Finally, a website has come along that aggregates demographic data including census data, and research data to provide a picture of a community.  Take Foster City for instance.  I ran a report on this city and some of the information being provided includes General Lifestyles, Neighborhoods, Schools, and Crime.  The website is PicketReport.com and as someone who has always loved data, this site is cool.  The picture on the left is a heat  map of the demographics in our immediate area.

According to the PicketReport, Foster City is made up of Flourishing Families (affluent middle-aged families and couples earning prosperous incomes and living very comfortable active lifestyles).  Foster City has a high walk-score, high school scores, and almost no crime.  Now, this is a lot of the data I can legally give about Foster City and do, but it also drills down further about the demographics, which is the stuff I can’t legally give.

If you’re a data wonk, and want to know more about the communities around Foster City such as San Mateo, Hillsborough and Burlingame, this will give you the info all in one place.  You will love this site if you are in marketing.  It’s not 100 percent accurate but it does give you an idea of what our communities are all about in one place.  The ask you to sign in but if you register I don’t see any value to you as the end user.  You can get your snap shot of the zip code you’re interested in without registering.

It’s a free service and you can get the information by zip code just keep in mind it isn’t totally perfect.  Then again, almost nothing is perfect, is it?

Here’s what’s for sale in Foster City today.

Showing properties 1 - 7 of 7. See more city of Foster City real estate.
(all data current as of 2/12/2012)

1. $1,179,000 : 269 Avocet Ct, Foster City
   
   5 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 2,690 sq ft

   Lot size: 6,630 sq ft

   Year built: 1969
   
2. $869,000 : 632 Matsonia Dr, Foster City
   
   4 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,760 sq ft

   Lot size: 5,320 sq ft

   Year built: 1964
   
3. $999,990 : 850 Gull Av, Foster City
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,160 sq ft

   Lot size: 5,320 sq ft

   Year built: 1966
   
4. $1,529,000 : 1001 Monterey Av, Foster City
   
   3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,170 sq ft

   Lot size: 8,540 sq ft

   Year built: 1978
   
5. $975,000 : 54 Port Royal Av, Foster City
   
   3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,890 sq ft

   Lot size: 6,798 sq ft

   Year built: 1985
   
6. $1,189,000 : 760 Coronado Ln, Foster City
   
   3 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 2,110 sq ft

   Lot size: 4,857 sq ft

   Year built: 1977
   
7. $849,000 : 921 Swan St, Foster City
   
   5 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 2,540 sq ft

   Lot size: 5,700 sq ft

   Year built: 1966
   

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Things Not to Do When Buying a Home

Here are Ten Things a future Home Buyers Should Never Do Before Closing on a Home.  If you do any one of them, it could cause a huge delay in your closing.  Lenders are very tough on borrowers today and they check and double check your credit and work history prior to lending.  They don’t like surprises and you shouldn’t give them any.

The process is well underway for buying your new home. You’ve made the offer and the sellers have accepted it.  Your escrow has been opened. You’re counting the days until you close escrow and get the keys to start to make the house your home. Your lender pre-approved you and sent your application through underwriting, so buying the house is a sure thing, right?

Not quite. Nothing is certain until the keys are in your hand and the deed is recorded. There are still hurdles to get past before it’s yours, and your actions between now and closing can create headaches, slowdowns and even stop the transaction. Yes, stop the transaction cold.

1. Don’t Make a Major Purchase of ANYTHING without talking to your lender first

You’ve just found out your credit is A+. That’s great news, because a new car would look fantastic in the driveway of your new home. But hang on–if you are depending on a mortgage to move in, you’d better wait until after closing to buy that car.

An increase in your debt to income ratio reduces the amount of monthly income available for your mortgage payment.

If you tack on a higher car payment, the bank might decide you can’t afford the home.

Using cash to purchase the car could also create a problem, since banks consider cash reserves when approving your mortgage. If you must make a major purchase before closing, talk to your loan officer before you do it.

2. Don’t Change Jobs Unless It’s Necessary

Lenders like to see a consistent job history. They didn’t used to be nervous if you changed jobs within the same field, but it’s better to stay put until the house is yours. If you do need to change your job, your escrow will slow down while the lender waits to see four (4) pay stubs to make sure your new income will allow you to still purchase that home.  That slow down could effect not only your seller but others if the seller is buying a new home, too.  The seller could ask you for additional funds because of the delay.  Don’t do it unless it’s absolutely necessary.

