Pleasanton Residents Talk About Their City - 02/23/08 01:29 PM
I just finished a video that features interviews with residents of Pleasanton CA.  In this video, various Pleasanton residents talk about what they like best about the city, what they like doing here, and why they like living here.  I hope you will find it interesting. 
Feel free to pass it on to anyone who might find it interesting.  And no, I have no plans to give up my day job.
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Nosy Neighbors Can Be a Buyer's Best Friend - 02/23/08 01:25 PM
Information is power.
If you are buying a home, and you find a home you are interested in, I always suggest that you talk to the neighbors the first opportunity you get.  We all know the classic "nosy neighbors" who make it their business to know everyone else's business.  Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched and any of the characters on Desperate Housewives are prime examples.  While these people can be very annoying to live near, they can be your best source of information when you are evaluating a neighborhood. You see, neighbors have information, insights, and knowledge that comes from actually living in … (0 comments)

Spring in Pleasanton... The End of Hibernation? - 02/23/08 01:23 PM
If you have been following the Pleasanton real estate market these past few months, you know that bears are not the only animals in hibernation.  Home buyers have been hibernating as well, forced into hiding by a seemingly unending wave of bad news about the national real estate market.  Oh sure, buyers made occasional inquiries and even wondered into an open house or two, but for the most part they have been content to sit on the sidelines and see where things go.
Well, it looks like the hibernation might be ending.  Home buyers are starting to venture out.  Traffic is up … (0 comments)

Buyer Sues Realtor in San Diego For Paying Too Much - 02/23/08 01:21 PM
Interesting case in San Diego, where an unhappy home buyer is suing their Realtor, alleging that they overpaid for their home because the Realtor withheld sales information that indicated a lower value for the property they purchased. Here is a short segment from The Today show explaining the background.



Certainly, no one likes to purchase a house and find out that the value has declined. However, Realtors don't control the direction of the market. And there is no state law that homes in California can only go up in value (as if we all needed to be … (0 comments)

Pleasanton CA Market Update - Slow and Steady (Again) - 02/23/08 01:19 PM
The Pleasanton CA real estate market continued on a slow and steady trend in January, as rainy weather and the dark clouds of bad news on real estate and the economy dampened most buyer's moods.  Fears of a recession and dismal national real estate news were instrumental in prompting the Federal Reserve to again lower short term interest rates by 3/4%, which is certainly good news for mortgage rates in the short term.  And the impending stimulus plan being proposed in congress, but not yet signed into law, brought even more hope that the bottom of the cycle is near.  Perhaps … (0 comments)

A Guide to "REALTORspeak" - 02/23/08 01:17 PM
We've all seen them.  And if we REALTORS are honest, we have written some of them as well.  I'm talking about the real estate cliche's that are seemingly in every ad, sign, and description of homes for sale.  Lest you be confused, I have decided to take some of the mystery out of the most commonly used phrases and tell you what they really mean in plain English.  Please understand that I am not in any way suggesting that Realtors are prone to exaggeration.  It's just that sometimes our definition of a word or phrase is somewhat different from what a … (0 comments)

The Long and Short of Short Sales - 02/23/08 01:15 PM
If you are in the market to buy a home, you have no doubt heard the term "Short Sale".  No, this does not refer to sellers who are under 5' tall.  A "short sale" is industry jargon for a seller who owes more on the property than what it is worth.  The seller in this situation needs the lender to accept a "short" loan payoff, or in other words accept less than the full amount due on the loan.  So how does that effect you the buyer?
First of all, short sales require the lender to agree to the reduced pay off.  … (0 comments)