California Real Estate 
There are currently 10 blog entries related to this category.
$799,000 4bd/3bth home for sale in the Willow Glen area of San Jose -- Cambrian Schools
Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 6:25pm. 57 Views, 0 Comments.
I just listed a great home in the Willow Glen area of San Jose with the fabulous Susan Matthews. The four bedroom, three bath home looks and feels inviting with a great floor plan and listing at a very competitive $799,000. French doors open to the fully landscaped backyard from either the formal dining room or the expansive family room. The family room has warm and richly refinished Brazilian hardwood floors and is a perfect place to entertain friends and family. With large formal living room and office/bedroom downstairs, the floor plan offers a variety of options. Cambrian schools are within walking distance. Please visit our website at www.1913Quebec.com for more pictures, info and a virtual tour! Call me with any questions or for a viewing…
How buying an Oakland REO property really works
Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 5:18pm. 133 Views, 0 Comments.
It would be funny if it wasn't so true!
My 15 minutes of Fame -- The Internet and Real Estate on NBC channel 11 at 6pm
Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 4:42pm. 332 Views, 2 Comments.
I just finished filming a feature story for NBC Channel 11 with Tech
and Business reporter Scott Budman about the Internet and Real Estate.
It should be on tonight at 6pm during the Business segment. Hopefully I
don't end up all over the editing room floor. Scott is an old friend from Oakland, an award winning journalist and father of two. You can see the video here. Click Here
1st Quarter housing figures are in for Bay Area home sales
Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 11:41am. 193 Views, 0 Comments.
The figures for the 1st quarter have come in with some predictable results. Housing sales are way up (almost 200% in Hayward!) with the bulk of these sales in the lower end markets. Foreclosures have been the bread and butter of this market with Short Sales and REOs bringing in buyers from all over. I've had one eager man in New Zealand who has been buying up properties in Richmond.
The low interest rates combined with the $8000 tax credit has made first-time buyers and investors dive into affordable East Bay and Oakland Real Estate. The median sales price of homes sold has dropped dramatically because of the focus on the lower end market. The median price of a Oakland home sale has dropped 70% since the same quarter last year. While many areas of Oakland…
$8000 Tax Credit for new home purchases explained
Saturday, April 11th, 2009 at 12:50pm. 158 Views, 1 Comments.
I've been getting a lot of calls about the Governments First-Time home buyers credit. The newly passed legislation allows first-time buyers to claim a credit of up to $8,000, or 10% of the
home's value, whichever is less, on their 2008 or 2009 taxes. This is a refundable tax credit meaning that you can actually have the money refunded to you even if you don't owe the full amount on your taxes.
The purchase must be made between Jan. 1, 2009 and Nov. 30, 2009 to qualify for the credit. Buyers must make less than $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples. To qualify has a first time home buyer you cannot have purchased a home in the last three years. They must also live in the house for at least three years, or they will be obligated to pay back…
Fake vs real property tax forms
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at 7:00pm. 291 Views, 0 Comments.
I have received two different, very official looking letters wanting to "help me" with adjusting my county property taxes on my home. One is from the Homeowners Tax Review (HTR) and another from Property Tax Reassessment Co. Both letters try to resemble an official document from the county or state and come in envelopes that mislead.
Because of falling home prices in the last few years, Alameda county and others counties are willing to reassess the assessed value of your home. This can result is a significant savings on the property taxes you pay on your home.
The problem arises when these letters start appearing in my mailbox with headlines like ESTIMATED SAVINGS $438.74 or $1812.50!! That seems great, but the fine print says that they are going to charge…
Former Warrior Latrell Sprewell is suing his old Hayward real estate agent.
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at 6:18pm. 119 Views, 0 Comments.
I read an interesting article about former Golden State Warrior Latrell Sprewell suing his old real estate agent in regards to disclosure of water damage at a home he sold in Hayward CA back in 2002.
We all remember Latrell and the talented but troubled Warrior guard who choked his coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice back in 1997. While this was a black eye for both the team and the city, it seems that the Warriors have moved on to field another entertaining team, albeit on out of the playoffs.
Latrell is suing his agent for not disclosing a water damage problem costing Latrell $540,000 in repairs bills when an arbitrator decided in favor of the new owners. He is suing his agent to recover the $540,000. Wow. …
Steal this Home! $299,000 auction home in Berkeley.
Saturday, February 21st, 2009 at 8:19pm. 85 Views, 0 Comments.
It's not every day that a nice home in the Bay Area is auctioned off. Usually auctioned homes are the dregs of the area, those that no one wanted to buy on the regular market, a cross between a fixer and a teardown. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see such a 'perfect' home in Berkeley ready for auction. The owners had obviously taken care of the home, and had painstakingly addressed every detail. The roof and foundation were new. The floors were freshly sanded and finished. The bathroom had been remodeled and the large kitchen had been tastefully finished. In the well manicured backyard there was a studio trimmed with wood that was used as an office.
So why was the house being auctioned off? The owners had always paid their mortgage, their bank…
Your HUD-1 or Settlement Statement from your Escrow Company
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 2:42pm. 40 Views, 0 Comments.
It's that time of year again, Tax time! One of the first things I do for the new year is send my clients a copy of their Settlement Statement (or HUD-1) . If you bought or sold a home last year it is time to get all your paperwork together and send it to your tax preparer (or just do it yourself!) The HUD-1 sheet is a breakdown of all the costs incurred in your recent home sale /purchase. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires that the form be issued in all real estate transactions in the United States which involve federally related mortgage loans. I always give my clients a CD copy of all the disclosures and Escrow paperwork but sometimes a hard copy in the mail saves a lot of frustration and time. Trust me, whoever does your taxes…
Foreclosures in California - We're number two!
Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 7:15pm. 49 Views, 0 Comments.
I always take info from the internet with a grain of salt but here are a few figures I found.
Top 10 Worst States For Foreclosures
Top 10 Worst States For Foreclosures in 2008
1. Nevada – 1 in 61 households
2. California – 1 in 88 households
3. Florida– 1 in 95 households
4. Michigan– 1 in 102 households
5. Ohio– 1 in 107 households
6. Colorado – 1 in 109 households
7. Arizona – 1 in 112 households
8. Georgia– 1 in 142 households
9. Indiana– 1 in 196 households
10. Texas– 1 in 205 households
Top 10 States With Least Amount of Foreclosures in 2008
1. Vermont – 1 in 12,294 households
2. South Dakota – 1 in 4,693 households
3. North Dakota – 1 in 4,288 households
4. West Virginia – 1 in 3,071 households
5. Mississippi – 1 in…
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