3. Don’t Give an Earnest Money Deposit Directly to a For-Sale-By-Owner Seller

Your good faith deposit should go into a trust account. Some for sale by owner sellers don’t understand that funds are not their’s to spend until closing. The only place a trust account should sit is with a Title & Escrow Company.  Escrow Companies are neutral third parties to a purchase and they take their instructions from the buyer and the seller.  They are impartial and if you buy that For-Sale-By-Owner home write your deposit check out in an escrow company’s name only.

I’ve heard many stories about sellers who spent the deposit money prior to closing. When the transactions didn’t take place for valid reasons–such as financing or repair issues, the buyers had to fight for a refund.  That can’t happen when the funds sit in an escrow account.

Find an attorney or escrow company who will hold the deposit for you until closing day and make sure your contract dictates what happens to the funds if the transaction doesn’t close.

4. Don’t Let Your Emotions Take Over

Keep a cool head during the entire home buying process, especially during and after a home inspection. Be realistic. No home is perfect, especially older homes. It’s not unusual for new owners to take care of some repairs themselves. Don’t let the seller’s refusal to do a small repair kill the deal on a home you truly love.  Realors are able to negotiate for things you might not be able to do so ask your agent if some things are possible and let them work on it.

On the other hand, don’t fall so much in love with the house that you’ll buy it no matter what needs to be done–unless you’re sure you can handle it emotionally and financially. Decide what type of repairs you can realistically tackle, then stick with the decision.

5. Don’t Forget to Switch Utilities

That sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to apply for utility service at their new home. Call the utility companies as soon as you have a contract. Find out how many days lead time they need to switch the service, then get back with them when you have a firm closing date.

Don’t forget to discontinue services at your old home.  That doesn’t mean to shut off utilities it means to make sure the new owner’s have their name on the bill from the day of closing forward.  If they haven’t done this call your Agent to help.

6. Don’t Forget to Line Up Your Fire & Hazard Insurance

A no-brainer, right? But it’s another often-forgotten task that buyers scramble to take care of at the last minute. Before closing, your lender will want to see an insurance binder showing you have coverage for the new home. Get it as early as possible so that closing isn’t delayed.  Your Escrow Officer will need the name of your Insurance Agent for her files, too.

In some locations, additional types of insurance coverage might be necessary such as Flood Insurance. Talk to your lender about insurance requirements well before the closing date.

7. Don’t Become Best Friends with the Seller

I’ll get some flack on this one. It’s great to be friendly, but don’t get into too many long discussions with the sellers, because personality conflicts often cloud judgments.

Remember, this is their home. You’re excited about moving in, and if you didn’t like the house you wouldn’t have offered to buy it. But you’ll make changes–everyone does. A casual statement about “ripping up that ugly carpet” might be hurtful enough to keep the seller from negotiating with you about repairs or other issues that crop up.

8. Don’t Panic if the Appraisal Comes in Low

At least not at first. There are some things you (and your agent) can do to correct the problem. Study your options and talk with your agent about the best things to do. Today it’s very difficult for an Appraiser to do his/her job with prices dropping significantly in some areas.  If your appraisal comes in really low, you can ask for a second appraisal from a second person.  Appraising is not done with computers so everyone doing it does it a little differently.  Lenders are also asking for sales comparisons closer to your purchase date and that isn’t always easy to provide today.

9. Don’t Go It Alone

If you’re working with an agent, it’s the agent’s duty to track many of the day to day details that involve the lender, the seller, or the seller’s agent. Be sure your agent schedules a final walk-through just before closing. At this final walk-through make sure everything is the same as it was when you made your offer.  It is the Seller’s responsibility to keep their home the same all during the escrow period.  If it isn’t, this is the time to find out, not after you own it.

Should you find additional problems during this walk-through, it’s not too late for additional inspections and negotiation with the seller.

10. Don’t Ignore Lender Requirements

Know what is expected of you and take care of it. For instance, a Certificate of Eligibility is required to move forward on a VA loan. That’s something you must handle yourself. Answer your lender questions and make sure that you provide required paperwork as quickly as possible–moving into your new home depends on it.

Your lender will call your employer to verify your employment.  They are likely to do this several times so don’t be surprised.  The lender talks with HR if you work in a large company or with your boss if it’s a small company.  The lenders do this to make sure you are still employed before giving you your loan.  They expect you to be able to pay them back and being employed is a large part of this.

