Category: Buying A Home

In all the excitement of moving and trying to get settled in your new home in Oakland, the last thing you want is a honey-do list, right? Some things, however, shouldn’t be put off and need to be taken care of now. So, push the boxes aside for a day or two and let’s get ‘er done! 1. Change the locks Although this may seem like a no-brainer, changing the door locks on a new home is something many homebuyers neglect doing. Hey, when you consider all the little details that need attention, such as changing over the utilities, registering

Real estate has three primary rules: Location Location Location When something has to be repeated three times for it to sink in, you know it’s an important issue. And, when it comes to determining a home’s value – now and in the future – location is king. When real estate agents, lenders and appraisers talk about location, however, they aren’t just referring to whether the home sits on a sandy beach. There are many aspects they take into account when determining how a home’s particular location impacts its value. Commute times Studies show that the most expensive housing markets have

We love helping people find and buy homes. We especially love helping first-time buyers learn the ins and outs of the process and the market. However, it can be a daunting process with the competitive market here in Oakland and in the San Francisco Bay Area in General. Working with first-time buyers and those on tight budgets during last spring’s overheated sellers’ market was heartbreaking. So many offers made and so many passed over in favor of higher or all-cash bids. One of the most frequently-asked questions we received was “Aside from increasing the amount of money we’re offering, what

If you’re one of those people who won’t buy a product or use a service until you’ve checked the online reviews, then you are as pleased as we are with the proliferation of review sites. Do you ever wonder if a lot of the glowingly positive reviews are fake? Hey, we don’t blame you – skepticism is healthy. And, thankfully, some sites, such as Yelp, have strict policies to ensure that the reviews are from real people who’ve actually used the product or service. It’s not as easy to find reviews of real estate agents as it is, say, a

With the median home value in Oakland hovering near $700,000, you might be staring at your latest bank account numbers and looking like this:  There are few things in life more frustrating than that longing to own your own home, combined with the very real fact that your bank account is a bit on the skimpy side. You know that buying your own home is part of #adulting and will help you build equity and stop throwing away money on rent, and on and on. But I totally get it. Saving money for that down payment, especially when you live