HELLLOOOO My Most Beautiful Wonderful Bay Area!!…  The “Question of the Day” is … Are you sure your realtor is licensed to do business?

Most sellers, buyers, soon to be in the market consumers and yes even fellow realtors probably don’t think too much about the licensing status of the agents they work with! And we all should know!! In fact its crucial to know… why would you work with someone who isnt licensed, why would you work with someone who has been disciplined or has complaints placed on his/her record?… As with everything else in life we must scrutinize the who, what and whys which includes “making sure your realtor is licensed and current” when it comes to working closely with that person regarding your home or any kind of property and where a huge amount of your life and money  is involved… Use a Licensed Realtor!

Jim Malmberg wrote a very insightful article on why its important to know the status of the realtor you work with…please take a minute to read it… and enlighten yourselves… http://bit.ly/A5hHlw

(the DRE – Department of Real Estate License Lookup link is inside Jim’s article… its FREE to use…do yourselves a favor and do this…)

There’s really some true advantages to “Online Shopping”!!… LOL

HELLLLOOOOO  My Beautiful Wonderful Bay Area!!… Dreams Do Come True!!

Scott & Jenn… Huge Congratulations!!!

Welcome to Your New Home in Beautiful Estudillo Estates…

HELLLLOOOO… Good Day to All My Wonderful Beautiful Bay Area!!… Real Estate will always be in our lives… no matter how you look at it… we all have something to do with real estate…  we all need it, use it and live in it everyday… so why not strive to make it something you can call your own??… I’d like to be first in line to apply for the job of helping you get there…  I am proud to submit as part of my qualifications the following… (please also refer to my testimonial page for your consideration…)

“I have been a realtor in Northern Arizona for the past 25 years.  When my daughter told me that she was thinking about buying a home in the Bay Area, the first thing I said to her was “Find a good realtor. One that you like and can work with and someone who has lots of experience and knows the market. ” She did just that when she found Isi Wu.  Isi was the perfect realtor for her. She found her a loft that she absolutely loves (one that she might never have found on her own) and that she could afford.  Isi negotiated a great price and took care of  all the details all along the way right up to closing.  She also found a mortgage broker who worked long and hard to get the financing done and closed the loan even before the close of escrow date.  For a first time home buyer, Isi’s expertise and professionalism were invaluable. 

Cheryl K

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• REALTORS Working for Tomorrow’s Home Owers Today (thejnlgroup.wordpress.com)

Today I have a heads up for all of you…  

COMING VERY SOON TO MARKET… 

A Gorgeous, Spacious Bi-Level Home  located in

“Distinguished Castro Valley Schools” on a quiet – private street…

3 Bedrooms – 2 Large Baths

2,364 sq.ft.  interior – 5,029 sq.ft. lot

( Huge Master Suite with Adjoining Office & Master Bath upper floor)

List of Amenities & Upgrades are too much to list…

(will forward to you upon request)

Move In Ready!!

Must see to appreciate… you will Love This One!!… 

Feel free to contact me for more information…

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• Bay Area Beagle Meetup: Castro Valley (October 2010) (tmdbeagles.wordpress.com)

  

  

 

 

 

HELLLLOOOOO My Wonderful, Beautiful Bay Area!!… Good Day to you… today I have another question and answer regarding buying  a condo in Berkeley or Oakland, CA… I hope my response is helpful for any of you who may be considering a purchase no matter what the price range or location…

  

Question… Where is a good place to look for a condo in Oakland or Berkeley for less than $300,000??

I would like to be in an area close to BART (preferably walking distance), reasonably quiet but has lots of places to walk to (and where I will feel safe walking around), and will be in an up-and-coming neighborhood as far as property value. I do not want a fixer-upper.

 

I’ve seen some places in the Adam’s Point, Uptown, Jack London Square, Harrison St.,and Downtown areas that look good on paper at least, but I don’t know too much about them. Any advice?

asked by Krabappel… Just looking…94117

 

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HELLOOOOOO…. MY Wonderful, Beautiful, Wet and Cold Bay Area!!… Today we have a Q and A for you… check it out… (Send me your questions anytime…)

QUESTION… In today’s environment (February 2011) can one purchase a home with 10% down, credit score of 740, $200,000 income and a short sale in 2009?

