Quick Home Search

What Does It Mean To Be An Aggressive Agent?

Direct link to YouTube video? That's my take.  What do you think? … [Read more...]

Your Property Photos Should Look Better Than a $50 Pair of Shoes

Link to YouTube video. I know, I know, sounds very simplistic and common sense.  Yet, only 1-2% of real estate agents in Big Bear really understand this.  Most of the property photos out there are garbage. Stats show that 90% or more of buyers are using the internet to find real estate.  I'd argue that for Big Bear that stat is going to be over 90%.  So, if this huge pool of buyers is looking online, and there are over 600 properties for sale in Big Bear, wouldn't it make sense to make your property stand out … [Read more...]

The First Sale is to The Other Agents

Direct link to the YouTube video. Most sellers don't consider this fact. Understandably, they think mostly in terms of the buyer and who it is going to be. But, before you can find the buyer, you must make sure the real estate agents in Big Bear are sold on your property. By that, I mean they know about it and are actively promoting it to all of the prospects they know.  If the agents are sold on it, the process of selling will be a lot smoother for you as a seller. Just imagine multiple agents trying to sell … [Read more...]

Is It Really a Buyer’s Market in Big Bear?

Direct link to the YouTube video. Depends on how you look at it? Sure, there are over 600 homes for sale in Big Bear right now. But, how many are truly saleable? I'd say less than 10%. By saleable, I mean priced correctly, clean and easy to show, and it isn't a short sale with no chance of getting approved. So, we've got less than 70 homes on the real estate market in Big Bear that are actually decent options for buyers to look at. When that happens, the buyers are all competing for the same ones. In that … [Read more...]

When is the Best Time to Buy or Sell in Big Bear?

Click here to see embedded video. There are several ways to answer this question. From a seller's standpoint, the first four months of the year are the slowest for real estate sales in Big Bear.  But, there is also less competition on the market during these months, which means there are less homes for buyers to choose from.  It is always a good thing for sellers whenever you have less competition, even if these are fewer buyers  out there.  So, I'd say the best time to sell in Big Bear is going to be earlier in … [Read more...]

5 Options for Big Bear Sellers

Link to embedded video here. Seems like I go over this several times a week with potential sellers.  What are their options in this real estate market? Here are my answers - 1.  Sell it - easier said than done. This can be difficult to do if they bought it or refinanced it during the 2003 to 2008 range as many owe more than the market value. 2. Sit & wait it out - not the best choice in my opinion as I don't see any reason things will be better over the next couple year.  There number of properties … [Read more...]

Big Bear Real Estate Market Predictions 2011 for Buyers

I specialize in working with real estate buyers in Big Bear Lake, CA where 2nd homes in a resort town makeup a majority of our market sales. This is an interesting article I came across with some insight of what we may expect for this 2011 real estate market. In the article, Tara-Nicholle Nelson has put this in four categories. 1. Prices and mortgage rates will stay low in most areas. This is good news for Buyers! This formula is perfect for the lowest monthly payment and will help Buyers have a chance to get … [Read more...]

Does Your Big Bear Lake Cabin have a Wood Shake Roof?

If so, you may be interested in this. Effective July 1, 2012, all homeowners within the City of Big Bear Lake, have to remove wood shake/shingle roofs from their property (in compliance with Big Bear Lake city ordinance 2007-373).  The ordinance was approved back in July of 2007 in an attempt to reduce structural fires with fire-resistant materials. In conjunction with this ordinance, the City of Big Bear Lake/Big Bear Lake Fire Protection District received funding from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services … [Read more...]

Agent Representation is a Two-Way Street

Click here to see embedded YouTube video. Here's the gist - just because your agent does not agree with you does not mean they are not representing you.  Much of the value a real estate agent provides lies in their knowledge and experience.  They've been down this road a lot of times in the past. So, when a buyer or seller is looking like they might be getting ready to jump off a real estate cliff so to speak, most agents are going to warn their clients ahead of time and give them advice.  This can come across as … [Read more...]

The Market Doesn’t Lie.

"I want to buy something in Big Bear at 50% of the market value." Yeah, you and everyone else.  There are plenty of buyers out there, even in today's market, that would love to do that. I hear this a lot from buyers but it is an unrealistic expectation in today's information age.  The only way you are going to "steal" a property in this market is if few agents or buyers actually know about it.  Most properties that are sold today are through real estate agents and the MLS.   And the one thing you can expect is … [Read more...]