How Do I Choose the Right Real Estate Agent to Sell my Home?

Is it Time to Sell Your Home?

Your home may very well be your largest single investment so when it’s time to sell, your choice of real estate agent can either make, or break the deal.
 
Keep in mind that the individual agent you hire is more important than the agency they represent.
 
Here are some quick pointers to help you make your choice:
 
  • Look for an experienced real estate agent
  • Find an agent that is devoted to real estate full time
  • Seek out an agent that possess the following qualities:
    • Knowledgeable
    • Negotiating skills
    • Loyalty
To learn more about how we can put our years of experience, top-notch negotiating skills and client loyalty to work for you, contact us today!
 
Curious about how much your home is worth? How about a no-obligation Comparative Market Analysis? Click here.
 

Dublin Real Estate, Home Seller Tips, Livermore Real Estate, Pleasanton Real Estate | No Comments » June 22nd, 2007

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10 Steps to Safety Around Swimming Pools

Summer is here and the kids are ready to swim!

Before they take that first dip in the pool, share with them your concerns for their safety.

 

  1. Supervise, supervise, supervise
  2. Do not consider flotation devices a substitute for supervision
  3. Never swim without a buddy
  4. Keep a portable phone or cell phone near the pool for emergencies
  5. Maintain your rescue equipment at the pool
  6. Learn CPR and keep your skills current
  7. Consider installing barriers such as fences and secure pool covers
  8. Purchase an alarm that triggers when the pool is being accessed
  9. Teach children the proper use of the slide or diving board
  10. Worth repeating…supervise!

Another great idea is to post your own set of rules near the pool; No Running, No Diving, and Never Swim Alone.

 

Perhaps you don’t have a private pool in your backyard? If you would like to take a look at the available homes for sale with a private swimming pool contact us today.

 

Make this the summer to remember!

Livermore Activities | 1 Comment » June 19th, 2007

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Dancing in Livermore this Weekend!

 

Livermore Sommerfest!

Another beautiful weekend is in store for the Livermore Valley! Saturday’s weather (Saturday, June 16th), shall bring us highs in the mid 80’s with Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph.
 
This Saturday will be a great day to get out and enjoy the festivities of the 22nd Annual German Sommerfest at The Barn in Livermore.
 
This evening event (5 to 10:30 pm) is sponsored by the Livermore Cultural Arts Council. Plenty of family entertainment, including dancing (the audience is encouraged to participate in the Maypole dance), a dance exhibition, a children’s activity corner and dinner.
 
Some of the items available for purchase on the dinner menu are; German sausage, hot dogs, kraut, potato salad, strudel, and beverages will be beer, wine, and soft drinks.
 
For your pleasure, the Karl Lebherz’s German “oom-pah” Band will be performing. Proceeds from this event will go to the Livermore School Arts programs. Tickets at the door are $12 for adults and $7 for children.
 
Have a great time!
 
If you have questions about visiting or living in the Livermore area contact us.
 
Photo courtesy of elivermore.com Community Calendar

Livermore Activities, Livermore Community Info, Livermore News | No Comments » June 15th, 2007

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Market Update

 Weekly Commentary

Mortgage interest rates firmed noticeably this past week, but they will probably edge back down a bit. Still, the outlook is for generally positive overall economic growth, with continuing concerns about the potential for higher inflation.

 
As HSH Associates explained, “Mortgage rates took quite a hit this week, but this was due largely to the Treasury selloff caused by a surprise rate hike by New Zealand’s Reserve Bank; this spurred fears that other countries’ central banks might follow suit. Even without this scare, the general runup in rates over the past few weeks isn’t wholly unexpected given the reports of stronger economic data and a revival of economic growth from a truly anemic 0.6% in the first quarter of this year. Investors have given up on a rate cut by the Fed this year.”
 
There was also a quarter-point rate hike in England, but these hikes don’t seem harbingers of significantly higher interest rates. Still, our own rates are unlikely to head south any time soon. This flies in the face of a guess several weeks ago that interest rates might decline largely because of lower employment, as construction workers lost their jobs in large numbers. Job losses in construction haven’t been as great as predicted and, more important, job gains in other sectors have been much stronger than anticipated. Therefore, the jobs data have become among the most important indicators for near- to mid-term interest rate movements.
 
