Prudential San Bruno’s 3rd Annual Shredding Party

April 17, 2009 · Nicole Machado · 4 Comments

Prudential California Realty San Bruno office is hosting its 3rd annual shredding event. This event is a complimentary event we host for the community. Each year has been a huge success and continues to grow every year. Last year the shredding truck was filled to the brim. The driver had to drive the truck around the block to try and level the paper out in hopes of getting everyone’s documents shredded. By the end of the event both sides of the truck were protuding out, but we did manage to get everyone’s documents safely shredded. Last year we shredded an excess of 12,ooo lbs of paper.
Cars start piling in early as Prudential agents assist them at their cars to off load their documents. Some people drive in with a truck load of boxes and Read more

Highlights of the 2009 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit

April 16, 2009 · Annie Chang · 5 Comments

tax-credit_faq Recently, I have received many questions from prospective homebuyers about the 2009 homebuyer tax credit bill — which provides $8,000 tax credit to first-time homebuyers for the purchase of their principal residence between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. I wanted to share with you a very informative FAQ (http://tinyurl.com/b8mysm)from National Association of Realtors (NAR) to address many of your questions and concerns about the details of the bill.

Here are some highlights:

You must be a “first-time” homebuyer, which is defined as someone who has not owned a home in 3 years prior to the day of your 2009 purchase.
The 2009 tax credit is refundable (i.e. IRS will send you a refund check if your tax liability is less the $8,000).
The income restriction for a full tax credit is $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for married couples.
You may receive partial credit for income up to $95,000 for individuals and $170,000 for married couples.
The home must be your principle residence and owner-occupied.
You do not have to repayment 2009 tax credits; However, if you sell the property within 3 years of the purchase, your are required to pay back the full amount of any credit, including any refund you received from it.
You can claim your 2009 tax credit when filing your 2008 tax returns by April 15, 2009.
Close of escrow must occur on or before Dec. 1, 2009; if the property is under construction when purchased, you must occupy the home before Dec. 1, 2009.

SSF New Resident Contact Sheet

April 11, 2009 · Nicole Machado · 4 Comments

Are you a new resident to SSF? If so, the City of South San Francisco has developed a contact sheet to get you started off on the right track. This information was found on www.ssf.net and I thought it was useful information for people who have recently moved to the City. Click on the thumb nail picture for a full size image.

Sunnyside…a little neighborhood in San Francisco

April 9, 2009 · Francis G. Bautista · 6 Comments

I share with you all a quaint little place in San Francisco called Sunnyside. It is nestled alongside Glen Park and highway 280. The story is that the name Sunnyside came about when the developers were marketing this area. They wanted to attract buyers to this (kinda) foggy part of town so they came up with the clever name of Sunnyside. It has a gorgeous view of the Brisbane Mountains. It is a small neighborhood, but conveniently located and easily accessible to all parts of San Francisco. The commercial strip if you will, is mainly along Monterey Blvd where there are several restaurants and a small but convenient Safeway grocery store. The Glen Park neighborhood is also so close that Sunnyside residents can easily walk to the great restaurants like, Chenery Park or Sangha among others for a nice dinner. The recent opening of Canyon grocery store has also been a great addition. The Glen Park BART station is conveniently a quick walk away as well. Read more

SSF Annual Easter Egg Hunt

April 8, 2009 · Nicole Machado · 5 Comments

The City of South San Francisco holds an Easter Egg Hunt annually at Orange Park in SSF, I found the below information at www.ssf.net and thought I would pass it along…

62nd Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 4th – 10:00 A.M.
Orange Memorial Park Picnic

Preschool and elementary school children (8 years of old and younger) are invited to participate in our 62nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Children can search for eggs and hidden prizes as well as visiting with the Easter Bunny. The hunt takes place rain or shine at the Orange Park Shelter. There will be two hunts occurring at the same time for children ages 3 – 5 and 6 – 8. Participation is free!!! Parents don’t forget your camera. Thank you to our sponsors; South San Francisco Women’s Club and South San Francisco Friends of Parks and Recreation. For more information, call (650) 829-3800.

How to Lower Your Property Tax?

April 1, 2009 · Annie Chang · 4 Comments

taxcut_proptax This is no April Fool’s Day joke! When home values go south, one positive thing for current homeowners may be the chance to lower their property tax. You might have seen advertisements that offer to lower your property tax for a fee anywhere from $100-$300…don’t be fooled!!!…Did you know that you can lower your property tax for FREE (or just a small amount for filing fee)? And, it’s simple to do!

First, download the property tax appeal application from your county’s tax assessor office (see links below). Print out the form and complete the information about your property. You will be able to find all of the information needed on your property tax bill. Some counties websites allow you to submit the form online. Read more

San Mateo County “Telephone Town Hall” w/Congresswoman Speier

March 31, 2009 · Nicole Machado · 4 Comments

Another great piece of information for the community passed on by my Broker John Gieseker:

Jackie Speier hosts:

“Telephone Town Hall”

to address credit/mortgage problems

San Mateo – Residents of the 12th Congressional District who have
questions about consumer credit and/or mortgages can participate in a
“telephone town hall” this Wednesday evening with Congresswoman Jackie
Speier and counselors from San Francisco’s non-profit Consumer Credit
Counseling Service.

“I encourage anyone with concerns about credit card debt, consumer
loans, mortgage modifications or refinance to participate in this call,” Read more

Signs of a Real Estate Rebound

March 17, 2009 · Karin Cunningham · 7 Comments

I am not one of profound wisdom, but I am hearing some positive signs of real estate making a turn around, a turn around for the better! Basically, the thinking goes like this, “Hmmm, real estate values are down, not only do I still have my job but I have some cash sitting around, and rates are very low – and may not go lower. So maybe I will stop renting and buy a place (or pick up that non-owner occupied property, or that vacation home), or at least see what is out there.” The market will tell you that at some price, there is a buyer for everything.

San Francisco, the San Mateo Peninsula, East Bay and South Bay are experiencing a surge in homebuyers who are jumping off the fence to try and get their hands on property that they could have only wished they could afford a few years ago. Check out the link below to see what I’m talking about!

http://cbs5.com/business/real.estate.sales.2.956968.html

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