ca: GREAT NEWS FOR FORGIVEN MORTGAGE DEBT, FOR SOME BORROWERS - 01/18/08 08:50 AM
President Bush signed into law the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, which is designed to relieve the stress many current home owners/sellers are feeling at the prospects of owing taxes on the "Phantom Income" earned when their debt is forgiven. Whether through a foreclosure or a short sale, lenders … (0 comments)
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ca: BUYING AN AUCTION BARGAIN - 12/07/07 03:45 PM
Prospective homeowners and investors are looking to snatch up bargains at auctions being held to sell lots of homes that have been foreclosed on by banks. As you drive around many towns, you'll see the ‘auction' signs directing you to homes that are up for auction and when you get to … (0 comments)
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ca: THINKING OF DOWN-SIZING? - 11/09/07 11:03 AM
There are many reasons for wanting to buy a smaller home. The kids have moved out and 5 bedrooms are no longer needed. The current home or yard have become too much to clean & maintain. Baby-boomers are preparing for retirement.
Regardless of why you are considering buying a smaller home, … (0 comments)
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ca: FAMILY BAILOUT PLAN – GOOD OR BAD IDEA? - 11/02/07 06:15 PM
Record numbers of home owners in East Contra Costa County, as well as the country, are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments with most of them owing more than their homes are currently worth. Many of them are on the brink of not being able to make their payments and … (0 comments)
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ca: RELOCATION PACKAGES - 10/27/07 12:15 AM
Congratulations! You've been recognized for your talents as a valuable employee and offered a promotion within your company. You'll soon be tackling exciting new responsibilities. One of the first challenges is that your employer wants you across country in 2-3 weeks and you have a family, kids in school, pets, a … (0 comments)
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ca: HOW SHOULD I LEAVE MY HOME? - 10/27/07 12:04 AM
Many sellers wonder what their responsibilities are when they turn over possession of the home they just sold to the new owners. How clean should the home be, where do they leave the keys and remotes, when do they turn off the power, etc. I feel the Golden Rule sets a … (0 comments)
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ca: KEYS TO SELLING A VACANT HOME! - 09/27/07 03:20 PM
For many reasons, home sellers often find themselves in the position of selling a home that is vacant. Job changes, family emergencies, or simply buying another home prior to selling an existing home will result in the need to sell a vacant home.
Homes that look like ‘model homes' typically sell … (0 comments)
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ca: YOU TOO CAN HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF WEST NILE VIRUS! - 09/21/07 05:13 PM
A representative of the Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District spoke at each of the local real estate agent tour meetings explaining how we as agents, as well as the general public, can help to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus.
First a little background:
West Nile Virus is a disease … (0 comments)
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ca: HAVE A LOT OF CASH? BUY A FORECLOSURE! - 09/21/07 03:41 PM
One of the most common questions I am asked is "Can you really buy houses on the courthouse steps and how does it work?" Especially now, with all of the news of home owners losing their homes to foreclosure in record numbers, investors and home owners alike want to buy homes … (1 comments)
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ca: The Art of Moving - 09/12/07 01:23 AM
Congratulations! You got the keys to your new home. You're very excited until reality hits: now you have to pack and move everything you own.
The simplest way to move is to hire professional movers. They will come out, pack everything you did not pack (even your dirty dishes). They supply … (0 comments)
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ca: Signing on the Dotted Line - 09/04/07 04:16 PM
One of the final steps in buying a home is to sit down with the escrow officer at the title company and sign the paperwork. For sellers, it's a small hill of papers, while for buyers, it often seems a mind-boggling mountain of forms.
It is important that buyers and sellers arrive … (0 comments)
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ca: REQUESTING REPAIRS ~ It's not a blank check to create a dream home! - 08/17/07 03:46 PM
Most of my buyers eventually ask me a great question (I've been fortunate to have so many wonderful & smart clients): "Once we've completed our inspections of the home we're buying, what are appropriate & reasonable repairs to request the sellers to complete?"
My position, which I share with both sellers and … (2 comments)
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ca: KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING! - 08/17/07 03:16 PM
When buyers find a home that meets their needs, it's time to fully understand what they are buying. The sellers must disclose everything they know about the home and the buyers have the responsibility to inspect the home until they are completely comfortable with all aspects of the home they are … (0 comments)
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ca: FIRST TIME BUYERS ~ PREPARE A STONG OFFER! - 08/17/07 02:00 PM
I'm often asked by first time buyers, "How do we write an offer that a seller will accept?". It's a great question. In a buyer's market like we're experiencing today, that usually means the buyer wants to get the home for considerably less than asking price. A couple of years ago … (0 comments)
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ca: FIRST TIME BUYERS ~ USING THE INTERNET TO SEARCH FOR HOMES! - 08/17/07 12:28 PM
Finding the best home for your housing needs can be quite challenging. The key is receiving pertinent information in a timely manner. Last BLOG I discussed the benefits of using a real estate agent to monitor the available homes on your behalf. The Internet provides another timely method of staying on … (1 comments)
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ca: FIRST TIME BUYERS ~ SEARCHING FOR HOMES - 07/20/07 12:48 PM
Over the past several postings I've laid out a game plan for first time home buyers which includes selecting a real estate agent & lender, determining what you can afford and identifying what you need in your home vs. what you want. So what is the best way to find a … (0 comments)
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ca: FIRST TIME BUYERS ~ NEED vs. WANT! - 07/13/07 12:50 PM
If money were no object, we'd all own our dream homes. Thankfully, life is not quite that easy. Most of us have to work up to the homes of our dreams, and we earn a level of self-appreciation for having done so. First time home buyers face the question of "What do … (0 comments)
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ca: PRETENDING TO OWN A HOME MAKES ACTUAL OWNERSHIP EVEN EASIER! - 07/06/07 10:59 AM
When my wife Rene and I were first married one of our goals was to buy a home as quickly as possible. This was in the late 80's in San Jose, California and there were a few challenges in front of us. We had no money (we spent Rene's on the … (1 comments)
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ca: RELAY FOR LIFE A HUGE SUCCESS - 07/06/07 09:30 AM
My daughter, Kirsten, and I walked with the two Sharp Realty teams at our local Relay for Life event sponsored by the American Cancer Society on June 23rd & 24th where the preliminary numbers indicate that we raised over $265,000 to donate towards fighting cancer. This is a substantial increase over the $202,000 … (0 comments)
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ca: First Time Buyers – Your Loan – Part One! - 06/01/07 05:38 PM
You want to buy a home in Oakley with a minimum of 3 bedrooms and 1,200 square feet of living space on a lot of at least 5,000 square feet. As of the writing of this article, there are 231 homes that meet these parameters, the 15 least expensive of which … (0 comments)
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