5 Ways to Win in the Hot Southern California Market

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In such a hot market like Rancho Cucamonga, the questions of how to “win” in real estate is a common one. There are five things I think you really need to pay attention to in order to get the home you really want and beat the competitors.

1. Be informed and be proactive: You need to know about specific neighborhoods and communities you’re looking at or specific builders you want to buy from. Do the research by following them on social media and setting up Google alerts to stay on top of what’s going on with properties you like.
2. Register your home on the interest list: Open houses and new home communities have sign-in sheets and interest lists, so it’s important that the builder knows about you!
3. Work with a Realtor: Realtors have the inside track on new releases and can alert you to important property news before the public sees it. I’ve helped a buyer purchase a home before it even went onto the MLS.
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   Realtors have the inside track on new releases.

   
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4. Get pre-approved: I can’t emphasize this enough - it’s so important because many people don’t do it! Many are interested in buying a home but haven’t yet talked to a lender. Realtors can set you up with a good lender who can let you know what you can afford. If you find a home you love but you’re not pre-approved, you could lose out to a competitor who does have pre-approval.
5. Talk to your Realtor about options and upgrades: This is important for new homes. In new build communities, they trick the homes out with upgrades, which raises the base price. It’s important to know the amount that’s raised by upgrades because the actual price is usually well beyond the base price. Know your wants and your must-haves.

Thanks for watching! If you have any questions for us, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

How Erick shared his knowledge and time to help us find a home and keep everything moving ahead of schedule.

“Well, you know we met him at one of his open houses that happened to be in our old neighborhood. It was a house that was out of our price range. But while we were there he immediately started jumping on looking at other prospects for us, as far as what we were looking for and what we were thinking about. And we did tell him that we were probably going to wait till the fall to jump into the market to just kind of stay out of the way of the springtime/summer buyer and seller traffic. And he then he showed us the interest rates, where they were at the time, what the market was doing as far as what we were interested in, and he really showed us the importance of maybe going ahead and moving on it, like now. It made sense, we appreciated his knowledge, his area knowledge as far as this area we are moving back from having moved away to Santa Barbara and we are moving back to L.A. county, And so, we have been gone 10 years. He caught us up on what has been going on and we ended up putting in offers in on a couple homes before we finally got to this third one. Erick made sure the offer was presented. He stayed in touch with the other agents, he has been right there hand and hand with them even after they accepted our offer. He got our inspection people, the agency we were going to use, got us in touch with them right away, was able to get the appointments and stuff scheduled. Everything has just moved ahead of schedule really, thanks to him."

- Rozalyn McFarland

What To Do Before, During, and After an Open House

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Open houses can be very rewarding, but only if you approach them in the right way.  Here’s what to look out for before, during, and after an open house.

Before the open house, get a feel for the neighborhood. Drive around during the day and at night. Also, take a look at the condition of the other homes in the neighborhood and see how they are maintained. Take a look at common areas like parks as well.

During the open house, go in with a critical eye, but be able to look past minor cosmetic or design issues that blatantly stand out. Don’t mind the furniture, take note of the size of the room. Do keep an eye out for any big issues, like structural damage.

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You shouldn’t feel rushed.

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After the open house, the first thing you want to do is set an appointment to see the property again as soon as you can with your Realtor. Take your time when looking, because you don’t want to feel rushed. You will know the right property when you see it, so just trust your gut. Don’t take too much time, however, because the market is moving fast.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to  give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you out.

How working with Erick Carpenter has been a successful experience.

“We worked together in the past in real estate and that’s basically how we, in various different ways regarding we got home loans and estimates, that’s the type of relationship we have. Mostly business, more so. We have a great relationship working in business together. And like I said, we had some real estate investments in the past that were successful in the years past. I think our working, me and him working together, we have a pretty good working relationship.”

-Ammanuel Brooks