Posted in East Bay, For Buyers, For Sellers, Market update, tagged Berkeley, buyer, east bay, How's the Market?, market conditions, oakland, oakland berkeley, oakland real estate, piedmont, real estate, seller on February 16, 2019| Leave a Comment »
The holiday season saw somewhat of a seasonal slowdown as buyers turned their attention to the holidays. A few deals were had, many sellers tried the off-market ” Buy it now” pricing and some were successful. Shadow inventory which did not sell in the Holiday season and new inventory will be coming on soon!
Click on the image below to see the last quarter’s report
Posted in Berkeley, East Bay, Uncategorized, tagged Bay view, Berkeley, berkeley hills, east bay, Golden gate, oakland berkeley, real estate, seller on February 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »
The Berkeley Hills has always been one of the East Bay’s most desirable places to live. Certainly up in the Berkeley hills the rain does not keep the serious buyers away! Despite the complete absence of ANY view, and the police blockade on Grizzly Peak there was a stellar turn out at the first open house. Don’t let the weather delay plans to sell, buyers are out looking and they will come back to visit if they like the house!
The glamorous life of a realtor involves dressing for the weather and all hands on deck!! ( Thank you honey!)
Visitors big and small and plenty of towels on hand… plastic covers all round!
Beautiful views of the ever changing sky and bay from my listing at 30 Hill Road near Tilden Park in Berkeley
CLICK FOR PHOTO TOUR
Our wonderful East Bay Parks, live in the hills and step outside to Tilden and beyond
Click here for info on Tilden Park
Posted in East Bay, Financing, For Buyers, For Sellers, Market update, tagged east bay, Financing, market conditions, oakland berkeley, real estate on February 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »
There is always something inspiring about those who have the courage of their convictions! Years ago I recall sticking some money into a “contrarian” fund… I don’t recall how my investment did, but I liked the idea of investing (a little!) with someone who saw the possibilities in a down market! With little inventory on the market, the jewels in the crown are selling quickly, in competition, and yes… for cash. As appraisals are often coming in more conservatively the cash offer has really come into it’s own; you would be amazed how many cash buyers are in the market in all price ranges… though with those piddly interest rates at the bank -maybe not!
Of note to cash buyers, there is cost saving refinancing available to a buyer who wants the competitive advantage of a cash offer, and to subsequently leverage their investment with a mortgage within the first 90 days of ownership.
(Let me know if you want more details)
MARKET UPDATE!
Two exceptional Berkeley homes, including my favorite mid-century with to die for garden which just closed in 10 days for cash and significantly over the list price…. we do seem to be moving out of the market stall at the end of 2011.
See the list versus sales price……wow!
Click on image to enlarge
MY BROKERS TOUR PICKS!
So where in Oakland can you find a level home on almost a half acre, with a Bay view and some Hollywood style for under $450K? OK so some of them need some updates but the space is amazing…. so if theBerkeley hills and Rockridge leave you feeling cramped try looking a little further afield! We had a lovely drive through the hills to see 4200 Aberfoil listed by Donna Conroy of Pacific Union
And if your budget allows for a higher price and you want the latte factor…which you will pay more for…try this classic Oakland home on the Piedmont border close to the GrandLake area. Super access to the garden and plenty of curb appeal at 1027 Winsor Listed by Karen Lum of GrubbCo
I’m always happy to answer real estate related questions and appreciate your support through referrals!
Posted in Berkeley, Condos, East Bay, For Buyers, Rockridge, tagged BART, Berkeley, buyer, College Ave, condo, east bay, oakland berkeley, real estate, rockridge, walkability on August 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
According to current data two thirds of Millennials (born 1981-2000) say living in a walkable community is important, and they will pay more for what I call “the latte factor!” . In fact, the overall trend with all age groups in the EastBay is a preference for the car-free lifestyle . Walkable neighborhoods provide a desirable quality of life and data suggest that residents of these neighborhoods are happier, healthier and more likely to volunteer in their communities.
I recently worked with two different buyers who were looking to purchase in an urban area with good walkability. One buyer purchased a super 2 bedroom condo in the Rockridge area of Oakland; it’s a reasonable walk to Rockridge BART and all the amenities of College Avenue.
5335 Broadway Terrace Rockridge; entry
The second buyer was downsizing from a house in San Francisco, and looked for several months at quieter neighborhoods in Berkeley. Eventually my client realized the sleepy streets were not for him, and he still needed that urban vibe! He purchased a home on a busier Berkeley street , close to Whole Foods and the Elmwood shopping area.
Both buyers prioritized access to transport and resources.
2948 Florence St. Berkeley
Posted in East Bay, For Buyers, Montclair, tagged east bay, montclair, oakland berkeley, real estate, seller on July 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in For Sellers, Montclair, tagged montclair, oakland berkeley, seller on February 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »
My new listing is a really super spacious 2 bedroom home in a very desirable position in Montclair village. It’s a few steps away from the library, Montclair elementary school and all the shops and nearby restaurants .
The house is on a level lot and has a couple of steps in the entry and step to garden and garage.
The weather last week was wonderful, and since all the work on the house got done ahead of schedule we moved the market date up a week. There is little inventory right now, and no reason for sellers to wait any longer for competition and rising mortgage rates!
