Answers by Michael Delehanty

In some ways, your own neighbors could give you some insight into what you should do to improve the exterior of your home. It's easy to tell you to paint and replace the front door and to improve the front yard with low water use plants /mulch. However, budget can dictate what is possible and you should make sure what you do matches others in the area. For example, if most homes have old garage doors, don't go buy an expensive door with glass inserts. If others have original front doors, don't buy a fully modern new door made from hardwood. If others have the same siding as you, make sure yours is painted to look as good and repair anything that is damaged. The best way to approach improvements is to 1. Fix anything that is broken or about to be broken . 2. Fix anything that is overgrown or worn out. 3. Improve to a style and condition that matches other good homes in the area and remember not to "over improve" since you won't be able to charge a premium based on neighborhood limitations. One thing I learned a long time ago is this: Weeds mowed down to a consistent level look better than an amazing but overgrown lawn.

Buyers typically want two types of homes: Fully remodeled and nearly perfect. Or untouched for decades and needs literally everything. Unfortunately, your home falls in the middle of those two extremes so it likely feels very outdated with 25 year old fixtures but is still a somewhat newer property overall. Since I have not seen your home, I can only speculate that it needs flooring, paint and appliances at the minimum and I would suggest you consider those items to start. Of course, your local market will determine just how much your home can sell for so your agent needs to guide you in determining what your home will sell for when updated vs as is. I would think you are better off with a mild refresh but some areas just don't support that increase in value and comps in your area will give the best information as to how to proceed. Remember: spend a dollar to make two or three. Don't spend a dollar to make one.

Unfortunately, it will be awkward no matter which direction you take. However, there is a good way to work through this issue and still save face with everyone around you. Hire a qualified Real Estate agent to sell your house but let that person know you have a close relative that you did not hire and that person is looking for a referral fee as part of the sale. I'm confident the agent you hire will be willing to pay a 25% referral to your SIL in order to secure the listing though it's possible that agent might want the higher side of fees typical for your area. Your SIL makes some income on the sale and can monitor how a great local Real Estate agent works to get your home sold. It's a win for everyone and I've done this several times myself when I'm hired to list a home but need to keep a family member happy along the way.

It is important for your Real Estate agent to help guide you through this situation. He/she should have discussed this potential with you prior to getting into a bidding war on the home. Now that you are here, your agent needs to explain just what type of leverage you have in this situation. If I was on the listing side and the market is strong, I would not split the difference at all. Either you cover the additional costs or you cancel and we move on to the next buyer. If the market is not that strong, then your agent will understand if you can negotiate some sort of deal where the price is lowered - assuming your lender cannot find a way to absorb the extra costs into the deal. Your agent and lender need to have your back to help get this solved. I'm sure you have options.

I think this is an extremely difficult question to answer in generic terms. For example, I once had a client buy a home in an "up and coming" neighborhood in Oakland, only to find out a few years later it was simply moving laterally, or perhaps even downward even though most of the economic factors were improving. It all had to do with the new residents that were replacing those that moved out. It also had to do with the local businesses and over time, some of them were closing with nothing new coming into the area and also, people started to focus on other neighborhoods which further hurt the neighborhood of my clients. They eventually sold and that was a good move for them. If I was trying to evaluate a new area, I might look at those established neighborhoods and try to identify which are overpriced and which are in line to get traction next. For example, in a nearby community named Pleasant Hill, the main focus is an area called Poets Corner but savvy buyers have known for years that it's much better to focus on the neighborhood a few blocks away called Gregory Gardens because the homes are the same (as well as schools) but prices are much more affordable.

I"m sure each area has it's own standard procedures but in my area (San Franscisco) the buyer will typically ask the seller to pay off any solar liens as part of the purchase, even if the system is nearly new. Few buyers will want to take on a solar lease and when I represent buyers, I almost always make sure the sellers pay off anything owing on a solar system. Of course, if the home is desirable and other buyers are writing offers at the same time, then the buyer might be forced to alter the demand to pay off the solar. On the seller side, if you are thinking of listing your home anytime in the near future, then please remember there is a chance you could be asked to pay off the lien if you decide to sell.

This is one of my favorite topics to discuss because people can get so bogged down in the details of a home inspection. Although ever issue can be important to a buyer, i feel it's best to focus on those items called out as "health and safety" such as electrical violations, foundation damage, drainage problems, fire code violations, etc. Small items like broken windows or damaged doors can be fixed easily. The bigger questions are how those windows or doors were damaged as well as other things that directly affect your daily life in the home. It is also extremely important to use an inspector that is trusted so don't just hire anyone and typically, don't hire a company that does all inspections under one umbrella. Instead, ask your agent for inspection advice and make sure your agent is qualified to help you review the reports to determine just what should be considered and how to address those issues with the contract going forward.

I know this answer isn't what other agents are saying, but I feel you are correct to focus on how the home looks while walking through a property. Is the paint new? Is the yard landscaped well? Are there stains in the flooring? Are the countertops new? Do you like how the home flows from room to room? Do you like the location of the bedrooms? Is the garage easily accessible? Is there a garage? All of these questions are relevant to how the home lives day to day. Secondly, I would focus on the neighbors. Is there a old house across the street? That might be a good thing meaning the owner is older and could look after your property during the daytime hours. Are there multiple run down homes in the area? Does the next door neighbor have six cars in the driveway and only one is operational? That could be a huge red flag. Is there a school nearby, stores, busy roads, etc? All of these could be good or bad depending on what you want. Once you go through this list and still like the property, then take the time to review the disclosures to see if there are any issues with the home not easily identifiable during the initial walk through. Look closely at the inspections and other property data like tax records. Once you have reviewed all of this information, then have your agent run comps to see how the price looks and with that, you can make feel good about moving forward with an offer or continuing your search. Good luck.

Tim, It is true the market is soft in many areas of the Country and some markets have seen price reductions over the last year or so. My best recommendation is to reach out to your favorite local agent and have that person set you up with an automated search which will show all sold homes in your area over the previous month. You get just one monthly email and you can monitor activity in your neighborhood. Of course, this is just an overall view of the market so perhaps your agent could do a twice yearly market analysis to see where things are. If it looks like the market is moving in the wrong direction, then selling might be an option in the future. Just remember is is extremely difficult to "time" the Real Estate market.

The easy answer to this question will be based on the actual condition of your home. The two types of houses that sell best are either in completely original condition and need everything fixed, or nearly perfect and fully remodeled. I image your house lies somewhere between these two extremes and thats where you need to decide what to do. If something is broken, you should consider fixing it. If your roof is bad, replacing it might not be your best option depending on other homes in the area and the overall condition of your house. The thing to focus on is if the house is currently livable though dated. If the home is clean and just needs updating (like from the 1980s or 1990s) then you probably should sell as is. I always tell my clients that people don't want to pay a premium for quality and then tear it out once escrow closes. Never tear out good to repair with better. Only tear out things that are bad. Not sure that helps but I hope so.