Internet Marketing Gains Top Spot in North County Home Sales

87% of All San Diego Home Buyers Start on the Internet

The National Association of Realtors say that over 87% of all buyers start on the Internet.  Therefore, if you are a San Diego North County seller, you should select your real estate agent based on how well your agent can market your San Diego North County home on the Internet.   My website blog: www.GaryHarmon.com and my website: www.HomeInfoSanDiego.com excels in marketing clients homes on the Internet with over 100 key phrases on the first pages of Google Searches

How Does Your San Diego Agent Rank

Be an informed seller.  See how any agent you are considering performs on the Internet before you list your most important investment.  Log into www.Websitegrader.com.  Put any agent’s website url address in the blank and click “Generate Report.”   This gives you an objective score of how any agent ranks on their ability to market your property on the internet.  My rank is listed below for you to compare.  Also,  YouTube is the # 3 largest search engine.  Go to www.youtube.com and put “garywharmon” in the search blank.  Click “Search.”  Try that with other agents.  If you shop and compare, the results will be clear.

Gary Harmon Ranks in the Top 5%

See how Gary can customize an Internet marketing plan to get your San Diego North County home sold.   Contact Gary Harmon, today.

 

How San Diego Home Buyers Use the Internet

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Pricing Your Carlsbad Home to Sell

Listing  Carlsbad homes for sale at the right price is crucial to their eventual sale.  Follow the tips below to maximize the chances of selling your Carlsbad propery.

If you want to sell quickly, your asking price should be very near the correct fair market value.

If your Carlsbad home is listed at a price that is above market value, you will miss out on prospective San Diego North County buyers who would otherwise be prime candidates to purchase your Carlsbad home. If you list at a price that is below fair market value, you will ultimately sell for a price that is not the optimum value for your North County home.

By pricing your Carlsbad property at market value, you expose it to a much greater percentage of prospective San Diego buyers. This increases your chances for a sale while ensuring a final sale price that properly reflects the market value of your North County home.  Generally, the price should not exceed the value by more than 5% or potential buyers may not even make offers.

For example, if you price your Carlsbad home at fair market value you will get 60% of Carlsbad buyers looking at your home.  If you price your Carlsbad home 15% below fair market value, you would get a potential of 90% of potential Carlsbad buyers look at your property.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about pricing:

  • Realistic pricing your Carlsbad home will achieve maximum price in a reasonable time.
  • Your cost or profit desire is irrelevant; the San Diego North County real estate market determines the price.
  • The cost of improvements are almost always more than the added value.
  • Carlsbad houses that remain on the market for a long time do not get shown.
  • A Carlsbad house that is priced right from the beginning achieves the highest proceeds.

To price your Carlsbad home correctly you need professional real estate help.  Contact Gary Harmon, your Carlsbad Real Living Lifestyles Realtor.  Gary will provide you with a comparative market analysis of your home.  You will no longer need to guess.  With proper pricing, your Carlsbad home will sell fast and for the most money.

Hot Tips for San Diego Home Sellers

Three Hot Tips for San Diego Home Sellers

San Diego North County SellersFirst, sellers need to understand “NOW” is the best time to sell their San Diego North County homes. Many sellers think that summer is the hot selling period. Truth is, when you reach July you are in trouble and the hot selling period is already over. Most homes here in San Diego County are sold between March and June. July may have the most closing, but the homes go into escrow one to two months before. 65% of San Diego real estate closings go into escrow March – June.   That only leaves 35% for the rest of the year. If you are a San Diego North County real estate seller, call Gary Harmon today, your home needs to be on the market NOW!

Second, you must be an unemotional seller. You are not just the only seller. There are the banks selling reo’s and the short sale sellers. These make up the largest percentage of the San Diego North County real estate market. Niether type are emotional sellers. They are concentrating on price and terms. Mostly price. If your home is not priced competitively with these sellers, it won’t sell.

Third, most sellers have a misconception about the current value of their North County homes. In most of the San Diego markets, prices are still going down. Studies of our mutiple listing service show that most all homes are price higher than what their selling price will be.  Banks tend to price things about 5% too high, short sellers 6 % too high, and regular San Diego North County sellers price their homes 7 to 9 % too high.

