What If My Offer Is Rejected?

January 10, 2012 · Bernadette Ramirez · 4 Comments

Oddly enough, I get asked this question most often before clients write offers. This usually goes along with the fear of commitment or loss. Either way, clients are usually inquisitive of this before even writing an offer or deciding on what terms to offer.

If your inquiring about rejection before you write your offer, you should ask yourself how that would make you feel? Is this property your dream home, starter home, vacation home, investment? I think depending on where your interest lies with investing in that particular property will then come the answer to your question, “what next”?

If the outcome is not what you predicted or wanted then maybe you should ask your realtor why; what was the seller looking for in an offer? How can I learn from this to increase my chances of acquiring my next property of choice? Of course the best advice comes from those with their hands in the market every day so to speak! So….. don’t be afraid to ask your favorite realtor here at Prudential in San Bruno, ” WHAT SHOULD I DO?”

Lets get your best offer in first, then and only if we have to, will we deal with rejection TOGETHER:) Otherwise, BEST OF LUCK with your offer!

Bernadette Ramirez
Prudential California Realty
I WORK FOR YOU!
You can reach me @ 650-871-3639

How to choose the “Best” real estate home loan.

December 22, 2011 · Lee Ginsburg · 2 Comments

Lee Ginsburg, top real estate agent with Prudential California Realty, shares his experince on how to choose the right real estate lender.

Lee Ginsburg
Your satisfaction is my success!

www.LeeSellsMore.com

http://youtu.be/DLiDviKZgl0

What’s the difference between inspections and the”final walk-through”?

December 12, 2011 · Bernadette Ramirez · 1 Comment

Inspections are the buyers right. You as a buyer have the right to inspect the home if your offer is accepted by the seller. This is your chance to find out as much about the property as you can. Depending on what type of investment you have in mind, would depend on what type of inspections you should get on the property. Areas, weather, years, all of these things need to be taken into consideration when deciding which inspections to do. Using your due diligence and inspecting the property is very much to the buyers advantage and at times to the seller as well.

The final walk – through is done at the very end of the transaction a few days before close of escrow. You can refer to your purchase agreement for future reference. You can find more elaborate information regarding the final walk- through in the section labeled “Final Verification of Condition” again, verbiage may vary depending on which agreement you use. The walk- through is used to solely verify the terms and conditions of the contract have been executed by all parties of the agreement. NOT to re-negotiate terms and conditions!

Remember, these terms are not always clear or at the very least create more questions, we are always here to answer any questions you have. As tech savy as we are these days its just silly not to ask when you can have the answer at your fingertips!

Bernadette Ramirez
www.BarForU.com
Happy Holidays!!! Look below for a special Holiday offer!!!

Should I rent or buy?

November 16, 2011 · Kathy Wall · 4 Comments

Should I rent or buy is a question that just about everyone asks themselves at one time or another. At what point does it make more sense to own a home than to rent one? Much of the decision comes down to personal choice…..Do I want to be in charge of my own home or have someone else be responsible for repairs and maintenance?

For me, the choice was a relatively simple one because I have always hated the idea of a landlord telling me what I could and couldn’t do in my home, so I always knew I would try to do whatever I could to purchase my own home.

In the end it often comes strictly down to the money. Sometimes, it simply doesn’t make sense to purchase a home, particularly if it means that you will be struggling to make the payments each month, let alone pay for property insurance and taxes. When my son and his wife were trying to decide whether to continue renting or buy a home, they went to this website and found it to be very helpful: http://www.decisionaide.com/MPCalculators/Menus/MP_Calculators.asp. When you get there scroll down the page and you will find a link for Renting vs. Buying. Read more

How Much House Can I Afford?

November 14, 2011 · Bernadette Ramirez · 3 Comments

Well that depends…. how are you planning on purchasing your home? Do you have cash? Are you planning on getting a loan; if so, have you received a pre-qualification letter from your lender yet? Once you establish the way you will be funding the purchase of your home then we can figure out which steps you will need to complete to accomplish this.

Cash is pretty self explanatory. Lets talk about financing a bit. A serious buyer, in need of a loan to purchase a home will need to contact their lender for a pre-qualification letter. This is most often wanted, to be included in your offer package, when submitting to the banks in a short sale, reo and even Sellers in a regular sale. If you are in need of a lender remember, to make things easier on you, Prudential San Bruno, has a really good Mortage Company relationship that works in house , Guarantee Mortgage 650.589.1000. What else can I say but they are nothing less than awesome!

Actually getting a pre-approval often times can speed the home buying process up. Your lender will need to evaluate your debt to income ratio in order to establish how much house you can actually afford. Read more

Is Foreclosure a Smart Way to Go?

October 20, 2011 · Kathy Wall · 1 Comment

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

What Do I Get When I Buy A House?

October 11, 2011 · Bernadette Ramirez · 3 Comments

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

12th Annual SSF Citywide Garage Sale

September 7, 2011 · Nicole Machado · 1 Comment

Calling all South San Francisco residents who may want to participate in this event.
For the 12th Consecutive Year, the City of South San Francisco and the South San Francisco Scavenger Company are sponsoring the “Citywide Garage Sale”. The Garage Sale will take place on Saturday, September 10, 2011. Residents wishing to participate may open their garages and participate in the sale on that day. Participation is FREE and registration is not required. Help the City in its continuing effort to encourage recycling and reuse by:
- Announcing the sale at your church or in a club newsletter
- E-mail family and friends
- Download the attached flyer and post it on a community or employee bulletin board
- Help ensure a large turnout on your block by encouraging your neighbors to participate