Videos Archives • Steve + Heather Ostrom

APN Placer County Assessor's Website Searching Tax Bills

View a Past Property Tax Bill in Placer County

2 Comments / Appraisers or Inspectors, Buyer Information, First-Time Home Buyers, Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

View a Property’s Past Tax bill

We’re often asked about past property taxes for a home they’re interested in buying and seeing the breakdown of those taxes (including questions about Mello-Roos)

We can help you find the info and answers to your questions! As a reminder, you should ALWAYS contact the Placer County Tax Collector’s Office 530-889-4120 or the Placer County Assessor’s Office at 530-889-4300. Or call them for any detailed tax related questions about the property.

All parties on this post are to verify all information found here. Agents cannot verify tax amounts with any property due to liability reasons.

**For Placer County ONLY**

How to VIEW a Past Property’s Tax Bill

First, head to the Placer Assessor’s Office website – click here

The link above will take you to the Placer County Assessor’s Official Website Page for Property Details Research (you should see an image similar to below)

Once you agree to the “terms of the Placer County Assessor’s website” (check box) it will take you to the image below.

Warning: if you have pop-up menus disabled on your web browser, you may have to enable them temporarily

This pop-up window will include a drop-down menu option (see screengrab below) with options to either enter the property’s APN (assessor parcel number) OR the property’s address.

Enter your info and voila, you’re done! Now just hit “View Details” and it will take you to the property profile. FYI: the property info page will default to “property info,” but you will have the option to toggle to a second column called “Roll Values.”

Our Placer County Web Designer likes to change things constantly (including links), so I apologize if any of the links above are broken (it is frustrating for us too). I do try to check this post frequently for broken links.

Updated 1/13/26.

One Smart Solution to be a Non-Contingent Buyer

Leave a Comment / Buyer Information, First-Time Home Buyers, Lenders, Real Estate Education, Videos / Heather Ostrom

Scroll down to watch the video or click here

REALTOR Steve Ostrom with Coldwell Banker Realty in Roseville, CA sits down with the amazing, Dara Delgado with Dara’s Loans to discuss a way to be a non-contingent buyer.

Why is this a good thing to watch if you’re a buyer or soon-to-be buyer? Well, this helps you to be more competitive in multiple offer scenarios OR more appealing to sellers by not having that risk of lining up two sales to close on the purchase.

Not all sellers feel comfortable going with a contingent buyer, because there is more risk involved and it can affect timelines by pushing out the closing date and when folks are trying to schedule their lives, movers, or possibly the seller doing a purchase next on their own – it does affect desirability unless the seller has been on the market for awhile. Not an absolute comment, but definitely something to be mindful to be a savvy buyer.

Not all buyers will be able to go this suggested route, but if you can and it makes financial sense for your life and finances – it can be an improved route for increasing your likelihood for buyer offer acceptance by a seller.

As with all financial decisions, always consult your trusted financial, tax, or loan person before making any decisions.

To discuss your unique scenario as a buyer (or seller that will be in this scenario) – give Real Estate Agent, Steve Ostrom a call or text 916-308-2446 or click here.

To review loans and investments, give Dara Delgado a call / txt at 916-224-3327 or click here to visit Dara’s website. NMLS #249825 | CALIFORNIA – Mortgage Broker that can assist with refinances, purchases, and loans.

With all communication, please identify yourself as a buyer and if you’re represented by a real estate agent. We ethically must (and want to be) respectful of all current real estate relationships, including buyer broker agreements that may be in place.*

This video was filmed in January 2026

One Smart Solution to be a Non-Contingent Buyer Read More »

TOP 12 Items to be Aware of with a Contingent Purchase

Agent-to-Agent Education and Helpful Tips, Buyer Information, First-Time Home Buyers, Loving Placer County, Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

What to be aware of as a contingent buyer

Understanding the upfront fees – the appraisal fee will be an upfront fee. The inspections (depends on the area) are often steered by the buyer side with a few exceptions in Northern California for country properties where you sometimes see septic and water tests on the seller. A delay on coordinating any inspections once you’re in escrow (while being mindful of when your inspection period starts and your contingency of purchase form are critical here). If you do not need to start inspections because of the way the COP form (see above) is marked – be mindful of this …

