Category Archives: San Jose

Just Sold in San Jose for $982,000…

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For this townhome I just sold in San Jose for $982,000, I was the agent for the sellers. They actually bought this townhome with me about 3 years ago as their buyer’s agent, and recently had the opportunity to buy their parent’s home who moved to Arizona. Lucky!

We received a very strong offer after the open house weekend and the sellers jumped on it. The buyers were really excited about this home and came in over the listed price and waived ALL contingencies. The transaction itself was super smooth and seamless. Such a wonderful transaction there’s actually not much to say. haha. The best kind!

Just Sold in San Jose for $982,000!

Just Sold in San Jose for $982,000!

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Just Sold in San Jose for $1,610,000…

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For this home I just sold in San Jose for $1,610,000, I was the agent for the seller. This was our 2nd transacton together, in that he also bought this home with me 10+ years ago!

This was such a crazy one! As many know, pretty much every home sells after the first weekend with mulitple offers and high levels of competition, which of course, we anticpated as well. It’s a great home, great neighborhood, great floor plan, desirable schools, great zip code, has a pool which is super popular these days, and just checks all the boxes, basically.

After the first weekend, I received a number of calls, interest, etc, but no offers! Agents saying they were writing, etc, etc, but then 1 by 1, they just bailed and/or went MIA. My only explanation was that maybe buyers felt the competition would be too fierce, and then there ended up being none at all after the weekend.

So, the next week comes along…mind you, this would have been a major shoe in for any buyer to NOT compete…and all of the sudden, I get 3 offers all at once! And, the competition ended up being super fierce between those 3 parties, all of which fighting to the death for this home. 2 buyers of which had seen the home the weekend before when we ended up with no offers! Any of which if they would have written an offer ANY sooner, could have bought this home for a LOWER price since there was no one competing. How crazy is that???

Of course, the seller was happy, in that we were both just blown away after the first weekend wondering where everyone went…but then we ended up with the level of competition we expected to get after the first weekend and also the price we hoped for, so thank God, it worked out so well.

It was such a hard decision for the seller because all 3 offers were so close in price and terms, and it was just so hard to choose, going back and forth, and then just getting that last highest and best offer in, and the seller just made the call. Luckily, it all worked out for the seller and the price he wanted to achieve.

The transaction itself was very smooth and seamless, the buyer waived ALL contingencies, loan, appraisal and inspections, and at that point, the buyers were very relieved to be the ‘chosen one’ after such fierce unexpected competition.

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,610,000

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,610,000

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Just Sold in San Jose for $450,000…

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For this condo I just sold in San Jose for $450,000, I was the agent for the seller. This is my 2nd time working with this client in that she bought this condo with me about 8 years ago and just moved to Texas.

The condo market is not crazy hot like the SFR market, so things aren’t as much as a ‘given’ when it comes to pricing and selling condos these days. We tried to price on the aggressive side in hopes for more than 1 buyer to compete at some level to get good price and terms. But, with the condo market, you just never know.

Luckily, the sale of this condo ended up going quite well. We did have an offer and a buyer we were just about to work with and then this better offer came in at the 11th hour, so both the seller and I were happy to see this offer come in and be able to work with the better offer in the end. So, we did indeed end up with more than 1 offer.

The transaction itself was fairly smooth, with a couple of bumps, but nothing too dramatic. Overall it was ok, not the easiest transaction ever, but nothing too out of control.

This client moved to Texas, and for the amount she sold this condo for, she’s buying a brand new huge SFR for about the same price…actually, I think it may be even lower!

Sold in San Jose for $450,000!

Sold in San Jose for $450,000!

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Just Sold in San Jose for $1,215,000…

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For this home I just sold in San Jose for $1,215,000, I was the agent for the seller who was doing a 1031 exchange. There were multiple offers for this home and the 2 top offers were basically the same in price and terms which made it so hard to choose.

They both basically wrote the same offer, same price, same terms, both great buyers, both really wanted the home, so we went back to both buyers and let them know it was literally just a coin toss, and they both came back with an even higher offer! It ended up that 1 buyer came in $5,000 higher than the other, so since they were both equally great buyers, we just went ahead with the buyer that offered the extra $5,000. The transaction itself was super smooth and seamless.

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,215,000

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,215,000

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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 San Jose for $888,000…

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For this townhome I recently sold for $888,000 in San Jose, I was the agent for the buyers, who were referred to me by another client, who was their sister, and in the process of buying a home at the very same time! How cool is that??

This sale happened when the market was just starting to turn and getting warmer, it was not hot yet, but the feeling was in the air that things were picking up. The market had been cooler for some time, but things were just starting to heat up and the timing for this sale could not have been better for the buyers.

We were the only offer on this townhome and we got the home not ONLY for UNDER the list price, but the buyers also paid UNDER the appraised value! Big time score! The timing was just so lucky, in that if it was just even one month later, I think they would have competed for this home and paid much more for it.

The transaction itself was smooth and seamless. And, now they live just minutes from their sister, who also bought a home with me and closed within about a week of eachother.

Just Sold in San Jose for $888,000!

Just Sold in San Jose for $888,000!

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Just Sold in San Jose for $1,405,000…

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For this home I sold in San Jose for $1,405,000, I was the agent for the buyers, an awesome couple, who were referred to me by another client. The market was in the midst of changing from not so hot, to getting hotter, when this home came up for sale, in which some homes weren’t selling right away, or maybe getting 1 offer, and some homes were going pretty fast. For this home, it was a hot home. It is a great home, in great schools, and a great neighborhood, so there was a lot of interest.

We competed with about 5 offers, my clients wrote an amazing letter to the seller, which DID help us to get the home, coupled with my begging, pleading, and every negotiation skill I could ponder up with the listing agent. 🙂 We were not the highest offer, but the listing agent/seller gave us a second chance to come up to a price and terms that would be competitive with the top offer and we were able to lock in the home! Yay!

To lock in this home, the buyers had to pay well over list price and waive ALL the contingencies (loan, appraisal, and inspections). It was a very competitive bidding process, mainly due to the top rated schools, so buyers really wanted this home.

The transaction itself went very smooth and the buyers were excited to close the transaction and start making the home their own.

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,405,000

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,405,000

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Just Sold in San Jose for $1,449,000…

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For this home I sold in San Jose for $1,449,000, I was the agent for the buyers. This is the 4th time I have worked with these clients over the years! The purchase of this home was contingent of the sale of their townhome, which didn’t exactly go as expected, but we got it done. Coordinating the purchase of this home with the sale of the townhome was a bit of a balancing act, but in the end, we were able to get the 2 lined up to make it happen.

Just Sold in San Jose for $1,449,000

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