Selling Your Pasadena Home or Condo

Pasadena Realtor, Ramiro Rivas

What is the secret today’s savvy Pasadena sellers have learned that’s helping them sell fast for top dollar? They’re cleaning up in today’s Pasadena real estate market — then rolling over their equity into a better home without changing their monthly payment significantly.

Does this sound too good to be true? Nope. I see it every day. But those Pasadena sellers know the secret to selling fast in today’s market. Not price. Not condition. Not location. But a critical secret only industry insiders know from experience: Buyer incentives.

Interested? If you’d like me to show you how I would market your home to get the highest possible price in today’s Pasadena real estate market, give m

e a call. I’d be happy to help you sort through all the buyer incentives to find those that will attract buyers like a magnet to your property.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Ramiro Rivas, Pasadena Listing Agent

Ramiro@RivasEstates.com    626-497-4606

pasadena listing agent, pasadena real estate

Pasadena’s Ultimate Craftsman Home, The Gamble House.

Designed by renowned craftsman architects Greene and Greene.  Designed in 1908 and built for David and Mary Gamble.  This amazing Pasadena Craftsman Home has been envy of Craftsman enthusiasts.   Contact us or call 626-497-4606 if you want to sell or buy a Pasadena Craftsman House.

Pasadena Architecture, Pasadena Craftsman Homes

We heard from many of you that you’d like to be able to access Zillow’s rich real estate information (we have data on 95 million U.S. homes) on-the-go from your Android device, and we’ve responded with the launch of the free Zillow Android App. With the app, you can view Zestimate home values, homes for sale, homes for rent, recently sold homes, and more.

You can search for any home using Android’s voice search feature in which you simply say an address, neighborhood or city and the app will instantly take you there. You can also check out homes as you walk or drive through a neighborhood with the built-in GPS technology. When you see a home you’re interested in, just click through to see photos, home details and contact information. And unique to the Android, you can view homes curbside with Google Street View- which we think is pretty useful.

If you are interested in giving the Zillow Android App a try: Go to the Zillow Android App page and watch a video, read about the features, and download it—for free!

If you have an iPhone, be sure to download one of the most popular real estate app on iTunes, the Zillow iPhone App (http://www.zillow.com/iphone/).

For more information, visit www.zillow.com.

Zillow Android App

Toward the northern end of Los Angeles County is a cozy little town called Castaic.   To get there, head north on I5 past Magic Mountain and the 126.  It’s the final stop before heading up the hill toward the Grapevine.  

Castaic Lake, View of the Upper Lake

Castaic is mostly recognized for its lake, Castaic Lake, frequented in large numbers by tourists and Southern California natives during the warmer months of the year.  Castaic Lake has upper and lower portions separated by a dam, each known for the different recreational activities it offers.  If you want to have a nice relaxing picnic with your family and a refreshing dip in the water, visit the lower lake.  For boating, skiing, and other watercraft sports, visit the upper lake.  Some other attractions at the lake include the popular 4^th of July Fireworks show, Bass Tournaments, Walks and Runs, fishing, kayaking, swimming, and biker events.  

If you’ve never visited Castaic before, another great way to see this town is simply to take a hike.   Right now is a perfect time to hike the hills surrounding the lake.  The weather is cool, the grasses are green, and the sky is clear!   This time of the year is perfect for seeing beautiful wild grasses and flowers on the rolling hills and sprawling California Pepper Trees.  Once you reach the summit, you’ll have a spectacular view of both the lower and upper lake. 

Castaic Lake Recreational Activities

To visit, enter the main entrance to the lower lake on Ridge Route Road and look for the signs indicating where the trails are.  If you pass the entrance, you’ll end up in the gorgeous North Lake neighborhood with homes overlooking the lake.  You’ll probably like what you see, so after touring the neighborhood, Contact Us and let us find your new home in Castaic!

Castaic Lake

Home Staging Decor, Interior Staircase

What is staging?  Staging is preparing your home’s interior for viewing by Pasadena Realtors® looking for potential buyers, or the buyers themselves.  When preparing to sell your Pasadena home, staging is an important part in getting the most value for your home.  Once you have decided to sell your home, making it appealing to potential buyers is crucial whether you are occupying it or moving out and into your new residence.   