Do not wait to order your appraisal or hold off inspections – your delay as a buyer can be self-sabotage and risk a seller issuing a “notice to perform” if you do not hold to your contractual obligation. There will only be so much your lender or agent can do to protect you, if an appraisal review runs late or an inspector can’t accommodate a last minute request, you might be fine and be granted an extension to your contingency period, or you might get a notice to perform and potentially be kicked out of contract.
Warning: Contractors and inspectors can be booked out for a week or two, particularly for specialty items, or any testing involved. Some may be free for a bid, but some may cost to you at a cost / fee. This is not the time to be cheap and pass over an inspection which can potentially save you from a costly mistake.
Fluid communication and updates between all parties (buyer + seller) we hear way too often, “Wow, you guys are so great at communication.” You MUST be a great communicator and play well with others to have a contingent sale go smoothly. If your agent is only nice to you and not others – some think this is a way to play “hard ball” for sales, but you just have someone has a horrible reputation in town.
If you have a seller credit coming to you as a buyer – be sure to loop in the lender and title company ASAP as this can add a day or two for review (not always, but something you have to be aware of).

ALWAYS have a housing solution, plan B. Your home you’re purchasing may not close on time, and/or life can happen and a deal falls out of place – be wise and try your best to secure your housing as a back-up plan (rental, staying with family/friends, etc).

Seller Occupancy After Closing – this has to be negotiated up front during the counter phase and we always suggest a few weeks at least to try and mitigate any delayed closing on any side of the deal(s). It can happen, even on the most perfect of files monitored. There are numerous bodies behind the scenes on loan and this can affect your closing. Along with TRID – be aware of this as a buyer. TRID can delay you alone (see #3 above, last bullet).

Most lenders will not allow over 59 days of occupancy by seller after closing, and most buyers aren’t the biggest fans of much of anything past 29 days (if any at all)
Education and information is King/Queen. Know your options – we are not asking you to think negatively that it will fail, it’s just planning for all outcomes to the best of our ability.

Sometimes it’s best to take the credit and sometimes it’s important to wait to see request for repairs executed before close of escrow (COE). It depends on the scenario what’s the right route.

If you’re concerned about findings when you open up the roof to do dry-rot or pest work (WDO) – sometimes it’s best to wait and get it done and delay closing and of COURSE this stinks to do, but it could save you thousands if more work that’s needed is uncovered when you open things up.
If you have work being done, as part of your request for repairs – ensure there’s mention of all work being done BEFORE close of escrow.
Sometimes it’s best for buyer to take the money credit – to take control of overseeing repairs by their own trusted contractor that way they know who the work is being done by, and may be able to save cost.
Ensure that a licensed contractor is doing all work and receipts are provided before COE (close of escrow). There are some of the shenanigans that can occur, so don’t let anyone bully you.

Give us a call for your scenario and we can find out if we’re the right solution for your needs. If we’re not – we’ll get you connected to someone who is the right person for the job! 916-308-2446

SELLERS: What is My Home Worth?

Send Me A Home Price Evaluation

Buyers: Start Your Property Search

Start Home Search

TOP 12 Items to be Aware of with a Contingent Purchase Read More »

Smart Home in an Ostrom Home

3 Comments / Agent-to-Agent Education and Helpful Tips, Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

So maybe you’re new to all the “smart-home” technology. Perhaps it scares or overwhelms you? Welcome to the club, the Ostroms are right there with you … Yes, we’re in California, and sometimes we see a few things sooner than most in seller homes, but let me tell you folks … there’s a good chance your clients know more about smart-home technology, so let’s get you on a quick start on the Smart-Home highway.Smart-home items are showing up in homes for sale, and if they haven’t yet in your area, I promise you many of your clients are quietly adding these gadgets to the place they call home, even if you’re not seeing these homes on the market. There’s a lot of information out there, so we’re going to do our best to lay down in a blog post (or two) … how to get smart-home savvy in your house *cue some Miami #GenBlue Memories* with a few tips from us and our buddies.

Pro-tip: before beginning in the adventure of “smart-home” makeovers, and putting a ton of money into a system, be sure your internet is up to speed and working fast enough to support a smart-home network. CNet has a great article to help check your home system and connectivity.

