That is always a quesiton because there are many out there who profess to be renovation lenders. Don't get me wrong, There are a good many who can and do close them everyday. Today we are going to talk about just one of them.  Ed Rogers of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Walnut Creek, CA. Ed is one of a handful of renovation lenders that understands these programs and that is a mouthful. It says volumes about this guy. I know that when I get a call from Ed that this deal is a "done deal" the borrowers already qualify for the loan and he puts the pressure on for me to get my part of the work completed.  What I don't have to be concerned about is that the deal might fall apart cause he didn't do his job right... That is never a concern with Ed.  Ed called me a couple nights ago to let me kno... 03/06/2012

The following numbers represent the current Foreclosure Sales inventory data as well as the current "Active" and "Sale Pending" data for Bank Owned (REO) properties in Walnut Creek, CA 94596,94597,94598 for the month of January 2012. There are 13 homes currently active/pending with a high price of $759,900 and a low price of $349,900. 32 attached homes are active/pending with high price of $600,000 and a low price of $72,400. Keep in mind that the Sold Price Data versus the List Price Data does not reflect any price reductions which may have occurred. Please call for more detailed information about the current Foreclosure/REO market in Walnut Creek. PREVIEW CURRENT BANK OWNED HOMES FOR SALE IN WALNUT CREEK 02/29/2012

The following chart represents the current concentration of Short Sales in Pending Sale Status versus Traditional Sales in Pending Sale Status for Walnut Creek, CA as of February 26th 2012. The percentage of pending short sales dropped dramatically from the January Report. The difference in the ratio of pending and active status is the additional time required to get short sales all the way through close of escrow. Every short sale is different and some take much longer than others. Please keep in mind that this only reflects the market on the specific day quoted.  Walnut Creek Short Sales can take time and may be represented over several months in this data while traditional sales close escrow in the 30-60 day range.  Additional Short Sale Information for Walnut Creek Homeowners 02/26/2012

The following information represents the Real Estate Market Review for Walnut Creek, CA  94596, 94597 & 94598 for the month of January 2012. As with neighboring cities Walnut Creek is experiencing a tight market to start 2012. Not out of the ordinary for the time of year. Inventory is down slightly from December for both detached and attached homes. Marketing times are up a bit from the December Walnut Creek Report. Walnut Creek has 80 homes currently "pending sale" with a high price of $2,750,000 and a low price of $310,000.  There are 111 condo/townhomes "pending sale" with a high price of $825,000 and a low price of $80,000. 02/26/2012

A good property inspector is always on the lookout for telltale signs. A door that rubs its frame… Exposed electrical wires… Loose handrails… Missing smoke detectors, etc. High water marks under a house; usually gets people’s attention. In the photo, the bottom of a heating/cooling duct in the crawlspace is rusted in a straight line… A telltale sign that the duct sat in water approximately 6-8” deep. This isn’t good. Who knows what grows inside a duct when water intrudes. Can’t be healthy. High water marks or silt marks can occur when:-There are no installed roof gutters-Downspouts discharge water next to the foundation-There’s a negative grade (the yard slopes towards the house)-A surface drainage grate becomes clogged during a heavy rain-A water supply pipe leaks or breaks The source ... 02/17/2012

Wanted: Walnut Creek Homes for Sale. Inventory of Walnut Creek Homes for Sale is significantly lower than at any time since January, 2007.  This chart shows declining inventory, not declining prices! Open Houses are busting out at the seams with throngs of motivated buyers.  My recent Walnut Creek listing had over 70 people visit the Open House, received multiple offers and sold in 10 days above list price (and it wasn't priced low to start).  The following week, an associate with a new Walnut Creek listing had over 150 people attend the Open House.  As of the end of January, 2012 the inventory of homes for sale dropped to 58 homes and 42 homes went into contract during the same month.  The lowest For Sale Inventory has been prior to this is 84 homes. By any measurement, Walnut Creek ha... 02/13/2012