If you follow these 10 things during your escrow period, you’ll get those keys and own your new home without any hiccups.

The good news is that BMR units, that’s Below Market Rate units are included in this program!  This condo property is really beautiful and the condos are done with all of the bells and whistles you’d hope to find in a high-end property.  They’re close to the transit hub in Millbrae for CalTrain or BART commutes.

Here are the Rules.

1.  If you intend to buy a unit you need to download an application for this program here.

2. Be Pre-Approved for a loan before you apply for this program but make sure your lender is aware of this program and has seen the application.

3. Go to 151 El Camino Real in Millbrae and pick your new home.

4.  Sign the contract for the purchase.  If you need a Realtor to represent your interests, and I suggest you have one, call us.

5. You also must bring your application, which has been filled out in full, along with you when you’re ready to buy your new condo.  Make sure you have made a copy of it to give to your lender.

6. Once you’ve been approved by your lender, you must notify Belamor Millbrae Paradise that the loan underwriter has approved you so they can proceed with the paperwork with the City of Millbrae.  The City will deposit $15,000 into your escrow account.  You will not be able to choose the title and escrow company for your purchase so be prepared to work with the company Belamor Millbrae Paradise has selected.

7.  Once you have signed all paperwork at the Title company, and have been notified that you are on record with the County of San Mateo as the home owner you then go to the sales office of Belamor Millbrae Paradise to get your keys and a home warranty.

This really is the first home assistance program I’ve seen in several years.  Don’t expect the offer to last long.  Once the amount of money Millbrae has set aside for it is used up, you’ll be out of luck.

If you need help with this contact us.

It gets even better with a below market interest rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.

Thanks to the California Housing Financing Agency (Cal HFA), first-time home shoppers can finance the purchase of their home with just about the same amount of money needed for a security deposit and first month’s rent required to move into a rental home.

Cal HFA currently provides 1.0% down payment, below market interest rate financing along with a little closing cost assistance to help home buyers finance the purchase of their first home.  This program combines the Cal HFA FHA 30 year fixed rate mortgage currently (as of December 17, 2010) at 4.0% (APR 4.81%) with the California Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Program (CHDAP) simple interest, silent mortgage at 3.25% (APR 3.25%).  The CHDAP loan amount cannot exceed 3.0% of the lessor of the purchase price or appraised value.  To take advantage of the low interest rates, the Cal HFA FHA and CHDAP programs must be used concurrently.  The numbers…

Down Payment & Loan Amount

The maximum loan amount for this program adheres to the national conforming loan limit of $417,000.  With this loan amount and the minimum down payment requirement, a $432,000 purchase price reaches just below the upper limit for use of this program.  Let’s look at some numbers based on a $432,000 purchase price.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan serves as the foundation for the Cal HFA program.  FHA loans require a minimum 3.5% down payment.  The CHDAP program allows up to 2.5% of the 3.0% maximum loan to be used for down payment assistance, which leaves a 1.0% down payment requirement for the first-time home buyer!  With this $432,000 purchase example, the down payment equals $4,320.  Additionally, the home buyer who negotiates their purchase contract such that the seller covers their closing costs can potentially purchase a $432,000 home for nothing more than $4,320 out of pocket.  That’s exciting!

Rate & Payment

As mentioned above, this first-time buyer loan boasts a below market interest rate of 4.0% (APR 4.81%).  Here’s how the monthly payment figures look for a $432,000 purchase…

On the 1^st mortgage, the principal component of the monthly payment actually equals $606.66!  The below market rate of 4.00% drives the principal reduction amount up to this level.  At over $600 principal balance reduction per month, the unpaid principal balance shrinks quickly.  This means that when the home owner sells their home the unpaid principal balance absorbs less of the sales proceeds, putting more money in the home seller’s pocket upon sale.

The CHDAP loan sometimes goes by the moniker of “silent second” in that the loan does not require monthly payments.  The loan becomes due in full upon either the end of the first mortgage 30 year term, upon transfer of title to the property securing the loans (e.g., sale of the property), or upon refinance of the 1^st mortgage.  Terms of the CHDAP provide the borrower with the liberty to make payments without penalty at any time during the life of the loan.  Payments apply to reduce accrued interest first, then to reduce principal.

