SLO Life Real Estate

I'm newly affiliated with Coldwell Banker Premier, but not new to real
estate. My husband, a residential architect, and I have bought, sold,
built, remodeled, and renovated properties around San Luis Obispo
County for nearly 30 years, and sometimes I feel that I've walked
through, photographed, or peeked into nearly every home in the area!

Because I have been on both sides of the buying/selling equation, I
really understand your needs and concerns.

When you come to me to sell your home or investment property, you'll
get my personal, ongoing attention and the best and brightest marketing
tools and ideas specifically tailored to your situation. Your property will
be marketed, not just listed, using the innovative ideas I have developed
through years of marketing experience.

When you begin the search for your new home, you will be shown all the
houses that are in your preferred area and price range, and that meet
your needs. Best of all, you will have representation from the first time
you see your new home, through negotiations, the escrow process, the
closing, and afterwards.

I graduated from UCSB with a degree in American history, and enjoyed
a successful career in advertising and marketing. I am trained in conflict
resolution and mediation, and have worked with the local court system
as a volunteer mediator. I'm also a member of the National and
California Association of Realtors.

I love helping others to find their perfect home, lot, or investment
property, and I look forward to working with you.

One of the questions homeowners ask, especially if they are preparing to
sell, is how a home improvement will impact their final sale price. It's
foolish to "over-improve," but just as foolish to do nothing at all. So how
do you determine what is valuable and what is fluff?

A good way to start thinking about this is to divide your plans into four
categories: necessary home maintenance, curb appeal jobs,
"neighborhood norm" projects, and finally, the "appraisal booster"
projects.

Home maintenance jobs aren't very sexy, but they are essential to keep
up the value of your home. Replacing the roof, redoing cracked driveways
and paths, sealing and caulking around windows and doors, etc., will earn
few or no extra dollars when you go to sell, but are part of the overall
appeal of your home that will make it easier to sell.

Curb appeal projects are frequently the cheapest, and they also have
some of the greatest paybacks. Things you can do for under $100 that
have a fabulous effect:

Paint the front door and exterior trim on the front of the home.
Plant shrubs and annual flowers at or near the entry
Add a few decorative pots with specimen plants.
Wash all the windows, inside and out.
Power-wash the house, if you can't afford to paint the entire exterior
Re-sod a dead or overly weedy lawn.
Repaint or replace your old mailbox.
Add new, clearly-visible address numbers to the front of your home.
Remove eccentric lawn decor, children's toys and bikes, etc.

"Inside curb appeal" items generally cost you nothing and can make all
the difference in getting a good price and a quick sale. If you do nothing
else, DECLUTTER! This is cost-free and the single biggest difference
you can make in your home. If you can't bear to part with it, store if off the
property, but aim to reduce the amount of "stuff" (and furniture) in each
room by 1/3.

After decluttering, CLEANING makes the biggest difference. Every room,
but particularly the bathrooms and kitchens, should sparkle. Mostly this
involves the application of elbow grease (yours or a hired hand's), but
fresh paint can really help.

ODOR REMOVAL is part of cleaning! You want a neutral smell, not
cloyingly sweet or obviously covering up some other, icky, smell.
Deep-clean upholstered furniture and carpets, particularly if you have pets
or small children. Upholstery and carpets carry odors for years!

Dry-clean drapes, wash curtains if they'll go in the machine, and have
mini-blinds professionally cleaned.

Open windows and air out the place, if the weather is reasonably good.
Change the heater or a/c filter, as it also traps odors.

Finally, add a hint of a pleasant smell such as vanilla, cookies baking,
light floral scents (real flowers...what a thought!).

Most of these projects are free, and few will cost you more than
$100-$200. If you can earn an additional $10,000 at closing, why not
make that investment?