Come on In…the Real Estate Water is Fine!

May 7, 2009 · Julie Cleland · 8 Comments

Whether you are a buyer or seller you’ve made the decision to jump in the real estate waters. Come on in…just realize you are jumping into a moving stream and not a still pool. No matter what you are trying to do, know that it’s been going on long before you got involved and will continue long after you’ve completed your transaction. All you should focus on is the here and now.
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One Buyer’s Loss is another Buyer’s Second Chance

May 6, 2009 · Lee Ginsburg · 6 Comments

30% of Real Estate Deals Don’t Go Thru. Maybe it is more, maybe it is less, but that is a pretty good estimate. So what does that mean to buyers and their agents? It means the property you lost out to in multiple offers or just because someone was faster than you does not mean it is gone forever. Read more

Home Buying is a Team Work

May 4, 2009 · Shokoofeh Nowbakht · 7 Comments

key Just wanted to share an experience. One of my clients is getting a VA loan to purchase a house. Even though it has been taking longer than we had originally anticipated, it has genuinely been a teamwork all the way through. Buying a house requires all players to work together so that everyone wins at the end. The game started with my client choosing a great mortgage officer and getting preapproved. We then found a house he liked and made a good offer. My client offered the asking price. Did I mention Read more

A Few Bad Pennies….

April 26, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 12 Comments

About 3 weeks ago, I wrote an offer on a bank owned property in Hayward for a client of mine. I tried contacting the agent representing the seller to let her know that I was sending an offer, but wasn’t able to reach her. So, I emailed the offer and, also, faxed it to make absolutely sure that she received it by the deadline.

Over the course of the next 3 weeks, I tried diligently to reach this agent. I tried both calling and emailing. Sometimes when I called, I would get her voice mail. Other times, I got her husband who was listed as the co-lister, but knew nothing about the property. He indicated that he had “taken the phone away from her, because if she kept taking calls, she would never get anything done.” Read more

San Bruno Posy Parade 2009

April 23, 2009 · Karin Cunningham · 9 Comments

The Posy Parade in San Bruno is held every year in June. It is put on by the San Bruno Lion’s Club. This year it will be on Sun. June 7th at 1:00. The theme this year is “The Many Cultures of San Bruno”! It is a parade dedicated to children and it’s themes are always deocrated with flowers!

At its height in the 1960s, the parade attracted as many as 3 thousand participants and 20 to 30 thousand spectators. This year is the 69th Annual Posy Parade in San Bruno. The parade includes all of our baseball teams, school floats, orginization floats, marching bands, a Posy Parade princess and her court. The mayor passes by in a fire truck and the city council in old fashioned cars throw candy to the crowds who are lining the street! The end of the Posy Parade is in San Bruno Park which holds a ceremony for the best floats, hot dog sales and 2 MAJOR San Bruno baseball games! See you Sunday June 7th for the 69th Annual Posy Parade in San Bruno, Ca.!

Posy Parade Poster

Posy Parade Brochure

http://sbpsd.k12.ca.us/schoolhouse/posy-parade.html

Picture taken from website above.

Is the Tax Credit Working?

April 19, 2009 · Adam Chinn · 7 Comments

new-construction I recently came across an article by the (CBIA) California Building Industry Association entitled, “New-Home Sales Still Historically Slow in February”. The title does suggest that this is indeed another sub-par month for the real estate business as well as our economy but as I read on I did find some very positive news that will hopefully bring us closer to the bright future. Positive news such as, us finally seeing the bottom of the housing declines.

I am current working with some clients who are interested in purchasing their first home in a New-Home Community. They would be Eligible for both the $10,000 New-Home Tax Credit as well as the $8,000 First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit. This of course would make a huge difference for them financially, who wouldn’t want an extra $18,000 in credit when purchasing a home?

If you would like to view the article please visit California Building Industry Association.

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.

It is starting to trickle down?

April 15, 2009 · Mark Hasha · 7 Comments

money-falling A question that comes up when talking about today’s housing market is if the recent economic stimulus packages and federal bailouts that we are all paying for will actually help the average homeowner. I wish I could tell you that I understand how it all is suppose to work. You wonder how pumping billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars into bleeding financial institutions will actually trickle down and help average hard working families who are struggling to keep ahead of their daily expenses and keep a roof over their family’s heads. I can’t tell you how it is all suppose to work but I can tell you that I can now see it on my newest mortgage statement. Read more