Also important is the evidence that labor costs are rising and that consumers are paying attention to the size of their credit card debt. The latest data, published in concert with the first quarter GDP figures, show that unit labor costs rose by an upwardly revised 1.8% (surprisingly higher than the first estimate of 0.6%). This is, in part, a natural result of lower productivity figures (1% growth, as against the initial estimate of 1.7% growth). If the per-worker output declines, the per-worker labor cost rises as a mathematical result. But there may be more to this than simple math, and economists—notably at the Federal Reserve—are concerned about the inflationary effects of higher labor costs.
 
At the same time, revolving credit actually declined in April (by 0.5%), meaning that consumers paid off more of their credit card debt than they increased it. This rather unusual situation suggests a sobered mood among consumers. Whether it will translate into lower retail purchase levels—as indeed it may—remains to be seen. In the meantime, it is difficult not to find some solace in reduced credit card use among our nation’s intensely indebted consumers, even if it may suggest a slightly growing reluctance to finance large purchases, like autos and homes.
 

 
KEY INDICATORS
 
Gold $653.40/ounce [down]
Crude Oil (Brent) $68.63/barrel
[down]
U.S. Dollar to…
    Euro .7505 [up]
    Japanese Yen 121.77 [up
very slightly]
6-mo Treasury Bill Yield 4.94%
10-yr Treasury Note Yield 5.21%
            [little change at short end,
 bigger jumps at long end]
30-yr Fixed-rate Mortgage 6.79%
15-yr Fixed-rate Mortgage 6.49%
1-yr ARM 6.10%
[HSH average rates: 30-yr up 22 bps, 15-yr up 17; ARM down 7 bps]
 
Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Applications Index
week ending 6/1
Overall
    625.3 (down 1.7%; down 7.3%
            the week prior)
 Purchase Money Loans
     433.6 (up 1.5%; down 2.5%
            the week prior)
 Refinancing Loans
     1757.1 (down 6.3%; down 13%
the week prior)
 
Weekly Jobless Claims 6/2
    309,000 first computation –
310,000 prior week (with no revision)
 
Productivity first quarter 2007
    Revised from 1.7% to 1% growth
    Unit labor costs revised up from
0.6% to 1.8% rise
 
Consumer Credit April
    Up a moderate 1.3% - revolving down 0.5%, non-revolving up 2.4%
 

 
 

Livermore Real Estate, Weekly Market Updates | No Comments » June 14th, 2007

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Live in One of Livermore’s Best Neighborhoods


Livermore Real Estate | No Comments » June 11th, 2007

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Schools out – How to Keep the Kids Busy!

 
 
Get ready! School is almost out and the kids will be running through the house from morning to night.
 
Here is our Top Ten Tips to keep your kids busy this summer so you won’t have to hear “I’m bored!”. 
  
  1. Get the kids their own computer
  2. Consider purchasing educational and fun software
  3. Set up a chore chart with rewards
  4. Sign up for Netflix or something similar (you’ll thank me for this one)
  5. Buy hobby or crafting supplies
  6. Let the kids plant some flowers in the yard
  7. Paint-by-number and Play Doh offer hours of play
  8. Subscribe to fun magazines age-appropriate for your kids
  9. Hire an older teen to entertain the kids
 And our personal favorite:
  1. Give the kids paintbrushes and a bucket of water to paint the driveway!
 Check out the Livermore Park District Summer Guide for reasonably priced activities.
 
Think back on some of the summer activities that you enjoyed and do your best to incorporate some of those original ideas into your summer with your kids.
 
By the way, as they grow and your home needs change let us know, we can help you locate that home with more bedrooms, a bigger kitchen, or the extra large backyard for playing tag.
 

Livermore Activities, Livermore Community Info | No Comments » June 8th, 2007

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Does My Home Need a Virtual Tour?

 The benefits of having a virtual tour created of your home far outweigh the temporary inconvenience of a photographer taking professional images of your home.
 
 
Think of the virtual tour of your home as a portable brochure that can be emailed, copied to a CD, or viewed on numerous real estate marketing websites.
 
