Antoinette Galindo | Alain Pinel Realtors | (650) 302-7411 3300 Bay Court, Belmont, CA   Simply serene this home has an ideal floor plan and is in an excellent location. MLS # 81037554   4BR/2+1BA Single Family House   offered at $998,000 Year Built 1967 Sq Footage 2,220 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 5,500 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central heat Fireplace Hardwood floor Tile floor Family room Living room Office/Den Dining room Dishwasher Refrigerator Stove/Oven Microwave Stainless steel appliances Washer Dryer Laundry area - inside     . ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Front of house Side of house Front door Front porch Living room Dining room Family room Bonus rm off of family ro Family room Kitchen ... 09/26/2010

FHA Approved Condo For Sale In Burlingame Are you looking at condos for sale in Burlingame that are FHA approved? There is a condo for sale that is FHA approved located at 107 El Camino Real Unit 103. FHA financing offers many benefits: The down payment can be as low as 3.5% The entire down payment can be a gift Co-signers that do not occupy the property are allowed The maximum loan amount in San Mateo County is $729,750 Fixed rates are available Adjustable rates are available that have an initial fixed rate term Credit history requirements are typically more flexible than what is required with a conventional loan  Burlingame real estate agent Dave Tapper describes this condo for sale - "It is in a great location, just two blocks from Burlingame Avenue." People love being this close to ... 09/01/2010

There are two FHA approved condos in Burlingame. If you want to use FHA financing to purchase a condo, it must be an FHA approved condo. Parc Newlands is located at 107 El Camino Real. It is on the southwest corner of Newlands Avenue and El Camino Real. There are 17 units in this complex. Pershing Park is located just west of this complex. It's a nice park for little kids. Downtown Burlingame is nearby. Burlingame Avenue has many shops and restaurants that are enjoyed by mant residents and visitors.   The FHA maximum loan amount in San Mateo County is $729,750. The FHA down payment requirement is 3.5% Before you make an offer on an FHA approved condo, have your Burlingame loan officer double-check to make sure that the condo is still FHA approved. The approval status can change. The oth... 08/13/2010

High Speed Rail & Eminent Domain What do you stand to lose? Caltrain The following as provided by the City of Burlingame e-newsletter.  If you live on The Peninsula or near Caltrain & haven't been following this project (especially if you own property in San Mateo or Santa Clara County), here is your chance to stay in the loop. This is one of several meetings that communities along the train corridor are hosting. If you think community involvement doesn't make a difference, here is the most recent battle neighbors won when the City of San Mateo was proposing a full interchange in a residential area at the Burlingame/San Mateo border:  http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=71176&eddate=02/21/2007 Date: 7/14/2010 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Location: Burlingame Public Library, Lane R... 07/05/2010

Have you seen this new statue in downtown Burlingame? I was walking down to the convenience store to get a Diet Coke (I'm addicted), and I saw this statue in front of the former Coldwell Banker office. This office is currently vacant, so it was strange to see this statue implanted right in front of this building. As I was taking a picture of this statue, one of the downtown Burlingame businessmen yelled at me from the building behind "Hey, what are you taking a picture of that for?" I said, "I think it looks pretty strange in front of this building, what do you think?"  He said, "Well I do to, and so do a lot of the other business owners. If you don't mind, send your picture to City Hall with some thoughts on what you think of it." Downtown Burlingame stirs the passions of the city's ci... 02/09/2010

Burlingame $2,248,000 1325 CABRILLO AV Sun 1:30-4:004bd/4.5ba, great floor plan! Amy Lui APR 650.375.1111  Burlingame $2,178,000 1532 Bernal Avenue Sun 2:00-4:00 Complete Elegance.4bd/3ba Sandy Comaroto APR 650.375.1111  Burlingame $1,728,000 1621 BALBOA AV Sun 2:00-4:00GREAT 4bed/3ba 3,020 sf 2-4 Antoinette Galindo APR 650.375.1111 Burlingame $1,675,000 1333 DRAKE AV Sun 1:30-4:004bd 2.5ba Lou Realyvasquez APR 650.375.1111 01/29/2010

