Jan
31

Prices Drop Nationwide, Not Necessarily the Case in Berkeley and the Surrounding Areas

Posted In: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, General Real Estate News, Local Market Statistics
Case-Shiller Records 3.7% Annual Drop in Home Prices Data released this morning by Standard & Poor’s showed an annual decline of 3.7 percent in November for the 20-city composite reading of its S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. Analysts were expecting a year-over-year drop in the range of 3.2 to 3.4 percent. Eighteen cities were in negative territory. Detroit and Washington, D.C. [...]
Jan
05

East Bay Real Estate Predictions for 2012

Posted In: Economy, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News
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During tour today my colleagues and I were discussing what we thought the market would do in 2012.  One said she felt that the Berkeley market, specifically, would see an increase in appreciation of 2% – 3% due to a lack of inventory.  “There are so many buyers looking for homes and without inventory, we will see a lot of [...]
Oct
21

Great news! Jumbo Conforming Loan Limits to be Restored!

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, General Real Estate News, Mortgage & Finance
JUMBO Great news!  Jumbo Conforming Loan Limits to be Restored!  Inman News just reported that in a 60-38 vote Thursday, the Senate approved an amendment to a spending bill that would restore the $729,750 ceiling that was first put in place in 2008 to allow Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration to back what were previously considered [...]
Oct
03

Is it Possible to Boost the East Bay’s Sustainable and Affordable Housing Stock?

Posted In: Alameda County, Albany, Berkeley, Contra Costa County, El Cerrito, First Time Home Buyers, General Real Estate News, Oakland
thumbnail for Is it Possible to Boost the East Bay’s Sustainable and Affordable Housing Stock?
Here is an interesting article from the UC Berkeley News Center that came out a couple of weeks ago that talks about how in-law/secondary units could be a great way to help accommodate the projected population growth via dealing with infill development in communities throughout the region.  They are currently looking into regulatory challenges, such as parking restrictions, but are hoping that this [...]
Mar
29

New Addition to the Team

Posted In: General Real Estate News
Whenever I visit a blog I want to see how active it is.  Well, those who visit my site will see a big gap- I was a pretty dedicated blogger until my last post, which was in November.  Well, I am excited to announce that back in November I added someone new to my team.  She comes to the table [...]