If you’ve entered the real estate market, as a buyer or a seller, you’ve inevitably heard the real estate mantra, “location, location, location” in reference to how identical homes can increase or decrease in value due to where they’re located. Well, a new survey shows that when it comes to choosing a real estate agent, the millennial generation’s mantra is, “local, local, local.”
CentSai, a financial wellness online community, recently surveyed over 2,000 millennials (ages 18-34) and found that 75% of respondents would use a local real estate agent over an online agent, and 71% would choose a local lender.
Survey respondents...
Congratulations to my seller who received 6 offers and sold at $1,637,500. This stunning modern dwelling in Upper Kensington offers breathtaking bay views from all rooms by minimizing conventional interior walls. All materials were picked carefully and they were just right. It was a pleasure to market and sell this property. If you are looking to sell your special home, please make sure to contact me at 510.409.3472.
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Congratulations to my first-time buyer who just closed escrow on this charming 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 936 square foot condo!
Located in Oakland's Rose Garden neighborhood, the unit features a large open living room, separate dining area, light and airy balcony with peeks of Mt Tam, bedroom with walk-in closet, 1 car enclosed parking, all within a secured building in a terrific location.
My client was already renting in the building and I was thrilled to help make her dreams of home ownership a reality!
Call...
According to the latest report from the US Census Bureau, more Americans chose purchasing a home over signing a lease to rent in the first quarter of 2017. This marks the first time since 2006 that the number of new homeowner households outpaced the number of new renter households.
Of the 1.22 million new households that were formed in the first quarter, 854,000 were new-owner households making the jump straight to homeownership rather than renting first.
That means that the homeownership rate amongst new households was 70%!
This is huge news as the national homeownership rate is currently 63.6% and has only ever come close to this figure in the second quarter of 2004 when the homeownership rate reached an all-time high of 69.2%.
A recent Wall Street Journal ...
photo courtesy of Baran Studio
As home prices climb throughout the country and especially in the Bay Area, more and more attention is turning to what I like to call flex-architecture. Popularized by television shows such as HGTV's Tiny House Hunters, many buyers who are feeling priced out of our real estate market in the East Bay have been reaching out to myself and East Bay Modern Real Estate looking for alternative residential options. While building can be prohibitively expensive and is not for the faint of heart, many younger buyers (who often don't yet have children) are increasingly exploring the idea of pre-fab, container or even tiny homes.
The most notable companies dealing in the pre-fab construction market are
Blu Homes and
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Whether you are buying or selling a home it can be quite an adventurous journey, which is why you need an experienced real estate professional to guide you on the path to your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or FSBO.
The 5 reasons you NEED a real estate professional in your corner haven’t changed, but have rather been strengthened by the projections of higher mortgage interest rates & home prices as the market continues to pick up steam.
1. What do you do with all this paperwork?
Each state...
77 Cypress Drive Fairfax CA 94930 – Just Sold!
Enjoying this moment! The moment after you get the call from the title company that you are “On Record”. The moment that all the hard work and dedication you and your clients, contractors, cleaners, stagers and buyer’s agents put it to make this moment a reality.
The lifecycle of a home sale starts from the moment your clients sign the listing agreement. Paperwork is signed, plans are discussed and made and everyone has a part. It’s a team effort and when those well-made plans and team work all comes together everyone wins! 
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1404 Buchanan St. in Novato CA 94947 has SOLD! This single level 4/2 house fit the wish list for a lot of buyers; my one and only Sunday open house was packed! We received six offers, all over asking, and closed for $41,000 over the ask price. The market for single level homes under $800,000 is huge. However, even in this hot market proper presentation and stellar marketing is a must.
I meet with my seller clients way before the house hits the market and make a thorough to-do list which almost always includes new paint, new carpet, yard clean-up, repairs deep cleaning etc. Then the home is staged, professionally photographed and extensively marketed. Savvy sellers realize that money spent upfront reaps huge rewards at closing.
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Owning a home has great financial benefits, yet many continue renting! Today, let’s look at the financial reasons why owning a home of your own has been a part of the American Dream for as long as America has existed.
Zillow recently reported that:
“With Rents continuing to climb and interest rates staying low, many renters find themselves gazing over the homeownership fence and wondering if the grass really is greener. Leaving aside, for the moment, the difficulties of saving for a down payment, let’s focus on the monthly expenses of owning a home: it turns out that renters currently paying the median rent in many markets could afford to buy a higher-quality property than the typical (read: median-valued) home without increasing their monthly expenses.”
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With housing prices appreciating at levels that far exceed historical norms, some are fearful that the market is heading for another bubble. To alleviate that fear, we just need to look back at the reasons that caused the bubble ten years ago.
Last decade, demand for housing was artificially propped up because mortgage lending standards were way too lenient. People that were not qualified to purchase were able to attain a mortgage anyway. Prices began to skyrocket. This increase in demand caused homebuilders in many markets to overbuild.
Eventually, the excess in new construction and the flooding of the market with distressed properties (foreclosures & short sales), caused by the lack of appropriate lending standards, led to the housing crash.
Where we are today…
1. If we look at lending standards based on the ...