Open Home Guide -Burlingame CA - 1/24/2010Burlingame $2,248,000 1325 CABRILLO AV Sun 1:30-4:00 4bd/4.5ba, great floor plan! Amy Lui APR 650.375.1111   Burlingame $2,088,000 1532 Bernal Avenue Sun 1-4 New price!Elegance & Quality 4bd/3ba.  Sandy Comaroto APR 650.375.1111   Burlingame $1,728,000 1621 BALBOA AV Sun 2:00-4:00GREAT 4bd/3ba 3,020 sf   Antoinette Galindo APR 650.375.1111   Burlingame $1,675,000 1333 Drake Avenue Sun 1:00-4:00Outstanding "Easton Addition" Location... This beautifully renovated 3 or 4bd/2.5ba.home is located in one Burlingame's finest neighborhoods. Gourmet kit. hrwd fls. sophisticated master suite, family rm. This is one you truly can't afford to miss today!!!  www.realyvasquez.com Lou Realyvasquez APR 650.619.3727 Burlingame $1,350,000 1515 HILLSIDE DR Sun 2:0... 01/22/2010

The Federal Reserve remains conflicted. Ben Bernanke and other members of the FOMC have made no secret of their intention to end the Fed's quantitative easing program. Most of the lending facilities will expire early this year and the Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) purchase program is expected to wind down a the end of March. Ending the Fed's unconventional easing measures is an essential precondition for any subsequesnt tightening. The Fed cannot start tightening policy unitl it stops easing. The switch from easing to tightening will not be instantaneous. The Fed wil need to review the economy's performance in the absence of quanitative easing and there is some discussion that MBS purchase will continue beyond March 31. The uncertainty contributed to the earlier run up in Treasury yi... 01/18/2010

The Dawn of Another Conundrum Treasury yields retreated slightly this past week as weaker economic news, including last Friday's employment number and December's weak retail sales report, have cause investors to scale back theri expectations for economic recovery. Growth is still expected to strengthen over the coming year, which should boost private credit demand. Treasury yields are also being lifted by expectaions federal borrowing needs will remain exceptionally large, with the 2010 Federal Budget deficit expected to be around $1.4 trillion. On the plus side, core inflation is expected to moderate, with our current forecast calling for the year-to-year change in the core CPI to decelerate to 1.1 percent by year end. Bond yields remain relatively high compared to inflation and consen... 01/18/2010

Steps You Can Take to Build Credit, Get a Card   Sacramento Bee, by Claudia Buck January 17, 2010  Gone are the days when credit card companies barraged you like a love-struck suitor. Today, bruised by economic losses and consumer defaults, many credit card companies are spurning the customers they once wooed.  And if you've got a dinged-up credit score or no credit history, getting a new credit card is next to impossible.  We know one young man -- a recent college graduate with a decent-paying job and no major credit dings -- who's been turned down for a credit card repeatedly, even from department stores like Macy's.  "Credit is still tight, so issuers are not approving as many people with no credit or bad credit as they did 18 months ago when the economy was good," said Bill Hardekop... 01/18/2010

How to Teach Kids About Money    Time Magazine, By Barbara Kiviat January 25, 2010  Today's conventional wisdom isn't working. What will?  Of all the lessons taught by the financial crisis, the most personal has been that Americans aren't too slick with money. We take out home loans we can't afford. We run up sky-high credit-card debt. We don't save nearly enough for retirement.  In response, proponents of financial-literacy education are stumping with renewed zeal. School districts in states such as New Jersey and Illinois are adding money-management courses to their curriculums. The Treasury and Education departments are sending lesson plans to high schools and encouraging students to compete in the National Financial Capability Challenge that begins in March. Students with top scores... 01/18/2010

Fed Policies Likely to Stay as Economy Finds Footing Central bank wants more sustainable recovery before changing tack Wall Street Journal, By Jon Hilsenrath January 18, 2010   Although Federal Reserve officials expect the economy to grow too slowly this year to bring the jobless rate down substantially, they are likely to conclude at their Jan. 26-27 meeting that there isn't much more they can do about it.   That means sticking to their stated plan to end purchases of mortgages at the end of March, roll back emergency lending programs in February and maintain the vow to keep interest rates exceptionally low for at least several more months.   "I think that we are going to be waiting for the economy to improve in a strongly sustainable fashion and until that happens, then it's unlikely ... 01/18/2010

  As he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the audience and said, "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." Dr. King spent his life fighting for equal rights for all men and women, and his efforts brought about significant changes for Americans through his devotion to the civil rights movement. One year before he received the Nobel Peace Prize, he delivered one of the most widely recognized speeches of our time, as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a rally designed to raise awareness about civil rights issues and encourage President John F. Kennedy's administration to advance civil rights legislation in ... 01/18/2010

