Are good schools important?? Where do you start researching?

When searching for a home in the bay area, the first question to ask is, “What are the local schools and how are they rated?”

Whether you have have kids or not, school ratings should be a top priority because in the Bay Area, good schools are a key determinant of home values.

A home with good schools will be more desirable, will appreciate faster and be worth more when it comes time to sell.   … Not to mention provide a good education for your children.

With so many “school websites” out there,  where do you start?  What do you look for?

Natural Hazard Disclosure – Explained

The Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) is a report that is anywhere from 40 to 100 pages and is a required disclosure in the state of California for anyone purchasing a home.

Unfortunately many buyers become  too intimidated by the size of the report and never really take the time to learn the important information inside.

The good news is this report is nowhere near as intimidating as it looks.  I’m going to break it down for you and show you how you to review and understand the whole thing in 10 minutes flat.

5 Tools To Find The RIGHT Home In The Bay Area!

So you’re looking to move to a new part of the bay area, and don’t know where to start – Don’t worry!  There are some great websites to get you going FAST. The key things you should know about the area you’re moving to are:

1. What schools are in the area , and how are they ranked?
2. What is the crime rate in the area?
3. What are the Demographics in the area?
4. What kind of commute are you going to have?
5. What are the best local restaurants, dry cleaners, night life, etc

Are you submitting a GOOD offer?? How to write a winning offer – regardless of price!

Or are you just submitting an offer? 

And do you know the difference??

Today we’ll talk about the basics of submitting an offer as compared to submitting the kind of offer  sellers love to accept – regardless of price.

Here are the 7 things your offer needs to include in order to give it the best possible chance:

What Happens During Escrow?

For that matter, what is Escrow?

How does it work?

Why do we need it and pay for it?

Today we reveal the mysteries of the escrow process and talk about the buying timeline!!

8 Things you HAVE to know before submitting an offer on a short sale!!

If you are a buyer that’s been looking at homes for sale in the bay area, and a low priced short sale grabs your attention, it’s important to do a little research before jumping in.

Unlike regular sales or even foreclosures, things are not quite as they appear with short sales. 

Here are the 8 things you have to know about short sales before you submit an offer:

Bay Area Home Appraisal 101 – An Easy HOW-TO!

What is a home REALLY worth?   Well it depends on who you ask.

If you ask a Seller, they’ll tell you it’s worth what they’re asking for it.  If you ask a Buyer they’ll tell you it’s worth what they’re offering. 

If you ask an Appraiser, they’ll tell you that their profession is based on one concept:  The Fair Market Value of a home is what a knowledgeable, unpressured, and willing buyer is willing to offer and a knowledgeable, unpressured, and willing seller is willing to accept.   Alright …  That’s all great in theory, but how do you go about predicting the fair market value of a particular home???   – KEEP READING!

Searching For Homes For Sale In The Bay Area?

 

Can’t seem to find what you’re looking for??

If you consider yourself a picky buyer, the best way to start your home search is to go line by line down the possible search criteria and pick the minimum requirements for your new home.

 

What I’m going to ask you below is a list of your “must haves”, not “want to haves” … I would imagine that if you gave me a list of your “want to haves” I can find you a lovely $2mm home 😀

 

Are The Homes For Sale In The Bay Area Affordable??

When buyers are looking for homes for sale in the bay area, one of the most common things I hear is:

 “We can’t afford anything we like, what happened to the big price drop? We thought prices were supposed to be at record lows?!”

My explanation will often surprise them: