Bay Area Real Estate & Development Blog | Oakland, Piedmont & Cupertino - Oakland Real Estate

Plans For Moving Into Your New Oakland Home

You have just bought your new Oakland home.  You are going to move locally from your Alameda home, and now you need to begin to make some plans to do so.  One thing that is important to know is that local moving costs are based on time. You are charged for how much time it will take the movers to move your household items from your first to your second house, and you are charged on an hourly rate for a van and the men needed to complete that move.  In essence, in local moving, time is money.  The more time involved in moving you, the more money it costs!   Below are some tips to save you valuable funds:

1. Pare Down Your Items In Every Way Possible--The longer you have been in your home, the more things you have accumulated.  Start considering what…

1829 Views, 0 Comments

Buying A Home--Take Time to Study Your Credit Report

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…

1669 Views, 0 Comments

Buying A Home--Check Your Credit Score First!

Nothing can be more shocking or discouraging than to plan to purchase your perfect home, and find out that the lenders have rejected your application because you have some credit problems.  It is entirely possible that you may not know that you have them, because you have not checked your credit in a long time, or at all.  Many new buyers are unsure about how to go about it, or have heard conflicting reports about doing so.

Whether you are buying a Piedmont home, an Oakland home, or any home, you need to know where you stand financially.  Even if you have been paying all your bills on time,  and not exceeding your credit limits, there may be items in your report that are there due to the fact that they may have been incorrectly entered by the credit…

1861 Views, 0 Comments

HOW TO KEEP YOUR OAKLAND HOME READY FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS

When your Oakland home is on the market, you are going to find that you are showing it a lot to potential buyers and their realtors, whether through private showings, or through having an Open House.  If your schedule is as busy as most, you may not have time to stop everything and clean up the entire house just before they arrive to view your home. Here are some suggestions of things to do on a weekly basis, as needed, so there is no need for last minute scrambling:

a. Wash Your Windows, Mirrors and Shower Doors-Windows are one of the most overlooked items, and as such are often the most in need of attention.  Dirty windows, mirrors and glass doors, besides being unsightly, give the impression that less obvious things are being overlooked, as well,…

1780 Views, 0 Comments

Can You Afford That Oakland Home?

As you begin your search for that perfect Tudor style Oakland home in the hills, there is always the concern about whether or not you will qualify financially, so that you can buy it.  This is not uncommon concern, and below are some tips on how to analyze where you are financially, and get a sense of just "how much home" you will be able to afford.  While it is not the final say, and there are many more elements involved, it will give you a general sense of what the banks will be looking for. 

Overall, the lenders are concerned about three things regarding future borrowers:

1. Credit Rating: In an earlier blog, on July 13th, I wrote a detailed blog on how a credit rating is arrived at.  But, in quick summary form, a credit rating is based on a FICO…

2108 Views, 0 Comments

New Federal Guidelines May Mean Hope for San Francisco Bay Area Homeowners-Part 2

In Part 1, we discussed the history and development of the HAFA program, and talked about short sales.  As of June, 2012, a new version of this program has come online.  It may be of interest to Oakland and Piedmont residents whom I assist.

THE PROPOSED SOLUTION-NEWER VERSION-If the home involved is financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the homeowner will benefit from some new guidelines:

a. Under the new rules, servicers (lenders) will have 30 days to review and respond to all short sale offers or requests.  If they find that they will need more than these 30 days, they must provide the borrower with weekly updates, and furnish a final response within 60 days.

b. During the above 60 days, the lender must tell the borrower whether a short sale will…

1843 Views, 0 Comments

New Federal Guidelines May Mean Hope For SF Bay Area Homeowners--Part 1

THE PROBLEM: Over the last few years, Americans have been made aware of what the words "Housing Crises" means.  All over the United States, due to the sagging economy, coupled with poorly regulated lending policies, homeowners are discovering that what they supposed their home's value to be is no longer correct. 

In the past, the American dream of purchasing a house, staying in it for a while, then selling it and using it's increased equity to move up to the next level of ownership was a realistic and reasonable expectation.  The simple fact is that, for quite a while now, this has been unattainable for a disturbing segment of the Oakland-East Bay homeowners. 

Complicating this issue are the huge amount of regulations and rulings at the Federal level…

1883 Views, 0 Comments

What Important Feature Should You Stress When Selling Your Rockridge Home?

When potential buyers tour your Rockridge home, they are looking for many things.  One of the most important is space.  The more space you can show, the larger, and more appealing your home becomes.  Your goal should be to present an open, uncluttered home that allows them to envision their things in that space, and encourage them to want to live there.

 Homeowners create their home to suit their needs.  After living in that house for a long time, they may not see how cluttered it has become.  Very often, as the years go on, rooms gather much more furniture and accessories than are necessary.  Things become a jumble of style and function.  While the homeowner has learned to walk around narrow spaces, or ignore the mismatches, the possible buyers will…

1675 Views, 0 Comments

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…

2304 Views, 0 Comments

Oakland Museum Reopens after $58 Million Renovation--Lake Merritt

This weekend the Oakland Museum will reopen after a two year, 58 million dollar renovation. Oakland's beloved museum has been updated and expanded, with a new focus on integrated and interactive galleries. Come join in a fresh new experience of their amazing collection of California art. The museum will begin festivities at 11:00 am Sat. May 1, and run continuously for 31 hours, until 6:00 pm Sunday May 2. It all starts with a public welcome ceremony, a Native Ameican Ohlone blessing, and dance by Project Bandaloop. From there check out the newly reinstalled galleries, new museum store and restaurant. The late night program includes live DJs, dance, food, film and fire dancers. A great place to stop by and check out the scene. There truly is something for…

2795 Views, 0 Comments