Let the market experts be your real estate agent. Listings updated daily via email.
Let the market experts be your
real estate agent.
Listings updated daily via
email.
These articles are based on the Bay Area, California or the Nation. Therefore, these articles frequently do not reflect local market practices. We would be happy to discuss Silicon Valley real estate practices.
Also the data used is often outdated. For current market conditions use our Market Index page.
Top Ten List
Selecting a REALTORŪ
Buying or selling a house is one of the most critical decisions you will face.
So it makes sense to pick the right real estate agent. Here are some key
qualities to look for:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/classifieds/real_estate/4481350.htm
Insurance Market - Driven
Woes May Weaken Bay Area Homes Sales
The turmoil in the insurance industry is hitting
home. Homeowners
hampered by hard-to-get insurance
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/4492517.htm
Agency Disclosure Noncompliance Is Getting Worse The recent lawsuit by buyers in Alaska who claimed that their agents did not properly disclose their dual agency status suggest that failure could be a local issue, but other evidence shows improper disclosure is a national problem, and it's getting worse. According to the National Association of Realtors Profile Of Home Buyers And Sellers in 2002 and 2000, agency disclosure is trending downward. http://www.realtytimes.com/rtnews/rtapages/20021008_agencydisclosure.htm
New "Home Asset Management
Account" Launched
A new form of home mortgage debuted October 2nd--and could be the most
significant innovation in the field for more than two decades.
http://www.brokeragentnews.com/cgi-bin/disp.cgi?a=realtytimes/10_7_2002_sb_1033998882.html
Not
a whole lot of savings? You can still buy a house
A variety of low-down-payment mortgages and other alternative loan programs have
made homes affordable for many this year.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/classifieds/real_estate/4327761.htm
What about Mortgage
protection in case of job loss?
One answer is about to come from General Electric: a plan that functions as
an unemployment insurance policy attached to your mortgage.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/classifieds/real_estate/4321034.htm
How important are
building permits?
Sometimes very important. Santa Clara County is considering legal action against
the owners of the property where the Croy fire started last month because they
failed to obtain a permit for the solar electrical system investigators say
triggered the county's third-largest wildfire ever.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/4302358.htm
Homes for sale should be cleaned up,
uncluttered
It was quite apparent to them which listings had been prepared for sale and
which ones had not. They were invariably drawn to listings that were charming,
clean and uncluttered. (Note: Staging of homes is becoming common place.
Creekside Realty works with professional stagers in marketing your home.)
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/10/20/RE2208545.DTL
Boomers' Retirement
Homes
Baby boomers--the 76 million Americans born between
1946 and 1964--represent nearly a quarter of the U.S. population. They
collectively control 40% of disposable income, and more than 70% of them are
homeowners. That's the good news.
http://www.forbes.com/2002/07/19/0719home.html
Housing Bubble? In depth series of 5 articles
http://www.inman.com/InmanStories.asp?ID=32222&CatType=R bubble #1
http://www.inman.com/InmanStories.asp?ID=32241&CatType=R bubble
#2
http://www.inman.com/InmanStories.asp?ID=32260&CatType=R
bubble #3
http://www.inman.com/InmanStories.asp?ID=32284&CatType=R
bubble #4
http://www.inman.com/InmanStories.asp?ID=32305&CatType=R
bubble #5
We
Live in Houses, Not a Bubble
Sales of single-family homes keep
soaring - up 14 percent compared with last year. And the pace does not seem to
be slowing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49896-2002Oct18.html
City of San Jose Redevelopment Agency Strong
Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI)
http://www.strongneighborhoods.org
RDA's SNI web site
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/09/23/story2.html
Concern regarding SNI
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/10/14/story1.html
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/10/14/daily68.html
Naglee Park neighborhood association has voted to drop out
Attorney Ron Rossi's Mercury News columns:
Unmarried
couples need co-tenancy pacts (September 21, 2002)
