What is THIS? That's was the holler I heard from my buyer as they walked in to the garage. We call came running. This is a GIANT panda, that has a 2 ft high stand, I'm guessing this non-too-friendly looking panda in his stand is well over 5 feet tall. The real questions is -- WHAT WAS THIS PANDA USED FOR????  WHY IS IT IN THE GARAGE? Will the previous owners leave it for my buyers if they get thier offer accepted on this Short Sale?  Maybe we can negotiate it into the offer? So what is the strangest thing you've seen????? Can you top the Giant Panda?   09/06/2009

DO not tell me we have approval on YOUR Short Sale - when there are conditions that require my buyer to come up with cash...... My Buyer have been waiting since May to hear AN answer from the bank ON their short sale offer. I get "THE CALL" today, the message and email say "Great news the first and second have approved the short sale.  Give me a call when you get the chance" Imagine my surprise - and BOY am I glad I DID NOT call my buyers FIRST.  When I finally got a hold of the other agent this is what I heard. "Susan I am so excited we have approval on the first and the second.  Oh and BY THE WAY - the 2nd needs $10,000 MORE dollars, so your buyers need to bring $10,000 CASH to closing."  This is an FHA offer, if they had $10,000 more we would have been a conventional buyer. As far as... 09/05/2009

  Tracy Ca Dry Bean Festival We are excited to announce that the 23rd Annual Tracy Dry Bean Festival will be held September 12th & 13th in downtown Tracy. For those of you that are new to town and not familiar with this Tracy tradition, the Dry Bean Festival is a fun 2-day event for the whole family to enjoy! Festitivities will be enjoyed Saturday & Sunday including Pepper eating & Arm Wrestling contests, Chili Bean cook off, Bean Festival Queen, Princess, & Little Sprout pageants, and much more! You can keep your kids entertained in the Crafts Area, Carnival rides, or on the rock climbing wall while you walk around and enjoy over 150 vendor booths including everything from arts/crafts to delicious food. There will be live bands on 2 two separate stages, and the entertainer list will be... 09/03/2009

Amazingly enough I hate mornings. I'd be so happy if my day's stated at 10:00 a.m.and ended at 2:00 a.m.; however that is not my world. Imagine my surprise when I was "forced" -- yes some friends actually 'shamed' me into going with them to the "Tracy Farmer's Market."  The shocker is we were downtown by 9:00 a.m. What I found was a delightful mix of fruits, vegetables, flowers, breads, even jewelry.  I'm not sure how you grow jewelry on a farm but.... If you're out and about this Saturday stop by the Tracy Farmer's Market, it's on 10th Street between D and Central. You'll be delightfully surprised. When you see me being dragged around half asleep - just say "HI!" I'm here because of you.     Tracy CA Local Expert -- next week photos. 09/02/2009

Simple Truths  - A Peacock in the land of Penguins I was asked today what makes you different, why would a buyer or seller choose you... otherwise known as "my unique value proposition".   It made me stop and think.  Am I a Penguin in a black and white world, where everything is done the same way for no reason other than "we've always done it that way"?  Or am I a Peacock, that is open to new ideas, that shares freely and hopes others will share with me.  Simple Truth's   A Peacock in the Land of Penguins illustrates this a quick 4 minute video.. What it made me realize is that the land of Opportunity is much more than a place it is a State of Mind. Status quo is part of what makes me different - I don't accept the Status Quo, and I am always looking for input from others on how to make... 09/02/2009

  Despite the lifting of the Moratorium back in February, we have yet to see a steady release of REOs as Banks decide what to do next. Since supply has significantly fell & demand remains high, prices should continue upward due to buyer competition. Short sales continue to dominate the market as REO listings are few and far between. With low supply & high demand, expect a lot of competition on desirable homes. Our advice to you: don't hesitate making an offer for more (sometimes significantly) than the list price if you really want the home. Also, being that supply is low and competition is high, FHA and VA loans will continue to have difficult times getting approval over conventional or cash offers.If you're using an FHA or VA loan, you may have to compromise on the neighborhood or con... 08/25/2009

