East Bay Realty Pro Blog

The Federal National Mortgage Association, Fannie Mae (FNMA), recently changed its policies regarding deeds-in-lieu-of-foreclosure, by shortening the waiting period from four to two years for getting a new loan. This modification has been made “to reinforce the importance of borrowers working with their servicers when they are having difficulty repaying their debt,” per FNMA.
They are [...]

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On March 25th, I wrote about the additional 200 million dollars, for new and existing home purchases, that will become available for certain residential real estate purchases beginning May 1st, “Governor Signs New CA Tax Credit Into Law.”
Unfortunately, according to calculations by California Association of Realtors economist Robert Kleinhenz, funds for this second round of [...]

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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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Buying a home close to a school can be wonderful or a huge mistake. It depends on the exact proximity of the house to the school, the school’s size, and the administration’s policies regarding neighborhood relations. The agents listing or selling the home often are unaware of the actual or potential problems, which is all [...]

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