What is an escrow?  Who pays for what during closing?  How should you hold title?  What type of repairs would be good to do before putting a home on the market?  How much unsold inventory is in the marketplace? Real Estate transactions are complex and can overwhelm even the professionals.  You may be ready to put your house on the market and have questions that you want answered before you contact a Realtor, so that you can have a roadmap in your hands.  Or perhaps you are months away not quite ready to buy or sell yet, but have general questions that you would like answered for your edification. There is a safe and comfortable place where you can go and browse for these and other answers to questions you may have.   Information is vital in your decision making process, so go ahead and ... 02/20/2007

If you are interested in finding out what your Campbell Home (or any home in Silicon Valley for that matter), we would like to offer you a free, no hassle CMA (comparative market analysis).  Jut follow the link to: www.CampbellHomeValues.com.  Fill out a quick bit of info about the home, and you'll get your home's value right away.  Quick and Easy!If you have any other questions about Campbell, its surrounding cities, or real estate in general, you can contact us at www.KipandTam.com  02/20/2007

February 24th  Citizen of the Year Banquet / Celebrate CampbellThis is the annual event that allows the City of Campbell to show their appreciation to those who have worked to make it the best place to live and work.Time: 6 pm   Location: Villa RagusaPrice: $50 per ticket (contact the Campbell chamber office for more information)  02/19/2007

Boogie On The BayouThis two day event (May19th & 20th) is a premier festival attracting between 50,000 - 60,000 people.  Boogie On The Bayou takes place in Historical Downtown Campbell and brings thousands of people out to enjoy a day in the sun while mixing and mingling with the local Campbell community. 200+ Arts and Crafts BoothsInternational Cuisine featuring Cajun and New Orleans style foodBeer, Wine and SodaKiddie KornerAll American FoodFree Admission & Free Parking 02/19/2007

January Sales statistics for Campbell Monthly Closed Sales for:Santa Clara County, for City of CAMPBELLSingle Family Homes, Condo/TownhomesJanuary 2007Single Family Homes:Current Inventory: 51Closed Sales:  20Avg. Price:  $845,868Avg. Days on market:  62Townhomes/Condo:Current Inventory: 32Closed Sales:  13Avg. Price:  $599,894Avg. Days on Market:  37If you have any questions about the local market, or about Campbell in general, you can contact us through the web at: http://www.kipandtam.com/ 02/18/2007

If you are like most people, you read today in the San Jose Mercury an article called Is end near for housing slump?  The article discusses data which points to the number of homes sold in Santa Clara falling below what sold during the same time last year, yet the prices in the county having gone up slightly, blah, blah, blah.....   Nothing really fascinating or new, if you've been following my blog or have been on my website.       In the same issue there was in the business section was an article called Reports predict job growth in Valley.  In my opinion, this is more important and explains better what is causing the housing market to continue to rise in price although the sales volume is dropping.  Human beings tend to be risk adverse by nature.  We do things primarily to avoid pain... 02/16/2007

Here's a list of very useful Campbell related websites....City of Campbell Website:  http://www.ci.campbell.ca.us/Looking for a Campbell Home?  http://kipandtam.com/?target_url=http://kipandtam.com/MLSsearchWondering what your Campbell Home is worth? http://www.campbellhomevalues.com/The Campbell Reporter: http://www.community-newspapers.com/campbell/Links to Downtown Campbell: http://www.downtowncampbell.com/Let me know if you know of any other great Campbell -related web sites and I'll be sure to check them out.  If you have any questions about life in Campbell, contact us through our webpage: www.kipandtam.com  02/15/2007

Located at 300 Grant St. in Campbell Beautifully restored in an enchanting park-like setting, the English Tudor style architecture of the Ainsley House transports the visitor to the bygone era of the 1920s. Built in 1925 as the home for Campbell canning pioneer J.C. Ainsley and his wife Alcinda, the home was moved to its present location in 1990. The exquisitely restored and decorated 15 rooms are furnished with much of the original furniture of the era when it was one of the grand homes of the Santa Clara Valley. The surrounding English gardens are a refreshing respite for the visitor to this unique historic house. 02/14/2007

How much is my home worth?  Is it a good time to sell now, or should I wait?  Should I sell my house first, or buy first?  These are the type of questions people have and would like answers to.Please find out by visiting my website. http://www.stevemun.com/Free_Home_Evaluation/page_1762031.html Steve Mun, Silicon Valley Realtorwww.stevemun.com  02/13/2007

Farmers MarketA stroll through downtown Campbell on a Sunday morning can bombard the senses with the aroma of fresh kettle corn, bread, fruit, flowers, and live music.  For many residents, the Campbell Farmer's Market is a weekly ritual where they enjoy a mix of local growers, bakers, artisans, florists and specialty foods.Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm   Location: Downtown Park2nd & Campbell Avenue For more Campbell info, contact us through our website: www.KipandTam.com 02/13/2007

