Long Beach, Real Estate Podcast with Scott Kato

Join Me for an Exclusive Look Inside the Kato Group!

Info@KatoGroup.Com (Scott Kato) — Wed, 21 May 2014 13:14:00 -0700

There are many great Long Beach area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (562) 513-7845 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Join Me for an Exclusive Look Inside the Kato Group!

Today I wanted to provide you with a glimpse inside of the Kato Group’s operation – you will see where we started and how we grew into the company we are today!

After reading the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki in 2002, I was inspired to begin my career in real estate. However before this, I managed a call center in Tampa, Florida for a few years that dealt with fulfilling musical instrument orders and the distribution of catalogs. From there, my wife and I relocated to New York after she obtained a job in Rockefeller Center. I was able to transfer my position to Sam Ash Music’s corporate headquarters in Long Island and run operations for the Tri-State area.

In 2013, we had the privilege to buy and sell 100 properties. With the help of my partner, Neil Thompson, we were able to buy and flip 120 investment properties. Towards the end of 2013, we actually had to have agents from an investment firm represent us to avoid dipping into the commission. Representing ourselves became too difficult – we were forced to work through the listing agents to acquire assets and use them on the exit as well.

As for 2014, we are on track to sell 130 homes. Our goal is much higher, but we are satisfied with the pace we are keeping. Our first quarter was a bit slow, but that appears to be the consensus with all realtors. However we are screaming through the second quarter!

If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email or give me a phone call. Thanks and have a great day!

Kato Group Reviews - They speak in easy terms to understand and are very straightforward

Info@KatoGroup.Com (Scott Kato) — Wed, 7 May 2014 09:33:00 -0700

(We’ve known about the Kato Group for a long time. Scott Kato was actually someone I grew up with and my husband knew Jessica from growing up as well, so they’ve been family friends for quite some time. We’ve used the Kato Group for our past 3 houses. We bought our first house with them, sold that house and bought another with them, and now this is the third house. We had found a house that we liked and they told us if we were serious about this house, then we needed to put our house on the market. I was a little nervous about it because I didn’t want to put my house on the market without knowing if I was going to get that house or not. The Kato Group told us if we wanted to play the game, we had to be ready too so we put it up. Our house was on the market for 9 days and we had multiple offers. The first offer we got was very low and it was a little disappointing so we started second guessing ourselves but I completely trusted Scott and Jessica so we kept it on the market. I just let them lead the way and it worked out perfectly! The first offer actually turned around and come up on their offer so we were pretty happy about that. We knew that there were multiple offers on the house we wanted to buy so we did what Scott and Jessica recommended and it worked out, we were so ecstatic! They did a great job on everything! They were very timely and communicated with us throughout the entire process. They speak in easy terms to understand and are very straightforward. We haven’t had a lot of experience with other Realtors except for those we’re buying from. Some of those Realtors were not nice at all and they were very sneaky. That’s why I’m so glad I can trust the Kato Group! They are so easy going and professional! They never hide anything from us and we feel very confident in their business. Scott really invests his time in the business and he really knows what he’s doing. The Kato Group is so responsive and that’s huge because you always want to know what is going on. They’re very approachable and I felt like I could contact them at any time. I’d highly recommended the Kato Group!)

Two Important Tips for Investing in Real Estate

Info@KatoGroup.Com (Scott Kato) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 13:06:00 -0700

There are many great Long Beach area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (562) 513-7845 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

It is always an excellent time in real estate – especially with interest rates as low as they are. There has been talk that interest rates will rise to at least 5% by October or fall of 2014.

When investing in real estate, you should:

Meet with a professional. I strongly suggest meeting with a full-time agent and obtaining a buyer’s needs analysis. This applies to investing in your primary residence or just beginning to build your investment portfolio – no matter if you’re investing in a duplex or commercial building. Your mail goal is to strategize and tailor a search that is specific to your goals.
Get in touch with a preferred lender. This allows you to get a clearer picture of what it takes to invest in today’s real estate market. There numerous different guidelines that are specific to your investment goals; a professional lender will help you every step of the way! Lending is much different than it was in 2006-07.

Feel free to reach out to me by phone or email. Thanks and have a great day!

What Did You See in 2013?

