Buying a Home – How to Survive the Next Crash!Many people buying homes are worried about the future and are scared of that commitment. When I say Crash in the title it can mean different things to different people. It can mean a drop in housing prices, a even worse employment situation, (The old joke is a recession is when your neighbor is out of work a depression is when you are out of work.) a worsening economic situation, a drop in the dollar, inflation, a stock market crash, and what other endless fears keep them awake at night.First off we all have our fears and nothing is certain. No one knows the future and I can try and make predictions, but often I am wrong. But to ease your fear consider the following when buying a new home: Owning a Home is Better than Renting. If you are goi... 07/03/2015

So you did not think that initial low offer would hurt you?Well you find the home of your dreams and are ready to make that offer. But man that is a lot of money, big commitment, you start thinking about that payment (even though it is probably less than your rent), and you just cannot bring yourself to pay what your REALTOR recommends you offer.Then you begin to think, maybe you can get it for less, even though the comps are going for what they want. But just maybe you think you can get away with it, get a deal. Hey it doesn't hurt to put in an initial low offer. The worse they can do is say, “No” right?Well think again. Here is a list of things that can go wrong: Someone else puts in a better offer and gets your dream home. No counter is presented to you. Seller is insulted by your lo... 07/03/2015

So How Strong is the San Francisco Bay Area Housing Market?We all hear about the bounce back in the housing marketing sense the crash. Locally in Brentwood, Antioch, Discovery Bay, Oakley and Pittsburg for the most part we have not reached the point where the market had peaked. But our recovery here is very strong and I see a continued upward movement.The California Association of Realtors (CAR) released an infographic showing the top 10 Metro Areas recovering. No surprise to me but two of them are here in the Bay Area, the San Francisco and San Jose market. And they are not crawling in under the wire but coming in at number 2 and 4 with prices now 10% and 4% over the peak prices before the crash. Take a lookNow Here in Contra Costa County we are not in that Metro Area for the purpose o... 06/30/2015

Yard SaleFriday June 26th and Saturday June 27th – 9 AM to 5 PM both DaysCorner of Broderick Drive and Ellen Lane in Brentwood CA What can you find at this sale? Vintage Radio Equipment and PartsVintage Radio CabinetCamera Equipment – Including Vintage CamerasClothesCookware, Pots, Pans, and moreBedding, Blankets and suchMaterialCollectiblesLarge Collection of Budweiser Steins.Vintage Oil LampsVintage Electrical LampsLarge Collection of Electric Trains.Hand ToolsPower ToolsA Whole HoggDishesWine GlassKitchen ItemsHouse Hold ItemsAutomotiveToysHot WheelsJewelryBooksRecordsTapesDVD'sVHSVideo GamesSports Cards Full Sets and SinglesMagazine'sAnd Much . . . . Much . . . . More   06/24/2015

When you need a game winning kick you better put your best foot forward.Thinking of Buying a Home? Do you have a limited budget? Not much within your budget? In a Sellers market? Well when you find the house the will work for you you need to put your best foot forward. Think about it. The football game is a tight one. Your team is down by two points. They are driving, but time is running. It is 4th and long and the field goal is 45 yards. You send out the kicker. Now do you want a kicker that is gonna hold back, so he can have more humph for the next kick, or is worried if he boots it too hard he might pull a muscle. No you want someone who is going to give it all they got. And even if they miss they can at least go home knowing they gave it their best, they left it all on the field. An... 06/23/2015

How Much Money Will I Save by Owning a home?There is a lot of debate about if you save money by owning a home. I see some Investment Pros argue that if you put all your housing money into other investments you would make more money. What these “Geniuses” never seem to consider is that you have to live somewhere. Yes we all have to move out of our parents basement sometime and that generally means rent! Unless you have put yourself in a position to buy.You will not save any money by not buying a home (unless you live in your parents basement or other similar arrangement). So all that money you are saving for the stock market, bonds, silver, gold, or commemorative plates, will end up going to rent.If you have extra money I can see where the argument can be made for any of these investment... 06/23/2015

Eco Buying – How Green is My Wallet?We are getting hit with lots of information on the Environment and Shopping Green. This includes Buying Green Homes. The California Association of Realtor's (CAR) put out this infographic showing how different Green Features for the Home impact sales. Take a look:  The primary observation made by the CAR on this graphic is that people will only go green when it actually saves them money. Although I agree with them that people will tend to shop and buy only when it makes economic sense for them I have some other takes on this.  Not everything that is presented as “Green” is really Green for the Environment. Some of it is really more about the greening of wallets. Some things presented as “Green” are actually not “Green” for the environment. Two classes... 06/16/2015

