The San Jose Way

How much could we save by insulating the walls? Is it time to replace the old refrigerator out in the garage? Should we replace all our lights with new "twisty" bulbs? A Home Energy Rating System (HERS) audit of your home energy use would help you answer questions like that and show you specific ...

I am pleased to announce the Help For Homeowners Community Event happening February 24 from 11am to 7:30pm at the San Jose Convention Center in downtown San Jose. If you are in mortgage trouble then this is a must-attend event. This is a critical opportunity to talk face-to-face with representati...

5 Steps for a Successful Short Sale Lenders and the federal government, prompted by the sheer volume of loan modification and short sale requests, have overhauled their systems and programs, making the foreclosure avoidance process much easier than in the past. If you are considering short sellin...

The February 2011 edition of my Santa Clara County Real Estate Market Trends Report covering San Jose and surrounding communities is now available.  This report covers the state of the real estate market in January 2011, and is a wealth of practical and statistical information about the current s...

Have you found an apartment or home with a great price you just can't pass up? Before you sign the lease or purchase agreement, check for sure how well your potentially new location is going to work out with the rest of your life. Especially consider this, what impact will your new commute costs ...

Would you like to lower your monthly mortgage payment, but you're locked out of refinancing for one reason or another (e.g., self-employed or bad credit)?  Here's a little-known strategy that you may be able to use.  It's called recasting or re-amortization.  Not all mortgage servicers will let y...

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) program to help unemployed homeowners pay their mortgage is finally underway. I've written about this program and its delays before (see California Wants You to Keep Your Home and Keep Your Home Program Delayed), but now it is up and running and taki...

Fannie Mae, the government sponsored enterprise owning most mortgage loans in the U.S., has launched a new interactive, multi-media tool called WaysHome to help homeowners understand the options to avoiding foreclosure, and to motivate them to take actually seek help in 2011 rather than let bad c...

Short sales are a terrific option for homeowners struggling with unaffordable mortgage payments.  In fact, lenders' losses due to foreclosure are projected to increase at record rates in 2011, giving them more reason to pursue short sales.  Lenders are projected to incur losses as severe as 85 pe...

Looking at a 10-year history of property sales, single-family home prices remain approximately at the same level they were in 2002.  This hasn't changed from the previous quarter's chart published in October.  For condos and townhouses, prices are at the lowest level on the chart.  Both categorie...