Renting Can Mean Freedom by Michelle Carr-Crowe and the Get REsults Team, Top 5% Silicon Valley real estate agent & San Jose home selling specialist As a real estate consultant, my job is to help people clarify their values, explore their options and make educated choices in line with those values. Sometimes the right choice is to rent instead of own. I'm probably one of the only real estate agents who will actively explore this option with a potential buyer. I consider it part of my service. How can a buyer truly know if ownership is better for them than tenancy if they don't look at both options? For example, a Cupertino, Calif. home with a new monthly $3,000 mortgage is primarily comprised of interest, which is still tax-deductible. Assuming about 90% of it is interest in the first y... 12/28/2010

Home Improvements Part 3: Personalization by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Silicon Valley Top 5% Residential Real Estate Agent When it comes to upgrades and features, Buyers and Sellers see the same items quite differently. In my prior columns on home improvement, I've touched on maintenance and upgrades and this one is on personalizations. When it comes to home values, comparables and owner changes, there is often a big disconnect between the seller's and buyer's opinions of value for the same features. How can either buyers or sellers know if an item qualifies as an Upgrade that translates into a higher market price? There are two categories of upgrades - upgrades as compared to the original quality level of the home and neighborhood, and upgrades to modern tastes. There is also the fine line ... 12/26/2010

Home Improvements Part 2: Upgrades by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Silicon Valley Top 5% Residential Real Estate Agent Upgrades-Buyers want them, Sellers think they have them-who is right? In my prior column on Home Improvements, I noted that there are basically three categories: maintenance, upgrades and personalizations. When it comes to home values, comparables and owner changes, there is often a big disconnect between the seller's and buyer's opinions of value for the same items. How can either buyers or sellers know if an item qualifies as an Upgrade? There are two types of upgrades - upgrades as compared to the original quality level of the home and neighborhood, and upgrades to modern tastes. For example, formica counters were common and popular in mid-century Eichler-style homes. Now, u... 12/26/2010

Top 3 Reasons to Write Back-up Offers By Michelle Carr-Crowe, Your San Jose Saratoga Lynbrook Homes & Cupertino Schools Experts I recently sold two different homes on the same day. One of the properties was offered to the first back-up buyer (who declined), then was offered to the second back-up offer who accepted. On the other property, an agent's clients want to write a back-up offer but she's never done one before and needed some coaching on how it works. While many people consider back-up offers a waste of time (or the more cynical think it's just a way to ensure the accepted offer performs), I know of three different back-up offer buyers who succeeded in getting the home in the past year. Two were my buyer clients! The other was a buyer on one of my listings that I encouraged the a... 11/14/2010

All Santa Clara with Cupertino High Homes for Sale by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Your Lynbrook High Homes & Cupertino Schools Home Selling Expert Looking for low-cost Santa Clara utilitie with high-performing Cupertino Schools? These 8 homes, ranging from $575,000 to $1,050,000.   Both 98 Blake and 3038 McKinley will be open on Sunday, Nov. 14 from 1:30-4:30. ACTIVE Address City Beds Bath DOM LOE SqFt $/SqFt Lot (SF) List Price Age Sale Price   51 Cabot Avenue Santa Clara 4 4|0 184 2,566 $409.20 $1,050,000 0 2710 Pruneridge Avenue Santa Clara 4 3|0 32 2,254 $442.77 16,797 $998,000 3391 Tracy Drive Santa Clara 5 3|1 33 2,516 $371.62 7,100 $935,000 53 2716 Estella Drive Santa Clara 4 2|0 34 1,711 $496.79 8,165 $850,000 38 98 Blake Avenue Santa Clara 3 2|0 43 1,515 $527.39 6,215 $799,000 55 346 ... 11/13/2010

CUPERTINO High! $575K! 3038 McKinley, Santa Clara Open Sat. & Sun.! by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Your San Jose Saratoga Lynbrook Homes & Cupertino Schools Experts HOT BUY! Open Sat. & Sun.! 1:30-4:30 Only $575K for CUPERTINO High! Lowest Price for ANY 3 Bedroom Single Family Home in CUPERTINO High! Don't Miss Your Golden Opportunity! Just Call (408) 252-8900! Powered by RealBird.com Map these properties   Powered by RealBird.com 11/13/2010