Info@KatoGroup.Com (Scott Kato) — Wed, 8 Jan 2014 13:03:00 -0800

Today I wanted to give you a recap of 2013 in the Long Beach market and what we can expect moving forward into 2014. 2013 began as a buyer’s market due to the cushion of inventory that was being addressed by investors. Shortly after the first quarter, we had a lot of hedge funds coming primarily into the Blackstone and began to scoop some of the short sales and R.E.O.’s. After this, the market transitioned to favor the sellers and by mid-summer, it felt like it was 2006 again. It was quite common to see multiple offers, homes that were selling prior to listing, removal of all contingencies and non-refundable deposits. As we moved into fall, the market still favored sellers as inventory remained low.

Interest rates started out historically low again and by summertime, we saw them bump up. The rise in interest rates and low inventory created a hold in the market; it seemed that buyers didn’t know what to expect and that brought the market to a screeching halt. This hold felt very similar to when the tax credits expired in 2011, although fall showed the market pick up in the sub-$500,000 market.

I believe 2014 will start out very similar to the fourth quarter of 2014. Inventory is still down and I do expect interest rates to rise and this will keep the market quiet. Sellers will most likely hold off from putting their homes on the market until after the New Year and I don’t think we will see an influx of inventory in February; the market will remain steady and quiet.

Thanks for checking out my blog! For more information, give us a call at (562) 513-7842. Thanks and have a great day!

Buyers click here to search all area homes for sale.

Sellers click here to find out what your home is worth.

What Can You Do to Prepare Your Home for Sale?

Info@KatoGroup.Com (Scott Kato) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 11:27:00 -0800

Today I wanted to talk to you about preparing your home for sale in today’s market. First impressions are key; curb appeal is an important place to start because buyers judge a property within the first five seconds of pulling up. You want to make sure the grass is green, the yard is manicured and color is enticing the buyer to come into the home.

Also, decluttering is first and foremost the easiest to take care of in a short amount of time. You want to present countertop space, remove clutter in the corners and even hide things in the corner or the garage (preferably out of the house completely). Clutter only takes away from the bones and beauty of the house. If you have oversized furniture or the architectural design does not match the furniture, we have two professional stagers that arrange your house to maximize space and natural light.

Thanks for checking out my blog! For more information, give us a call at (562) 513-7845. Thanks and have a great day!

Long Beach Real Estate Market Update – December 2013

Info@KatoGroup.Com (Scott Kato) — Wed, 4 Dec 2013 14:31:00 -0800

In the final month of this year’s fourth quarter, the Long Beach real estate market is experiencing yet another twist. After a strong seller-controlled marketplace where inventory was slim-pickings and buyers were eager to jump on still low interest rates, we are now starting to see a more balanced market.

Here in the midst of the 2013 holiday season, we are seeing yet another change in what has been one of the most interesting real estate years that we have had in quite some time. In fact, for the longest time our inventory levels remained at very low levels. Buyers had been scrambling to get into homes while sellers continued to enjoy being on top (a welcome change!).

Housing Inventory Increases Across Long Beach Marketplace
Lately things have turned and we are starting to see inventory levels increase again. Sellers that were once hesitant to put their home on the market back in 2007/2008 when the real estate outlook was dim are now re-entering the scene at a time when things seem more promising. These are the homeowners that were not in any dire need to get out of their properties yet had planned to sit on their homes until things eased up a bit. That time has come and we are seeing it show up with more sellers listing homes now despite the typical slow holiday season. A lot of these listings are sellers that were not willing to let the down market affect their financial stability five-seven years ago. The caveat to this, however, is that much of this inventory is coming in overpriced.

Prices Artificially Inflated Based on Summer Activity
One thing we’re seeing happening at the current time is many agents are advising sellers to price their homes higher than current market value. The strategy might be that agents are considering the trajectory of where the market is going however they are clearly ignoring where our market sits right now. The problem with that is that right now our prices have flat-lined and when you have a leveled out market with overpriced listings you start seeing price reductions which is exactly what we are starting to see now. A stronger strategy is to price a home well and price it right the first time around. Depending on the motivation, a seller is better served by positioning the property within the marketplace to sell quickly without wasting time on those inevitable price reductions.

Interest Rates Rise; High-End Markets Slowing Down; Season Slow Down
In other news, we did see interest rates go up and down for a while there but they seem to have settled into a steady incline (yet slow enough for comfort). With the holidays around the corner most housing activity will slow down almost to a halt for many markets, particularly the higher end price points.

If you would like more information or an in-depth look at your neighborhood call us at your convenience 562.513.7845 or tour our website www.katogroup.com for a host of valuable information. We look forward to hearing from you!