Found 213 blog entries tagged as Oakland Real Estate.

You are planning to move into your new Oakland home, but find that you have an overwhelming amount of things to move from your older Alameda home.  The projected moving costs seem quite high.  Here are some tips to saving money on your moving costs:

1. Weed Out Your Junk:  While this may seem obvious, it is a very difficult thing to do.  It is made more difficult by sorting through things that have accumulated over years and years.  The best policy is to have each family member tackle their room first, then move to the common areas like the living room, family room and kitchen.  Set out three criteria for each room, and label boxes accordingly.  The three boxes should be labeled "Throw Away", "Donate" and "Garage Sale".  You might be able to…

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When living in your newly purchased home, whether in Berkeley, Oakland or Piedmont, you must always make plans to maintain it.  You want to do this to keep its present value, and hopefully, increase its resale value when it comes time to move on.  Recently we gave you three inexpensive steps to keep your newly purchased home in tip top order.  Here are some addtional very inexpensive maintenance steps that you take that are quite simple, and can be very effective:

1. Have your HVAC system inspected yearly (HVAC is your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system)--The inspection cost is usually under $300, depending on area, and keeping tabs on the condition of your heat pump or blower may save you thousands of dollars  in repair, and avoid a…

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After you have lived in your Oakland or Piedmont home for a while, and invested money its repair and restoration, you are convinced that you have the very best home in the neighborhood.  While this may or may not be true, when it comes time to put it on the market, you need to take a truly realistic look at your competition before you decide on a final price.  As your Oakland/Piedmont agent, it is my job to assist you in coming to a price that will move your home in a reasonable amount of time, and allow you to realize a realistic profit at the same time.

Why is it important to price correctly?  Here are the reasons:

1. Brokers and Agents Will Not Show Your Home to Their Clients:  With the large amount of real estate web sites on the…

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You have just purchased your new Oakland home.  You are more than satisfied with its condition, and are looking forward to many years in your new neighborhood.  You also know that in order to keep your home in its present condition, you are going to have to invest in maintaining it.  That is one of the expected costs of home ownership. 

The good news is that while there are many things you can do to maintain your home, there are three inexpensive, yet valuable steps that you can take that will give you the biggest return for your dollar:

1. Keep Your Carpets Clean--This seems a simple step, yet keeping by keeping your carpets clean, you can save thousands in replacement and repair costs of your current, and possibly brand new current…

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At the end of every quarter of the year, the research division of Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate analyzes the area Multiple Listing Service data to try to determine the direction of home buying and selling in Alameda County.  They develop a valuable review for current homeowners, and for future homebuyers, and give a clear cut picture of where the residential real estate market has been, and where it is going.

The key to the present statistics this quarter is the lack of inventory of home for buyers to purchase. This lack of inventory has pushed the prices of the available homes higher than expected, and created multiple offer situations. To illustrate, in the last quarter of 2012, the median price of a single family detached…

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It is typical for all of us to start a new year with high hopes and determined plans.  If your plan is to purchase an Oakland home this year, you should know what your options will be, so that you can move towards your goal sooner, rather than later, in 2013.

If you would like to have a general idea of the type of home that you can afford, there is a quick and easy way to determine this by going to www.bankrate.com, and then to their calculator section.  While the information here is very generic, you will have something to consider.  As your Oakland real estate agent, I will be assisting you in much more specific and detailed ways as we begin your home search in earnest. 

Here are the steps that you will follow:

1. Enter your expected mortgage…

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When it comes time to consider selling your Piedmont, CA home, you will want to have a realistic expectation as to its value, especially if you need to sell it to purchase another home.  You do not want it to sit on the market for weeks, or even months, because it has not attracted buyers.

Here are a few things that you should do before settling on any firm pricing:

1. Compare and Contrast--With the amazing availability of real estate web sites showing  homes for sale in your area, coupled with a detailed description and picture of each, you should have an excellent overview of what the price range should be for homes in Piedmont, or even nearby Oakland homes. 

2. Take a Hard Look At The Facts--While it might be nice to imagine your home bringing…

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Whether you are searching for an Oakland home, perhaps in Redwood Heights or Rockridge , there are four items that you may want to consider that are often overlooked when viewing potential homes.  Here are things to pay attention to:

1. The Parking Situation:  In many of the older Oakland neighborhoods, street parking is a challenge. Many of these homes were built when the family had only one car.  Today, with family teens getting their own cars, one home can require 2-3 parking spaces. It is often something that is not considered when viewing the home initially.  It is important to check to see if your car fits into the garage of the house, as well, so you can be assured of at least one parking spot in addition to street spaces.

2. Your Commute:…

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When buying your home in the Oakland Rockridge area, or the Redwood Heights, or even the Trestle Glen area, you will find that some things are common among all home purchases.  It is important that you place yourself in the best possible position to purchase the home that you decide you want to have.  Here are some suggestions to put you at the top of the list:

1. Do All Your Financial Homework First--Make sure that you have enough funds to qualify for that purchase.  The rule of thumb followed by most lenders is that your total debts including housing costs, should be no more that 38% of your gross income(before taxes), and your ultimate housing debt alone should be no more than 33% of your gross income(before taxes). While there are other issues,…

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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…

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