When it came to our house just last year, the only smart home device we had in our house, was a Chrome Melody speaker lightbulb in our bathroom … and we thoroughly enjoy having it. The app for this bluetooth lightbulb speaker is of little use to us (in fact I don’t even have it on my phone). I just sync via “bluetooth” on my phone – it’s nice to have a speaker for our iPhones in our bathroom (and it drowns out our awful voices when we sing in the shower #realtalk).

Pro-note: I am starting to notice the failure of many apps for smart home devices, is that they’re buggy and not user friendly in navigation. but let’s be real, it’s the only thing cool in this bathroom … goody gravy, check out those awful 80s lightbulbs behind me, *bless our own hearts.*

So after I got back from “CES” (Consumer Electronics Show) with the Coldwell Banker crew and my good buddy, Roy Powell (see his thoughts on Smart Homes here) … I came back to my home in Roseville, with a smart-home fire in my heart and was ready to make the plunge into learning more about Smart-Home tools and slowly start adding items to our home system.

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So we started out with Amazon’s Alexa (which we had bought for ourselves at Christmas, but we hadn’t done more than plug in Alexa and listen to music).

Pro-Tip with Alexa: “Go in the Amazon Alexa App” and play around. See what you can “sync” up with other devices so you can fully utilize all of the skills for maximum enjoyment. She can do SO much – I lurve her.
Pro-tip with Alexa: If you have Amazon Prime, have fun with the music,
Pro-tip with Alexa: With your iphone, if you want to just play your music on Alexa from your phone, go to “settings,” then to your “bluetooth,” and then select your Amazon component (in our case, it’s “Echo”)
Pro-tip with Alexa: Be sure to go into the app and play around the “Smart Home” option in the drop-down menu (see above) and “Skills” to really maximize the fun and usefulness of Alexa.

Our next piece we added was the “Ring” doorbell. I know there are a few options out there, so I encourage you to check for yourself, what’s the right tier of coverage for you, whether standard or pro works better for you … I have a close friend, Denise who loves her “Skybell.”

Pro-tip 1. I would also encourage for you to see what angles work for you before installing, particularly if you get direct sunlight to your doorbell. In this case, I’m just lucky that the T-Rex was a friendly one.
Pro-tip 2. Also for installing power by using an existing doorbell so it can utilize your current “chime/bell” noise in place, be sure to read the warnings about the power being off, so you don’t fry your system. Otherwise, you’ll be like us, and being forced to buy a supplementary piece called the “Ring ‘Chime’” … which we have and we have it set for cuing any motion or someone physically pressing the door bell button. It’s SUPER cool all the variations you can do from the Ring app on your phone for “motion detected” and separate chimes for “door bell” rings.
Pro-tip 3. Great for knowing when packages arrive at your doorstep.
Homeowner tip / or nightmare (no judgement) for the Ring Doorbell: “Our kids use the Ring doorbell to call us, and it’s a tool for communication since it’s a two-way microphone.
Homeowner tip: “If you have the ‘Chime’ plug-in as your way of hearing the doorbell ring, you can go into the app on your phone and change “motion” notifications and “doorbell” rings as separate sounds (there’s even a ‘dog bark’ option – great for say folks like us, that have chihuahuas, that are probably more like cats, than dogs)

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Okay, the next piece, is easily my favorite addition to the home, the Schlage Connect deadbolt … We have three kids, our lives are busy, and we’re REALTORs, our lives are always at a fast pace. This has been the best solution for us … now, there are SO many options for keypad entry, but we went with the highest tier option, because security is important to us (and I feel it should be for everyone when it comes to property access). This one is fingerprint resistant, ANSI Grade 1 (whatever that means), and it will cue me if someone tampers with our lock. But paired up with my “ring” doorbell, I’ll have an image of anyone that should NOT be on our porch. We bought the “Schlage Sense” and we stayed within our “oil rubbed bronze look” of metals we have in the house (yes, this stuff matters) and we already had “Schlage” keys in our house, so we decided to stay with the same key system we had currently in place. We used to do a lot of rekeys so you might as well stick with whatever “key” group you’re already using in your home. We opted to ONLY do the keypad.

