The Future of Police Services in Millbrae
Important Town Hall Meetings are being held this week to discuss the future of police services in Millbrae. The City of Millbrae has reduced the size of its police force by an estimated 26% over the past ten years, and staffing resources are apparently at a minimum, “non-sustainable” level and currently does not even have a full-time Police Chief. The City Council has been exploring several options, and the current proposal involves outsourcing to the San Mateo County’s Sheriff, which is projected to save about $167K in personnel costs when compared to the current police budget. On the other hand, it will take an additional estimated cost of $410K to fund the recommended Police Department staffing.
Personally, at a time when the economy is doing poorly and I’ve been hearing of more incidents of burglary and theft, this seems like the wrong time to cut back on safety and security resources. Both as a homeowner and as a real estate agent in Millbrae, I know one of the big attractions is the “small-town” feel where people can feel relatively safe, and parents don’t have to feel nervous about letting their children go trick-or-treating, and I’d hate to see that go away. Read more
Energy Rebate in San Bruno Up To $17,000 Per Household!
Get an inspection and see if your home qualifies for up to $17,000 in energy rebates. This is a San Bruno City and San Mateo County package funded by Energy Upgrade California. The program ends March 31, 2012 so make your reservation today to join us!
Save Money, Save Energy with Energy Upgrade California
- Air Sealing
- Tank-less Hot Water
- Insulation
- Solar Hot Water
- Heating & AC
- Windows & Doors
- Fireplace
- Solar & Roofing
Thursday November 10th 6:30pm-8:00pm San Bruno Home Owner Workshop Prudential California Realty 180 El Camino Real, San Bruno 94066 R.S.V.P. today! Call 650-989-1220 or register online:
To search for homes www.KarinCunningham.com
For San Bruno community events and activities www.Facebook.com/SanBrunoLife
What is closing or escrow and what is involved in opening escrow?
Closing is when all the funds are disbursed to the seller, lender, other lien holders, taxes etc. and the property transfer from seller to buyer is recorded in the County’s Recorder’s office. This is legally when the buyer becomes the property owner. This is generally the time when the buyer receives the keys to their new home. Many people get the closing and signing confused. “Signing” is only signing the loan documents and that generally occurs several days prior to closing.
Escrow is the period between both parties signing the purchase contract and closing. Opening Escrow is a simple process. It occurs when the buyer’s good faith deposit is placed in the hands of a neutral third party. In Northern Californian we do this with a Title and Escrow Company. The Escrow Company holds the deposit in a bonded account until both the buyer and seller have fulfilled their obligations under the purchase contract. The escrow company is a neutral third party and will not release the funds either to the buyer if the contract is cancelled or to the seller if the contract is fulfilled unless both parties have signed instructions stating so. Basically Escrow begins with the deposit check being given to the escrow company and ends at closing.
Escrow should not get confused with an escrow account. An escrow account is an impound account or reserve account generally for property tax and home owners insurance. It is requested by lenders based on the type loan the buyer is getting.
It is Better To Own Real Estate and Wait Than to Wait to Own Real Estate
Lee Ginsburg
www.leesellsmore.com
Is Foreclosure a Smart Way to Go?
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
Pumpkin Patch 2011 at Prudential California Realty, San Bruno
The Prudential California Realty, San Bruno, Pumpkin Patch is Sat. October 22, 10-2pm. Please join us for hot dogs, face painting, pictures, and more. It’s all on us as Prudential gives back! Join us!
If you cannot view this video invitation click on this link! Thanks!
Shokoofeh Nowbakht 650-871-3686
FHA appraisals part 1 – Siding Inspection
I am writing this post to help you understand what the FHA does and does not require in regard to the condition of a property being purchased using an FHA loan. The guidelines have changed in this area as the FHA has loosened up on its property requirements. While these guidelines dictate what the Federal Housing Authority will accept to insure a loan, lenders will generally have “overlays” above and beyond these requirements so it is best to check in with a qualified FHA mortgage specialist with questions about a specific property.
There is a common mis-conception that an inspection by a government inspector is required to close an FHA loan. This is not the case. To close an FHA loan, the appraiser must be FHA certified, and the appraiser must make a some extra warranties on their report. We spent some time with Bob Singer with TracAppraisals here in San Francisco to show us what he looks for when completing an appraisal for an FHA loan.
Here, Bob Singer from TRACAppraisals.com explains the FHA visual appraisal inspection of siding in the first of this series.
Jay Sondhi
Guarantee Mortgage
http://www.jaysondhi.com/
What Do I Get When I Buy A House?
Well that’s a pretty loaded question. I think it depends on why you are buying. Lets break it up into pieces.
Are you investing or is this home going to be your primary residence?
If you are looking at purchasing a home for investment purposes, it’s probably a good idea to make sure it has a good return on it. Also… you want to make sure with the rent you are not only able to pay the mortgage (be sure to check if your property taxes are included in your mortgage payments). You will also want to make sure that the amount of rent you charge is comparable to the area and to your mortgage payments. Ideally you would like enough rent to cover the mortgage, property taxes, and maintenance. In the perfect world you would like your tenant to pay enough rent yet the rent be atractive enough to keep them as long term tenants to relieve as many out of pocket expenses for you. Inevitably there will be some sort of repairs or maintenance that will be your responsibility as the owner to remedy some of which you can write off 
Read more
How do I Improve My Credit?
If you have had credit problems, be prepared to discuss them honestly with a mortgage professional. Responsible mortgage professionals know there can be legitimate reasons for credit problems, such as unemployment, illness, or other financial difficulties. If you had a problem that’s been corrected and your payments have been on time for a year or more, your credit may be considered satisfactory.
If you are currently in excess debt, there are four ways to control it:
If your credit is not in terrible shape, you can reduce your other expenses, even if it means making hard choices or changing your lifestyle to fit your income. Consider selling a second car, taking equity out of your home, applying for a non secured signature loan, obtaining a loan from a relative, selling your home and paying off your debts with the proceeds and then renting, cashing out your 401K/retirement benefits, or selling family heirlooms, jewelry, etc.
If your credit is already damaged or one of the above isn’t an option, Read more
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Recent Posts
- Top 5 Reasons to Buy a House in the Bay Area in 2012
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- Is it a Good Time to Buy a House in San Mateo County? Part 1
- What’s the difference between inspections and the”final walk-through”?
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