Morning Briefing: Home owners, sellers wish they’d done this sooner

Home owners, sellers wish they’d done this sooner… Ellen lists $45 million Santa Barbara home… Massachusetts pending sales maintain upward trend…

Morning Briefing: Home owners, sellers wish they’d done this sooner
Home owners, sellers wish they’d done this sooner
The spring home buying season is expected to be a competitive one this year but research from Zillow has found that buyers and sellers with they had prepared earlier.

In a survey of over 13,000 US residents, the real estate firm discovered that not preparing the home for selling or starting a property search sooner was their top regret.

"This spring, both buyers and sellers should be prepared for fast-moving sales, intense negotiations, and even bidding wars," said Jeremy Wacksman, Zillow Group chief marketing officer.

Zillow says that keeping options open, having a realistic budget, and arranging a mortgage in advance are all important moves for buyers. Choosing a good real estate agent is key for both buyers and sellers, the firm says. 

Ellen lists $45 million Santa Barbara home 
TV host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her actress wife Portia de Rossi have listed their Santa Barbara home for $45 million.

The home was expanded after the couple bought the original 1930’s house in 2012 and then acquired two adjacent properties to create a 16.88 acre estate. The main house has 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms.

The home was referenced in Ellen’s book ‘Home’ and is known simply as “The Villa”. 

"The one word that defines The Villa is perfection. Of all the extraordinary homes in Santa Barbara, Ellen and Portia have created a retreat like no other," said listing agent Suzanne Perkins of Sotheby’s International Realty.

The estate has plenty of entertainment space, as you’d expect from showbiz royalty. It has its own pavilion, championship tennis courts, Roman pool, several libraries and reading areas.

"The surrounding gardens and olive trees are almost as wonderful as the interior,” Ellen said of the home. “The house truly feels like it was built out of the landscape, rather than plopped on a plot. It feels ancient, like it's been there forever. Like that hill was never without the house. This is a home that honors nature, and I love that."   

Massachusetts pending sales maintain upward trend
Pending home sales have been rising for 47 of the last 48 months in Massachusetts and February saw a 3 per cent year-over-year rise in sales.

Massachusetts Association of Realtors reports that its members were confident in the market and in prices in February with 3,967 single-family homes sold with a median price of $330,000, up 6.8 per cent year-over-year.

For condos, prices were up 7.9 per cent to a median $313,000 while sales slipped 0.5 per cent from a year earlier to 1,558.

Buyers have been tireless these past four years, showing that the desire to live and work in Massachusetts is strong despite dwindling inventory and rising prices,” said 2017 MAR President Paul Yorkis, president of Patriot Real Estate in Medway.