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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If you have been reading any information about preparing your Piedmont home for sale, you will have learned that the most important elements that impress potential buyers are new hardwood floors, upgraded kitchens, and fresh new bathrooms.  While these are certainly ideal projects to develop, there are some unexpected projects that impress buyers as well:

1. A Simple, Well Thought Out Entryway--Since this is one of the very first things that guests see in your home, take the time to research and develop an attractive home entrance.  Have it be light and airy, simple yet tasteful, and one that fits the design of the home.  It will make a wonderful first impression to assist in your sale.

2. Upgraded Lighting--Most home improvement centers have a…

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This weekend, Saturday, December 15th promises holiday fun for Piedmont families.  Three events are scheduled that should start the holiday season off with a smile:

a. Highland Partners Breakfast With Santa--I am pleased to say that my real estate firm, Highland Partners, has invited Piedmont families to drop by and meet with Santa, and have a picture to take home showing Santa with each child who wants to speak with him.  There will be good things from our espresso cart, and all ages are welcome.  Drop by 342 Highland Blvd. from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00.p.m. to join this annual holiday event.  There is no fee for all this fun.

a. 4th Annual Santa Breakfast--Piedmont Park and Exedra Plaza--711 Highland Avenue-- from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m..  Lots of…

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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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Whether you are considering selling your home, or just want to dress it up a bit for the Fall, there are some easy things that you can do that will change the front of your home, and, with a bit of planning, will not cost you a great deal of money. Whether you live in Piedmont, Berkeley or Alameda, the principals remain the same.

The key is to step away from your home. Drive or walk away from your house, and then come back with the idea of seeing your home from the eyes of a stranger or potential home buyer. Ask yourself what impression are you giving them? Check and repair the following:

a. Remove all debris from the front of the house. Include the gutters, the sidewalks, the garden beds, and the all the yards, both front and back.

b. Weed and…

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When you have finally decided to sell your home, you will be surrounded by all kinds of advice from friends and family as to the best selling price.  Much of this advice is well meaning, but it is not the best source of information to arrive at for this valuable point of information.  Whether your are considering selling a Piedmont home or perhaps an Oakland home, there are three very effective sources that you should use if you want to be assured that you are pricing your home at its best.

1. My Website--www.brucewagg.com--With its comprehesive Multiple Listing sources and search engines, you can search by city, town, price, etc. to see what homes in and around your home are selling for.  It will show you pictures of the houses, and, in most…

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When you, as a potential buyer, begin to search for your Piedmont home, you will be given a MLS Property Information Sheet from each of the agents showing each property for sale.  This sheet is a truly valuable source of information for you about the house, and you should take the time to study it at every location before you leave to visit another. 

To really use it properly, you should first have a very good sense of the kind of home that you want. Really take the time to write things down.  How many square feet do you need?  How many bedrooms and baths?  What kind of yard is important?  Next, take this information and compare it to the MLS Sheet.  How close are the two parameters?  If they are good, move to the next step.

The next step is to…

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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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In yesterday's blog we talked about the need to obtain your credit report from the 3 major credit reporting agencies-Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. The reason for doing so was to have this information in front of you before you consider submitting your loan application to lenders.  Once you have these reports, you need to see what your FICO scores are.  If they not in the mid 700's, your chances of getting a good loan is poor.  This score is composed of many elements about you and your credit history-things like how many loans you have, what kind of payment history you have, what type of loans you have, etc..  A value is given to each of these elements, and a score assigned by each of the different agencies above.   

Assuming you are still eligible…

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