The San Mateo County Association of REALTORS and SAMCAR are urging Real Estate agents to bring their clients to their SAMCAR HOUSING EXPO'09. They hope the consumers will come to take advantage of the information and free source materials being offer to educate consumers about obtaining and owning a home.   Workshops:   First time homebuyers                                                                     Baby Boomers and Aging Adults           Real estate investor           Foreclosure prevention They will have four separate educational workshop speaking areas in the same building featuring local experts and nonprofit organization and. Over forty exhibitors will be there offering information and free source materials about local real estate market. My office Prudential California ... 04/10/2009

I just closed my first referral from Active Rain, Yes! Si! Oui!,ja!.  Five months ago, I got a phone call. They found my profile at Active Rain. I was so excited; I could not believe it was happening to me. He was looking for an agent with experience working with first time homebuyers. The buyer was looking in San Francisco, San Mateo County or Alameda County, it was very challenging to find the dream home with his tight budget, but we did not lose our hope and kept looking.  After several reject offers and viewed numerous homes. We finitely found the perfect house at a nice neighborhood. My buyer fell in love with this home.  It was an REO with 7 offers.  We played hard and got our offer accepted.         If you have not received a referral from active Rain yet, keep Blagging, comment... 04/05/2009

   For the past few days, I have being listining, watching and reading about twitter. I when to and typed into the search box what is twitter? I got 39,500,000 hits.  After reading a couple of search result, I signed up, and surprise! I had two followers; one of them is an old friend. It is FREE and easy to sign up!                 Shortly after completing all the information, an e-mail will be send to you, so you can activate your account.   Activate Phone: http://twitter.com/devicesInvite Your Friends:  http://twitter.com/invite Now you are ready to stay connected to your friends, family and colleague. 02/26/2009

   Sam Spade in San Mateo:Legendary mystery writer Joe Gores launches his new novel Spade & Archer at San Mateo's "M" Is for Mystery bookstore One of the reasons I like living in San Mateo County is to enjoy our many local cultural events. Here's an example: Today, San Mateo's "M" Is for Mystery bookstore hosted legendary mystery writer Joe Gores for the launch of his eagerly-anticipated new novel Spade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. As I write this, it is February 14, Valentine's Day, 2009. Today is an appropriate day for the publication date of Spade & Archer, because it was 79 years ago today, on February 14, 1930, that Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon was first published. I enjoyed attending the launch event. The bookstore was crowded with every... 02/14/2009

Does this beat anywhere esle in the country? This is the first time I have ever seen someone actually pumping gas at this station.  This gas station has the highest gas prices in the entire San Francisco Bay Area! 05/28/2008

Talk about controversy… the Bay Meadows Development Project has more people expressing their opinions and staking out positions than there are passing through the Carlmont Starbucks each week. So why not mine too? Well I’ve seen many well-intentioned men and women take up positions on the topic for various reasons and, frankly, I don’t get many of their stances. If there is an issue here at all, it is: what is the most cost-effective and best use of this property? - It’s clearly not a financially troubled race track. Those who fight for keeping the track because of its historical significance should be reminded that we have museums for that type of remembrance. And, those that argue about increased traffic and congestion must keep in mind that increasing congestion on the Peninsula is i... 04/30/2008

ParksideSingle Family Residential   Days On  YearsCurrent InventoryClosed SalesMarketAverage Sales PriceTotal Sales Volume2007-Q47882668,4375,347,5002007-Q110410814,7503,259,0002007-Q213939747,1116,724,0002007-Q315520777,9003,889,5002008-Q1165119637,9003,189,500Summary613156722,88722,409,500The average sales price in Parkside has dropped in the first quarter of 2008. So far we only had 5 completed sales in Parkside, but activity has picked up in April.  If you would like to find out the current listing price or sales price of any home in Parkside, San Mateo, feel free to give me a call or send me an e-mail request at sabine@sabinedillon.com.  Make sure you include the complete property address with your request.Sabine Dillon Property Previews Specialist   Direct: 650-596-5441  sabine@sa... 04/29/2008

The San Mateo City Council approved the plans for Bay Meadows on Monday night. The 84-square acres of racetrack land will now be converted to shopping, commercial and residential areas. Opponents were concerned about traffic and the loss of the historic racetrack… supporters mentioned the positive impact the new housing and recreational areas will have on the community. But what does it really mean for San Mateo County residents? We’ll give you our opinion on Friday, but until then, keep sending in your votes! For more Bay Meadows information, visit our blog Living Well in San Mateo and search Bay Meadows. 04/23/2008

Lure Restaurant invites for a spring dinner and opportunity to taste wine from the Halter Ranch Vineyard.  Check ythe menu and make reservation!  Lure Restaurant Presents:   Halter Ranch Wine Pairing Dinner   Sunday, April 27, 2008 6:00 p.m.   Enjoy a sumptuous five-course meal crafted by Chef May Yong to showcase a range of wines from Halter Ranch Vineyard & Winery of Paso Robles.  On hand will be Winery Representative, Jim Whit, to guide us through the evening’s selection. Experience how well these wines pair with food, and then stop by 750ml Wine Lounge & Retail Store to purchase your favorites.   Featured Menu   First Course Kona Kampachi Carpaccio with Strawberries, Radish, with Pimente de Esplette Paired with: 2007 Halter Ranch GSM Rosé   Second Course Spring Risotto with Florida ... 04/13/2008

