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…
Qualifying for an FHA loan just became easier for buyers of properties with ADUs and other rental spaces. Mortgage lenders can now count income from small units of housing — known as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) — built inside, attached to, or on the same property as a primary residence when underwriting a mortgage.* This exciting…
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…
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…
{Set up your Airbnb rental with my referral link and ask me for feedback!} Beyond Pricing analyzed the best places to invest in short-term rentals, based on occupancy and nightly price. Surprised that the most popular cities for short-term rentals are in coastal cities — along with Washington D.C.? When you look at the Airbnb…
There is no shortage of explanations for why houses are sitting on the market and not selling in late 2002. High interest rates Uncertainty about the future The chance of layoffs The prospect of house prices going down Unrealistically high price expectations from sellers Multiple choice! Is bad Feng Shui driving home buyers away? Real…
Getting my real estate license and joining Keller Williams in Oakland are some of the best decisions I have ever made. I only wish the Keller Williams School of Real Estate had existed when I got my license! Why? Because training, mentorship and coaching are key to the Keller Williams mission and culture. Keller Williams…
How hot was Walnut Creek in September 2022? Ask the seller of a fixer upper priced at more than $1 million. (And ask me if you’re interested in such a home.) Redfin ranked Walnut Creek at the top of its “Top 10 Most Competitive Cities in California” in September 22. And 7 of the top…
Started 2021 on a cross-country road trip to Maine on a quest to spend time in Maine getting to know more towns and areas, with a goal of buying a property that I could rent out and where I might also eventually live. Ended 2021 with a property that isn’t in the location I…
Is that low house price for real? (“It’s in my budget!”) Berkeley and Oakland house hunters are all too familiar with house listings at prices that seem too good to be true. They often are! The East Bay has a long-time tradition of pricing homes for sale low to attract attention and drive the selling…
