Arcadia

JUST SOLD! 627 Fairview Ave #B, Arcadia, CA

Just Sold! This beautiful Arcadia townhouse with attached garage is located in a convenient location in the heart of Arcadia close to markets, restaurants, banks, and shopping. It features 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 1,909 square feet and a very intelligent floorplan.

I represented the buyer on the property and was competing against multiple offers. Luckily, I was able to secure the property for my wonderful clients as this was their favorite townhouse they had seen in Arcadia. I do my very best to both find the right house and purchase it at the right price for my clients. If you’re looking to purchase, I would very much appreciate an opportunity to interview with you. To schedule, please call me on my direct line at (626) 203-1396 or email me at mark@markcheng.net.

I do specialize in the San Gabriel Valley, particularly Arcadia, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino, and Temple City real estate. For outside of the San Gabriel Valley, I can also refer you a great agent.

Arcadia

JUST SOLD! SHORT SALE! 325 E Duarte Rd #A, Arcadia

This home is located in the beautiful city of Arcadia and is part of the Award-Winning Arcadia Unified School District. The sale has been approved as a short sale by the bank and is ready for a new buyer. The home is a large detached townhouse with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths totalling 2,128 square feet of living space with an attached garage and small patio. It’s located within walking distance of markets, restaurants, and schools. It features a high ceiling entry, large kitchen, breakfast nook, plenty of light, a large master bedroom with a large walk-in closet, and a master bath with a spa tub. For more information please call Mark or visit my website.

Arcadia

The Increasing Importance of Marketing Your Home Online

In today’s technology driven world, more and more buyers are turning to the internet to look for a home. In a 2006 survey, the National Association of Realtors found that over 75% of buyers start their search online. With so many homes on the market today, it is now essential that these buyers see your home first.

And in the real estate market’s current state, it’s now more important than ever to have a solid internet marketing plan as part of your overall marketing plan. With so many homes for sale, buyers simply don’t have the time to see the hundreds of homes on the market.

What are some ways a technology savvy real estate agent can use to help market your home?

1. Preparing the Home to be Showcased
Even though this isn’t high-tech, preparing your home for showings and pictures is essential for producing showings and eventually offers for your home. In today’s market, buyers are pickier than ever and expecting homes in the like-new condition. If you look at the closed sales, the ones that sell are the ones that are turn-key or in move-in condition. So before you even take a picture, talk with your agent about cleaning, painting, and staging your home to sell.

Below is an example of two very similar homes unstaged (home 1, top left), staged (home 1, top right), staged with a good photograph (home 2, bottom).

2. Photographs, Descriptions, and Virtual Tours
After your home is properly staged or prepared for showing, photographs should be taken, either by a professional photographer or by a realtor with a good, panoramic camera. A panoramic camera will be able to showcase entire rooms and will make the house bigger. So many times, there are beautiful homes on the market with poor photos. And no matter how spectacular your home is, if you have poor quality pictures or a lackluster description, a buyer might eliminate your home without ever stepping onto your property. Also work with your agent to describe the features you love about your house into a description that makes your home stand out. Lastly, virtual tours may also be a good option for showcasing your home but in some instances not having a virtual tour encourages buyers to visit the property instead of just see the virtual tour.

Below is an example of the staircases of the same two homes as above. Left is home 1 and right is home 2.

Below is a picture of the dining room of the two houses. Home 1’s dining room is actually staged better and looks better in real life.

3. Maximizing Exposure for your Home
Now that your home is featured in its absolute best light, it’s essential to get as many people to see it as possible. A technology savvy real estate agent should have a standard way of distributing information about your property online. First, I allow my listings to be sent through the MLS to hundreds of websites, including Coldwell Banker’s, Century 21’s, and Re/Max’s websites. My goal is to showcase my seller’s property to everyone I can, even to agents from other companies because they might just have a buyer for my client’s home. Second, I also have a constantly growing number of sites I submit to, in addition to those above, all to put your property in front of as many buyers as possible.

Although the tools above will help you gain more exposure for your home, internet marketing is not a comprehensive solution but should be used as a part of an overall marketing plan that includes traditional marketing ideas as well. Open houses, broker caravans, signs, and the real estate brokerage network are still vital to selling a home for the most money in this market.

Arcadia

Sold in 1 Day! 409 E Wistaria, Arcadia

409 E Wistaria in Arcadia is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, 1,029 square foot home in a peaceful area of Arcadia. My clients originally purchased it for themselves and obtained the property at a great price. During escrow, they changed their minds and decided to re-list the home immediately after the purchase.

I immediately contacted another past client who would be interested in the property and sold the property for $30,000 more than my clients had purchased it for. This covered all costs involved in the two sales including escrow fees for both buying and selling the property, title fees, and transfer fees.

I am committed to doing everything I can to help my clients meet their goals, especially when circumstances change and I’m able to help. If you are interested in working with an agent with that type of dedication, please call me on my direct line or visit my website.