Thursday 5 May 2016

Lacy Burke Discusses Home Value

Getting the best sale price for your home does not have to involve a major renovation, according to Los Angeles real estate agent Lacy Burke. Many small improvements and do-it-yourself changes can make thousands of dollars of difference in your final sale price. One thing that you can do which costs next to nothing is to clean the house. More than just your regular weekly pick-up, really deep clean every room, the garage, and the exterior of the home. Having a state of the art kitchen is a fine selling point, but if that kitchen is filthy, buyers are going to be turned off.

Homeowners with pets and those who smoke will need to take extra steps to ensure the cleanliness and freshness of the home. After living with your beloved pooch or smoking in the home for years, you become desensitized to the odors that have built up on your walls, carpets, and linens. If you are a smoker you light up in your home and you are thinking about selling, stop smoking in the house right away. Your home will need as much time as possible to air out. Even a quality cleaning does not always do the trick against pet odors and nicotine. In some cases, you may need to consider removing carpet or repainting the walls to eliminate the foul odors.

As a home seller, you always want to portray your home in the best light, which according to Lacy Burke means that you must keep it clean.                                                                                                                                                          

Monday 25 April 2016

Lacy Burke Built His Career on a Quality Education

Earning a degree from California State University at Northridge was the beginning of a successful real estate career for Lacy Burke. His 2001 graduation from the school gained him a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, and four years of experience that has proven to be very useful. Burke enjoyed his educational endeavors, and took it upon himself to join many service groups, including the University Ambassador program.

The skills that he developed and mastered during his tenure at California State University have served him well over the last fifteen years. In addition to the practical education classes he successfully completed, Burke also learned the meaning of hard work, sacrifice, and prioritization. It is easy for many college students to be pulled off course by the socialization that college life brings, but he remained focused on his education and betterment.

Burke also became proficient with many technological programs and systems while attending university. Some of the areas that he excelled at include organizational skills, management of others, time management and self-discipline, and most word processing programs. He uses this set of skills as a real estate agent often. Having earned a degree in communications means that he is an effective communicator with everyone that he meets. Being able to listen to and discuss the needs of his real estate clients is a trait that enables him to serve them better. Lacy Burke knows that without his solid educational foundation, he would not be the well-respected real estate agent that he is today.

Monday 18 April 2016

Lacy Burke Wants To Get You a Higher Sale Price

When a homeowner decides to list their home for sale, there are many emotions and considerations involved, says Lacy Burke. As a successful real estate agent in Los Angeles, Burke understands the ins and outs of home selling. He has become an expert in his field. This expertise has led to him overseeing the luxury home sales division for ReMax in Orange County. All home sellers want to sell their property for the best price. Even when the housing market is in a slump, receiving a good price is always important.

For some home sellers, there is a certain price that is absolutely necessary, to pay off their own mortgage loan and recoup any equity they have built. For others, the fair price they receive is also based on their emotional attachment to the home. This is a tricky situation, as Burke has learned over the years. Just because the home you are selling is full of great family memories for you, does not mean that the buyer is going to see it that way. A buyer is looking at the home from a completely different perspective. They do not know that this hallway is where your daughter took her first steps.

Often, that emotional attachment leads sellers to list their home at a price that is incongruous with the housing market. Lacy Burke works with home sellers to find a smart compromise on the sale price that is fair, but will also net a profit for the seller.

Friday 8 April 2016

Lacy Burke Offers Thoughts on the California Housing Market

As an active real estate agent in the Los Angeles area, Lacy Burke uses his knowledge of the real estate and housing markets to make accurate forecasts about the coming year. Having access to a greater amount of data than the average person, he is able to examine past figures, and compare them to the current buying and selling trends. Doing this gives him the opportunity to predict what house buyers and sellers can expect to earn or spend on their home.

Thankfully, the downward spiral that the housing market had faced for the last few years has stopped, and things are starting to look up. Already built single family homes, houses that are not newly built, are starting to show a significant increase in sales. In 2015, the average sale price of these types of homes also increased by nearly ten percent. This means that not only are more homes selling, but they are selling for a greater price. This is the news that homeowners have been waiting for.

Alternatively, houses for sale in San Diego and Orange County have remained stagnant in regard to the number of sales. It seems there are still roadblocks in those areas, preventing the timely sale of a home. Yet, the houses that have sold in the last forty-eight months actually sold for more than what the owner expected. It does not matter if the market is slow or healthy, understanding these figures is important to his business, and something that Lacy Burke will continue to oversee.

Monday 28 March 2016

Lacy Burke Offers Hope for the California Housing Market

Holding the unique position of real estate agent in California gives Lacy Burke access to the important figures and projected housing trends in his state. He is happy to report that while the housing slump has not completely diminished, it is surely on the rise. In the past two years, the sales of existing single family homes had been stagnant, and are now improving. The average home sale price also increased in the last year, by 9.8%. This is excellent news for Californians who are considering a home sale in the next year. Though raising the price on your home to an outrageous amount is not going to be fruitful, you will be more likely to get a fair price for your home in 2016.