Pro-tip: 1. Pay your trusted locksmith to help install or just kick down for the professional installation on this one. You want the auto-lock option moving smoothly and clean. Unless you’re a superhuman tech savvy person. If I wasn’t tech-savvy, I would have paid the Amazon technician to install. In our case, we had our locksmith install the key pad/deadbolt.
Pro-tip: 2. You’ll need to involve a locksmith if you buy online or if you know how to get the deadbolt keyed to your system.
Pro-tip: 3. Stay with the brand of keys you already have in the home (whether Kwikset or Schlage) – so to stay on the same system, work with what you have … or talk to a locksmith before kicking down the big bucks
Pro-tip: 4. The app is a bit rough … get a bridge piece that offers an app to house all your smart home pieces (see below)

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Okay, we also have a “smart hub” with is Z-Wave compatible (for our deadbolt and some other pieces you may purchase). Don’t let this jargon frighten or deter you – focus my friend, you got this … now I have a few buddies that preferred hub pieces to connect a few of their smarthome pieces, but I got this for free when we bought some Samsung appliances, and we have been happy with this little tool, but I can also see why it has a poor rating. End of story, it does the job and I can use this tool to lock my home off-site, I have Samsung smart outlets.

There’s not much to state, but because we have this component, Alexa will interact with our deadbolt (we set up actively in the Amazon Alexa app the SmartThings connection).

Pro-tip: 1. There is rarely a passive / automatic set-up in connecting devices to “talk to one another” (example having Alexa “lock the front door” as a taught skill), so you’ll need to play around in the apps, to see how to sync different pieces. It’s not hard, but you do have to have a wee-bit of determination. See some of my screen grabs throughout this post – and hopefully that will give you a leg-up on knowing what to look for …

Pro-tip: 2. If you have a deadbolt or pieces that have a “Z-Wave” based smart home piece (Z-Wave is a wireless radio frequency technology that lets devices talk to one another in a connected environment – and Z-Wave is stated to be one of the more secure routes of communication).

So what’s on our wish list for next pieces: we’re going to tackle the thermostat (Nest or Ecobee) and maybe some interior cameras in the house (most likely Nest, if we go that route).

Update (5/5/17)

Wi-Fi Thermostat 9000 Color Touchscreen

We have added a Honeywell Thermostat to our repetoire of Smart Tools and we had a pro install (you should do the same, if you don’t know what you’re doing – and particularly if you need a “C” wire installed – which we did). I’ll be adding more about our addition here shortly – but I’m SO happy with our choice.

Links to items I addressed in the video and post:

Schlage Smart Sense Padlock (there are SO many options between dealers – kwikset, schlage, and more)
Ring Door Bell – 1-way wi-fi camera + 2-way speaker
Alexa (Amazon) – play music, control your smart home, get information, news, weather, and more using just your voice
Samsung SmartThings: Hub / bridge (some devices, including some Z-wave using devices, will need a hub – there are many options out there); you can tie in water monitoring devices, alarms, switches, and much more.
Chroma Melody Light Bluetooth Bulb: there are so many bluetooth lightbulb out there. Fun product, does have a cap on loudness, LED light, changes colors (I don’t use that), and has an app – I would encourage research.

Suggested Smart Home Components, from friends and other REALTORs:

Top Smart-Home Pieces our Clients and Agent friends have in their home (click the highlighted name to visit their site)

