Sarita Dua - Portland, OR Realtor

When Is the Best Time to Sell Your Home?

2017-05-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

When is the best time to put your home on the market? My advice: Don’t wait.

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I was just talking to a seller the other day who said, “I was thinking about timing. I want to sell my home this summer; can I be on the market in a couple of weeks or should I wait until the end of next month?”

In short, when is the best time to sell your home?

In a market with low inventory like ours, the best time to sell is actually right now. Technically, the best time to sell your home was yesterday.

In a low inventory market, you don’t have as much competition. In fact, your neighbor can put their house on the market, price their house wrong, and kind of mess things up for your sale if you wait too long.

There is no reason to wait at all if you are ready to go.

There is absolutely no reason to wait to sell your home.

If you want to get your house on the market as quickly as possible, you are not alone. Everyone wants to get their home on the market, so we may see an influx of other properties coming on the market as time goes on. Low inventory situations like ours can change very quickly.

So, the best time to sell in a low inventory market is right now. Don’t wait. If you have any questions about getting your house on the market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How Low Inventory Is Affecting Buyers and Sellers

2017-04-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Today I want to go over the March stats for our market, specifically in terms of our months of inventory.

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The March stats for our market showed some pretty interesting numbers, especially in terms of our available inventory. What is “months of inventory” and what does it mean for our market?

If there were no new listings put on the MLS, the months of inventory is the amount of time it would take to sell everything currently on the market. As we expected, the months of inventory for March 2017 was very low at only 1.3 months. That’s the second lowest inventory has been in the last three years.

So what does that mean for you?

Both buyers and sellers should hire a pro before entering the market.

It’s a seller’s market, which means if you are thinking about selling, now is the time. However, that doesn’t mean you can just stick a “for sale” sign in your yard and expect a super successful sale. You’ll need to contact a professional real estate agent to help you position your property to get multiple offers and sell for top dollar.

If you’re a buyer in this market, you might be getting frustrated. Multiple offers are commonplace in our market and you’ll need a professional to help guide you through getting your offer accepted and beating out the fierce competition.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home or if you have any other questions, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’m always happy to help and look forward to hearing from you!

Which Comes First, the Sale or the Purchase?

2017-03-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Trying to juggle selling your current home and buying the next one can be tricky. Here's how you can weigh the pros and cons of whether it's smarter to buy first and then sell, or sell first and then buy.

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If you're selling your house and buying a new one, you'll probably be faced with the challenge of juggling the two acts at once. Many people need to sell their current home to be able to buy the next one, especially if you're moving up into a bigger home. Sometimes, these homeowners are fortunate enough to be pre-approved to buy a new home without selling their current home.

No matter your situation, though, we need to sit down and come up with a strategy. Just because you're pre-approved to buy a home without selling your current house doesn't necessarily mean it's the right way to go. Both options have their pros and cons.

By buying your next home first, you maximize your convenience by moving in, getting settled, and then prepping your existing home for sale without having to worry about living in the home you're trying to sell. You won't have to constantly make your beds, do all the dishes, and live through home showings. That's what I call the maximum convenience option.

Buying your next home before selling the old one provides maximum convenience.

By selling your current house first, you have the advantage of knowing exactly how much money you net. Then, once you have cash in hand, you can go shopping for your next home. In this situation, you maximize your dollar because you don't have any uncertainty about how long you'll have double mortgage payments and you know exactly where your financials will be.

While you might know your financial picture, since we're in a market with low inventory, you might be sort of a slave to the market. If your dream house isn't on the market, you might have to resort to renting in the interim or settling for a home that's on the market.

Both strategies have pros and cons, but the best way to figure out what's best for you and your situation is to talk to your real estate agent. We'll sit down and talk it through and examine how sellable your property is, as well as where you're going. We'll also look at things from a risk management point of view.

If you have any questions about buying and selling a home here in the Portland area, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help you!

Is Smart Technology Making Us Stupid?

2017-02-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

I love technology and innovation, but these things come at a cost. Are we getting dumber as technology gets smarter?

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Are smart homes making us stupid?

I was recently at an event called Hacker Connect Inman where a prevalent topic of discussion was smart technology and the privacy implications that come with products like Amazon’s Echo being able to listen to the conversations we have inside our homes. There was even mention of a murder trial where one side was trying to subpoena Alexa because she overheard a key conversation and could reasonably have incriminating data stored in her database.

