realty: Summer is Really Over - 09/14/09 07:18 PM
Summer may not be officially over for another week or so but in my mind it does end with Labor Day here in the States. And Mother Nature didn't waste anytime in reminding us in the Bay Area that it was drawing to a close. Saturday morning the alarm via thunder and lightning awoke most of us just before the crack of dawn and what a show as it seemed to stall over us for about half an hour, maybe more. It was a drizzly weekend to say the least.
Luckily Nancy and I were able to make a quick escape … (1 comments)
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realty: Buyer's on a Buying Spree - 08/31/09 07:00 PM
Boy oh boy has it been a busy week. Unfortunately it hasn't been all positive news. Last week I wrote an offer on a home in Hayward as did many many others. It was listed at $264k and my client offered just under $300k on this 3 bedroom, 2 bath "flipped" home with a pool near Tennyson. After a multiple counter offer and an additional counter we were in contract having beat out 16 others. That's the good news on this home. Unfortunately I received a call from my buyer this morning that one of his largest accounts who contracts with … (2 comments)
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realty: Busy as a bee - 08/24/09 12:20 PM
It's been a few busy weeks since I've posted and I apologize. But it's been a good kind of busy few weeks. We are still massaging along the two income properties on Buena Vista Avenue. Slowly but surely they are inching closer to a closing date in late September. All but the loan contingencies have been removed. We're still having a difficult time with one tenant that totally refuses to work us.
One the brighter side we have on waiver two new listings we expect to get on the market next month. Both are three bedroom homes, one in the west … (0 comments)
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realty: Broker's Tour Tuesday - 07/13/09 02:39 PM
It has become apparent, that there are just not enough hours in a day to get everything accomplished. Both Nancy and I have a number of buyers we are currently showing homes to while managing our own listings. What I see suffering is my posting to our blog that I have been doing twice a week so I have decided once a week will have to do temporarily. I apologize in advance but our client's interests are just far more important than putting an article together. So with that, look for my posts on Tuesday mornings or Monday evenings until time … (0 comments)
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realty: The Parties Over, Back to Work - 07/06/09 10:51 PM
We hope everyone had a safe and sane Fourth of July. The City of Alameda's 4th of July parade just keeps on getting better. This year it had close to 150 entries if memory serves me right. I sure would hate to be a judge and have to pick out a handful for awards. I can't even pick out my favorite, but if I had to it would probably be the one in the photo to the right. Yep you guessed it, a rolling hot tub complete with market umbrella. Not only did it travel down the road but if you … (1 comments)
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realty: Happy Fourth of July to Everyone! - 07/02/09 09:38 PM
Last Saturday's golf outing was a great day as is any day on the links. Aside from a hiccup in everyone's start times the day went off without a hitch and everyone had a good time. The Chuck Corica municipal course was a hub of activity that day. There were two other tournaments being played and we had to wait for those in the earlier to tourney to wrap up so we could get their golf carts. With the temperature around the mid 70* at tee time we weren't sure just how warm it would get but it seemed to stay … (0 comments)
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realty: What's on Broker's Tour today - 06/30/09 10:40 AM
I sure wish there was a good and easy to use speech recognition software available. I mean the kind you don't have to retype half of what you spoke over. I've toyed with the built-in program under windows accessibility but maybe I just hadn't fine tuned it. The way I pick and peck on a keyboard anything have decent would be a timesaver, lol.
Oh well I may have discovered a new breed of bird a week or so ago, I call it the "Chimney Duck" wouldn't you agree. I caught this duck standing guard over the neighborhood a few weeks … (0 comments)
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realty: What a strange week it's been - 06/26/09 06:45 PM
It certainly has been a rough week in the entertainment industry starting with Ed McMann, Farrah Fawcett and hopefully ending with the iconic Michael Jackson. May they all rest in peace!
It has been another busy week for Nancy and I. The three residential income properties are listed now and on waiver while details are being worked out with the tenants. As I mentioned earlier in the week they are two duplexes and one triplex all listed between $450,000 and $580,000. I would classify all three as extensive fixer-uppers which I consider a notch above the typical contractor's special, all units … (2 comments)
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realty: Back to work - 06/22/09 07:21 PM
What a great time I had at this years camping trip to Lake Camanche. A few years ago I was invited by a friend to attend an annual camping trip called the Grand Poobah which is organized by a family from Auburn, Ca. It always has a theme and this years was called the "Trailer Park Poobah" other themes have included the Gods and Goddesses and a Hawaiian theme. My first time attending was in 2007 for the Gods and Goddesses. Beings I have not been able to attend the trips since that year, I found out this past weekend that … (0 comments)
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realty: Running out of time - 06/16/09 12:58 PM
I'll first start by apologizing for the tardiness and briefness of today's posting. We're having a lot of showings on the listing at 1115 Via Alamosa after a good weekend of open houses. I don't think it is going to be around too much longer but we will see.
