The New York Times profiled of a Los Angeles house buyer who wrote a “love letter” to the seller. The buyer just happened to be a successful Hallmark romance movie writer. Was wooing the owner with a romantic letter how she got the house? Why many home sellers sand real estate agents won’t look at…
I buy my home buyer clients a home warranty for a typical reason: peace of mind. I’ll admit, it took my becoming a real estate agent to learn about the magic of home warranties. Most of us assume only new developments have warranties, just like a new dishwasher. Nope! In fact, I usually warn buyers…
What’s the most important feature when buying a home? The oldest wisdom says “location, location, location.” But what exactly defines the perfect location that checks all the boxes of desirability and long-term appreciate? It depends! The book FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit distills that perfect location into “9 Neighborhood Appeal Factors.” You…
Chicago Title put together a scary video of home title horror stories (for Halloween). There’s nothing funny about someone stealing your property through fraud or finding out that you don’t actually own the property you bought. Watch these horror stories if you have any doubts about the importance of title insurance. What is title insurance…
All along the Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito and Richmond hills are homes with incredible San Francisco Bay views…with more houses, condos and townhouses along the waterfront from Richmond to Alameda and San Leandro. How do waterfront house prices compare to Marin County and San Francisco prices? For the most part, buyers find home prices are…
According to Chicago Title, scammers and fraudsters are impersonating property owners to illegally sell real property — especially vacant lots and land. Avoid being scammed! Due to the types of vacant lots and land property being targeted, it can take months or years for the actual property owner to discover the fraud. Facebook has lots…
Do you fully understand the importance of being prepared for flooding in their homes…or outside of your home? The California Association of Realtors points out that homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage. After the record-breaking wildfires in California, the risk of flash flooding and mud flows increase significantly until vegetation is restored — up…
How can a home buyer make a winning offer on a house that has multiple offers for which the seller is looking for the “highest and best” offer? Good question! All along the East Bay near the Bay, Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, home sellers are countering multiple offers asking for “highest and best.” In short, it’s…
You’re living your dream life with passive income, minimizing taxes by offsetting income with expenses. Yet you can’t get a home loan! The article Jay Voorhees from JVM Lending wrote about “When the Ultra-Wealthy Don’t Qualify For Mortgages” really hit home. Jay offered to share some options for how affluent borrowers with great credit and…
Ikea kitchen planners can help you design a kitchen in 3D and choose your cabinet, counter, hardware…all the materials for your shiny new modern kitchen. You can also pay for an Ikea kitchen designer to come to your house (now $79) to make sure all of your kitchen measurements are accurate. The Ikea kitchen I…
