My Piedmont and Oakland Real Estate Adventures. History, Architecture and Homes - Berkeley Real Estate

When Should Your Arrange a Home Inspection of Your Berkeley Home?

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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Selling Your Berkeley Home--Should Sellers Be Present at the Open House?

At the outset, it seems as though it might be a good idea, when selling your Berkeley home, to be present during the day of the Open House.  You might feel that you would prefer to be there because no one can really "know" the property the way that you do, especially if you have lived in the home for a long time. However, the majority of real estate agents will disagree, and this disagreement is brought on by years of past experience.

The first reason uses the concept that "Time is Money". Buying a home is a huge investment for anyone.  Buyers need to look inside and out of every bedroom, closet and washroom.  They need to evaluate the kitchen and the back yard to determine if the home will meet their future needs.  This takes time. It especially takes…

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Awards time for my Oakland and Piedmont Real Estate sales!

In 2011 I sold 19 homes ranging up to $1.25 million and I have many of you to thank for it. Only the top 4 percent of BH&G agents nationwide, of more than 1,800 agents working for BH&G, are given the award.  I hope that 2012 brings me as much happiness and joy as last year.

Thanks again!

Highland Partners and Better Homes and Gardens will award Piedmont real estate agent Bruce Wagg the prestigious Individual Masters award for his 2011 sales.

Piedmont, Alameda and Oakland real estate agent Bruce Wagg of Highland Partners will be awarded the Better Homes and Gardens’ (BH&G) prestigious Individual Masters award for his 2011 sales. 

The Bay Area regional awards presentation will take place on Thursday, March 22 at the Casa…

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New Listing!!! 1180 Park Hills Berkeley Hills near Tilden -Peaceful Park Like Setting $639,000

Solitude and convenience at the same time. This 3 Bedroom 2 bath Mid Century home is adjacent to Tilden Park and the golf course with forested views all around. Featuring wide plank oak flooring, a limestone fireplace with a copper mantle, and a planked

ceiling in dining and living room. The home has a recently upgraded bathroom and kitchen. The kitchen has granite counters and s/s appliances with inlaid tile floors. There is an open airy flow from kitchen to living room with lots of light. French doors from the

dining room lead to the patio, letting the outside-in. Upgrades include new high-efficiency heater, graceful sconces and lighting throughout giving the interior a warm glow in the evening. For more information, Contact Bruce Wagg…

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Berkeley and Oakland Home and Garden Tours This Spring

Now that the weather is clearing up, and spring is in full bloom, there is no better time to check out some of the many wonderful Berkeley and Oakland home and garden tours Here are a couple to start you off.  On Sunday, May 2 the Berkeley Heritage Julia Morgan Spring House Tour and Reception takes place. Tour starts at 1:00 at St. Clements Episcopal Church in Berkeley. The tour will highlight some of Morgan's early residential work. Another event to check out is the Celebrity Roses 63rd Annual East Bay Rose Society Show. This takes place Sunday, May 16 1:00 at Oakland's Lakeside Garden Center-Lake Merritt. A great chance to stroll through an abundance of roses!.  Many of the tours taking place this month benefit charity so you can be inspired on…

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1st Quarter housing figures are in for Bay Area home sales

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…

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Steal this Home $299,000 - Part II

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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Steal this Home! $299,000 auction home in Berkeley.

It's not every day that a nice home in the Bay Area is auctioned off. Usually auctioned homes are the dregs of the area, those that no one wanted to buy on the regular market, a cross between a fixer and a teardown. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see such a 'perfect' home in Berkeley ready for auction. The owners had obviously taken care of the home, and had painstakingly addressed every detail. The roof and foundation were new. The floors were freshly sanded and finished. The bathroom had been remodeled and the large kitchen had been tastefully finished. In the well manicured backyard there was a studio trimmed with wood that was used as an office.
So why was the house being auctioned off? The owners had always paid their mortgage, their bank…

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