From the moment we get out of bed to the time we come back to sleep, we make decisions that affect our climate and increase the carbon emissions that contribute to the greenhouse gas effects that are causing our climate to change.  What is the amount of land and ocean area required to sustain YOUR consumption patterns and absorb YOUR wastes on an annual basis?

Almost every activity in our lives has an effect in our planet’s climate. The choices we make in our homes, when we travel, the food that we eat, what we buy and throw away, they all leave behind our very personal carbon footprint that could affect the world climate for future generations. The USA National Average for a 2 person household is 53 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. The world average is only 11 tons per year, what is yours? What is YOUR impact in this earth? Use this Carbon Footprint Calculator and find out where you stand.

Making environmentally friendly home improvements not only beautifies the house but also adds to its value. It is a win-win for everybody, your house will have a better return on your investment and you will be helping to save the planet. Here is a list of simple items that can be accomplished very easily:

• Begin by replacing all your light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescence ones, they can use up to 75% less energy
• How many times have you left the outdoor lights on? An inexpensive motion detector will turn them off for you
• Make an inspection of all bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor faucets and fix all leaks, the amount of water saved is tremendous
• Take shorter showers and turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving. Install low flow shower heads
• Create a compost pile in your backyard, your garden will appreciate that, your garbage costs will be lower, your city dumps will be smaller and will not have to spend gas transporting your leftovers to their place. Are you with me so far? This is easy stuff! doable in a day!
• Replace your air conditioner and heating system filters, or clean them up more regularly
• Install more ceiling fans in your house, use them instead of the air conditioner and heater
• Insulate your home and use weather stripping around doors and windows
• Remember the 3 R's: Refuse, Reuse and Recycle, keep them in mind at all times, specially when shopping
• Stop all junk mail! Here is how to do it. Use online banking where you can receive your bills by e-mail instead of snail mail.

As you see, you can reduce your personal environmental impact by making a few simple changes in your everyday behavior. Your efforts plus mine multiplied by many others will make a big difference in the fight to slow climate change. 

YOU have the power to change the world! Even to the end when you can choose to be buried in an Ecoffin, a unique casket made from naturally hardened 100% recycled paper to make a graceful exit… and a final contribution to the planet, way to go...! Bravo!

With the number of people displaced by foreclosures and short sales, the real estate rental market is very active. Scamers have taken notice and are out there trying to extort money from renters. This is not a new trend, as a matter of fact this is not the first time I have had one of my listings taken over, pictures and all, posted on Craig's List as a bargain rental. When I start getting phone calls from renters on my listings I know someone is trying to extort money from them using my listing ads.

In a recent episode, I went to Craig's List and looked for the ad. Sure enough, there it was, my pictures and my description of the house, address and all. The rent was very low which explains the number of calls. I decided to send an e-mail and ask to be considered as a tenant.  I filled out a simple questionnaire and gave my real e-mail address, I promised to pay up to 3 months in advance if I was chosen as the tenant. The landlord explained in an e-mail that he and his family were in Lagos, Nigeria on an assignment from their church and won't be coming back for about a year.

The response was quick and I was offered the house for rent, the landlord asked that I send the $850.00 first month rent only, and that I could send the second months rent the following week and then the third month on the third week. The reason, I learned later, is that there is a process where if you send more than a $1,000 via Western Union you will need to fill out a few tax forms and this transaction could be flagged. These people know the rules about international wires and their limits and conditions, you can tell they have done this many times over.
I responded that my wife wanted to see the house before signing the rental agreement which the landlord said will be sent with the keys as soon as he gets the money. We even suggested that we could call the Realtor and ask him to show us the house. An immediate  explanation come back saying that they wanted to sell the house but they had changed their mind and had not told the Realtor yet. We were warned NOT to talk to the Realtor at all.

Playing along with the conman I ask if we could see pictures of the inside of the house and since he had said he will come and visit us, we wanted to see pictures of him and his family too. A set of very nice pictures of a newer home arrive, and also a family shot of a Caucasian family, including 2 small children. Very detailed steps were sent to us about how and where to send the money. We insisted on seen the rental agreement first, within minutes a California Rental Agreement was sent, I was surprised to see how accurate the legal the document was. We agree to send the money as instructed.

Within the next two days the conman send us e-mails asking if we had sent the money. We told him we did, but also told him that we had gone to the house and saw the Realtor and had an opportunity to see the house, we confided that we had left a back door opened and that we planned to take possession of the house within the next day or so.