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Martin Luther King Jr. 01/18/2010

Does RESPA Reform apply to all loan types? No. It applies to all open-end and closed-end loans but does not apply to home equity lines of credit. At what point can a loan originator collect upfront fees? An applicant must receive his or her initial disclosures before upfront fees can be collected from the applicant. The only exception is the credit report fee which can be collected at application. What if the settlement agent or attorney that the REALTOR or customer prefers to use is unable to fulfill on the expectations set forth in the closing agent instructions? In any such case, another settlement agent or attorney who can execute based on our closing agent instructions will need to be selected. Is there anything a REALTOR or Builder needs to look for with settlement agents or atto... 01/15/2010

The Goal: More Informed Customers The objective of the many new government requirements that relate to home financing is to provide information that can help every home buyer or owner make better home financing decisions. For example:      HVCC-insures that borrowers have sufficent notice of appraisal content and promotes the accuracy of appraisals by shielding appraisers from undue influence;      HERA Mortgage Disclosure Improvment Act (MDIA)- protects borrowers by making them more informed and confident in their home financing choices by specifying timing in regard to initial disclosures, fee collection and final disclosures; and      RESPA Reform (the most recent government requirement) - intends to help borrowers avoid surprises at closing by placing tolerance levels on all charges... 01/15/2010

Burlingame $2,248,000 1325 CABRILLO AV Sat&Sun 2:00-4:004bd/4.5ba, great floor plan! S. Comaroto/A. Lui APR 650.375.1111   Burlingame $2,178,000 1532 Bernal Avenue Sun 1-4Elegance & Quality 4bd/3ba.  Sandy Comaroto APR 650.375.1111   Burlingame $1,728,000 1621 BALBOA AV Sun 2:00-4:00GREAT 4bd/3ba 3,020 sf. Antoinette Galindo APR 650.375.1111   Burlingame $1,499,000 1515 HILLSIDE DR Sun 2:00-4:00 Country Classic 5bd/3ba with great backyard. Lizi Tabet APR 415.990.6070   Burlingame $999,000 1109 Palm Drive Sat&Sun 2:00-4:00Renovated 2,870sf 3bd/3b+bonus+officeLinda Scheifler Marks APR 650.931.2948 01/15/2010

Can a Realtor receive a gift, prize, or fee from a lender, closing attorney, or other settlement service provider? Section 8(a) of RESPA prohibits the giving or accepting of a "thing of value" to another person for the referral of settlement business. RESPA uses the term a "thing of value" very broadly to include in its prohibition all imaginable forms of compensation for a referral. Section 3 of RESPA defines a "thing of value" to include, among other things, money, services, discounts, commissions, and even the opportunity to participate in a money making program. As a result, Realtors cannot receive gifts, prizes, fees, or kickbacks (even if they are disclosed) for the referral of business to other settlement service providers. It would be a violation of RESPA for a lender to pay for... 01/12/2010

Congress enacted RESPA in 1974 to ensure that consumers receive greater and more timely information on the nature and costs of the real estate settlement process and are protected from unnecessarily high costs associated with real estate closings. RESPA attempts to protect borrowers by prohibiting individuals who provide services related to real estate closing from paying one another kickbacks or referral fees, especially hidden or "under the table" kickbacks and referrals fees. The idea behind the law is that eliminating such payments will help keep closing costs down for borrowers. A RESPA violation subjects a person to a fine of up to $10,000 for each offense, imprisonment of up to one year, or both. In addition, the violator may also be liable to the person who was charged for the s... 01/12/2010

While it may be hard to just say "no" to the reebies that mortgage lenders sometimes offer REALTORS for the referral of loan business, just saying "no" is clearly the best way to avoid running afoul of the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act (RESPA). RESPA may be the least understood and the most violated real estate law in the country. The broad prohibitions of the law cover many practices, including some practices, which are, unfortunately, engaged in by real estate brokers and lenders. While the law is strict, ambiguities in RESPA lend to the law being blatantly violated by covered individuals. Moreover, RESPA was not aggressively enforced for many years and covered individuals were essentially left to "self-police" their conduct and practices. For obvious reasons, this system ... 01/12/2010