Let me start by saying I know this post is going to evoke some strong reactions from both other  real estate estate agents in Palo Alto as well as around the country. It may also evoke some strong reactions from home buyers in Palo Alto and around the country. Please let me explain that in my 19 years as a Palo Alto real estate agent I have learned that there are many right ways to do things. I do not use buyer brokers agreement. This is how I like to run my business. How other people do it is their business. If it feels right to a future home buyer who is reading this great, if not then feel free to contact someone else. Ok, so what is a buyer's Broker agreement? Some Palo Alto real estate agents will ask their clients to sign a contract saying that during a specific period of time the... 12/10/2013

One and a half million dollars is a lot of money to spend on a home almost anywhere except if you are buying a home in Palo Alto. If that is your budget, then I suggest you look somewhere else.  The chart above is a breakdown of all homes sold in Palo Alto from June through November of 2013 with at least three bedrooms and at least 2 baths. There were a total of 187 sales of these homes during this time period. Of these 187 homes a total of 8 sold under 1.5 million, and a total of 17 sold for 1.6 million or less. so as you can see if you want to buy a home in Palo Alto your chances are slim if you your budget is less than 1.5 million. The bulk of the homes sold in Palo Alto were over 2 million, 63 homes. What is interesting is that there were more homes sold over 3 million, 36 of them,... 12/09/2013

As many of my blog followers know I sell a lot of Palo Alto homes in trust and probate. The owners were often very old, as are the homes, and frequently in need of repair. While it is often a good idea to keep repairs at a minimum in order to decrease the liability to the estate, sometimes it is necessary in order to allow buyers to be able buy and move into a home safely, or in order to increase the value exponentially. I am currently sellling a Palo Alto home that needed some major bathroom repairs since it was unclear an adult could stand on the bathroom floor without falling through to the crawl space. No amount of staging was going to fix that problem. The second bathroom in this Menlo Park home was not much better. The seller of this Palo Alto home decided to redo both bathrooms ... 12/08/2013

If you are going to sell an older home in Palo Alto which has really ugly counters you may be in a quandary about whether to leave them the way the are, or replace them so the house does not look so bad. Since so many of our older homes are being purchased as tear downs, or at a minimum for major remodel you may wonder if it is worth spending the money if the house and or kitchen are going to be demolished anyway. I actually think that unless your home is red tagged by the city and unsafe to enter, it is a good idea to make it look livable, and as welcoming as possible when you are selling a home in Palo Alto.  The reason is simple. While it is true that many older and especially smaller homes in Palo Alto are sold and torn down, it is not true for all of them. There are still Palo Alto... 12/07/2013

VA Mortgage Loans in Palo Alto California and 100% Santa Clara County VA Loans - the best loan program in Palo Alto California! Designed for both active duty military and honorable discharged Veterans, VA Mortgage Loans are one of the best mortgage loan programs available today. Here are some of the highlights of this incredible program: - 100% financing, no down payment required. - Monthly mortgage insurance is not tacked on to your payment. - Easier credit qualifying compared to other types of mortgage loans. - VA Mortgage Rates are low compared to other types of home loans.   How do you know if you qualify for a VA Mortgage Loan in Palo Alto California? You must first verify your eligibility. You can verify eligibility by ordering your Certificate of Eligibility or COE. An approved P... 12/05/2013

I know what you are thinking, I am going to wait till after the first of the year or the spring to sell my home in Palo Alto. It would be stupid to list a home during the holidays, no one does that. Or no one is looking for a home during the holidays. I need to respectfully disagree with those sentiments. I believe December is a great month to sell a home in Palo Alto, especially right after Christmas. Here are the reasons I think selling  a Palo Alto home on Dec 26th this year is a great idea. 1. The inventory has never been lower. As of today there are only 6 homes for sale in Palo Alto. A buyer's market doesn't even happen until there are over 90 homes for sale. List this month and you will have no compettion. 2. There are many people who are planning on moving to Palo Alto who are u... 11/28/2013