I held it open on both last Saturday and Sunday as it’s in such an accessible spot. The house has had a great reception and seems to appeal to both older people downsizing from a large home with lots of steps, and the younger generation who desire the “latte factor” as I like to call it!
The home was tastefully remodeled by the current owner, Charles Lester, who was a well known interior designer in Stockton and San Francisco.
The living room and dining area are a great room with a cathedral ceiling, wonderful light from the many windows and a delightful outlook onto a charming patio garden. One of the clever touches to the home was to replace the upper triangle of solid wall at the end of the house with glass so that light comes from 3 directions. It’s a wonderful idea for those darker homes in the hills! There is also an enclosed “sun room” where a retractable awning offers indoor and outdoor shade, and sliding doors open onto the patio to enjoy our sunny days!
Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Montclair, tagged buyer, east bay, oakland berkeley, real estate, seller on January 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
My sellers wanted to sell their lovely Bay view home before the end of the year.
In an unpredictable market accurate pricing is key.
Their home looked great, received good exposure and was priced just right. Not low enough to leave money on the table, and not so high that it would sit and sell for less than it could!
The buyers used a good local mortgage broker and it was a nice smooth transaction!
6229 Melville
6517 Chelton Dr.
I represented the buyers of this unusually well laid out Montclair hills home.
The week this came on the market the agents I tour with voted it “best pick of the day”! The outlook onto the trees is lovely, and although not totally updated it has the mid-century big windows and open plan appeal.
My buyers stayed on top of all the lender’s requests, the mortgage broker met deadlines (quite a feat!), the seller was allowed to stay in place over the holidays, and we had a delightful walk through with the seller when the rent-back ended on January 2nd!
Posted in East Bay, For Buyers, For Sellers, tagged Berkeley, buyer, east bay, Financing, investment, oakland berkeley, real estate, seller on October 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
We’ve come out of a slower 6 weeks and had a couple of good weeks of sales activity.
Mortgage rates continue to be amazing, with some volatility.
Despite the fact that this is primarily being called a buyers market, over 40% of our Pacific Union sales transactions in September had multiple offers.
Properties which show well and are priced correctly are getting the buyers attention and going into contract.
Lenders continue to put buyers through their paces, the majority of our escrows are closing, but it’s usually bumpy!
Posted in Berkeley, For Buyers, tagged east bay, oakland berkeley, real estate, seller on May 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »
If you crave a “killer” Bay view, and want to live in a Gardener’s Eden, take a look at 520 Cragmont Avenue in Berkeley.
5 bedroom, 3.5 bath listed for $995,000.
After several weeks of helping my colleague with inspections, obtaining and booking contractor bids for this large Berkeley hills home, we finally hit the market today!
The sellers carefully considered what made the most sense to spend money on, and where they would get the most return for their investment.
Its always a pleasure dealing with the reliable resources I can call on for painting, refinishing floors, installing carpets, washing windows, cleaning, replacing windows, fixing gutters, removing stuff and whatever else needs doing. We used them all for this project!
With rain on and off the last few weeks, everyone was very accommodating and ready to spring back into action whenever the sun peaked back out! Photo day was a rainy one, so we’ll be back to take some more view shots.
My colleague Maureen did a great job of dealing with the older home not showing as much square feet as it should have, and helping have the records corrected. I enjoy visits to the city of Berkeley engineering department, following up on sewer certificates and whatever else is needed for the disclosure packets.
The home’s interior offers fabulous architectural details—ceiling beams, gracious wrought iron banisters, and wide plank peg floors. Plan to entertain—with an open floor plan among the large living room with stone surround fireplace, central dining room and the spacious viewing deck. You can organize dinner for 12 or cocktails for 40. The owners have hosted Thanksgiving dinners and a wedding on the deck!
There are 4 large view-laden bedrooms upstairs–the master with its en-suite bath–and their spacious closets so unusual in a home of this age. Together with a huge hallway bath the upstairs spaces can be used very flexibly.
If you’d like a private home office (or separate room for an in-law), the space downstairs is ideal. On one side is a large family room (called the “Social Hall” in the original blueprints) with original fireplace, and adjacent full kitchen; on the other is a bedroom and full bath, all with exterior access—to that fabulous garden!
Both the private front garden (gorgeous from an east-facing living room window) and the carefully curated rear garden have been tended for years by the current owners. Filled with a weeping birch, dogwoods in bloom, calla lilies, fruit trees, and a calliope of roses, the rear garden can easily include vegetables, and more!
Tilden Park is just a couple blocks away, the extensive trail system offers opportunity for
Running, hiking, biking or just enjoying our wonderful outdoors!
All less than a mile from Kensington shopping and less than 1.5 miles to the top of Solano Avenue.
Owned and loved by the same family for 30 years.
Join us for open houses:
Saturday May 22nd, 2-4:30 pm: Renovator’s Open House, featuring designer Jacquelyn McCormick and contractor Bruce Paoli
Sunday May 23rd, 2-4:30 pm: Open House
Thursday May 27th, 10-1 pm: Broker’s Tour (open to the public)
Sunday May 29th, 2-4:30 pm: Open House
Posted in East Bay, For Buyers, For Sellers, tagged east bay, Financing, investment, oakland berkeley, real estate on May 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »
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