Keep your home in the same condition throughout escrow

When selling your home, the purchase contract says that throughout the escrow process, the home has to be "maintained in substantially the same condition as on the date of acceptance.”

That means whatever condition the home was in at the time the buyer’s offer was accepted, good or bad, is how the home should stay throughout escrow and is how the property should be delivered to the buyer.

There is no need to go above and beyond when it comes to cleaning the home before moving out.

Although getting the home professionally cleaned before vacating is a nice gesture to the buyer, simply keeping it in the same condition that it was in when the home went into escrow is good enough

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Video recap of our 2nd Annual Pie Giveaway

Dear Friends and Clients,

Thank you to those who participated in our 2nd annual Thanksgiving pie giveaway!

It means a lot that you entrusted us to provide the delicious dessert for your Thanksgiving feast.

The best part was getting to reconnect with friends and past clients and hearing about everyone's Thanksgiving plans.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and an amazing New Year!

Which month is better to put a home up for sale: Jan. or Feb.

This home buyer pattern happens every single year.

Buyers stop their home search in December and pick it back up again in January.

To get top dollar for your home, take advantage of this rough data and choose to list your home for sale in January instead of February.

More buyers on the market lead to more competition.

If your home is priced right, that will lead to multiple offers for your property.

It's smarter to sell your home in January vs. February

Every year in December, a lot of my buyers that have been looking for a home take a break from the property search.

They are busy with the holidays and parties and family.

But come January 1st, their new year's resolutions of owning a home kicks in and their search gets ramped up again.

As a home seller, you should understand this pattern and take advantage of it.

You can do that by putting your home on the market in January and getting that initial wave of buyers to come check out your home.

If you wait until February to put your home on the market, you miss the buyer rush and your home could stay on the market longer.

If you are going to list your home, be smart about it, and list your home for sale in January.

That means you need to start to prepare for that today!

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A laundry room was voted the most popular specialty room

A laundry room is the most popular specialty room (anything other than a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen) among all buyers according to the new report "What Home Buyers Really Want (2019 Edition).”

Millennial homebuyers in particular love a separate laundry room with 86% of them reporting that it is desirable (36%) or essential/must have (50%) room.

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Who is responsible for paying the "supplemental tax" bill?

You already put down a huge down payment when buying a house... you are tapped out.

But then, SURPRISE… here comes a supplemental tax bill in the mail!

It's terrible, but it's part of the home buying process and you have to pay it.

I know the pain... I had to pay that bill myself when I bought my home.

Keep in mind everyone pays a different tax amount, so make sure to ask your real estate agent (or me, wink wink) what the tax amount will be for the home you are interested in buying.

That way there are no surprises, and you can budget for that bill and your down payment.

Referrals needed!

All I need is a 15 minute sit down meeting with your friend to show them what I do to sell homes.

I guarantee they have NEVER seen a home selling marketing strategy like mine.

Text me: 818-445-7953

Beware of the Supplemental Tax Bill

Under current California law, after there is a change in ownership of a home, the property is reassessed.

The supplemental bill is paid by the buyer of the home and covers the difference between the previously assessed value taxes and the newly assessed value when you purchased the home.

Think of it as a catch-up bill.

For example, the home you just purchased was last sold back in 1970 for $50K, you now bought that home for $750K.

The supplemental tax bill covers the difference between the $50K and $750K.

The tax in this example is going to be around $5,000.

You may see the supplemental bill within a few months of buying your home.

You may also receive a supplemental tax bill for changes that add property value, like adding square footage or special features like a swimming pool or fireplace.

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Is the holiday season a good time to sell property?

Homebuyers are very frustrated and upset that their offers have not been getting accepted.

Some buyers give up... but most are getting more focused than ever.

They are determined to get their offer accepted before the year ends.

These types of buyers along with low inventory will make for an interesting end to 2019.

Home buyers will be focused this holiday season

It's been a bit of a battle for homebuyers in 2019.

They have faced heavy competition from other buyers and prices going above the asking price.

Many of them have heard "sorry, your offer has not been accepted" at least once.

Heading into the holiday season, they are now focused.

They know how the market is and are ready for war.

I am expecting a hot end to the typically slow 4th quarter of the year.

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I'm thankful for all my friends and clients

I did it again... I gave all my friends and clients pies for Thanksgiving!

I am so grateful for all the real estate referrals you have sent my way this year.

You have all made 2019 the biggest and most successful year of my career so far!

This pie is a small token of my appreciation.

Thank you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Didn't get the pie memo? Text me your email address and I'll be sure to include you in the festivities next year. 818-445-7953

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Episode 31 of The #AskDanielLosAngeles Show

On this episode, I answer the following four real estate questions:

1) I heard the Holiday season, in general, is not a good time to sell a property. What are your thoughts?

2) I bought my home a couple of months ago and now all of a sudden I received a "supplemental tax" bill in the mail. Who is supposed to pay that tax bill, me or the previous homeowner?

3) Which month is better to put a home up for sale, January or February?

4) I'm about to close escrow and sell my home. Do I have to hire a professional cleaning company before I move out?

We have almost 20,000 followers on Instagram… come join us!

Most expensive home to sell this week in Sherman Oaks

Asking price: $2,899,000 Selling price: $2,750,000.

This newly constructed home is incredible!

It's a modern/farmhouse style home that is very much in demand in the Valley.

It's brand new construction, so I'm not surprised that it was the most expensive home to sell this week in Sherman Oaks.

Cheapest price per sq. ft. home in Studio City

The price per square foot of this home was calculated by dividing the asking price of the property by the square footage.

This particular home has the cheapest price per square foot for the entire city of Studio City.

Many factors should be considered when buying a home. Before putting in an offer, you should always see how the price per square foot on the home you like compares to other recently sold homes in the area.

Cheapest house to sell this week in Burbank

Original List Price: $775,000 Selling Price: $666,666.

These motivated sellers unloaded their property for more than $100K below their original asking price.

The home needs a complete remodel, but because of the fairly good location (the closer you get to the airport the less desirable the property is) and the decent size of the home, the buyers should see a nice return on their investment.