Category Archives: Home for Sale

Just Sold in Fremont for $2,480,000…

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For this home I sold in Fremont for $2,480,000, I was the agent for the sellers. This is our 4th time working together and they also bought this home with me! We received about 10 offers on this home and 1 offer stood out from the rest and was truly the ‘golden ticket’. The transaction itself was super smooth. The buyer waived ALL contingencies (loan, inspections, and appraisal), and offered $285,000 over the listed price, so it was a smooth ride all the way to closing.

Just Sold in Fremont for $2,480,000

Just Sold in Fremont for $2,480,000!

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Just Sold in San Francisco for $1,208,000

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For this home I just sold in San Francisco for $1,208,000, I was the agent for the buyer, who was referred to me by another client. Wow, talk about luck! We looked at only 3 homes, and he bought this one! This was his very first offer, there was NO competition, he got the home for UNDER the listed price, and the home appraised for OVER what he paid! What a nice break from the usual!

This home is a flip home being sold by investors, and it is practically like new inside with an amazing view! Super cool place! And, the sellers were so easy and accomodating to work with and even did some touch ups at closing to ensure the home was in tip top shape.

The transaction itself was super smooth and seamless. So refreshing!

Sold in San Francisco for $1,208,000

Sold in San Francisco for $1,208,000

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Just Sold in Los Gatos for $1,350,000…

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For this townhome I just sold in Los Gatos for $1,350,000, I was the agent for the sellers. This is our FOURTH transaction together over the years and I actually sold this townhome to them as buyers over 10 years ago.

Talk about timing…when we initiated the discussion of selling this townhome, they had tenants living there. And, at that time, it was a bit before COVID started to become a hot topic. But, at that time, townhomes were selling for high prices in the community and still moving.

As weeks went on, shut downs were starting to happen and news was getting more intense. The renters found a place to move, and at that point, weren’t interested in staying, since the idea was to sell this home. Although, as COVID was the news, we thought it may be good if the tenants would just stay and put this idea on halt.

Well, the tenants moved out because they had already found another home, and since the place would be vacant, went ahead with the plans to sell. However, by that time, this community had practically come to a complete halt, and nothing was selling at all. There was another listing that was the exact same model and even same street, just doors away that was just sitting on the market with no activity at all.

At this point, the complete shut downs were happening, that mid March timing, when contractors could not even go do work, and when even us realtors could not show homes. Once the tenants were out, we actually had to wait for some time until the contractors were able to work again. So, we just kind of waiting around a bit.

And, all the while, the other listing was sitting there, as well as a few others. Once we were ready to list the home, there were quite a few  others on the market as well in the same community, and really the only way to differentiate ourselves was price, to list at an aggressive price under the other listings, to spark something.

And, it worked! We had an interested buyer within days of listing the home who was very interested in buying, but needed to do a 1031 exchange. And, to our misfortune, at that time, the rentals in the community were tapped out. My clients could still rent out their home, but if they were to sell, the buyer would need to live their as their primary residence, because there was a waiting list to rent. What a major buzzkill to say the least! Trust me, we tried to see if there was any way this buyer could still buy, but nope, wasn’t going to happen.

We then really had no other serious interest at that point, and more inventory came on the market as competition, plus, other homes stole our idea and lowered their pricing too, in order to compete with us. The other downside that seemed to be an issue in this COVID environment when it was all new and scary, were that buyers seemed to be backing off due to the high HOA dues of $760/month. It didn’t seem to be much of an issue before COVID and when the market was super hot, but buyers seemed to be more conservative and really looking into all factors and seemed more cautious about this community due to the high HOA dues.

At this point, there are a LOT of homes in the community for sale, basically, none of which were selling, unless there was some unique feature to it, like on the view side, or something that just really stood out as a big difference. Otherwise, there were PLENTY to choose from, all of which competing with eachother. So, we made one last effort to lower the price to differentiate ourseives yet again, and hit yet another price point that additional buyers would fit into, and that worked!

We received an offer shortly after that price reduction. A buyer that waived ALL contingencies (loan, appraisal, and inspections) and we grabbed it! Once we went pending, a few of the other homes also reduced their pricing similar to ours, so thank God we did it first, to grab the next buyer looking in the lower price range, before we had more competition yet again, with homes similar in price.

