san ramon real estate: Filing for Local Elections
- 03/09/08 07:45 AM
Friday (3/7) was the filing deadline for candidates seeking office in several southern Alameda County communities including Hayward and San Leandro. Currently, we don't know who has officially filed their candidate documents, but we do know which seats are up for election. In Hayward, incumbents Barbara Halliday, Olden Henson and Bill Quirk have expressed interest in running for reelection while Bill Ward and Doris Rodriquez will not seek another term. With the potential for five seats to change hands, we could see a major shift in Hayward politics in 2008. Meanwhile, in San Leandro, Surlene Grant is termed out while Joyce … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: State Senator briefs REALTORS®:
- 03/09/08 07:42 AM
On Friday (3/7), State Sen. Ellen Corbett gave the Valley Marketing Meeting in Pleasanton a behind-the-scenes look at what's happening in Sacramento and legislation she's working on that addresses real estate issues. Corbett represents the 10th Senate district which includes the cities of San Leandro, Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Pleasanton, Milpitas and Newark and part of San Jose, as well as the communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo and Sunol. Here's a quick summary of her comments: State budget: The governor's plan to deal with the state's multi-billion dollar budget deficit could have major negative consequences for public schools. Corbett urged REALTORS® … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: Diversity Strengthens Community Influence
- 03/09/08 07:36 AM
Recently I had the privilege to obtain my "At Home with Diversity" Certification through the National Association of REALTORS®. Here are some things I wanted to share that I picked from the course that will help us in every day business and life. Diversity Initiatives Strengthen Community Influence REALTOR® associations around the country have taken the lead on issues of importance to foreign-born and other minority communities - with highly visible results. Working within communities, these REALTOR® associations have been able to: Promote minority homeownership. The California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.), the country's largest statewide real estate association, has become famous for pioneering … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: State Senator briefs REALTORS®:
- 03/08/08 02:43 AM
On Friday (3/7), State Sen. Ellen Corbett gave the Valley Marketing Meeting in Pleasanton a behind-the-scenes look at what's happening in Sacramento and legislation she's working on that addresses real estate issues. Corbett represents the 10th Senate district which includes the cities of San Leandro, Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Pleasanton, Milpitas and Newark and part of San Jose, as well as the communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo and Sunol. Here's a quick summary of her comments: State budget: The governor's plan to deal with the state's multi-billion dollar budget deficit could have major negative consequences for public schools. Corbett urged REALTORS® to oppose these cuts … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: Government Announces Conforming Loan Limit Increases
- 03/07/08 12:36 PM
I received this today from the California Association of Realtors..... The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) today announced it has temporarily increased limits on conforming loans offered by government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from $417,000 to as high as $729,750 in fourteen counties in California for loans originated between July 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2008. Fannie and Freddie are reported to be working out new underwriting standards and expect to begin offering the new loans soon. Also, on Wednesday, the government raised the conforming loan limit for mortgages guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, and has begun offering the … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: Ready to close the deal? Maybe not.