ALL CUPERTINO HIGH OPEN HOMES Sunday November 7 by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Your Homes in Cupertino Schools Expert It may be raining outside but there are many welcoming open houses to see in the Cupertino High area today, Sunday, November 7th. Many buyers looking for homes in Cupertino High mistakenly think that all of their Cupertino High homes choices must be in the city Cupertino. NOT! A more financially attractive option are homes in the special pocket of one zip code (95051) in Santa Clara with Cupertino schools, including Cupertino High. In fact,the LOWEST-PRICED single-family 3-bedroom home in Cupertino High is located at 3038 McKinley Drive, Santa Clara! It's only $575,000 - more than $100,000 LESS than the next highest home. Looking for a Cupertino High Home? Just Call 408-252-890... 11/07/2010

I like to track the stats daily in the city of Cupertino.  (+/-).  As you can see from the stats, the active listing count dropped by a large percentage.  Looking at the pending sales, the rise was not as large as the drop in active leading some to believe that several sellers have decided to take their homes off the market, or their listings may have expired. Now turning to the Condo and TownHome market, the drop in active listings is occuring here too.  However the drop in sales is larger.  In most markets, we have seasonal averages.  Summer months are sronger then winter months, along with a small spike during the holidays. Call on Keller Williams Realty for all of your future Real Estate Needs.  My team consists of over 170 agents, and 7 support staff.  We want to sell or buy your n... 11/02/2010

Yup!  It's that getting close to that time of the year, and its time for Santa!  Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making an apearance in Cuperitino on December 4th, 2010 at the Quinlin Center here in Cupertino.  You and your family are invited to a breakfast celebration with both Santa and Mrs. Claus.  They will be cooking up some awesome North Pole Pancakes and of course, Santa will be posing for pictures. Santa's elves will be setting up some holiday crafts and fun for children. Remember, register early!  Spaces are limited, and it fills up fast!  Also, children must be accompanied by a paying adult.  Since you have to register everyone that is going, parents and children...  You cannot register online.  You can get the info online, and the either fax the form in or go down to the quin O... 10/22/2010

  RIP to HVCC: Federal Reserve Board Issues Appraiser Independence Regulations by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe and the Get Re$ult$ Team, Your San Jose Saratoga Lynbrook Homes & Cupertino Schools Experts Did you hear the death knell of the HVCC (Home Valuation Code of Conduct)? Neither did I. However, just as the Federal Reserve Board released an interim final rule on appraiser independence, it coincided with the death of the HVCC. The interim final rule is required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 111-203).  Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also released new appraisal independence guidelines.  While the GSE’s new guidelines look similar to HVCC (e.g. mortgage brokers still cannot order the appraisal), there are differences.  The Fed states that the p... 10/21/2010

The Autumn Ikebana Show will be on 10/23/2010 and 10/24/2010 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.  It will be held at the Quinlan Community Center located at 10185 N Stelling Road, Cupertino, CA 95014.  Nearly 160 ikebana floral artists will present a two-day weekend exhibition on October 23 and 24 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the local chapter's establishment. Visitors will enjoy a wide variety of floral arrangement styles, such as those created in low shallow vases ("moribana"), in tall upright vases ("nageire"), as well as suspended and wall-hung styles, and large-scale floor arrangements. Highly accomplished Wafu ikebana artists will also present demonstrations of this exquisite art form, discussing the materials and techniques used. Three demonstrations per day will feature different f... 10/21/2010

Google YouTube SearchStories Moving From China to Cupertino by Michelle Carr-Crowe Your Lynbrook & Cupertino Schools Expert I just created my first Google SearchStories via YouTube. Let me know your thoughts. I was inspired by the "Paris in Love" Google SearchStories, although mine is not as romantic. What other ideas have people used this tool for in telling a good story? Especially a story they'd like repeated over and over again! The one difficulty I found was the ending. I wish it ended with the last search term instead of the window box. 10/19/2010

Here are the highlights of September transactions and market comments for Santa Clara County real estate and San Mateo County real estate. Your comments and questions are always welcome. If you see something in your neighborhood that you are curious about or have a question, please don't hesitate to share with us. You may leave comments here, or contact me through my website.> Market Overview -- The last four months has shown a general decline in the amount of sales. Closings of single family residences (SFR) in Santa Clara County decreased and are at levels just below those seen in either September of 2009 and September 2008 but above the level seen in September 2007. Same holds true for San Mateo County which saw a lower level for the past three months. My analysis of the transactiona... 10/14/2010