The first day of school, filled with anticipation, excitement and the right amount of fear.  Not only are you moving up a grade you are part of only 2 classes to be the first to walk through the doors of a brand new High School.  Yes, Kimball High School, Tracy, CA The school is not complete, ok we're kids we can handle that.  The cafeteria isn't complete, we can even handle that - who eats anyway -- it's social hour. However, what we can't handle is the inability to get to and from the school.  Why would you put a school site surrounded by homes, with only ONE way in and ONE way out?  Why do people who live South of the school have to go North, go East, go South, Go West then finally go NORTH again to get to their homes.  About a 10 mile round trip - and I live 4 blocks away. Why are ... 08/13/2009

Mountain House is the best place to live, I think, especially if you have a family. We are getting ready to have our 4th of July parade. It's just like the one I remember growing up watching in Alameda. Afterwards there is an old fashioned community picnic in the park. If you are thinking about moving here, you should definately attend this! If Mountain House might be the place you'd like to buy a house then contact me. We'll do a free consultantion and application over the phone. DRE #01395691 06/17/2009

TOP 5 Reasons I DO NOT answer MY PHONE! These are mine..... what are yours........ 5.  Caller ID says it's your spouse's Mother on the other end of the line. 4.  You're riding in the CAR with Someone besides YOURSELF - your kids, spouse, a friend.  (OK I admit I do answer when in the car with kids, rarely with husband, rarely to never when it's a friend in the car with me.) 3.  You're in a meeting!  I was in a meeting the woman in front of me DID ANSWER HER PHONE. 2.  You are with clients. The NUMBER 1 REASON to NOT Answer your phone..... 1.   You  are in the BATHROOM --- yes someone actually DID answer their phone when I called, and YES they were in the bathroom - they told me!!! Come on add to the list.... I know you've got examples..........     I take pride in helping home buyers an... 05/24/2009

REGRET PRICE!What is that?  Regret price is the price you would regret if you didn't pay..... this philosophy can be applied to EVERYTHING, however it works especially well with BUYERS!You know Home Buyers.... who ask ... how little can I pay, I want the best deal..... is that really the issue?  NOPE.  How many times have you heard that then the buyer doesn't get the home, they wait until it is sold and find out what was paid .... what is always said ..... "Oh drat I would have paid that!"  That is the REGRET PRICE.Now when the property is sold, and they don't get the home, when they find out what it sold for and they think, "WOW, I would never have paid that for that property."  Again - the REGRET PRICE.I'm getting my clients to start thinking about their "REGRET PRICE"  for every hous... 05/13/2009

SCAM ALERT - BEWARE - THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!!! This happened right here in Tracy, CA........ I get a call from my 76 year old father.... """Susan we've got a HUGE problem, Tyler (my oldest) just called and he's in jail, got drunk, got in an accident and is Canada.  He needs $4,800 to get out as that is the damage to the car.""" Now, I can't express how panicked I was.  First, Tyler is supposed to be in Albuquerque, in the Air Force.  I quickly try to call him, Of course he doesn't answer his phone, (he's in jail); so next I send an email to his Military on base email - it simply said "Call me now".  He does - immediately. Bottom line - we was not in Canada, not in an accident, not in jail. This was a scam to cause you to panic and send money immediatley. The good news is my dad told... 04/22/2009

Top 10 Ways to KNOW if you are a Workaholic (Disclaimer, a colleague stopped by the office, her husband said "SO who's the work-aholic?" So what if it WAS Sunday morning at 10:00, I've never considered myself a work-aholic, but am I? Or Am I just trying to be available to my clients, day in and day out, 24/7?) What are your additions to the list...... 10) Your husband, what husband, oh yeah, I remember him......has to ask you out on a date 3 weeks in advance. 9) You hear your children say - Mom is always on the phone, she's always busy. 8) Your friends don't call anymore, they already KNOW you are can't go. 7) When you are with your husband, family and friends, they ask if you "CAN EVER put down that D*&* Phone". 6) You have to buy a bigger purse to carry your notebook, pen, phone, MLS ... 04/20/2009

Today when I was listening to an agent complain..... I have too many buyers, there is not enough inventory... What happened to last year -- the complain was "I don't have enough buyers, and there is SO much inventory." Is there a happy median?  Are we ever satisfied?   We should be - does it really matter if there is too much or too little inventory?  NOPE - it is what it is - the market is the market.  So now it's up to you to make it what you want it to be. Too many buyer, too few buyers - this you CAN control.  Too many buyers, refer them to someone in your office, that is a far better alternative ( a referral fee) than to let them find someone else.  Too few buyer -- get out there and find them.  Blog on Active Rain, do whatever you do best to attract buyers, and do it to mastery. 04/20/2009

