As any agent selling in the East Bay area will tell you, there are just not enough homes on the market for number the buyers that want to buy them.  There is a such a severe shortage of homes, that most of those that are currently on the market are getting many, many offers, and often at prices surprisingly higher than the original asking price.  

How did it get to this state?  A recent news report from Realtor.com states that San Francisco area home prices in January were up 23.7% from a year earlier, and in the Oakland metropolitan area, which includes Alameda and Contra Costa counties, prices rose 24.1 %. If you concentrate on just the Montclair and Berkeley areas, that price rise is 17% higher than last year. That percentage should go…

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Let's assume that you have found a home in Berkeley that you are considering buying.  It really has a great deal of appeal, and the price seems reasonable.  There is a tendency, when you first see the home, to concentrate on it specifically.  However, each home is a part of a neighborhood, and since you will be potentially living in that neighborhood, you should expand your area of consideration about the home. Things can get overlooked that may become quite important down the road.  Here are some suggestions:

a. Drive by your potential new home from every direction.: Bring a notebook and record things that you did not observe about the house from the inside, but which are visible from the outside.  Check the neighboring homes more closely.  How…

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  While the Victorian Style home is seen in Berkeley and Oakland, it's true location in the S.F. Bay Area is Alameda.  Alameda has one of the largest collections of Victorians in California.  The name itself is based on Queen Victoria of England.  During her reign in the nineteenth century, various styles of home were developed, all bearing the that name.  Titles like Victorian Gothic, Stick Style, Shingle and Queen Anne Victorians are just a few of the variations that arose in that period.  The most popular, and frequently seen is the Queen Anne, which began to appear between 1880 and 1910. The development of power tools and mass production techniques lead to the development of the excesses in architecture that was to characterize all the homes…

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As a seller of a home, whether Piedmont, Oakland or Berkeley, you should consider having a professional home inspection as soon as you make the decision to put your home on the market. 

This concept can be a bit disturbing to many sellers, because, while they are aware of the issues that presently exist in their home that may need attention, they are often concerned that many new things might turn up as a result of this inspection.  Actually, having an immediate inspection may be a good, rather than a bad, thing.  Knowing all the issues about the home will put you in control of the situation.  Here is why:

a. It allows you to make the decision about what you can and cannot afford to fix, and what you should consider negotiating about.

b.…

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Before you make plans to buy or refinance a home, you should know some of the things that lenders will consider before offering you a mortgage rate.  While interest rates are quite low right now, compared to many years past, they are still important in determining how much you can afford when considering your Berkeley or Oakland home purchase. 

While the marketplace always plays a strong role on the lending and financing issues of the day, the general considerations are:

a. Your Credit Score: This is certainly a key way for lenders to determine how responsible you are about acquiring debt, and paying it back in a reasonable and efficient manner.  Obviously, you will be offered a much lower, more appealing, mortgage rate if your credit score is…

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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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When shopping for a Berkeley home, it may look as though the prices are quite high in some neighborhoods, but they are rather low when compared to the recent list of America's Most Expensive Homes that was compiled by the website 24/7 Wall Street.

California cities compose five of the top ten on this list of the nation's most expensive homes.  Interestingly, many of these locations are not well known nationwide, because many are small suburbs of larger, more familiar, and wealthier cities. Below is information about the final tallies, but listing only the California homes.

An example of this relationship of small to larger city is the Number Two Most Expensive Home Neighborhood of--Ross, California.  A tiny town across the bay from San Francisco…

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While it is my job as your Berkeley real estate agent to assist you in selling your Berkeley home, and then find you a new home in a new location, it is also important that we analyze your future plans to make sure that you have a full awareness of all these selling and buying implications, and how they will meet your needs.

Here are some issues we will consider:

1. What Are Your Future Plans For Next 5-10 years?   While no one can predict the sale price of homes in the next few years, some neighborhoods are obviously overpriced, and some are the opposite, and will show a profit if purchased now, rather than later.  If your present or future home will fall into either of these categories, it is important to know that at the outset to make sale or…

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In the past, we have talked about having a clean, clutter free and odor free home when putting it on the market.  While all of that is true, there are three things that can often get overlooked, and are, if left in place, unappealing to future buyers.  The good news is that they can be corrected in a short period of time. 

1. Outdated Ceiling Fan,  Kitchen Appliances, Ranges and Dishwashers--Most sellers should realize by now that current buyers are expecting at least a partially updated kitchen.  Since families spend much of their time in and around the kitchen, old worn out equipment becomes a burden both physically and financially. Additionally, quality counter tops are now among the requested items in many neighborhoods.  It becomes important to…

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As you begin to consider purchasing your new home, your choice of neighborhood, no matter what part of the San Francisco Bay Area tht you choose, becomes paramount.  I want to assist you in every way to find the very best home for you and your family.  It takes time to find the neighborhood that best suits your needs.  Not only do we want to find it for your use now, but we also want to have it be suitable enough so that its resale value is assured.

Here are some thing we will consider when looking for the right place to call home:

1. Does It Have Good Access to Employment, Shopping and Transit?  Will it be a hassle to drive to work everyday or to catch public transit?  Are there reasonable shopping areas nearby to meet your needs for food,…

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