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Brentwood, CA Real Estate News

By Mark Schweller, Building Communities; One Home at a Time
(A. Meadows Real Estate)
Say that 3 times fast! Schweller Properties just closed another Wachovia/Wells Fargo Short Sale in Brentwood California.  Contratulations to both Buyer and Seller!
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Would a Government Owned Homes be the Best Buy for Brentwood First Time Home Buyers? How Hard is it to Buy a Government Owned Home? Buying Government Homes is Easy! Government Owned Homes included Frannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD Homes, and a few others – but those would be the big 3 around here. Generally, but not always, these homes are fixer uppers and when the first hit the market the are aggressively priced. So why would I want a Government Owned Home? Given those facts you are wondering why I would say they are great homes for First Time Home Buyers. Well in this market it is very hard to get in any home so they will all be aggressively priced. Right now investors buying anything they can and paying cash for. The First Time Home Buyer with a low down payment shut out. However, all of...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
A Dog Named Eric Neil When we got a Dog as a kid my dad named him Eric Neil – that was supposed to be my name – but my mom named me Eugene Nelson instead. So in a manner of speaking the dog got my name. Now back in the 70's leash laws were much more relaxed. Eric Neil was allowed to roam free through our suburban neighborhood; although there was lots of open country around and kids and dogs tended to spend a lot of time wondering through fields and forest. Eric was a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Cockapoo (which is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a poodle). As it was said that meant he had more cock and less poo. Generally he was a very friendly dog and left the cats alone; although the cats would sometimes pick on him. Eric's favorite hobby was chasing motorcycles. He never...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Short Sales Short Sale Homes are dominating part the East Contra Costa County market. Searching for a Home in Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, Discovery Bay, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Knightsen, Byron, and Bethel Island? You will need to consider Short Sale Homes. What is a Short Sale Home?: A Short Sale is Selling a Home for less than what is owed. The Home Seller needs permission from the bank to do this. Why Should I Short Sale My Home?: Selling a Home in a Short Sale can be a smart thing to do if you need to sell and cannot pay the difference out of pocket, or if you are Facing Foreclosure. Short Sales can take a long time and require a lot of work. There are lots of considerations including tax consequences, damage to credit (A Short Sale can be easier on your credit than a foreclosure.), w...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Bank Owned Homes Bank Owned Homes are some of the highest demand homes in East Contra Costa County. Bank Owned Homes in Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, Discovery Bay, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Knightsen, Byron, and Bethel Island go fast. What Does REO Mean?: REO means Real Estate Owned and that is the Banks term. There are challenges in Buying a Bank Owned Home. The Banks want solid Buyers who can move fast. Many of the Bank Owned Homes are Distressed Homes and all come “as is.” Rarely will a bank make repairs once in contract. Banks will often insist that you get approved with them for the loan; although you can still use the bank of your choice. How do I Buy a Bank Owned Home?: Home Point Real Estate has helped many buyers get their Bank Owned Homes. We can provide you a current list of every...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
What is available at the Club House in Summerset in Brentwood? That was the question asked by a client about Summerset. The answer is good news for those thinking of Summerset! Each of the four Summersets has something to offer. Golf courses wind in and out of all 4. There are 72 holes up there. Summerset offers reasonable HOA fees – I understand the Green fees are reasonable too. There are other Golf Courses close by in Antioch, Pittsburg, Bethel Island, and Discovery Bay; and lots more in the greater area. Of course when you are not on the courses you can hike on one of the many trails for biking and riding that wind by Summerset and throughout East Contra Costa County. A Summerset Club House is the center of the community. It is about fun, games, friends, and fellowship. It is a plac...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Spring has Sprung in Brentwood Ca Spring hit last night. Things have been cold and miserable and then last night it was hot, even muggy. Today it was a warm Saturday Morning with all the signs of spring; Kids playing baseball, garage sales, people in the park. As I drove out towards to Discovery Bay I could see the first crop of corn starting to poke through the earth. The tomato vines were also coming up. My boys went out and cleaned of the Patio in an effort to get me to BBQ tonight. My wife went over and grabbed some tri-tip on sale – so I guess that is on. Brentwood, Oakley and Discovery Bay are all great places to live in East Contra Costa County any time of the year. But spring seems really nice this year. Come out and see what the living is Like in Brentwood and give me a call at...