Home buyers like the interactive technology of a virtual tour. It gives them a peek inside without having to set an appointment. This can also save you the disturbance of a home showing.
 
The buyer that views a virtual tour and then makes contact with your Realtor® can be considered a serious buyer. They already liked what they saw inside via high-quality digital images.
 
Tips to Prepare for the Virtual Tour
 
  • Clear out the clutter everywhere
  • Remove and pack away personal mementos
  • Store valuables out-of-sight
  • Turn on all the interior lights
  • Park you vehicle in the garage or across the street
You might also consider having a professional home stager visit your home before the virtual tour photos are taken. Give us a call or email us and we’ll help you locate a local professional home stager to assist you.
 
 

Home Seller Tips | No Comments » June 5th, 2007

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Creating Curb Appeal and a Warm Welcome

It’s true; your home only has one opportunity to make a favorable first impression to your potential buyers. The fact is most buyers won’t do more than drive by your home if what they see from the curb is not inviting or welcoming to them.
 
Another thought to consider is that more and more buyers are finding their first or next home on the Internet. They use high-tech home search tools like the one offered on our website. When your home pops up on their computer screen it will need to exude curb appeal just the same as if they were driving by your home.
 
Quick Tips:
 
  • Paint it – or pressure wash it
  • Clean the windows – fix the bent or torn screens
  • Manicure the lawn – fix any bald spots on the lawn
  • Plant flowering seasonal plants – or place potted plants
Don’t forget your home’s evening curb appeal. Serious home buyers will choose to return to your neighborhood in the darkness to experience what living in your neighborhood would be like at night. Place low voltage or solar outdoor lighting along your driveway or pathway or use feature lighting on trees.
 

Home Seller Tips | No Comments » June 2nd, 2007

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Market Update

Weekly Commentary
 
 Though there was little movement among the key indicators this past week, we do need to pay some attention to the amazing disparity between new home and existing home sales figures. Even with a close examination, the distance between them is difficult to explain.
 
First, we should remember that the new home sales data, collected from new contracts by the Census Bureau, have a habit of needing repeated revisions as more data is collected in the future. Frankly, these figures are not tremendously reliable, though we can never write them off entirely.
 
The existing home figures, collected by the National Association of Realtors® from completed sales—and thus more backward-looking than the new homes sales figures—tend to move in a more conservative fashion. They tell us about the fairly recent past, the sales first written up 30 to 90 days ago.
 
So these sets of data are, to a degree, apples and oranges. But that doesn’t explain why sales of new homes would have increased by 16.2%, while sales of existing homes would have fallen by 2.6%. Obviously, there’s more to the story here.
 
Here are a few suppositions:
 
(1) The new homes figures have indeed been known occasionally to swing in as volatile a fashion as this, and we could be witnessing what Moody’s Economy.com termed an “economic artifact,” a bit of economic data that makes little sense.
 
(2) There probably is a notable difference in sales volume between new homes, whose builders are intent on reducing inventory, and existing homes, whose owners still want to get the best possible price for the property. New home prices, after all, declined by a dramatic 10%. Existing home prices are down only 0.8%.
 
(3) Further, the stress on reducing inventory shows up very clearly in the month’s-supply-on-market figures. For new homes, the figure has declined dramatically from 8.1 months’ worth of inventory in March to 6.5 months’ worth. For existing homes, the figure rose from 7.4 months’ worth to 8.4 months’ worth. (These figures, as you doubtless know, represent the number of months it would take to sell off current inventory at today’s pace of sales.)
 
Much is explained, therefore, by the different emphases in these two housing sectors. But much remains unexplained. Is the upward spike in new home sales a fluke, or does it suggest the approach of a stronger real estate market? Time will tell.