This experience got me thinking. I’m a technology junkie and I love innovation. Whenever I look at my phone I’m reminded of all the things it controls in my home and the things I want it to control. You can control pretty much everything these days. You can even have your smart fridge manage your diet by monitoring when you open the door.

Homes are getting smarter, but at what cost?

With that it mind, I came across this article in The Huffington Post that argues that smart homes really are making us stupid.

What do I think? In my opinion, innovation is amazing, but only if we use it to solve a problem that we really needed to solve. If it’s used to make a cool thing to solve something that didn’t need to be solved, then that’s not really innovation.

I highly recommend you read this article. Do you agree with the author? Are smart homes really making us stupid? I invite you to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

As always, if you have any questions or are thinking about buying or selling a home, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you!

Why Katherine is a Loyal Client of Sarita Dua

2017-01-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

“We had a great experience with Sarita. She’s very efficient. I think she got us a good, fair price with the seller. [She] helped organize any repairs that needed to be taken care of with great quotes from the contractors and also working with people who were able to get in really quickly to get it done which I really appreciated because I was eight and half months pregnant at the time! She really helped us in many different ways, we really love Sarita and in fact we’re selling our previous house now with her. We are very loyal.”

Why Dennis had an Excellent Experience Working with Sarita Dua

2017-01-06T13:42:00.002-08:00

“Well I had excellent results, I sold a house and bought a house. There were hitches along the way and she was just excellent in helping solve the problems. I just had a very excellent experience with her.”

What Kind of Content Would You Like to See?

2016-12-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

We are very excited for 2017. It’s our mission to make this the year of the video.

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My family and I were recently at a Chinese restaurant and, as we were waiting for our dinner, we looked at our placemats. These placements had the Chinese zodiac chart on them. I was born in the year of the rooster, while my husband was born in the year of the dragon. This got me thinking of what next year is going to bring.

2017 is going to be the year of the video for the Ask Sarita Team. We are super excited about delivering better content to you, and delivering more of it. Of course, we can always come up with topics on our own, but that’s not what the spirit of the blog is all about.

"We’ll send you a gift card if we use your question."

So, we wanted to ask for your help. Put on your thinking caps and let us know what you’d like to hear about. Comment below, give us a call, or send us an email with your questions. As an added incentive, if we use a topic that you suggest to us, we will send you a gift card in the mail as a thank you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Happy Holidays!

2016-12-09T08:43:00.001-08:00

I just want to take a moment to say, “Happy Holidays!”

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As the holiday’s approach, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you and wish everyone a happy holiday.

Happy holidays from our family and our team to you and your family. We are very thankful to you for your friendship and your business.

Have a fantastic holiday season!

The Top 3 Reasons Winter Is a Great Time to Sell Your Home

2016-12-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

If you’re hesitant at the thought of listing your home during winter, I have news for you: winter is a great time to sell your home. There are three reasons why.

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Usually, home sellers are pretty hesitant about the prospect of trying to sell their home in winter.

If you’re one of these people, I think you should consider flipping that way of thinking. There are three reasons why selling your home in winter is a good idea:

1. Buyers are more serious. Anyone braving the cold to look at properties really needs a home, and they’re ready to write an offer. What’s more, you won’t have to deal with any looky-loos or tire-kickers that might waste your time.

2. Homes look better in the winter. What looks better than a home decorated for the holidays? These same serious buyers are only going to see your home in its best possible light.

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Winter buyers are ready to write you an offer.

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3. You’ll face less competition from other sellers. As with the buyers, only people who are really serious about selling their home will bother putting theirs on the market during winter.

If you have any real estate questions or are looking to buy or sell a home, don’t hesitate to call me or visit my website. I’d be happy to help!

Tips for Protecting Your Home This Holiday Season

2016-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

If you’re like me, you probably have a lot of travel plans this holiday season. Today, I’ll go over a few tips to keep your home safe while you’re away.

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I recently saw on article on Realty Times featuring tips to keep your home safe during the holidays. Many of us travel during the holiday season, and there is nothing worse than coming back to discover that you have been robbed while you were away.

Although you can read the full article here, I want to highlight a few of my favorite tips to prevent this nightmare from happening to you.

