The Architect of Possibility: A Day in the Life of a 203k ConsultantThe morning mist is still clinging to the eaves of a 1920s bungalow in the suburbs when a white SUV pulls up to the curb. Out steps a man carrying a heavy-duty flashlight, a digital camera, a laser measurer, and a weathered clipboard. This isn't a contractor, and he’s not a traditional home inspector.He is a Certified 203k Consultant, the "secret weapon" of the FHA renovation world.To understand what it’s really like to live the 203k consultant lifestyle, I sat down for a deep-dive interview with a veteran in the field. We discussed the career path of a HUD 203k consultant, the gritty reality of HUD consultant real stories, and why this role is the bridge between a homeowner’s dream and a finished reality.The Interview:... 12/23/2025

Here is the current inventory of condos for sale in the city of Alhambra California.As of today, there are fourteen condominiums for sale in Alhambra priced from $650,000 for a two-bedroom three-bathroom built in 2000 to $1,450,000 for a brand new four-bedroom four-bathroom built in 2024. The average price per square foot for these is $556.07. To put that in perspective, the average price per square foot for a house in Alhambra right now is $704.98.Condos, townhomes, and attached homes usually provide a more affordable alternative to individual detached homes.To see these properties, click the link below.  Condos for sale in Alhambra The above link is a live search link which takes you directly to the current inventory of condos in the city of Alhambra. This is the most up to date list ... 05/02/2024

Here is the current inventory of duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and larger multi- unit residential income properties for sale in Alhambra California.As of today, there are many residential income properties to choose from in Alhambra California. The following is available:4 two-unit properties                         2 three-unit properties                      2 four-unit properties                          2 five-unit properties                         1 six-unit property                           1 seven-unit property                     1 twelve-unit property                             Thirteen properties on the market with prices ranging from $990,000 for one of the two-unit properties to $3,750,000 for the twelve-unit property. The average price per unit is $559,410. Unit mix va... 02/02/2024

  That Elephant In The Room     That Elephant In The Room   You might be able to see it.  Yes, over there.  Grey, Gray or even possibly pink.  And then again, it might not be quite so clear.  Not tangible.  Not quite.   Large and not so large too.  Real or imaginary.  The likelihood of many scenarios are abundant when the subject is brought to attention.  It's the ideal pondering moment. Or two.   Things, like this and like life, are not that simple.  Far from it. Events, recent and not-so-recent, tell us such things are far from simple.   When there's an elephant in the room, introduce him                                                                                                        Randy Pausch   How do you approach the elephant in the room?   With discussion.  Action.  Asking... 04/30/2019

  Man Of A Certain Age      Man Of A Certain Age I was listening to an episode of All Things Considered on National Public Radio with a segment where host Terry Gross was interviewing Ray Romano, the stand-up comedian most familiar to people for his real-life based television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond".  Mr. Romano who later went on to other things also spoke of his later show "Men Of A Certain Age".   Not as financially successful as his previous effort, it was still awarded certain accolades.  His thoughts brought me to ponder.   As if I needed much prodding.  Pondering Prodding.    Anyway I was pondering about men of a certain age after all I am one. I guess I attained that status at some point in my past. I imagine.   My mind continues to jump as it is known to do.  After a wh... 04/12/2019

   Six Of One    Six of One And A Half Dozen Of The Other.  We have choices everyday.  They are not necessarily of a Sophie's Choice consequence but there is a choice to be made.  Not a Lady or the Tiger Behind The Door either.  You understand the impact.   But there are choices we make.  With little or a lot of information in which we decide.  A snap decision.  Maybe a situation where more time, more thought is part of the scenario.   Go left.  Turn Right.  Follow the leader.  Take the uncharted route. But some, maybe most, choices are quite simple.  Maybe those we face each and every day. The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.                                                                                               C... 04/06/2019

