Do you feel like home buying has its ups and downs and winding road with plenty obstacles and hopefully triumphs? Congratulations! You are living Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey — the story of adventure, challenge and “finding home” that you see in every hit movie (think: Nemo, Ice Age, Star Wars, Under the Tuscan Sun, Wizard…
You know that viral SNL Zillow video where they say “pick up your phone, open the app, and tell us what you reallllly want.” Ah, those were the good, old days when house hunting with a Zillow agent like me was like dating. Zillow addicts (maybe you?) would tap “Tour This Home.” Within seconds you…
Does your house have the comfortable feel of an old shoe? Are you embarrassed to have people over? Or if you do, are you constantly apologizing and wondering what your guests think? Susie thinks: “check!” “check!” and “check!” A little known technique to re-invent your house is to do what real estate agents do when…
Open houses provide an invaluable opportunity for prospective buyers to explore properties firsthand at your leisure. Open houses are usually held on weekend afternoons, open to the public. Rather than private home tours, open houses give early home buyers the chance to explore neighborhoods and home features without “bugging” your agent over the weeks, months,…
College Ave. in Oakland’s popular Rockridge neighborhood is home to many highly rated health and beauty businesses. Discover just a few in this article, re-printed with permission from the Rockridge News, April 2023. By Susie Wyshak. Compass REALTOR® and Rockridge resident. Beyond clothing, surprising ways to re-invent your look along College Avenue. Pavé Fine Jewelry…
Home improvement website Houzz surveyed released a 2024 survey of home improvements home owners are making this year. #1 on the list is a “return to open spaces.” “Creating separation naturally became more popular during the COVID pandemic, with only 38% of homeowners opening up their kitchens to other interior spaces in 2022 versus 53%…
With changes in 2024, home buyers will have more visibility into the compensation of agents than ever before. It’s important to know the value a buyers’ agent brings to a buyer, especially if the buyer is paying out of pocket. Whether it’s a buyers’ market (with plenty home inventory to choose from) or a sellers’…
Have you lived in the Bay Area forever and are wondering why you never heard of (or went to) Marina Bay in Richmond, near Point Richmond? More importantly, are you thinking how can you get into Marina Bay and figure out which is the best community for you? Me too! Marina Bay is a collection…
What if you could make not-too-expensive updates to the house you’ve loved for so many years to make it easier for you, and / or your loved ones, to age in place with accessible, safe features? AARP has put together what they call a “HomeFit” Guide to help you do just that. It’s a very…
You know you’re a Bay Area home buyer when the idea of a “rentback” to a home seller gives you chills. What if the home owner doesn’t leave? What if you become a landlord? What if you have to end up evicting them? Enter the California Association of REALTORS® (CAR) form: “Seller in Possession.” Basically…
