Ask Paddy

How is the market?


The Lamorinda market has consistently been a seller’s market with more buyers than sellers. Properties here are protected from market fluctuations due to the lack of supply and strong demand in Lamorinda. There are market conditions that continue to change - from interest rates to pandemics to work from home, and so on. No set of circumstances are ever the same and we take pride in guiding and advising our buyers and sellers through the market conditions to help them best position themselves.

I want to sell this house and buy another. How do I do that?


This is a great question that we get asked often. There are a lot of different factors that come into play when timing the sale of your home and the purchase of your next home. An important factor is the inventory quantity graph. The market is typically at its lowest in December/January and peaks to its maximum in June/July. When you know and fully understand this graph of inventory, you can better capitalize on and time the sale of your home and the purchase of your next home. Ideally you want to list your home in the spring market or early spring market to take advantage of the lack of inventory and the largest pool of buyers, and then time the purchase of your next home to take advantage of the increased inventory that we typically see in June/July. However, everybody has a different set of circumstances, which we’d be happy to discuss with you.

I’m not quite ready to buy, but will be in a few years. Is it worth talking to a realtor right now?


It’s never too early to start talking to a realtor and a lender to best prepare yourself for what lies ahead. By keeping in touch and getting listings sent to you from the market that you’re interested in, you’ll be armed with the knowledge you need when the time comes to buy.

Should I buy now or wait?


Trying to time the market in California is a difficult game. If your employment and finances line up, then it's likely safer to buy now than to see home prices consistently increase 5-6% each year, making the buying process more difficult. You always run the risk of a market correction, but with proper advice and guidance from an experienced agent, you can somewhat minimize these risks. The Lamorinda market is not immune to market fluctuations, but it seems to fare better than other areas due to the lack of supply, the great schools, and desirability of the area.

How should I price my home?


The most important factor in selling your home is pricing. When a home is properly prepared and priced, we see the greatest return for the seller. Buyers are not afraid to bid up a home, but they are very reluctant to bid down. If a home is priced too high, it will sit on the market and suffer price reduction after price reduction, ultimately selling for the lowest possible price. If a home is properly priced, buyers will bid it up to its maximum value and the sellers will get the highest possible price. There are a lot more factors that we can discuss in detail when we meet.

Do I need to renovate my house to sell it?


In short, no. The house will sell without making improvements, but you will get a higher price for a home that’s finished. A part of our service is meeting with sellers to provide a list of the improvements that will result in a profit. Homes that are completely finished and “turnkey” attract the most buyers and the highest sales price. We have many contractors that we work with and get very good rates on improvements to ensure your investment is rewarded.

How much will it cost to get my house ready to sell? What projects will get me the most money?


Every house has a different set of circumstances. We have a team of experts, from interior designers to stagers to landscape professionals, that go through your home and make a list of suggestions they believe will result in the greatest return. Sometimes it's a little as some touch up paint and sometimes it's a complete remodel. We give you the suggestions that we think will be profitable and you decide. We offer a program called Compass Concierge whereby we cover the cost of the improvements with no interest and no points to you and get reimbursed at close of escrow.

Zillow said my home is worth $x. Should this be my list price?


Pricing in Lamorinda is complex and automated online valuations are frequently wrong. Zillow doesn’t know if your home is on a flat lot or severe slop, for instance, which can create a 20-25% swing in pricing. Due to many factors like this, a Zillow price is just a guess. We believe it pays to get the opinion of a strong, local agent that knows the complexities of your area.

I’m not ready to sell yet, but I might be in the next few years. Will you still consult us on what to upgrade and what makes money?


Absolutely. We love getting calls from people who would like advice on improvements with the goal of selling years from now. We provide free consultations so that you can invest in the right upgrades now for greater profit down the road.

Let's Connect

At the Paddy Kehoe Team, we strive to provide exceptional service to home buyers, sellers, and builders in Lamorinda. We take pride in delivering the very best results for our clients and building lasting relationships.
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Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us

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W.B.

We are so grateful to Paddy and his team! They are personable, prompt, and reliable. Paddy is a skilled negotiator and we received an excellent price for our parent's house. More importantly, issues arise when selling a home, a...
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Diana M.

Paddy was an incredible agent who helped our house purchase go very smoothly. He was extremely patient in visiting many homes with us, and used his prior knowledge of construction to help identify potential problems in potentia...
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Jesse L.

Nobody in Lamorinda better, period! My husband sells commercial real estate and he, like me, can tell if someone is full of it, and we can wholeheartedly tell anyone that is interested that Paddy is not. He'll roll up his sleev...
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Rob Ray

We learned the challenging Oakland market together and felt like pros at the end of our process. We were able to find a spot in the neighborhood we wanted, get it for under asking, and navigate a difficult seller team in a comp...
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buy7

Step 7: Close All that’s left is for both parties to sign the closing statements. At closing, you’ll receive the keys, making the house all yours!
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buy6

Step 6: ​​​​​​​Due Diligence Once your offer has been accepted, you have time for inspections, an appraisal, or other pre-negotiated due diligence before the sale is finalized. We’ll monitor the process and take care of all the...
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Step 5: Negotiate You found your dream house and it’s time to make an offer. We’ll use our expertise and skillful negotiation to secure the best possible price for you.
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Step 4: Search It’s time to tour houses. We’ll narrow down the search for you, so you’ll only see properties that match your preferences and your budget.
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Step 3: Finance We’ll help you get pre-approved for a loan and organize your finances, so that you’ll be ready to buy when your ideal home hits the market.
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Step 2: Plan Once we’re on your team, we’ll discuss your needs, wants, and the local market in detail. We’ll send you daily updates on properties that fit your criteria so you are aware of opportunities as soon as they become a...
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buy1

Step 1: Connect We’ll begin by setting up an appointment with you to discuss your goals and how we can help.
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Jennifer D.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ “100% dedicated to helping clients” “We thoroughly enjoyed working with Paddy to sell our home in Orinda. Paddy was easy to work with, very responsive, professional and 100% dedicated to helping his clients. Our ho...
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Cal H.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ “Works hard & always available” “We recently closed on our perfect house with Paddy guiding along the way. He works hard, is always available, has great insight into the real estate market and is extremely transpar...
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Eric B.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ “Honest, patient, and super knowledgeable” “The first weekend of open houses we received 6 offers, 2 of them at $100K over asking. I'd rate Paddy 6 stars if I could and would work with him again in a heartbeat. He'...
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Stephanie S.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ “Phenomenal guidance” "Paddy was amazing to work with. This was my first home purchase and he provided phenomenal guidance throughout the entire process. He's extremely knowledgeable about the area and shared great...
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Buyer

I still can't believe how smoothly this whole process went. We haven't had the best experiences in the past, so we went in with a bit of trepidation, and Eric pretty much immediately made us feel comfortable, was relatable, and...
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Seller

Eric did a great job listing our home in Lafayette, he did great job and we got our house sold really quickly, he handled the negotiations really well and we were able to close a few days ahead of the scheduled closing date. Th...
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Buyer

Eric is awesome! Having someone that is relatable and understands my preferences and search is very important. I experienced that with Eric as he was active in listening and learning more about what I was looking for and my per...
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Buyer & Seller

Eric was fantastic! We worked with Eric on buying and selling our homes simultaneously, so there was a lot of coordination between the two transactions. Eric was even-keeled and patient, which were great attributes given the in...
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Ricardo V.

Working with Brittany and Paddy was a great experience. My wife and I started looking for homes shortly after the pandemic started. As first time homebuyers, we were a bit nervous about the process, and we also had to deal with...
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