Set your DVR's to HGtv on Sunday at 5:00 a.m.(!) PST for Professional Grade

Clients Ross and Tracy will be on HGtv's Professional Grade on Sunday a.m. with their remodeled bathroom. Watch the big "reveal" and you'll likely see me in the background.

Tune in "Professional Grade" on HGtv and watch Ross and Tracy remodel their bathroom!

Professional Grade is a new HGtv show that runs on Saturday mornings. Here's the official blurb: Savvy and resourceful homeowners tackle a room renovation trying to achieve professional quality results on a limited budget. If they can fool a team of master contractors into thinking they spent more money than their actual out-of-pocket costs — the homeowners will win the difference.

Please make sure to record this on your DVR, because clients and Burbank residents Ross and Tracy Necessary will be the subjects of an upcoming episode.  They remodeled their master bath and did a breathtaking job.  I was on-hand for the "reveal" and shot a couple of videos of the process which you can watch, below.

The intersection of Hollywood and real estate is so glamorous Part 2: behind the scenes at HGtv's "Professional Grade"

See Part 1, below.  HGtv's "Professional Grade" filmed my clients, Ross and Tracy (here), as they redid their master bathroom.  I was present for the big reveal and video'd this at about 8:30 pm, before the cameras rolled.  Ross and Tracy hadn't slept the night before in order to get ready for the tv crew.  Did I mention that Tracy is 7 months' pregnant and they both worked their full-time jobs earlier in the day? Hollywood is just so glamorous! Tune in to the show in the early fall to see the actual work.

The intersection of Hollywood and real estate is so glamorous Part I: behind the scenes at HGtv's "Professional Grade"

HGtv's "Professional Grade" shot at clients Ross and Tracy's Burbank home last night.  We were present for the "reveal" of their brand new master bathroom.  This is the show's host and contractors, and I was the videographer for this clip (my video skills need work, obviously, but you get the cinema verite jist).  It took about 3 hours to shoot 30 seconds of the show. More coming up.

How important are home photos to the selling process, anyway? OMG, they're everything!

Agent Genius had an article about home staging a couple of days ago. One of the comments was so true: the four things most responsible for a successful home sale are (in order): the home, the price, the photos and the staging. We’ll talk about staging another time, but to me, good interior pictures are key. 

There’s nothing like well-lit, professional quality pics to motivate a buyer to drive across town to see a home for sale.  Everybody has been watching HGtv for years now, and everybody has access to all sorts of real estate porn gorgeous home photos. Buyers have high expectations and many properties to choose from. Good property photos increase interest, which equals more showings sooner which equals quicker sales.   Even if the property isn’t glamorous, professional photographers can light otherwise dark corners, great angles can be used, and a house for sale can really look its best, online at least, for potential buyers.

So I’m puzzled as to why more Realtors aren’t having pro photos taken? (Unless the house is a truly scary tear-down.) Yes, there’s the cost, but we’re supposed to be spending money on our marketing, yes? (Or did I not get the memo?)  Buyers, would you go running to see the house above? Sellers, I can’t think of a single reason that your Realtor can’t hire a professional photographer – the cost is minimal for the return you’ll get.  And sellers, when the photographer is coming to shoot the house, it’s a good idea to tidy up – or at least put the butter away unless it's included in the sale.

The Rapture: good for the real estate market or bad for the real estate market?

...It depends, but mainly bad.  Those of us left behind will have to contend with empty houses, unwatered yards, and unpaid condo association fees.  And that will have a depressive effect on property values.  So if you're a seller, my advice is to sell your home within the next six hours.

But if you're a buyer, here might be your chance for some real bargains.  Houses don't hold up well when they sit empty, so plan on doing some fixing.  Hey, maybe this is an idea for a new HGtv show -- how about "Fix this Rapture"?

And if you're a bank, you can look forward to getting your oily mitts on yet more property when you have to foreclose on all these empty homes.

And if you're a Realtor, you will not be getting raptured (except for maybe a few of you in Texas), and there will be plenty of houses to show and sell.  Begin courting bank asset managers today to position yourself as a post-foreclosure rapture specialist!

THAT'S ALL that $1 mill buys you in Pakistan? Calling HGtv...