The transaction itself was decent, a little bumpy only because the buyers didn’t seem to understand they bought in ‘as is’ condition and kept going back to the property, time and time again, to find one thing after another, to ask the seller to fix, want a credit, etc, etc. I was personally kind of baffled as to why they didn’t see all they needed to see before they made the offer, and they also had all the inspection reports as well. The various trips back to the property to report additional items every time they went, was a little troubling, but we got through it. They wrote an offer with NO inspection contingency and in ‘as is’ condition, so I don’t really get why they kept going back and asking the sellers to address anything. And, to top it off, the requested items were just so small and picky. I didn’t get it, but…we got it done! Meanwhile, to this day, there are still quite a few of the other townhomes sitting on the market in this community, so I am VERY thankful we got this home sold!

Just Sold in Los Gatos for $1,350,000!

Just Sold in Los Gatos for $1,350,000!

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Just Sold in Morgan Hill for $1,275,000

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For this home I sold in Morgan Hill for $1,275,000, I was the agent for the sellers, and this is our 2nd transaction together! Historically, this general neighborhood doesn’t have ‘quick sales’, in that it’s pretty far out in Morgan Hill and the more rural area. For years, buyers have wanted the shortest commute possible, so this area in Morgan Hill has been more of a niche market. Homes often sit on the market for even up to a year.

Well, times have drastically changed largely due to COVID. Buyers want to stretch out and roam and do not seem to care as much about commute and being close to work. This home was HOT and there was a lot of interest in this home. It even surprised me! I told my clients that once I listed the home for sale, likely there would be the most action on the weekend. I knew we would get the home sold quickly, but I didn’t expect SO much interest and so quickly.

Well, to my surprise and theirs, as soon as I listed the home, I had calls to show the home that very day! It was incredible! We knew we priced the home very well, but we still did not anticipate this type of action. The sellers weren’t even sure we would get it sold quickly at all. But, things went very well indeed!

We had interest and offers within days. We debated over continuing to show the home or just go ahead with the buyers eager to buy the home. The sellers decided not to hold off and continue to show the home to more potential buyers, and take the bird in hand, since it overall was a good offer and buyers that really loved it.

The buyers that made an offer wrote a very lovely letter and their extended family was going to also live close by. So, it just seemed to be ‘the one’ for these buyers and their letter was partly the slam dunk because it just seemed so right for them.

We went into contract at a time when the interest rates were very good and the banks were inundated with purchases and also refinances. So, that made our transaction a bit stressful.

The buyer agent was very aggressive with the loan contingency removal, to do it in only 7 days, but he said that he put that in the contract because that’s exactly the time he needed for another transaction he recently did. Well, I guess in that time, times really changed for how long the bank needed to approve a loan and close it.

So, the main ‘stress’ to the sellers for this transaction was the unknown of getting the loan approved. It just dragged on and on, although, in the end, we were able to close on time. But, just the daily and weekly checking in with the loan officer, who seemed to really have no info on when this would get done, was the main issue of this sale. It was practically an every day follow up with the loan officer asking for updates and when we would get the green light. The other aspects of the sale went very smoothly.

Just Sold in Morgan Hill for $1,275,000!

Just Sold in Morgan Hill for $1,275,000!

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Just Sold in Livermore for $680,000…

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For this home I sold in Livermore for $680,000, I was the agent for the seller. This was our 2nd transaction together. This sale was a JOURNEY to say the least! A major roller coaster of the worst kind!

I listed this home back in early March, in which the word on COVID was just starting to hit the news. I listed the home the weekend before COVID became big news, but the concern was circling. I held an open house the very weekend before the Shelter in Place happened on March 17th, having no idea at the time that something called Shelter in Place was even a reality!

At the time, since this thing called Coronavirus was in the news, and people were nervous for good reason, the open house was very slow and hardlly anyone showed up. Usually an open house will generate a buyer, but not in this case, due to the COVID situation. Come the very next Tuesday, Shelter in Place happened, at which time, this listing went completely ice cold, in that no one could view the home in person.

Initailly, when Shelter in Place first went into effect, everyone stayed home, nothing could really happen. So, essentially, we weren’t going to be able to sell this home, if no one could view it. Then things lightened up in which buyers could see vacant homes. This listing was occupied by the owners, and they were not in a position to move out so that the home could be vacant for showings. So, basically, again, it just sat there, ice cold, since no one could come view it.

Then May 4th came along, in which guidelines were loosened a bit more, and occupied homes could be viewed under strict circumstances. So, basically from mid March until early May, this home just sat on the market and no one could view it in person.

