There are so many elements that go into selecting the ideal neighborhood for your new Alameda or Bay Farm Island home.  Over the last few days, we spoke about selecting the type of home that you might like. This time, we will consider choosing the best  neighborhood fit for you and your family. 

Each family has different needs, wants and finances.  One family will put a stress on the school district, another will want proximity to parks, recreational facilities, or transportation sources.  When all is said and done, however, the family wants to feel comfortable, welcome, and secure in their final choice, and looking forward to spending many years among their new neighbors.  There are certain basics that make any neighborhood one to consider.

1.…

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In Part 1, we began to list some of the initial steps to take in finding your future ideal home.  Whether you are looking in central Alameda, or Bay Farm Island, the suggestions remain the same. 

In Part 2-below is an in depth look at some of the key factors to add on to your initial considerations.

1. What Kind of Home Do You Want?  While this may seem obvious, there is a huge variety of choices that you must make.  Important examples include:

a. What style of home appeals to you?

b. How many bedrooms do you need?  How many bathrooms?

c. Do you want a one-story or two-story home?

d. How important is the size of the yard?  Do you want a yard at all?

e. What are your childrens' most important requirements?

f. How close do you want to be to…

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The search for a new home is always a great adventure, and sometimes, a great challenge.  So much depends upon bringing together the perfect balance of affordability and practicality.  While most buyers will admit to wanting a large home with lots of amenities and a nice view, the market today may not be able to provide these things just as requested, and at the price desired.

However, whether you are looking in Alameda proper, or Alameda's Bay Farm Island, there is a way of getting a lot of what you want.  While you may have a very extensive list of things that you hope to find in your new house, the key is to isolate your highest priorities, and work with them first.  If you can tell me, as your agent, what you feel are the most important features, I…

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Sooner or later, every buyer has to submit information to a lender regarding their credit history.  This information will be critical as a means by which a decision will be made as to whether the potential buyer will qualify for the loan to purchase their future home.  This is a time that makes many people anxious because they are not quite sure how their credit is evaluated. So, whether you are considering a Piedmont home or an Oakland home, the format remains the same. 

Right now, 90% of the largest banks use what is called a FICO score to make that decision.  This FICO score is used throughout the industry to determine your mortgage rate, as well as your car loan and your credit card monthly interest fee. 

This credit rating is a number that is…

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The large majority of homes for sale in America have pets.  Whether they be cats, dogs, birds or hamsters, they live in the home, and preparing them for visits by potential buyers that they do not know, is an important issue in getting your Berkeley home prepared for a showing.

Because you and your family are familiar with their eccentricities like barking, jumping up, scratching, leaping about, etc., that does not mean that your potential visitors will like, or understand, that behavior when they come to visit your house.  While your animals may behave this way normally, many pets step up their problem behavior when new people come in. They may become nervous or anxious and act inappropriately--the exact opposite of the image that you want to…

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While many Piedmont and Oakland families know about Children's Fairyland on the shores of Lake Merritt in Oakland, many others, in nearby cities have yet to discover it's delights.

Originally established in 1948 by local businessman and nurseryman Arthur Navelet, it was conceived with the idea of using Lake Merritt as a background setting for a storybook theme park.  Navelet took his concept to the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club, and, with their support, then the support of the city, and funds from promotional activities, a total of $50,000.00 was raised to begin the construction of the magical family park.  The goal was to create fairytale and storybook sets based on stories and books familiar to children.

It opened in 1950, and admission fees ranged…

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In Part 1, we discussed the history and development of the HAFA program, and talked about short sales.  As of June, 2012, a new version of this program has come online.  It may be of interest to Oakland and Piedmont residents whom I assist.

THE PROPOSED SOLUTION-NEWER VERSION-If the home involved is financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the homeowner will benefit from some new guidelines:

a. Under the new rules, servicers (lenders) will have 30 days to review and respond to all short sale offers or requests.  If they find that they will need more than these 30 days, they must provide the borrower with weekly updates, and furnish a final response within 60 days.

b. During the above 60 days, the lender must tell the borrower whether a short sale will…

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THE PROBLEM: Over the last few years, Americans have been made aware of what the words "Housing Crises" means.  All over the United States, due to the sagging economy, coupled with poorly regulated lending policies, homeowners are discovering that what they supposed their home's value to be is no longer correct. 

In the past, the American dream of purchasing a house, staying in it for a while, then selling it and using it's increased equity to move up to the next level of ownership was a realistic and reasonable expectation.  The simple fact is that, for quite a while now, this has been unattainable for a disturbing segment of the Oakland-East Bay homeowners. 

Complicating this issue are the huge amount of regulations and rulings at the Federal level…

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When a home is put up for sale, it becomes obvious that many people are going to view it.  They will be seeing it in person with their real estate agent, or looking at it on the realtor's web site.  As a result, they are going to have a lot of questions about the condition of the home, especially since a purchase today has become a very detailed process.

I recommend that you, as the seller, should consider having a professional home inspection as soon as you make the decision to put your house on the market. Whether you live in Berkeley, Oakland or Piedmont, the same applies.

This concept is often disturbing to many sellers, because, while they may think that they know what is in need of repair, they often are concerned that many new things will turn…

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When potential buyers tour your Rockridge home, they are looking for many things.  One of the most important is space.  The more space you can show, the larger, and more appealing your home becomes.  Your goal should be to present an open, uncluttered home that allows them to envision their things in that space, and encourage them to want to live there.

 Homeowners create their home to suit their needs.  After living in that house for a long time, they may not see how cluttered it has become.  Very often, as the years go on, rooms gather much more furniture and accessories than are necessary.  Things become a jumble of style and function.  While the homeowner has learned to walk around narrow spaces, or ignore the mismatches, the possible buyers will…

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