Archive for Buyers
Free Hazardous Waste Disposal in Oakland and Piedmont CA
When preparing an Oakland Hills or Piedmont home for sale it is likely that you have a shelf or cabinet full of hazardous waste such as old paints, solvents, strippers, oil etc. Disposal of hazardous waste materials in Oakland is quite easy. The Oakland Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday [...]
Buying an Oakland Hills home with Oakland Schools in mind
Many home buyers when considering purchasing a home in the Oakland Hills ask about the local schools, even if there are no school age children in the family. Let’s face it, some Oakland Unified Schools leave something to be desired. On the other hand, there are some outstanding schools in the Oakland Hills area that [...]
What does an increase in interest rates do to my mortgage payment?
OK, so you are a first time buyer looking to purchase a home. In the Oakland Montclair and Oakland Hills areas the average entry level home is around $600,000. If you were to purchase an average Oakland Montclair home with a 20% down payment and a loan of 80% at an interest rate of 5.375%, [...]
Pitfalls of purchasing a REO forclosed home in Oakland and Berkeley Hills CA
Though REO (bank owned) properties, foreclosures and short sales are much less common in the Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont real estate communities, the worsening economy is resulting in these type transactions becoming more prevalent. Many of today’s Oakland Hills home buyers want to see how they can take advantage of this situation. Finding [...]
What is a shortsale in oakland hills and berkeley CA
A short sale is a situation when a homeowner is trying to sell their home for less money than they owe on thier mortgage. Economic conditions being what they are, short sales are becomeing more prevelant, even in trophy real estate districts like the Oakland Hills: Montclair, Upper Rockridge, Broadway Terrace, Berkeley: North Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont [...]
sunday open homes for Oakland, Berkeley and Piedmont CA
When looking to educate yourself on real estate values and homes for sale in the Oakland, Berkeley and Piedmont areas you may want to do so by visiting Sunday open homes. As a full service Realtor, one of the ways that I provide with real estate services designed to make life easy on my clients [...]
What’s a Supplemental Tax bill?
Buying a home in Oakland, Berkeley Piedmont, especially for first time buyers results in the question “What’s a supplemental tax bill?” State law requires the Assessor’s Office to reappraise property immediately upon change of ownership or completion of new construction. The Assessor’s Office must issue a supplemental assessment which reflects the difference between the prior assessed [...]
Seismic retrofit incentives for new home Buyers in Oakland and Berkeley
The city of Oakland and the City of Berkeley offer nice incentives for new Buyers to make seismic retrofit improvements to their properties. If you live in the Oakland and Berkeley hills areas such as Montclair, Rockridge, Elmwood, North Berkeley or anywhere in the San Francisco East Bay, it’s a safe bet that the home [...]
Neighborhood and district names for homes in Oakland, Berkeley and Piedmont Hills California
The Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont real estate area is comprised of many colorful neighborhoods, each with their own names such as Montclair, Rockridge, Croker Highlands, Trestle Glen etc. I’m often asked to identify the most common neighborhood names used in real estate advertising so that home Buyers can identify their general areas of interest. Well, here you [...]
Conforming loan limits and their affects in Oakland and Berkeley Hills real estate
Loan amounts fall into two main categories, Conforming and Jumbo. Conforming loans have a limit up to $729k. Jumbo loans are all loans over $729k. Until recently the Conforming loan amount was all the way down in the $400’s. As an economic stimulus the Congress temporarily increased the Conforming loan limit to $729 through January [...]