  So what does one do when one retires? Not an  easy question to address. It seems so easy when Mike and I were only day-dreaming about it. Now that it's really here, we have to execute all those "someday" plans that we have been talking about.   To begin with... here is my new "Office", with a "desk" right next to Mike's...   and the view from my "New Office".  It's a bit grey today but Spring is around the corner and the coffee isn't bad either...  From here I am going to plan my day, share our experiences and explore the possibilities.  Well, that's it for now... off to meet Mike at the gym... I don't have the "I don't have time for the Gym" excuse anymore and I am thrilled!!! Coming Up Next...                                  ...Why Real Estate   02/13/2012

Friday February 10th 2012, a Chapter came to a close. Somewhere between the dog-eared pages of my life, I finally took that leap of faith that I had been reading and dreaming about for so long. I exited the rat-race. I retired from my 9-5 job. Now don't misunderstand. I still have other books, other chapters, other pages to turn. I guess it comes with the affliction. I discovered I was a book-aholic from a very young age. I always had more than one going at any time. The same has been true with my life. I was never satisfied with just doing one thing at a time. Even running the rat race wasn't enough, hence the urge to explore more of what's out there... traveling, drawing, cooking, collecting more friends, new cultures, gardening, teaching, and yes, Real Estate owning and helping other... 02/12/2012

Originally posted on ContraCostaRealEstateResource.com It can be difficult for sellers to imagine the end result of Staging a Home to Sell so it's not a surprise when balk at the expense, even if it's minimal compared to the returns. In order to encourage you to read the entire article, I'm going to start with the happy ending.  The Walnut Creek, California home for sale referenced in these pictures had multiple offers and sold in 10 days at $12,000 over List price. Over 94% of home buyers start the house-hunting process viewing the home's photos online and only view the homes whose photos pass the muster but cameras are still not able to process the same amount of information as our eyes. The living room in the Before photo had a maroon accent wall.  While a very rich color to the eye... 02/10/2012

The first month of 2012 is "in the books" and it is time to see how the Walnut Creek real estate market is doing compared to last year. In both the single family and attached home segments we see that unit sales are up. Single family home sales have remained consistent in median price as well as the time it takes to get one into escrow. The attached homes market has seen marketing times decline and a higher quantity of sales  at the lower end which has been a drag on median price. It is too early in the year to make any snap judgment as the data is small. These reports will become more clear as we end the first quarter. If you are interested in how Walnut Creek did in 2011 click on the link below. Keep in mind that real estate markets are local in nature and there will be micro markets ... 02/09/2012

How to Calculate Capital Gain The real power of a tax deferred exchange is not just the tax savings — it is the tremendous increase in purchasing power generated by this tax savings! With the advantages of leverage, every dollar saved in taxes allows a real estate investor to purchase two to three times more real estate. Calculate Capital Gain - Analyze the Benefits of an Exchange Before You Sell   Compare the tax savings and additional purchasing power of an exchange vs. a taxable sale:   1. Calculate Net Adjusted Basis   Original Purchase Price ____________________ + Improvements ____________________ - Depreciation ____________________ = NET ADJUSTED BASIS ____________________   2. Calculate Capital Gain   Sales Price ____________________ - Net Adjusted Basis ____________________ - C... 02/05/2012

This is an exterior termination exhaust duct for a gas wall heater or decorative gas log fireplace.  This is called direct venting.Direct venting uses a 2-layer pipe running through a hole in the wall behind the interior heating unit. The outer pipe draws air in from the outside to create combustion for burning the gas in the heating unit... And the inner pipe takes the exhaust gases to the outside.This design reduces the risks of carbon monoxide buildup within the house.Note the soot above the termination on the the stucco siding... Not good.If there is soot or a ‘scorched’ look on the home owner’s brick or siding, then there's a problem... mainly, incomplete combustion taking place in a wall heater or mis-positioned ceramic logs in a direct gas log fireplace. My recommendation is to ... 02/04/2012