- 03/06/08 04:21 PM
Sometimes unforeseeable issues arise just prior to closing the sale. Hopefully, with negotiation, most of these have a workable solution. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. But don't panic. Another buyer might still be found who is willing to accept the house as is. Imagine that your prospective buyers are a couple with young children. They envision your unused attic as the perfect playroom for the kids but, before closing the deal, they request an inspection to see if it's safe and also if they will be able to install a skylight to provide natural light to the new space. … (2 comments)
san ramon real estate: California Statewide MLS
- 03/06/08 03:18 PM
The Boards of Directors of the Contra Costa and Bay East Associations of REALTORS® have signed Statements of Intent to participate in a statewide Multiple Listing Service (MLS) being created by the California Association of REALTORS®. Both organizations have been working with neighboring MLSs for over three years to expand access to property information for their members and believe this approach is the best long term solution. A solution to the problem of having several MLSs serving a local region has been long sought by larger real estate brokerage companies. They typically must join several MLSs if their business serves more than … (3 comments)
san ramon real estate: Home Economics
- 03/06/08 02:54 PM
As many as 15 million homeowners now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Homeownership isn't building wealth for these people, James Surowiecki editorializes. MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERS Interest rates on home equity lines of credit are far below the rates of most credit cards, so homeowners who are able to tap those lines for emergencies accumulate less debt than renters forced to charge expenses at higher rates. A $30,000 home equity loan is running at about 5.75 percent this week, according to Bankrate.com.Overall, the median net worth of a lower-income homeowner is more than 13 times that … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: Foreclosure "crisis" overblown
- 03/06/08 02:50 PM
Foreclosure "crisis" is overblownAlthough the national foreclosure rate rose 79 percent between December 2006 and December 2007, the rate was still only 1.033 percent of all homes. This is a regional problem, not reflective of the overall real estate market.MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERSForeclosure statistics are rarely presented in context. Because about 30 percent of homes are owned free and clear, only seven-tenths of 1 percent of all homes were in foreclosure last year.If you rank the top 100 foreclosure areas identified by RealtyTrac as reported by MSN Money, only 34 areas had foreclosure rates above the group average.Fifty-one areas … (7 comments)
san ramon real estate: GOOD NEWS !!!!! FHA Releases New Mortgage Limits for California Counties
- 03/05/08 12:55 PM
FHA Max Limits Include 14 CA Counties* FHA Press Release * WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands of California families could be eligiblethis year to purchase or refinance their homes using affordable,government-backed mortgages, thanks to the economic growth packagesigned into law by President Bush. The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008will allow HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to temporarilyincrease its loan limits and insure larger mortgages at a moreaffordable price in high cost areas of the country. "The Bush Administration is expanding the pool of eligible borrowers,enabling more American families to qualify for safe, affordableFHA-insured mortgage loans. These temporarily higher loan limits are … (0 comments)
san ramon real estate: Blidgets.....
- 03/05/08 12:43 AM
What the heck is a Blidget? Several weeks ago a dear friend of mine sent me a link to creating a blidget. Humm, what's a blidget I thought? As it turned out a blidget is a widget ( a scrolling marquee) of your blog posts and with the proper HTML code you can drop into any internet document. It was pretty easy to get up and going but I was never able to place it on my website or where I wanted. I was able to get the little blidget into my blog, myspace and facebook as there is a direct link to them. So … (3 comments)
san ramon real estate: An Old Irish Blessing
- 03/04/08 02:47 AM
An Old Irish Blessing May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam.May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!Happy St. Patrick's Day! … (2 comments)
san ramon real estate: Mortgage News
- 02/28/08 05:01 AM
Everyone has seen the news that the Fed has cut interest rates several times recently. The general public naturally thinks mortgage rates have been going down. Unfortunately that is not the reality. The 30 year fixed rates are up over .5% since the last Fed cut. The big news that most people miss pertaining to the recent Fed cuts is how it affects the adjustable rate loans. For example, all equity lines of credit loans are tied to the Prime rate. Prime is now at 6%. In the summer of 2007, Prime was at 8.25%. That means, if you owed $100,000 … (3 comments)
san ramon real estate: Rainbow Bridge
- 02/27/08 05:11 PM
Today one of my dearest friends sent me this knowing how attached I am to my baby. It was very well put together and definately worth sharing. It is a story about our four footed friends. Better get a tissue for this. http://wandascountryhome.com/rainbowbridge/index.html … (1 comments)
san ramon real estate: National Blue Jean Day - Trivia
- 02/25/08 04:29 PM
Jeans was a blue twilled cotton cloth milled in Geneo, Italy. The French weavers called the town "Genes" - and that's how we got the word "jeans". Blue jeans were invented by Levi Strauss during the Gold Rush of the 1850s. Selling canvas to the miners, he started stitching it into pants. In the 1860s, he replaced the canvas with denim. Worn as work pants for years, they became fashionable in 1935 when a model wore then in Vogue magazine. Taken from Celebrate the Date … (1 comments)
san ramon real estate: Leap Year 2008 - Bissextile ?
- 02/20/08 10:13 AM
This became a topic of discussion at our office meeting this week. Did we know what bissextile was? After much discussion we received a brief bio. I found it interesing and thought I would share. It almost sounding kind of dirty! … (1 comments)
Friday (3/7) was the filing deadline for candidates seeking office in several southern Alameda County communities including Hayward and San Leandro. Currently, we don't know who has officially filed their candidate documents, but we do know which seats are up for election. 
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