May

09

Mortgage Monday: Hot off the Presses

Posted In: For Buyers, General Real Estate News, Mortgage & Finance

Hot off the mortgage press: 1) Just heard that rates are at their lowest for the year 2) Just heard that you can now obtain a conventional loan with as little as 3% down (will include mortgage insurance). 3) #2 applies to condos! 4) Just heard that transactions are closing in as little as 20 days! 5) Just heard that [...]

Apr

12

Glen’s Numbers: East Bay Market Statistics for March 2011

Posted In: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, For Buyers, For Sellers, Local Market Statistics

Glen Bell from My East Bay Agent had some interesting things to say about the East Bay Market this month. It seems that inventory and pending sales crept up slightly since last February: pendings were up 3.1% and supply remained steady at 3.3 months (months supply at this time last year was 2.5 months). The pending/active ratio also had a [...]

Apr

12

Freecycle

Posted In: Community, For Buyers, For Sellers, Green Living

Ok, so last week I posted some great resources for recycling your unwanted items.  What I completeley forgot to mention was my FAVORITE reuse website, www.freecycle.org.  You can list items that you want to get rid of for free, as well as items that you are looking for. Example: I bought some shampoo and conditioner that I didn’t really like, [...]

Apr

11

Mortgage Monday: New FHA Inspection Requirements

Posted In: For Buyers, Mortgage & Finance

Attention FHA buyers.  It seems there are new changes to FHA Inspection Requirements, meaning if you are a buyer who is using an FHA loan for financing, these changes will affect you.  This information is from an email from Tirso De Ubago of Castle Rock Inspections. The New FHA Inspection Requirements With the FHA loans becoming extremely mainstream due to [...]

Apr

08

Recycle Your Unwanted Stuff!

Posted In: Community, For Buyers, For Sellers, Green Living, Home Maintenance

I have become a recycling junkie.  It is exhilarating.  Productive.  Cleansing.  Seriously.  For me there is something so refreshing about getting rid of crap. While I was on maternity leave I emptied out my closet (got rid of 8 bags of clothing), cleaned out the kitchen (2 boxes of glassware and vases), cleaned out my office (filled 6 boxes), and [...]

Apr

06

Better Homes and Gardens iPhone App

Posted In: For Buyers, General Real Estate News, Web/Tech

Taking the world by storm is BHG’s super cool iPhone app.  We are a pretty lifestyle-rich vibey company (ok, soooo not a word, but hey, I like the sound of it!) so it is only appropriate that we have an app to go with it. The app is really about organizing the buyer.  While looking at houses, users can take [...]

Nov

14

Property Tax Calendar

Posted In: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Taxes

Never lose track of when those property taxes are due with this handy property tax calendar.    For more information on property taxes, or to check the status of your own, please click on one of the following links: Alameda County Contra Costa County

Oct

25

S W E E T Berkeley Living in a S W E E T Berkeley Bungalow

Posted In: Berkeley, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Listings, Women Home Buyers

S W E E T Berkeley Living in a S W E E T Berkeley Bungalow.  Ok, so check it out.  I recently listed one of the sweetest remodels I have seen in awhile.  1408 Alcatraz in Berkeley is a one-of-a-kind gem.  This 2+ bedroom, 1 bath home is ready for its next owners.  You wouldn’t have to really do [...]

Aug

03

Your Meter Just Got Smarter

Posted In: For Buyers, Home Improvement, Home Maintenance

PG&E just got a little smarter.  By now your gas and/or electric meter has been upgraded.  It is designed to improve the service the PG&E provides.  Some of the features include: Remote energy usage reading by PG&E Allows you to view hourly and daily energy usage Faster problem resolution Faster power restoration Energy alerts via text, email or phone A [...]

Jun

03

Transfer Taxes for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

Posted In: Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, For Buyers, For Sellers, Oakland, Richmond, Taxes

Many cities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties impose a point of sale ordinance on real property.  The chart below will show which cities will impose a transfer tax.  Both Alameda County and Contra Costa County have a county transfer tax of $1.10/$1,000. Example: If the sales price of a house in Berkeley is $500,000 then the seller can expect to pay $500 for [...]