Despite the difficulties in obtaining financing for a home purchase, there are great rewards for those who dare step into home ownership. You will need a couple of qualified people to help you navigate through this obstacle course: A Lender and a Professional Realtor. Open your eyes to today's opportunities! Here are 7 proven strategies to help you navigate to a successful home purchase. Begin by gathering all your financial documents first. You will need among others: current pay stubs, copies of tax records from the last two years, recent bank statements for all your accounts, copies of Divorce decrees if applicable. If you have funds in CD's or 401Ks or other income, you will need to bring copies of those documents too.  The next step is to talk to a lender about your finances. Find ... 01/26/2012

In our last closing, our colleague, the listing agent went for a minor surgery and... did not come back! As the selling agents, we were left wondering for days who would take over and finish the transaction. We had sent signed documents via email that could not be retrieved for days. We understand the broker of record is actually the responsible party, but I wonder, what would happen when the broker is the listing agent... and he dies in the middle of the transaction, who would take over then? The fact is that we all will go sometime, and even though, we do not like to think about it, we must have a system in place that could allow somebody else to step in and take over, at least on the business part. An assistant is good, but when dealing with clients, (like in our case) there apparent... 07/14/2011

If you are selling a house in San Leandro, CA. You should hire a Realtor who knows San Leandro, CA. If you hire a Realtor whose office is too far from the property, you might be shooting yourself on the foot. A local Realtor will have far more flexibility and an expanded knowledge of your neighborhood than one whose office is miles away. Smart home sellers who choose a local Realtor to sell their home will be ahead when making their move. Via the Internet, Realtors advertise far and wide, and they flaunt knowledge of the entire county and even nearby counties, but can they really service all areas? The personal knowledge that the local Realtors have about their area and their city is very important because this information when provided to a potential home buyer can help him/her choose ... 03/04/2011

Most lawsuits in real estate transactions, are the result of buyers feeling that the seller did not tell them all they knew about the house, before they bought it. Most home sellers have no idea how easy it is to land in court with their home buyer. A few steps outlined here can help, if followed properly. When selling a home, by law, the home sellers have a very serious obligation of disclosing in writing to the home buyer any and all defects that they know about the property. Buyers look at a problem that was hidden from them as cheating them, once they get legal counsel, the nightmare begins, not only does the seller gets sued, most of the time, everybody that was involved on the transaction gets named as co-conspirator. In court, the attorneys for the buyer will paint this picture o... 05/27/2010

Charming home located in a lovely established neighborhood!! Its designed for generous space and flexibility for your furnishings. Very close access to the freeway and luxurious design makes this home unique. 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom Master bedroom has newer door, organizer in closet w/ mirror door, and skylight. Second bedroom features organizer, newer paint, and skylight. Bathroom features updated light fixtures, tile tub, shower, and vinyl floor. Large backyard is designed for outdoor barbeque. Gourmet kitchen features granite countertop, gas stove/oven, updated kitchen cabinets, and garbage disposal. Living room features book shelves and a dual media center for entertainment and relaxation. 2 Car Garage features shelving and is converted to 1 car garage w/ exercise room. Other quality... 02/26/2010

One of the most difficult parts for a Professional Realtor to do, is to have the buyer write an offer to buy a house on an "as-is" condition, without asking the seller to do any repairs at all. The obvious fear of having to spend money fixing items that they did not expect, is a reason why home buyers are reluctant to pay full price on a house they have not inspected. But inspecting a house prior to buying it, is not a feasible possibility either. But when the buyer is competing with others for the same house, an "as-is" clause on his contract will make a huge difference for the seller when choosing which offer to accept. The seller will always take that offer, instead of one that has an inspection contingency. Most properties on the market have some deferred maintenance, especially lis... 08/17/2009

What if you client ask you to write it? the seller can only accept ONE offer, what would be your contribution to this frenzy bidding? what about the other 59 Realtors? and their clients?  At what point would you say, I am not going to be a part of this frenzy bidding. Apart from that, what type of an offer would you counsel your client to write in order to have a chance to be the highest bidder? What would happen if you go too high and then the appraisal does not measure up? What would happen then? who's fault is it that this one sale went out of control? How much time was spent here by would be home buyers and Realtors? As I browsed this morning our MLS, looking for a house for a first time home buyer in Hayward, CA, I come across a very nice house in an average neighborhood slightly u... 04/04/2009