Nicole Machado

The “Runaway Buyer”…

March 12, 2009 · · 9 Comments

pk-grannyJust a quick post on a funny note… I have encountered a “runaway” buyer at two of my open houses in South San Francisco, two months apart from each other in two different neighborhoods. The first time I met her; she was so nice and friendly and seemed genuinely interested in the home. She said she liked it so much she wanted her husband to see it (he was waiting in the car). I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but once she went out to the car the husband slammed on the accelerator and took off down the street. I thought it was strange, but in this business nothing fazes me. It was about two months later Read more

Jean Joh

Are Things Looking Up?

March 11, 2009 · · 10 Comments

looking-up“Jean, a conference room is available for you upstairs…Jean, a conference room is available.”  Such went a page by my trusty colleague Shokoofeh about a week ago.  I was meeting a client in order to submit an offer on a condo, but to my dismay (and some delight too) ALL of our conference rooms were full.  Shokoofeh had just finished meeting with her clients, so she was able to vacate one conference room just in time for me and my client.  At our company meeting last Friday, one of the brokers mentioned how pleased he was to hear this page and that he was hoping it was a sign that things were going in a positive direction.  I couldn’t help but agree. Read more

PruCalVoices

What lays behind the front door?

March 9, 2009 · · 7 Comments

front-doorHave you ever wondered how people live? I have always been fascinated by the interior of homes, what lies inside and how people live. Perhaps its my education and background in interior design/art history or maybe curiosity.

Well, boy was I taken aback and surprised to see what I found in this one particular home in Daly City.  It was new on the market, a short sale so I previewed it for my clients prior to showing it on Sunday. The listing agent did forewarn me that the home was in shambles. And Yes it was a mess, however I did not make it down to the garage/basement that day because it was dark and the electricity was shut off and boy was I in for a big surprise.  Read more

Nicole Machado

SSF Real Estate becoming a competitive sport…

March 8, 2009 · · 8 Comments

2009-01-07-boxing_glovesGet on your boxing gloves and jump in the ring, but don’t wait for the bell to ring or you’ll be knocked out of the competition.  In the past few weeks homes in SSF have been flying off the market. I have been working with first time home buyers for about a month now that desperately want to purchase a home in SSF.  They are solid buyers that have excellent credit and a good down payment, however they keep getting beat out on properties by all cash offers. The two most recent homes they bid on had a tremendous amount of activity. One had 18 offers and the other had multiple offers within a few Read more

PruCalVoices

The New Real Estate Connection- Online Social Networking

March 6, 2009 · · 5 Comments

Michael has invited special guest  Jonathan Shaw to comment on new Real Estate trends. Jonathan shares with us a re-post of a very good article by Peyman Aleagha for RISmedia
http://rismedia.com/2009-02-23/social-networking-and-the-new-real-estate-sphere-of-influence/

social-network-2

Social Networking and The New Real Estate Sphere of Influence

 Actually, we’re not just talking about “social networks,” but business networking as well. The Internet has made dramatic changes in the way the world shops, locates information, and in how they communicate with each other. Of course, e-mail is the elephant in the room. But, as we become ever more mobile and in a hurry, networking will become a many-faceted activity.

 So, what do we mean by online or social networking? It’s all about sending messages to one another in real time, and getting back responses quickly. But, it’s also about introductions. Read more

Nicole Machado

Are you even trying to close this deal??

March 5, 2009 · · 8 Comments

 string_phone1I recently entered escrow on an REO property (Foreclosure) representing the buyers. With any escrow you enter you want to make sure you have your ducks in a row, but when it comes to REO transactions make sure you read the fine print. Some include passive contingencies which mean that if you don’t pull contingencies in writing on the said date written in the contract, they will pull them for you. This runs the risk of potentially forfeiting your client’s good faith deposit, if for some reason you have to end up canceling the transaction. Read more

Karin Cunningham

The Real Estate Therapist is “IN”!

March 3, 2009 · · 5 Comments

Real estate therapy for the home buyer, home seller and home owner is a pretty common request these days. Some of the most frequently asked questions start  from what the current value of a home is in order to make a decent offer or sale to how one could lower their property taxes. It’s a different market out there in real estate but there are some interesting things going on! Read more

Kathy Wall

More Housing Help from the Government

March 3, 2009 · · 4 Comments

 

In previous posts, fellow bloggers, Annie Chang and Michael Monozon,  have talked about the many benefits of the new federal government stimulus package.   Over the weekend, I learned about yet another program that will greatly help potential home buyers and will also help the many home builders who are sinking under the weight of  their new homes not selling . 

At our office meeting this morning, our in house lender, Guarantee Mortgage, filled us in on the details, as follows.   It seems that the State of California has now instituted yet another tax credit.   This one will apply only to people who purchase a brand new home, condo or townhome. Read more