Sonos – wireless music system + home theatre (I had no clue what it was either – so don’t sweat – thank you Mel, Michael, and Stacie)
Skybell – door bell – 1-way wi-fi camera + 2-way speaker (thanks Denise)
Google Wi-Fi (not a smart-home tool) but if you notice that your internet is fast, but your router needs a step-up in it’s game – I’m told Google Wi-Fi is amazing. (thank you Aaron)
Google Home: Google’s Alexa
Apple Kit: Hub (be mindful of what interacts and look for the “apple kit” logo to ensure compatiability)
Nexia bridge (Z-Wave compatible) hub / bridge / Z-Wave repeater – home connect (thanks Amy)
Life360 – from their website, “Life360 runs on your mobile device to allow you to view your family members on a map, communicate with them, and receive alerts when your loved ones arrive at home, school or work.”
Piper – works with Life360 and is a home security system
Vivint.SmartHome – Total system set-up and integration with different components (thanks CB + Tami) – security, cameras, doorbell, garage, temperature regulation, and more.
Simplisafe Alarm System – build your own customized alarm system with varying tiers of coverage, and no long-term contracts. (thanks Carol)
Alarm.com – multi-use control and alarms system (thanks Ben)
Foscam – IP cameras – great for rental properties to see the status off-site – IP Cams (and I saw the quality and it was amazing – even in snowy conditions – even the neighbor makes use of my friend’s camera to watch his property as well; and see how conditions at the property are as far as weather).
Canary Cams – waterproof security system, indoor and exterior solutions for wifi cameras; including solutions in areas without wifi. Plus pet-monitoring (thanks Randy)
August Locks – doorbell, locks, and a good solution for AirBnB (per their website) – (thanks Randy)
Ecobee – thermostat with room sensors (thanks Randy)
Nest – thermostat, cameras (indoor/outdoor), smoke + CO detector, and more (thanks Peggy, Jody, and everyone)
Lutron systems + smart shades – Lutron has light systems, shades (I have seen on a property recently, and they’re amazing). (thanks Stephanie)
Crafstman Smart Garage Opener – can be used as a way to provide home access, you know when the garage is up and when. Our friend has it with a keypad and enjoys it – just for knowing “in and out” traffic.
Wemo Switch – turn on/off electronics off-site via wifi, and is compatible with most systems – including Android and Apple. ( thanks Randy + Jeremy)
Phillips Hue – personal wireless lighting (thanks Randy)
AlertLabs (monitoring system) – not sure if Canada support only** – water consumption, leak, and flood monitoring (thanks Melissa)

Explore Coldwell Banker Smart Home Blog pieces – explore what already exists at your Coldwell Banker fingertips, re-blog and use the tools your awesome CB team has already produced.
CNET – reviews of products and tools: a great place to compare products for smart home products and where to start your research, outside of the awesome Coldwell Banker blog.

CB Agents ONLY: If you watched the video and you’re interested in purchasing the Coldwell Banker “Smart Home Staging Kit” for clients or yourself at a discount:

Affiliate CB – login into CB Exchange (and search “Smart Home Staging Kit)
NRT offices login to NRT Gateway first, and go to CB Exchange (and search “Smart Home Staging Kit)

If you have any questions – hit us up, or if I typed something inaccurate here – correct me. We’re all here to learn and succeed and we hope you enjoy our research here.

Smart Home in an Ostrom Home Read More »

Seller Strategies: The Importance of Home Showing Instructions

2 Comments / Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

Seller Strategies:
the Importance of Home Showing Instructions

Those first two weeks your property is on the real estate market and MLS – they’re important. It’s usually when the most eyes will be drawn to the property, to see if it’s a great candidate for someone – as their next place to call a house “their home.”

In today’s “seller strategy” session, we’re discussing positive ways to improve your pool of potential buyers – by ways of how your “home showing instruction”s are set-up on the MLS (Metrolist / Prospector – main hub for all real estate input in our area – Placer and Sacramento County).

If you don’t understand the pros and cons of home showing instructions when you’re active and on the market and getting ready to entertain buyer showings, be sure to ask your listing agent, or give us a call if you’re looking to interview a listing agent. Steve O and I, are both full time REALTORs®. (psst, this is Heather Ostrom – our contact info is below)Your home may fall into a separate category, and may not apply to these set of suggestions, but we do believe this applies to a majority of homes that hit the market.

The more friction and challenges you create, to not allowing your home to be shown, can backfire on you and limit your “buyer-interested” audience.

Types of showing instructions:
Vacant with Lockbox
Call 1st Lockbox
Appointment with the Owner
Call Listing Agent
Call Listing Office
Appointment with Tenant
(there are many more, but these are some of the common ones)

Stay educated and always make smart choices – both in marketing, accessibility (and of course, which listing agents you choose). Short-term discomfort, can possible expand your opportunities to a larger bottom line at the closing.