First of all, consider installing a WiFi doorbell or camera. A company called SkyBell makes a doorbell that records video of any visitors that come to your front door. Many of our local cable companies also offer apps that connect to a camera so that you can monitor activity in your house even if you are not there.

You should also be smart with your use of lighting. You can use motion-activated lights outside your home or you can get lights that turn on when the sun goes down. Lights with timers are also effective. These lights make it look like someone is home and you don’t have to waste electricity by leaving lights on 24/7.

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Let your neighbors or local sheriff department know that you will be away.

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Let your neighbors know that you will be gone. Tell them that you will be out of town, give them your cell phone number, and tell them to call you (and the police!) if anything goes wrong. I have gone a step further and reached out to the local sheriff’s department. They are very happy to drive by and monitor your home; after all, the police don’t want your home to get robbed, either.

Make sure you stop deliveries. Cancel your newspaper and your mail. All you have to do is hop online and select a vacation start date and end date. When mail or newspapers pile up, thieves take notice and your home becomes a target.

Finally, make sure that all of the doors and windows are closed and locked. Did you know that 30% of break-ins are not forced entry? This means that someone got in through an open door or window. Triple-check everything before you leave and make sure that there is no way to get into your house.

Following these tips will help prevent break-ins and allow you to relax during your holiday vacation. If you have any other questions about protecting your home, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

4 Ways to Make a Great First Impression on Portland Buyers

2016-06-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

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When you’re selling a home, it needs to look visually appealing to entice buyers to make an offer, even in a market like this where homes are selling quickly and for top dollar. Here are four ways you can create a great first impression with Portland buyers:

1. Make the exterior of the home enticing. The walk up to your house should be inviting, not forbidding. Stay on top of lawn mowing, driveway maintenance, and keep your landscaping clean and up-to-date. Clean the windows and make sure address numbers are easy to see. You could even add a colorful welcome mat or door wreath to put it over the top.

2. Shape up the home’s interior. Once the exterior wows the buyer, you’ve got to continue to impress them on the inside. Keep your kitchen and bathroom counters clear, and organize your closets and shelves. Once you’ve cleared things out, remove personalized photos or knickknacks that make the home feel like your home. We want buyers to visualize their family living in your home, not your family. Clean the home from top to bottom, washing away smudges from the walls and touching up paint where it’s needed.

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IN A MARKET LIKE OURS, YOU CAN'T JUST BANK ON MULTIPLE OFFERS.

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3. Check the outside of the home’s evening appearance. Even if you’re positive that it looks great during the day, double check to make sure it looks good at night as well. Replace any missing lightbulbs or non-functional outdoor lighting.

4. Make the necessary repairs. You’re going to have to make them one way or another, so you might as well do them up front, if not after the inspection. Anything that is a simple, physical fix should be taken care of. Stained carpet or holes in walls should be replaced so the home looks clean, simple, attractive, and problem-free to the buyer.

In a market like ours, you can’t just bank on multiple offers. Those that do are shocked that buyers expect a perfect home. We don’t want you to be shocked, we want you to be able to get top dollar. Following these tips is the best way to do that.

If you have any questions for us, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

What’s Happening in Portland Real Estate?

2016-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

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Today I wanted to talk a little bit about what’s been going on in the market. Things have been a bit crazy, especially here in Portland, and I wanted to break it down for you. First, let’s talk about the national market as a whole.

According to the most recent sales report from the National Association of Realtors, the overall inventory throughout the country is 5.1 months. This puts us in a seller’s market nationwide, where 6 months is considered a balanced market. Inventory has dropped considerably from last year, anywhere from 1.7% to 4.7% nationwide.

In Portland, we have even less inventory than that. The most recent report states that we had just 1.2 months of inventory at the end of December. That’s the lowest inventory level we’ve seen here since 1999.

What does this mean for buyers and sellers? For sellers, it means you should list now instead of waiting for later in the spring. I listed three homes last week and all of them got multiple offers, one even got 24. Your home still has to look great and be priced right to sell, but it’s much easier to get top dollar in our current market. If you’re a buyer, you can still buy, but you’ve got to have a good strategy in place. Hire a good agent who can help you with what’s on the market before it happens.