Interest on the CHDAP loan accrues via simple interest. The principal balance of this loan does not increase.  Without principal reduction payments the CHDAP loan in our example accrues $421.20 annually.  A monthly payment of $35.10 covers the accrued interest, leaving the principal balance undiminished.  Payment of $56.40 or $91.07 includes principal reduction and retires the entire principal balance in 30 years or 15 years, respectively, via amortization.

Below-Market Rate vs. Market Rate Comparison

Aside from the minimal down payment feature, Cal HFA FHA & CHDAP program provide interest rates lower than a rate available in the general market place for non-first-time buyers.  As of the date of this writing, the market rate for an FHA 30 Yr. Fixed program hovers around 4.75% (APR 5.567%).  Interest rate markets currently move with a high degree of volatility for a variety of reasons, therefor, the rates shown in this comparison may become obsolete shortly after this writing.  However, this comparison does illustrate the relative benefit of a lower interest rate mortgage.  The following numbers represent the total interest expense and mortgage insurance expense over the first seven years of these loans.

These numbers illustrate the benefit of lower interest rates.  The Cal HFA FHA program provides 99% financing vs. 96.5% finance with standard FHA programs.  Essentially, a first-time home buyer borrows more money with Cal HFA FHA and CHDAP, but pays less interest.  Interesting, isn’t it?  The below-market rate feature provides this long term benefit for the entire life of the Cal HFA FHA and CHDAP loans.

First Come, First Serve

California has limited funds available for this program.  The funds will be disbursed to qualified loan applicants on a first come, first serve basis.  Take advantage of the low interest rate, 30 year fixed rate mortgage while funds last.

Contact the Wilkas Group at info at wilkasgroup.com to start the search for your first home today.

You’re welcome to contact me at jedt at bankerspref.com to determine you eligibility for this first-time home buyer program.

There are exactly 65 days left to qualify for the $8000 First Time Buyer’s Credit.  You must be in contract by April 30,2010 and close escrow by June 30th.  You can buy a home up to $800,000 and have an income as high as $225,000 for a couple or $125,000 for a single person.  We have homes to show you, so why aren’t you looking?  Seriously.  This price range is hot, hot, hot and we are seeing multiple offers once again, which means you must be out looking every weekend and writing offers.

Uncle Sam has even gifted move-up buyers.  If you purchased your first home five or more years ago, you too, can qualify for a tax credit of $6500 or 10% of the purchase price of the new home.  If you own a condo this is your opportunity for FREE MONEY by moving into a larger home.  What are you waiting for?  We have people who want to buy your condo and you can go out looking for a house.

The clock is ticking every minute of every hour of every day.  Uncle Sam is giving away cash.  This is money you can use to furnish your new home, or off-set your current tax bill if you want to file an amended return for 2009.  We have forms for this, so ask us and we can email them off to you.

There is a catch on this credit, as you would expect.  You’ll need to remain in this house for 36 months before selling or you’ll have to pay the credit back.  That’s fair.  If you file for one of these credits, be prepared for a possible IRS audit to verify that you qualified for the credit.  This is part of new anti-fraud rules and the IRS has already identified over 100,000 returns with potentially fraudulent home buyer credits from last year alone.  You will need to attach a properly executed real estate settlement sheet to your tax return to show proof to the IRS.  Your Realtor and Lender can help you with this.

Tick-Tock.  Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.  The Wilkas Group is here to help you but you need to move on it.  Your lost time can not be replaced.  There are only 65 days, 1560 hours, 93,600 minutes left to do this.

Conforming Rates - 30 Yr Fixed

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s been a good ride.  Low interest rates have been here for a long time.  Beginning with Greenspan’s Fed, and continuing through to today.  But folks, they won’t stay for much longer.  My crystal balls, remember I collect them, tells me the rates could rise up to 7% before the year ends.  Just look at the chart on the left to see that conforming rates have, indeed, risen of the past 90 days.

Wow, you say that’s a huge interest rate, and yes it is, for first time buyers or move-up buyers who got into the market within the past 8 years.  But guess what?  It was the interest rate I generally saw with every single property I’ve ever purchased.  So if you are still toying with the idea of buying your first home, what are you waiting for?  This is a GREAT time to buy with the $8000 tax credit still available until April and interest hovering around 5.5%.

