Silicon Valley Real Estate Info » Weird Real Estate Stories

Short Sale!

Dave Blockhus, Los Altos CA Real Estate Specialist, Coldwell Banker — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:04:51 +0000

Image via WikipediaI’m not sure just what to think about this marketing campaign for new homes in Las Vegas, but I thought that it was interesting enough to pass on.

A client forwarded my this advertisement for an upcoming real estate ”Short Sale” being put on by D. R. Horton, America’s Builder. D. R. Horton is trying to compete with all the REO’s and short sales in and around Las Vegas by “drastically” reducing prices for the weekend of January 24th-25th. For more information, click on the following link Builder Short Sale. Make sure you listen to the video. What’s next…”Where’s the Beef?”

Earthquake, Earthquake…….Who Says California Real Estate Isn’t Moving?

Dave Blockhus, Los Altos CA Real Estate Specialist, Coldwell Banker — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:40:31 +0000

As I sat down to begin a new post (my mind was somewhat blank), the earth began to shake. My table shook and the light overhead began to sway. That’s right folks we just got hit by an earthquake. I called out to the family that it was an earthquake and to get in a doorway. As with most quakes that I have gone through (excluding Loma Prieta), the earthquake was over before we truely realized it was an earthquake. According to the local news broadcast, the preliminary reading was 5.6 on the ritcher scale (not confirmed by USGS) and it was located 9 miles northeast of San Jose. It will be interesting to see how big it was and who’s fault it was (pun intended). See below for USGS map.

Stay tuned!

Apparently Pet Snakes Might Not be “Pets”…. More Weird Tales From A Real Estate Investor

Dave Blockhus, Los Altos CA Real Estate Specialist, Coldwell Banker — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:46:06 +0000

Awhile back I wrote about an investor friend of mine who was having problems at one of his properties. Well, the fun continues…

The same unit (we’ll call it unit 13) where the shooting took place finally was rented to a nice couple with three small children. One evening the mother was preparing the dinner and needed a large pot to make beans. She reached up into the cabinet to pull down a large stew pot, only to find that it seamed unusually heavy. When she got it down to eye level, the head of a large 2 1/2 foot snake popped out. As one might imagine, she dropped the pot and screamed like no one has ever heard before. The husband came rushing in to find his wife on a dining room chair and the pot and the snake on the kitchen floor. I think instinct took over and the husband killed the snake with a kitchen knife (see photo below).

Apparently, the tenant in the unit next door had a pet snake that went missing a few weeks earlier. He didn’t think it prudent to tell anyone about his stray snake. After all, how do you tell your neighbors that you own a 2 1/2 foot snake and that its gone missing? Do you put up flyers? Do you put an ad in the local paper. Do you call the FBI? What do you do?

The tenant also didn’t think it important to tell the property manager because the snake wasn’t “legally” a pet as defined in the rental agreement. The tenant was under the belief that snakes were not considered pets because only dogs and cats were specifically prohibited in the contract. According to the property manager, the contract states that “Tenants were not allowed to have any typical household pets like dogs and cats without prior written approval of the management,” which he didn’t have. I guess the tenant was correct, He didn’t own a dog or a cat….just a 2 1/1 foot snake that broke free and terrorized the family next door. True story!

Has anyone seen my head?