How many times have you heard, “I was just in the right place at the right time?”
 
A good 15 to 20 years ago, I heard something I will never forget.
 
I was attending a seminar on how to negotiate with large advertising agencies placing television buys. The skills I learned are great for negotiating real estate […]

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Those of you who have been following this blog may remember that I have sold real estate in many areas of California. Traveling with my husband’s job, I started in San Joaquin County in 1980, then worked in Del Norte, Kern and Tehama counties, finally settling into Butte County and Chico in 1989. Before 1980, […]

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You may have heard the term “REO” bantered about recently. Think “real estate owned”… by the bank.  When someone talks about buying a foreclosure, they are probably talking about a bank-owned property. These are homes that have already finished the foreclosure process, are vacant and are going back on the market.
 
If you have toyed with […]

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Ready to buy a house in Chico? Read this primer and get up to speed on the new ways of real estate.
 
It may be a buyer’s market, but the buyers are not always in control.
 
Remember my clients, the Smiths?  They were interested in finding a good deal, on a house priced under $250,000.
 
The […]

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Welcome to Part 4 of a series of questions home buyers should ask! To view the entire series, click here.
Have the sellers recently improved the home?

And the more important question: “Why have the improvements been made?”

Many sellers in today’s competitive market are investing dollars and labor into their homes to make […]

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Welcome to Part 3 of a series on questions home buyers should ask! To view the entire series, click here.
How much is owed on the house?

Once you are interested in a home, and considering making an offer, it is helpful to know how much is owed against the property.

Realize that the answer to […]

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Welcome to Part 2 of a series on questions home buyers should ask! To view the entire series, click here.

Is the house owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, or vacant?
If the house still occupied by the seller, you will want to get the answers to these questions:

When would they like to move? When you make your […]

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DOM, REO? These seem to be the top questions Chico buyers are asking when looking for a home. Translation? “Days on the market” and “foreclosure.” But are these really the first questions you should be asking?
The No. 1 question I would ask my Realtor: “Why are they selling the home?” Finding out the motivation of […]

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