About Kathy Wall

Visit my Website: http://www.kwall.prucal.com

I have been a Realtor for over 16 years, specializing in all types of residential real estate, everything from standard single family homes to land and even mobile homes. My favorite thing is helping first time buyers purchase their first home. I am partnered with my Son, Michael Darling, and together we make a great team. We have listed and sold homes throughout the entire Bay Area...everywhere from San Francisco to San Jose, and east to Hayward and Oakland. Our primary focus is San Francisco and the Peninsula, specializing in Brisbane, Pacifica, San Bruno, Millbrae, San Mateo. In my spare time, I am a singer and has performed in several of the better San Francisco cabarets. Please check out my blogs at www.pruvoices.com, as well as kathwallsings.com and her "twitters" at www.twitter.com

kwall@prucal.com
Phone: (415) 608-4168
DRE#: 01163766

Here is a selection of recent posts by Kathy Wall:

Neither Snow nor Rain nor Heat of Day….

February 16, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 7 Comments

It is about 3:30 p.m. and I’m doing an open house in a lovely, although freezing, townhome in Pacifica. The rain is pouring down in sheets. The door is open, hoping to encourage someone to come in. I’m bundled up, including wearing long johns under my slacks, and am suddenly reminded of the postal service motto: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat of day nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” It occurs to me that, to a great degree, professional Realtors follow the same creed. An example of this would be my day today. Read more

Judging a Book by it’s Cover….Always a Mistake

February 3, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 8 Comments

At our office meeting this morning we discussed the fact that a large chain restaurant plans to offer free breakfasts to anyone who comes to their restaurant tomorrow. I won’t be going, because I have been boycotting them for more years than I can remember, after reading (on many occasions and in several locations) that their corporate culture allowed employees to discriminate again African Americans. I’ve never gone back since.

This made me think about how important our public image is and how one wrong move can cost us a customer for life. We need to be extremely conscious all the time about what we say and how we say it, both with our voices our physical gestures, and our written words. A silly joke that someone finds offensive or the way we discuss a neighborhood at an open house…almost anything can have the potential to lose a client or hurt someone’s feelings. Read more

Where Should We Work?

January 27, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 5 Comments

Over the years, one of the big controversies in the real estate world has been where we should work…what territories should we cover? Should we stick only to the areas near our office or home or should we branch out and sell properties in other areas? After all, our real estate license is for the entire State of California.

When my office was in Pacifica, there were many agents who would, literally, refer out any listings or sales that weren’t on the Coast. They wouldn’t “go over the hill.” I know that this is true for many agents in other areas, as well. Personally, I have always been of the mindset that “have license, will travel.” Read more

Rent Control – Out of Control

December 31, 2008 · Kathy Wall · 3 Comments

I have an elderly client who purchased a home in San Francisco’s Sunset District many years ago. A few years after the purchase, he and his wife decided to move to Marin and rented the house out to a “friend.”

It’s now about 30 years later and my client desperately needs to sell the home so that he can keep up with ongoing medical bills. You see, his wife had a very bad stroke while on an airplane about 8 years ago and, a year later, ended up with kidney failure. She’s been in a wheelchair and on dialysis ever since. Sadly, they had no insurance at the time of his wife’s stroke and certainly can’t get any now, so he’s been borrowing on the San Francisco house in order to keep up with her numerous and never ending expenses. Now, the payments are ballooning up to a point that he can no longer afford to pay them. Read more

Negotiation Skills – The Most Important Reason to Hire a Professional Realtor

December 13, 2008 · Kathy Wall · 5 Comments

Today has been a nerve wracking day. I have a home listed here in Brisbane that has been on the market for a couple of months. During that time, there have been 2 people who have consistently expressed serious interest. Earlier this week, one of them finally stepped up to the plate and brought us an offer. We went back and forth with counter offers and then yesterday, when my Sellers were all set to sign the most recent counter, the phone rang. Of course, it was the agent for the other interested party! He finally had his ducks in a row and was ready to bring an offer. Would we wait until today at noon before accepting the other offer? Alrighty, then. After conferring with my clients and weighing our options, we decided to wait.

It is now almost 4:30 and, needless to say, the noon deadline has long since passed. I know that the agent met with his client at 1:00 p.m., but I still don’t have an offer in hand and his calls are going straight to voice mail. Aaaaaaah! Read more

Where in the World is Brisbane?

November 30, 2008 · Kathy Wall · 6 Comments

Known as the “City of the Stars”, Brisbane is one of the Bay Area’s best kept secrets. It is a small, close knit community with a population of just under 4,000 people. It offers not only the tranquility of country living, but also offers lots of sunshine and moderate temperatures throughout the year. And, best of all, you can be in the heart of downtown San Francisco within 10 minutes and it’s only about 8 minutes to the airport. There is a free shuttle to Bart as well as a Park & Ride lot for those who want to take the bus or train.

To my mind, Brisbane offers the best of urban living in a country setting. Nestled on the side of San Bruno Mountain, it is surrounded by trees. There are many hiking trails and even hidden staircases throughout the town leading through the canyons up to the mountain. It is a walking town where most daily activities can be accomplished on foot. Read more

Women – The Importance of Owning Your Own Home

November 20, 2008 · Kathy Wall · 4 Comments

A heroine of mine is a woman by the name of Dee. She has since passed on, but she was my neighbor for a few years after I moved to Brisbane. Like me, she was divorced. She had purchased her home all on her own 40+ years before, during a time when it was very rare for a woman to be divorced, let alone buy her own home, especially in the wild and wooly town that Brisbane was in those days.

Dee was an amazing woman, taking care of herself and her home well into her 90′s and remaining in the home she loved so much until her death. Doing whatever it took, she made darned sure that she was financially secure. Dee was my role model. But, somewhere along the line, I lost sight of her wisdom.

As a single woman who has supported myself for the last 15+ years selling real estate, this recent economic turn of events has been incredibly eye opening and, frankly, terrifying for me. What it has illuminated, is how very important it is to “save for that rainy day” as my Mom was constantly telling me. Boy, has that rainy day come and was I ever not prepared for it! Read more