Our conman insisted that we give him the 10 digit number for the wire, we did, he become frustrated because no such number existed and demanded to see a copy of the wire transfer, we told him we were already in the house and planned to have a BBQ the next day. But with the moving we could not remember where the receipt was... but that we were enjoying his house.

His frustration grew and he become rather hostile, while he wanted to know if we had followed his wire instructions step by step, we kept telling him about the colors we were thinking of painting different rooms in the house! I think that at one point he knew he had been duped and asked if we were playing with him and taking him for a fool, we quickly confirmed his suspicions and told him that his e-mail has been blocked and he will never be able to communicate with us anymore.

All I wanted to know is how far these people go to steal money from potential renters, obviously they know how international wires work, how much money is allowed to be sent without arousing suspicions from the financial entities, and what the process entail.

This process created by others on the other side of the world bring unnecessary attention to a house for sale by people that will not be buying, once their money is taken, they might even come to the seller to find answers as to why they lost their money. Renters be aware: DO NOT SEND MONEY OVERSEAS, YOU'LL NEVER GET IT BACK. If there is a for sale sign, call the Realtor and get some answers!

One of the most difficult parts for a Professional Realtor to do is to have the buyer write an offer to buy a house on an "as-is" condition without asking the seller to do any repairs at all. The obvious fear of having to spend money fixing items that they did not expect is a reason why home buyers are reluctant to pay full price on a house they have not inspected, but inspecting a house prior to buying it is not a feasible possibility either.

But when the buyer is competing with others for the same house, an "as-is" clause on his contract will make a huge difference for the seller when choosing which offer to accept. The seller will always take that offer instead of one that has an inspection contingency.

Most properties on the market have some deferred maintenance, especially listings that are in foreclosure or bank-owned, home buyers would like to know what the true condition of the property is before they buy it, hence the inspection period of about 10-15 days from the moment the offer is accepted. Here is where the seller can  speed up the sale of the house by getting a complete home inspection before putting the house on the market. 

If the buyer reads the home report before writing the offer, then he can waive the inspection period and speed up the closing. These reports should be offered at the property so the buyer can examine them while looking at the house. I suggest EVERY HOME SELLER take the following steps BEFORE the house goes on the market:

• Order a complete inspection from a local reputable, Professional Home Inspection Company.
• Call a company that DOES NOT DO ANY WORK. Just inspections
• Choose a company that offers the reports via e-mail. This way it can be disseminated faster
• The report should include multiple color photographs within the body of the report. These photos help the average home buyer "see" the problem areas and understand them better.
• The home report should also include an evaluation of the roof.
• A pest control inspection should be done at the same time and a separate report should be issued.
• The Pest control report should include an approximate cost of all repairs called for.
• One final but important step: Make sure the inspector has access to ALL AREAS OF THE HOUSE.

Buyers will pay better prices for properties that are in good condition and only a recent full inspection report from a Professional Home Inspection Company can tell them that. The cost in the San Francisco bay area for a home and a pest control reports is around $550. If the property is in good condition and those reports confirm that fact, the buyers will probably pay good prices and haggle less.

The buyer of course reserves the right the call his own inspections. This is when the professionalism of the home inspection company the seller chooses comes into place. It must be reliable, stable and professional enough to stand scrutiny. After 25 years of experience I use one of the most Professional companies I know out of Walnut Creek, CA. 1 (800) 466-2466 National Building Inspectors. The photos in this post are from an actual report from NBI. Buyers: don't go at it alone, this company will be your best ally when purchasing a home.

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" CRS, GRI, E-Pro Certified. Serving the East Shores of the San Francisco Bay. Alameda and Contra Costa counties; San Leandro, Castro Valley, Oakland, Hayward, Pleasanton, Dublin. Visit us on line at: www.listedbyantonio.com Call us, we'll come and TANGO with you! (510) 326-4263

A house without the limits of a perimeter wall and views that go and go and keep going. That is what a panoramic view of the bay offers you here in San Leandro's Bay-O-Vista. Every day there is a show of lights at the end of the day. A sunset from your window is something you have to see daily to appreciate its beauty! Take a look at the view from the formal dinning room. The view is even better at dusk. There are no neigbords walls to limit you in any way. Everybody is below your line of sight! 

This great home is located up on the gently hills east of San Francisco bay. San Leandro's Bay-O-Vista is by far the most prestigious neighborhood to live in. Just 20 minutes to downtown San Francisco, 15 minutes to Oakland International Airport, 45 minutes to San Francisco International and ONE mile to BART.