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Earth Day Ideas! I often struggle with the concept of Earth Day as in many cases it seems that those involved worship the planet, whereas I believe the planet is a gift from our Creator. We do have an obligation to take care of it; in fact we have been given dominion over it. I also think people promote and do many silly things for Earth Day that are actually contrary to the environment and the good of the Earth. Here are some Great Earth Day Ideas: Teach our kids that Earth is a gift from God and we need to take care of it. Talk about how prosperous Industrialized Nations have Cleaner Environments than 3rd world countries and those so called “back to nature” cultures. Teach our kids that based on Total Production the United States is the most efficient user of energy and has the cleane...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Buying a New Home in Brentwood – What if they sold Hamburgers the same way? Do you want to Buy a Brand New Home? Buy a Home Straight from the Builder? We have a lot of New Home Developments here in Brentwood, including Portifino and Trilogy. There are other developments in Oakley, Discovery Bay, Antioch, Pittsburg and throughout East Contra Costa County. Some people think they do not need a REALTOR to Buy a New Home. Think again! Our job is to help you negotiate the pitfalls of Buying a New Home. Better than that when you retain a REALTOR to help you with you New Home Purchase the builder will generally pay the REALTOR fees. However, you need to make sure you hire the REALTOR before you start the New Home Shopping. The REALTOR needs to be with you on your first visit to the New Home Sal...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Brentwood Pony League at the Stockton Ports 4-14-12 I love Baseball. I love to watch my boys plays play – right now Janson plays Pony League here in Brentwood Ca. I also like to watch pro ball. Oddly enough I am burnt out on Major League Baseball but like to go see the Stockton Ports play in the Class A California League. The picture is from the 2011 Ports Day for Brentwood Pony League.  My boys are with Splash the Ports Mascot. Tonight is Brentwood Pony League Baseball night at the Stockton Ports and kids all get to march around the baseball field before the game. Someone from Pony League will throw out the first pitch. The game against the Modesto Nuts starts at 7; but the fun starts earlier with the kids. The Stockton Ports have a beautiful stadium right on the river – Banner Island ...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Brentwood Karate Lessons for Kids My son Weston Takes Karate at American Karate in Brentwood Ca. He has been taking lessons for about 6 months and just got his Blue Belt. I will tell you Karate has been one of the best things for my son.  Why Karate?  My son has minor learning disabilities – he has a sensory processing disorder. So far he has not done well with other sports. (Surprisingly he did learn to ride a bicycle amazingly fast – but that is another story.) He lacked the eye – hand coordination for baseball. In wrestling he would panic when in the head locks and such (and that really deals with sensory processing issues). He asked me if he could take Karate. I felt it would be money and time down the drain. But my wife found a special for 6 weeks of karate lessons, including the u...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
You have to be Joking – Why do you want to see a copy of the deposit check? It is standard business almost everywhere to request a copy of the deposit check. Now things may work different in different parts of the country, but this has to be a hold over from the good old days. Here is the reality – I never touch any buyer funds. I will not take the check from them. I don't want to log it and track it as required by the DRE. I don't have a Trust account and at this time do not want to have the hassle of managing one. Also I am a small brokerage. Nobody knows me – So I am thinking that asking for cash or checks might give people some second thoughts. I have the Buyer write out the check and send me a copy via fax or e-mail, then I submit it with the offer. However, I don't have it – and w...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! This was the Traditional Easter Greeting and Response in the Church I grew up in. I just want to say: He is Risen! Everyone knows John 3:16 but John 3:17 is also a great Vs: “For God sent the Son into the World, not to condemn the World, but that the World might be Saved through Him.” Our God has Risen From the grave. He has conquered Sin and Death. He has saved me from my sins! On this great Easter morning I just wanted to share the joy of his Resurrection with my friends here on ActiveRain.
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Pet Supplies – Try Petco in Brentwood. Recently we got a cat from the Contra Costa County Cat Support Network and they display and show the rescued animals at Petco in Brentwood. We have started using them to get Pet Supplies. There are several reasons for this: The first one being that they let a non – profit adopt out the cats in the store – and she is a wonderful cat. They have a good stock of supplies at reasonable prices and gave us coupons and discounts when starting out with our new cat. They are right across from Home Depot and near BabiesRus in the Big Box Strip mall off Loan Tree. 
