Fremont CA Real Estate-Short Sales Fremont CA Real Estate prices fell on average of 35% since the beginning 2007, but there were a few pockets of Fremont that fared a bit better than the rest. What could have been the cause? Weren't they all affected in the same way? Mission San Jose area real estate prices in Fremont for example, did fall but not as much as homes in the Ponderosa area in the north of Fremont.Schools were the common denominator in determining the home value percentage drop. Had Mission San Jose Schools been anything but one of the top 5% national high schools in the nation, the story would have been different. Parkmont area of Fremont did okay at around 30% drop, better than a 35% drop from other pockets of Fremont. All together, it seems that the Mission San Jose Schoo... 09/30/2009

Choosing a Fremont Real Estate Agent Choosing a Fremont Real Estate Broker In my previous blog post, I simply shed a bit of light on the fact that at the end of the day, the broker IS the agent, no mater if you chose and agent or a broker that sells real estate. Choosing a Fremont Real Estate Agent, or choosing a Fremont Real Estate Broker should take some planning. Not all are the same. Most have the same tools available to them, but it is the compliant and optimized results you are looking for when you're done with the sale that matters most. This may not be the best illustration of that point, but I sometimes have my would-be clients take hold of my Montblanc fine tip pen and say, "okay, write your name with this pen." Then I take the pen and sign my name. "See the difference?" I sa... 09/26/2009

I wanted to simply spread a bit of light (just a little) on the differences between a broker and a licensee. What it mostly boils down to is that brokers arethe agents. Most real estate sales "agents" that we normally refer to as agents are in fact licensees working under a broker's license or have an affiliation under the broker, and they are in fact supposed to be called sales associates or real estate licensees, but we usually just say, "agents." Not all brokers sell real estate themselves. They govern the transactions, amongst many other things. However,  some brokers do sell property.But what about these brokers that sell property? What gives them an advantage over a licensee if any? If I had to choose between a broker that sells property and a licensee as an "agent,"--being a brok... 09/25/2009

Some of you, at one time or another, may have ran into Google Alerts where you set up a topic and ask Google to notify you when something relavent comes up, a Listing Alert with Fremontcahomefinder.com or TriCityHome.com will gather the information being sought after in a home and store it. Then as soon as a home that matches the visitors needs, it instanly sends them a message with pictures, maps and more.Our latest visitor, we will call Fred, just finished his set up. All he had to do was input just a few items and hit "finish." Here is a snapshot of what his page looks like when he in notifies. Here is one of his would-be homes he was notified about. These blog images are fuzzy due to the post, but they are clear as can be on the screen. There are many more tools available at Fremont... 09/22/2009

Every school day, I arrive at Parkmont Elementary School at 8:20am, and I return at 2:35pm to pick up my kids--except on Wednesdays. On Wednesdays, I have to return at 1:15 to pick them up. What happens on Wednesday? Wednesday at 1:15 is "prep time." Prep time is a time when teachers can get caught up on lesson plans, copies, and run ditto machine jobs (mimeographs--the white paper copies with bluish-purple ink that smells like glue). They do these jobs and all sorts of other tasks too during this prep time. Prep time was not done last year--at Parkmont Elementary that is. Glenmoor Elementary, off of Mattos in Fremont, had prep time last year and the year before. So, what happened? Well, budget cuts happened. Parkmont Elementary School is challenged just like all the other California sc... 09/17/2009

Subscribe In the state of California you can apply for two different tax credits one from the state Gov. and one from the Federal Gov. The federal Gov. is giving a tax credit in the amount of 10% of the sale price or 8000.00 which ever is less. The state of California is giving a tax credit in the amount of 5% of the sale price or 10,000.00 which ever is less. Neither is a loan nor does it have to be repaid. What's the catch, you ask? Well the federal tax credit has a limit on the income amount on the buyer can earn 75,000 for a single taxpayers and 150,000 for married taxpayers. Also, they must be first time buyers and purchase the home between 01/01/2009 and 12/01/2009 The state tax credit does not have a limit on your income, but it does require you to be purchasing a newly built hom... 09/17/2009

                                     SEARCH FREEMONT BANK OWNED HOMES!                                                                             GET FREMONT BANK OWNED HOMES BY EMAIL!     SEARCH ENGINE KEYWORDSFREMONT BANK OWNED HOMESFREMONT FORECLOSURESFREMONT CA REO PROPERTYFREMONT SHORT SALESFREMONT REO AGENTParkmont  Glenmoor  Mission San Jose  Brookvale Ardenwood  Ponderosa Warm Springs  Irvington 09/17/2009

