Jan
30

How I Brought NYC Home

Posted In: Arts and Entertainment, Community, Creative Reuse Ideas, First Time Home Buyers, Food and Dining, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Fun for Grown Ups, Fun for Kids, Good ol' Fashion Humor, Home Improvement
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So I just came back from NYC where I was attending the Inman Connect, a real estate conference where Realtors from all over the country meet for 5 days to talk technology, how to build a better business, and of course, real estate.  I love going to the event because I make some amazing connections and learn a lot of [...]
Jan
13

What Kind of Market is THIS

Posted In: Alameda County, Berkeley, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News, Investing, Listings, Local Market Statistics
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Multiple offers, oh my!  No contingencies, oh my!  As long as you aren’t in Berkeley, Albany or Oakland, then it might be considered normal.  Normal is defined as a market where buyers and sellers have equal bargaining power.  Yah right, not here!  But all joking aside, even in these very competitive markets we are starting to see some normalcy.  Indeed [...]
Nov
13

Bart vs. Bus: How Living Outside of the BART Zone Will Cost you Less

Posted In: Alameda County, Berkeley, Contra Costa County, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Kensington, Local Market Statistics
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Did you know that if you live outside of a designated BART zone that you will not only pay less for your home but you will likely miss the feeding frenzy of multiple offers? The average home in the area around the North Berkeley BART station is selling for 130% over list price and in some cases as high as [...]
Oct
17

The $1 Listing

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Investing, Oakland
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So there is a new listing that just hit the market located 927 33rd St. in Oakland.  Listed with Keller Williams San Carlos this new listing is creating a lot of fuss.  Why?  Because it is listed for only $1.  Yes, $1. The agent notes the following: “Very Creative Seller, Very Savvy and seller has high knowledge about Real Estate. Seller [...]
Oct
03

Prices comparing 2007 to 2016 are up, and down

Posted In: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, For Boomers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News, Local Market Statistics
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Seven out of ten of the Bay Area counties have surpassed 2007 prices.  I am so surprised.  Surprised, I tell ya!  And here I thought that all counties had surpassed 2007 prices.  But I was wrong. Why do we compare today to 2007?  2007 was the height of the real estate cycle (Note: real estate cycles typically last 7-10 years). [...]
Sep
12

To Remove Contingencies, or Not to Remove?

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, General Real Estate News, Local Market Statistics
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Should you remove your contingencies?  We get asked this question all of the time.  We cannot give you advice as to what you have to do, but we do want to demystify what this is all about. When a buyer submits an offer on a property they have an opportunity to include certain conditions within the contract that must be [...]
Jun
26

Exquisite 4-plex located in the Berkeley Hills

Posted In: Architecture, Berkeley, For Buyers, For Sellers, Investing, Listings
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One of the reasons we love living and working in Berkeley is the diversity of the homes we encounter.  One such home, 1631 La Vereda in Berkeley, is a perfect example.  This home features history, art, architecture, tranquility, location, and a whole lot of WOW. The Cannon House, formerly called The Petersen House, was built by George P. Jensen in [...]