Come May 4th, I started to get phone calls and showings, and within days, we had our buyer! This buyer needed to sell her condo in order to buy this home and the transaction was contingent on that sale. The buyer was willing to pay OVER the listed price if we would work with her through it.

The buyer already had a buyer for her condo and was about to go into contract. So, we felt pretty good about the situation, plus the seller was not in a hurry to move at the time, just as long as our transaction was solid.

The transaction itself was smooth between the seller and our buyer, but was a mess for the buyer that was buying our buyer’s condo. It was just one thing after another for the condo buyer and the transaction just lagged, and lagged, and lagged on for weeks.

Our parties were ready to close on time, but our buyer’s buyer had all kinds of delays and such with their loan. Their loan was just one delay after another and it was maddening and held up our transaction.

We were confident both transactions would close, but it was a matter of when, and in the meantime, just the day to day question of when is this going to happen? We had multiple extensions but finally got it closed.

Just Sold in Livermore for $680,000!

Just Sold in Livermore for $680,000!

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Just Sold in San Jose for $1,380,000…

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For this home I sold in San Jose for $1,380,000, I was the agent for the buyers, who were referred to me by another couple who bought a home with me as well. When these buyers were looking for a home, the market was hot and there were lots of multiple offers and buyers paying WAY over the list price, so the competition was fierce.

I have mentioned this a number of times in previous stories when the same situation has come up, and here is another situation in which sometimes an overpriced home is easier to negotiate and get a decent price than a home priced aggressively, and then attracting a lot of buyers to compete.

This home sat on the market a very long time, to the point that the perception of buyers was “What is wrong with this place???” And, as I have said before, list price is wrong with this place! There was really no reason for this home not to sell except the list price. This home was on the market for 226 days, which is unheard of, like insane! It was initially priced for $1,688,000, which was WAY over the market value. And, the home sat on the market for some time, and then the seller reduced the price to $1,588,000, which was still WAY over market value. It continued to sit. The seller then reduced the price to $1,458,000, which was still over market value, but now we are getting somewhere. And, with that price reduction, the home did generate some activity, in fact, that is the price in which we made an offer and also another buyer came along and also wrote an offer. We negotiated back and forth and then were able to settle on $1,390,000 as the final price, still much lower than the final list price. The seller was living in Mexico, paperwork and communication were very trying and slow. Apparently, the seller used no technology whatsoever, no scanning, no emailing, just old school snail mail is what I was told.

The other whacky thing about the seller side, is that the seller did NOT get ANY inspections, so that is a major turn off to a buyer, in that basically the buyer has no info to go on to make an educated decision of what the price should be for the home. So, we knew the roof was shot, but that’s about it. We had no idea about the condition of the home itself for any termite related items or just the general home inspection info. I relayed to the listing agent that it’s just unheard of these days for the seller to get no inspections and for buyers to have no idea what they are signing up for. And, she basically just explained that the seller didn’t want to pay for inspections, so…

Since the seller didn’t provide inspections, the buyers had to get their own, which used to be the norm like 20+ years ago. The inspections revealed quite a bit of items that were surprises to us, which is never fun, and the reason that I HIGHLY advise ALL sellers to get inspections to provide to buyers for a smooth transaction. So, back to the negotiation table. We asked for $10,000 off the price to offset the items that came up that were unexpected, I went back and forth until I was blue in the face with the listing agent and FINALLY convinced her and the seller to agree to the $10,000 price reduction…remember, this is a seller that thought her home was worth $1,688,000 and we are now down to $1,380,000! It was so hard to get it through the seller’s head that by not providing inspections to the buyers BEFORE they made an offer, and then having all of these items come up once they had their own inspections, that they didn’t sign up for that price with so much additional work needed that they were unaware of unfront.

After we went back and forth with the price reduction, we needed the addendum signed, and because the seller didn’t use technology, the listing agent said she would sign once she got back to the states to sign her final papers, but just know that we are good. Ummmmm, that’s not a warm and fuzzy since the seller wasn’t going to be in the states for about a week, so basicaly we would be in limbo from a paperwork standpoint and I guess just hope for the best???

Well, we just went ahead with moving forward, we didn’t feel we had much of a choice, and figured that she would not come all the way to the states to sign her final papers and let this deal fall through over $10,000. She probably needed to get this home sold and would not want to start over.