                                  Looking for Parkmont Homes For Sale in Freemont?                                                    Click the map to search                                               FREEMONT HOMES FOR SALE                                        Go to the Homebuyhers page to get snapshots of what's selling now. Download the form that can fire us if we don't meet your expectations Download pre-calculated, ez to use homebuying calculators TriCity Real EstateBrokers, inc. "Negotiating Price In Your Favor" 39111 Paseo Padre Pkwy STE 203 Fremont CA 94538 Tel. 510 742-3212 Fax. 510 742-9299contact us   SEARCH TOOLS & WHAT THEY DO MANAGE TOOLS & WHAT THEY DO Basic Search Fast and powerful: enter number of bedrooms, bathrooms, sq ft, city and go... My Properties Mngr Sign U... 09/17/2009

Have you ever fired a client/customer? I had to today. I am writing to remind agents and would-be clients to consider slowing it down just a bit in order to get your roles explained. Roles being in reference to an old friend, agency. Agency in Real Estate is: A fiduciary relationship of utmost honesty, integrity and trust.The first yellow flag ended up in me firing the customer immediately during a call I received from a confused and flustered buyer who wanted more information on a property he saw on my website. This was an IDX website tool that I'm sure a lot of you have visited. First, He thought it was my listing, understandably, so I explained how IDX works in a nutshell. He then wanted the listing agent's name. I told him. He was now thoroughly confused because he was seeing a diff... 09/15/2009

Subscribe Buying a home Homebuyers can make the most of several tax breaks that help lower their tax bill based on the purchase of an existing or new home. For instance:-First-time homebuyers: The Recovery Act provides a credit of up to $8,000 if a taxpayer buys a home between Jan. 1, 2009 and Nov. 30, 2009. The homebuyer also must not have owned a home in the previous three years and the home must be the primary residence.-Points: The points paid on a mortgage are generally deductible as interest if taxpayers paid enough of a down payment or earnest money at closing to cover the points. Homebuyers can deduct the points even if the seller paid them.-PMI premiums: Buyers who make a down payment of less than 20% of the home's cost usually pay private mortgage insurance (PMI). But the PMI ... 09/15/2009

In the previous post, I ruminated regarding the whereabouts of my seller. We have a home for sale in the Parkmont area of Fremont. What's more,  we had two offers, and he was nowhere to be found. Well, the good news is that he has been found. The bad or indifferent news is that he is close to where I thought he was. He is in Indonesia. Now there's an "out of the area" seller, or "super absentee owner" for you. All kidding aside, he assured me that all will be taken care of on account that he is well astute to high-tech communications. We will see how it goes. If you are interested, a little jewel I gleaned from this experience is that the Indonesia AT&T access code to dial Bank of America's short sale division from Indonesia to here via toll-free is 00180110, so dial 00180110 then the ... 09/14/2009

Where did he go? Such a nice guy too... Those words kept ringing through my head as I wondered where my seller must have gone. He and I had the long talk about his accessibility throughout the transaction and how important it would be to sign documents "en route" if he was going to leave the area. Well, leave the area he did, and now I cannot reach him. It's been about a week and a half. As it is now, I have a short sale listing with him in the Parkmont area of Fremont. Nice area. See for yourself here. We had no activity for 3 months, now I have 2 offers, and I need his signature yesterday.Other words that ring through my head are--"Hind site is 20/20." and, "I should have..."Has anyone run across this or has something to share with the Realtor community so as to prevent this from happ... 09/13/2009

Subscribe The U.S. housing market continues to show signs of stabilization with a drop in the number of Multiple Listing Service (MLS)-listed homes for the twelfth consecutive month. The number of single family homes and condos listed for sale according to MLS data decreased in June 2009 from May by 2.1%, bringing the total number of active listings in 28 major U.S. markets to 696,858. Other highlights from ZipRealty's Housing Inventory Index, compiled from local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data, for June 2009 include: -Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix all recorded a decline in inventory which may have contributed to some homes receiving multiple bids.-Median list prices have flattened or increased in Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, pointing toward stabi... 09/04/2009