Will My Credit Let Me Buy a Home?Many people wonder if they have sufficient credit to Buy a Home and if they can get a loan. There is a lot of bad information floating about. Worse yet sometime people talk to the wrong lender.The California Association of Realtors (CAR) put out an info-graphic on Credit Myths that often keep people from Buying a Home:Here is my advise if you are considering Buying a Home but are not sure if you can get a loan: Talk to a lender. Not later when you think your credit is better or you have more money. Talk to the lender now! Even if you cannot buy now the lender is the best person to help you prepare a plan to buy a home. They take a picture of where you are at and give you a road map for getting where you want to be. Ask Questions. Find out exactly what yo... 06/02/2015

Over Coming Financial Obstacles to Home Ownership!Many people feel they cannot afford a home. Some of them have even talked to a lender that has told them they cannot afford a home, or cannot qualify for the loan. The California Association of Realtors (CAR) put out a Inforgraphic showing what most people see as obstacles to getting a home loan.This of course is focused on Student Loan Debt and Home Ownership as this is a big obstacle for many people. Many families are focused on this problem. My oldest son is in college and we are dealing with this issue too. For those of you done with school I will have some advise below. For young people I will tell you the three things I advised my son: Beware of the cost. Get all the scholarships and free aid you can get. For the high school studen... 05/19/2015

Does it Help to Pay to Home Stage before you Sell Your Home?When Selling a Home in Brentwood California, Contra Cost County or anywhere people want to know, “Does Home Staging Pay?” “What does it do to Help Me Sell My Home?”The California Association of Realtors (CAR) puts out great info-graphics that makes an effort to quantify the issues. Take a look: I have some thoughts on the chart: Almost all the impact is positive. Very few downsides for staging. The front of the house (Curb Appeal) is not included in the room ratings, but curb appeal can be part of staging and is very important. If doing a light stage the order of importance for room staging is about right. The only thing I would say is that if you have an odd room or odd space that is the space that needs staging. They do not t... 05/05/2015

So why remodel before you sell your Home?The California Association of Realtors (CAR) puts out some great infographics. This one talks about how much particular home improvements will increase the value of your home. Take a look:  Now the first thought on view this is, “Why do any home improvements if there is no positive return?” Even the front door barely registers a positive. Here are some thoughts to consider: This is not a chart for someone wanting to remodel to sell. This is just to demonstrate what you might get back on your cost when you do go to sell. If you plan on living in a home for some time I think you ought to remodel with your lifestyle and comfort in mind, not financial return. I note the front door offers the only positive return. This demonstrates how important curb ... 04/27/2015

Does selling the most burgers mean you make the best burgers?I think McDonald's is a great company. They provide jobs for young people that teach them skills to get better jobs down the line. And although everyone complains about the food we all go there from time to time. It may be because the kids want to go, we are in a hurry, the prices or some other reasons.McDonald's sells 75 hamburgers per second and every year they gross more in sales than #2 fast food place Subway, Wendy's, Burger King, and Chick Fil A combined. By far they are the leading seller of Hamburgers in the world. I do not know the numbers per location, but I also suspect they sell the most per location and per employee. That is what they do – sell hamburgers. But do they make the best burger? I have not heard anyone ... 04/09/2015

So where do you want to live?The California Association of Realtor's (CAR) publishes these great infographics. This one is on where Millennials want to live. Take a quick look:  I don't think I am seeing anything here that I do not know about people in general; and that is people move to the suburbs so they can get more home for their money. People want to live in the suburbs. I think many people have also found that most everything they have in the city they can find in the suburbs. Sure the city might have a few things (Major League Baseball and others) that we do not have in the suburbs, but we often have less expensive alternatives (like minor league baseball) or can go to the city on the rare occasions they want these things.I sold a woman a home here in Brentwood California who re... 04/07/2015

Estate Sale Friday March 20 and Saturday March 21 Brentwood Ca Budweiser Beer Steins - HO Scale Trains - Fabric - Hot Wheels - Sports Cards & More Friday Friday March 20 and Saturday March 21 2014 there is an Estate Sale at 248 Broderick, Brentwood CA, 94513. Starts at 9:00 AM till 4:00 PM. Items include: Power Tools Saws Hole Hogg and more Hand Tools Sports Cards - Complete Sets Estimated around 100,000 Cards Baseball Football Basketball and more Music Records CDs Cassette Tapes Sorry No 8 Track (yet) Cloths: Including but not limited to: Licensed NFL Clothing and Jerseys Oakland A's Jackets (High End) Other Sports Clothing Automotive Tools Costume Jewelry Furniture High End Stand for Stereo/Video/Video Game Systems Decorative Tables Oak Desk with hutch. & More Video Game Controllers H... 03/16/2015

