• Home
• Featured Listings
• About Us
• 

Here is a selection of my recent posts:

Should I rent or buy is a question that just about everyone asks themselves at one time or another.     At what point does it make more sense to own a home than to rent one?   Much of the decision comes down to personal choice…..Do I want to be in charge of my own home or have someone else be responsible for repairs and maintenance? 

For me, the choice was a relatively simple one because I have always hated the idea of a landlord telling  me what I could and couldn’t do in my home, so I always knew I would try to do whatever I could to purchase my own home.       

In the end it often comes strictly down to the money.   Sometimes, it simply doesn’t make sense to purchase a home, particularly if it means that you will be struggling to make the payments each month, let alone pay for property insurance and taxes.    When my son and his wife were trying to decide whether to continue renting or buy a home, they went to this website and found it to be very helpful:  http://www.decisionaide.com/MPCalculators/Menus/MP_Calculators.asp.     When you get there scroll down the page and you will find a link for Renting vs. Buying.     Read more

In today’s world I am regularly asked by folks whether they should just give up, walk away and let their home be taken by foreclosure or try to “hang in there” until they can find another solution.

This is a really difficult question to answer.   There are so many factors involved.   Ethicially and morally, I believe that you should do everything you possibly can to honor the contracts that you entered into when you purchased the property, even if the property is no longer worth what you paid…as long as you can still afford to make the payments.

However, the incredible stress of trying to hold on when you can’t afford to make the payments can be all consuming and emotionally destructive.     When all else fails, sometimes the only possible answer is to walk away.   Before doing that, however, you should explore all other possible options, such as:       Read more

Over the last couple of months I have lost out on three listings….three really good homes in great locations..because I was honest with the potential clients.     In each case, the owners had very unrealistic expectations about what they could get for their property, or as sellers are fond of saying what they “needed” to get out of their properties.   

I did everything that I could to be upbeat while meeting with all of them, but two of them wanted $1,500,000 for homes that were either in much need of updating or that had been updated in a particular style that would not be appealing to a large number of buyers.   Both of those homes were cluttered and had several pets roaming around, which would make them hard to show.   The owners said they “sensed a lot of negativity” when I made a few recommendations about things they could do increase the value of their homes.  

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am about the least negative person around….I always try to put a positive spin on everything…but it’s my job to try to help owners get the best possible price for their home, so I have to tell them things that would help them or I wouldn’t be doing them justice.       Read more

This is the first of a series of articles that will highlight various neighborhoods in San Francisco and on the Peninsula.     In this article, I will talk about a couple of San Francisco neighborhoods….West Portal and Bernal Heights.     Both are thriving areas and that has caused me to wonder:  

Why are some neighborhoods so popular?   

West Portal, as an example, is busy every day and every night.   It has tons of restaurants….everything from Mediterranean (Bursa Kabob) to Peruvian (Fresca) and even a Polish restaurant (Old Krakow).    They have a lovely, old fashioned neighborhood movie theater that seems to do quite well and the most popular “boutique” Goodwill store around, as well as other more high end shops.   And, of course, there’s your requisite “Starbucks”.     People come to the neighborhood from all over for it’s charm and warmth.    Read more

I was scheduled to do an open house at one of my listings in a terrific San Francisco neighborhood today.  When I arrived at the property and unlocked the door, the first thing that I saw were 2 men’s socks and a bunch of dirt, along with something that looked like a dirt clot, but later turned out to be a rock.  

Since this house has always been immaculate, I knew that something was radically wrong, so instead of entering the house, I first called the owners.   When I was unable to reach them, I decided to call the police.    Although it turned out that the intruder had already left, I’m so glad that I did call them, because it turns out that they were able to get really good evidence of who had entered.

This home had previously been “staged” and furnished, but the owners had requested that the staging be removed due to cost concerns, so it is now completely vacant.    Although we kept the front drapes closed so that people would not notice that it was vacant, someone clearly noticed, broke a downstairs window and spent at least one night in the property, apparently ripping down one of the drapes and using it as a blanket.      Read more

Amongst many new laws being enacted in 2011, is one that will require carbon monoxide detectors in every single home in California by July 1, 2011.   Newly constructed homes are required to have them effective January 1, 2011.     Although many new laws are often silly, this one seems super important,  since so many people die each year due to carbon monoxide posioning.   

For those unfamiliar with carbon monoxide poisoning, it is known as the silent killer.   It is a colorless, odorless gas that is nearly impossible to detect without a CO detector and seeps out through gas heaters and appliances, as well as through engines left running in garages off homes.    

It can cause nausea, headaches, dizziness, chest pain and vomiting and is really hard to diagnose because the symptoms are so similar to other illnesses that occur during the winter months.     It can and does kill.     Just one example are the 5 teenagers in Florida that died in December.      According to Wikipedia, on average 170 people die every year due to this killer.          Read more

For the last 17+ years, I have been selling real estate and, for the first 16 of those years,  have hated doing open houses.   I love meeting new customers, but if it is a slow day it can be incredibly boring.    Nowadays, I enjoy them a lot more,  because I bring my computer and can accomplish quite a bit (well, alright, sometimes I play word games and don’t actually accomplish too much, but I’m a lot happier!)  

While doing my open house yesterday, I had plenty of time to contemplate, since it was pouring down rain and absolutely no one came.   Fortunately, the house I was holding open was warm and cozy, so it was pretty comfortable.    Since I had so much time, I began thinking about the whole open house process.  

I thought it might be helpful for all of the buyers out there if I shared a few thoughts about the etiquette of open houses.   A few helpful hints are:        Read more

Recently, my colleague, Rommel, wrote an excellent blog on ethics in our business.     There is another side to the story, however, and that is the ethics of the clients.

While answering phones  in the office this weekend, I received a call from a man who wanted to see one of our listings in San Francisco.   I agreed to meet him at the listing at 11:00 a.m. the next day.

That night, I was involved in a relatively minor car crash and when I awoke the next morning I felt exhausted and unwell….still a little in shock from the accident, I guess.    Even though I didn’t feel well, I planned to do my job and attend our scheduled showing, as well as doing my open house later that day. Read more