Open House Etiquette

December 7, 2010 · Kathy Wall · 4 Comments

For the last 17+ years, I have been selling real estate and, for the first 16 of those years, have hated doing open houses. I love meeting new customers, but if it is a slow day it can be incredibly boring. Nowadays, I enjoy them a lot more, because I bring my computer and can accomplish quite a bit (well, alright, sometimes I play word games and don’t actually accomplish too much, but I’m a lot happier!)

While doing my open house yesterday, I had plenty of time to contemplate, since it was pouring down rain and absolutely no one came. Fortunately, the house I was holding open was warm and cozy, so it was pretty comfortable. Since I had so much time, I began thinking about the whole open house process.

I thought it might be helpful for all of the buyers out there if I shared a few thoughts about the etiquette of open houses. A few helpful hints are: Read more

Brisbane – Missing the Boat…

August 15, 2010 · Kathy Wall · 5 Comments

Many home buyers and Realtors are missing the boat when it comes to a nearby town that offers great weather, lots of amenities and darned good real estate prices. I’m talking about the little community of Brisbane. It is located 10 minutes (or less, if you drive like me!) from the airport and is only 10 minutes to downtown San Francisco. Yet, hardly anyone even knows of it’s existence.

Brisbane is a hidden gem here on the Peninsula. It is located on the side of San Bruno Mountain between San Francisco and South San Francisco. There are only 3,597 residents, which makes it one of the smallest communities in the area. It is very unlike your typical suburb in that it has a hodgepodge of all types of architecture, from shacks to mansions, with very few ranch style homes. Many of the homes have great views of the Bay and downtown San Francisco.

The people of the community are almost as diverse as the architecture. Living in the town are world renowned film makers, rocket scientists, artists and musicians…all living happily amongst all of us regular folks. Brisbane is known as the “City of the Stars” because for over 65 years the residents have put up stars on their homes during the holiday season and even have a “Festival of Stars” each year. Read more

Bay Area Prices up 20%????

April 7, 2010 · Lee Ginsburg · 1 Comment

The headline reads Prices Up 20%.

What do these numbers mean? I am sorry to tell you, your home did not increase 20%. Buyers don’t get scared off and sellers don’t put your home on the market for 20% more than you paid last year.

These numbers are totally misleading. Prices are increasing in some areas and in some price points but not by 20%. Possibly 3-5%.

You can make numbers do whatever you want. First you need to know if the numbers are for Single Family homes or Condominiums or both. Then are they comparing it to the same month in a previous year or just the previous month. Are they talking about median price or average price. The Median price is the price that is in the middle; there are an equal number of transactions above and below. These numbers are very general. It is interesting and might give a slight indication as to the market in the country, in your state, in your city but Real Estate is very localized down to the neighborhood in the city. If you want to know the value of your home call your Real Estate consultant. Read more