Home buyer and Seller Ask Realtor Questions | Sacramento Real Estate Voice

Ask Your Real Estate Question

July 31st, 2007 categories: Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Sacramento

Sacramento Real Estate Voice receives questions from readers asking for help. These Real Estate related questions come from Home Buyers and Sellers. Got question…ask Gena.

Instead of Dear Abbey…we will have Ask Gena. Just email me your questions as you have been and I will post the answers on Sacramento Real Estate Voice. Your names will not be shared, so don’t worry.

Remember, you may have the same Real Estate question that another Home Buyer or Seller has, just ask. All questions will be treated with respect and dignity.

Any identifying information will not be viewed but changed to keep your anonymity.

Now, let’s get started with our question of the week…

Gena,

I have my house for sale and have been told that there are odors. I have done everything I can think of. I bought the fresheners at the grocery store and I’ve tried plug-ins. What more can I do? Do you have any suggestions?

Homeowner Selling House

Dear Sellers,

You didn’t mention what you think the odor is from. Do you have pets? If so, you may be dealing with pet urine. Check out misterfix for a possible remedy. It has been my experience that if you are dealing with pet urine, you more than likely need to simply re-carpet.

Smells also come from water leaks which give off a mildewy smell. The first step is to find the source of your leak and have it fixed and then replace the material in the area that was soaked. Check out the mold, mildew and musty odors site for further information.

If you go barefoot on your carpet you may be smelling your own foot smell. At Green Living there is a simple solution with Baking Soda for your carpet odors.

Most of the time, we don’t smell the odors in our own homes. But, others do smell them when they enter our houses. Remember, that this will have a lasting effect on the home buyer touring your house. Plug-ins, candles and oils are not the answer. You really need to find the source of your odor and deal with it.

Many home owners live in closed up houses. Windows are kept shut and locked and doors -One of my favorite clean smells is dryer sheets. I love the smell and it’s a clean smell. I put them in my inside garbage cans, drawers and have been known to put them in hidden places while having an Open House. Usually, everyone loves the smell of clean.

Stay away from the grocery store wild smelling items. Not everyone loves, apples, cinnamon etc.

Hope that helps you. Good luck selling your house and smelling “good.”

Dear Gena,

I am buying a condo and wonder what type of insurance I should be getting? Is the insurance the same as for a house? Who do you recommend that I call? What about just having renter’s insurance?

New Condo Buyer

Dear Home Buyer,

Congratulations on purchasing a condo. In order for your loan to fund, you MUST have insurance. That’s where the similarity between a house and a condo end as far as insurance.

The condo association should have insurance for the outside of the condo. This can be verified by taking a look at the documents sent to you from the Homeowner’s Association. The outside of the condo, meaning the walls and studs as well as the roof (on some) is the coverage that the Homeowner’s Association is responsible for. It is important to make sure that you request proof from the Association each year that the insurance has been paid.

If all you had was just what the Homeowner’s Association insurance covered it would mean that if a fire were to occur, the Homeowner’s Association’s insurance would rebuild the outside walls up to and including the studs inside but that is it. The interior walls, sinks, tubs, showers, electrical, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, carpet and of course anything that is personally yours such as furniture, clothing etc would not be covered.

It is important to have enough insurance to rebuild the interior and include your personal items. Renters insurance is fine but remember, it doesn’t cover all the rest of the inside of the condo. You need more.

Ever since the Loma Prieta earthquake in1989 and then the Oakland hills firestorm in 1991, we all learned that you should ALWAYS make sure and ask your insurance representative if you have replacement cost and code upgrades within your insurance policy. This means, if the condo needs to be rebuilt, and building codes have changed (which more than likely they will have), the added cost associated with those changes would be covered. You need replacement cost insurance.

I am a Realtor and not an Insurance carrier but typically, the insurance company who currently supplies your auto insurance will give you a better rate since you already have your vehicle with them. I personally would call and get 3 bids and with those bids include your current car so that you can get the full benefit of discounts.

Hope that helps and congrats on being in escrow with your new condo!

If you have a burning question that you would like answered, just email “Ask Gena.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Real Estate, Real Estate Tips, Sacramento. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ines said at July 31st, 2007 at 5:07 pm
What a great idea Gena! I absolutely love it and gives you an opportunity to give great advice.
Seth said at August 2nd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Hi Gena,

I’m planning on having a professionally installed deck put in my back yard. I realize there is typically not a much return on investment with these types of improvements, but I’m also sure it’s worth “something”. If I’m spending $10k, should I be able to add some of that amount to my house value when I do well it?
Gena Riede said at August 3rd, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Ines,
Thank you. Missed seeing you at the Conference in San Franisco.
Pat Kitano said at August 7th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Hey Gena I have a question…

Love to hear what you thought of Connect last week… and I was VERY pleased to meet you in living color!

–pk
Gena said at August 7th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Pat,
What a honor to have you here on Sacramento Real Estate. You are quite a gentleman and it was my pleasure, as well.
Carlsbad Real Estate said at August 8th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Gena: As I mentioned to you in San Francisco, your “Ask Gena” Column is terrific. Keep it at the top of the fold!

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