02/02/2012

LOAN MODIFICATION SCAMS The Better Business Bureau listed Mortgage Loan Modification Scams as one of their Top 10 Scams of 2011 and I'm not surprised. After investigating thousands of scams last year, the Better Business Bureau divided them into categories and picked the top scam in each category. They put these loan modification scams under their Top Financial Scam category. There were many variations of loan modification scams, but they all took advantage of people who were desperate to hold onto their homes after a job loss or when the value of their homes decreased. There’s been a lot of talk in the media about government programs to help homeowners reduce their monthly mortgage payments, such as the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Scammers take advantage of this by cre... 01/31/2012

Walnut Creek Travel Ball Tryouts 2 -4-12 There will be Tryouts Saturday February 4 2012 at 11 AM for a 13 and Under Walnut Creek Travel Ball Team. Ball Players from all local communities are eligible. There are open roster spots and plenty of room for talented Baseball Players. Tryouts are at the Ygancio Valley High Baseball Fields, starting at 11:00 AM. Travel Baseball is an excellent opportunity for a young player coming out of Little League of other seasonally organized youth baseball to expand their skills and take things to the next level. To register for the tryouts or if you have questions about Travel Ball call Eric Samuels at 925-671-7758 or e-mail emanlaw99@HotMail.com 01/31/2012

Components of a Listing Contract Obviously the name of the seller and the property address will be included in the listing contract. There are many other things that are included, too, and you should be aware of them. Price and Terms of Sale When setting the terms of sale, the main thing you are concerned with is the price. You should have a basic idea of what your home is worth by keeping track of other sales in the neighborhood. Plus, you have probably interviewed at least two real estate agents and they have given you their own ideas. Exercise great care in determining your asking price, making sure not to set it too high or too low. In addition to the price, you will disclose what personal property, if any, goes with the house when you sell it. Personal property is anything that is ... 01/29/2012

  One of the interesting aspects of being a home inspector… Is that you never know what the next home inspection may bring. Most of my unusual photos come from the garage or under the house. It’s not too often that a sign is posted on a bedroom door: “Do Not open or touch this door Very important that you follow this request Do Not Touch!! Thank You!!” Many things come to mind… If the house is occupied and there’s a Do Not Open sign on a door… does it mean there’s something in the room that will come after you?... Or a madman sleeping inside? The sign says: Do Not Open or Touch and the word ‘touch’ is mentioned twice… Does this mean that the door knob is rigged to electricity or explosives? Some time, it’s better not to open a door… Why? Watch the video: Do Not Open and see for yoursel... 01/24/2012

The following numbers represent the current Foreclosure Sales inventory data as well as the current "Active" and "Sale Pending" data for Bank Owned (REO) properties in Walnut Creek, CA 94596,94597,94598 for the month of December 2011. There are 13 homes currently active/pending with a high price of $714,900 and a low price of $349,900. 30 attached homes are active/pending with high price of $615,000 and a low price of $76,900. Keep in mind that the Sold Price Data versus the List Price Data does not reflect any price reductions which may have occurred. Please call for more detailed information about the current Foreclosure/REO market in Walnut Creek. PREVIEW CURRENT BANK OWNED HOMES FOR SALE IN WALNUT CREEK 01/23/2012

01/21/2012

TIPS FOR SELLERS Tips for preparing your home for sale CURB APPEAL – 50% of homebuyers make the decision to buy your house before they get inside – based on the neighborhood and how it looks from the street! A. Fertilize, water and mow grass B. Add mulch and new flowers to flower beds C. Paint the front door, add a new welcome mat and porch light CARPET – Install new medium-grade carpet (not carpet allowance) and benefit from the new carpet look and smell. Any neutral color will do, buyers aren’t that picky, as long as it’s a tasteful beige or off-white color. PAINT – If it’s been more than two years since your last paint job, then paint the inside and out with a neutral color (beige or off-white) and highlight the wood trim and cabinets with a high-gloss white. Hire a professional pain... 01/20/2012