In Southern California, especially the regions of Orange County and San Diego, the number of homes being sold have still continued to decrease. However, the homes that were sold in the last two years were signed at a final price that was higher than previous years. This trend has added to the appreciation of the homes in the area. This means that those properties are retaining their value for longer. This is beneficial for both sellers and buyers. Lacy Burke enjoys tracking these trends, even in a sluggish housing market. Following the ups and downs is a part of his job that he is skilled at, and it is something that he likes to discuss with others.

Wednesday 16 March 2016

Lacy Burke Gives Advice on Condo Sales in Southern California

In Southern California, Lacy Burke says that condominiums are a large market with their own considerations when trying to sell. While some buyers do not like the idea of living in a condo, others are ideally suited to the situation. A condo offers positives that are often overlooked, such as higher security, recreational activities nearby, and no lawn maintenance. If you are in the market to sell your condominium in California, keep these hints and tips in mind.

Appearance is one of the most important things to consider when listing your condo. Just because you are not selling a large, detached home, does not mean that you should neglect the aesthetics of the home. How the home looks will give the potential buyer their first impression.

Condominium owners do not have the leeway to repaint the exterior facade of the entire building, which can limit what aesthetics are enhanced for the buyer. However, the entryway of the condo, the room that you first see when you enter the front door, can be a show stopper. Updating and adding beauty to this small room or foyer will have a large impact on the buyer. Entryways are often overlooked by sellers, which Burke says is a big mistake.

Large scale renovations can be difficult in a condo setting, but that shouldn't stop a seller from at least giving the walls a fresh coat of paint. Lacy Burke always recommends that you repaint each room in a neutral color before listing.

Thursday 10 March 2016

Lacy Burke Gives Tips for Increasing Your Home Value Before a Sale

According to California real estate agent, Lacy Burke, every home seller can get the price they want for their home. To do this, they may need to make some improvements that are both simple and cost effective. Sellers are often shocked to see how much one small renovation or staging technique can improve their overall sale value.

The most obvious changes that you can make to your home before listing it are cosmetic and relate to cleanliness. If your home, or even a single room, appears to be cluttered with trash, it will bring down the value of the entire home. The same concept goes for homes with smokers. Nicotine leaches into the walls, linens, and carpeting of every room. If you are a smoker who actually smoked cigarettes in your home, you should do some major cleaning before listing your home. In some cases, you will need to repaint your walls to completely remove the odor and discoloration from the tobacco.

If you have a clean home already, a simple upgrade anyone can do is to improve their light fixtures. While that brass chandelier over your dining room table might have been all the rage fifteen years ago, it is well out of date now. Sellers can give their rooms a completely new look, just by switching out some of their light fixtures for newer, more modern pieces. Lacy Burke states that these upgrades do not have to cost a fortune, and will make a big impact.

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Lacy Burke Donates to the Children’s Miracle Network

As a professional real estate agent in Santa Monica, California, Lacy Burke works tirelessly for his community. Though real estate is a true passion of his, he is equally committed to philanthropic endeavors. Of the many charitable organizations that Burke supports, none has benefited more than the Children’s Miracle Network and their Make a Wish Program.

In the Los Angeles region, the Make a Wish local chapter has seen the fulfillment of thousands of wishes from ill children. This unique program is geared toward children and adolescents between the ages of two and eighteen who have life threatening or incurable fatal illnesses. These suffering children are offered the chance to wish for something, most often an experience, and then they receive it through the Children’s Miracle Network.

Burke believes that supporting this organization is not only helpful to those who run the program, but he knows it has changed his own life. The children who are able to take part in the Make a Wish program are the real heroes, the ones facing insurmountable odds and sometimes painful medical treatments. Being able to provide even a small amount of happiness to these young heroes is an experience Burke would not trade for the world.

Lacy Burke takes his charitable nature into the professional realm as well. He always gives clients and associates his best, most honest and integrity filled work ethic. Acting in this manner has earned him high regard in the business and philanthropic communities.

Monday 22 February 2016

Lacy Burke - Social Consciousness

Lacy Burke is a RE/Max luxury division realtor with an office in Santa Monica, California. He has had a very successful career, and says that giving back to the community has become an important part of what he does.
“I don’t know why you don’t hear real estate agents talking about social consciousness, but we should be,” he says. Supporting charities is an important part of his business, he explained, and is one of the reasons why he is able to establish and maintain relationships with so many of his clients.