If you want to sell your Carlsbad home, Oceanside home, or other North County home it needs to be on the market now and priced right. Contact Gary Harmon, your North County Realtor, for a free market analysis. List your home with Gary, and start packing!

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Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Safety Tips from San Diego North County Home Inspections

Read the following safety tips and put them in practice.  They may save your life or the life of someone you love.

  • Have your gas water heaters and gas furnaces serviced and inspected annually, a poor running appliance will not burn efficiently and as a byproduct – produce unsafe levels of carbon monoxide.
  • When using your fireplace, follow the manufacturers safety instructions for safe operation.
  • Use the internet to obtain operating manuals or write to the manufacturer for your appliances.
  • Have flue vents repaired if disconnected or damaged on water heaters and furnaces.
  • Do make sure the “firedoor” installed between the garage and house has a working self closing device and the door is properly weather-stripped.
  • Do make sure no doors enter a sleeping room from a garage.
  • Do make sure that no one is sleeping in a garage conversion (illegal room) where the gas appliances are still in the garage.
  • Homes in California must now have carbon monoxide (CO) detectors installed by July 2011 under a new bill signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on May 7, 2010.
  • Up to 40 California residents die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • This was reported as one of the compelling reasons for this Senate Bill to be introduced.
  • New & remodel construction will also include CO detectors.
  • A carbon monoxide detector is required if your San Diego North County home has a fossil fuel burning device; this would be:
     A gas water heater
     A gas furnace
     A fireplace (gas fired or not)
     A gas stove or wood burning stove
     An attached garage

Through the years we have seen other mandatory items to be installed when completing a real estate transaction. These include: smoke detectors, seismic strapping water heaters and now carbon monoxide detectors.

  • The cost of the Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector will be somewhere between $30-$50.
  • For simplicity, a combo smoke detector/ CO detector is available.
  • Fines may be levied for noncompliant properties.
  • Prior to installing the CO detector: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPER PLACEMENT.
  • Also, note the life expectancy of the product as it will have to be replaced at the manufacturer recommended intervals, approximately every 5-6 years.

FINAL SAFETY NOTE:

Larger homes where the bedrooms are separated by floors and large square footages may very well need more than one carbon monoxide detector, therefore it is recommended you read the installation instructions and request clarification from your local code enforcement divisions in the city or county where you live.

If you are thinking of buying or selling a San Diego North County home, contact Gary Harmon, your North County Realtor.

Selling Your Oceanside Home in a Distressed Market

Distressed property sales made up over 60 percent of  the California homes resale market last month.  It’s a challenging market…requiring a name you can trust like Prudential California Realty.  Selling your Oceanside home in a distressed market also requires special preparation. 

Remember the saying, “People buy what they see and not what will be.”  Or,  “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”   What if you have to move and leave your Oceanside home vacant.  There is always something a little unappealing and sad about a vacant Oceanside house.  Oceanside homes for sale show better, sell faster, and for more money when there is staging or showcasing  of your home.

Gary Harmon, your Oceanside Realtor, can arrange to have a professional company stage your home and keep it ready for sale.  In a recent survey of Realtors, over two-thirds estimated that a staged Oceanside home sells for 10 to 20% more and closes 60 to 90 days faster than a vacant Oceanside property.  Staging companies (and we recommend Showhomes) help take the stress out of showing and selling your Oceanside property by providing a turnkey package including whole-house furnishings, a professional staging and a live-in Home Manager to keep your Oceanside home in show-to-sell condition seven days a week.  Staging a home can save you the Oceanside homeowner holding  cost such as utility bills, cleaning fees, vacant house insurance premiums,and mortgage interest expense.  The Oceanside homeowner savings  combined with a higher sales price, typically far exeed any  staging fees.  Staging companies, like Showhomes, provide commercial liability insurance on each home.

Whether a Oceanside buyer, Oceanside seller, or Oceanside Realtor, the Oceanside home selling and purchasing process is fraught with potholes.  In this weak San Diego North County real estate market, everyone involved in the selling process must increase their efforts. In order to sell Oceanside homes at top dollar, Oceanside houses must be “prepared for sales.” That’s where Staging, sometimes called showcasing,  becomes the secret weapon.   Contact Gary Harmon, your top Oceanside Realtor for more information on this great selling technique.  See Current Listings of Oceanside Homes.  If you live in Ocean Hills Country Club homes and are thinking of selling, check out Ocean Hills retirement living.