Yesterday I received a call from an attorney friend who is working with a gentleman that has a duplex and a triplex that need to get listed and sold. So last night was spent sorting thru rental agreements. I will have more on these in the coming week. You will read about … (0 comments)
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realty: Busy, Busy and the Market Watch for the Week - 06/12/09 11:54 AM
It's been a busy week and that's good, even though interest rates didn't just rise in the last week, it was like they took the express elevator. While 4.6% is good 5.3% isn't bad either and that's just about where they're hovering today. I bought my home in 1980 for under $120,000, it rose and declined and rose in value until its value peaked into the mid $500,000. It has cooled off by a $100,000 roughly but I know its value will come back in time. Can you imagine though what I was saying in 1980 when interest rates were in … (1 comments)
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realty: Isn't there a law against that? - 06/08/09 10:44 PM
I bought my Bluetooth device many months before the law went into effect saying I could not hold my cell phone to my ear while driving. It's been pretty easy to get use too although I don't always take calls while driving unless I'm expecting information regarding what I'm on my way to do. But I could not believe what I saw on the freeway Sunday afternoon. Talking about standing out like a sore thumb, picture this on a windy afternoon, a bright red convertible, top down, hair blowing in the wind, car swerving in its lane from the wind (it … (3 comments)
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realty: REO Games - 06/04/09 12:10 PM
It sure seems the bank we are dealing with don't care how quickly they get their properties off of their books. Our escrow on Windsor has been dragging on for a week now. Initially we were supposed to close escrow and hand the keys to the buyers this Friday. Well, that isn't happening as much as the bank thinks it is. It seems the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
It started with waiting almost a full week from verbal acceptance before we had a ratified contract. The bank then chose an escrow company in Texas, then … (0 comments)
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realty: Tour Tuesday and midweek fun - 06/01/09 11:59 PM
It's was a busy week for Nancy and me. We have been wrapping up the work on the new townhome listing. The painting is done except for some touch up that will be needed after the hardwood floors are refinished which begins Tuesday. The rose garden is looking great. We are planning on it being open this coming Sunday from 2-4 pm. Come on by or send your friends by to see this clean "F" model in Casitas, located in Bay Farm Island area of Alameda.
Now for some fun, on Thursday 6/4 LaVal's Pizza in the Harbor Bay Landing Center … (0 comments)
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realty: Market News from around Alameda - 05/27/09 08:52 PM
Are you getting tired of that old wallpaper that's been on your computer screen? I found this site years ago called Molecular Expressions. They have photographed almost everything known to man at the molecular level. The photos make for great wallpapers. How about a diamond, a moon rock, a pearl or a 7-Up or a Coca Cola? One of my favorites is my birthstone, the Peridot.
Okay, I know you didn't come to this blog for some fancy pictures so let's dig right into what has happened in the marketplace since last Wednesday in Alameda.
We are seeing more of … (0 comments)
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realty: Three days of glory! - 05/26/09 11:39 AM
We hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. We did around our house for sure, and that explains why this post is a day late.
Our weekend began with a little more preparation of the listing coming up. While Nancy worked in the garden, I was at the computer Freecycling more goodies to the public. All is just about gone with the exception of a couple closet and hollow core doors. Where theses doors came from is anyone's guess because they surely didn't come with the house. My neighbor was an antiques dealer and I think she may have … (0 comments)
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realty: No luck here and an early Memorial Day family tradition - 05/21/09 12:28 PM
I'm referring to how some business is conducted and who is working for whom?
On Monday a client asked to see a home near downtown San Leandro that had just come on the market that afternoon. We made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon.
Our client liked the home so much that we were going to bring her mother and sister to see the home on Wednesday prior to writing an offer.
While talking out front of the home a friend of mine from one of the Italian clubs I belong to pulled up and tapped his horn. At first I didn't … (0 comments)
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realty: Yes I'm touting Alameda again - 05/14/09 01:48 PM
The phone calls over the past week in Alameda got off to fast start but has slowed over the last couple of days. Maybe it’s the calm before the storm?
Nancy and I both have a number of buyers we are watching the market for, while preparing a new listing for the market in the coming weeks. What we did enjoy were the conversations with a couple of owners contemplating sales. You just never know in this business when your next business opportunity will arise.
We wrote or I should say Nancy wrote an offer for her clients … (0 comments)
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