"SURPRISE! I'm From the CA Department of Real Estate for a BOS Visit" California Brokers' anxiety was just cranked up a notch. The State Regulatory Agency, the Department of Real Estate (DRE), has announced the start of a new program. Beginning in 2013 the CA DRE will conduct unscheduled and un
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01/02/2013
Limiting Mortgage Interest Deductions is Better Than the Alternative. I think all Realtors receive nearly daily "Call To Action" e-mails from either the National Association of Realtors (NAR), their State or Local Associations of Realtors. I do. By simply clicking a link in the e-mail we can sen
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12/14/2012
A 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchange For Silicon Valley Investors? Tax-Deferred Exchanges have been popular in Silicon Valley since the late 1970s. Although they fell from favor during the housing bust from 2007 to 2011, the revival of the local real estate market has brought exchanges back to life. In
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12/10/2012
Wordless Wednesday; California's First Condominiums (front two rows); Capitola by the Sea, Monterey Bay Lloyd Binen Realtor/Broker/DRE 5726534 Certified Realty Services 19200 Shubert Drive Saratoga, CA 95070-4046 Certified Residential Specialist (CRS); Graduate Realtors Institute (GRI) 408-373-
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12/05/2012
Off-Market Sales & Pocket Listings Short Change Silicon Valley Sellers Whenever the supply of Homes available For Sale on the Multiple Listing Service is too low, Pocket Listings and Off-Market Sales become popular with some Realtors. By "Pocket Listing" I mean a listing that's NOT exposed to th
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12/04/2012
Business Photos Then and Now; from Hippie Lite to Crusty RE Veteran. (I wish had $1.00 for every hair lost; I'd be rich.) Here's my business card from 1978 and my current, obviously photo-less card. Luckily for my participation in this contest my wife has old pictures in her cer
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12/02/2012
You "Own" Your ActiveRain Content Without the Benefits of Ownership. Richard Weisser wrote an informative Featured Post about the MLS ownership of Listing content. His MLS, and perhaps all MLS systems, own the content. The MLS content is not owned by the Listing Agent who entered the informati
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12/02/2012
Can Tree Roots Damage a Silicon Valley Home's Foundation? Silicon Valley has some beautiful mature trees and vines. They love the weather and the fertile valley soil. In fact, before it was called "Silicon Valley" if was called "Orchard Valley". Now there are homes and trees and vines. Here's
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11/28/2012
Get the Listing Contract Signed Second-to-Last. I just finished printing 41 pages needed for a standard Silicon Valley listing package. It's for an appointment tonight. I don't take listings nearly as often as I used to in my hotshot youth when 90% of my business was listing business. Nonethel
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11/20/2012
The City of Saratoga, CA and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce invite families and friends to the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting CeremonyNovember 23rd, 2012 . There will be entertainmen for all ages. 5:00 p.m. Wine Stroll Sample local wines. Register in advance for $40 ($45 the day of the event
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11/14/2012
