The Voice of East Bay Living

You will be delighted with this wonderful Rockridge craftsman with many original details including spacious living room with wood burning fireplace, dining room with box beam ceilings, pocket doors, generous built-ins, and wood paneling throughout. The open staircase with soaring ceilings leads to the upstairs 3 plus bedrooms and 2 baths. The large eat-in kitchen, half bath and family area have many convenient storage spots. The rear deck and large private, level enclosed rear garden are perfect for entertaining, gardening, or just enjoying some fresh air. There is a multi-use detached studio and large side driveway parking for multiple cars. And the best part! Location!! Location! The home is minutes away from all the exciting and convenient shops and restaurants on College Avenue, including Market Hall, Philz Coffee, Wood Tavern, Temesal Farmer’s Market, Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Cole Hardware. Lastly, Rockridge BART, Casual Carpool, bike share and freeway access are just minutes...

Before: After:

When you are working with a client who is getting a loan to purchase a house – here are some things you should pay attention to: If there is an addendum, towards the end of the transaction, which addresses the change in the purchase price or credits – it can take three or four business days for the underwriters to go back and re- submit the entire package. Make sure to check that your clients are in town when they sign all of their loan papers. Lenders will not accept docusigned documents. If they are out of the country, they will need a specific power of attorney and this has to be approved by the lender. In addition, they will need to visit the local Foreign embassy or counsel to get their papers notarized. Lenders will do a final credit search prior to funding the loan for the buyers. Make sure your buyers don't pay for a last-minute honeymoon or car purchase with their credit cards. Also any gift money given by family members has to be seasoned in an account for at least tw...

In this hot market, believe it or not, there are some listings that have not sold. Inventory that remains on the market can be due to a listing price that was too high  or boring staging. As our industry says, some stale goods make tasty bargains.  There are not many of them but these homes are out there. In San Francisco during the month of March, only 7% of homes sold below the asking price. In Oakland, we are dealing with a similar situation. If you are looking for a good home and have been outbid many times, don't give up... There are deals in this sizzling market, give me a call when you're ready to buy!

The current NAR statistics say that 92% of all buyers begin their search on the Internet. 50% of all home searches use a mobile device.The total mobile property searches exceeded total PC property searches. Timing is crucial for agent response. Many clients are communicating solely through text messages. The highest response rate in fact from the consumer is through text messages. Additionally handwritten note cards have a surprisingly high rate of response. As agents, we are learning new skills to understand how to communicate via text message. We are trying to figure out exactly what the consumer wants from us. Are they just searching for general information  or are they really serious buyers or sellers. Our job is to give quality service, keep an open mind and help wherever we can. * It's not uncommon for today's consumer to be browsing the internet on more than one device throughout the day. The photo shows my nephew heading off to work at the Met on typical ...