East Bay Realty Pro Blog

An article I wrote several weeks ago, “Will You Lose Your Home’s Equity in an Earthquake?,” made the local papers this weekend. It discusses the fact that few buyers seem concerned about losing their property’s equity in an earthquake as evidenced by the fact that so many homes are not retrofitted and lack earthquake insurance. [...]

[Read more →]

Real estate professionals, as well as most buyers and sellers, know that activity drops off during the holiday period that begins with Thanksgiving. Fewer buyers, combined with cool, rainy weather usually tip the scale toward holding off on marketing new listings until the new year.
But wait, doesn’t that mean that you, as a seller, may [...]

[Read more →]

If you read my posts and/or articles, you know I have said that the next six months or so in the East Bay are a real window of opportunity for both buyers and sellers. This is because of the confluence of historically low interest rates, the extended Federal Tax Credit and much lower prices than [...]

[Read more →]

As time go by, more and more Internet sites are attempting to be a one-stop location for real estate buyers and sellers. These include large company web sites looking to attract clients by providing lots of information.
In many ways, this is an excellent development that arms would-be buyers and sellers with knowledge before they ever [...]

[Read more →]

Two related trends, one a long-time phenomenon, the other relatively recent, have coincided in a way that could potentially cause great financial harm to many homeowners. The trends: 1) East Bay home buyers tend to ignore the importance of the property’s seismic soundness, i.e., its ability to withstand an earthquake, 2) Earthquake insurance rates, always [...]

[Read more →]

Recently my buyers closed escrow on their home purchase with a 4.5% loan. Another couple to whom I just sold their first home are thrilled to have locked in a 4.625% mortgage. Meanwhile, if they had owned the home a few years and were looking for a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), they would [...]

[Read more →]

Talk about infuriating concepts! I just read this article, “PG&E Wants Rate Hike for Efficient Energy Users” and my blood is boiling.
Seems, in order to give price reductions to some of their biggest energy wasters, PG&E has filed an application to the state requesting a service rate increase of five per cent to the customers [...]

[Read more →]

In the midst of the urban space we call Oakland, runs a creek that covers over 2600 acres, emerging from the Oakland Hills and meandering through the city. About 80,000 folks live in the Sausal Creek Watershed area along with a myriad of birds, animals and plants. There are believed to be over 250 plant, [...]

[Read more →]