Buyers

East Bay Real Estate: Become A Buyer NOW!

Sellers need to have their homes standout from the “crowd” of similar homes currently on the market. Remember in my recent posting that Smart Sellers are on the market NOW!,  well, time is running out for Bay Area Buyers to continue getting the best buys.  Interest rates are rising, and so are home prices in [...]

$10,000 California HomeBuyer Tax Credit Starts May 1st – Act NOW!

Finally, some good news from California State government!!!  A new California law was JUST PASSED that now provides first time homeowners and long time residents of California an ADDITIONAL TAX CREDIT of $10,000 starting May 1st – 5% of the home’s purchase value up to $10,000!  This is a first-come first-serve pool of money that [...]

East Bay Real Estate Update: 2010 Tax Incentive Windows Are Closing!

Hopefully, all of you know that the first time and second time homebuyer tax credit that the Feds have in place ends next month, April 30th! If you are thinking of buying a home in 2010 that is $800,000 or below,  the time to act is NOW!  The tax credit for first time homebuyers is [...]

The Urban Land Institute’s 2010 “Housing In America: The Next Decade”

It is important for all of us to deal with reality in the midst of one of the biggest housing crisis in decades. You know I am looking for ways to make lemonade out of lemons in all aspects of my life.  So, I don’t know how I missed this very important report regarding the [...]

2010 East Bay Real Estate Update: Mortgage Interest Rates Rising In Q2, Q3, Q4!

The $64 Billion Dollar Question is, “When will the Federal Government stop purchasing Mortgage Backed Securities?”  You may ask why this is an important question.  Well,  the purchase of MBS by the Feds is the method in which they are guaranteeing mortgages so the lenders will continue to write them – assuring the lenders there [...]

2010 East Bay Real Estate Update: Smart Sellers Are On The Market NOW!

If you are a Buyer have you noticed that there are not many houses currently on the market in the East Bay?  Inventory is at one of it’s lowest levels in the last twelve months.  And, those houses that are on the market are not that spectacular.  What typically happens in the yearly real estate [...]

2010 East Bay Real Estate Update: Challenges Facing $1 Million+ Buyer/Sellers

As you have discovered over the years, Jim Walberg is one of the most positive people around.  So, this report is not about positive or negative, it is about reality.  There are still some significant hurdles for Buyers and Sellers to climb over in 2010 in the East Bay real estate markets.  The past two [...]

East Bay Real Estate: 2009 Fourth Quarter Can = BIG Results!

For the past 20+ years Jim Walberg has followed the advice of his mentor given him in 1989, “Why not have the fourth quarter be your BIGGEST real estate sales quarter each year?”  That advice was given without me understanding that it was contrary to the belief of most Realtors in our region.  If you [...]

September U.S. Home Sales UP 9.4%! An East Bay Real Estate False Indicator?

Jim Walberg states that all real estate is local, remember? The Bay Area home sales for September were up 8.4%.  It doesn’t matter what the National averages are, it only matters what the stats are in our local market.  And within our local markets are niche markets.  Do you really care about what the statistics [...]

Housing Stimulus Solutions: Some Radical Approaches To Consider!

Bob Waun and I met several years ago at the annual Ragatz Conference in San Francisco – the annual “state of the union” on the world of fractional deeded ownership projects around the world.  Since then, Bob’s company, Vacation Finance, has been our go-to source for financing for the second home markets.  He published a [...]

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