Asked by Donsfan – Home Buyer in Oakland – Home Buying

ANSWER… Hello… As you must know the current market is not exactly a wonderful one to be in… one would think its very much to the advantage of the buyers to be able to buy lower than ever before… because of all the challenges in the lending process these days and because of all of its ever changing requirements it can be a huge headache to maneuver through… I suggest that you connect up with a realtor who has some years of experience to counsel and guide you through what can and cannot be done… Good Luck to you… Isi

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• How first-time buyers can get on the property ladder (telegraph.co.uk)
• Short Sales, Foreclosure and Your Credit Score (creditscore.net)

HELLLLOOOOOO My Beautiful, Wonderful Bay Area!!… Its a gorgeous day today…  hope you’re out there enjoying it!… Wanted to share some food for thought for all you 

First Time Home Buyers out there…  

First Time Home Buyers – so excited, filled with anticipation and hope for the future… the first homes you see may well be foreclosed properties – terrible carpeting, damaged walls, missing items, various aromas inside the house… the excitement and hope may begin to fade…

All of a sudden your dream home appears!!… Brand new kitchen, remodeled bathrooms, new paint, new flooring, new windows… its perfect!!… It’s the only one you want… no way will you consider those awful foreclosed/distressed homes!… its too good to be true!!…

Your Realtor informs you it’s a “Flip”…  what the heck is a “Flip” you ask?… A flip is a property purchased by an investor at a discounted price, either on the courthouse steps or some other means… the investor “Flipper” will usually send in a crew to upgrade and improve the home before putting it back on the market for a profit.  The upgrades usually include new paint, new flooring, new kitchen cabinets, new counters, new appliances, new dual pane windows, new hot water heater, a new roof and more…

The drawback is… permits are required for many of the upgrades, and in many cases the “Flippers” don’t bother.

Whenever improvements are made without the necessary permits its creates a real problem. Permits are required for almost every kind of home improvement.

When a buyer purchases a home without the required permits, they become liable for bringing the home to compliance.  This is the problem… time is money, to make a profit “Flippers” must get the home improved and back on the market asap.  Obtaining permits can take more time and delays and more money.

Since the “flippers” buy properties “as is” they inherit the pre-existing improvements – many without permits.  They really should get these properties into compliance with the local building departments BEFORE doing anymore additional work and re-selling.  Its safe to say this isn’t happening in most cases.

In Summary…

The Good?  Flippers are upgrading homes and improving neighborhoods.

The Bad? Shortcuts. Buyers should check city records for permits… None? Ask the seller to provide them.

The Ugly?  Not all flippers do good work. Some just paint over issues and hide problems to turn a quick profit. There’s no guarantee all improvements were installed properly and safely.

Make sure you get a proper home inspection so you know what you’re getting into. BUYER BEWARE!..

Thanks for checking in!! Your comments are always welcome…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…
the right agent makes all the difference

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

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Helllooooo My Wonderful Beautiful Bay Area!!…

Today… we have an extension of  my posting on Tuesday October 12… Foreclosures Halting… Now What??!!!…

The breadth and ultimate effects of  this latest Foreclosure Issue may not be realized anytime soon, while we wait for more solid information to come down the pipeline etc… I thought you’d like to hear  from a trusted very experienced loan consultant and good  friend of mine, who was kind enough to share his personal perspective on the Foreclosure Situation…

(The content below is not be construed to be anything more than his own personal opinion)…

Hi Isi,

My personal belief is that lenders have been very patient with homeowners and to add this extra burden to already stretched banks and lending entities is simply suicidal for our economy.  Homeowners that are behind know very well they will lose their home.  Just like you and I know that on a clear day, the sky is blue.  Banks need to be able to move on their assets and eventually be solvent again.  Banks are not our adversaries.  Heavy and costly government along with the heavy and costly regulation that comes with it, is the problem. 

My business is so laden with regulation now that the average applicant is paying a higher rate and more fees to obtain the same product and the new regulations have done very little to enlighten the consumer to what they are getting.  Sadly, the only benefit the consumer has received is the privilege of paying more for the same product.

 On a different subject.  The economy starts with the consumer ( you and I and our neighbor) – not with business as these administrations keep pushing.  If the consumer has money at the end of the month and is not worried about the future and heavy inevitable taxes, then the consumer will spend which then leads to demand for services and products.  Hence employment.   The only way the consumer is going to have money to spend and feel good about the future is heavy federal and state tax cuts along with heavy government spending cuts.  If I had an extra $10,000.00 at the end of the year and I see a government heavily cutting back and behaving fiscally responsible, I might just purchase that couch we need or maybe I will get a new car.  Multiply this spending by millions and hence demand will jump, businesses will see this demand and expand hiring people and the future would be bright.

This government is poised to spend and unless you are willing to cut government way back it is useless talking about tax cuts.  So vote them out and replace them with leaders who tremble at the thought of big government and spending.  In order to prosper, government must be squeezed, regulation must be loosed, and tax burdens must be lifted.  There is no other formula for a great and prosperous America. 

 Hope this helps. 

Tom Erbil
Mortgage Broker – DRE License# 00934494

Stay tuned in and check back for more updates as they become available…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you!

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay and Beyond…

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• Obama administration rejects nationwide foreclosure moratorium (usatoday.com)
• U.S. bank shares take hit over foreclosure woes (financialpost.com)