If you have any questions for me about the market or about buying or selling in Portland, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Market Trends in Portland

2015-12-31T07:14:00.000-08:00

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Lately, many people have been asking me about current market conditions at parties, coffee shops, and other spots around town.

Interest rates are going up. We don’t know when they will increase, but we can expect this to happen in 2016. Industry pundits say it will happen sooner than later, too.

Likewise, prices increase. Certain neighborhoods are appreciating more than others in Portland. Additionally, rents are sky high and more expensive than ever before.

If you have kids in high school, there’s an important question you should consider right now. Where do you want to end up when your kids are gone? It might be a good idea to start looking for a home you want to move in, and rent it until your kids move out. Ask yourself if that property, the one that you want, will be available or more money in three years. It’s all about value here.

Let’s work together. We’re here to help you figure out where you want to be in the future! Give us a call or send us an email today.

What’s in a Brand?

2015-12-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

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Today I am going to talk to you about the power of a brand. There are so many studies out there that show you can see a symbol for a brand, and then recall the brand based on its marketing and your personal connection to it. To show you the importance of branding, I’m going to talk about my brand, “The Ask Sarita Team.”

As you can see in the video above, I have a circular business card, almost like a coaster. On this card in big letters it says “Ask Sarita,” which is my personal brand. I came up with this when I first started in real estate. I chose this specific phrase because I wanted to be a resource for my clients for any question they had about real estate.

Of course, we are always here to answer questions for those interested in buying and selling a home, but I have the knowledge and expertise to do so much more for you. Whether you’re building a deck and looking for the perfect material, or you’re needing to hire a plumber or electrician, I’ve got answers for them all. My scope goes well beyond just buying and selling homes.

If you have any questions at all, or someone you know has questions about real estate, I would love to answer them. I have lots of experience and knowledge, and I’m always willing to share. The power of the brand is the promise we deliver to our clients, and I’d love the opportunity to do that for you. I look forward to hearing from you!

Where Can You Find the Best Real Estate Advice in Portland?

2015-09-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

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Hi everyone, it's Sarita with the Ask Sarita Team. Thanks for joining me today. I have some exciting news for you!

I will be sharing my real estate expertise with you through a new video blog.

I am extremely excited about this and I want to include all of you! Each month I will be sending out two emails addressing trends in our local real estate market. I'll also be touching on changes to the lending and title world (which affect all of us in one way or another), and tips for navigating the world of real estate. All of these industries are intertwined, and to take full advantage of the real estate market, you need to know about all of them.

Rather than simply guess what's on your mind, I want to reach out and ask you what questions you have about real estate.

Are there any concepts that confuse you? Are you curious about the market in your particular area or neighborhood?

I would love to answer your specific questions in my videos so other people with similar questions can benefit from them too!

I look forward to speaking with you!

How Can You Sell for Top Dollar in Portland?

2015-06-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

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Now is a wonderful time to sell a home in Portland, and so today I wanted to speak about the best way for you to price your home.

The good thing to know is that even if you price it way below market value, it will likely shoot back up to the proper price. That's just how real estate works.

However, if you price your home too high, it will likely sit and go stale. Portland is a relatively polite marketplace and people don't often try to low-ball an offer on a home.

My recommendation is to price just below what the home is actually valued. This way you can create excitement and draw in a multiple offer situation. The home must also be positioned correctly, and we can form the correct strategy for you to get top dollar for your home.

If you need any assistance selling your home in Portland, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm always willing to help!

How to Get Your Offer Accepted in a Competitive Portland Market

2015-06-16T14:20:00.001-07:00

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As the market continues to heat up, many people have asked about available options for home buyers. Today, we explain the many possibilities you have if you are looking for a home in our current market.

In the current market, buyers are in a tough place because there isn't much inventory available to them. However, despite adverse buying conditions, we feel it is our job to lay out every option available to each of our buyers. Once you have all the options in front of you, you get to decide for yourself what will be most beneficial to you and your family. Our job isn't to "protect" you, but to help you make the most informed decision possible.

This hot Portland market is making it difficult for buyers, who often find themselves in multiple offer situations. Trying to craft a winning offer is very difficult, as sellers aren't just looking at price, but terms and conditions as well! Our job is to keep you informed enough to know what it might take to win the home you're after!

If you would like professional assistance finding a home in this tough market, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!