General Real Estate Tips and Advice

When potential buyers tour your Oakland home, they are looking for many different things.  One thing, however, appeals to every buyer, and that is space.  The more space you can offer, the larger, and more appealing your home can become.  If they feel that they are getting a lot of room for their dollar, you will get their attention.   So, in getting your home ready for sale, your goal should be to present an open, uncluttered home that allows buyer to envision their things in the home, and encourage them to want to imagine how they would decorate it.  

After you have lived in your home for a while, you may or may not be aware of how cluttered or outdated the interior has become.  You tend to gather lots of furniture, accessories, and…

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The good news is that you have sold your Oakland home.  There was a lot of paperwork involved, but there is a bit more to come.  Here are some tips of steps to take to make sure that your move to your new home is trouble free.

While we have talked in the past in earlier blogs about the physical steps to packing, getting boxes, and tips in sorting out what to take, there is an equally important side to moving--notifying people that you are, in fact, moving! 

Here is the list of the most obvious people to contact as soon as you know for sure that you will be moving:

a. The Post Office--Luckily, that can be done online at usps.com, or you can fill out a form at the post office.

b. Relevant Utility Companies--Even if you are using the…

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When you are selling your Oakland or Piedmont home, you can increase its appeal dramatically by the effective use of curb appeal.  Just as many sellers stage the interior of their home, they need to consider the effect that a handsome exterior will have on potential buyers.  The good news is that many of the ideas below can be done without a large financial investment.

Your first step is to look at your home the way others may see it.  How will drive by buyers see it?  What impression are you giving about the home in general?  Here are some top tips:

1. The yard must look clean and neat.  Remove all debris from the front yard, and be sure to include the sidewalks, garden beds, gutters and porches in your cleanup.  Weed and remove all dead…

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Courtesy of Realtor Magazine,  here is a brief summary of some of the most important paperwork that you will be seeing, whether buying or selling your Oakland home.  You will be seeing more as the negotiations progress, but be assured that I will go over each page with you carefully, so you are comfortable as you move forward.

Vocabulary: Transaction Documents

Property disclosure form

This form requires you to reveal all known defects to your property. Your real estate agent will let you know if there is a special form required in your state.

Purchasers’ access to premises agreement

This agreement sets conditions for permitting the buyer to enter your home for activities such as measuring for draperies before you move.

…

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Oakland Lake Merritt condominium building near downtown Oakland

Oakland has seen steady growth in condominium options, and that trend continues as more buyers look for lower-maintenance homes close to BART, restaurants, Lake Merritt, downtown Oakland, and the waterfront. Whether you are considering a classic building near Lake Merritt condos for sale, a historic condo near Jack London Square, or a newer building in one of Oakland’s changing neighborhoods, there are many different choices to compare.

Buying a condominium is similar to buying a single-family home in some ways, but there are several important differences. The unit itself matters, of course, but so does the building, the HOA, the reserves, the monthly dues, the rental rules, the financing requirements, and the long-term maintenance history. Before…

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At this time of year, especially, there is a strong competition among buyers in the Oakland and Piedmont housing markets to purchase homes. In fact, in some market areas, there have been multiple offers on available homes, often disappointing many buyers who felt that their ideal home slipped through their fingers.  

The best solution to this problem is to be ready to move ahead right away when you see the home you want. To do this, it is important that you have a pre-approved loan in place. This takes a bit of advanced planning.  You should know what it will take to have a lender consider you, and what elements are involved in setting your mortgage rates.  

Here are some of the major considerations that come into play:

1. Your Credit…

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 Over the last decade, Oakland has made a commitment to reinvest in the downtown area, with the intention of revitalizing its shops, stores, and overall ambiance.  This has been done with the very specific goal of attracting visitors and Oakland residents alike, to play, live, and enjoy the city.  The result has been new condos, lofts, restaurants, and art venues, all highlighted by the Jack London Square complex, and the soon to be developed Brooklyn Basin complex.  

Much of this development has been tied to a steadily developing concept--a "Walkability Score".  This is a measure of how friendly a neighborhood is to its residents.  How convenient is walking to its shops, parks and schools?  How convenient is its access to transportation to…

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If you have ever wanted to tour some of the more beautiful homes in Piedmont and Oakland, the 2015 Children's Support League "Heart of the Home Tour" annual event makes that possible for some choice homes in the area.  Combining fund raising, home design and decorating with delicious food, this annual event is an appealing way to enjoy a pleasant weekend in Spring.  

Each year, the CSL arranges special tours of unique homes and their gardens in the area, and then invites local decorators to recreate various rooms in imaginative and exciting ways.  This has been an amazingly attractive format, and all proceeds from the event benefit organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa County that serve children at risk.  In 2014, $132,000 was distributed to…

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You and your family are excited that you have just bought a new Oakland or Piedmont home.  It was something you all really wanted, and now you are going to settle in and enjoy it for years to come.  These years of enjoyment, however, must be tempered with a maintenance plan to assure that you will have few, if any problems over your time living there.

The good news is that, with a little bit of planning, you can save yourself a lot of money down the road by taking these following steps to create a regular maintenance plan:

1. Clean and inspect all gutters, downspouts, and other drainage areas around the home to avoid damage         from leaks-whether interior or exterior.

2. Inspect your roof regularly for cracks, loose shingles or tiles, and…

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In Piedmont and Oakland, and many nearby communities, the Spring buying market is now upon us, and in many neighborhoods, available homes are being snapped up quickly.  In this competitive atmosphere, it is important that you have a plan while searching for your ideal home, so that time is not wasted, and you are ready to act promptly.

You can divide your search plan into three categories:

1. Decide what elements that you must have in your new home:  This can, and should be, easy if you have already decided that you must move.  Perhaps you want to have at least 3 bedrooms and a spacious backyard.  Perhaps you must be in a certain school district.  This list should be comprised of things that you will not give up when considering a new home.  Be…

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