  Is it a Buyer's Market or a Seller's Market?  This questions was recently asked me via a "Twitter" My answer is YES! YES! YES! This is especially true in my local area of Tracy, Mountain House and the Central Valley of California. The buyer opportunities are amazing, interest rates are the lowest they have ever been in history.  Prices are at an 15 year low.  Why shouldn't buyers be buying? As to Sellers, there are so many opportunities for buyers that many buyers are buying.  This leads to fierce competition for well priced, maintained 'tier' one properties.  Sellers are seeing multiple offers on properties, over asking price is common, and most properties are selling within the first 30 days on the market. So the SIMPLE answer is YES! If you're not in the "game" why not?  What are y... 03/23/2009

First of all, I would just like to say that I am now affiliated with Connect Realty.  After a year with Prudential (which I'm going to miss some of the agents and my old broker), I am sad to say that I have found another brokerage where it is willing to offer a high split than what I am or was getting with Prudential.  I like it, when I'm doing most of the hard work and I'm getting most of my commission split.    03/23/2009

The easiest 'virtual tour' I've ever done. I had some photos, and I use Picasa to keep my photos organized. If you upload your photos to PicasaWeb, you have the option to "make a movie." You can add music to the movie, and then voila - you create the movies. Upload to YouTube (this is the first one I tried, it's photos of my son golfing) and you are DONE. All this in less than 10 minutes. 03/17/2009

When did this ball BOUNCE?  I can tell you --- it bounced when it hit bottom and started back up. There is an old saying, "buy low".  This is TRUE- however - no one has EVER said "Buy Bottom". Why not -- why not "Buy Bottom, Sell TOP?" Because we don't know know where Bottom is?  We don't know where TOP is either. So here is the best advise I can give..... AIM LOW! Weigh all the facts, the interest rate, the current price of homes and when you think it's LOW enough for you, get off the fence and BUY. I do know this --- there are going to be a lot of people in a few years who said "I wish I had bought that house in 2009, it was ONLY $XYZ. "  We've seen it before, we'll see it again. AIM LOW ----- BUY LOW-----   03/15/2009

Attention First Time Home Buyers!!!! I spoke to a client - and shame on me - for not telling y client myself -- his tax person had no idea about the tax credit available for First Time Home Buyers.  SO --- to redeem myself - Im going to tell everyone... If you purchased a home between April 9, 2008 through June 30, 2009 (yes it can be retroactive) and you have not owned a home for the past 3 years, you qualify. If you are single or married filing jointly the govenment will give you an interest free loan of $7500.  Your payments will be $500 over the next 15 years, and will be paid via your tax returns yearly.  THis credit is REFUNDABLE which mean even if you don't owe taxed you get the money. There are some income stipulation and if you should sell or refinance the loan would need to be... 02/05/2009

Home Buyers -- Investors --- it's 2009!!Everywhere you turn you hear about gloom and doom of the economy.  However, out of the Great Depression came more new Millionaires than every before.... and we are still so much better off than that era.  Every buyer wants to buy at the bottom, get the best deal, not pay a single cent more than necessary. No one can predict the futher, I can tell you that the prices today are at about 1990 levels and interest rates are lower than anyone has seen in 20 years.  I will know that we have hit bottom the second you are calling saying "Susan why didn't we buy a house last week, month, year?" Here is a quick chart of the real estate market. As I study this chart I picture a rock skipping along on a lake, bouncing along, up and down.  How low will the mark... 02/01/2009

YES I DID!  October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Ironically I was diagnosed with breast cancer October of 2004. But first let me go back in time- I had participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event in Tracy in honor of some friends & family who survived cancer. Little did I know that in the following months I would be diagnosed with breast cancer, and be back the next year as a cancer survivor myself. The thing that bothered me the most was that my broker's wife (who I used to play softball with) had died of breast cancer the month before (Sept 2004) I was diagnosed in Oct of 2004. I was still getting over the grief of her death. She was only 42 yrs old. I never thought, "Why me? I thought, "Why now?" My husband and I were planning our retirement - there's so m... 01/15/2009