  There are many features that enhance this property. Hardwood floors, new double pane energy-efficient windows, tile roof, formal dinning room, 2 bedrooms, plus 2 bonus rooms that could be 3rd and 4th. bedrooms.Over 2,860 Square feet in two levels, sitting on a view lot of about 7,000 square feet. Built in 1951 but modernized recently.

Asking Price $ 574,976 Take a virtual tour of this great home and call us. We would love to schedule a private showing for you and your family.

 Presented by Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" Proudly representing San Leandro's Best neighborhoods specially Bay-O-Vista

Call us; we will come and TANGO with you. Better yet, visit us on line at; www.listedbyantonio.com                (510) 326-4263

Bay-O-Vista Neighborhood is located in the rolling hills east section of San Leandro. This is generally the most expensive area in this town of only 75,000 people. Situated right in the middle of the San Francisco bay, it has easy access to the Bay the San Mateo and the Dumbarton bridges. Only 20 minutes to downtown San Francisco, 10 minutes to Oakland International Airport and 45 minutes to San Francisco Airport.

Bay-O-Vista offers homes that are very spacious, typically ranchers with an average of about 2,200 square feet mostly in one level, most homes here have at least 3 bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two fireplaces and a spacious 2 car garage and boast very generous sized lots. The streets are wide and the views are impressive.  There is no public transportation in this area, nor miradors or places for the general public to come and enjoy the views of the bay, this helps keep Bay-O-Vista a very quiet, and low traffic area.

The most impressive part of Bay-O-Vista are the panoramic bay views, in the distance you can see the bay and in a clear summer night, (like in the picture below) you get presented with a show of lights at dusk, sunsets are the best part of the day for the views. At the back of the hill, the views are of the park and the lake.

The natural boundaries of Bay-O-Vista are; on the west side Highway I-580 and on the east side Anthony Chabot Park. On the South is the border with Oakland. Bay-O-Vista Family fitness, Tennis and Swim Club located right in the neighborthood gives preference to those who live in the area. The location is ideal for those sports aficionados, there are within walking distance a semi private park and picnic area at the end of Estudillo Avenue, hiking trails, fishing and boating are offered by the Chabot Park year round.

The real estate in Bay-O-Vista maintains very good values, most of these homes are either custom or semi custom with a bevi of features that are very unique. There is a mansion that has 6,700 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms, 2 kitchens, family and rumpus rooms plus an indoor swimming pool with a retractable roof, topping that with a beautiful view of the bay and the San Francisco skyline. As of mid 2009 this home was on the market for only $1,400,000. This is only one of the many custum homes that are very unique to this great area.

Most of the people who are the original owners bought their lot and had the house built to their specifications. Bay-O-Vista residents are very proud of their neighborhood. It is by far the very best area to live in San Leandro. Call, us, we would love to take on a tour of available homes for sale in Bay-O-Vista.

The process of sale of real property through Probate Sale with Court Confirmation is a court regulated series of steps that must be clearly and carefully managed. The deadlines are unforgiving, the documentation is specialized, the time elements are critical and the court's oversight must be honored at all times by all parties.

If you bought a house with a tag that reads: "Probate Sale with Court Confirmation" required. What is the one question you don't want to hear at the court confirmation hearing? Are there any over bidders? After being in escrow for 30-45 days, having your loan approved, maybe even having the moving van packed and ready, someone might stand up in court to answer that question and buy the same house on the spot, or at least make you pay more for it. Being ready to deal with this situation could bring this type of purchase to a happy ending.

A Probate sale is a legal proceeding used to liquidate and settle a person's legal and financial affairs after death. Here in California, these sales are conducted in the Superior Court of the decedent's county of residence at the time of death. Court confirmation is either chosen or required, there are probate sales that do not require court confirmation and are handled just like any other sale.

Why is there a Probate? How much does it cost?  When does it happen? How long does it take? These are all valid questions that are better left for an attorney to answer, that is why you should not take this information as legal advise.

From the Realtor's point of view, if you see a house for sale with a label: "Probate Sale With Court Confirmation" be aware that this tag affects the offering price, the condition of sale, the paper work used and most important of all... you will not know whether you bought it or not until about 30-45 days after you get your offer accepted, and you'll need the judge's gavel to confirm that you are the new owner. Understanding the following steps ought to help you stay on course:

     *  The offer must be written on a Probate Purchase Agreement form. These documents clearly       specifies some of the most important time elements involved, plus it clarifies the differences between 3 different Probate Sales.