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Brentwood Ca Home Sales – 2011 Brentwood Ca Homes are very popular. The biggest discounts have been in Bank Owned Homes. My gut feeling is that we are having fewer Bank Owned Homes and more Traditional Sales. So I took a look at the different types of sales each month and compared. The spread sheet for Brentwood Home Sales month by month in 2011 is to the right. It shows sales by sale type as well as percentage. The charts below also covers the sales. There has not been a big change in number of sales, but even a small change in the number of sales can have an impact on pricing. It appears as a percentage Bank Owned Home sales are falling and that Short Sales and Traditional Sales are taking their place. This will contribute some what to a price increase in homes. However, no matter wha...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
The Ugliest Room in The American Home American Homes get nicer and more upscale every year. The amenities get nicer and what we expect in a home gets higher and higher. Years ago tile counter tops would have been thought a real treat over Formica; these days it better be granite. Not to mention the walk in pantries and incredible amount of cabinet space. The Master Bathroom has become a piece of art – sometimes rivaling the size of the Master Bedroom and having more space than entire multi-generational families might live in in a 3rd world country. And yes we all want one. But there is one room that has been almost completely ignored – this room has not gotten it's due. Why? Because it is a room that they very name makes people want to run and avoid it – Yes – the Laundry Room! Now this...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Summerset Homes in Brentwood – The Residence Sell the Community! Showing Summerset Homes to clients is one of my favorite things to do. There are four Summerset Communities in Brentwood and all offer the security of Gated Living, Golf Course Homes, Club Houses with Gyms, Pools, Libraries, meeting rooms and many activities. The biggest questions I get from Buyers is, “What are the people in Summerset Like?” and “What is it like Living in Summerset?” There is a lot of apprehension. For many people this will be the last home they ever buy and they plan to be there a long time. To answer this question all I have to do is drive with my client through Summerset and then take them to one of the club houses. The first thing they notice is how friendly everyone is. Most people wave as you go buy...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Trilogy Homes in Brentwood Ca Trilogy Homes in Brentwood offers some of the finest 55+ Living available. This Gated Community located in the midst of a vineyard offers a 40,000 + SF club house features pools, spas, fine dinning, gyms, classes meeting rooms and more all of the highest caliber. There is nearby Golf, Fishing, and other water sports. Trilogy Homes is finishing up the first phase and has started on the second phase. There are some resale homes available too. (See Below.)   The Trilogy Sales office will work with your Real Estate Broker at no cost to you. It is important to have someone working for you when shopping at Trilogy Homes – however, you should speak to the agent first and have him register you with the Vineyards. At Home Point Real Estate we can show you all the re...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Brentwood Hockey Fans Love the Stockton Thunder! People in Brentwood Love Sports. We like to watch our kids play sports, we like to play sports, we like sports on TV and we like to go to sporting events. Well there is more than the major leagues around here. We are about 25 easy miles to from Stockton which has plenty of Minor League Sports; including the very exciting Stockton Thunder. The Stockton Thunder are part of the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) one of the two minor league associated with the NHL. The Hockey is exciting and they draw enough of a crowd that it is fun; but not so much as you cannot get tickets at walk up. The Stockton arena is a modern facility and very fan friendly. Tickets start at $10.00. There are also a number of promotions. I took three of my boys and my wi...
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By Gene Riemenschneider, Turning Houses into Homes
(Home Point Real Estate)
Brentwood Pony League Fund Raiser – Eat Burgers and Fires – It's for the Children! Need a good excuse to eat the sort of food you really want? Well this Pony League Baseball Fund Raiser is it. On Wednesday March 21, 2012 go to Red Robin in Brentwood between 4:30 and 8:30 and hand them this Flyer. Brentwood Pony League gets 15% of the receipt. We like Red Robin and if you need to hold of on Burgers and all you can eat French Fries they have great Salad and Chicken dishes. Let's see Baseball, Great Hamburgers, French Fries and Support Local Youth! What's not to like? 
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