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Getting the Best Appraisal When Your Home is For Sale

A key aspect of the home buying and selling process in Burlingame, CA is obtaining a home appraisal. A home appraisal is secured to estimate market value and can be quite complex. Recently there has been a change in the home appraisal process, resulting in more regulation, so work with your lender to confirm you…Read More »

Burlingame CA’s 2011 Market Report

We just had a discussion with an old friend asking how bad the local real estate market was in 2011 and she was absolutely blown away when we said Burlingame’s 2011 market was vibrant. She doesn’t live in San Mateo County but in another area of California that has seen great decreases in housing value…Read More »

2010 Easter Egg Hunts Are Rocking and Rolling Around San Mateo County

It’s that time of year again and if you have a young one and want to find a local Easter Egg Hunt, you’re in luck. I think I’ve found almost everyone of them in San Mateo County and if you’re willing to head south I have a few for you in Santa Clara County, too. March 27 starts the fun

Five Easy Landscaping ROI’s For Your Home: Foster City, CA

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.

San Mateo County is Seeing Short Sales But Are They Good Buys?

If a property is being sold as a Short Sale it means that the loan on the property is for more money than the property can be sold for. There is a shortage of funds due the lender. Sometimes a lender will forgive this amount and sometimes it will not. If the amount is forgiven it may not be a win for the seller because they may have to show this amount “forgiven” as income in their taxes the following year. It must be shown as income because it was money that was owed by the seller through a note to buy the property, but not paid back to the lender and the IRS looks at this as money in your pocket even though you never see the money.

Why Isn’t My House Selling? Burlingame, CA

One of the first questions we hear when a property has been on the market for 30 days and has seen no offers is why isn’t my house selling. Why? Well, it might be a price issue, but then again, it might not. It might be a marketing issue. The most difficult thing to do when listing a property is to price it right. Especially in this kind of a market,

There IS a Reason Why You Are Sneezing Lately San Mateo & Foster City!

This is for all of my East Coast friends shoveling the snow. Eat your hearts out! In our neck of the woods the blossoms begin to pop out around this time of the year and this is no exception. The flowers and blossoms are started to open up when we had unusually warm days and…Read More »

San Mateo Investors – There Are Some Good Real Estate Buys Out There!

If you have some cash in the bank this is a great time for investors to buy real estate here in our own San Mateo County. It’s been a long time for anyone to see a positive cash flow from investment real estate around here, but with the large number of short sales and bank…Read More »

Yes, Foster City and San Mateo, There is Money Out There for a Mortgage!

Not a day has gone by during all of this global money chaos when someone hasn’t asked me if the real estate business has ended, thinking that no one is lending any longer and therefore no one is buying anything. Guess what! It just isn’t so! There is money out there to lend and it’s…Read More »

What’s Your ROI on Remodels or Additions Around the San Mateo Area?

So, you’re looking at that house for the third time and saying, ‘it’s not quite right.” It needs a new…. And, then you ask me what does it cost to do….? You get the idea. Whether it’s a new kitchen, windows, bathroom, roof or an addition to make the house perfect for you and your…Read More »