SAFETY REMINDER: (Placer and Sacramento County) Never allow someone who states they’re an agent, into your home off the street or that drives up to your home. Force them to use the Metrolist lockbox, that way they’re proving their ability to access the home, when an agent “pings” or accesses the Metrolist iBox, it creates an electronic time stamp as the agent, accessing the home – all with their name, company, email, and cell number. If you’re in our area and you’re not using the Supra Lockbox – iBox BT LE – you probably picked the wrong listing agent. Joking / Not Joking. ~ When in doubt, call your listing agent.

More about Metrolist MLS and Participants

Property Questions or Showings? 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – REALTORs Steve + Heather Ostrom

See more informative posts at: www.RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Roseville and Rocklin Real Estate + Lifestyle

Author: Heather Ostrom, Real Estate Marketing – REALTOR

Steve Ostrom, Primary Listing Agent + REALTOR – 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Coldwell Banker – Roseville, CA – CALBRE# 01344154 + 01899313 2200 Douglas Blvd B-200, Roseville, CA 95661

Learn more about listing your home with us!

Seller Strategies: The Importance of Home Showing Instructions Read More »

Best day of the week to list your home for sale

7 Comments / Agent-to-Agent Education and Helpful Tips, Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

Best Day of the Week to List Your Home for Sale

Steve + Heather Ostrom

on Realtor.com Seller Series

Life is all about timing, and it doesn’t change with real estate and listing your home. Each real estate market and area is different, but we have noticed there are definitely better days than others, to list your home. Granted sometimes life doesn’t always play by “ideal rules,” and ultimately, the seller is our boss, so we will always be awesome – no matter what day you’re able to list your home. But if we can have an ideal world, we have strong opinions for homes in Placer County, California to be listed …Our why? Well, check our featured video on REALTOR.com “seller advice video” series. And don’t worry, I’m not quitting my day job for any karaoke work. Along with the three “hot” reasons why in this video, we also have another set of reasons. By default, the offer won’t expire till Monday, unless specifically set to expire before Friday evening. So it gives us a full weekend to be on the market. It’s always nice to have it exposed to the broadest audience, for the largest pool of the best buyers out there – while your home is still “fresh to the market.” Plus, reality check, a lot of folks are on their email – even at work on Friday morning. We like that email showing up in folks’ email boxes Friday morning when they’re setting their schedules.Each home and neighborhood is unique – so let us know if you would like a detailed analysis on your home.

Buyers: Start Your Property Search

Whether you're a contingent buyer or first-time home buyer - let us know how to help. Guide us on: How to Help Tailor Your Property Search, If you Need Lender Suggestions, and How quickly You need to be In Your Home?

Start Home Search

SELLERS: What is My Home Worth?

Send Me A Home Price Evaluation

REALTORs Steve Ostrom + Heather Ostrom – 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Coldwell Banker 2200 Douglas Blvd B-200, Roseville, CA 95661 – CALBRE# 01344154 + 01899313

Best day of the week to list your home for sale Read More »

Great Homes: It is Not Just for the Humans

4 Comments / Media + Good News Shares, Videos / Heather Ostrom

So I’m not sure if the funny “April Fool’s Joke” on REALTOR.com has inspired this post in the back of my mind,

… but my kids have actually taken a sample from the animal world, and made their animal’s “crib” … the envy of the animal world (in my parent, opinion). It made me think … and just like our company’s current theme, “Love where you live.” Do you LOVE where you live?’ If our living environment isn’t ideal. Stress can set in … we can act out, or we can even shut down. If it’s a long distance to the store, if we don’t have a vehicle or easy access to things around our home … it can pose challenges. It can affect us both in success in business, and in life … we’re not as social, and we stay to ourselves, we give up, if there’s no reason to come out of our shell.

With animals, the same stress can happen. If they need a bigger or better space … if they don’t get these things, things shut-down, they … can shut down. Depression can set in … Granted, this might be extreme commentary, but the area we live in, should be a place we love … and sometimes that’s where the magic in life can happen. Happiness CAN happen.

