Watching an episode of the TV show Property Brothers, and this one had me practically yelling at the TV. "Home sellers, please listen to the experts you hired!"There was this couple who wanted to move up to a bigger and better home, and consulted with twins Jonathan and Drew Scott on what they ne
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07/01/2015
My dear Buyer,I'm sorry you didn't get the house you wanted. I know you had your heart set on it.May I take this time to revisit the importance of looking at cost to buy versus sales price. What is your actual cost to buy? For our purposes, cost to buy is a combination of your down payment and cl
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06/13/2015
When we bought our place in Alameda, CA, the backyard was full of construction debris, and was very uneven. The only living thing in the back yard was a tall plum tree which looked dead and ugly. Gary explained that it was simply getting ready for winter and that it would come back in the spring.
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04/12/2015
For a couple whose first years were spent moving from place to place, we have turned from rolling stones to being planted in stone in our adopted island city of Alameda CA Nomads, that's what we wereWhen Gary and I first met in Tallahassee FL, I was on the verge of moving to Orlando FL. He decid
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04/11/2015
I've often wondered how people in their 70s and 80s are still selling real estate. And I wonder if I could keep up and do it too when I turn 70 or 80? Energizer Women This petite 80 plus year old woman who had the heartiest laugh and the bawdiest sense of humor didn't let technology stop her. Alt
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04/11/2015
Do adults know when they are behaving like cyber-bullies? According to this article on Adult CyberBullying in the Information Age, “Cyber bullying is bullying through email, instant messaging (IMing), chat room exchanges, Web site posts, or digital messages or images send to a cellular phone or p
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04/10/2015
It's so fascinating to watch all kinds of ideas for housing. Having repurposed materials to make tiny houses can help resolve housing challenges. Challenges such as having too few places for rent for a growing population, or having home prices that very few people can afford. Furthermore, if spa
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04/10/2015
My clients and I were going to see a condo in Berkeley, just off busy Shattuck Ave. As I was approaching the gate where the lockbox was placed, I saw a hulking figure crouched behind the bushes. I jumped back, thinking there was some kind of animal that was ready to pounce and attack me. Is that
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04/09/2015
Here's an article and slide show about the "10 Most Stressful and Depressing Jobs in America" in 2014. If you guessed being a REALTOR is stressful and depressing. You're right. But it's even more depressing to see that we're number one on this list. For the average salary we earn, the stakes are
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04/09/2015
Real estate is local....however, our latest challenges in spiking rents seem to be everywhere Tight rental market, highest rents In the Bay Area, CA, rentals are among the highest and fast rising than other parts of the country. Berkeley had the largest change, with a 32.4 percent spike in rent
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04/09/2015