Jumbo Rates - 30 Yr Fixed

If you have been in your first home for about 5 years, Uncle Sam has given you a gift as well.  You are eligible for a $6500 tax credit if you move up into a house less than $850,000.  Yes, I know that is hard to do in Foster City, or San Mateo, but it can be done if you are diligent in your search.  If you are willing to do sweat equity on a property you will gain in equity and get a better buy.  The majority of buyers today don’t want to get their hands dirty.  They want it all done for them when they buy, so they pay for that in the price of the house.  Be smart and find a house that you like that has been on the market for a while, and take advantage of that. Now,  jumbo rates won’t be needed if you are able to find a house within the price range Uncle Sam has set for this tax credit.  So it is worth a look and we’d like to help you look, too.

What are the consequences for waiting?  Higher interest rates will lock more and more people out of the market.  Housing prices have not gone down and further in the past couple of months, so if you were thinking you could time the market, you have already lost that bet.  Your personal afford-ability index is all that counts and you can talk to your lender, or one of ours, for a free review of your situation.

Houses begin to come on to the market just after Super Bowl Sunday and our market begins to heat up at that time.  Not only will there be more to choose from, but there will be more buyers competing for the same houses, and yes, we are seeing multiple offers again, so it’s silly to wait if you are thinking about buying.

The Wilkas Group is certified to help buyers and sellers of Short Sales and Bank Owned Properties. These are the sweat equity properties that will get your the most bang for your buck.  The Fed has kept interest rates low and it will be a real shame if you don’t take advantage of this while it lasts.  It will not last through this year. My guess is we will see increases begin by mid-year.  What are you waiting for?

Here’s some of what’s for sale in Foster City now.

[listingpress citystate='Foster City,CA|' zipstate='' proptype='Single Family|' beds='0' baths='0' minprice='700000' maxprice='0' features='' /]

We’re looking first at single family houses sold between November 2008 and November 2009.  Sorry, I won’t have the December data until next week so if you’d like to see it let me know and I’ll get it to you.  The end of 2008 and into first quarter we were still seeing bank owned sales.  They have diminished since then.  We see some, but not a huge amount any longer.  Does that mean they are gone from San Mateo?  Doubtful.  We all anticipate seeing many more short sales and bank owned (REO’s) in 2010.  The Wilkas Group is prepared to help all of our clients with this kind of a market having taken specialized training to be able to guide both buyer’s and seller’s through the many different things that bank’s require.  If you want to buy a short sale or REO, use an agent who understands how to navigate through the process.

2009 San Mateo CA single family houses for sale vs. median sold

What are we seeing here?  The number of houses sold really didn’t change much for most of the early part of the year, because of the loan situation.  FHA loans were the loan of choice for most people through the first half of the year.  From mid-year though, we began to see the market warm up.  The drop in November could be because of the usual decline of demand at year’s end when seller’s often remove their house from the market until the new year, and buyer’s are thinking about the holidays.

Let look at the Condo-Townhouse market in San Mateo.

One would expect to see more sales of condos as most of them are entry level purchases but many former condo buyers were able to buy a single family house this past year.  What is interesting is that prices didn’t drop as dramatically in San Mateo as they did in other cities in the State.  This shows some of the uniqueness of our County.

There is still a huge disparity in the number of condos and townhouses for sale verses those sold.  It’s a strong buyer’s market for condos and many are very affordable.  The number of sales has been pretty consistent all year long.  There are many condos to select from as you can clearly see by the number for sale.

The tax credit will be extended through April 30, 2010, with a 60-day extension if a binding contract is in place prior to the deadline.  First-time home buyers will continue to receive a tax credit of up to $8,000, while existing homeowners will receive a credit of up to $6,500.  Existing homeowners will be eligible for the $6,500 if they have lived in their current residences for at least five years.  The bill also will increase the qualifying income limits from $75,000 for single tax filers and $150,000 for joint filers to $125,000 and $225,000, respectively.  The purchase price of the home is capped at $800,000.

Under additional provisions in the bill, taxpayers can claim the credit on purchases completed in 2010 on their 2009 income tax returns. The bill maintains the provision that home buyers do not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their primary residence for 36 months after purchase, and waives this requirement for active duty military personnel who move due to a military order.