Staging your Pasadena home includes some preparation.  If you are still living in your home, a great place to start includes de-cluttering, cleaning, organizing, and depersonalizing your home.  De-cluttering, cleaning, and organizing will make the space appear larger, more appealing, and presentable to its viewers.  De-personalizing your home allows the potential buyer to have a better visual idea of the home with their belongings in it without the distractions of the home owner’s personal sense of style or sentiments.  

To tackle these tasks, make sure you clean your entire home.  Put items away in their appropriate place or put them in boxes and store them neatly away.  Take down family pictures or other personal items of sentiment.  If you have a lot of furniture and getting around is difficult, take some furniture out, especially large pieces.   Don’t forget to set potpourri or candles around your home to ensure it smells clean and fresh!  And don’t forget the appearance of your porch and backyard.  These too are important selling points of your home!  Some work, such as basic  and inexpensive landscaping may be necessary and are worth every penny. 

If you will not be living in the home, you can hire a professional stager to help you make the home appealing and look livable to others.  A professional stager will come into your unoccupied space and assess the type of décor that will work in your home.  After the assessment, the stager will have furniture brought to the home and then have it arranged, decorated, and accessorized.  

If you need help learning about preparing your Pasadena home for a sale or would like more information on a professional stager, Contact Us and we will consult with you about the process of selling your home from start to finish, including the art of staging.

Home Staging, Pasadena Homes for Sale, pasadena real estate

Top 5 Tips for Securing an Accurate Appraisal

Beautiful Kitchen Island

When it comes to buying or selling Pasadena real estate, a successful outcome often hinges upon an accurate appraisal. Unfortunately, due to unrest in the appraisal industry sparked by government guidelines imposed by the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), securing an accurate real estate appraisal can be hard to come by these days. Colleagues have shared many a horror story about an appraisal gone wrong and a client that’s left to pay the price.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, however, I have learned that there are steps you can take to help ensure an appraisal accurately reflects the home’s market value. Consider the following advice:

1. Keep it local. Inaccurate appraisals are often the result of the current practice of using an appraiser who is unfamiliar with your community…sometimes, they’re even coming from another state! Talk to your Pasadena real estate agent and/or lender and insist that the appraiser involved is local and, therefore, understands home values in your neighborhood.

2. Utilize comps. Make sure your lender and appraiser are accurately leveraging comps (comparable market sales) of local Pasadena properties sold within the last six months to help appraise your home. Your real estate agent can help in this area.

3. Put your best foot forward. If you are selling your Pasadena  home, make sure it’s in the best possible shape before the appraiser visit. Invest in any necessary repairs and effective cosmetic changes. Consider how your home stacks up against other homes in your neighborhood and let that be your guide.

Pasadena California Bungalow

4. Review carefully. Review the real estate appraisal thoroughly to make sure all the basic facts are correct: square footage, features of the home, number of rooms, etc. If you find mistakes, call the appraiser and ask to have them corrected. If the appraiser refuses to make the corrections, file a complaint with your state’s real estate appraisal board.

5. Don’t settle. You are not bound to accept the appraisal results. Both buyers and sellers can request a new real estate appraisal. There is no guarantee that the bank will accept the new appraisal, but it can be used to challenge the first appraisal.

An honest, accurate appraisal can make all the difference in your real estate transaction. Follow the above steps and please e-mail me or call me Ramiro at 626-497-4606  for more details. I encourage you to forward this important information to your social network, as well.

appraisals, Pasadena Homes for Sale, pasadena real estate

The neighborhood known as the San Rafael Hills offers great Pasadena hillside homes with views and amazing mid-century architecture.  The San Rafael Hills is nearby to Old Town Pasadena and is conveniently located close to the major highways.

VIEW ACTIVE SAN RAFAEL HILLS HOMES FOR SALE

Please note that some homes that are on the perimeter of the San Rafael Hills in Pasadena, CA may show up in the listings featured.

Pasadena Homes for Sale, pasadena real estate, San Rafael Hills Pasadena

Cafe Columbia located in Downtown Burbank, CA

Downtown Burbank has many great eateries, but if you are willing to venture outside of the norm and off the strip, you will become acquainted with some delicious treasures.  Don’t limit yourself to San Fernando Blvd. because if you head two blocks east to Glenoaks Blvd., you will discover a great spot called Café Colombia. 

