Brentwood California Market Report – August 2009 The Brentwood Market appears to be stabilizing and undergoing some changes.  I do not know if this signals a trend for East Contra Costa County. This Brentwood Market Report Focuses on Sales in August of Single Family Homes as compared to Sales in July. The information is pulled for the MLS from between September 15th and September 18th. I will be presenting some Special Market Reports on certain Market Segments in Brentwood and other communities such as Short Sales, Bank Owned Home, First Time Buyers, and Higher End Homes in the near future. In July of 2009 there were 107 Homes Sold in Brentwood California. The Average Price was $314,711.00 and a Median Price of $310,000.00. The Average Price Per SF in Brentwood California was $133.00 an... 09/20/2009

Edna Hill Jr High Wrestling Match 9-8-09   Edna Hills had a great match on 9-8-09.  The nice thing about wrestling is it is like going to a Three Ring Circus; there is always something going on.  At the match here there is only two matts, but I have been to tournaments with dozens of matts in two buildings.  Here is an interview with Scotty Tsunami, one of the real leaders on the team:     Lewis is one of the great new wrestlers on the team. He is one of my sons wrestling partners.   I am going to put two of my son up here. Nelson was wrestling Sullivan who out weighs him by 15 pounds. The first match does not go well, but Nelson does a good move and flips Sullivan at one point. The next match is sweet revenge.     Wrestling is a great sport for kids. Jr High wrestling is almost over, b... 09/17/2009

East Contra Costa County Royal Rangers - The Trail of the Silver Saber My four oldest boys are Members of Outpost 5 of the Royal Rangers in the Sioux Section.  Our new year got rolling at the end of July.  Royal Rangers is a lot like Scouting, but through the church.  We provide an outdoor experience and training with Spiritual Development. This weekend my two oldest boys went to a Leadership Training Weekend.  It is part of a series of six camps to earn the Silver Saber which is one of the awards they can get.  The Silver Saber is a real military style saber; it will have their name on it and a favorite passage from the Bible. At the camp this weekend they worked on camping and camp cooking, Leadership Skills, learned about formations and marching (we never do this much but kids think ... 09/13/2009

The Tax Advantages of Home Ownership I have several clients right now shopping for homes and they are having trouble finding the home they want in the price they want to pay.  Some are qualified for a particular amount, but do not want to spend that amount because the size of the payment scares them. This is understandable and prudent.  However, they are not finding a home in the range that they want to spend.  A lot of first time buyers do not understand the significant tax savings they will get by buying a home.  The amount of tax savings could amount to hundreds of dollars a month, maybe even 30% of the mortgage payment or more.  Each persons financial situation will be different and everyone should consult thier tax advisor before making an assumption regarding tax savings.  You may... 09/13/2009

The FHA Catch - 22 One of the problems with FHA loans, other than the fact the sellers tend to shy away from them is the LTV (Loan to value) and appraisal issues. I have had it happen on a couple of occasions when my first time buyer finds a home well within budget and wants to make an over asking price offer to secure the property.  Now these buyers are finding it harder and harder to find a home in a market with a shrinking entry level inventory.  So when they finally find a home it does not appraise and of course they cannot make up the difference. This is especially true when appraisers are being overly conservative and treating our up market as a down market.  If there is nothing else on the market that matches it and my client is willing to pay an amount that is not too higher, bu... 09/12/2009

Rates of Return – Real Estate Investing – Part 11 This is Part 11 of my Real Estate Investing Series. You can view the first 8 Parts here: Are you planning for your Future? Real Estate Investing – Part 1 Starting at Home! Real Estate Investing – Part 2 Maintain Your Leverage! Real Estate Investing – Part 3 Picking Your Investment Property – Real Estate Investing – Part 4 Location * Location * Location – Real Estate Investing – Part 5 Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 A Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 B Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 C Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 D Passive Losses – Real Estate Investing – Part 7 Gross Rent Multiplier – Real Estate Investing – Part 8 Capitalization Rate – Real Estate Invest... 09/08/2009

Edna Hill Jr High Wrestling Match The Kids on the Edna Hills team looked much sharper in this second match.  My video has gotten a little better too.  I really do not know all the kids by name so if I have made a mistake or you can ID one let me know. The only Wrestling I every did was High School PE, which is not enough to really give you an appreciation of the sport.  As I non-expert I will try and fill you in on what I see.  Wrestling is a lot like the martial arts; it depends on the use of your body and the ability to make moves and counter moves.  However, raw strength and size is also very important.  In most martial arts it is about the hits and the throws.  In wrestling you might see a throw, but it is about the holds and the moves to control you opponent with those moves. The k... 09/06/2009

Do you want to Fish or Cut bait?  Photo by Kaserbs at Flickr My father had a more colorful refernce to the same topic; but there are two basic types of people in the world when it comes to shopping- Process people and Results people.  This is especially true in real estate. Process people enjoy the shopping proccess.  For them the looking and the comparing are all the fun.  Some people even have no interest in a house; they just want to see how those other people live. They are called Lookie Lou's.  For others the proccess is a form of therapy when done at the mall this is called Retail Therapy.  When done in real estate it is called a Waste of Time.  Often times the proccess person does not really want to buy a home because then they can no longer look and the job of keeping the home u... 09/06/2009

