Ryan is a certified residential appraiser in the Sacramento area. He helps illuminate the local real estate market through his Sacramento Appraisal Blog. Ryan is a teacher at heart and regularly does classes for both appraisers and agents. His clients include homeowners, governmental agencies, attorneys, real estate professionals and lenders. This month, Comstock’s is launching his column, “On the Market,” to run every other month. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys woodworking, writing, craft beer, the American River and spending time with his wife, two sons and dog Ollie. For more, visit sacramentoappraisalblog.com. On Twitter @SacAppraiser.
By this person
Shaking Up Real Estate
Tech firms aim to change the way we buy and sell homes — but take precaution
Opendoor and Amazon have entered the real estate market in Sacramento, and Zillow will expand here soon too, so it’s important to know how these companies work.
After Torrential Wildfires, Insurance Woes for Homeowners
The Camp Fire has made it more expensive to own a home in rural areas
The most striking effect from the Camp Fire is rising fire insurance costs for residents in areas where wildfire risk is high. Some traditional insurance companies are declining to offer services in these locations.
Beyond the Bubble
It’s nearly impossible to predict what will happen to housing prices
People often are looking for a quick one-word answer. Are we in a bubble or not? Yes or no?
Well, there’s more to consider beyond just one word, which is why we need to look at some of the bigger dynamics in the Sacramento real estate market.
Friend or Foe?
Zillow and websites like it are valuable tools — but they don’t tell a full story
My wife loves Zillow, which she sometimes apologizes to me for — she worries that her love for the website somehow disrespects me as an appraiser. Truth be told, I like Zillow too. But I do question whether consumers trust it and other similar sites too much, and in doing so, make pricing mistakes.
Listen to the Listings
Three pricing tips for selling your house in 2019
You can hire the best agent in town, stage your home and get the
most professional photographs ever, but if you don’t understand
the relationship between sales and listings, you may struggle to
sell.
Just Don’t Do It
Four things to avoid when remodeling your home
You don’t have to be a licensed contractor to fix up a home, but it’s easy to sniff out quality work versus something an owner did after a weekend of binging on HGTV.
Manage Your Expectations
Overpricing your house makes it a whole lot harder to sell
You’ve done everything to appeal to home buyers, except list the correct price.
Open for Business?
The possibilities and pitfalls of going the Airbnb route
Airbnb is all the rage these days, in Sacramento and beyond. And why not? After all, we’re hearing a lot of hype about becoming successful in real estate through short-term rentals.
As (Not) Seen on TV
Celebrity flipping seminars sell more myth than reality
I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus, but let’s talk about these seminars and the reality of flipping homes in Sacramento.
Mad Math
Borrowing another home's price per square foot is a risky equation
If the math proved easy when pricing your home, perhaps you’ve made this critical mistake.
Are Home Upgrades Worth It?
Pricey renovations won’t necessarily increase the value of your home
As an appraiser, I get asked questions about the value of particular home improvements all the time: How much is a kitchen remodel worth? What about a bathroom remodel? Are solar panels a good way to boost property value? My answer is simple, and always the same: It depends. I know that’s frustrating to hear, but there’s a reason why it’s the best answer. So let’s talk about it.
Hot or Not?
The local real estate market doesn’t look the same at all price points
Everywhere I look lately, there’s another piece in the news about Sacramento’s rising rents, skyrocketing home values or how desperate buyers feel in the midst of a housing shortage. It seems like our real estate market is on fire, to the benefit of property owners and home sellers. But is the market really that hot throughout the Capital Region?
The Great Green Unknown
How will legalized cannabis impact Sacramento real estate?
Is marijuana going to be a game-changer for Sacramento real estate?
Low Inventory Becomes Our New Normal
It’s a seller’s market, and potential homebuyers need to up their game
One of the most pressing topics right now in housing is low inventory. Frankly, there just aren’t enough homes for sale in the Sacramento region, and it’s a problem. If you’ve bought or tried to buy recently, you certainly know this.