My grandfather might have been the first to have his retirement be publicized – here is his 15 minutes of fame on local Los Angeles NBC News in 1971. This is filmed at the house they owned in North Hollywood when I was growing up:
The worst thing to happen to my grandfather was when he was chasing a stolen vehicle and the driver made a quick turn and caught my grandfather’s leg with the back bumper. He was pulled off his motorcycle and was dragged down the street for a couple of blocks!
Another San Diego realtor, Gavin Grant, was also featured, and on his blog he laid out his formula for determining the best time to sell your house. By his calculation (Pendings/Actives) in each of the last three years, the best time to sell your house was in March!
I have said in the past that the best time to sell is in May, and his counts show the most actual pendings then. But there are also more active listings too, so the competition nearby could affect your chances.
My Tips On When To Sell:
When Everyone Else Isn’t (no competition nearby).
When you have supportive Pendings and Solds nearby.
Giorgio has worked his tail off for four years to bring his documentary film to fruition, and now it’s set to debut at the largest doc-film festival in the world!
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, North Carolina, for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of nearly 100 films, as well as discussions, panels, and Southern hospitality. Set within a few city blocks, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation among filmmakers, film professionals, and the public.
I have seen the film, and for the most part, we (me and fam) play a smaller role. As the filming evolved, the story turned more toward the injustice of the government’s post-war housing policy, and the effects on society today. It is a fascinating movie, and I am grateful to have been a part of it.
I think we can all agree that Instagram has completely blown up since it’s launch in 2010 – last year they had 800 million active users! Posts can include from delicious recipes to all the hot celebrity gossip, but you can also get lots of home decor inspiration. There are so many accounts out there but these are the ones that I like the most.
It is no secret that I watch the Kardashians – my favorite being Kourtney. She is also really into interior decorating and she mentioned a few accounts she likes to follow on her app.
Here are some of her Instagram favorites:
@archdigest – this is Architectural Digest’s official account. They have every kind of design style for any type of home!
@adesignersmind – photos from all over the world – inside and outside designs.
@1stdibs – they are a New York based marketplace filled with furniture (new or custom!), fashion, art, and jewelry.
These are other accounts I found from an article in The Spruce:
@em_henderson – she is a stylist, New York Times Bestselling author of STYLED, TV personality, and founder of a daily style blog. She really knows how to make a home look light and bright!
@sun.soul.style – this is Christina Higham’s account, an interior designer in San Francisco. She has done a few designs in San Diego though! I think her design esthetic is very simple but timeless.
@biggerthanthethreeofus – this is a cute story. This woman and her family of three started this blog when they were renovating their 3800+ sq ft home. They share DIY projects, design, home improvement, real-life progress, etc!
@homeyohmy – if you’re a fan of black and white, FOLLOW THIS ACCOUNT!
@jonathanadler – The oh so wonderful Jonathan Adler – his feed is “an exciting wonderland of bold and compelling patterns.”
Follow us on Instagram to stay updated on all things real estate! (mostly Kayla) Our handle – @thesandiegorealestate.
Redfin publishes their commission rate on their website, and it makes sense. All brokerages should make it easier for the consumer to evaluate the choices.
Here are my commission plans for home sellers:
Full Service – Expert (2% to 2.5%)
I handle all of the critical details that result in a signed contract. Preparing the house, guidance on attractive pricing, effective marketing, and implementing bidding-war strategies are the key categories. More details HERE.
The exact percentage is determined by price point, condition of home, and my involvement in the seller’s next move.
Kayla has been a realtor since March, 2014, and has been an active participant in our 122 sales since then. She possesses the best skill in a realtor – she is a natural salesperson – and I have been training her myself. For those who demand less commission but still want top-notch, quality representation, Kayla is an excellent choice.
Transaction Coordinating – Included in Both Above
For the last twenty years, Donna has been our expert in making sure your sale closes successfully with as little disruption as possible. To make sure everyone involved does their job correctly (escrow, title, lenders, and all other supporting cast), Donna tactfully tracks and encourages the 50+ people involved on every sale.
Limited Service
I don’t offer a limited service plan. The buyer-agents resent having to do both sides of the deal, and will penalize a seller along the way with lower offers, and heavy repair requests. Better to pay a reasonable commission to get adequate or expert representation.
Buyer-Agent Commission (2% to 2.5%)
Sellers also want to offer enough money to the buyer’s agents to be competitive with other listings nearby. A house listed with a below-market commission for the buyer’s agents will still get shown, but it will be used to sell the house down the street. Offer a ‘bounty’ that incentivizes agents to give priority to selling your house.
In all cases above, no money is required up front, and commissions are only payable if a transaction closes. The commission rate charged by an agent is a direct reflection of how serious they are about helping you, and their effectiveness. I will pay for myself every time!
I got an early start this morning and joined the nationwide annual event of counting our homeless population. About 50 volunteers met at the Encinitas headquarters of the Community Resource Center on Second Street downtown at 4:00am today.
We split up into teams, and figured we’d be working the beach area. Instead, everyone was assigned a census tract between Del Mar and Carlsbad in order to provide full coverage.
Our section was in Carmel Valley, and half of our designated area was filled with gated communities so we mostly poked around Pacific Highlands Ranch.
We did see one guy sleeping in his car near the on-going construction, and that was the closest we got to finding anyone who might be homeless. But I’m glad they include those living in cars because the lack of affordable housing is impacting those who have jobs – but can’t afford to live here.
The goal is to identify how big the problem is, and then work to solve it. If you’d like to participate, check the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless, who has the vision of ending homelessness in the San Diego region:
For the second year in a row, at the last minute we were able to rush a seller-financed sale, and close on the busiest day for recordings.
In this case, we didn’t have a signed purchase contract until 3pm yesterday – yikes! But we were able to compress a full escrow into less than 24 hours.
The buyer’s agent first called me on Tuesday morning, and I did my best phone presentation because you never know when it could be your lucky day.
I’m glad I did!
I first listed this property on 1/1/2013, and we have been on and off the market since. But over the last few months, we’ve been lowering the price and expanding the terms to include seller financing. There was never any trouble finding interested parties; but because of its unique nature, we had to find the right buyer because it’s really a one-bedroom house on 15 acres with a warehouse and horse corral.
This buyer wanted a sweetheart deal, so in exchange he took the property as-is with no inspections (we had 2 inspection reports), and had to close this year.
We had 3-4 escrows fail when buyers decided the property was too much for them. As a result, we were well-prepared with everything we needed to close promptly. Once we had an written agreement, the buyer just had to sign at escrow and wire his down payment. My LA-based seller had to sign the original grant deed (county insists), and it had to be back here by early today. Our escrow and title companies performed admirably as usual, and good communication clinched it.
