Aug

12

Creative Marketing

Posted In: For Sellers, For the Heck of It

As an agent I am always looking for creative ways to look for business.  But this is pretty hilarious. My husband received this letter in the mail regarding our rental property in Salt Lake.   “A” for creativity, that is for sure.  

May

06

I have the greatest clients…

Posted In: El Cerrito, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Heck of It

What I love about my job are the amazing people I meet.  This job is very much about relationships.  Buying or selling a home is a very intense experience and there is a lot of communication throughout the process.  Recently I had the privilege of helping a wonderful family sell their home in El Cerrito.  The house had been in the [...]

Apr

21

New Listing: 7343 Schmidt, El Cerrito

Posted In: El Cerrito, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Listings

I am so excited about my new El Cerrito listing.  It isn’t everyday you come across a family who has lived in their house since it was built.  It isn’t everyday you come across a person who physically built their retaining wall in the backyard out of rocks from the old El Cerrito rock quarry.  It isn’t everyday you sit [...]

Feb

14

San Francisco Area Home Prices Up In Q4

Posted In: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, For Buyers, For Sellers, General Real Estate News, Local Market Statistics

San Francisco Business Times February 12,2013 San Francisco and San Jose were among the housing markets to see the biggest gains in home prices during the fourth quarter, new data shows. The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area saw a gain in home prices of 28.3 percent year over year, while prices in San Jose were up 24.8 percent, according to the National [...]

Jan

29

Bay Area Median Sales Price

Posted In: Economy, For Buyers, For Sellers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News

According to DataQuick the median price paid for a home in California last month was $299,000, the highest since it was $301,000 in August 2008. Last month’s median was up 2.7 percent from $291,000 in November and up 21.5 percent from $246,000 in December 2011. December was the 10th consecutive month in which the state’s median sale price rose year-over-year. [...]

Jan

11

Sean O’toole’s California Forecast for 2013

Posted In: Court and Auctions, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News, Local Market Statistics, Mortgage & Finance

Interesting article from www.foreclosuretruth.com http://www.foreclosuretruth.com/blog/sean/california-forecast-for-2013-more-of-the-same-save-the-black-swan/#comments I actually agree with most of this article, with my key thoughts being: In our neck of the woods trustee sale investors (think large suitcases full of cash on the courthouse steps) are seeing more competition but still finding amazing deals.  Most are not banking on large ROI’s anymore, just looking to make a few [...]

Jan

10

Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Act Extended!

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

Hear ye hear ye! The Federal Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Act Extended Through 2013! The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 that was set to expire on December 31, 2012, was extended through January 1, 2014. What that means is that mortgage debt that is forgiven as part of a debt restructuring agreement will not be treated as income for [...]

Nov

21

Low Inventory Nationwide

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Local Market Statistics

In my last newsletter I talked about the super crazy low inventory, not just here in the Bay, but nationwide.  It seems that low inventory is a problem in many areas across the country.  We are fortunate here in the Bay Area because we are recovering a lot faster than many of these other areas with appreciation rates averaging 8% [...]

Sep

19

Low Low Inventory!

Posted In: Albany, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Local Market Statistics

Prices up, multiple offers up, buyers up…BUT Inventory is down.  Check it: This is why I am no longer just in the business of selling homes, I am now in the business of offer-writing!  

Aug

08

Hiring A Contractor? Read This.

Posted In: For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Improvement, Home Maintenance

Have you ever been put into that awkward situation where your clients have hired someone who is an expert in their field, and the information they are providing is just plain wrong?  I was recently showing property to some buyers who brought their contractor along to look at the kitchen.  We were looking at the stove, and the contractor made [...]