How many contractors should I get to bid my project?So you send out your project bid request to two contractors and find that one of them is very low on half the items and the other is very low on the other half of the items... The temptation is there to have each of them do what they were low bidder on.That isn't the way it works, sorry, no cigar. Each bidder is looking at an "all or nothing" bid. So go right to the bottom line and see who is the low bidder. No contractor will work on the same job with another contractor at the same time. It is a liability issue. If one of them isn't insured and his employee gets hurt on the job, the other insured contractor will be hit for his worker's compensation insurance. This might get the borrower involved in a law suit. These renovation project... 02/03/2018

Free Market Analysis What Is My Emery Park Home In Alhambra Worth? Historic Alhambra NeighborhoodHomes For Sale and Real Estate UpdateWhat Is My Home In Emery Park Worth?  A Real Estate Market Review For The First Nine Months of 2017     Free Market Analysis    This is a real estate market activity report for the Emery Park neighborhood in the city of Alhambra.   In this report I will share sales information for the first nine months of 2017 with a comparison of closed transactions in the same time period for the previous two years.   In addition, I am including a recap of the number of homes on the market for sale and in escrow. Statistical information in this report has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood.... 10/20/2017

What Is The Market Value Of My Bean Tract Home in Alhambra? There is a shortage of homes for sale in this desirable North Alhambra neighborhood.   Some may be wondering about the market value of their home in the Bean Tract neighborhood in the city of Alhambra.  I’m thinking if you live there, you might be interested too.   This is a real estate sales activity report for the Bean Tract neighborhood in Alhambra.  In this report, I will share information about homes for sale, in escrow and sold so far in 2017  with a recap of closed transactions for the three previous years.  The statistical information included here has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood.  The general boundaries of the Bean Tract neighborhoo... 09/30/2017

What Is My Huntington Granada Condo in Alhambra Worth? The Single Level Alhambra Condos at 1225 North Granada Avenue Have Garages This is a real estate market activity report for the Huntington Granada condominium complex located at 1225 North Granada Avenue in the city of Alhambra. Located at the southwest corner of Granada Avenue and Huntington Drive, the complex is adjacent to the cities of San Marino and South Pasadena. This ideal location is a popular choice at a relatively affordable price. In this report, I will share statistical information for sales activity from 2013 which has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the complex.  The Huntington Granada condo complex in Alhambra was built in 1965 and the 47 residences h... 08/31/2017

Emery Park Historic Alhambra NeighborhoodMid-Year 2017 Market Report This is a real estate market activity report for the Emery Park neighborhood in the city of Alhambra.   In this report I will share sales information for the first six months of 2017 with a comparison of closed transactions in the same time period for the previous four years.   In addition, I will recap the number of homes on the market for sale and in escrow. Statistical information in this report has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood.  This historic Alhambra neighborhood has a nice variety of architectural styles represented on its tree-lined streets.  You will find character-rich homes in the flats as well as larger and more modern hom... 07/17/2017

La France Townhomes With Garages in Alhambra Situated at the northwest corner of Larch Street and leafy La France Avenue you will find the La France Townhomes in the city of Alhambra(in the West San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County).   Built in 1987, the complex consists of 24 multi-story townhomes in multiple buildings with three or four bedrooms and up to three baths. Approximate square footages range from 1445 to over 2000.  Each townhome has an attached garage with direct access to the home.  Other features include a fireplace and bonus rooms in many plans.  Most of the units have outdoor areas:  a patio or balcony, sometimes both.    The gated complex has a style best identified as California Mission-inspired architecture.  It is professionally managed but don’t expect to find ... 05/05/2017

Alhambra Emery Park Homes For SaleFirst Quarter 2017 Market Update This is a real estate market activity report for Emery Park. This historic Alhambra neighborhood has tremendous architectural diversity with character and traditional style homes on its tree-lined streets as well as larger and more modern homes(many with views).    In this report I will share information for sales activity in the first three months of 2017 with a comparison to the previous three years.  In addition, I will recap the number of homes on the market for sale and in escrow.  Statistical information in this report has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood. For purposes of this report, I extend the boundaries just slightly of what is ... 04/19/2017

