East Bay Real Estate with Mary Smartt

Last time, I blogged about what sellers can do to "help me, help you" --and now it is the buyer's turn. I'm going to be doing a lot of work researching properties, putting together tours for us, creating offers, negotiations, scheduling inspections, and more. And, there is a lot that buyers can d...

There is that great line in the movie Jerry Maguire where sports agent Jerry pleads with his only client Rod Tidwell to do things that will help him be a better agent on Rod's behalf. He tells him "Help me help you!" Well, as a real estate agent, I often have to ask my clients to help me help the...

When you are getting ready to buy a home, one of the toughest decisions is choosing a mortgage broker to work with. This is especially true in today's rocky mortgage market where you don't know who to trust. These are confusing times, so you need to make sure that you are working with a mortgage ...

The San Francisco Chronicle just came out with its annual list of the Top 100 restaurants in the Bay Area. Of course, most are in The City itself, but they included 14 East Bay restaurants. Of the 14, several are old favorites of mine and others are now on my list to check out. Plus, they left of...

I've recently come across the phenomenon of "lock bumping" (also known as "key bumping") as a method used by thieves to break into locks. At our friendly, local locksmith, they even had handouts about lock bumping and what you can do about it. A quick internet search demonstrated, however, that i...

Today is the big day--moving day--are you ready? Moving is one of the most stressful things a person can endure. But, some planning ahead can help make things go smoother.Before the big day, make sure you have taken care of changing your utilities, changing your bank accounts, and submitting an a...

Spring has sprung, so let's get that house of yours looking beautiful for that first gathering or party of the season! I'm not talking about vacuuming and doing the dishes. I'm talking about those little things you always think you should do someday. First of all, get yourself organized and de-cl...

The media is full of information and reports and statistics and projections and forecasts about the real estate market. And, it can get a little confusing. Is it a crisis or a correction? A meltdown or a slowdown? Is it a good time to buy or a bad time to sell? And, when will we hit "the bottom"?...

I like to check in from time to time with ways to go green, and this month I will be mailing to my clients a list of helpful tips on ways to save money by going green. Yet another reason that going green is great is because it appeals to both our altruistic side (saving the earth) and the selfish...

Well, I'm back from a little break. This time we hit the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Frankfurt with stops in Dusseldorf, Cologne and more. Now, back to the real estate market...and real estate blogging!I love Ikea as much as the next person, but sometimes you need something a little different. ...