KEY INDICATORS
 
Gold $662.70/ounce [up]
Crude Oil (Brent) $68.74/barrel
[down slightly]
U.S. Dollar to…
    Euro .7421 [down slightly]
    Japanese Yen 121.65 [up
slightly]
6-mo Treasury Bill Yield 4.96%
10-yr Treasury Note Yield 4.88%
            [little change]
30-yr Fixed-rate Mortgage 6.41%
15-yr Fixed-rate Mortgage 6.06%
1-yr ARM 5.81%
[HSH average rates: fixeds both down slightly; ARM down]
 
Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Applications Index
week ending 5/18
Overall
    686.2 (up 1.6%; down 0.8%
            the week prior)
 Purchase Money Loans
     438.1 (up 1.3%; down 1.4%
            the week prior)
 Refinancing Loans
     2154.7 (up 1.9%; up 0%
the week prior)
 
Weekly Jobless Claims 5/19
    311,000 first computation –
293,000 prior week (with no revision)
 
New Home Sales April
    Up 16.2% - prices down 10%
 
Existing Home Sales April
    Down 2.6% - prices down 0.8%
 
Conference Board Consumer Confidence May
    Up from 106.3 to 108

Weekly Market Updates | No Comments » June 1st, 2007

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Market Update

.

Weekly Commentary
 
Everyone seems to be in agreement about the real estate market. It’s in a free fall, they say. But some few of us remain a bit confused.
 
There’s still money to be made in real estate, after all, when the right property is purchased at the right moment and sold in a similar fashion, and when one locality or sector of the market outperforms others, as downtown Los Angeles is currently outperforming the suburbs. Further, the data on mortgage applications still points in powerfully positive directions, with the purchase money loans index well above 400 and showing no signs of going into the kind of “free fall” that so many analysts say the real estate market has entered.
 
A recent editorial in San Diego’s North County News helped to clarify the perceptions that so many analysts have been wailing about. “We’ve heard much in recent months about the record number of foreclosures in the county. But those numbers must be put in perspective. Earlier this month we reported that foreclosure filings on properties in San Diego County had climbed by 49 percent from February to March to 2,551. That figure represents one in every 408 households.

”Scary as they seem at first glance, those numbers don’t look so bad upon closer inspection. Of those 2,551 foreclosure filings, 1,998 were in default and 415 had been notified that their property would be sold for repayment. That leaves only 138 properties that were actually foreclosed on that month — or a little less than 0.025 percent of San Diego County’s 600,000 single-family homes, condos and duplexes.”

 
The Mortgage Bankers Association adds these clarifications: “At the end of last year, delinquencies of subprime mortgages amounted to 13% of outstanding loans. That means that 87% of subprime borrowers were making their payments on time. The delinquency rate remains below its recent high of 14.9 % in the second quarter of 2002, though it might exceed that figure before the end of this year. Foreclosures of subprime mortgages amount to 4-1/2% of outstandings, but have been higher than that as recently as 2002. They were twice that high in early 2002, but received little comment in the press at that time.”
 
The market, without question, has slowed—very dramatically in some areas. And defaults and foreclosures, in some areas, are coming in at levels normally associated with recessions. But, as was said at the outset, the market is neither dead nor in a free fall. A sober look at the actual numbers should make that clear.

May 23, 2007
 
KEY INDICATORS
 
Gold $658.70/ounce [down]
Crude Oil (Brent) $69.52/barrel
[up]
U.S. Dollar to…
    Euro .7435 [up]
    Japanese Yen 121.57 [up]
6-mo Treasury Bill Yield 4.98%
10-yr Treasury Note Yield 4.83%
            [both up, margin narrowing]
30-yr Fixed-rate Mortgage 6.47%
15-yr Fixed-rate Mortgage 6.20%
1-yr ARM 6.04%
[HSH average rates: fixeds both up slightly more than 10 bps; ARM down 4 bps]
 
Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Applications Index
week ending 5/11
Overall
    675.5 (down 0.8%; up 3.6%
            the week prior)
 Purchase Money Loans
     432.3 (down 1.4%; up 2.6%
            the week prior)
 Refinancing Loans
     2115.5 (up 0%; up 4.9%
the week prior)
 
Weekly Jobless Claims 5/12
    293,000 first computation –
298,000 prior week (with 1,000 upward revision)
 
Housing Starts April
    Up 2.5% - housing permits down
            8.9%
 
Conference Board Leading Indicators Index April
    Down 0.5%
 
Industrial Production April

    Up 0.7% - cap. utilization 81.6%

 

 


Weekly Market Updates | 1 Comment » May 23rd, 2007

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