Welcome!

 

Whether you are planning to buy your first home or your last, I hope you will find helpful information at this site.  I am a seasoned realtor located in the “Lamorinda” (Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda) area of Contra Costa County.  I assist buyers and sellers in other parts of Contra Costa County as well as parts of Alameda County.  The title of my Blog indicates that I hope the information I share will be of interest to the first time home buyer, the buyer who needs a larger home and the “empty nester” who may be considering making the transition from a large to a small home.  License # 00955596.

Market Trends

According to the Contra Costa Association of Realtors statistics for December 2011 were as follows: New Listings down 8.9% for detached homes and 30.9% for attached properties. Pending Sales increased 33.6% for single family homes and 56.1% for townhomes. The Median Sales Price was down 7.2% to $515,000 for detached homes and 5.7% to $200,000 for attached properties. Months Supply of Inventory decreased 38.1% for single family homes and 64.1% for townhomes. The statistics will vary from community to community.

Picture of the Month

Home Buying Tips

Congratulations! You have a new home! If you plan to live there for at least five years before selling, consider this. By January 1, 2017, a single family home built on or before January 1, 1994 must be equipped with water-conserving plumbing fixtures. If, however, the home is altered or improved on or after January 1, 2014, the water-conserving plumbing fiextures must be a condition of final permit approval. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures are low-flow toilets, shower heads and faucets under section 1101.3 of the California Civil Code.

Home Selling Tips

PERMITS
If you use licensed contractors to remodel they will usually make sure that the permit process is followed. However, if you decide to do it yourself, you should be sure to check and see if a permit is required to complete the work. The permit process differs from city to city but its purpose is the same. A permit offers assurance by a municipal building department that the work being done meets all safety codes. When you are in the process of selling your home, you may have to disclose any remodeling work that you did and verify permits. The lack of a permit for an obvious renovation may affect the ability for a buyer to obtain a loan.

Market Trends

The following numbers will compare market activity in August 2009 and August 2011.

Active Properties: Lafayette 80 and 87, Moraga 54 and 44, Orinda 71 and 63, Walnut Creek 229 and 226, Rossmoor 155 and 142.

Average Sales Price: Lafayette $1,006,854 and $1,177,824, Moraga $782,111 and $716,948, Orinda $1,215,633 and $909,706, Walnut Creek $561,567 and $501,393, Rossmoor $284,700 and $217,153.

There appears to be fewer available properties on the market this year and an average lower sales price when compared to two years ago.  The exception seems to be Lafayette which appears to have more available properties and a higher average sales price.

Home Buyer Tips

Congratulations!  You have a wonderful new home with a non-landscaped yard!  Here are a few thoughts regarding landscaping!  Live with your land for a year and note how many hours of sunlight each part of the yard receives.  Test the pH of the soil to see if acid or alkaline-loving plants will be happy in that spot!  Read the spacing instructions for trees and bushes. Stagger bushes and plants and create two rows.  Draw a simple sketch of your yard – including any future patios or perhaps a pool.

Home Selling Tips

According  to HomeGain’s annual home improvement and staging survey, do-it-yourself projects can add to a home’s resale value.  For example, landscaping enhancements such as bark mulch, flowers, and manicured bushes and lawns that cost $540. may return $1,932. Replacing or shampooing dirty carpets and repairing floor creaks at a cost of $647. may return $1,739. Smart staging (rearranging furniture, adding artwork, and new accessories) may return $2,194 for a cost of $550.

Where Have I Been?

If you follow my Blog, you will notice that I have not posted since May!  The month of June was ” computer-challenged!”  My laptop was old in computer years – 8 in real years but probably 100 in computer years.  My son had been hinting that I should be thinking about getting a newer version.  While I was procrastinating – my laptop came down with a major infection – affectionately known as a” recovery virus” but so bad that I had to buy something called the “Trojan Killer” – now that’s a comforting name!  Well, the killer evidently opened the back door to something known as maloware – better described as malicious mischief!  These cuties invaded my laptop to such an extent that I could no longer use it.  Our company IT man (who talks too fast and thinks I should understand everything he says) managed to get rid of some of the germs – but only for a short time!  At this point I  decided to take my son’s advice and order a new baby laptop.  So the IT man says, “I am not spending any more time on this…just wait until you get a new one -  there is only one problem…the virus may still be in the system when we transfer the data” – comforting words!   So my laptop was now in quarantine while I waited for the new one to arrive from China where it was being born.  Of course, I thought all was well because I had the desk top as a back up.  That was until I could not get on the Internet!  I never realized how stressed it would be to not have access to the Internet!  So I called my provider (who lives in India) and she spent 2 hours trying to solve the problem!  Alas, it seemed that I needed a new Internet connection as the one I had was worn out!  Once that was fixed I was told to call another number to have them reconfigure my Router.  I mistakenly believed that because I did not have my laptop I could get along without the Router – no such luck – my printer would not work!  So another call to the Router lady who spent another two hours instructing me to move the cables around and punch a bunch of letters and numbers into a black screen – having no idea where they were going!  Once all the cables were moved around – yellow, blue, white, etc….I could not reach my key board!  So then I was told that it would be no problem to undo everything so that I could move the printer, computer, Router, modem, etc. to a location that would allow me to reach the key board!  No problem!  Moved the cables – then nothing worked – so back to the Router lady and more numbers and letters punched into the black screen to be sent into outer space!  Four hours later I was back at my desk top with even more problems!  Sooooo, after purchasing a new laptop, new Router and new printer – I am now happily “wireless” -  although I speak with an Indian accent.

The months  of July and August were busy with family reunions.  The Picture of the Month was taken at Sunny Cove Beach in Santa Cruz, California.  We rented a large home on this beach and 13 of us enjoyed a week exploring the Boardwalk, Elkhorn Slough and the surrounding areas.

Picture of the Month

                                                                                                                                                   

Home Buying Tips

Instead of thinking about the price of a property – think about the cost to you as the buyer.  As a buyer you must take into account what your monthly payment will be.  That payment will be based not only upon what you pay for the property but what your interest rate will be.  Waiting for prices to drop while interest rates increase may cause you to pay more over the life of the mortgage. Consult with your mortgage professional regarding what an increase in interest rates will cost you based upon the size of your loan.  You may decide that the right time to buy is now!