And, here is the clincher that will go down in the history books and something the buyers and myself will be able to talk about for many years to come…literally on the closing day for this home, the Shelter in Place orders went into effect! Totally unexpected, just out of nowhere, it was the beginning of COVID 19 getting super serious, and wa la, I get an email in the morning that we can not record the transaction because they shut down the County Recorders Office…and at that moment in time…they had an ‘undetermined’ time when they would reopen. WHAT????? We had NO idea in that moment, when the county could open in order to record this sale. At that moment, we didn’t know if it would be days, weeks, or even months. It was insane. I was just speechless, absolutely no words. No one knew anything. PRAISE God, within 24 hours, the County Recorder’s Office was able to do e-recordings, so we closed the transaction the next day. But, in that moment, we had no idea the office would open back up so quickly in order to record the sale. Mind you, we had a seller expecting to close and get her proceeds and not have any more responsibity for her mortgage, property taxes, utilities, etc. We had buyers that expected to close on the home they just bought, and make arrangements for repairs and upgrades, moving in, etc. It was so surreal, I felt like I was in a made for TV movie. I couldn’t even grasp that this was really happening.

Once the Shelter in Place orders went into effect, I was not even able to meet up with them and give them the keys to their new home once we closed the transaction, I had to mail the keys to them! Crazy! I’ve been through some crazy transactions, but this is just the craziest experience ever, to have a transaction start out when the market is hot, things are just rolling along, life is good, and then BAM out of nowhere, at the drop of a dime, life drastically changes at the moment in time that these buyers were closing on a home. Who would have thought???

As a follow up, then with the Shelter in Place, they were stuck with not being able to get their repairs and upgrades right away, so that was also a major bummer. But, finally, once things opened up a bit with the loosening of essential workers, they were able to get things done and have finally moved into their new home. Yay! It was a roller coaster ride, but in the end, it all worked out. Frustrating, insane, so many adjectives I could use, but it worked out and their home looks beautiful and they can enjoy it for many years to come…

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,380,000

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,380,000

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Just Sold in San Jose for $1,170,000

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For this home I sold in San Jose for $1,170,000, I was the agent for the sellers, who were referred to me by another client. I sold this home before any news of the Coronavirus and the market was quite hot at the time. We had multiple offers and high levels of competition for this home. The sellers actually met these buyers when the buyers went through the home and made a good connection with them. The buyers also wrote a very heartfelt letter, and it really did make a difference, in that the sellers really wanted to sell their home to this particular couple. The buyers offered well over the listed price, waived contingencies, and gave the sellers a FREE rent back. The transaction itself was very smooth and everything went very well. Both parties were very excited to work together and it was just a wonderful experience for all involved. I am sure my clients are quite thankful that they got their home sold before this global crisis took place. They are likely thanking their lucky stars!

Sold in San Jose for $1,170,000

Sold in San Jose for $1,170,000

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Just Sold in San Jose (Willow Glen) for $1,530,000…

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For this home I recently sold in San Jose (Willow Glen) for $1,530,000, I was the agent for the buyers, who are repeat clients, and this was our 4th time working together! I am still a bit behind in my stories, so this home sold before the New Year. And, in fact, we went into contract when the market was starting to change, but still on the slow side. A time when some areas were getting multiple offers, but mostly only in the best school areas, and homes in this area were not selling as quickly, or with multiple offers. So, it was right before the brink where things were starting to change, and then did end up changing pretty drastically just maybe a month later.

But, for this particular home and location, we were the only offer. In fact, the buyers made an offer soon after the home was listed, and we practically got flat out got rejected, because my clients had a home to sell in order to buy, and due to the market at that moment, the seller was too nervous to take an offer from a buyer who had to sell a home.

We actually went back and forth on price and terms for weeks! It was crazy! And, all that time, no other offer came in and we were the only offer on the table all of that time. In the end, my buyers decided to waive the contingency to sell and bought with NO contingency to sell, and as the upside for agreeing to that, the seller sold the home at a far lower price. The seller preferred to sell at a lower price and NOT have a contigency to sell, rather than get top dollar, with the risk of hoping the buyers could pull it off and sell their home.

So, the buyers ended up getting a better deal on the price, but the sacrifice was to have to buy without selling their home, at least as a contingency.

