Perhaps you are considering making some significant changes in your home.  Ultimately, these changes will affect the home's resale value.  Sometimes doing your pre-sale homework will pay quite well when you are considering the size and scope of these changes.  Much of the time, adding bathrooms or bedrooms or family rooms is a good idea--IF it pays you back financially.  That is the key to a successful plan. Your homework should be to find out how much value your additions will-or will not-add to your home at resale time. 

It makes sense to add another room to your Berkeley hills home if your family has outgrown the present one.  If you are all crowding into one bathroom, or are sharing a super small kitchen, the time has come to consider more…

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When buyers are considering purchasing a home, its size, and how it will fit their needs, becomes very important to them.  Even though you tell them that your Piedmont home is 2445 sq. ft., if it does not actually look that size when they enter, will cause you to lose much of the valuable first impressions of spaciousness that you want to convey.

Additionally, many Oakland homes and Berkeley homes are often quite large inside, but need to be presented in the best way possible.

 Many things can cause a home to look smaller than it is. Here are some tips to make it appear to be the size it actually is:

 1. Before you begin showing the home, go through each room and remove as much furniture as practicable. Side tables, end tables, bookcases, chairs and…

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Tilden Park, part of the large East Bay Park System, has been a favorite of S. F.Bay Area families for many years.  With its welcoming trees and greenery that house its varied wildlife, it is always a new adventure for families each time they visit.  While it has many things for adults to do, there are some interesting things that will hold children's attention as well. 

One of the most popular attractions is the Merry-Go-Round.  This delightful attraction, complete with beautifully carved, and handsomely painted animals to ride, along with wonderful calliope music, is a joy for children and adults.  Merry-go-rounds are becoming increasingly rare, so this is a unique treat.  It is open only on the weekends in the Fall, and charges a fee for the rides.

…

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Recently, we discussed a number of issues to consider when touring a Berkeley home Open House.  They were centered around the condition of the home.  This time we will consider additional questions that will help you decide if this home will be a comfortable fit for you and your family.

a. Ask About Storage and Growth Space: Everyone needs storage space. Having lots of space is a real asset when considering a home--especially if you have a family.  Often, storage space is not immediately visible on the tour.  Some rooms or closets may be located in places other than the main floors.  Ask about the attic space, extra basement rooms, and all about the garage units.  Can you grow up or down?  How practical will that be financially?

b. Ask About What Is…

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When planning to buy a home, most potential buyers begin to search for homes on the Internet.  They will locate the area-perhaps considering Berkeley homes-and then isolate the specific neighborhood to investigate.  The traditional Open House format is an ideal way to have some idea about what is available in their price range.  While a nice flyer about the home is always helpful, touring a home that interests you is an even better way to evaluate your possibilities.

This is one of a few articles that will be written as to what to look for when touring an Open House.  This one stresses asking about the condition of the home. This is the time to ask questions and get answers.

Items to Ask About the Condition of the Home:

1. What is the condition of…

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It is true, when presenting your Berkeley home to future buyers, that first impressions are the most lasting.  That is why it is so important to have all of your potential issues dealt with before you invite them to tour your home. I, as you agent, will suggest many simple and easy tips to make your home extra appealing, but there are some basic things that will always need attention. 

Below are suggestions to deal with the most common mistakes in failing to prepare your home for showing to potential buyers:

a. Deal With Your Plants and Gardens.- Make sure that the dead plants are removed, trees are trimmed and old branches removed. Consult with your nurseryman to see what plants are in season, and will be for a few months, and plant them.  It is one…

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In considering the affordability of your Berkeley home, you tend to focus on the sale price, and then the calculated monthly mortgage payment.  While this is perfectly normal, it is important to be aware of other, unexpected costs that will occur as you move towards finalizing the purchase.  Money should be set aside to cover whatever may develop. While not all of these things will apply to your situation, you should be aware of them as possibilities.  Additionally, some of these costs and fees are often negotiated between the buyer and seller, so not all will apply to the buyer, only. Here is a good summary:

a. Professional Home Inspection Fees: It is a wise idea to pay for and have the home thoroughly inspected before making the final purchase.  Costs…

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One of my jobs as your listing agent is to assist you in pricing your home correctly in order to attract the most interest among potential buyers and area brokers.  It is important that you consider the problems that can arise if you overprice any home, whether it be a Piedmont home, a Berkeley home, or an Oakland home.

Here are the basic problems to consider before deciding on your final price. Should you overprice:

a. There Will Be No Showings:  With the Internet available to everyone, today's buyers are very sophisticated as to comparable pricing.  In fact, many real estate web sites will furnish them with comps at the click of a mouse.  They, and their broker, will know very quickly when a house is overpriced.  They will not want to see or…

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At sometime in our lives, we have all had to move from one home to another.  Some people may just move from a Berkeley home to an Oakland home, while others need to move cross country.  When we make the preparations to sell one home and buy another, it is very easy to get caught up with all the financial and operational details involved in making this very important transition.  Very often, because of so many intersecting events during this time, young children are left out of the planning stage, and are asked to make some major adjustments at a very confusing time.

Below are some common sense suggestions that can make the whole event a lot easier.  (One note, however, is that if the move is preceded by a stressful event such as a death, divorce or…

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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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