Here's my myopic Realtor take on bin Laden's compound: I was really surprised by the pictures. You probably were, too.  Really, it looks like a dump has absolutely no curb appeal.  And it's worth $1 million dollars? In the third world? Wow, talk about an inflated real estate market -- are that many terrorists people clamoring to live in Abbotabad? Jeez, the schools must be really excellent in that neighborhood.  For $1 million, you'd think there would be rain gutters, not to mention windows. And what about that weird fence? Jeez, thank God for city inspectors in this part of the world.  And this makes L.A. real estate look like the bargain of all time.

Seriously, this is a job for all of the producers of all of the shows on HGtv.  Let's start with Curb Appeal...

Do-It-Yourself-ers, HGtv wants you!

Ronica Harris, the casting producer of HGtv's "Professional Grade," is looking for do-it-yourself-ers in the San Fernando Valley who are about to begin a home remodeling project.   It could be a kitchen, a bathroom, or maybe a master bedroom suite.  The producers are not limiting the renovation to those rooms in particular; they're looking for people with personality (naturally).

Here's the notice that Ms. Harris sent me: HGTV’s hit new renovation show “Professional Grade” is back for a 3rd season.  In the show, homeowners go toe to toe with the professionals for a chance of having their home renovation paid for by HGTV.  Our last BIG winner from last season took home $40,000. Homeowners act as their own “GC’s” and when the renovation is done, our experts price out the job based on the quality.  If their estimate is higher than what our homeowners spent, the homeowners pocket the cash difference. 

If you are interested, or know somebody who is (I've already contacted two sets of clients), please call Ronica at 303.872.8708 or contact her by email at Rharris@highnoontv.com. For an application, click on:  www.highnoonentertainment.com/casting_apply_new.php?application_id=3.  Good luck! Please let me know if you are selected!

Lots of "flips" in the San Fernando Valley - what you need to know

If you're a local San Fernando Valley home buyer, you've no doubt noticed a lot of "flipped" properties for sale lately. (A flip is a property that somebody bought cheaply, fixed up and is now selling for a profit.) Buying an already-fixed up home can be a great choice, especially if you don't have the time, money or talent to do any fixing up yourself.  Trust me, remodeling is nowhere near as fast or easy as it looks on HGtv.

However, here are some things to be aware of, if you'd like to purchase a flipped home. First, not all lenders will fund a loan on a flipped purchase.  Second, loan approval may take a little while longer than normal.  Underwriters usually scrutinize the chain of title, especially if the house was previously a foreclosure.  And lenders will also want to see proof of the cost of the upgrades over the previous purchase price.  Third, the flipped properties still have to appraise to market value and can't be priced considerably over similar recent neighborhood sales (this is good news for buyers).  Finally, even if the house looks great, get a professional inspection.  As an old colleague of mine used to say, "A coat of paint can hide a world of sin." You'll want to know that corners weren't cut on home systems that you can't readily see, like plumbing, foundation or HVAC.  Along those lines, professional contractor-flippers usually do better with repairs and upgrades than individuals.  Happy hunting.

The Realtor makes an offer - Chapter 2: Kitchen worries

The townhouse we're considering buying in Toluca Lake really suits us.  We like the location, the layout, the price and the HOA.  But the kitchen...doesn't work at all.  It's tiny (the picture above is not it.)  We're not gourmet cooks, but this kitchen is about 2/3rds the size of the one we have now, which is already too small. It's u-shaped, and there won't be room for two humans and 3 pets.  It has a double oven, which we don't need, and has no pantry, which we do need. It really needs a build-out, and we can't work with it as it is.

We went to Lowes and got cabinet catalogs.  And had a contractor who we've used in the past take a look.  (This contractor can sell ice to Eskimos.)  Yes, the kitchen can be remodeled, built out, expanded, etc. -- and will cost a minimum of $20k just to do a medium-line build out, probably more.  In cash.

Yikes.  That's on top of our 20% downpayment.  During this time, we were also watching HGtv remodeling shows.  Yes, a medium-line kitchen will cost $20k plus.

Other flaws become evident.  The rooftop patio has water intrusion issues.  The master bath doesn't have a tub. There's one less closet than we need, although perhaps we can do something in the garage.  The carpet is shot.

Although we had our doubts, the pluses outweigh the minuses, at least to my husband.  We went ahead and made an offer anyway, about $9k less than full price.  We won't sell our existing house until the Spring, and we can close in 30 days.  We're approved by a lender.

And the place hasn't been shown yet as it's being painted (but is on the mls), so we figure the early bird is going to get the worm.  The listing agent is in my office, is a friend, and has gotten us to see it in advance of the marketing.
Next: our negotiation