Brisbane – Missing the Boat…
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
A Few Bad Pennies….
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?
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
Neither Snow nor Rain nor Heat of Day….
It is about 3:30 p.m. and I’m doing an open house in a lovely, although freezing, townhome in Pacifica. The rain is pouring down in sheets. The door is open, hoping to encourage someone to come in. I’m bundled up, including wearing long johns under my slacks, and am suddenly reminded of the postal service motto: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat of day nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” It occurs to me that, to a great degree, professional Realtors follow the same creed. An example of this would be my day today. Read more
Award Winning Real Estate Company!
Prudential California Realty, San Bruno Is part of the Prudential Real Estate family which J.D. Power and Associates has ranked as Highest in Satisfaction for Home Sellers among National Full Service Real Estate Firms, in its 2008 survey. We are proud!
Questions! Why so many questions?
You’ve decided to go out and jump into the home buying process. Good for you! You think, this will be fun…driving around neighborhoods, looking for homes, thinking about all the ways you’ll redecorate. What you might not think about is all the questions you are going to be asked and all the personal information you’ll be expected to share. I’ve had one client lament it would feel less vulnerable standing in a room full of strangers with their skivs on than laying out all the details of their life. But like many things, that which isn’t pleasant may still be good for us. Read more
Why Does a Good Realtor (R) Make a Difference?
One real estate agent is as good as the next…right? As a hard working, professional, full time Realtor ® my answer would have to be WRONG! A good agent offers an invaluable service by providing a client with a feeling of security in one of the biggest financial transactions they will ever make. Security emotionally, financially and legally. Read more
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