I remember growing up and hearing adults say, “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.” As a kid, I didn’t get it — there’s no candy, there’s no presents, there’s no warm-weather barbecue out on the patio. It just seemed like a bunch of food and time spent sitting around with adults listening to boring conversation. I guess I’m getting older, though, because these days Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as well. I was fortunate when I was a kid; my life… read more →
One of the reasons Dublin Ranch homeowners are thinking seriously about short-selling their homes is because a Federal Tax benefit for underwater homes is expiring at the end of this year. The reason this is important is because, according to the IRS, if you are forgiven debt (through a short sale, or suffering a foreclosure) that’s considered income — and it’s taxable. So, picture this: you’re a family who has fallen on hard times in a bad recession. You get… read more →
An “offers due” strategy is often used on non-distressed properties that are being sold during a sellers market. There are four reasons for this strategy; two have to do with professional courtesy, one has to do with getting you the most money possible, and the last has to do with finding you a committed buyer. Let me go through them below… As a professional courtesy, we like to give agents an opportunity to show your home. It’s never unreasonable to… read more →
If you’re in the market for a Dublin Ranch condo or townhome, you have a couple of options: be aggressive in trying to get your offer accepted, or wait it out for the market to return to more favorable terms for buyers. The Months’ Supply of Inventory in Dublin Ranch for condos and townhomes has, since the beginning of the year, been on a steep decline. That’s good for sellers, but bad for buyers. When the market tips this strongly… read more →
Readers of our blog will know -‐ one of the ways we measure the “velocity” of the market for Dublin Ranch homes is by looking at the “Months’ Supply of Inventory” or “MSI.” It’s because it makes something complicated it an easy thing to understand. Think of it this way: if no more homes come on the market after today, how long would it take to sell through the current inventory at the rate that homes are selling? If the… read more →
Before the downturn, I worked with a lot of real estate investors and helped them do 1031 Exchanges. A lot of my investor clients wanted to buy properties outside the State of California, but all of the loan agents I worked with couldn’t accommodate them. In 2005 I saw an ad in a real estate newspaper for a guy with Bank of America, realized how big they are and thought, “I bet they can do loans out of state…” Sure… read more →
The real estate market for Dublin Ranch condos and townhomes has changed significantly over the last year. Demand increases are on the rise, and there are quite a few reasons why — lenders have slowed down on foreclosing and have allowed a wider variety of work-out options for owners in distress. For owners who can’t afford a work-out option, short sales are taking much less time and that means properties don’t have to be marketed and re-marketed when homebuyers eventually… read more →
Dublin Ranch residents who are thinking about purchasing a car this year will have a a new, different option starting this summer when the Tesla Model S is introduced. An all-electric, seven seat sedan, the Model S uses no gasoline. Just like you would charge your cell phone at night, you can plug in your Model S and enjoy up to 300 miles of range between charges. Needless to say, as a real estate company who takes environmental issues seriously,… read more →
Now that we’ve drawn the curtain on 2011 and almost everyone (including us!) is back to work, it’s fair to say the Holiday Season is over and the New Year has begun. Here at Lifestyle Real Estate Services, we wanted to wish you and your family a fantastic year — it seems it’s already gearing up to be a great one! We know that in the spring, we’ll see the opening of a new BJ’s Restaurant in the new Fallon… read more →