We started out with the typical “starter” guinea pig cage. It was a good starting place for us – and we didn’t know much about guinea pigs. My kids … after a year of extensive research on guinea pigs … started wanting more for our sweet Dini. (Houdini)

I love this little guy so much. He’s been the best pet. And my kids … all three of them, want the best for him. Sure it might seem silly to some, but I am so proud of them, for wanting to make a better space for him.

My kids have been planning this for months … and finally, both Steve O and I gave in … to their ridiculous ideas of a homemade guinea pig cage … serious, it’s just as crazy, and as eye-roll worthy as it can seem. And thanks to YouTube … their hints at a “better space for ‘Dini’ only grew. But you know what? Besides all my teasing, I’m really proud of these girls.

Steve O took the girls out, to get all the supplies, some sneaky orders on Amazon, a million guinea pig blog posts, and YouTube video “how-to” videos … and voila … here we are … they put their dreams into motion for our sweet ‘Dini.

No, that’s not a raptor cage … where a baby cow is about to be lowered into the feeding pen … It’s our Guinea Pig reserve.

All joking aside … our guinea pig is out more, he’s “pop-corning” more and is a bouncy happy fool (I didn’t know what the heck popcorn meant, until my kids educated me, more than I ever wanted to, on guinea pig behavior). I wouldn’t have believed it all, till I witnessed it. And I am such a sucker, that I let these goofballs talk me into another guinea pig. They are our kids for certain … mini-salespeople, trying to make a deal come together.

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So if you’re looking to make your crib better, or one of your fur babies … there are now a few different Ostroms to consult.

For all your guinea pig needs – we’ll direct you to the O-girls.

For all of your home needs, for you and your family … give us a call. We’ll give you constructive feedback, what seems right for you, and your needs. It’s not just about the four walls that surround us, it’s the area we live … we need to love where we live.

Property Questions or Showings? 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – REALTORs Steve + Heather Ostrom

See more informative posts at: www.RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Roseville and Rocklin Real Estate + Lifestyle

Author: Heather Ostrom, Real Estate Marketing – REALTOR

Learn more about listing your home with us!

Great Homes: It is Not Just for the Humans Read More »

Podcast Ostrom Time with Marguerite Crespillo

7 Comments / Agent-to-Agent Education and Helpful Tips, Loving Placer County, Media + Good News Shares, Podcast, Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

So we have always been good friends with the awesome Marguerite Crespillo for years, and she has a fabulous real estate podcast “Real Estate Real World.” Marguerite is and has been a top-producing REALTOR and broker in our area, for years. She and her husband Joe, are fixtures in our area, always at Placer County Association and supporting local agents, and their doors are always open to all.

Marguerite is a wealth of knowledge and experience, she’s a real estate trainer and coach, and she loves to help others.

So, what did we cover in our real estate interview podcast? Well you’re going to need to listen in, and hear the scoop! We covered: marketing, in-town behavior philosophies, agent-to-agent interactions, our love of #OstromOrange, why you rarely see Steve O not in a suit, the issue of low inventory (Placer County), and finally … “best tips for any new real estate agents.” _____________________________

I truly believe you’ll enjoy, you’ll be educated, and I’m certain you will be entertained, while learning. And we hope you take away a few Awesome Ostrom, RE Nerd Nuggets!

_____________________________Quick background on Marguerite: She’s a real estate coach and trainer. On Marguerite’s real estate podcast, she has interviewed Hal Elrod, the awesome Sean Carpenter, Tamara Dorris, Bob Corcoran, and Ryan Lundquist (and many more). Be sure to subscribe to her Podcast channel – I promise you’ll enjoy. And if you’re not a podcast listener, let me tell you – it’s changed my life. Since there’s no visual, you can still do work, walk, exercise, drive, and still listen in … I love podcasts!

I can’t thank Marguerite Crespillo of Realty First in Roseville, CA. Thank you for having us on your show, and I’ll be tuning in and listening to all the back and future real estate episodes.

_____________________________iPhone Users – this is what to look for on your phone 🙂So listen here – and give us your feedback! We would be honored to have you listen in. (you can listen on the link, and/or go through iTunes and subscribe to Marguerite’s channel). And as my awesome friend and CB trainer, Sean Carpenter always says to all – “Build Relationships, Solve Problems, and Have Fun!”