Legal
system can't protect home buyers (June 29, 2002)
Be
careful choosing contractor for home remodel (June 15, 2002)
Foreclosure
properties can be risky for buyers (June 1, 2002)
You've
won a judgment; now comes hard part (May 18, 2002)
Half-truths
can come back to haunt some home sellers (May 4, 2002)
Choosing
agent requires personal contact (November 9, 2002)
Lawyer
can't do the kind of work a good agent does (October 5, 2002)
Good
realty agents should do right by their clients (August 31, 2002)
Beware
of agents who believe in hassle-free (August 3, 2002)
Be
sure to choose a buyer's agent with expertise (February 23, 2002)
Protect
yourself in new market (December 15, 2001)
Broker
selection IQ quiz can be quite revealing (September 29, 2001)
First
of two-part quiz for prospective agents (September 15, 2001)
Point-counterpoint
on agents in changing market (May 19, 2001)
Real
estate agents' duty to client in a "softer" market (April 21, 2001)
Realty
agent's duty is to spot red flags (February 3, 2001)
Why
agents are key in home transactions (August 28, 1999)
Agents
tell what to look for in a realtor (June 12, 1999)
Don't
be a party to half-baked mediation clauses in realty deals (May 29, 1999)
A
good agent offers more than fast talk (March 27, 1999)
Failure
to disclose woes can be costly to sellers, agents (March 13, 1999)
Lawyers
should know limits of expertise (February 27, 1999)
Breaking
up can be hard to do in dividing proceeds from house (February 12, 1999)
The
unexplained contract: how home sales can go awry (August 22, 1998)
How
to stay out of legal trouble (August 8, 1998)
Agents
have clear duties (May 9, 1998)
The
dark side of "bagging" that unlisted dream home (April 25, 1998)
Slippery
side of landslide coverage (March 14, 1998)
Real
estate agent's highest duty is to counsel and explain (February 14, 1998)
Using
a buyer's agent to get your offer presented to seller (December 27, 1997)
Schemes
to avoid commission can be tricky (March 15, 1997)
Buyers
need agents (April 1, 1995)
General Interest
September
6, 2002 - New Data Show
Homes Still a Solid Investment
The end of the country's unprecedented housing boom is nowhere in sight.
According to the latest quarterly resale value information the average American
home rose in value by 7.6 percent from July 2001 to July of this year.
http://www.newsday.com/business/realestate/ny-bzharn2912479sep06.story
September
6, 2002 - Mortgage Rates Ride the Slide
Historically low mortgage rates have dropped again, fueling a rise in
refinancings.
The Mortgage Bankers Association of America says refinancing accounted for 71%
of mortgage applications last week and are on pace to eclipse record volumes set
last fall.
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020906/4425195s.htm
September 4, 2002 - Survey: Homeownership Is Smart Buy
Americans believe owning a home is the best investment they can make, although
blacks and Hispanics still face obstacles to homeownership, according to a
recent survey.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020905/ap_on_go_ot/homeownership_minorities_1
September
1, 2002 - Homeowners Ponder Ways to Tap Home Equity
Americans are now tapping into home equity, which has risen sharply since the
late 1990s, after losing billions in stocks and facing a weak job market.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020901/bs_nm/bizhomeowners_dc_1
August 26, 2002 - Housing Isn't a House
of Cards
Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan scoffs at the rising chorus of worrywart economists
who fear that buyers will flee housing as prices continue to soar, knocking out
the last prop holding up consumer spending. As Greenspan recently told a hearing
on Capitol Hill, "We have looked at the bubble question, and we have
concluded it is most unlikely."
http://www.homeownershipalliance.com/redirect/082602_article2.htm
August 26, 2002 -
National Home Sales On
Record Pace
2001 saw record sales for both new and existing homes. Now economists are
predicting that the boom, now in its seventh year, has sufficient steam to
establish sales records again this year.
http://www.homeownershipalliance.com/redirect/082602_article3.htm
Here are selective real estate related news articles. We have broken these articles into 3 groups.
1) Top Ten List - are of general interest and are not time sensitive.
2) General Interest - are of general interest but not in the top ten list.
3) Time Sensitive - are generally about the market conditions or other topics that tend to be time sensitive. These are arranged with the most recent are on top.