Bay Area Real Estate Video Blog with Alex Lehr

3 Crucial Factors to Consider When Home Buying

There are many great San Carlos area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a list of Featured Properties so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (650) 595-5500 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Everyone wants a great deal when looking for a new home. When market prices are anywhere from $500-$1,500 per square foot, you need to take 3 things into consideration:

Price
Configuration
Location

If the price is too high, people will often substitute location - they'll go for a home that's in a favorable area; if they can't find a home that has all the ideal amenities (configuration), they'll buy a home for a low price that they can enhance later on.

Right now, there is a lot of great value in San Mateo County that's currently underutilized. We have clients from areas like Palo Alto and Redwood City who sold their homes for a high price and now want to live somewhere nice, close, and conducive to a relaxing lifestyle. When they come to us looking for such an area in San Mateo County, we recommend Coastside.

When the rest of the markets in our area heat up, Coastside is the last to catch fire. If you want the best bang for your buck, Coastside is the place to go. There are some great opportunities out here, and we want you to take advantage of them before it's too late.

If you're interested in the Coastside area, or have questions about anything real estate related, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to help make your real estate dreams come true!

Is Solar Energy Right for You?

To solar or not to solar? That is the question. Right now, there is a huge push for solar energy and solar products in the marketplace. It is a great option for most homeowners, but what about those who don't see themselves living in their solar powered home for long?

The problem with homes that are solar powered, but not paid off in full, is that somebody is going to have to continue making those payments. How are you going to get a buyer to commit to paying an extra $30,000 or $40,000 and assume the payments?

What it comes down to is this: If you are going to be living in your home long-term, more than 10 years, it absolutely makes sense to invest in solar energy. On the flip side, if you don't plan on staying in your home for very long, just remember that when it's time to sell, it can create a little bit of a sticking point for the buyers if they don't want to take on the payments.

From an economic standpoint, investing in solar energy long-term is a smart move. But if you don't think you will be there very long, think about how you will pay for it and how you will sell your home with solar energy.

If you have any questions about solar energy or about real estate in general, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to help you out!

What do the Numbers Mean?

We want to talk to you today about 'the numbers'. You hear numbers being thrown out there all the time in our economy, but what do they really mean? In the real estate world, numbers are constantly being thrown out there, so we do our due diligence in analyzing the numbers so you can understand them better. So, here's some of those numbers and what they mean.

In San Mateo County right now, the affordability index, or how many people can afford to buy a home, is 12%. This may seem ridiculous given the high rate of employment in the area, but it's not all black and white. We are in an explosive boom of employment, and are feeling the curse of success, so to speak. So many people are employed and making money, it's harder to get a home because prices are being driven up. It's both a blessing and a curse.

Overall, the statewide market is very healthy, but still has plenty of room to grow. For the next couple of years, things will keep moving forward and growing. If you have any questions about the market or about real estate in general, give us a call. We'd be glad to answer your questions!

Increased Funding for Schools Important for Housing Market

Today we want to say thank you to Facebook. Why, you ask? Well, Facebook has just committed to spending millions of dollars on schools in the bay area. This is great news for us. If you want to follow the housing market, follow school scores. The better the school scores, the better the prices. People will spend more on a home in a great school district so they can ensure their kids have a great future and education. What winds up happening is when you start seeing dollars deployed in certain markets, it ultimately will wind up helping the school scores and translate to better real estate prices in the area.

Take note of where that money is going, and understand that it will serve as a precursor to where the real estate market will go as well. There are some great things on the horizon for schools in the area, and that will translate into better prices in real estate. If you live in those neighborhoods, you can get a good offer and prices won't be as competitive and you will be able to find a nice place on the peninsula for your new home.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call. We would love to answer them.

Work with the best agents the Bay Area has to offer

If you are looking for a complete real estate experience, we at Lehr Real Estate are the best in the Bay Area. We have so much to offer we are often mistaken for contractors - we go above and beyond to get homes ready for the market so clients can get the most value out of local conditions.

We know that every home is unique - that's why for each property we determine who the ideal buyer might be and promote it in that way. We were born into the industry, so we have the expertise necessary to help you get the best experience imaginable.

You can count on us to bring our best to every situation. As a family-owned agency, we understand the value of trust, loyalty, and dependability. Watch this short video to meet our team of dedicated friends and family and see how we work together to make your life a whole lot easier.

Utilizing Competitive Pricing to Drive Up your Sale Price

Utilizing Competitive Pricing
Today I wanted to approach a topic that a lot of my San Franciso clients have been asking about. A trend that I have been noticing lately is something that can be taken in two different ways.

I'm seeing price reductions: This isn't something that we have been seeing in the Bay Area. The market has been so hot that most people expect homes to sell for any price. However, this makes me wonder if the market is slowing down or if sellers just aren't listening to their agents.

What I am inclined to believe is that sellers are not taking the advice of agents and are failing to price their homes accurately and attractively.

If you start your property too high, the market will look at you as a greedy seller, and buyers will literally shun the property. From this point, the seller has to drastically reduce the price to even get attention back from the market.