Estate Sale Friday March 13 and Saturday March 14 Brentwood Ca Budweiser Beer Steins - HO Scale Trains - Fabric - Hot Wheels - Sports Cards & More Friday Friday March 13 and Saturday March 14 2014 there is an Estate Sale at 248 Broderick, Brentwood CA, 94513. Starts at 9:00 AM till 4:00 PM.   Items include:   Power Tools Saws Hole Hogg and more Hand Tools Sports Cards - Complete Sets Estimated around 100,000 Cards Baseball Football Basketball and more Music Records CDs Cassette Tapes Sorry No 8 Track (yet) Cloths: Including but not limited to: Licensed NFL Clothing and Jerseys Oakland A's Jackets (High End) Other Sports Clothing Automotive Tools Costume Jewelry Furniture High End Stand for Stereo/Video/Video Game Systems Decorative Tables Oak Desk with hutch. & More Video Game Controlle... 03/09/2015

You are Just Dating that Loan! I sold a home about a year ago to a guy. It was a challenge to get him a loan. It was an FHA 203K loan. He was cash strapped and we built some closing cost into the cost of the loan. There was that Mortgage Insurance that comes with FHA. Over all not the best possible loan available but it was the one he needed to do to get a home. Well one year latter he is refinanced into a great new loan saving about $250.00 a month on his payment. Why? Well he was not married to that last loan. He did not have to stay with it. When a better option came along he took it. He did a streamlined FHA refi, so he still has an FHA Loan. But he has lower interest rate, lower Motgage Insurance, and he got a rebate on some of his Up Front Mortgage Insurance. So he got his low bal... 03/04/2015

Brentwood California Home Prices – Out the Gate in 2015 Brentwood is the premier East Contra Costa Community. Brentwood California Homes offer excellent homes at affordable prices. Homes for Sale in Brentwood California includes Golf Course Homes, Active Adult Communities, Gated Communities and large Executive Style Homes at a fraction of the price they would be in other Contra Costa County Communities. If you are considering Buying a Home in Brentwood or Selling a Home in Brentwood you should probably understand what the market is doing. This chart includes current Single Family Homes in Brentwood for sale and Brentwood Home Sales for the last 3 full months (as of 2/13/15). Type Number Low High Average PP SF Active 2/15 123 $255,000.00 $5,000,000.00 $606,756.00 $235.97 Sold 11/14 72 $2... 02/13/2015

Summerset in Brentwood Homes Market Report 2015 Summerset Homes in Brentwood is an Active Adult Community for 55 Plus Living. Each of the four Summerset Communities is a Gated Community and has a club house. There are many amenities and activities for residents. Last year at times (2014) there was a very limited supply of Homes in Summerset and prices have gone up considerably. However, with the rise of prices more homes have come onto the market and prices seem to be leveling out some. Right now (as of 2/10/2015) there are 16 Summerset Homes for Sale. Prices range from $307,900.00 to $609,900.00. The Average price is $443,837 and the Average Price per SF is $260.74. From November 2014 through January of 2015 there have been 13 Summerset Home Sales ranging from $315,000.00 to $610,000.0... 02/10/2015

Why the Seller Rejected your Reasonable Offer? I work with lots of Home Buyers in Brentwood CA and the East Contra Costa Communities of Antioch, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pittsburg, and of course the balance of the East Bay Area. I see many Home Buyers come into this Hot Sellers Market and even Balanced Markets trying to save a few dollars on the home. Now I cannot blame them for that, we all want to save money and get the best deal we can. However, this effort to chisel a few extra bucks out of the Home Sellers may backfire.   Now as a Home Buyer you may come in well qualified and can certainly afford the home. After some back and forth maybe the seller has given some on the price and provided for some favorable conditions for the seller. But you are stuck say at $5,000.00 apart and the s... 01/20/2015

Getting Ready to Sell Your Brentwood Home? Thinking of Selling a Home?  Need to know how to get started?  Well you would not just throw your doors open and invite friends and family over, you would get the house ready first.  It is even more important to Get the House Ready to Sell. Now most of people Selling a Home have thought about cleaning the house, making repairs, and even home staging.  But have you thought about Keeping Your Home and Your Family Safe While Selling Your Home?   The California Association of Realtors (CAR) has prepared this infographic for getting ready to Sell Your Home.  It sums it up rather quickly and well. Home Point Real Estate is located in Brentwood Ca and provides service to the East Contra Costa County Communities of Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Ant... 01/13/2015