Single Family The differences between the last 12 months (ending with Jan 07) and the previous 12 months (ending Jan 06) were quite significant in the following areas:  1) huge increase of homes coming on the market; 2) sold/list ratio dropped dramatically the past 12 months compared to the previous 12 months; 3) it is taking longer to sell homes now then before; and 4) no surprise, prices are still going up.Homes that were available for sale in the past 12 months (2/06 - 1/07: 1210) were a huge increase compared to the previous year (2/05 - 1/06: 729) or an increase of 65%.   During the same period, the sold/list ratio dropped this past year (2/06 - 1/07: 45%) compared to the previous year (2/05 - 1/06: 93%).  In the previous year, the demand was so hot there were months, when more hom... 02/13/2007

Celebrate Campbell What: Join the City of Campbell as it honors its Person of the Year and Business of the Year. Tickets for the ceremonial dinner are $50.When: 6 p.m. February 24Where: Villa Ragusa, 35 S. Second St., CampbellMore Information: Tickets are available by calling the Campbell Chamber of Commerce at378-6252 or visiting http://www.campbellchamber.com/. 02/12/2007

Here are some of the US Census Statistics for Campbell California:Population: 38,138High school graduates:  89.7%Bachelor's degree or higher:  39.7%Mean travel time to work (minutes):  25.3Homeownership rate:  48.2%Land area: 6 Sq. milesIf you would like more information about Campbell, please give us a call (408) 515-8277, send me an email kip.barnard@cbnorcal.com , or visit us online at www.KipandTam.com.Information was obtained from the US Census Bureau 02/12/2007

Benjamin Campbell, Campbell's founder, came West in 1846 with his family. His father, William, is noted for having surveyed the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara, and for starting a sawmill near the town of Saratoga. In 1851, Benjamin Campbell bought 160 acres and planted it with hay and grain. This acreage later became Campbell's historical downtown core. In 1878, Mr. Campbell sold an acre of his land for $5 to the railroad and, by1887, the first subdivision was recorded west of the railroad from Campbell Avenue to the spot where the Water Tower Plaza now stands. The area became the center for shipping fruit, and within a short period of time, the drying grounds and canneries made Campbell an important rail center. The Campbell Fruit Growers' Union became a well known cooperative with... 02/11/2007

If you would like to find out what your Campbell home is worth, just click http://www.CampbellHomeValues.com .  It's a web site we put together where you can enter easily enter your homes' information etc.  A Comparative Market Analysis will then be generated for you immediately.  Estimate will be calculated by using recent sales of homes comarable to yours in your neighborhood. 02/11/2007

2006 was a year that presented challenges when trying to find a sales trend in the real estate market.  Whether it be a pattern over time, or a pattern in a specific area, the patterns were sporatic or short-lived and a trend was hard to identify.  Near the end of 2006, particularly around the start of October, we began to see an uptick in sales activity.  This continued into November as well.  In December, which is typically the slowest month of the year, we had record showings of homes on the market.  Buyers were out in droves at least studying what was on the market, if not actually purchasing.  We had an incident of over 100 people through open homes in the beginning of the month, with 4 to 7 showings of that same home every day, yet the home still took 40 days to sell.  So the buye... 02/11/2007

Here is a great link to the City of Campbell:  http://www.ci.campbell.ca.us/ .  Having lived here almost all of my life, I can tell you Campbell California is a great place to live.  We have great schools, beautiful neighborhoods, friendly people, a lively downtown area with many different places to shop and eat. We also enjoy large beautiful parks and easy access to the Los Gatos Creek trails. 02/10/2007

No big surprise.  The fed announced it would keep the fed rate at 5.25%.  This is great news for the real estate industry, as an increase in the fed rate would certainly lead to an increase in mortgage rates.  As long as the employment picture here in Silicon Valley looks solid as it has been and the mortgage rates remain low, the prospects of increasing home sales activity looks promising.  When people are secure about their jobs and money is relatively cheap to borrow, people will stretch and make commitments to buy homes.Now only if only somone can tackle the affordability issue......     Steve Mun, Silicon Valley Realtorwww.stevemun.com   01/31/2007

I keep hearing this: Real Estate prices are dropping all over.  And when I ask where they got this piece of information, they refer to newspapers and other media outlets.  I wish the media would be more responsible in their reporting.  Real Estate is a local business, activity will look drastically different from city to city, even if they are physically close to each other.   So the information will not be accurate if they use national or regional data and publish them in local papers as if they were applicable. Please allow me the set things straight, at least here in Santa Clara County.  I hate mis-information.   You see, I'm a big believer of data.  Anecdotes are fine, but give me data so that I can make up my own mind. Here it goes.When comparing prices of 2005 and 2006, it appears... 01/29/2007

Like most Realtors, people often ask me about market condition when they find out what I do for a living.  "So how is the market?"  I suppose it is a natural question to ask.  However, rather than simply giving them a once sentence synopsis, I try to show them data and let them draw their own conclusion about the market place.  I find this help both of us.     So, how is the market is doing in Campbell?  Well, let's find out together.The data below is from the MLS and has been compiled for the past 15 full months, as well as for the period of 15 months before that.   What is important is to focus on the trending in the market place to help guide us to what may lie ahead for us in 2007.VOLUMECampbell's (includes parts of San Jose and Los Gatos) Single Family Market ended the year with a ... 01/23/2007