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Here at Coldwell Banker we have lots of listings coming on line which may interest you. I'm posting my favorites from today's broker tour:



2203 Fernleaf, in the Sunset Hills area just above Sunset Hills Country Club

This is a really great home, and it's SINGLE STORY.

Of course it's got a great floorplan and a kitchen done to the nines that opens to a family room and is adjoined by a breakfast room.

Another great feature is vaulted ceilings. This Living room is glassed in and is on the other side of the dining room which lends a formal air and sense of privacy.

the master really takes advantage of the high ceilings and features glass doors out to the yard, which adjoins dedicated open space.

The master bath features a large glass shower with a jetted tub. This is a great home and is featured at $799,000! That's a killer deal. If you need a long escrow you've found it: The seller wants to rent back until July. CALL ME to see this and other wonderful homes

Bluetooth Garage Door Opener!

OK, folks. It's coming right down the highway at you. Your phone will do/does everything. Especially remote controls. Thanks to RealtyBizNews for the nuts and bolts of this article.

Its time you turn your phone into more than just a phone/CandyCrush game console! Mentioned below are some of the currently available DIY or off-the-shelf solutions in the market to help you control your garage door remotely.

1. Controlling Your Garage Door With Samsung HM1100 Bluetooth Headset

THIS ONE IS FOR EXPERIENCED HACKERS ONLY To begin with, you are required to have a Samsung HM1100 Bluetooth Headset or you can purchase one from a suitable vendor. Next, break open the earpiece on the Headset and solder any one of the earpiece wires to a transistor’s base pin. Also solder the black and red wires to the other pins of the transistor. Now connect the red and black wires to your garage door openers. Here you will be making use of your Bluetooth headset’s audio amplifier for sending signals to your garage door opener. There’s a dedicated app on Android specially to make this process much simpler.

GarageMate is the app that is trusted by hundreds as the most secure garage door opener. It can be installed effortlessly within 2 minutes and guarantees to keep trespassers at bay. In case someone else is also using the same app, they will not be able to access your garage without your permission. The app is compatible with Liftmaster, Wayne-Dalton, Chamberlain, Somfy, AccessMaster and all other garage openers build in last 30 years.

2. Making Use Of Hiq Automation Iopener

The HiQ Automation iOpener is developed by Steve Szymke and Joshua Gramlich. The device is a small box, which can be attached with your current garage door opener within minutes and can then be paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth. HiQ iOpener allows you to set a 16-digit security code to ensure that no one else can gain illicit entry into your garage.

3. Tap It Open

There’s another app in the market that efficiently takes advantage of the Bluetooth technology and helps you manage your garage door from your smartphone. An easy to install app, it is fairly loaded with security features and provides you with the freedom to access a garage door at your convenience – Tap it Open works efficiently well on all android powered smart phones. The app takes full advantage of Bluetooth security and supports smart phones password protection feature too. Tap it Open provides you the opportunity to forget worrying about anyone stealing your garage door opener. IPhone versions are also available. These application work best for residential and commercial garage doors.

4. Daisy Bluetooth Multi-Thing Controller

For this you are required to have a Daisy Bluetooth Multi-Thing Controller. With Bluetooth Multi-Thing Control Kit you get USB power adapter, USB Cable, Bluetooth breakout board and free android software to interact with your smart phone. You do not require any soldering here. The controller contains screw terminals and control switches on the board. So, there you have it! What are you waiting for? Your garage door is often the face for your home. For maximum curb appeal, make sure it looks good and runs well.

Back after a short leave

I just could not get my old information to work to access this blog, so I blew it off. But since eblogger has merged with Google, I got in using googleplus!

My company has merged with Coldwell Banker and ironically I'm back at the same Coldwell Banker Office I worked for in the 90s. Very deja vu.

REOs: a Primer

I found this useful article authored by Pam Maglione. IN case you've been out of the country for the past 6 years, "REO" stands for "Real Estate-Owned", taken from the balance sheet statements of a bank.

Looking for a great real estate investment? Why not take a closer look at REOs? A prevalent term in real estate, REOs are considered sought-after properties by realty investors and independent home buyers who wish to get the most value out of their hard-earned money. When thinking of expanding your investment nest egg or when looking for a home to buy, it is imperative that you know what you are getting into before signing that deed. Stay on this page, if you want to know more about REO, its benefits, and where to easily find them.

What is REO All About?

In actuality, REOs are properties which have been foreclosed and turned over to banks or financial entities after it fails to be sold in a short sale. Properties usually include single or multi-family abodes, farms, commercial spaces, and vacant lands and buildings. Most foreclosed homes have attached creditor and tax liens, and sometimes, in need of substantial repair. Through REO arrangement, these attachments can be “cleaned” by the bank or financial institution to make the property more saleable. When repairs needed are substantial, banks usually sell these properties “as is” making it a favorite among prolific do-it-yourselfers looking for money-saving investments. Take note also that banks and lenders sometimes refer to REOs as “bank-owned” properties or simply “available properties” on their website.

Benefits of Buying REOs

Property buyers are predominantly interested in the money they can save from buying a Real Estate Owned property. If you care to check the current real estate market, it is understandable that most REOs are priced or listed sitting just within 10% below current market value. This, however, depends largely on the condition of the property and the amount of repair needed to make it usable and functional. If it is a private home, a buyer would want an REO that is livable and requires less expense on repair. This is no problem though to a home buyer who have great capabilities on DIY as buying it “as is” from a bank or lender can definitely stretch the value of his dollar.

