Your Chico home is more than an architectural structure. Often, it’s an extension of who you are – your personality, style and values. That’s why selling it can be an emotional experience. But it can also be exciting and rewarding. This section provides some simple home selling tips that can help lead you to a successful, timely sale.

Chico Home Selling Tips & Advice

Once you’ve made up your mind to sell your home, you need to do your “homework” – and century21chico.com is a great place to start! Getting a signed contract is a great accomplishment, but that’s only half the journey. The typical Chico home sale today involves more than 20 steps after the initial contract is accepted to complete the transaction.

Jim Aguilar can provide the experience and local knowledge to guide you through the entire process, and selling your home within the ideal time frame and at the most effective price point. As the representative of your best interests, he has state-of-the-art marketing resources to showcase your home’s best assets, and help you determine what improvements will make the biggest difference.

Much of what needs to be done before the closing is the responsibility of appraisers, loan processors, attorneys, and inspectors. Jim Aguilar’s role also includes coordinating those responsibilities, helping to ensure that others do their jobs promptly and correctly.

Many steps between contract ratification and closing involve the cooperation of both buyer and seller, and attentive real estate professionals on both sides of the transaction will troubleshoot and keep everyone on track.

Shopping for a Chico Home

Jim Aguilar can help you shop for a Chico home, compare homes, and compile your unique wishlist to find the perfect Chico home for you.

Shopping For a Chico Home

Buying a home is one of the most important decisions you will make. That’s why it’s in your best interest to choose an experienced real estate agent who listens to and understands your needs, and has detailed knowledge of the area in which you want to want to live.

When you choose a CENTURY 21® agent, you’re dealing with a professional who understands your concerns and will provide you with the personalized service that makes all the difference.

When you’re ready to visit houses, ask Jim Aguilar to help you with:

• Arranging showings
• Tracking the properties you’ve seen
• Identifying homes that meet your criteria and keep track of your “what’s right for you” list

TIP: After touring each home, write down what you liked and didn’t like. Jim Aguilar can help you develop a rating system to narrow the field. For example, pick the house you like best on day one and compare all other houses to it. When you find a better one, use the new favorite as your standard.

Already Have a Chico Home?

Buying a Chico home while selling an existing home has its own set of considerations; this section provides expert buying advice and can help you navigate these challenges successfully.

What If You Already Have a Chico Home?

Buying a new home and selling an existing Chico home at the same time has its own set of challenges. With knowledgeable planning, you can ensure everything goes smoothly.

Before putting your house on the market or committing to buying a new one, take a look at the prices of houses in the areas where you’ll be selling and buying. You’ll need a realistic idea of sales prices for similar houses, so you can assess both your buying and selling position.

What if you’re unable to time the sale of one house with the purchase of another? You may own no houses for a time, in which case you’ll need money in the bank and a temporary place to live. Or, you may own two houses at once. That’s why it’s important to have a backup plan. Here are some options to consider:

• Research short-term rental and storage options (family, friends, storage facilities, containers).
• Bridge financing (a short-term loan) for the down payment on a new home backed by the equity in your old house.

Buying a Second Chico Home

Buying a second home isn’t all that different from buying a first home. Affording it usually depends on your ability to qualify for a mortgage on the second home. Benefits include a getaway for the family on vacations or holidays, a future retirement home, or renters making your mortgage payments for you.

Keep in mind that if you declare it as a rental, your mortgage might be slightly higher and your down payment requirements higher than a standard mortgage. Work with your lender to create a customized loan program with the best combination of rate, points, and closing costs to meet your needs.

TIP: A second home can be a good investment. To make the most of the opportunity, be sure you factor in sources for your down payment and monthly expenses (including the costs of maintaining the property).

If you look at the statistics for January 2011 vs. January 2012 you would see that in Butte county there were 25% less homes for sale on the MLS in January 2012. That means that there is a dramatic change taking place. Chico Homes are being snatched up all the sudden and its due to supply and demand adjust in our local market. Since, there has been so much demand the Mortgage rates have dropped to the lowest rate since 2003 to a 4% fixed rate for a 30 year mortgage!

The city is also offering a loan program for families that qualify. You can contact Jim today to see if you qualify.