You are planning to move into your new Oakland home, but find that you have an overwhelming amount of things to move from your older Alameda home.  The projected moving costs seem quite high.  Here are some tips to saving money on your moving costs:

1. Weed Out Your Junk:  While this may seem obvious, it is a very difficult thing to do.  It is made more difficult by sorting through things that have accumulated over years and years.  The best policy is to have each family member tackle their room first, then move to the common areas like the living room, family room and kitchen.  Set out three criteria for each room, and label boxes accordingly.  The three boxes should be labeled "Throw Away", "Donate" and "Garage Sale".  You might be able to…

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When living in your newly purchased home, whether in Berkeley, Oakland or Piedmont, you must always make plans to maintain it.  You want to do this to keep its present value, and hopefully, increase its resale value when it comes time to move on.  Recently we gave you three inexpensive steps to keep your newly purchased home in tip top order.  Here are some addtional very inexpensive maintenance steps that you take that are quite simple, and can be very effective:

1. Have your HVAC system inspected yearly (HVAC is your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system)--The inspection cost is usually under $300, depending on area, and keeping tabs on the condition of your heat pump or blower may save you thousands of dollars  in repair, and avoid a…

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After you have lived in your Oakland or Piedmont home for a while, and invested money its repair and restoration, you are convinced that you have the very best home in the neighborhood.  While this may or may not be true, when it comes time to put it on the market, you need to take a truly realistic look at your competition before you decide on a final price.  As your Oakland/Piedmont agent, it is my job to assist you in coming to a price that will move your home in a reasonable amount of time, and allow you to realize a realistic profit at the same time.

Why is it important to price correctly?  Here are the reasons:

1. Brokers and Agents Will Not Show Your Home to Their Clients:  With the large amount of real estate web sites on the…

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You have just purchased your new Oakland home.  You are more than satisfied with its condition, and are looking forward to many years in your new neighborhood.  You also know that in order to keep your home in its present condition, you are going to have to invest in maintaining it.  That is one of the expected costs of home ownership. 

The good news is that while there are many things you can do to maintain your home, there are three inexpensive, yet valuable steps that you can take that will give you the biggest return for your dollar:

1. Keep Your Carpets Clean--This seems a simple step, yet keeping by keeping your carpets clean, you can save thousands in replacement and repair costs of your current, and possibly brand new current…

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At the end of every quarter of the year, the research division of Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate analyzes the area Multiple Listing Service data to try to determine the direction of home buying and selling in Alameda County.  They develop a valuable review for current homeowners, and for future homebuyers, and give a clear cut picture of where the residential real estate market has been, and where it is going.

The key to the present statistics this quarter is the lack of inventory of home for buyers to purchase. This lack of inventory has pushed the prices of the available homes higher than expected, and created multiple offer situations. To illustrate, in the last quarter of 2012, the median price of a single family detached…

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My new listing just came out today. www.3609VictorAve.com in Redwood Heights.4 bedroom and 2356 Sq Ft for $799,000 Please feel free to drop by the open house this Sunday 2-4:30pm.

 

Beyond the beautiful garden entry, 3609 Victor Avenue sits grandly on a corner lot with many architectural details and stunning bay views. Built in 1927, this English Tudor features 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, an open floor plan and abundant light. Inside, the original wood work, hardwood floors, and arching brick fireplace, set the stage for this warm and inviting home. The modern kitchen, dining room, and adjacent sun room all have bay views. A bedroom and updated bath complete the main level. Up the balustrade staircase, lies the master bedroom with another large sun room,…

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In Part 1, we talked about general questions that a home buyer of Alameda homes, or Alameda Bay Farm Island homes might ask themselves as they begin their search for their new house.  In Part 2, I am going to give you a suggested checklist of items that you might want to use to narrow your search more effectively.  As mentioned yesterday, the sooner you locate your ideal property, the sooner we can move ahead as a team to fine your special place.

Here are some suggested questions for a working checklist. Take this with you as you begin to view potential homes.

A. What Kind Of Home Do You Want?  Here are some items to consider:

1. Is there a special style of home that appeals to you?

2. How many bedrooms and bathrooms will you need?

3. Do…

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It is an exciting time as you begin to look for your new Alameda or Alameda Bay Farm Island Home.  There are so many issues to be considered.  My job, as your real estate agent is to place you in the very best home that meets both your financial and personal priorities. 

If you are like most future home owners, you have created a rather extensive list of ideal things that you would like to see in your new house. The key to getting what you want in the most practical and affordable manner is to isolate your highest priorities, and work with them first.  If you can tell me, as your agent, your most important issues, we can focus on them first, and move you ahead quickly.  With fewer homes on the market right now in many areas, a prompt and…

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When we put your Alameda home on the market, there will be many potential buyers and brokers wanting to view it to see if it will meet their needs.  Together, we will create a plan to present your home in the most attractive way possible, but there is one step that makes a huge difference in the overall look--getting rid of clutter.

While this seems obvious, it is often a very difficult thing to do, because of the emotional attachment that family members have towards the items in their various rooms.  However, it becomes necessary because it is important that buyers can envision themselves in your home.  It needs to be as open and inviting as possible to achieve this goal.

Here are some simple, and inexpensive ways to get the job done:

1. Remove…

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While most Piedmont homeowners are used to commuting to San Francisco and Oakland by car or BART, the early 1900's offered an efficient trip as well. Begun in 1903, utilizing 4 car trains, the Key System collected passengers from all over the East Bay and took them to ferry piers in Berkeley, and later Oakland, for their final passage by water to San Francisco.

The term "Key System" came from the concept of the image of a key with three loops at the top, a shaft for the key which was the system's pier, and the teeth of the key was seen as the various ferry berths at the end of these piers. The three loops were the cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Piedmont.

 Below is a picture of the early station at 41st Street and Piedmont Avenue.  Note the two…

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