What does this mean for you?  If you are a first time buyer that $8000 tax credit can help off-set your closing costs.  If you are a current home owner in a house that is squeezed for space, you can get a tax credit of $6500 to move into a larger house.  Everyone wins here if you don’t wait too long to do this.  Yes, this is coming at the end of the year making it more difficult to find a good house with fewer available to choose from, but if you’re serious about making a move and have owned that current house for 5 years, call us and we’ll walk you through what you need to do.

Just about every homeowner wants to improve their home so that it shows its best to the world.  Well, maybe not everyone, but most normal people do.  I was in an unnamed North County city while out on Broker’s tour and I happened to drive down a street that looked like no one took any pride in ownership of their homes.  And, I mean NO ONE!  It looked like a slum but a slum with homes worth $600,000 to $700,000 if these houses were in good shape.  It got me to thinking about what must go into someones mind when they just stop taking care of their property.  The front landscaping turns to weeds, trees and shrubs die and the place looks, well it looks like a slum. I just don’t get why people have no pride of ownership when a house is the single most expensive investment anyone is likely to make in their lifetime.

So what are the five easiest ROI in landscaping your home?

1.  Lawn.

This is the first, and easiest, ROI in landscaping your house.  If it’s dead, pull it out, and either seed or roll out a carpet of sod (instant gratification, believe me).  The investment on this can be as little as a weekend of labor in rototilling the dead lawn, adding top soil, leveling it smooth and spreading seed.  Then water daily and watch it sprout.  Or, if you want to spend a little more money, rototilling, adding top soil, leveling it smooth and rolling out the sod.  Late Fall is a great time to do this because Mother Nature will do the watering for you.

2.  Trees and Shrubs.

Having too many on a lot is as bad as not having any at all.  We all like to see a couple of trees, especially the shade variety if one has a western exposure.  If you have a lot with too many trees planted too close together, get one or more of them out.  That is easier said than done, believe me, since I have had a yard like that in my lifetime.  I often wonder what the people were thinking planting 3 trees within four feet of each other.  They weren’t thinking, and probably knew they weren’t going to be living there when the trees matured and were entangled into each other!  Here’s how to remove the dead trees and shrubs on your own and save money.  If it’s a big tree, many cities in our County have heritage tree ordinances and you must get permission to remove trees, even dead ones.  They often require that you plant a new tree in place of the old one, but you may chose where to plant it on your lot.  Double check with City Hall before removing those trees, just to be safe.

3.  Flowers.

We all like to see color in a garden and flowers marching along side a entry walkway are welcoming.  Take an afternoon and plant some.  Don’t plant them too close to each other, and allow for space to grow.  Plant bulbs in the winter so you have spring flowers.  Plant fall flowers for color into winter. We are very lucky to have a climate that gives us 12 months of flowers and plants, so talk to the nursery about what’s flowering each season and plant a little of each for year round color.

4.  Bark.

When you see a home that has been staged go on the market, inevitability the yard has fresh bark (or mulch) spread in the garden.  This inhibits weeds, covers blank spots by filling in the earth between plants, and just finishes off the look.  it’s a true do-it-yourself project and takes only a little bit of time to spread the mulch around your garden.  Voliá!

5.  Fencing.

If your fence is falling down by all means fix it.  If you are going to ask a lot of money for your home, the least you can do is fix the fence.  If you have neighbors surrounding your property you can ask them to split the cost as it’s a benefit to them as much as one to you. If they don’t want to do that, bite the bullet and fix it yourself.  You’ll be happy that you did, and  it will enhance your property values.

That’s it.  The top five things you can do to enhance your home and see an ROI on the investment of money and time.  Take a look at this house now.  It has curb appeal and makes someone want to go inside to see the rest of the house.  No one wants to see a dump, unless it is a fire sale, and even then many won’t go inside to look because they make an assumption that the inside looks as bad as the outside.  Keep that in mind when you’re doing your yard work.  There really is a pay back when you have a nice looking yard.

Getting back to my drive down the North County street.  There was one house there that stood out from the rest so I lied about there not being any nice homes there.  It was painted.  It was inviting.  It had neat landscaping.  And, it was For Sale.  But, I did not stop to look at it because of the neighboring houses.  I could not show a client the best house a the block of slum houses.  I can’t do it.  And now you know why.

Check Out Some Homes Currently For Sale In This Area

[listingpress citystate='Foster City,CA|' zipstate='' proptype='Single Family|' beds='0' baths='0' minprice='0' maxprice='0' features='' /]