Contra Costa, California Real Estate

This is a short-story about how Home Stager, Kathy Burke, changes a potential disaster to an opportunity.

It has happened to all of us at one time or another.  The listing is signed, Kathy completed the staging consultation and once the seller's typical To Do list is completed (declutter, depersonalize, clean, touch-up paint, some minor purchases) the house will go on the market and be fabulous.  That is until the Pest Inspection returns with over $15,000 of unexpected repairs.  And worse, the repairs require removing the marble tile in both bathrooms and the cost to reinstall marble tile versus generic tile is a significant additional expense to the $15k bid.  Not going to happen.

Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes and now the bathrooms will only be generic.  What to do?  Call Kathy Burke of Sensational Home Staging!  My original question for Kathy was "What color should we pick that will most appeal to buyers?"  The answer I received was soooo much better.  Kathy provided fabulous design ideas using off-the-shelf tile products, a few inexpensive tweaks and, ta da!, a totally upgraded bathroom with a "designer look" and all within the budget.  Buyers are going to love it!  Suddenly the potential disaster is a wonderful opportunity.

Kathy's approach to creating a designer-look on a budget suddenly made me realize how valuable her expertise could be to Walnut Creek homeowners (or anywhere in the East Bay) contemplating improvements, not just sellers.

If you own a home in Contra Costa county CA, this home maintenance tip could save you THOUSANDS of dollars in future repairs - get a Pest Inspection every 2 - 4 years!

Pest Inspections cover more than rodents and creepy crawly things.  The #1 repair item on Pest Inspections in our market area of northern California is dry rot.  The term dry rot is a bit of a misnomer.  Dry rot is a fungus that causes wood decay and is the result of water in contact with wood over time.  The main culprits for potential problems are kitchens and bathrooms.

Let me share a story that will make the point.  I listed a Walnut Creek home for sale and as part of my pre-sale preparation process, I view the home in detail in order to make a to-do list of items that need to be accomplished in order to sell for the highest possible price.  During the preview, I noticed that the caulking in both bathrooms was an unusual, grayish color.  Given that this home was clean and well-maintained, I knew the cause was more than the need for a good scrubbing so I suggested that the sellers obtain a Pest Inspection.  The last thing any seller wants is to be broadsided by unexpected repairs with a short deadline for completion when their home sells.

This is where the story gets painful.  Both bathrooms had water leaks, one from the shower and one from the bathtub surround area.  Unless you knew what to look for (and most home owners don't), these leaks were not at all obvious because they went through a gap in the caulking to the sub-floor of the bathrooms.....and the leaks occured over a long period of time causing significant damage.  The sellers, who did all the appropriate maintenance that they knew about throughout their 18 years of ownership, now need to pull out the shower, the bathtub, all of the beautiful tile and replace the joists and sub-floors in both bathrooms.  A very expensive repair.

The sellers summed up their frustration by saying, "If only we had known to add a Pest Inspection to our maintenance, we would have gladly paid the $185 every 3 years rather than face this expense.  Why didn't anyone tell us to do this?"

So now you know, get a Pest Inspection every 2 - 4 years and save yourself thousands in future repairs!

A new energy upgrade rebate program for Contra Costa County is about to launch!

I have enjoyed several phone calls as a result of my blog post Cost Effective Programs to Add Energy Efficient Upgrades to Your Home Purchase.  The most recent call was from Jeffrey Lian of Ecology Action to inform me that a new energy rebate program for Contra Costa county is scheduled to roll-out on April 3, 2011.

Contra Costa's program dovetails with PGE's Energy Upgrade California, Advanced Package. 

The first step is to hire an independent home energy rater or participating contractor to perform a home energy assessment.  The cost ranges from approximately $400-$600.  (Important note, if you are including energy upgrades in your home purchase, it is important to hire a HERS II Energy Rater). Upon completion of the home energy assessment, the home energy rater provides a list of recommended improvements and the associated energy/thermal savings based on energy modeling.

The percentage of savings determines the Energy Upgrade California rebate.  For instance, energy savings of 20% provides a $2,000 rebate, energy savings of 30% provides a $3,000 rebate.  The maximum Advanced Package rebate is $4,000.