  Cupertino Tournament of Bands.  Saturday October 9th, 2010.  (Cupertino, CA) The yearly Cupertino Tournament of Bands is here!  Hosted by my Alma Mater Cupertino High School.  There are scheduled to be 30 schools participating, including Cupertino High School.  San Jose State Spartan Marching Band is also scheduled to appear. Parts of Stevens Creek Blvd will be blocked, and traffic will be diverted on Saturday during the parade section, so plan accordingly. Schedule is as follows...   9:30 AM First band leaves Band Formation Area 10:00 AM Parade Competition begins on Stevens Creek Blvd. 1:30 PM Drill-down competition begins (in stadium) 2:00 PM Parade awards (in stadium) 3:45 PM Gates at stadium open for Field Show Competition 4:15 PM Field Show Competition begins 9:45 PM(Approx) Fie... 10/08/2010

FREE Family Fun at the Cupertino Diwali Festival, Saturday, October 9 by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe and the Get Re$ult$ Team, Your San Jose Saratoga Lynbrook Homes & Cupertino Schools Experts Mark your calendars for free family fun this Saturday, October 9 at Cupertino's Diwali Festival. Presented by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and Asian American Business Council, the Diwali Festival of Lights-A Multicultural Event, occurs Saturday, October 9th from 10 am till 6 pm in Memorial Park, Cupertino. (Located across from De Anza College.) With music, dancing, arts and crafts, fun jump, magicians and delicious food, the event is sure to be a winner. Event sponsors include Wells Fargo, Apple, State Farm, Hewlett-Packard, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Keypoint Credit Union, Palo Alto Medic... 10/07/2010

It's the end of the month again, and it's time for the City of Cupertino Home Sale Stats!  The Active homes are single family homes that are currently posted for sale, the pendings are homes that are currently in contract, and the sales are the homes that have sold in the last 30 days. (+/-) This first post is for Year-To-Date stats...  As you can see, July had our highest listing amount at the end of the month.  We are also seeing the number of sales increase, however the pending sales are starting to drop.  Be sure that you price your home correctly when you are ready to sell. The second chart is the Month-to-Date for the month of September.  Actives seem to go up and down with the week, with pendings heading down, and the sales going up. If you are in need of a qualified agent to hel... 10/04/2010

    What is the current Cupertino Ca Real Estate market? Let us compare from August 2009 to August 2010 we can see some interesting changes: 1). Home inventory has dropped from last year’s 127 to 111 this year. The numbers of sold homes has gone down this year to 30 from last year’s 33. 2.) The average Cupertino homes sales price is lower this year. This August’s sales price is $1,011,938 vs last August`s $1,126,643. The median sales of August 2010 is $1,050,000 which has gone down from last August`s $1,100,000. 3.) Last August took average 68 days to sell a home but it took 27 days this year. This real estate trend is the same as last month. In August of 2010 there were 12.6% less homes for sale and 9% less Cupertino homes were sold. The average Cupertino sales price decreased 10% and... 09/28/2010

It's that time of the year again, the annual "fall" clean up garage sale.  Cupertino residences can put their unwanteds, used or unused stuff out this weekend and turn stored up space into free space and turn hidden treasures into cash! The garage sale date is 9/25 and 9/26 from 9am til 4pm 09/22/2010

Just 2 More Days for FREE Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Jamba Juice Coupons by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe and the Get Re$ult$ Team, Your San Jose Saratoga Lynbrook & Cupertino Schools Experts If you, like me, enjoy a healthy refreshing snack and have a hard time eating enough fruit and vegetables, here's a deal you won't want to miss. There's just 2 More Days to use the following FREE Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Jamba Juice Coupon. You can re-use and re-cycle them, making these coupons green and eco-friendly, too. Just print out the Jamba Juice coupon, bring a friend and buy one and get one free. Enjoy! 09/20/2010

How to Quickly Find Out Your Local School’s Accountability Score By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe, Your San Jose Saratoga Lynbrook & Cupertino Schools Expert The California Department of Education recently released the 2009-2010 accountability progress report for statewide schools and districts at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/. Naturally parents are curious to discover how their current (or potential) schools are performing in relation to established goals and standards. For a quick How-to, follow the directions below to find out how your current Cupertino school performed, and perhaps browse through the report to view how others did as well. Go to the California Department of Education website at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ Click COUNTY Level Click 43-Santa Clara County Click Submit Select the firs... 09/16/2010