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 →
The search for Bay Area homes is pushing further into the suburbs—that’s according to a recent news report examining burgeoning buyer interest in “bedroom communities”. From homes in Castro Valley to plots in Sonoma County, the growing attention for commuter towns stems from soaring prices and shrinking inventories closer to work. The result might be a “warm” winter for inland real estate. But do the numbers support this? For the sake of argument, we’ve taken a closer look at homes… read more →
Livermore homes may continue to benefit from the Bay Area’s housing market in the near future — regardless of which direction prices go. Depending on who you ask, the Bay Area real estate market is either going strong or beginning to cool. That’s according to differing data recently collected by real estate researchers Redfin and Zillow, and it’s something that has caught the attention of everyone from housing economists to the star of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing, San Francisco”. In… read more →
In June’s National Housing Survey by Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant found that consumer attitudes on the U.S. housing market are signaling the approach of a “healthier purchase market” which, according to many real estate experts, may have an impact on the Bay Area housing market and its prices. Among those experts is Zillow’s chief economist Stan Humphries, who believes that an increase in mortgage rates and household incomes will trigger a transition from a “stimulus-driven housing market” to “one… read more →
The “Lifestyle Client Experience”. What does that mean to us? Well, in today’s fast-paced world, it seems like everyone has a smartphone permanently attached to their hand, everyone seems to have less free time than ever, and good customer service feels like a thing of the past. Most companies are trying to distance themselves from their customers, so tasks like checking your bank account balance or paying your electric bill involve complicated phone trees and customer support representatives who are… read more →
While the most recent Gallup poll indicates that the rising price of gas has impacted confidence in the U.S. economy, a February report by Fannie Mae shows that Americans are still growing optimistic about their ability to find a home, get a mortgage, and become homeowners. But in California — where inventory has been consistently low and many buyers have had a difficult time purchasing homes — a question arises: Is this optimism finding its way into Bay Area real… read more →
It may come as no surprise that the latest news regarding the local real estate market concerns a significant drop in Bay Area sale numbers. This seems to be a combination of two things: The typical winter slump, and a relative lack of homeowners putting their houses up for sale. An effect of this shortage is that housing prices have been bolstered through the holiday season, benefiting homeowners in many parts of the bay, including the focus of this article… read more →
With winter drawing closer, experts continue to predict a slowdown of the Bay Area housing market. This is nothing new, of course: Historically, the winter season has served as the low-point of annual real estate sales due to a combination of bad weather and holiday distractions. But as demand — one of the key factors that has been driving sales sky-high — “cools” off, there’s a reasonable expectation that the housing market will stabilize. According to Freddie Mac’s Multi-Indicator Market… read more →
If we summed up Bay Area real estate according to the news, it would go like this: Sales have dropped, there’s been a slowdown in the climb of housing prices, and inventory remains low. Rising interest rates loom over homebuyers, potentially cutting into future housing sales. And people are even starting to talk about winter, when many buyers temporarily suspend their searches and fewer homes tend to go on sale. But if winter is coming early, the latest statistics suggest… read more →
Lately, the primary focus of local real estate news has been on determining whether or not the Bay Area housing market has peaked. With every dip and spike, experts have pointed at signs that the plateau is imminent, or that we have already reached it. Of course, some parts of the Bay Area have likely peaked (the Richmond Waterfront, for instance). But there are three reasons to think that this does not apply to the East Bay as a whole.… read more →
Apple’s Homekit is a feature available to app developers to help them incorporate Apple’s personal assistant, Siri, into their household products’ functionality. In other words, we’ll soon be able to control and manage such things as our thermostat, lights, garage door, front door lock and other everyday household appliances and other items with just our voice. All of us iPhone owners are already aware that Siri can fulfill our desire to know what the weather is like outside (or halfway… read more →
Up until very recently, the housing market in the Richmond Waterfront area — including Point Richmond, Marina Bay, and Country Club Vista — was similar to other parts of the Bay Area: Prices were climbing, inventory was dropping, and the average home only had to spend a relatively brief time on the market before selling. Even back in May, however, there were signs that this could be slowing down in the near future. For example, new properties were entering the… read more →
Have you heard? Part of California’s Low-Flow Toilet Law took affect January 1, 2014. But does everyone have to swap their old toilet for a new one? The short answer is “not yet.” For now, the law (SB 407 Padilla) only affects those who are doing an addition that increases the square footage of a home by 10% or more, those who spend $150,000 or more on retrofits or improvements, or those who are building a new home. If you… read more →
I had the opportunity to meet with a Dublin Ranch homeowner two nights ago who needs to do a short sale on a condo in the Terraces. They are a really nice family; when we originally started talking they told me they had been declined a modification in the “Making Home Affordable” program, and had thought that letting their Dublin Ranch condo go to foreclosure was their only option. I’m glad we got a chance to talk about the potential… read more →
We at Lifestyle Real Estate Services received some great news last week! Any owner of Dublin Ranch real estate who is looking to sell, or any buyer interested in purchasing a condo, townhome, or single-family residence in Dublin Ranch will be interested to hear this! Ready? Drum roll please! The Real Estate Team at Lifestyle Real Estate was selected by the BayEast Association of Realtors to be part of their prestigious President’s Club! This award was given based on our… read more →
The value of Dublin Ranch homes, whether they be single-family homes, or condos and townhomes have stabilized for the time being. That’s good news. The concern is how long that change is going to be around… It’s true, there are a LOT more loans that are in default right now than are actually being foreclosed. I remember reading recently that only about 5% of the loan modifications from the “Making Home Affordable” program are actually going through, and that’s not… read more →
As you may already know, The Bay Area Rapid Transit service has plans to add service throughout the Livermore area with the addition of BART extensions. At this time, BART is selecting a preferred alignment for this extension. They are interested in hearing from you and other owners of Dublin Ranch homes regarding their proposed stations and routes. With five different stations suggested, you may find that one specifically fits your needs as a local resident. Perhaps the Isabel/I-580 station,… read more →
Buffalo Wild Wings is now open in Dublin Ranch, and owners of Dublin Ranch homes, condos and townhomes have a new place to hang out. I have to admit, when I heard our beautiful neighborhood was getting a “Wings” joint, I was MORE than a little bit skeptical. We are such a classy neighborhood; the idea of a restaurant coming that emphasized food you can pick up at just about any fast-food restaurant and presenting itself on the internet as… 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 →
We heard so much about the Real Estate Rescue Plan for so long; was it worth the wait? Before the President’s speech in Phoenix this week, the expectation of many in the real estate community could have been likened to the Second Coming of Christ. So now it’s here, and you have a home in Dublin Ranch – will you qualify for help with your mortgage? The truth is, probably not. There are a couple of reasons for that. We’ll… read more →
