Are you selling a home in Almaden Valley, San Jose, within the next year? There are things that you can do to enhance your home’s value and your ultimate net from the sale.

#1 tip for selling a home in Almaden Valley, San Jose

In addition to the basics for every home seller of correct pricing, fixing, cleaning, decluttering, replacing floor coverings and paint as needed and providing a complete disclosure package with pre-sale inspection, there is one extremely important facet to focus on in 95120:

• Foundation & drainage work is KEY!  This is the number one issue that is fairly unique to Almaden as an issue.  Find out if your crawl space has any moisture intrusion either now or seasonally and if so, consider mitigating it as these items can scare buyers off or cause them to lowball their offers. (You may want to hire a home or pest inspector to check the entire crawl space for you.) Probably 90% of homes in Almaden have this problem and it should not be ignored as it can lead to expensive foundation repairs, mold, cupping of hardwood floors in the living space, and more.
  • Most home owners are not directing the water away from their homes at the downspouts, and that is part of the problem in many cases.
  • You may need to employ a foundation and drainage contractor for guidance and implementation, depending on what is discovered when your crawl space is checked
  • Even if you don’t get the work done, having a bid for what’s needed is a huge help. The reason is that whatever a cost might be, most buyers believe it will cost 3 -5x that amount. Providing the actual cost will build buyer confidence and lessen their fear of surprises.
• If your home is close to high voltage lines, consider learning the EMF levels. They are likely not as big of a deal as buyers will worry that they are.
• In a quiet location? You might want to check your property’s “How Loud” score to promote that benefit – see HowLoud.com.

Selling a home in Almaden Valley: what’s unique about 95120

This lovely corner of San Jose has become more prized in recent years. Many home buyers view it as a good value for the money in terms of the schools, the overall quality of the community, the scenic beauty with hills close by on two sides, and the reasonable commute to downtown San Jose. These are often what motivate home buyers who are drawn to the 95120 zip code. Once they visit in person, they may be surprised at how quiet this area is, generally, too.

The close proximity to the Santa Cruz Mountains on one side and the Santa Teresa foothills on the other is unique. There are some issues that arise from that situation that we’ll address later, primarily regarding water, drainage, and foundations, as mentioned above. For most home buyers, those are not really on their radar upfront.

Selling a home in Almaden Valley: plan to educate the buyers

When selling your home in Almaden Valley, San Jose, there are concerns that you CAN CONTROL (condition of the property, your disclosures), and things outside of your control. Some of it’s paperwork and planning, and some of it is grunt work. You can use your paperwork as an opportunity to educate the buyers. That doesn’t mean to throw a marketing spin onto your disclosures, but instead to provide documentation that will make them feel more confident about buying your home.

Selling a home in Almaden Valley, San Jose – things that sellers CAN control:

• Cleanliness takes time, even if you hire someone else, but it makes an important impression (inside and out). Make the home bright. Consider brighter lightbulbs and moving curtains or other shades or blinds away from the windows to bring more natural light in. (Some sellers remove them all together.)
• Decluttering the home, garage, and yard so that inspectors, real estate agents, and buyers can see everything is imperative.
• Getting everything into good working order (replace noisy fans, any broken cooktop elements, any locks without keys, etc.) will keep a lot of buyer anxiety at bay.
  • this includes foundation and drainage work or at the very minimum, getting a bid so the amount to fix it is known
  • make sure you divert the water from downspouts away from the house, ideally 6′ or more but at the very least using a splash block
• Trimming bushes and other vegetation to allow good natural lighting into the home will make the house feel more inviting.
• Making sure that your presale inspections are all done and that you used quality inspectors – whatever is skipped is suspect to most buyers! Usually you’ll want a home, roof (separate from the home), and pest inspection. If you have a pool, you’ll want a pool inspection. If the home inspector calls for a chimney, foundation, HVAC, or other, you should consider that advice seriously.
• Once you have the home inspection, fix anything new that is a health or safety issue, or that’s likely to scare buyers, such as rodent intrusion, unsafe garage doors, and so on
• Provide detailed disclosures, records, and receipts as much as possible – many sellers gloss over things, but the more detailed you are, the more confident that buyers will feel and then the better their offers will be. This takes time! To bolster them:
  • write a chronological list of improvements, repairs, additions, remodeling, and permits for your home
  • if you can also provide receipts for work done, it’s a pain to collect but it makes a strongly positive impression on home buyers
  • when completing the disclosures, do not rush through, but take your time, possibly revisiting the questions a few times – the # 1 source of lawsuits regards disclosures, so this is a super important step
  • if you have the records from when you purchased the home, provide them, too

There are things you CANNOT CONTROL when selling a home in Almaden Valley , but you can help (or have your listing agent help) by providing extra information that can be reassuring.

• High voltage power lines, for instance, tend to be a big concern for most home buyers.  But when the EMFs are actually measured, buyers may be very surprised to learn that the measurement in front of a microwave oven in use or a handheld mobile phone makes the power lines look less scary.  The solution?  It’s simple: provide the scores upfront so that buyers can learn the facts.
• Some schools don’t score as highly as others, but they may have awards or special programs that can be highlighted, or other information provided that can mitigate a blanket number that perhaps isn’t a good in-depth answer to the question of school quality.
• Commute issues may remain a problem for some home buyers, but today many workers are tele-.  Learn where the Apple and Google bus stops are – your high tech home buyer may be shocked and delighted to be  just a bike ride away from an easy commute!

The positive aspects of living in Almaden are abundant. Many Silicon Valley home buyers to find the right balance of good schools, scenic neighborhoods, well kept homes, real estate pricing, and open space & trails in this southwestern part of San Jose.

Selling a home in Almaden Valley in the next year? Please reach out to us with a call or email!

Related reading for selling a home in Almaden Valley:

Pre-sale preparation for home sellers (on popehandy.com)

Preparing Your Silicon Valley Home to Sell and Return on Investment

Almaden Valley real estate market report – popehandy.rereport.com

Browse listings of San Jose 95120 homes for sale here (link to a page on this blog)