As a post-script to my earlier blog entry about the potential risks of buying homes with non-permitted or non-complying construction additions or improvements. Most real estate contracts provide the Buyer a right to investigate the condition of the property as part of the Buyer's due diligence p
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06/12/2009
Many homes do not comply with all current building codes which are subject to periodic change or amendment. Some of the violations or non-conforming issues are minor and inconsequential, posing little or no risk and concern to owners; however some have the potential for far greater concern. Som
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06/12/2009
It seems that at least as far back as the 1960's when Bill Nickerson - the father of all real estate gurus - wrote his classic book entitled "How I Turned $1,000 into $5,000,000 in Real Estate in My Spare Time", the public has been infatuated with real estate. One of the early proponents of buyi
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06/11/2009
Reflections on some of my observations about home buying. What do you think? The majority of potential home buyers are ignorant about the home buying process. And, to be sure, home buying is a process not an event. Because they don't know what they don't know, they make easily avoidable mistak
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06/10/2009
Earlier this week FHA announced they were working on the details of a plan to allow first time home buyers to use their $8,000 federal tax credit towards their down payment. How they envision getting the money to the borrower would be to issue a bridge loan for $8,000 to home buyers that qualify
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05/15/2009
In a recent article by Forbes Magazine, America's Most Overpriced Cities, the San Francisco Bay Area (including San Mateo County) ranks all the way down at #18 on the list. Still not cheap, however, much further down than many of us would've thought. Cities you wouldn't necessarily associate as
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05/08/2009
If you're a homeowner who thinks they may be facing foreclosure, the Foreclosure Prevention Event at Westmoor High School in Daly City is a must attend event. You will have the opportunity to meet many housing and mortgage experts who will give you reliable, accurate information about your situa
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05/08/2009
It seems that the national media is finally catching on. There are buyers out there who want to make a deal happen, but the reality is that they just aren’t going to do it at the same price points as before the market corrected. BusinessWeek’s article, “Want to Sell Your Home? Lower Your Price” i
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05/06/2009
Many of you have probably heard about the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit when you buy a home by December 31, 2009. This is a dollar for dollar reduction on your income taxes, not an interest free loan or deduction. Who is Eligible for the Tax Credit? First time home buyers are eligibl
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05/02/2009
Recently, we’ve been hearing of solicitations from private companies trying to lure San Mateo County homeowners into paying them money in order to reduce their property taxes. Please don’t fall for this solicitation as it is a scam. In areas where market values are declining, it may be very p
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05/02/2009
