months or if you can keep the crystal dining room chandelier.

• Go over the contract in detail.  Ask your agent to have the…

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With people gathering for summer pool parties and barbecues, it’s time to spruce up your Santa Cruz home. Almost every house could use some remodeling here and there, but if you’re thinking about putting your house on the market in the near future, you’ll also need to consider investing in updates that will provide a return.

So, before you fire up your grill, below are a few quick repairs to spark motivation, kindle a good investment and put fire behind a speedy sale of your Santa Cruz home.

• Flooring.  Consider refinishing hardwood floors, if they haven’t been done in a while; it’s worth the investment. Carpet should be in great shape. If not, replace it with a new neutral color. Also, make sure there aren’t any noticeable cracks in tile floors.

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Now is the time to make your dream of owning a second home in Santa Cruz come true.  Whether you want it for income property or as a vacation home, you may never encounter a more perfect time to get a great deal on your dream home.

Here are five reasons why now is the time to buy a second home in Santa Cruz:

1. The housing market is stabilizing.  Home prices are stabilizing and are not predicted to drop much past their present point.  This means homes will once again gain equity making them a good long term investment.
 
2.  Inventory is high.  There are homes available in all price ranges and neighborhoods so finding that perfect second home is well within reach.

3. You get more for your money.  With all the homes currently on the market, many sellers…

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With so many of today’s buyers beginning their property searches online, the photos that you post can often be the deciding factor in whether or not a buyer even looks at your Santa Cruz home for sale. Take advantage of these simple tips to help your house put its best foot forward — and say cheese!

5 tips to take great pictures:

1. Make sure your camera is up to par. You don’t need a professional camera with a four-figure price tag, but ensure your camera is at least 3.5 mega pixels. These days, that is not going to cost you much at all. In fact, the camera in your new smart phone may be all that you need.

2. Clean! A great picture of a dirty house will just show more of the dirt. Touch up your walls, clean your carpets and de-clutter.

3. Don’t…

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If you own Santa Cruz real estate that you rent out, you already know how much work it is to juggle all the responsibilities of being a landlord.   Being able to share that work with someone else is an obvious reason for hiring a property management company.

Here are five additional benefits to hiring a company to manage your rental properties:

1. Stay up to date on legal issues:  It’s difficult to stay on top of all the ins and outs of rental ordinances and tenant’s rights.  Property management companies ensure tenant and landlord rights are not violated and that all state and local laws regarding rental property are followed.  To help with this, property management companies often have an attorney on staff or on retainer.

2. Free up more of your…

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