This quaint café was established in 1999 and offers both exotic and authentic Colombian food.  The owners decided to provide both traditional and “Nuevo Latino fusion” foods which include variations of soups and staples such as rice, beans, and plantains adorned with Colombian sauces and spices.  The traditional cuisine offers a home-style flavor, comforting the southern California Colombian community while the later attracts Latin food lovers.  If you find you are having trouble deciding what to eat, ask one of the friendly staff and you’ll get a lovely recommendation.  Don’t forget a side of the green soup!  But take a look at the menu, which describes each meal, and you’ll see you really can’t go wrong!  And if you don’t know what something is, ask and you’ll get a lesson on Latin cuisine. You can also learn about the different types of food on their website under “Colombian Talk” where you’ll find descriptions of food items.  

Café Colombia is a great place to visit any time of day for any occasion.  Start a breakfast tradition, enjoy a nice two course lunch special, or plan a romantic dinner.  Also serving wine, beer and tropical fruit smoothies, and featuring musical talent on Fridays, Café Colombia is located at 222 S. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502.

If you would like to learn more about living in Burbank, Contact Us and allow us to help you utilize the Tax Credit for Home Buyers.  Burbank is a great place  to live!

Burbank restaurant, Cafe Colombia, Colombian food, Latin cuisine, Visiting Burbank

Looking to Buy a Pasadena Fixer-Upper? The 203k Program Can Help Make It Happen

Traditional Ranch Style Home

Today’s Pasadena real estate market presents a lot of opportunity for interested home buyers—with the growing supply of foreclosure properties and short sales, there are certainly some great deals to be had.

The problem in buying a “distressed” property, however, is that these homes are often damaged due to lack of maintenance or prolonged vacancy. So while the price tag might be right, the investment necessary to make the home livable might just push buyers well beyond their budgets when purchasing real estate.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, however, I have access to the latest information on mortgage and financing options. One particular option that is providing hope for many of today’s home buyers is HUD’s FHA 203k program, a loan that enables buyers to not only secure a mortgage, but receive the funds necessary to improve the home as well.

Here are five facts about the 203k program to help you determine if it might be the right fit for you:

1. The FHA Section 203k program was originally introduced by HUD in 1978 as a program to rehabilitate and repair single-family homes. The 203k is a single mortgage loan that provides funds to purchase aPasadena home and make repairs and improvements. A simpler version, the Streamline 203k, was introduced in 2005. This version offers less documentation and lower loan fees for renovations that don’t exceed $35,000.

2. In today’s real estate market, conventional financing, which often requires 20% – 25% down on a home and a perfect credit score, is often hard to come by. However, with less-than-perfect credit and as little as 3.5% down, you can get an FHA loan, such as the 203k.

3. The 203k approval process is a little more complicated than a conventional loan. For example, you’re required to secure renovation costs from an established, licensed contractor and deliver a package of the proper paperwork to the lender to secure FHA approval. Make sure you work with an agent—like a member of Top 5—who is well-versed in the 203k program, or who can connect you with a lender that is.

4. The 203k loan is not just for foreclosures or distressed properties.

Foreclosure Definition

More than 80% of the homes in America were built before 1990—that’s over 100 million homes that are 20 years old or older—and almost every one is in need of some amount of repair and updating. The 203k loan, therefore, offers advantages for almost any real estate home purchase.

5. The 203k loan is not just for home purchases but can be used to finance a home improvement, as well!

For complete details on the HUD 203k program, you can visit www.fhainfo.com/fha203k.htm. Please feel free to Contact Me or call me Ramiro Rivas at 626-497-4606 , too, since this information can be hard to digest and confusing. Be sure to pass this e-mail on to any friends and family who might also be able to take advantage of a 203k loan.  Pasadena Homes for Sale.

203K Loan, Distressd Properties, pasadena real estate

Pasadena’s South Lake District is up and coming with many new developments.  Here you will find Pasadena Condos in all price ranges from Modern Studio’s to Elegant Pasadena Luxury Condos.  Some of the developments featured here include: Pasadena Collection Lofts, Sabine, Granite Park, Prado, Pasadena Collection West, and Hudson Terrace to name a few.

If you need professional real estate assistance in purchasing a Pasadena Condo, please contact me or call Ramiro Rivas at 6269-497-4606.

Pasadena Condos for Sale, pasadena luxury condos for sale, pasadena real estate, Pasadena Townhomes