Property Inspection, Or Not?

Should you have a property inspection, or not?

Most people get a property inspection when they buy a property, whether they pay for it, or the sellers pay for it.  The inspection pretty much always finds stuff, and it is definitely better to know what needs attention before going ahead with the purchase.  In our region, the Bay Area of San Francisco, inspections are done ahead of time by the sellers in order to increase the chance to receive an offer that is "as is", without inspection contingencies.  Without a "pre-sale" property inspection, it is almost certain that a buyer would put a contingency in their offer to obtain an inspection, and that leaves the door open for a new round of negotiations later down the line.

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In fact it is also good to have a property inspection on your house, even if you are not going to sell it.  Inspectors always find things to report, and it is better to know of a problem before it gets expensive to address.  Just like you do a medical physical check-up on your body regularly, it is a good idea to obtain a check-up on your house.
For professionals performing inspections just text/email me.  I can definitely help you with that, and help you sift through the results of the inspections to flag the most urgent problems to address.

Thank you for reading,
Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   - low, with some volatility.

Homeownership Has Its Benefits

Homeownership Has Its Benefits - Why do Californians want to own a home?  According to this California Association of Realtors June 2019 poll, these are some of the reasons, below:

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Questions regarding real estate?  Text/email me!

Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   - low, with some volatility.

California: There's No Place Like Home

California - There's no place like home!

There has been much talk in the news about people leaving the Bay Area, and/or California for reasons of affordability and quality of life (commute, noise, lack of land etc...).
A California Association of Realtors Google Poll reports the following:

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Questions about real estate?  Text, or email me!

Francis

My Home Valuation tool
Detailed, local trends etc...
Current mortgage rates   (low!)

How would California's rent control law work?

How would California's rent control law work?  Several landlord clients asked me recently, concerned about the potential new limitations in their decisions to adjust their rents.

This article by Jenna Chandler, of Curbed Los Angeles, clarifies the ins and outs of the new "rent Cap Bill" authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco).
Indeed, not all types of properties are targeted by this Bill, so that many people are not affected by it. Also, it may not apply in the same way to all Cities, inasmuch as those with stricter regulations may not see any change .

Questions about your Real Estate?  Text/email me!

Thanks for reading,
Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   very low, still.

Fall: Maintenance Must Dos

Maintenance Must Dos, as we enter fall:

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Questions regarding real estate?  Text/email me!

Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   super low, again.

Nasa to build housing at Moffet Field - Silicon Valley

New housing is planned by NASA on the Moffett Field site located in the Silicon Valley (County of Santa Clara).
"Housing in Silicon Valley is in high demand, and there's a significant need for our employees and our community to have more options," said Ames Center Director Eugene Tu. "Plus, this housing will mitigate some of the increasing traffic and air emissions in the region."

More details directly on the NASA website:
New Housing Plan at NASA

Francis

My Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc... 

Current mortgage rates   (low! - See my previous blog)

80 % of 2018 Mortgages Could Save Big With A Refinance...

Interesting blog from Aly J. Yale, Senior Contributor to Forbes, reminding people who took out a loan in 2018 might benefit from a refinance.

According to new data, 80% of mortgages from last year carry an interest rate at least 0.75% higher than today’s prevailing rate (3.49%, according to Freddie Mac).

But 2018-borrowers aren’t the only homeowners who could benefit from today’s low-rate environment. Data from property analytics firm Black Knight shows that pre-2004 mortgagees could also save big. Most of these people could save about 1.75% from their interest rate should they refinance.  

The complete article from Aly Yale can be found on this page from Forbes. The article also shows an interesting table showing how much "tappable equity" exists per state: the amount of money people could use from the equity in their home.  See below:

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For questions regarding real estate in the Silicon Valley, call or email me!

Francis

My Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc... 

Current mortgage rates   (low!)

Breaking Down the Break-ins

With nearly a million residential break-ins in the US every year, one wonders how did they all happen.  Well the stats show the following entry points:

Any real estate questions?  Give me a jingle!
Thanks for reading,

Francis

Home Valuation tool

Detailed, local trends etc...

Current mortgage rates   super low, again.