What Sold in Alhambra Bean Tract Neighborhood in 2016? This is a real estate sales activity report for the Bean Tract neighborhood in Alhambra.  In this report I will share information regarding home sales in 2016 with a recap of closed transactions for the three previous years.  In addition, I am including information regarding homes currently for sale and in escrow.  Statistical information is from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood. The general boundaries of the Bean Tract neighborhood are Huntington Drive(north), Granada Avenue(east), Alhambra Road(south) and Novelda Road(west).   It is located at the northern portion of the city adjacent to the cities of San Marino and South Pasadena and is comprised of primarily single ... 01/21/2017

What Sold in the Alhambra CA Emery Park Neighborhood in 2016? This is a real estate market activity report for the Emery Park neighborhood in the city of Alhambra which is located in the West San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County.   In this report I will share information for sales activity for 2016 with a comparison to the last four years.  In addition, I will recap the number of homes on the market for sale and in escrow. Statistical information in this report has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood.  This historic Alhambra neighborhood has tremendous architectural diversity with character and traditional style homes on its tree-lined streets as well as larger and more modern homes(many with views) in t... 01/13/2017

Alhambra Bean Tract NeighborhoodReal Estate Update  This is a look at real estate sales activity for the Bean Tract neighborhood in Alhambra including homes for sale, in escrow and sales so for in the first nine months of 2016.  I will also include a recap of closed transactions for the same period for the previous two years.    Statistical information is from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood. The general boundaries of the Bean Tract neighborhood are Huntington Drive(north), Granada Avenue(east), Alhambra Road(south) and Novelda Road(west).   It is located at the northern portion of the city adjacent to the cities of San Marino and South Pasadena and is comprised of mostly single level and some two story homes primarily bui... 10/24/2016

Alhambra CA Neighborhood Emery Park Homes For Sale and Market Update This is a real estate market activity report for the Emery Park neighborhood in the city of Alhambra.  In this report I will share information regarding homes currently on the market for sale, in escrow and sold in the first nine months of 2016.  In addition, I will include a comparison to sales in the same time period for the two previous years.  The statistical information shown here has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood. Emery Park and the adjacent Emery Park Hills are historic neighborhoods in the city of Alhambra in the West San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County.  For purposes of this report I am using the following boundaries for... 10/23/2016

Homes In Emery Park Neighborhood in Alhambra Mid-Year 2016 Market Update This is a real estate market activity report for the Emery Park and Emery Park Hills neighborhoods in Alhambra, California.  In this report I will share a recap of homes for sale along with market activity through the first six months of 2016 with a comparison of closed transactions for the same period for the previous two years.  All statistical information has been gathered from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood. Emery Park and Emery Park Hills are historic neighborhoods in the city of Alhambra.  For purposes of this report, the general boundaries I am using are homes south of Main Street, north of Concord Avenue between Fremont Avenue to Alhambra’s b... 07/12/2016

Alhambra Bean Tract Neighborhood Mid-Year 2016 Market Update This is a look at real estate sales activity for the Bean Tract neighborhood in Alhambra including homes for sale, in escrow and sales for the first six months of 2016. Statistical information is from our local multiple listing service(mls) and may not include all transactions in the neighborhood. The general boundaries of the Bean Tract neighborhood are Huntington Drive(north), Granada Avenue(east), Alhambra Road(south) and Novelda Road(west). It is located in the northern portion of the city adjacent to the cities of San Marino and South Pasadena and is comprised of mostly single level and some two story homes primarily built in the 1940s.   The name of the neighborhood can be traced by to a long time owner Jacob Bean.    Tu... 07/11/2016

Hampton Court  This is a market activity report for the Hampton Court townhome complex in North Alhambra.  The 32 home community is located on North Monterey Street and is adjacent to the cities of South Pasadena and San Marino.  The location is highly convenient to multiple freeways for commuting to other parts of the San Gabriel Valley and Downtown Los Angeles.   Abundant shopping and dining options are available along Main Street and Valley Boulevard.    The professionally managed complex features exteriors with brick and stone accents. There is a multi-purpose room and spa on the grounds of the well maintained complex.   Each multi-level townhome has an attached two car garage with direct entry into the home.  The homes, built in 1980, feature a front patio area and an upstairs balc... 06/08/2016