As Bay Area real estate prices continue to climb, prospective real estate investors continue to widen their search for the perfect property. In fact, according to a recent report, a quarter of Bay Area buyers shifted their search to Sacramento, where housing prices are still 2 to 3 times more affordable than in counties like Alameda and San Mateo. And there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you’re among those people. But for some, what began as a… read more →
A little while ago, a homeowner reached out to us who has a house in the Hayward Hills. He was having trouble getting rent from his tenant, and that was a problem because he lives in Virginia. We assisted him through the long process of getting the tenant out, and then assessing the damage that had come from years of neglect in the owner’s absence. Initially, we had thought about helping this homeowner rehab the home, but he has decided… read more →
There’s been a lot of talk lately about fraud of all kinds. We now have chips in our credit cards, two-step authentication to make sure our accounts aren’t hacked, and lately my email has been blowing up with notices about a new kind of fraud that’s been happening in real estate transactions — wire fraud. Here’s what’s happening: criminals are hacking email accounts and finding out the individual is involved in a real estate transaction. They then send emails that… read more →
Last month, the sale of Dublin townhouses and condos outperformed the Bay Area average in several important categories, including “days on market” and “median for sale versus sold” figures. This reinforces the opinion that condos and townhouses continue to be the strongest aspect of the Dublin housing market—something that should please homeowners who are looking to rent or sell these types of properties in the area. This is especially salient now, with news of skyrocketing prices in San Francisco and… read more →
When you make an offer on a property and it’s accepted by the seller, two things normally happen right away. First, you have to put your deposit in escrow, and second you (or, hopefully, your agent) need to order the inspections. In a typical transaction, we recommend our clients order three kinds of inspections: property, termite and roof. Of all three, the termite inspection is the most important; let’s talk a little about the details so you know what to expect. Read More →
Just about every house in the San Francisco Bay Area is connected to a public sewer system. Of all the homes I’ve sold, only three have had a septic system. The first time I helped someone with a septic system, I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated. After three transactions I am by no means an expert, but I’ve found they aren’t as scary as I once thought they were. And, with the economy improving and clients looking at purchasing vacation property out in the country, it’s probably worthwhile to run through the logistics here on the blog so you know a little more about what to expect. Here it goes… Read More →
As we hinted about in the previous installment of this series, our client at 440 Meadowlark owned a property that had a value of around $360,000 if it were sold in its present, as-is condition. As you saw from Part One of the “Shabby to Showplace” series, the house was suffering from deferred maintenance, it needed a new roof, and seemed to be the victim of shoddy workmanship from “upgrades” previous owners had made through the years. Our seller was… read more →
It used to be that, if you were an underwater homeowner who had fallen on hard times, and who had to do a short sale, the forgiven debt would be counted as income on your tax return. Think about that — you have $400,000 in debt against your home and, after the downturn, it’s only worth $250,000 when you are forced to sell it or have your lender foreclose. Then, at the end of the year, you owe income taxes… read more →
When we think about marketing, most of us think about media (like commercials, print ads, social media, etc.) and branding. There’s another discipline of marketing, though, and that’s called Product Marketing. When it comes to marketing your home, enhancing your home’s appeal (taking it from, you guessed it, shabby to showplace) to its target audience can be a daunting task. In fact, most real estate sales agencies outsource that work to others because they don’t know how to do it.… read more →
Many of our friends and fans know Lifestyle Real Estate Services as a real estate marketing company, and think of the fantastic photography, brilliant brochures and precise online marketing we use to get our listings sold. But good marketing is just as much about the “product” as it is about the “media” used to represent it. Let’s face it – if your house is ugly, there’s only so much we’re going to be able to do to help you maximize… read more →
The Property Marketing People at Lifestyle Real Estate Services have done it again, successfully marketing and selling a home in the Dublin Ranch Terraces! We marketed the home on Lifestyle Real Estate Services, and our sellers accepted an offer only three days after putting it the home on the market. Our sellers enjoyed the highest sale price of that particular model so far this year. Condos in the Dublin Ranch Terraces that are similar to it have closed at an… read more →
Ask any homebuyer looking to purchase a Dublin Ranch home in the last few months and they will tell you – it’s been a tough time to buy. Every reasonably priced property gets multiple offers, and most sell above the asking price after only a few days being on the market. It’s difficult to avoid that sinking feeling of overpaying, and reports by out-of-touch appraisers often require homebuyers to come in with more cash than they had expected. But for… 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 →
Sellers of Dublin Ranch single-family homes have something to celebrate — the real estate market continues to be in their favor! “Months of Inventory” for last month was at just below two months, which is a good seller’s market. People ask us, all the time, “How’s the real estate market?” We’ve found that the easiest way to describe any market is by talking about the “months of inventory” statistics. This stat measures the length of time, with current buying activity,… read more →
The Real Estate Team at Dublin Ranch Lifestyle has done it again! The owner of 6145 Mabury Avenue in Orange, CA hired us after learning about our unique marketing philosophy on our President and CEO’s Philosophy page.. Working with past clients is not only a lot of fun, but it’s also an honor to be re-hired by someone who recognizes the caliber of work we do to market homes and get them sold. A couple of years ago, I helped this client buy… read more →
Real estate investors in Dublin Ranch who have a desire to fix and flip homes or condos just got a HUGE favor from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development: they no longer have to wait 90 days from their date of purchase to sell a flip property to an FHA buyer! Before this change, if you purchased a home — regardless of condition — you had to wait for 90 days to be able to sell it to… read more →
As the economy recovers, many people are regaining their confidence in the real estate market. In fact, real estate in Dublin Ranch has already turned back towards a seller’s market. While you may not have been able to buy at the most advantageous point there is still significant reward to be made as an investment opportunity when purchasing a Dublin Ranch condo or townhouse. Consider that while supply is down 39% and demand is up 117% from November of 2007… read more →
There are a lot of perks to living in Dublin Ranch, but skyrocketing property values is one we’ve not enjoyed for a while. Many homeowners have been looking forward to the Federal Rescue plan, but after Obama’s speech on February 18th in Phoenix, it may seem like a lost cause. What to do? Don’t give up – call your lender and see if they will modify your loan to fit your financial picture. We just had a client who worked… read more →
Buying a house from a builder seems simple — you show up, sign in, view the model, pick out your lot and upgrades, and sign. “Why do I need an agent for that?” I hear you asking… Read on, my friend. So far, we’ve talked in Parts 1 and 2 about how an agent can help you review, and will draw your attention to, anomalies in the builder’s agreement and how he or she can help you save money by… read more →
Buying a house from a builder seems simple — you show up, sign in, view the model, pick out your lot and upgrades, and sign. “Why do I need an agent for that?” I hear you asking… Read on, my friend. Think of how much it must cost to build a new-home subdivision. Start to finish, the costs must be endless. Still, there’s a reason why builders do it and make a ton of cash — the profit centers are… read more →
