Oakland Ca Real Estate's Blog: All Categories

Searching for luxury real estate online is easy when using a tool such as the Prudential Bay Area Real Estate search engine. It's totally free and you don't even have to leave any information to use it. Using the "Advanced Search" button, you can use a new "virtual earth" mapping feature which will allow you to zoom in on only the exclusive areas or zip codes you are interested in. This feature uses satellite technology which will allow you to view the actual neighborhood, street and home from outer space! Wondering about potential neighbors? You can rotate the view and look into the backyard of a house next to the one you are interested in to see if it's dirty! This feature is amazing and will save you the trouble of sorting through listings that don't…

Over the past six months, sellers of Oakland real estate have begun to realize that the market is definitely not what it was a couple of years ago. In all reality, the power now lies with serious buyers who know they have more room to negotiate when making offers. Sellers who are not willing to look at hard numbers of recent sales, or who are not realistic about the condition their home is in will end up having their home stay on the market for months at a time and eventually expiring. By the time they realize they should reduce the price, it's could be too late as the listing may have "gone stale".

The two most important factors that sellers need to be thinking about is presentation and price. The best strategy for sellers is to prepare the property for…

The Fed recently lowered interest rates again which has led to a sharp increase in refinancing. Interest rates currently are near historical lows which is what gives many analysts the opinion that the housing market should remain solid. Although prices are nudging downward, there is no indication(according to industry analysts) that prices will crash. The Bay Area economy is another reason that is given for those views, job growth seems to be good enough to help offset the high prices.

The inventory of homes in Oakland and other areas in the Bay seems to be declining slightly, which should help the market balance out a little in the months to come. As the number of new listings rises, the competition among buyers will increase and sellers will be in a…

There are many factors to weigh when deciding which Oakland Realtor should represent you in the purchase or sale of property. I have learned that we must be able to listen just as well as we need to talk. Integrity is crucial as well, because we work in an industry that deals with large transactions which have a big effect on our clients' lives. Trust is the foundation that can not only lead to a closed transaction, but a long-term relationship which will support both the Realtor and the client. When I meet a potential client, I am not only thinking about how I can serve them immediately, but I am also interested in fostering a relationship with them that will allow their friends and family to experience the same service that they can receive.

Choosing a…

Oakland real estate shot through the roof during the period from 2001 to 2005, with appreciation reaching 120% in some areas. Homes were routinely selling for 60-100k over asking price and more! It was not uncommon for a desirable property to fetch 30-40 offers. I remember one home in the Oakland Hills went for over 300k over asking price!

However that type of market by nature is not sustainable, and the current market is proof of that. Starting in early 05', us Realtors started seeing a noticeable slowdown in activity, which has continued to this day. The ironic thing is, prices are still high. They have taken a slight dip(approximately six percent) in the last year, but our median price is still around 500k. There is much more opportunity for buyers…

When considering whether or not to buy Oakland investment property, there are several factors that make Oakland a perfect choice for the right investor. Everyone has heard the term "location, location, location" and the Bay Area has always been considered a great location to be in. There are several characteristics Oakland has that make it a truly unique city. Being the eighth largest city in California, Oakland has a population of just over 400,000. It's the only city in California with the "big three" sports teams: the Oakland A's, Oakland Raiders, and the Golden State Warriors. The Port of Oakland is the fourth largest container port in the US and among the top 25 in the world, and Newsweek ranked Oakland among the top ten technology cities in the…