Found 9 blog entries tagged as Home Buyers.

On the last blog, I offered some ideas about a few ways to evaluate the neighborhoods surrounding some Berkeley homes for sale that you might be considering.  While it is important to choose a home just for itself, there is no doubt that the choice of a neighborhood plays a crucial role in your family's happiness once the home is purchased.   Yesterday, I mentioned the importance of choosing the right school district, and the quality of the neighborhood location as to amenities and services. 

In this blog, the suggestion for a criteria has to do with a financial consideration of the home's appreciation possibilities.  No one wants to buy a home to find out that within a year or two, it will be worth less than its original purchase price.  This is…

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As you begin to search for a Berkeley home for sale , it becomes obvious, when looking around, that in addition to considerations about the home itself, the neighborhood surrounding that home is certainly worthy of serious evaluation as well.  Whether you are looking around the University of California, or down by the Berkeley/Albany home border, there are some things that need review.

Each family, in  beginning the search, has different priorities as to what things comprise their most important needs.  For some, it will be the school district, for others closeness to family or friends or work.  However, when all is said and done, each family member wants to feel safe, comfortable and welcome in their new home.

Two important issues arise for most…

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In my last blog-Part 1-I encouraged sellers to consider some of the qualities that they might consider when selling their Alameda home, or their Alameda Bay Farm Island home.  There are some additional qualities which are mandatory for all successful real estate agents:

1. Posseses A Thorough Knowledge of Real Estate Paperwork and Protocol-In this competitive field, the agent needs to know all about the basic real estate purchase contract, addendums, disclosure forms, listing and selling procedures, whom to talk to, when to talk to them,and in what order and manner.  This only comes with experienced and thorough training.  You need to assure yourself that your agent is qualified to help you by asking lots of questions.  Ask for referrals from the…

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Once you make the commitment to place your Oakland home on the market, you realize that there will changes that you will have to make to its current condition to appeal to potential buyers. Whether your home is located in Redwood Heights, Montclair, or Rockridge, you will need to consider your selling presentation.  Some things will be easy to do, and others may require some financial investment to make your home competitive in the current marketplace. I, as your Oakland real estate agent will be going over many of these things to assist you in making the best presentation possible.  Here are some of the ideas for consideration:

1. Tour Your Home As a Visitor Would--Go through your home as if you were a brand new visitor.  Ideally, take friends or…

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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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 Recently, in Part 1, we addressed how to keep your newly purchased Alameda home in top condition, and how to keep it in such a way that you could easily to resell it with very little time and money involved in reconditioning it.

In Part 1, we discussed what should be done to the exterior on a regular basis to keep things in shape.  In Part 2, we will follow the same pattern, and address the interior. Here are the basic  interior checks to make:

1. Check the ceilings regularly. Look for any new stains or cracks that might be a warning of some recent event that you should know about. Stains could reveal a leak in the roof, and cracks could alert you to foundation or floor problems.

2. Check the windows and doors on a monthly basis. See if they are…

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One of the jobs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is to guarantee home loans to lenders who make them.  When loans are made through either of these entities, the lender can feel safe that through these agencies their funds will be insured and guaranteed against default by their borrowers.

These agencies do not insure these loans for free, however.  They, like any other insurer, charge the lenders a fee for this insurance.  The fees vary from year to year, and are called "guarantee fees" (g-fees). As announced last week by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (who regulates both agencies), a new increase is due to go into effect between November 1st and December 1st of this year.  It is estimated to be a 0.5 percent increase in the mortgage rates no matter…

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In considering the affordability of your Berkeley home, you tend to focus on the sale price, and then the calculated monthly mortgage payment.  While this is perfectly normal, it is important to be aware of other, unexpected costs that will occur as you move towards finalizing the purchase.  Money should be set aside to cover whatever may develop. While not all of these things will apply to your situation, you should be aware of them as possibilities.  Additionally, some of these costs and fees are often negotiated between the buyer and seller, so not all will apply to the buyer, only. Here is a good summary:

a. Professional Home Inspection Fees: It is a wise idea to pay for and have the home thoroughly inspected before making the final purchase.  Costs…

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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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