East Bay Real Estate with Mary Smartt

The media continues to spread a message of gloom and doom about the real estate market. While the reports should be listened to and deeply considered, always keep your individual situation in mind if you are currently active in the real estate market.CNN reports that the "glut of homes hits 16-ye...

While there are many large homes on the market, sometimes a smaller, lower-priced residence is the best choice for first time home buyers--especially in today's ever-changing market!. Here is a terrific 2 bedroom / 1 bath condo for sale on the Oakland/Emeryville border for just $239,000. This is ...

You might be wondering if you need to stage your house to help sell it. I can tell you right now that you do indeed need to stage your house. You might be thinking, "Hey, she hasn't even seen my lovely home. What does she know?" I know that you need to stage it. Let me tell you why.You are trying...

I recently worked with a client to help him find a new home after the condo he bought turned out to be problematic.  Many of the brand-new units were completely infiltrated by mold.  The HOA took the matters seriously, and discovered that many of the developer's condo buildings in the Emeryville ...

Friday is here, and I'm about to head off to Mastermind in San Diego to energize my life and career. Coaching and retreats like this through Buffini & Company have made a significant difference for me, and I highly encourage it.  Whether you use the Buffini approach or not, coaching is a great th...

Oakland's Temescal District Temescal is one of my favorite East Bay neighborhoods, plus I believe it is a great place to buy real estate in this turbulent market. This district is right at the beginning of growth spurt, and it should really be hopping--culturally and economically--in the next 2-3...

The Return of the Loan Contingency?In the East Bay's go-go-market of the last few years, loan approvals happened without a second thought. And, since buyers have to be competitive in that market climate, they often dropped the loan contingency from their offers.  Well, now we know the credit mark...

Alrighty, enough talk about real estate....time to take a break and have some fun this weekend! The East Bay always has so much to do that it can be hard to decide! Here are some of my picks for fun in the East Bay this weekend:The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival makes its annual trek to Berke...

The modern homebuyer can often be conflicted when buying a new home about increasing their "carbon footprint." But, there are many solutions to investing in your personal future, as well as the future of the planet. One solution is to invest in newer buildings built to advanced green standards. G...

Neighborhood Focus--Maxwell Park Looking at the market these days, I am seeing more and more great deals in the Maxwell Park section of Oakland, which is one of the most on-the-rise sections of this town.Maxwell Park was created in the 1920s and is generally situated along the western side of the...