As mentioned, REOs have free title liens and all other claims such as those from HOA, delinquent taxes, and mechanics. It is also generally vacant or unoccupied. This is usually pre-arranged by its previous bank or financial institution owner to increase its marketing and selling power. Think about buying a property with a clean title and no hassles on evicting a previous owner. This gives you enough advantage on not experiencing expensive and time-consuming legal predicaments later on.

Best Places to Find REOs

Predominantly, REOs can be found on bank and various mortgage lender websites. Lucky for those who have contacts, they can easily get good deals from insider information. Today, however, these financial institutions often sell their REOs in bulk or have these properties marketed by real estate brokers with standalone listings on their site. You can check out multiple listings on the net and make use of these sites with their easy-search mechanism. Some sites allow you to filter your search according to location, price range, property type, square footage, and sometimes, number of bedrooms and baths. This somehow saves you time and effort in finding the best property to invest upon. If buying REOs is an entirely new endeavor, working with an REO specialist can be of great help in locating the perfect property for you at a much reasonable price.

I am deeply involved in the REO Market. I've bought and sold countless REO's since the 1980s. I have a web page, REOs- Pennies On the Dollar where you may find the latest in properties I have available for sale.Or you can call me and I'll provide you with current info on REOs in your neighborhood.

Staging your home for sale? Yeah, it's still important-kind of

Well, we're in high selling season again, and we're in the perfect spot for a home seller as well. It's a sellers market, with several groups of Investment Trusts (REITS) from both the United States and abroad (think China and Singapore) bidding full price all cash or homes, and then there are individuals like yourselves trying to compete with this with traditional loans and a budget that is slowly eroding more by the day.

Homes are literally selling before the sign goes up, because after a recession you have a pent up demand. In this case , because of the credit markets, no one bought , or more importantly , BUILT, for six years. So demand has exceeded supply. Classic market economics.

Now what? Well, with the new dynamic, your home gets listed and twelve to fifteen cash buyers look it over without ever seeing it. It has to fit parameters of theirs that involve the dollar amount for "neutralizing" the decor to facilitate renting. beiges, Navajo White, that kind of stuff.

That is where savvy staging comes in. You want a place that looks as neutral and contemporary as possible because chances are it's going to sell based on it's internet photos. So in this sense, a good stager doesn't hurt. It might even catch the eye of an all cash buyer.

ZIP SELLER CENTER OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS

Tips for Gen X and Gen Y Home Buyers

BRENDON DESIMONE recently penned a great article about Gen X and Y buyers and I'm sharing it here:

According to a recent survey, people who belong to the Generation X and Generation Y demographics haven’t been deterred by the housing market downturn at all. A Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate survey found that 75 percent of Gen X and Y respondents believe owning a home is a key indicator of success; 69 percent said the recent housing downturn made them more knowledgeable about homeownership than their parents were at their age. And it turns out that Gen X-ers and Y-ers are more motivated than some older generations give them credit for. The survey revealed that Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers are willing to take second jobs (40 percent said they would) or move in with their parents (23 percent) in order to buy into the American Dream of owning a home.

The real estate market during the past five years was certainly scary, especially for younger and less experienced home buyers. And so, a lot of people in Gen X and Gen Y sat on the sidelines. But the market has definitely bounced back, and many believe that now is a great time to buy. You just have to be savvy about it. Here are five tips to help Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers buy into the American Dream.

Have a five-year plan

Unlike the boom years, don’t assume a home purchased today will appreciate in value within five years. If you’re unsure about your five-year plans, it’s better to rent.

Use technology creatively

It’s well-documented that Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers start their home search online. Real estate listings sites, mortgage calculators and valuation tools such as Zillow’s Zestimate® home value are typically places a buyer starts. But, once you’re in the market, there are tons of online resources. Less obvious tools, such as Google Street View, can help, too. It once helped a client realize that the home she wanted to buy in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood may not be as safe as she thought. Google Street View revealed that there were previously bars on the windows of the ground-floor apartment.

Beware of information overload

Using the Internet and apps, home buyers today have an unprecedented amount of data available. Sometimes, however, it’s too much and can cause the buyer to shoot themselves in the foot. For example, a buyer might learn that the seller stands to make a 10 percent profit in a short amount of time. Even though the profit is in line with current market values, that information might cause the buyer to make a low offer and kick themselves a month later for missing out on a great house.

Don’t assume you don’t need a real estate agent

Because so much information is online, many Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers might think they can buy a home on their own. However, the role of the agent is no longer about finding the listings. It’s about presenting the offer and getting it accepted, getting through inspections and getting the deal done. A real estate transaction can go 50 different ways now. A good agent will steer a buyer on the right path. A savvy agent will know the ins and outs of any local market better than an uninformed buyer with a full-time job and family. It’s their business to be in the know, and it’s what they do all day long. Experienced agents will have a strong network in the local market that can give you the added edge. Good agents like to work with other good agents. Finally, keep in mind that a listing agent might not even consider working with an unrepresented buyer.

Look for opportunities to increase the home’s value

Baby boomers and preceding generations could more or less count on staying in their homes for many years and, in turn, their homes’ steady increase in value over time. After the market downturn, however, that’s not the case. Because they’re so mobile, Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers in particular should steer clear of buying the best home on the best block. Instead, look for ways to add value. Look at homes that don’t show well, are marketed poorly or are outdated. Don’t be afraid of doing light remodeling or making smart improvements that will add value. If you have to sell your home sooner than you’d planned, you’re covered.

I will only add this is sage advice for ANY generation. Get an agent. LISTEN to them. You aren't in the Real Estate business. THEY ARE. If you want to get a home in this competitive market, you need to be micro-tuned in to the neighborhood dynamics. Make Sure your Realtor knows the market. Ask for advice on how to be totally prepared to offer. At most you have four or five days. Good luck!