Silicon Valley Real Estate Guide

15, 10, even 5 years ago, the art of presenting an offer was a valued skilled that every agent tried to perfect.  There were benefits to both the buyer and seller.  A seller and his/her agent would meet face to face with the buyer’s agent, allowing the buyer’s agent to present his/her client and their […]

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An interesting conversation broke out at our last Los Altos/Mountain View real estate tour meeting regarding an increase in a phenomenon we haven’t seen since 1999-2000, pocket listings.   Flash back to 1999-2000 when inventory levels were low and buyer demand was high.  Some real estate brokerages took listings and never made them public, opting to sell them in-house rather than […]

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Every so often, I’ll be showing property in an area that doesn’t look all that great.  The buyers inevitably will ask “Is there much crime in this neighborhood?”  Although I have friends in both the Sunnyvale and Mountain View police departments, I don’t have actual knowledge of crime stats for any of the neighborhoods that […]

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About 2 months ago, I started to receive letters about refinancing my adjustable loan.  Apparently, I live in Refi-Hell and every lender in the country is attempting to get my business.  In total, I received over 40 solicitations.  Some lenders were straight forward, others weren’t.  Some were just pathetic.  Note, I’m not trying to bash lenders, just some of the bad […]

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According to research analyzed by John H. Vogel, a professor of real estate at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, having a child is the single biggest indicator that someone will file for bankruptcy and lose their home in foreclosure. In this Inman TV video, professor Vogel explains some of the reasons and possible […]

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I recently read a post from The Front Steps blog on resetting the days on market (DOM) data field on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).   Although the post was a request for comment (which I did), I thought I would give an expanded version of my thoughts on the subject.
The DOM data field in the MLS reports the amount […]

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The Federal Open Market Committee met last night in an unscheduled meeting.  The result of this meeting was a cut in the federal funds rate of 75 basis points.  The federal funds rate went from 4.25% to 3.5%.  This marked the biggest one-day rate move by the central bank since it cut its discount rate by a […]

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In this brief 5 minute video, Dan Green of The Mortgage Report gives insight into mortgage lending and how mortgage guidelines are changing.  It’s a clear, concise, and maybe simplistic, but it clarifies how guidelines in the mortgage market change and how these changes affect everyone.  Good video, good information.
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Is that old black and white T.V. collecting dust?  Do you still have your first cell phone and charger?  Is your old C.P.U. performing better as a doorstop than a computer?  Why not get rid of your old electronics and help restore a portion of Hale Creek in Los Altos.  The First Baptist Church of Los Altos is holding […]

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A few days ago I read an interesting article written by Teresa Boardman of the St. Paul Real Estate Blog about customer service.  Working in a occupation where service is so important, I thought I would pass along my recent experience at a retailer known world wide for its high level of customer service, Nordstroms.
Yesterday morning my wife, daughter, and […]

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