     *  An offer on a Probate Sale with Court Confirmation must be at least within 90% of the asking price which is the Probate Referee's Appraisal Value. Offers below that will not be accepted. 

     *  A 10% deposit must be presented with the offer; often times it must be a cashier's check issued in the name of the decedent's estate. Buyers with no down payment VA, or FHA loans with minimum down payment might not have a chance. 

     *  Once the offer is accepted it will have a "conditional acceptance" and the time periods for physical inspections and appraisals begin at this point. After the buyer's removal of such contingencies a court date for the confirmation hearing of the sale is scheduled. 

     *  On the day of the court hearing (which is 30-45 days after removal of contingencies), all parties must show up in court. During this hearing, the previously accepted bid may be overbid by another buyer, this interested party must appear with cashier's checks in hand and be ready to raise the price under the supervision of the judge.

     *  Buyers must fully understand the overbidding process, each court will handle the rules differently, but for the majority it is A) 5% above the accepted price plus $500. Or B) 10% of the first $10,000 plus 5% of the balance of the accepted offer. In each case the judge will announce the minimum amount of the overbid after that; it could be $1,000 or $10,000 depending on the price range. The winning bidder must deposit at least 10% of the final price with a cashier's check. 

Any person who bids in court must make an unconditional offer. Obtaining financing or approving inspections should not be a condition of the offer. In the event the buyer defaults after a court confirmed sale, the buyer may lose the deposit. If the court confirms the sale to an over bidder rather than the original buyer, the original buyer's deposit shall be refunded.

Real estate commissions are also subject to the approval of the court, and the rules are very different and very clear. If the over bidder has a Realtor, or worse, if there are other bidders with Realtors, what happens with the commission? Is the first purchaser's Realtor entitled to a commission if his buyer is not the winning bidder? What happens if the over bidder does not have a Realtor? Once you are involved in this type of sale, either as a buyer or a Realtor, or Executor, you better know how the rules apply to you. A Realtor should encourage the home buyer to familiarize himself/herself with this process. 

Above all: AVOID THE PROBATE PROCESS... CREATE A TRUST! Sorry, I did not mean to shout! But you'll better not get caught dead without a will; your family will make you pay for it! (By not cleaning your grave yard for example)It will save them lots of time and money so have your affairs in order just in case, no matter how young or healthy you think you are. AMEN! 

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" GRI, CRS. Serving the East shores of the San Francisco bay. Alameda and Contra Costa counties, particularly the cities of: San Leandro, Castro Valley, Hayward, Oakland, San Lorenzo, Pleasanton and Dublin. Visit us at:  www.listedbyantonio.com  Call us, we'll come and TANGO with you! (510) 326-4263

First time home buyers are looking at a market that shows no mercy, is highly competitive and does not reflect the conditions of a so-called "depressed real estate market." It is not easy to find a good house at the entry level without having to compete with other buyers, but with persistence, good preparation and the help of a professional local Realtor your chances of becoming a homeowner are better. Above all, be realistic, your very first house is not your "Dream House" but getting on the homeownership wagon will eventually get you there.

Many home buyers have decided to jump off the fence and buy their very first house; perhaps it was the drop on interest rates to historical lows, or maybe the number of perceived bargains offered by the banks and a high inventory of homes for sale, or the $8,000 offered as a tax incentive from the government. When all these factors are put together, you will think It's heaven and you will have the time of your life choosing the best possible home at the best possible price with an incredible low interest rate for the next 30 years... or is it?

This is not the true picture of what we are seeing today. It appears that the REO's or bank owned properties that flooded the market before and kept the inventory high due to their inability to dispose of those properties, have finally figure out how to sell them... by under pricing them! This strategy has been paying off for them very nicely. Buyers trying to outbid each other will push the price to the highest point the market can bear.

An underpriced REO home goes on the market and attracts a good number of home buyers who think that they finally found their dream home, or ideal investment. They quickly realize that they are not the only ones out looking at homes for sale. Here in the east shores of the San Francisco bay, in Alameda County, we are seen 40-50 and even 60 offers presented within days.