Subscribe In these economic times, the decision to purchase a home has become a very serious consideration, with cost of ownership in both the short and long term being in the forefront of the buyer's mind. One of the most important factors consumers should consider when buying a home is its energy efficiency rating, as this can add up to substantial savings over the life of the home. Today's energy efficient manufactured home is no different from any other home, except it has been built off-site, usually in a controlled factory environment, using the latest in energy efficient technologies. Coupled with a lower cost per square foot as compared to site-built homes, today's manufactured home is a smart investment for savvy homebuyers. Each manufacturer may have a different label, but one... 09/03/2009

In challenging markets...like the one we currently face...it's difficult to find new clients. Why would you even consider firing a client? Purely and simply, even the best client relationships can turn bad...and when they do, it's time to end them by firing the client. Most of us are too busy to allow deteriorating client relationships to drain time and energy from attracting new clients and serving existing clients. With that in mind, here are 5 reasons for firing a client. 1. Perfection Obsession These are the buyers who are obsessed with finding a perfect home, in a perfect location and at a perfect purchase price. Or they are sellers who insist on selling their homes terms and conditions that they consider perfect. Perfection rarely exists in our world, and besides, your responsibil... 08/26/2009

Subscribe Federal Reserve governors, unanimously proposed tough new consumer-friendly disclosure rules for mortgages and home equity loans last month, tackling one of the less-appreciated causes of the nation's deep financial crisis. After 18 months of study and consumer testing, the Fed's division of consumer affairs proposed, and governors accepted, a change to how finance charges and the annual percentage rate would be calculated. They also proposed restricting some bonus compensation from lenders to those who originate loans. The action by the Fed's Board of Governors, which requires a four-month comment period before becoming final, came as Congress is weighing an Obama administration proposal to strip the central bank of some of its regulatory authority over consumer credit produc... 08/15/2009

I'll get to the point. I represented a buyer, opened an escrow then ordered termite inspections. Listing agent already had one-year old termite report. We looked at it. The year-old report called for the master bathroom floor and shower stall to be replaced, almost $4,000. Not the worst we've seen right? Now, our termite guy goes out today and does not call the bathroom and floor, What?  Turns out that this is how it went, on eye wear ago, the first guy must have crawled under the house and saw a wet piece of floor joist that was cracked and drips hanging down from what appeared to be a damaged floor joist; an ongoing leak under the shower area. It happens. Today, our inspector was forewarned about the bathroom by me, and I asked him to check it out. So, naturally, he looked at the show... 08/13/2009

Subscribe Despite efforts by the federal government and banks to stop the home foreclosure disaster, frustrated borrowers are still battling red tape and delays in their attempts to negotiate lower payments, even as hundreds of thousands of them lose their homes every month. Banks say they're swamped with inquiries and are just now completing the first mortgage "loan modifications" under the Obama administration's Making Home Affordable plan, the program begun in April 2009 requiring borrowers to make three months of renegotiated payments before securing new loan terms. Though the reasons are many, the problem is simple: Banks aren't renegotiating enough loans to stem the rising tide of foreclosures, either through the federal program or on their own. If the banks wanted it to work, it ... 08/13/2009

 Subscribe The worst U.S. recession in 70 years should end over the next three to six months, judging by recently released data that showed that the economy's contraction eased considerably from April through June. The Commerce Department reported that the economy shrank at an annualized rate of 1% in the year's second quarter, less than most analysts had expected, and far less than the dramatic 6.4% shrinkage in the first quarter, a figure revised downward from the initial estimate of 5.5%. Independent economists think the economy now is poised to grow, albeit slowly. The key point is that this is the last negative (growth) report in the Great Recession, signaling the end of the downturn. The economy won't come charging back, but at it's back. Recent reports on improving home and auto ... 08/10/2009

Subscribe Hi all, have an older car or SUV now is your chance to get a vehicle that gets better gas mileage and get 4,500.00 from the government to do it!! The governments Cash for Clunkers program (C.A.R.S.) began stimulating the economy a month before the first rebate check was cut to a consumer for a new vehicle. "Manufacturers and dealers have spent millions to reach consumers who qualify for the $4,500 government funded rebates," said Sharon O'Connell from www.CashForClunkersInformation.org. Big budgets have been activated to implement campaigns targeting clunker consumers who are eligible for the program and the early results suggest the returns will be worth the investment. "We predict that the annualized selling rate for July will exceed 10 million vehicles for the first time th... 08/03/2009