The new Contra Costa program provides the following rebates in addition to those provided by Energy Upgrade California.  If the Energy upgrade returns a 20% energy consumption improvement, the following rebates are available:

20% rebate for energy improvement project costs up to $10,000.

25% rebate for energy improvement projects costs greater than $10,000 up to a maximum of $5,000. 

It isn't entirely clear if the Contra Costa Rebate program is available for homeowners who order their Home Energy Assessment before the program roll-out on April 3rd.  If you want to get started, choose your Home Energy Rater and schedule the inspection for April 4th just to be safe.

I spoke to Scott O'Hara of Eco Performance Builders, one of the participating contractors listed on PGE's website.  Scott mentioned that some homes are losing up to 50% of their energy efficiency due to leaking ducts which also impacts indoor air quality.  That got the numbers running in my head. 

One of my clients recently replaced all of the ducting under their home for a total cost of $5,300 (they chose ducting with special features).  Assume that resulted in energy savings of 35% (could have been 50% given the fact the home is 40 years old) for a PGE rebate of $3,500.  Add an additional $1,060 rebate from Contra Costa (20% of the total project cost).  My clients spent $5,300 and would have received $4,560 rebates under these new programs.  A project expense of $740 + $400 for the energy survey resulting in a net out-of-pocket expense of $1,140....and don't forget the ongoing energy savings from the improvements!

Jay Markanich, Home Inspector, has provided this excellent overview of Duct Cleaning, why it's important and how to choose an appropriate company to conduct the service.  Thanks Jay!

Paint is the least expensive upgrade for your home but picking the right paint color can be an exercise in frustration, especially if you are color-challenged.  I didn't KNOW I was color-challenged until I had two painting disasters within a relatively short period of time. 

Painting disaster #1:  I chose a new trim color for the exterior of our home.  The color matched the tones in the stone archway perfectly on that little swatch (I also assumed the painter would tell me if I was way off base).  Fortunately, my husband forgot something and drove home before the painting progressed too far.  He called me and said, "Did you actually PICK this color?"  A new color was quickly chosen and a new batch of paint purchased. 

Painting disaster #2:  My husband and I decided to create home gym.  I thought I would surprise him and paint the room a subtle "man cave" gray.  Learning from Disaster #1, I even purchased a small can and test painted a swatch on the wall.  Even THAT wasn't enough.  When the room was entirely painted - with two coats - the lavendar base color of the gray paint became very obvious.  Seriously, it looked like I painted a a single coat of gray paint over "girly" lavendar walls.  Even though I like to paint (I find it cathartic), I don't like to repaint the same project multiple times!

I learned my lesson.  Choosing paint color requires you to:

1. Get an Interior Design degree in Color Wheel with emphasis in hue and tone,
   
2. Hire a color consultant OR,
   
3. Pick a paint palette that does the color matching for you! 

I have found two manufacturers that suit Option #3 for color-challenged, do-it-yourself homeowners.  All of the colors in these lines can be coordinated because the underlying "hue" is the same.  The first is Devine Color, a luxurious collection that looks downright rich and delicious on your walls.  The paint is a bit odd at first because it has the texture of yogurt.  The second is the Affinity collection by Benjamin Moore which has the additional bonus of being Greenguard Certified as a low-emitting product.

Happy Painting!

It is a rare home owner who doesn't embark on a home improvement project at some time.  Unfortunately, horror stories abound about cost over-runs, missing permits and projects that don't finish on time or at all.

If you are planning a home improvement project, a little homework will protect your project and your funds.  The Contractors State Licensing Board of California offers some excellent guides and pamphlets full of step-by-step instructions and tips.  They are well worth reading and could ultimately save you save you thousands of dollars.

A Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Contracts - Terms of Agreement

What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor

10 Tips for Making Sure Your Contractor Measures Up

Tips for Hiring a Roofing Contractor

Before You Dive Into Swimming Pool Construction

I would like to thank Jim Brooks of Pipecam Inc. for telling me about these informational booklets for my clients!  You should visit their website to learn the 10 Ways To Avoid Costly Plumbing Repairs!