PruCalVoices

Whadda Ya Mean They Said “NO”?!?!

February 23, 2010 · · 3 Comments

agent yelling jpgThere is a subject that’s been coming up a lot lately…the subject of Low Ball offers.    It would seem many are advocates of offering a price on a house that is well below asking & what the current market will support.  The thinking goes, you are showing the seller you will not be taken advantage of and you have the upper hand in negotiations.  What never seems to be addressed is the notion that the seller might not be interested in playing this game and will simply say “NO”.  No counter offer and negotiations officially over.

 If a seller wants to sell and a buyer wants to buy then there is no reason a deal can’t be worked out.  This is predicated on the idea that both parties are going into this with a willingness to negotiate in good faith.  Writing under asking is not a bad idea, writing a reasonable offer below the asking says to the seller “I like your house and want to buy it, we just have a difference in opinion of value.”  A low ball offers sends a different message.      Read more

Shokoofeh Nowbakht

REOs, Short Sales, or Regular Sales?

February 22, 2010 · · 2 Comments

foreclosedI met a lady today at the Tanforan Mall. She says, “My husband wants to buy a house but only if it’s REO.” I asked why, she says because he believes he gets a great deal and that he can also bargain and offer less if it’s foreclosed. He believes that short sales and regular sales are not good real estate investments. She said that her husband doesn’t want to look at anything but foreclosed properties.
Is this how the public thinks? But, how about short sales? And what about those regular sales? As one of my colleagues says, “Regular sales, are really the short sales these days!” Isn’t that the fact? What, in your opinion, is a regular sale in today’s real estate market?

Shokoofeh Nowbakht
www.shokoo.com

Lee Ginsburg

Realtors Help Seniors

February 16, 2010 · · 1 Comment

RSVP is Coming

May 3-7

Get The Word Out!

Register now at http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/RSVP10_homeownerAPP.pdf

repair

WHAT IS RSVP?
RSVP is an annual week-long community outreach program that takes place in May 3-7 during “Adopt-A-Senior” Week. Realtors of San Mateo County provides free assistance to seniors who cannot otherwise perform certain household tasks due to physical or financial constraints.
FREE HOME SERVICES FOR SENIORS & THE HOMEBOUND
Washing windows, changing furnace filters, turning over mattresses, vacuuming, changing light bulbs, replacing smoke detector batteries and other similar household tasks are just a few chores that Realtors will perform.
The program is one way Realtors and Affiliates can give back to their communities.
Who is eligible?  If you are a senior or homebound and live in San Bruno, South San Francisco, Daly City, Millbrae, San Mateo, Burlingame, Belmont, Foster City or  anywhere in San Mateo County.  
INTERESTED IN FREE HELP
Please call San Mateo County Association of Realtors at 650-696-8200 or
register now at http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/RSVP10_homeownerAPP.pdf

Lee@leesellsmore.com

Karin Cunningham

Where To Eat In San Bruno?

February 16, 2010 · · 5 Comments

 

don pico's

Ok, so I love to help people buy and sell houses but still I need to eat! I LOVE to eat and I love to cook! I love to dine out and I love family and friend gatherings at home over a large home cooked meal. Since I live and work in San Bruno, I like to dine locally. Sometimes I go to San Francisco, my hometown, but most of the time, when we have the opportunity to dine out, we go local!

A few of my favorite places are Don Pico’s for Mexican fine dining, La Paloma Taqueria, Hon Lin for Chinese, Sushi House, Famous Johnny’s for pizza and beer, Amma’s Kitchen for Indian, and the West Coast Cafe for Italian. All of these places are walking distance from my house.

Living in San Bruno is really super convenient. From my house, I can walk to the Mexican market, the dry cleaners, the library, and the corner grocery store. Not to mention I can walk to my kids’ school, our friends’ houses on Friday nights for “family fun nights”, and my office, if I am so inclined. I always drive and it’s just 6 blocks away!

I love Don Pico’s a lot! I mean a lot lot! My favorite dish is the crab enchiladas with green sauce made with “real” crab! I could live on the chips and salsa. I love spicy salsa with good flavor! I also love the ambiance at Don Pico’s. It’s a warm, comfortable room with a lot of traditional Mexican decorations and some impressive ones, too! My favorite being a big framed picture of Frida Khalo! The booths are from Original Joe’s on Powell Street in San Francisco! The proprieter is Isaac Mejia. He’s great! He is welcoming, enthusiastic about his food, and keeps his menu delicious and interesting. He’s currently the president of the San Bruno Lion’s Club. His sisters help at the restaraunt, too. They are fantastic! On Friday and Saturday nights there is a live guitar player/singer. It’s just awesome!

Check out their website: www.DonPicosBistro.com

Frida, My Hero

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a favorite San Bruno restaraunt?

www.KarinCunningham.com

Nicole Machado

The City of South San Francisco made a Boo-Boo

February 10, 2010 · · 2 Comments

Incase any readers happened to get caught running a red light in South San Francisco prior to January 27th, you may want to read the following news story…

,
Vic Lee
More: Bio, E-mail, News Team

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA (KGO) — Red light runners who were caught on camera in South San Francisco will get a legal break over a big, big mistake, and it is going to cost the city a lot of trouble and money.

“It’s a big mess,” South San Francisco Police Chief Mike Massoni said, referring to the red light cameras on two of the city’s busiest intersections — El Camino and Westborough, and El Camino and Hickey.

Since they were put in Aug. 15, the cameras have nabbed thousands of red light runners. The cameras were installed by the American Traffic Solutions (ATS) and they are working without a hitch, except for one thing.

“We didn’t go to a public meeting and have council formally ratify the contract between us and our vendor,” Massoni said.    

So just what does that mean?   Read more