Your words say “Yes” but your actions…not so much!

July 24, 2009 · Julie Cleland · 4 Comments

In any sales position, a person’s living depends a great deal on their ability to figure out who is ready, willing and able to buy and who isn’t. In addition to understanding real estate, a Realtor® has to be able to analyze how serious a potential client is and then determine the amount of energy appropriate for that client. We’ve all had buyers who insist buying is something they really want, when every other signal the buyer is sending screams “Not in this life time!”. If you feel as a buyer you are not getting the attention you deserve, it could be the realtor, or it could be time for a little self reflection. Read more

Environmental Issues When Buying A Home

June 29, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 4 Comments

I recently had to renew my real estate license for another 4 years and, as part of that process, had to take 45 hours of continuing education. I’ve been selling real estate for 16 years and, after all of that time, you start to think you know it all. Clearly, I was wrong, because I learned a lot from taking these courses.

The course that covers environmental issues in homes was of particular interest. I thought that some of the things I learned might be of help to my readers, so my next few articles will cover some of the environmental issues people need to be aware of. Today, I’ll talk a little about asbestos. 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

Real Estate Jargon…What Do All of These Terms Mean?

April 6, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 11 Comments

We Realtors often bandy about tons of real estate jargon. We talk to our clients and friends about short sales, REO’s, contingency periods, etc. I have come to realize, however, that just because we know what all of this stuff means, not everyone does, so I thought it would be helpful to describe some of the terms we use. Hopefully, this will give you some idea of what we’re talking about as we rattle on and on and your eyes are going bleary! Here goes:

Contingency Periods: We, generally, refer to these when doing our contracts. As an example, we tell you that you will have a 10 day period to “remove your property condition contingency” or 20 days to remove loan and appraisal contingencies. What this really boils down to, is that these are the time frames during which you will have the right to get your deposit back if you cancel the contract. Once you “remove these contingencies,” you are no longer entitled to get your deposit back, unless you can prove some sort of fraud. Read more

More Housing Help from the Government

March 3, 2009 · Kathy Wall · 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