It seemed as if things were just a little rocky from the get go, starting with weeks of negotiations and going back and forth on price and terms, having a contingency to sell, and not. It was one of the longest negotiations I have had, to the point where the seller would not even respond to our offers or counters, and then days would go buy, and we would finally get some news.

And, that sentiment just kind of continued for the entire transaction once we were able to get into contract, just a bit off for one thing or another, not very smooth, but not to the point where they both wanted to part ways. The buyers also noticed that there was more damage to the exterior than what the termite inspector had reported, so they had an additional inspection to check it, and indeed, there was more damage than reported, which sparked yet another round of negotiations back and forth and my buyers got yet an even better price to make up for that addtional damage that was missed the first time.

Overall, we muddled through it and got through the rocky roads and in the end, the buyers were happy to get a good deal on the home and close on a home in the neighborhood she has wanted to live in since childhood. She was only looking for basically one floor plan in a very small area in which she has always wanted to live, so even though there were highs and lows…she now lives in her dream floor plan and neighborhood!

Sold in San Jose for $1,530,000

Sold in San Jose for $1,530,000

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Just Sold in Los Gatos for $2,200,000…

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For this home I just sold in Los Gatos for $2,200,000, I was the agent for the sellers, who were referred to me by a client I have worked with 2 times in the past, and a family member to the sellers. This home had been in the family for many years, I believe about 60 years, the sellers grew up in this home, so as you can imagine, it was a very emotional sale for everyone involved. The owner of the home passed and that was the reason for the sale. The sellers are siblings and such amazing people, they were such a pleasure to work with for the sale of their beloved home. It was so amazing how well they get along and worked together. They have such a great relationship, so heartwarming.

The market was slowly, but surely changing, so that was on our mind. We priced the home at what we all felt was a really good price for the home. The home is super unique, the location is amazing, walking distance to downtown Los Gatos, Daves elementary, Vasona Park. And, the lot is HUGE and so serene. The house itself is very unique, it’s not the type of home for all, but if it’s the type of home for you, there is instant love there. So, the big question of the day, since we knew location and lot size was superb, was more a matter of how many buyers would fall in love with this unique home.

We ended up with 3 offers for this home, all of which were below the listed price. I was a bit surprised the home did not reap at minimum list price, but at the same time, I realized the home itself, as amazing as it is, was really for the right buyers. And, it also needed TLC. The bones are great, but it has not been updated for decades, and these days, most buyers like a more modern look and remodeled homes and such.

The transaction itself was a little rocky. Once we were in contract, it seemed as if the buyers didn’t care about contractual dates, so I was constantly chasing down the buyer’s agent to keep things rolling and contingencies removed and such. And, response time from the buyer’s side was very slow, I often felt that I was being ghosted, unless there was something that the buyers wanted, and then all of the sudden things turned into now, now, now.

So, it got a bit draining to have the buyers go MIA and lag and have to continuously chase things down for the contractual obligations. And, then to appear out of nowhere and want something immediately. But, we managed to roll with the punches and get it done.

It was a bitter sweet moment to have the closing a success, but the end and closure of the ownership of the home for my clients, who had so many memories for so many years. When the home closed, I almost cried with the seller. It was a happy, but also emotional time.

Sold for $2,200,000!

Sold for $2,200,000!

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Just Sold in San Jose for $850,000…

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For this home I just sold in San Jose for $850,000, I was the agent for the sellers. This is my 3rd time working with these clients! When listing this home, the market was definitely starting to slow down and I could see and feel the change with all of my listings and open house activity, as well as my clients that are buyers looking for homes. So, the sellers seem to have sold at a time when the market was still decent in this area, but turning, and before it really slowed down in this general area.

Also, for this particular home, the main entrance door is on the side, rather than in front, so it’s not the typical front door entry, and it’s not as popular as the more traditional type of home plans. And, this particular pocket of the overall area is a bit more crowded than much of Blossom Valley that have wider streets and such, it’s a little different than the general norm for the area, so that was also a selling factor as well. So, with a turning market and buyers getting more particular about what they buy and where, it just wasn’t that sure thing scenario for getting a lot of activity. But, on the flip side it is a very cute home and floor plan, a great yard, and the price is right, so, things still went well.

We did get a full priced offer after the first open house weekend. And, the buyer closed in less than 30 days and bought in ‘as is’ condition. The transaction itself was very smooth and seamless, so that was great!

Sold for $850,000 in San Jose

Sold for $850,000 in San Jose

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