How can a home buyer compete and win this bidding war? By understanding how offers are viewed by the seller and being prepared to meet those requirements as much as possible. If you can pay all cash, there will be no financing contingencies or appraisals to wait for, and the escrow can close within days, but if that is not possible, follow these steps to strengthen your position and get your offer accepted;

•1.   Do a complete loan application and bring every piece of paper requested by the lender

•2.   Have the bank issue a complete pre-approval letter, signed by a real person

•3.   Offer to pay more than the asking price if you can

•4.   Put a large down payment if possible, this will help when your offer is compared to others

•5.   Be prepared to take the house on an "as-is" condition and spell that out in the contract

•6.   Reduce the inspection contingency from 17 to about 5-7 days only

•7.   Reduce the close of escrow to less than 30 days if possible

Realize that the sellers don't care who buys their house, all they look for is to get the maximum amount of money they can, in the quickest amount of time with the least amount of inconvenience. They don't want to do any work, or wait too long to close the escrow or pay for anything extra.

Now that you finally decided to jump off the fence and get into the housing market and become a homeowner, you need to give this idea some time and dedication, as we get closer to the end of the $8,000 tax credit window of November 30 2009, there will be far more competition and you will need all the help you can get. Work closely with your chosen Realtor, don't go at it alone and be prepared to go see a house within minutes and possibly right an offer on the spot.

This market offers you a great opportunity to make the purchase of a lifetime... but others are also aware of these positive conditions and you will meet them when they compete with you... just when YOU think YOU found YOUR dream home. Happy House Hunting!

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" Professional Realtors, Amateur Balleroom Dance competitors. Serving Alameda & Contra Costa counties in the East Shores of the San Francisco Bay. Specially the cities of San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Castro Valley and Oakland. Visit us at: www.ListedByAntonio.com (510) 326-4263. Call us, we'll come and TANGO with you.

The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) Becomes effective on May 1st. 2009 and it will hurt home buyers, home sellers, real estate brokers, appraisers and lenders amongst others. Be aware, be prepared, be patient, and... don't talk to the appraiser!

The New York attorney general after concluding an investigation into Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's appraisal practices along with several government agencies, decided to adopt new changes for appraisals in the mortgage industry. Loan brokers and lenders are no longer allowed to chose their appraiser, all relationships with them are almost illegal! 

This is what the first paragraph of the newly enacted resolution says:  Home Valuation Code of Conduct: No employee, director, officer, or agent of the lender, or any other third party acting as joint venture, partner, independent contractor, appraisal management company, or partner on behalf of the lender, shall influence or attempt to influence the development, reporting, result, or review of an appraisal through coercion, extortion, collusion, compensation, instruction, inducement, intimidation, bribery, or in any other manner including but not limited to:... Followed by 10 points and 11 subcategories of limitations as to what the lender can and cannot do when dealing with the appraisers. After all, appraisers were blamed for the current market conditions.

These new rules force lenders to go to a third party for their appraisals. They must now use and AMC (appraisal management company) forcing appraisers to join an unregulated AMC that will charge 50% or more of the appraisal fee for their services. It disallows the appraisers from engaging in any type of communication with mortgage brokers, Realtors, loan officers or anybody that may receive a commission upon funding of that loan. Seasoned, experience appraisers are forced to share their fees wiThu AMC's

The home buyer will probably have higher costs incurred as a result of this new rules, the delays in closing escrows now will go further because of funding delays from 30 to 45 to maybe 90 days. Lenders are not prepared or familiar enough to deal with these changes. Buyers will have to pay higher fees for the lock-in rates and the extensions and if they change lenders, they will have to get another appraisal! Home sellers will not be happy either, because for them, closing early might mean the difference between a normal sale, to a short sale to even foreclosure.  

For us Realtors, we need to start counseling every client about these delays right from the moment we take the listing or write the contract for the buyer. Listing agents should be well prepared to meet the appraiser, have enough comparable sales if available. When additions have been done to the property, copies of finalized permits should be handled over at the same time, and follow up with the lender to make sure the package is complete when submitted for final approval.

As we approach the November 30th 2009 deadline cut for the $8,000 tax credit to first time homebuyers , these delays will cost a lot of people a lot of money. This is one regulation we did not need at this time, but we have to deal with it. Hopefully we get better oversight and more conservative lending in the future, but until that happen, sit down and buckle up because this is going to be a white knuckle ride if you are dealing with real estate appraisals.

