East Bay Realty Pro Blog

Two recent news bits reinforced my observation that people behave in ways that often can be considered irrational.
Item 1: An online story I read last week about a real estate survey that indicated, in today’s market, buyers have a significantly higher opinion of the agent who represents them than sellers have of their agent. The [...]

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The next time you pick up a flyer at an open house, you might see an odd design stamped in a corner. Called a “QR Code” (Quick Response), its purpose is similar to the bar codes used in stores. It provides an electronic link to further information.
Using your smart phone to photograph the QR code, [...]

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I am back in Sacramento for the mid-year meeting of the California Association of Realtors. Yesterday was “Leg (short for Legislative) Day. ” That afternoon, over 1000 Realtors went to call on their local legislators. The “Hot Issues” were the need for legislation to:
1)  Address the many problems relating to appraisals and [...]

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Last December, I wrote about a product that is making my real estate life much easier ( “Heard of DocuSign?”).
On April 8th, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced it is now accepting electronic signatures “on third-party documents originated and signed outside of the lender’s control, including real estate contracts,” per the California Association of Realtors. [...]

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More than 22,000 homeowners who bought in the past nine years answered a recent survey. Done for builders to help them understand current buyer preferences, the key finding was that these owners plan to be “more practical” in their next purchase.
For this group, big kitchens that include an island are still a must-have, but formal [...]

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On April 22nd, a new federal regulation to protect children from lead poisoning is scheduled to be implemented. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandate will require “contractors who work in older homes…to become certified by a government-approved trainer and follow certain precautions, such as covering floors with plastic sheeting and dressing workers in protective clothing,” [...]

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Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day here in Indian Wells. Directors of the California Association of Realtors  (C.A.R.) had a number of important things on the agenda, including the first major revision to the purchase contract in many years.
I thought that was going to be the hot topic  until I heard about the proposal to [...]

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Now, more than ever, each of us needs to have good credit scores to get car loans, credit cards and home mortgages. Determining your exact score is not easy because of the varying systems for making the calculation.
There are a number of free Web sites that offer credit scores, but they may not match what [...]

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I just signed up for a new, online application which, in my opinion, is a must-have for many businesses, including real estate. An easy-to-use technology, DocuSign allows documents to be signed and returned online and the signatures are considered legal just as though you had signed them in person. I am now one of “only” [...]

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Not long ago, an acquaintance approached me about the possibility of listing his property that was many months behind in payments and was worth, in my opinion, about $125,000 less than he paid not that many years ago. Understanding he had numerous choices, each with potential positive and negative financial and legal consequences, I suggested [...]

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