Are San Diego County Short Sales Increasing?

Short sales – transactions where the sale price fell short of what was owed on the property – made up an estimated 18.9 percent of resales last month. That was up from an estimated 18.7 percent in January, 17.6 percent a year earlier, and 11.2 percent two years ago.

The short sale option provides a way for financially distressed San Diego North County sellers to prevent foreclosure.   But, what exactly is a short sale?  See answer below.

A short sale is an agreement in which the mortgage lenders or other lien holders agree to accept a payoff on the loan for less than the current balance. Many lenders agree to a short sale because they receive more of the loan balance in comparison to the amount from selling the North County home under foreclosure. The short sale process also aids in maintaining San Diego North County homes values in the community and helps the seller maintain better credit compared to foreclosure. In most instances, homeowners considering a short sale must meet specific criteria to qualify.

A short sale is not a typical real estate transaction, San Diego North County  home owners should consult a tax expert, obtain advice from an attorney and hire a qualified and experienced Prudential California Realty Realtor® like Gary Harmon.  Gary can help guide you through the process and act as a liaison between all the parties involved.

If you think a short sale might work for you, contact Gary Harmon.  Gary Harmon has completed Prudential’s short sale training program and has been certified as a “Short Sale Specialist.”  To learn more about “short sales” check out these instructional short sale  videos.

Ocean Hills Best Real Estate Agent

Is Gary Harmon the Best Ocean Hills Real Estate Agent?

If you are looking for the best Realtors in Ocean Hills Country Club, then spend a couple of minutes reading about Gary Harmon and the Sandi Hadley Team with Prudential California Realty.  Hiring the right real estate agent who really knows the Ocean Hills Cuntry Club homes is the best thing you can do to make sure that when you buy a home, or sell your home, you’ll have the best result possible.

 

Gary Harmon and the Hadley Home Team

Gary Harmon is a top Realtor with the Hadley Home Team in North County San Diego.  Gary Harmon, Sandi Hadley, and the other team members live and work in many areas of San Diego North County, and we are experienced and committed members of many of the communities we serve.  As you may have read, Prudential California Realty was voted San Diegos Best Real Estate Broker by the San Diego Union readers poll.   With over 5000 agents, we help buyers and sellers with more real estate transactions than all the other real estate companies combined.

Sandi Hadley and her select team of top real estate agents consistently are awarded for their excellence in sales and quality, and once again this year we were #21 out of all the Prudential agents for number of homes sold. That’s not a small feat considering the quality of real estate agents that Prudential California Realty makes available to the Southern California market. It’s even more impressive when you realize that we not only sell more than 99% of all the other agents, but that we do it with style, grace, integrity and professionalism.

Gary is trusted, involved, and experienced.  He’s been selected for top awards within Prudential California Realty.  He’s mentored new agents, training and guiding them to success.  He has been the Sales Mannager (Assistant Manager) for Prudential Escondido and Prudential California San Marcos and is eCertified.  

But none of that necessarily makes Gary Harmon the best Realtor in Ocean Hills, does it?  Of course not.  What makes anyone the best at what they do is that they do it better than most, do it with passion, and do it FOR YOU. That’s a commitment made each and every day to every single person who wants to buy a home, and to every single person who wants to sell their home. It’s a commitment backed by a team of experts who know it’s not about who the best real estate agent in Ocean Hills is, but rather who the best real estate agent in Ocean Hills is for you!

If you’d like to find out if Gary Harmon is really the best real estate agent amoung all the Ocean Hills Country Club Realtors, or just simply the best real estate agent for you, then Contact Gary Harmon, your top Ocean Hills Realtor.

Prudential California Realty – Join the Best!

If you are considering buying or selling a San Diego North County property, you should be represented by the best company and a great Realtor.  Prudential California Realty was once again ranked as the BEST for 2010.  Keep reading to find out how you too can benefit from “the BEST” when selling your San Diego North County property.

Prudential California Realty was Voted the BEST

Prudential California Realty was recently voted San Diego’s Best Real Estate Brokerage in the Best of 2010 poll.  More than 100,000 readers took the time to cast a nomination for their favorite businesses in San Diego during this year’s poll, which was conducted by the San Diego Union.