I have been a Palo Alto resident and Palo Alto real estate agent for almost 2 decades and I can honestly say I love living in Palo Alto.  There are many reasons, but here are a few of my favorite.   1.The weather is perfect! Summers are not too hot, winters are not too cold, and the fall lasts for months. 2. The schools are wonderful. Elementary schools are all within walking distance of every home in Palo Alto and there are several city wide schools of choice. Ohlone is a project based learning environment, Hoover emphasizes teacher directed programs and high academic standards, there is Spanish immersion, and Mandarin immersion. Middle schools also have project based Connections program, as well as more traditional high academic programs. High Schools are nationally ranked and have am... 11/27/2013

There are 15 Palo Alto homes for sale holding an open house this coming weekend in this popular Silicon Valley community.  Click on the address included in the listings below to view details of each of the Palo Alto homes for sale.  If you would like assistance during your open house visit or more information about any of these homes, contact me directly or use the “Request More Info” tab on the individual property listing page.   Palo Alto Homes For Sale Holding An Open House November 2-3   510 LOWELL AV, PALO ALTO, CA 94301   $5,280,000 Bedrooms: 5Bathrooms: 4 full | 1 partialSq. Ft.: 4,648 Open House on Saturday, Nov 2, 2013 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM     2303 COWPER ST, PALO ALTO, CA 94301   $4,589,000 Bedrooms: 5Bathrooms: 4 full | 2 partialSq. Ft.: 4,120 Open House on Saturday, Nov 2, 2013... 10/31/2013

Calculus, Cassius Clay & the Convention of Constantinople Share What? By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley REALTOR® Do you know what Calculus, Cassius Clay & the Convention of Constantinople have in common? All three share an important anniversary on October 29th. Read below to learn more details the notable anniversaries for Calculus, Cassius Clay & the Convention of Constantinople, along with other interesting facts that occurred on October 29th. 1675 – Leibniz makes the first use of the long s (∫) as a symbol of the integral in calculus. 1787 – Mozart's opera Don Giovanni receives its first performance in Prague. 1863 – Eighteen countries meet in Geneva, Switzerland, and agree to form the International Red Cross. 1888 – The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free ... 10/29/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple: Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers. There are currently 25 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 29 last week. There are currently 2 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from 3 last week. There are currently 33 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, down from 48 last week. There are currently 7 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, down from 8 last week. In Sept of 2013 there were 29 single family Palo Alto homes sold, 15 less than in Aug. The big drop in solds is a reflection of the decrease in inventory that always happens in August. The prices ranged from $595,000 to $4,325,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since las... 10/27/2013

Selling a Home in Barron Park I am often asked, "What can I do to make my Selling a home in Barron Park  really stand out when I am selling it. My answer is "Easy, add chocolate." Now I am not talking the delicious kind from Her Coconess that you can get at the Palo Alto Farmer's market, although I would recommend serving that at your open houses.  I am talking about chocolate bark for the lawn. It is a common joke around Palo Alto that you can tell when a Selling a home in Barron Park when the redwood chip bark goes on the front lawn. Well, my suggestion is forget the redwood bark and use chocolate bark. It is gorgeous and really does make a house pop! The first impression a buyer gets when driving up to a Selling a home in Barron Park is crucial. You want to take their breath away, e... 10/21/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple: Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers. There are currently 29 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 37 last week. There are currently 3 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from 5 last week. There are currently 39 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, down from 48 last week. There are currently 8 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, down from 10 last week. In Sept of 2013 there were 29 single family Palo Alto homes sold, 15 less than in Aug. The big drop in solds is a reflection of the decrease in inventory that always happens in August. The prices ranged from $595,000 to $4,325,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since la... 10/20/2013

