Wisdom & Wit

Earlier this month, the New York Times ran a story noting that many gas stations are running out of the price sign number 4 due to the high cost of gas around the nation. And while gas prices have declined slightly over the last few weeks, the numbers are still putting a big dent in many people's...

Congrass passed a $300 billion housing rescue bill aimed at helping troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure and supporting mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Thousands of at-risk borrowers will be able to refinance their unaffordable old mortgages into new, low-cost fixed-rate loans insu...

The 9th Annual Georgie Porgie Mini Golf Tourney was back by demand and held yesterday at the Golden Tee in Castro Valley.  This event looks as if it was a huge success in raising money for the Bay East Association Foundation Members Helping MembersTM. Members helping MembersTM assists REALTORs® a...

"Why is my home on the list?" sums up property owner concern about a draft historic preservation ordinance that would apply to unincorporated Alameda County communities.  On Wednesday (7/23) the Alameda County Parks, Recreation and Historical Commission (PRHC) met to continue their discussion of...

I really keep trying to do this "green thing" and as I am finding out there are so many little things we can do to be just a bit greener.  Here are some thing I found this week. BRING YOUR OWN MUG ~ Each year, Americans discard more than 14 billion paper cups. For instance, that Styrofoam cup you...

It has never been more crucial to the success of the real estate industry to stay on top of today's tech trends and anticipate the needs of current and future clients when it comes to technology, online user platforms, applications, products, and services.Join Ed Dilworth, CEO of Nimblefish Techn...

We have some good news today.  The bill passed the House today after President Bush dropped his opposition to the Bill that would allow trouble homeowners avoid foreclosure . The measure, which includes a federal assistance plan for the ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, also call...

Today I received a personal letter from our State Senator, Diane Feinstein about increasing the conforming loan limit.  I will say she is responsive. Dear Ms. Winterbauer:           Thank you for contacting me to express your support for permanently increasing the conforming loan limit. I apprec...

What's up with your mother's maiden name?   Passwords are crucial to accessing your personal accounts and information. The problem is: We all have so many accounts that we worry more about remembering our passwords than we do about making sure they actually protect our data from hackers. So we en...

Our industry of real estate/loans had dominated the news this past year.  We all know these are challenging times but I think we need to step back and take a look at the big picture.  From 1997 to 2005, real estate values appreciated 150% in the Bay Area and real estate commissions increased prop...