One of the causes he is proudest to be associated with is the Make-a-Wish Foundation. This is the non-profit that grants wishes to children who are struggling with life-threatening illnesses. Since it began more than thirty years ago, the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s Los Angeles chapter has granted more than nine thousand wishes. “Volunteering for the Make-a-Wish Foundation,” says Lacy Burke, “has made me a better person and a better businessman.” It is something that he is proud to tell his clients about.

He says that he hopes his involvement with the Make-a-Wish Foundation can help to improve the public’s perception of real estate agents. “Real estate agents are viewed too much like lawyers or politicians,” he explained. “Seen as being untrustworthy, or just after the commission, but that isn’t true.” A lot of them, himself included, genuinely care about their clients, and are committed to finding them the home of their dreams.

Lacy Burke is also an advocate of pet adoption, and getting the word out about inhumane dog breeders. He is a graduate of California State University at Northridge.

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Lacy Burke - Pending Home Sales

Lacy Burke is a Santa Monica real estate agent with an intimate knowledge of the Los Angeles market, honed by the years he grew up there. He has marketed residential homes, investment properties and business opportunities throughout the city.

As a real estate professional, he closely watches the performance of the market throughout Southern California. And the state’s real estate industry shows signs of continuing improvement. Pending home sales were up 13.6 percent on an annual basis from the 114 index recorded in April 2014, which at the time was the fifth straight month of year-to-year gains, and the third straight month of double-digit advances. Across the state, pending home sales declined slightly in April, with the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) down 0.6 percent, based on signed contracts. The PSHI is an index created by the National Association of Realtors. It tracks those home sales where a contract has been signed, but the sale has not been closed.

On an encouraging note, the share of sales closing above asking price has been on an upward trend for three months in a row. This indicates the return of bidding wars in some local markets. Thirty-six percent of transactions in April closed above the asking price, up from its lowest point of sixteen percent in January of 2015. Forty-one percent of sales closed below the asking price, and twenty-three percent closed at the asking price.

Lacy Burke is the head of Lacy Burke Realty.

Information – http://LArealestateHomes.com; 310-666-9752

Get a Free, Personalized Home Valuation Report at http://MyHomePropValue.com

Monday 8 February 2016

Lacy Burke - Pet Adoption

Lacy Burke is a real estate agent in Santa Monica, California, where he specializes in Los Angeles County’s Westside real estate.

He has taken up the cause of pet adoption, and made a public plea to the Los Angeles County Animal Services to shut down pet breeding operations that he was aware of. “I didn’t realize how important pet adoption is until I visited a dog breeder,” he said. That visit shocked him: he described seeing dogs kept in filthy, tiny cages. “If these dogs weren’t sick already, they would be soon. They were clearly living sad, painful, and miserable lives.”

According to the Humane Society, such dog breeding operations, known as “puppy mills,” are inhumane facilities, and yet they are reported to supply ninety-nine percent of the puppies sold in pet stores in the United States. These facilities are focused almost exclusively on the bottom line, and as Lacy Burke’s experience bears out, they disregard the health of the dogs they raise. The Humane Society estimates there are at least ten thousand puppy mills in the United States, and fewer than three thousand of them are regulated by Federal authorities.

The experience of seeing such a place first-hand changed Lacy Burke. After his visit he adopted a dog from a local animal shelter, and says it is “the best decision I’ve made in years.” He says his new four-legged friend seemed to understand that she had been rescued. He is now committed to getting the word out on the horror of puppy mills and the need for animal adoption.
Sources:
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/publications/whitepapers/puppy-mill-research.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
http://www.thepuppymillproject.org/about-puppy-mills/
Information – http://LArealestateHomes.com; 310-666-9752
Get a Free, Personalized Home Valuation Report at http://MyHomePropValue.com

Friday 29 January 2016

Lacy Burke - Take the Right Attitude

Lacy Burke is a veteran real estate agent in Santa Monica, California, where he is the head of a RE/Max luxury division office.

He represents home buyers and sellers alike, and always reminds those clients who are selling that it’s never too soon to prepare their home for sale. It’s always a good idea to plant shade trees, and if you don’t think you’ll be selling until years from now, it’s an even better idea. Mature trees, Lacy Burke says, go a long way toward making a property more attractive. And they have the practical effect of cutting your home’s cooling costs by as much as forty percent.

He reminds his clients to always take the right attitude when establishing the price of their house or condo. Buyers have a lot of options, especially in a strong market, and that can present challenges to those who are selling. A property has to be priced with the buyer in mind. Suppose, for example, you are selling a condo that overlooks a car dealership. It can’t be priced the same as an identical condo that overlooks a garden with a fountain. By setting the right price, he says that you’ll raise interest that gets you multiple offers, which in turn can drive up the price.

As a real estate professional, Lacy Burke advises his clients to have a home checked out by a realtor or interior designer before it goes on the market. By listening to their suggestions, you’ll be able to make some improvements that will get you the price that you want and deserve.