  Anyone trying to buy a home in Palo Alto right now knows that it is tough out there. There are many more buyers than sellers and many Palo Alto homes sell with multiple offers way over list price. Some homes go as much as 40% over asking, but some do not. How does a buyer make the decision about how much to offer to have the winning bid in a Palo Alto multiple offer situation and not overpay? The answer is not simple, and sometimes it not a question of price, but terms, like contingencies, length of escrow, length of rent back, etc. But for right now, let's just discuss price. Here are some things to keep in mind when you make an offer on a Palo Alto home in a multiple offer situation, 1. In my opinion the most import thing is, how much is this home worth to you? In other words, what... 10/14/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple: Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers. There are currently 37 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, up from 30 last week. There are currently 5 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from last week. There are currently 48 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 37 last week. There are currently 10 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, the same as last week. In Sept of 2013 there were 29 single family Palo Alto homes sold, 15 less than in Aug. The big drop in solds is a reflection of the decrease in inventory that always happens in August. The prices ranged from $595,000 to $4,325,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since last spr... 10/13/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple: Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers. There are currently 30 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 33 last week. There are currently 6 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, the same as last week. There are currently 37 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 34 last week. There are currently 10 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, down from 15 last week. In Sept of 2013 there were 29 single family Palo Alto homes sold, 15 less than in Aug. The big drop in solds is a reflection of the decrease in inventory that always happens in August. The prices ranged from $595,000 to $4,325,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since las... 10/06/2013

In previous articles, I discussed the unique sales procedures and forms used when selling real estate owned by trusts1 and estates in probate2.  I’m following up with a broker’s perspective on the 3 most common mistakes when selling California real estate owned by a trust.  If you ever find yourself in the position of a trustee with the responsibility of selling trust-owned real estate, I hope you will avoid these mistakes and have a smooth sale. Here are the 3 most common trust sale mistakes: Not having all trust documents up-to-date and available.  If the trust has been in place for awhile, this could include changes, amendments and associated documents that were developed after the trust was originally established.  Normally the listing broker will ask for these documents when the li... 10/05/2013

In previous articles, I discussed the unique sales procedures and forms used when selling real estate owned by trusts1 and estates in probate2.  I’m following up with a broker’s perspective on the 3 most common mistakes when selling California real estate owned by an estate in probate.  If you ever find yourself in the position of an executor with the responsibility of selling estate-owned real estate, I hope you will avoid these mistakes and have a smooth sale. Here are the 3 most common probate sale mistakes: 1.  Executor not having court appointment documents.  At the beginning of the sale, escrow and title companies usually require a certified original of court documents (“Letters”) appointing the executor as the legal administrator of the estate and authorized to conduct real estat... 10/05/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple: Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers. There are currently 33 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 46 last month. There are currently 6 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from 9 last month. There are currently 34 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 28 last week. There are currently 15 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, up from 13 last month. In Aug of 2013 there were 43 single family Palo Alto homes sold, just 2 less than in July. The prices ranged from $980,000 to $5,400,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since last spring. In August of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold, 2 more than in Jul... 09/30/2013

More Fun With Real Estate Terminology Buyers, sellers, investors, welcome back to another installment of Real Estate Jargon, aka, simple explanations of sometimes-confusing real estate terms.  As a departure from terms typically used in real estate transactions or property management, I’m responding to a question asked a couple times regarding the definition of rug joints and sawdust joints. All men know that anything they need to know about being a man they can learn from watching “The Godfather.”  Women – if you want to understand men, watch “The Godfather.”  Mario Puzzo, the late author who wrote the book, said that the story isn’t about the Mafia, it’s about the relationship between a father and his sons.  But I digress… In “The Godfather, Part II,” one of the Mafia chiefs talks ab... 09/29/2013

There are 24 Menlo Park homes for sale holding an open house this coming weekend in this popular Silicon Valley community.  Click on the address included in the listings below to view details of each of the Menlo Park homes for sale.  If you would like assistance during your open house visit or more information about any of these homes, contact me directly or use the “Request More Info” tab on the individual property listing page.   Menlo Park Homes For Sale Holding An Open House September 28-29   1319 SAN MATEO DR, MENLO PARK, CA 94025   $5,495,000 Bedrooms: 5Bathrooms: 4 full | 1 partialSq. Ft.: 5,900       Open House on Sunday, Sep 29, 2013 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM       135 ROYAL OAKS CT, MENLO PARK, CA 94025   $4,500,000 Bedrooms: 6Bathrooms: 4 full | 1 partialSq. Ft.: 5,458    Open House... 09/26/2013