Property Questions or Showings? 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – REALTORs Steve + Heather Ostrom

See more informative posts at: www.RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Roseville and Rocklin Real Estate + Lifestyle

Author: Heather Ostrom, Real Estate Marketing – REALTOR

Learn more about listing your home with us!

Podcast Ostrom Time with Marguerite Crespillo Read More »

Ostroms Featured on Seller Tips Series for REALTOR.com

4 Comments / Agent-to-Agent Education and Helpful Tips, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

Recently we were honored with the opportunity to be part of REALTOR.com’s new “Seller Tips” Video Series under their “News + Advice” drop-down menu on the main site. (“Realtor.com” > “News & Advice” > “Advice” > “Sell”).

We always try to be forward and upfront in our thoughts, with the intent to help our sellers. So we hope you enjoy these videos, and feel free to share the links with friends, that might need some help.

We hope you’re educated on some topics for seller preparation and also that you’re entertained, in an Ostrom-sort-of-way.

To all the sellers that already know how we are, and love us still – thank you for your support. We wouldn’t be here without you. If you’re new to knowing us, whether virtually or in-person and are looking for someone to list your home – know we’ll always be honest, to the point, and always have the mind-set of having you win in the world of home selling (and hopefully in terms of less time on market and higher-price point).

Thank you for watching and thank you for sharing our “seller conversations” – we have three listed below (with hopefully more to come). If we haven’t answered one of your seller questions – comment below – or call or email us.

Video One: Seller Advice – “Awkward Seller Conversations”

Video Two: Seller Advice –“Smells Don’t Sell”

Video Three: Seller Advice –“Three Things Tall REALTORs See, That You May Not …”

If this is your first time visiting our site – welcome … we’re REALTORs (husband + wife duo) in Roseville, CA at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

We primarily work with sellers and their listings, and move-up buyers. So we have had a lot of great learning experiences and opportunities to help our sellers. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t – but we’re always learning how to be better. But what we’re not is … we’re never afraid to tackle awkward conversations, if it means our seller having a better opportunity for a better experience with selling (and hopefully maximizing their bottom line, to the best of our ability – we want our sellers to win).

Property Questions or Showings? 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – REALTORs Steve + Heather Ostrom

See more informative posts at: www.RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Roseville and Rocklin Real Estate + Lifestyle

Author: Heather Ostrom, Real Estate Marketing – REALTOR

Learn more about listing your home with us!

Ostroms Featured on Seller Tips Series for REALTOR.com Read More »

2016 Real Estate Market Predictions – Roseville + Rocklin, CA

2 Comments / Real Estate Education, Seller Information, Videos / Heather Ostrom

First thing we need to do, is thank our friends and family for an amazing 2015. You are the reason we continue in this business. Thank you for your support and referrals. There’s no greater honor, than to be trusted with your business.

So on to the show … what you’re all waiting for …

2016 Real Estate Market Predictions – Roseville and Rocklin, California.

We quickly review 2015, real estate market patterns we observed, and items we experienced … (and if you are a buyer, be sure to ask what TRID – TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure is before you start your loan adventure – but that’s another blog post, by itself).

So … thank you for watching. We promise you’ll be entertained and educated … always.

If you would like to specifically know about your neighborhood and/or home, and current pricing for your home – give us a call or shoot us an email (info below). We’re happy to provide feedback, always.

Property Questions or Showings? 916-308-2446 – Homes@RosevilleAndRocklin.com – REALTORs Steve + Heather Ostrom

See more informative posts at: www.RosevilleAndRocklin.com – Roseville and Rocklin Real Estate + Lifestyle

Videos

View a Property’s Past Tax bill

How to VIEW a Past Property’s Tax Bill

What to be aware of as a contingent buyer

SELLERS: What is My Home Worth?

Buyers: Start Your Property Search

Update (5/5/17)

Links to items I addressed in the video and post:

Suggested Smart Home Components, from friends and other REALTORs:

Seller Strategies: the Importance of Home Showing Instructions

Steve + Heather Ostrom

on Realtor.com Seller Series

Buyers: Start Your Property Search

SELLERS: What is My Home Worth?

Seller Strategies:
the Importance of Home Showing Instructions