Isi Wu's Blog

HELLLLOOOO My Wonderful Beautiful Bay Area… Those of you who have enjoyed taking certain deductions yearly… be forewarned… certain tax benefits will be going up up and away… (the article below comes from Inman News)… please make your notes and be sure to take what you can before they disappear…

Real Estate Tax Talk. There are several tax credits and deductions set to expire at the end of the year, and given the federal deficit problem, there’s a good chance they won’t be extended. If you want to take advantage of them, you need to act before Jan. 1, 2012. Mortgage insurance premium deduction If you itemize deductions, you may deduct the premiums you pay for mortgage insurance, just like you do mortgage interest. However, this deduction is phased out if your income exceeds certain levels. To qualify for the full deduction, a couple or a single taxpayer must have an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less. The deduction is phased out completely if AGI exceeds $109,000. For further details go ahead and check out the full article…click open the hyperlink below…

http://shar.es/oh6zE

 HELLLOOOO My Ever Wonderful Beautiful Bay Area… here’s some interesting stats for you regarding housing activities in the following counties….they may give you a better insight as to what the average List prices are in high and low price points … Enjoy!!

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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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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HELLLLLOOOO My Wonderful Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area!!… What a beautiful day we’re having today… We’re so fortunate to live where we do… Life here is the best!!…  Today for your amusement and consideration as a possible very viable alternative to the high cost of homes as we know it… There’s big interest brewing for this option… what do you think??….

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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HELLLOOOOOO My Beautiful Wonderful Bay Area!!… Safety- Safety-Safety… Location is a key component to how we go about our daily lives.. our Safety is right up there with Location choices… Ever want to know what kind of crimes are going on in a specific area??… search by street address, neighborhoods, sort of crimes, sex offenders…one of the better sites I’ve found is …Welcome to CrimeReports.com … easy to use and very informative… you can even sign up for email alerts for any activity in a specific area…Check it out and pass it along to your family and friends…very useful information… please give me your feedback…

Thanks for checking in… visit me again…

Isi

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

Isi Wu
the right agent makes all the difference
Realty World – Blue Property Group
DRE#01258838
Cell 925.997.2426
isiwu@comcast.net
www.isiwu.com

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HELLLLLOOOO My Wonderful – Beautiful Bay Area… The news is out… A number of major banks have volunteered to temporarily suspend foreclosures in 23 states and Bank of America is temporarily suspending foreclosures nationwide…

This situation is changing daily… this is just part of what we know so far… so far only Bank of America has extended its foreclosure moratorium to California, where the vast majority of foreclosures are conducted without a court order… the other 22 states are processed through the court system.  However non-judicial foreclosures in California do have legal requirements that lenders must follow… Other lenders and servicers placing foreclosure moratoriums are… Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s Litton Loan Servicing, Ally Financial Inc‘s GMAC Mortgage unit, JPMorgan Chase and PNC Financial… please keep in mind they are only Temporarily halting the foreclosure process until they have reviewed whether some lenders/servicers were following correct procedures prior to foreclosing on properties.  This is all taking place voluntarily there has not been any mandates by either State or Federal entities. The bigger question is… just how long will it really take to straighten this mess up??!!!

The immediate impact of this moratorium on your transactions may cause delays and may even remove the listed foreclosures.

Lets all hope these latest events will be resolved swiftly to minimize the impact on our housing market in the Bay Area!

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

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay!

Hellloooo My Wonderful Beautiful Bay Area!!… How many of you have gone through the home buying process and gone to the title company to sign off your loan documents and actually experienced waiting the day or two before your home finally became officially yours??… For those of you who have never gone through the process here’s a glimpse of what actually happens when you go to sign off your closing documents just prior to your home loan funding and recording at the County Recorder’s Office and getting your keys to your new home!…  the following video is an actual signing for one of my clients (who happens to be just 23 years of age, who purchased her first home without any financial help from her parents… (I want to make clear that this example is one that is happening much more frequently than ever before … and I want to emphasize that anyone I mean anyone no matter how young or old can achieve homeownership if the desire is there…)

I hope this will enlighten you and give you extra insight as to what happens towards the end of a transaction in escrow… By all means please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have… it will be my pleasure to assist you…

Maddi is now a very happy and proud homeowner and I’m very honored to have represented her!…

Thanks for checking in…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

Hello My Beautiful, Wonderful Bay Area!… Today …Isi’s Fav Spots is highlighting a fun place to go have food and drinks and general merriment… Another one of those places in the Eastbay thats been around for a long time and enjoys a clientele made up of old timers – new timers and once in awhile timers… but always a great place to enjoy some food and drinks and friends or do business… hope you’ll put it on the calendar to go try it out … its a nice place…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwQz1I9MQLw

 Cheers!.. Thanks for checking in…

Isi

Isi Wu

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…