If you price at or just a hair below where the last sales have taken place, you will actually be giving the market momentum to drive your price up into a new market value. The market won't let you sell too cheap, but it will let you overprice, so you want to avoid wearing the scarlet letter.

My advice is to look at the San Francisco market and look at how people are strategizing and pricing. Also, find an agent that can tell you if you're overpricing and who also has a good feel for the nuances of the market here in the Bay Area.

If you ever need any advice about how to price your home to sell for top dollar, please contact me. I would love to arrange a time for us to sit down and discuss these things. Consider me your #1 resource for real estate in the San Francisco area.

How My Team Functions To Bring You Better Service

There are many great San Carlos area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a list of Featured Properties so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (650) 595-5500 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Explaining Our Real Estate "Team"
I have been hearing a lot lately about real estate 'teams'. A lot of franchises will use it as part of their branding, but as far as the way they run their businesses, I'm not sure that it's an accurate term to describe the way they function. These realtors may meet with you in person during your first appointment, but they will likely hand you off to someone else after your initial meeting.

Here at Lehr Real Estate, our concept of team is pretty simple. As an agent, I am always your point of contact, and I am always in communication with my team. I'm going to briefly explain how we function for your success:

Listing Coordinator: This person makes sure all the correct documentation and photographs are prepared correctly to put the home on the market for a listing. All the variables in putting a home on the market are handled by this person.

Escrow Coordinator: When a property goes into Escrow, this person makes sure that all the paperwork is in order and all the documents are handled on time. They essentially make a calendar for the buyer to let them know what is taking place during this Escrow period.

Project Coordinator: When we have a home going on the market, this person makes sure that the contractors are showing up on time, the repairs are getting done, and that the home is garnering multiple offers from consumers so that you can get top dollar on your property.

My job as the realtor is to be out in the field marketing your home for you. I'm also looking to negotiate in your favor, so you can get a home at the lowest price possible. I am the liaison between you and the people working hard to sell your home, not the person you rarely see or hear from.

Something we have that most teams do not is a Grassroots Marketing Team. This is a group of three people that are literally walking around, knocking on doors, and trying to find buyers or sellers. They are responsible for generating buzz around all of our listings, whether they're being bought or sold.

Here at Lehr real estate in San Carlos, we utilize the tools that we have to serve our clients best, and those tools just happen to work best when in unison. We would be happy to help you with any and all of your real estate needs, so feel free to give me a call at (650) 766-5300 or shoot me an email at alex@lehrrealestate.com

The hazards of online home searches

There are many great San Carlos area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a list of Featured Properties so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (650) 595-5500 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

I seem to get a lot of questions from clients about the data produced by Zillow, Trulia and other home search engines alike. While these sites can be a huge asset to your search, it's important to take their information with a grain of salt. These websites use algorithms that have specific variables such as square footage, number of bathrooms and number of bedrooms. So it’s important to have a realtor look at your home to ensure these numbers are completely correct. The last thing you want is incorrect information to negatively affect the buying or selling process.

Also keep in mind that these search engines do not know where the market is headed. Is the market neutral, on the rise, or is it in decline? This can significantly impact the value of your home. In fact, in one case Zillow reported a home being worth $1.5 million but it ended up selling for $2.9 million; Zillow was almost 50% off.

So call a realtor, Find out what's happening in the market and how it affects your home price. And always be sure to call me if you’re interested in buying or selling a home. Thank you for joining me today, I hope to hear from you soon!

A home's online presence will be it's first impression

In today’s market, ninety percent of buyers start their search online. That means before a buyer even visits your home they have probably made a decision on it. How do they come to this decision?

The photographs and price are the first things a buyer will see. Many buyers have a system set up to receive notifications when a new listing is put on the MLS. Your home is being blasted to people all over the country. How good is that first impression?

You want to have photographs that showcase your home and a price tag that is enticing to buyers. I always tell my sellers that the peak market point is 21 days. If your home doesn’t sell by then, many buyers will develop a mental stigma toward your home; they will wonder what is wrong with it. To counteract that stigma you will have to reduce your price significantly.

It’s important to do your homework before hand. Get a good agent. Hire a professional photographer and determine a fair and competitive asking price. These tips will give you the upper-hand, and ultimately make you more money.

If you have any questions, please give me call. Thanks for watching!

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Why Hire Me?

Since starting my career as a realtor in 1984, I have been one of the most successful real estate professionals in the Sacramento area. With a vast array of clients, ranging from billionaires to first time home buyers, I have the flexibility to work with any client. In my time as a realtor, I have sold thousands of properties for thousands of clients. I have appeared in both the New York Times and on television as a trusted source for real estate expertise.

One thing I have learned in my time in the real estate business is how to analyze the dense economic data of the real estate market. By utilizing this technique, I am able to accurately predict market trends up to one year in advance. My team speaks personally with over 30,000 property owners a year in order to get even more information on how to fetch the highest possible dollar amount for your property as quickly as possible.

Alex Lehr

Lehr Real Estate

San Carlos, CA

Phone: (650) 595-5500

Fax: (650) 595-5039

Alex@Lehrrealestate.com

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