General Real Estate Tips and Advice 
General Real Estate Tips and Advice
There are currently 15 blog entries related to this category.
Thinking of leaving Oakland and the East Bay behind? Try Hawaii! Luxury Condo for Rent In Kapaula
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 3:40pm. 79 Views, 0 Comments.
If your thinking Hawaii might be a nice place to go this winter, look no farther than this beautiful place in the Kapalua resort on Maui. Watch the whales and dolphins from the lanai while you sip your Mai Tai. You might not want to ever see the rest of the island.
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…
Affordable Oakland Real Estate again -- are we near the bottom?
Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 2:24pm. 107 Views, 0 Comments.
In just a few years Oakland, San Leandro and other East Bay homes have become affordable to many first time home buyers. The median price of Bay Area homes has continued to drop from $720,000 in the spring of 2007 to the current $295,000 median price of homes sold in Feb 2008. The majority of these homes have been REOs(bank owned) and short sale (pre- foreclosure) listings but these have also brought down the price of surrounding owner occupied homes as well. Additional changes in lending practices and the $8000 federal tax credit have also stimulated buying in many neighborhoods. Maxwell Park, Laurel, and Dimond neighborhoods have seen plenty of buyers looking to get into these areas. Some houses are selling for over $200,000 less than they were just…
Oakland Homes for Sale from $33,000 to $4,388,000
Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 12:59pm. 110 Views, 0 Comments.
Oakland has always a diverse city but never more so than now. There are now three different homes in Oakland listed for $45,000 and less and 3 homes listed for more than $3.5 million. One of the Million dollar listings has breathtaking views of Oakland, San Francisco as well as the $33,000 home in the flat lands, though you might need a telescope to see it.
1504 92nd is a cute 2 bedroom 1 bath bungalow that is listed at $33,000. This same home would sell for 10 times this amount and more in many Oakland neighborhoods but as they say, ' location, location, location". In reading the MLS further, the $33,000 listing price is actually the opening bid at auction later in the month but I will keep you posted for what it actually sells for.
Another house on…
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 - Part II
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 1:03pm. 88 Views, 0 Comments.
So the auction for the 'perfect' house in Berkeley had some bumps along the way. At the last minute, a termite report was produced which detailed $14,000 to $24,000 in repairs. Personally, I would never trust a report with that much leeway, especially one that came in the day before the auction. The auctioneer had previously assured me that the termite work had been cleared two years ago so this was troubling to me.
Plenty of people showed up in the rain to bid but ultimately the home didn't sell. The reserve was $525,000, which might have been fine if there was no additional work to be preformed, but that termite report was looming. The home is back on the market for $525,000 or best offer. Good luck to the sellers because they have had the hardest time…
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