With less than 30 days left until April15th, many San Mateo homeowners are scrambling to get their paperwork together for their tax preparer appointment. In all the frustrated and anxiety filled moments before the meeting, many homeowners may forget a few of the tax deductions they may be allowed. As a reminder, here are just a few that may help you with your income taxes this year. Be aware that before you make any of these deductions, you need to speak with a tax professional first before doing so. 1. PMI - Private Mortgage Insurance is an extra insurance that lenders require when a homeowner puts less than 20% down payment on a home. in essence, lenders would prefer an 80% Loan-to-Value, however those borrowers with an LTV higher than 80% must pay an insurance premium each month. But... 03/21/2008

With the new stimulus package being nearly passed by the President, now is the time to start thinking about refinancing out of those higher interest option arm rates or purchasing a new home. We all know how California has suffered through this housing slump, mainly because of our higher median home prices. The majority of Californians could not even think about refinancing their homes due to the fact that our homes are still to far above the conforming loan limit of $417,000. While we sat and watched many parts of the country such as the Midwest and Southern portions of the US refinance into lower conforming rates, we were basically held hostage by the secondary markets where loans are bought and sold. Since the credit crisis became news, the secondary market has virtually closed down ... 02/09/2008

I had coffee the other day with Mike Lanza, a fellow who has developed a website specifically looking for neighborhoods around North America that still have children playing outside in front of their homes.  His website is called Playborhood.  Mike has had a hard time finding any neighborhoods in the town he lives in, Palo Alto, and it got me to thinking.  How often do we see kids playing outside any more?  I posed a question to some of my friends with school aged children on whether they allowed their kids to play outside and they said yes, with some supervison.  They told me about a couple of areas in San Mateo that regularly have kids out after school and on weekends.  I see this in many areas of Foster City, too, but Foster City is designed to have kids play in the many parks that s... 02/03/2008

It happens every year.  Parents lining up, sleeping bags in hand, wine and food being passed, a jolly good time be had by all, except this is for a coveted space in the 2008 Kindergarten class at San Mateo's Baywood School.  Registration doesn't even begin until February 1st, which is this Friday.  The line up began last night and parents are desperate to get their children into the local school with too few places for new kindergarteners. It has become such a spectacle that the local television stations come down from San Francisco to shoot the story and air it.  I do not think there is another public school in the US that has this happen.  People spend a lot of money to buy a home near Baywood School.  Baywood, Baywood Knolls, and Aragon are among the most expensive areas in San Mateo... 01/31/2008

Several years ago I was part of a community group discussing affordable housing in San Mateo County.  What was most interesting to me was how many people participating had no idea what affordable housing meant.  They made some pretty wild assumptions and generally that meant that it was ghetto housing.  As the two days concluded, it was really reassuring to see some dramatic changes in the understanding of what it was.  In short, in San Mateo County, affordable housing means something the average person can buy, a house for under $500,000! Well under. It takes a lot of income to afford to buy a $500,000 house and if you work for a city, school, hospital, fire or police department, library,or any kind of general business your income won't allow you to do it without a spouse or second, or... 12/16/2007

I have reviewed the November MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in San Mateo, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto 12/14/2007

I have reviewed the November MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in San Mateo, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto 12/14/2007

EEK, the year 2007 will end in 3 weeks!  Does anyone buy a house during this time?  Well yes, they do and if you are in the market to buy a home, it's a great time to do it.  But, if your house is for sale, don't forget to keep it looking Just Right, because your future buyer just might be out there.  And looking.  It is not unheard of an offer coming in on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or even New Year's Eve.  We don't usually see too many new listings come on the MLS the final weeks of the year but there are a few.  There are also a lot of serious buyers out there and, drum roll please, there's a boat load of money for lending.  Stop believing the mainstream press and talk to your lender.  If your FICO score is above 670, you have cash in the bank, a good job(s), get to a lender and t... 12/10/2007

You have saved and scrimped your money to get yourself from under the wasteland known as renter, where you pay month after month and gain nothing in return. You finally build up enough nerve to move ahead and bam, the credit crisis happens. Day after day you turn on the TV and are bombarded by news stories on how the entire mortgage industry is collasping and no one is being approved for a loan. Does all this sound familiar? One cannot say that there are not major problems to overcome, but the mortgage industry is much more stable than the news media is reporting. One major improvement within the real estate industry is that this shake up has forced many of the unscrupulous Realtors and loan officers back into the shadows. Unfortunately, that leaves those of us, like myself, that have m... 11/27/2007

I have reviewed the October MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in San Mateo, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto 11/13/2007

I have reviewed the October MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in San Mateo, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto 11/13/2007