“Every member of our team, from our agents, managers and support staff, to the professionals in our marketing, relocation and technology departments has contributed to our success and the winning of this award,” said President and CEO Jon Cook. “We are very proud to receive this distinction and would like to thank our San Diego North County clients for their years of loyalty and support.”

Cook also acknowledged that Prudential California Realty’s commitment to offer clients relevant information about the condition of local real estate markets had been a key factor in the company’s ongoing success. “To facilitate the goals of our clients, we ensure that they receive practical advice and useful insights about all of the communities we serve,” he said. “Having 58 locations allows us to provide local-based representation for clients with a broad spectrum of needs.”

Prudential California Realty also offers professional and comprehensive representation throughout San Diego County,  Southern California and the Central Coast. A Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, Prudential California Realty is one of the top five brokerages in the nation.

Prudential was also recently named the leading brokerage for satisfaction among home sellers, in a survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. The achievement is especially impressive in light of the fact that the condition of the housing market has been more favorable to buyers over the past year, and seller satisfaction rates are typically low when the economy reflects a buyer’s market.
Prudential California Realty is an independently owned and operated member of The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

How to Team Up With the Best

Why work with the rest when you can team up with the best, Gary Harmon and Prudential California Realty.  If you were selecting a doctor or lawyer, you would want the best.  When you are selling your most expensive asset, your San Diego North County property,  you owe it to yourself to also have the best.  Gary’s winning team is the best.  You don’t have to take our word for it, see the objective opinions of the San Diego Union and J.D. Power and Associates.   Put Gary Harmon’s winning team to work for you today.  Aslo see Winning Team Members – Quality One Stop Services.

Powerful Tools to Sell Your Oceanside Home

Yahoo Online Seller Advantage

Prudential California Realty’s Online Seller Advantage is an exclusive tool for Prudential California Realty agents like  Gary Harmon.  This tool  can distinguish your Oceanside property from competing Oceanside homes for sale and maximize exposure to qualified San Diego North County buyers.

With Yahoo Online Seller Advantage, you have the benefits of daily emails about Web activity on your Oceanside property and those in your neighborhood, including:

  • The number of North County Real Estate Web viewers
  • The number of buyers who searched for Oceanside homes for sale
  • Home tour requests
  • Price changes on properties in the Oceanside real estate area
  • New competing Oceanside homes for sale listings
  • Featured Property status on Yahoo! Real Estate and Prudential.com
  • Instant alerts to registered buyers who have targeted Oceanside homes like yours

To get more Oceanside home info and to find out how to maximize the sale of your home, contact Gary Harmon for a presonal presentation of Yahoo Online Seller Advantage.

If your are an Oceanside buyer, Gary can show you great Oceanside homes for sale including Ocean Hills Country Club homes and Oceanside ocean view homes.

Sample Marketing Piece for Online Seller Advantage Customers

Reasons to Buy San Diego North County Homes

  • Fantastic weather and amazing natural beauty.
  • You can get a good deal on North County property- Search all San Diego North County Homes listings today.
  • You can save money on home improvements.   Many North County contractors are not as busy and will cut you a deal.
  • You’ll save on both Federal and State taxes.  Real estate tax deductions on your North County home are still some of the best ways to save on your tax return. 
  • Mortgages are cheap.   Interest rates are still.  Check with HomeServices Lending today to see what rate you could get.
  • You will own it.  There is still something to say about the pride of San Diego home ownership.  You can decorate it your way.
  •  It offers inflation protection.  Once your loan rate is locked in and you have closed on your home you have great inflation protection.
  •  You’ll get a better home.   When you buy you often can have more San Diego North County homes to choose from than when you rent.
  •  It’s forced savings.  Each month you make a payment you are saving for the future.  You create a little bit of equity each month.
  •  It’s risk capital.  You are buying your North County real estate with mostly the other man’s money, your loan.
  •  There is a lot of inventory to choose from.  The selection of San Diego homes is great including North County homes for over 55 seniors like Ocean Hills Country Club homes or great ocean view homes, like Encinitas ocean view homes, Carlsbad ocean view homes, and Oceanside ocean view homes
  • The market will clear and return to growth. .

For the best in San Diego North County real estate services (buying or selling), contact Gary Harmon, your top North County Realtor.