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" Serving the wonderful cities of San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Oakland, Hayward, Pleasanton and Dublin in the Alameda County, on the East Side of the San Francisco bay. Visit us at www.ListedByAntonio.com (510) 326-4263

What if you client ask you to write it? the seller can only accept ONE offer, what would be your contribution to this frenzy bidding? what about the other 59 Realtors? and their clients?  At what point would you say, I am not going to be a part of this frenzy bidding. Apart from that, what type of an offer would you counsel your client to write in order to have a chance to be the highest bidder? What would happen if you go too high and then the appraisal does not measure up? What would happen then? who's fault is it that this one sale went out of control? How much time was spent here by would be home buyers and Realtors?

As I browsed this morning our MLS, looking for a house for a first time home buyer in Hayward, CA, I come across a very nice house in an average neighborhood slightly under-priced, (MLS # 40400913) It has been on the market for only 12 days, and I noticed the note from the listing agent "PLEASE NO MORE OFFERS, 60+ HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED, WAITING FOR A RESPONSE" My heart went out to this pour soul, I can imagine his fax machine spitting out offers at the tune of a minimum 17 pages per offer! 1,020 sheets of paper says my trusty calculator and then he/she will need about a day to sort them all out. And then fax that pile of paper to the bank. We are going to need another fax machine! The number of messages to be returned will need to be streamlined in a very unique way. Out of those 60 Realtors, there are bound to be some nasty calls about "What happened to my offer?"

This real estate market is showing us faces we have never seen before, this is early April 2009 in the San Francisco bay area, where according to the media prices have dropped, unemployment is high and nobody is buying... really? 59 out of these 60 buyers are disappointed and still without a house to buy.

There are some serious issues here. In the one hand the listing agent cannot put this house on the "Pending" side until an offer is accepted. On the other hand, the bank wants to see "any and all offers" so they can pick highest and best. Can a buyer sue you for NOT writing an offer on his behalf? Someone will have to take control of this mess and make the right call, choose the right offer, and hope the buyer does not flop before escrow closes, there will be a lot of people real mad if they have to run back up to that house to show it again and write another offer.

What would you do if a client ask you to write offer number 61? would you take the time to write it? If you were the listing agent, how would you handle such a mess. I truly want to know. I have been a Professional Realtor since 1985, I thought I had seen it all... I guess I haven't, enlighten me please. What would you do in both cases.

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" Selling the wonderful counties of Alameda and Contra Costa in the East Shores of the San Francisco Bay. Accepting Referrals to San Leandro, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Pleasanton & Dublin. Visit us on line at www.ListedbyAntonio.com (510) 326-4263

The local real estate market is showing signs of life! Finally! we are sensing more activity at open houses and sales at all price points. It does appear that home buyers are more aware of what this market is offering to them right now and they are finally taking the plunge. The $8,000 credit to first time buyers is a big pull plus fix interest rates below 5% shown all over the news is a confirmation to them that this market is turning around and if they don't buy now, they could simply miss the boat entirely. Spring time is the PERFECT time to buy a house.

I predict that as we get closer to the November 30th deadline for the $8,000 tax credit there will be a rush of first time buyers trying to get into the market, but probably they will not find by then the number of properties available to chose from that we have right now.

Here in the wonderful east shores of the San Francisco Bay, in our quiet little town of San Leandro, CA, we are seen below the $300,000 level a tremendous amount of activity. We have encountered multiple offers regardless whether these listings are bank owned properties, short sales or simple common listings. We have not seen multiple offers on the same property for years, but now they are almost the rule. Within the last few weeks we have written 9 offers on behalf of several of our first time home buyers, and still cannot find them a house. These buyers are loosing to other buyers offering sometimes up to $40,000 above asking prices.

Behind the bad news about a recession, lay off numbers up and unemployment numbers rising, there is a very active real estate market happening right now in certain areas of the country, there are great bargains out there for first time buyers and first time investors, people are taking another look at real estate as the great investment that it truly is. Investors are out there competing directly with first time buyers, perhaps they see that the number of displaced families who lost they homes to foreclosures will turn into good long time renters, these people used to be home owners and will have to wait years before they can buy again, rents will be going up as the demand increases.

As a Professional Realtor I welcome with enthusiasm these positive news, I have seen in the last few years how bad financing destroyed the American dream, put people out on the streets, broke families apart and decimated my industry. The damage done to the trust and the credit worthiness of the individual will take years to heal. But for now I am very glad the long road to recovery at least appears to be within sight. 

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" Serving the wonderful Counties of Alameda & Contra Costa Counties, specially the following cities: San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Hayward, Oakland. Visit us on line at: www.listedbyAntonio.com (510) 326-4263