General Real Estate Tips and Advice

Whether you have lived in Oakland or neaby Piedmont, there is a very good chance that you have not discovered all that Oakland has to offer you, and any family and friends that may be in town.  There is a wealth of things to do, no matter what your age.

The website VISIT OAKLAND is a source of amazing information about the city. The site is devoted to subjects like "Things to Do", "Places to Stay", "Where to Meet".  From there, you can decide which direction you want to travel.  As an example, it offers "101 Things To Do--Building Your Own Oakland Bucket List".  This is where the site really shines, because it highlights things you might not even know existed.  How about a learning to fly on a trapeeze at a circus school, or horseback riding in…

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There are two times in particular when you may want to consider updating or upgrading your Oakland home.  The first is when you are preparing it for sale, and the second is just after you move in, and want to adapt it for your own personal needs.  While either event is an excellent time to move forward, it is important that consider your additions with respect to their future appeal. 

At one point or another, you may want to sell this home and move elsewhere.  If you have changed it to the point where it is so customized for your needs, you may have trouble convincing new buyers to consider it for their family's needs. 

1. Take Time Consider Comparable Homes When Upgrading: When you see magazine and website pictures of elaborate and expensive…

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You have just purchased a new home in Piedmont.  It is a major investment, and you plan to live there for many years.  Maintaining any home can be expensive, and the costs, of course, are added on to your monthly housing payments.  As a result, you want to be practical, yet careful, in the funds that you are going to spend to keep your future home as close as possible to the condition that it is now, at it's purchase point.

Here are four reasonably inexpensive, yet valuable, steps that you can take to give you your biggest return on your maintenance dollar:

1. Have Regular Termite Inspections:  While your home is turned over to you termite free, it is still very hard to assure that every nook and cranny in your home was covered by the last…

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Often, when your first consider buying a home in Oakland or a nearby Piedmont home, your tendancy is to look at the asking price for the home as a working figure to decide whether you can afford it or not.  While that is certainly the most sensible starting point, and knowing that all home prices could be negotiable, you still have other costs that you should put into your budget before moving forward. While some of these fees may also be negotiable among seller and buyer, it is best to include them in your plans. 

1. A Home Appraisal Fee: Your lender needs to know the value of the home, so you should plan on paying this fee.  Costs vary, but are usually around $500.

2. Additional Closing Costs: When you submit your loan application, you must be…

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At one time, in the early part of the 20th Century, Alameda's Neptune Beach was a hugely popular venue for families from all over the SF Bay area.  Many would come to swim in the pools, enjoy the rides and games, or sit on the beach and watch others doing the same thing.  Located at the foot of Webster Street in Alameda, it was an exciting venue to visit.  Now gone, Alamedans still remember it's vital past, and now, for the 3rd year in a row, are celebrating it by holding the 3rd Annual Neptune Beach Community Celebration. 

Located just moments from the original site, the celebration will stay true to it's roots, and offers a ferris wheel, a fun slide,pony rides, climbing walls, and other activities to delight local families.  A stage will offer…

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You are seriously considering selling your Montclair home.  You have been hearing that this is an outstanding time to do so.  You have been given all kinds of advice from friends and neighbors as to which price would be the best one when you finally put it on the market.  Everyone has an opinion.  Where are the  three best sources to begin with to get the most accurate information about the current marketplace?

1. My Website--www.brucewagg.com--Even before you call me to represent you in selling your home, you can get an amazing amount of information from my website. Here you will find the full list of homes as represented on the area Multiple Listing services.  Using the powerful search engines, you can discover what homes in your area are…

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You have been seriously considering buying an Oakland home, and you feel that you can afford to do so, so you begin to take some important first steps to see what options you may have, and what you might be able to buy.  However, nothing can be more upsetting and discouraging than finding out that potential lenders have turned down your loan application because of your poor credit rating.  There are a lot of elements that contribute to your final credit ratio, and it is entirely possible that you are not aware of all the details, because you may not have checked your complete credit picture until now.  Additionally, many potential buyers are unsure about how to get a report, or have misinformation about how to do so. 

Obiously, whether you are you…

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 Oakland's historic Joaquin Miller Park located in the Woodminster area of Oakland, is a delightful place to hike, bicycle, picnic, or just enjoy the dramatic views of the San Francisco Bay area from it's hillside heights.  Most long term residents know that it is also the location of an amazing waterfall cascade that was built in 1941 as a waterfall feature of the 2000 seat Woodminster Amphitheater that is located directly above the falls.  Designed by Howard Gilkey, it was dedicated to California writers, one of who, Joaquin Miller, lived right in the Park area. 

As with any outdoor structure in a park, it needs attention and maintenance, and that is just what is planned for Saturday, August 30th from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on site.  The…

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You are considering selling your Oakland home.  You know that your home is in very good condition, but you are not sure about what issues might turn up with a professional home inspection.  Should you move ahead and order one before putting your home on the market?  The answer is "Yes, you should".

While this may seem an additional expense that you do not want to incur when selling your home, if you are concerned, or even curious, as to what may result from this inspection, you should make plans to order one.  The advantage of doing so puts YOU in control of the situation immediately.  Doubts are removed.  You know just where you are, and that is a good thing. 

Here are the advantages to you for doing so:

1. You can then decide what you can,…

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One of the benefits of living in a cosmopolitan area like Oakland is the vital arts and music scene, that appears to be growing steadily as new venues open in the Uptown and Jack London Square area.   

To introduce the uninitiated into the joys of jazz, the Oakland Library has been sponsoring a "Sunday Jazz, History, and Jam Session".  This Sunday afternoon, August 17th from 3-6 p.m., you are invited to Golden Gate Public Library at 5606 San Pablo Avenue to learn about, and hear jazz.  The schedule includes a variety of activities.  From 3-4 p.m., you can hear live jazz in the form of Terrance Brewer and Group, and then be entertained about the history of jazz, which will be offered by Randy Moore from 4:30-5 p.m..  A final closeout that…

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