What is Wrong with That Home?  The Late Great Groucho Marx said he would not join any club that would have him for a member. I frequently find this is true of my most hard to please buyers.  They look for months trying to find a perfect home at a bargain price; refusing to pay what the market wants on the homes they see.  Then it happens; the perfect home for them and at a too good to be true price.  But wait!  Why has it been on the market so long?  What is it priced so low?  What is wrong with it? If a home has set that long it is frequently some design flaw that might not happen to bother the buyer.  As an example my wife and I are looking at a 3200 SF home with 6 bedrooms that has been on the market a long time.  Why?  Maybe the small living room and dinning room combo; the lack of ... 09/05/2009

Short Sale Price Increases - Or What are they pulling? Some clients of mine noticed that a short sale had previously been listed for about $40,000.00 than the price it was listed at when it came "Back on the Market" after the first sale fell through.  They could not understand why someone would list it back higher when they want to get rid of it. Well when some one list a short sale they want to get buyers in and frequently they have no idea what the bank wants in order to agree to the short sale.  So to get a lot of offers they list it low' and they get them.  Most over the asking price. So then they take the best offer to the bank and then the bank tells them what they want in order to agree to the Short Sale.  Then for some reason or another; maybe the buyer cannot meet the banks pri... 09/05/2009

Edna Hills Jr High Wrestling Match 8-27-09 My son is home schooled through The California Virtual Academy, but he is allowed to participate in Wrestling with Edna Hills Jr High in Brentwood, Ca. I had not thought much of wrestling till my son started in the 6th grade.  It is a great sport and has built his self confidence up.  As you will see he is on the upper end of the weight limit.  He did not do well his first year, but is now a good Wrestler and wants to Wrestle in High School. The Coach at Edna Hills is Greg Chappel who is one of the top high school coaches in the state if not the nation.  He coaches the Jr. High kids to prepare them for high school.  I am really learning about the sport as I watch the kids and listen to the coaches so do not count me an expert; but I will be doi... 09/05/2009

Brentwood California Short Sales -  Let us go to bat for you! Do you need to Short Sale your home in Brentwood California? Short Sales can be a complex subject but if you live in Brentwood California Short Sales are becoming more common. A successful Short Sale in Brentwood California will allow you to sell your home for less than you owe on it. If you Short Sale your Home in Brentwood California will you have to pay the bank the remaining balance? The answer is maybe! Are the Banks approving Short Sales in Brentwood California? Sometimes! There are many questions about Short Sale Homes in Brentwood California. The answers to these questions on Short Sales in Brentwood California can vary. There is no simple answer to the questions about Short Sales in Brentwood California. In order to ... 09/05/2009

Buying a Home with almost NO Money Down!!! Buying a home just became easier this month. There are signs of some alternative type programs coming back into the marketplace. Most noteably, a down payment assistance program called Access allows buyers to use as little as 0.5% down payment--Almost nothing down! The program pairs a FHA loan at 96.5% of the purchase price with a 3.0% second loan funded by CHF Access program to total 99.5% of the pruchase price. You can also combine this with a credit from the seller for closing costs so there is almost no money due at all. Unlike other down payment assistance programs, this one is generally easy to qualify for. The restriction for maximum income is very loose, comparitively. In Contra Costa it is $107,160. With that income you can purchase up... 08/27/2009

Double Talk and Double Standards - The American Public Gets the Shaft! I hear a lot of talk and a lot of rumors.  There is a lot of speculation about what is happening.  Contradictory information; even among real estate professionals and lenders is common. No one really seems to know what is going on. I am by nature a free market person.  I believe in an open and free market where people and companies are allowed to succeed or fail based on their own abilities.  I was concerned about the redistribution politics of the new President and the Left in this country, but it seems things are not being redistributed to the poor and needy; they are being redistributed to the banks, big business and the political class. I have heard locally banks were getting ready to put 5000 homes on the market... 08/27/2009

Comparable Pricing – Real Estate Investing – Part 10 This is Part 9 of my Real Estate Investing Series. You can view the first 8 Parts here: Are you planning for your Future? Real Estate Investing – Part 1 Starting at Home! Real Estate Investing – Part 2 Maintain Your Leverage! Real Estate Investing – Part 3 Picking Your Investment Property – Real Estate Investing – Part 4 Location * Location * Location – Real Estate Investing – Part 5 Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 A Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 B Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 C Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 D Passive Losses – Real Estate Investing – Part 7 Gross Rent Multiplier – Real Estate Investing – Part 8 Capitalization Rate – Real Estate Inve... 08/27/2009

Capitalization Rate – Real Estate Investing – Part 9 This is Part 9 of my Real Estate Investing Series. You can view the first 8 Parts here: Are you planning for your Future? Real Estate Investing – Part 1 Starting at Home! Real Estate Investing – Part 2 Maintain Your Leverage! Real Estate Investing – Part 3 Picking Your Investment Property – Real Estate Investing – Part 4 Location * Location * Location – Real Estate Investing – Part 5 Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 A Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 B Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 C Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 D Passive Losses – Real Estate Investing – Part 7 Gross Rent Multiplier – Real Estate Investing – Part 8 Another method investors use to evalua... 08/26/2009

Gross Rent Multiplier – Real Estate Investing – Part 8 This is Part 8 of my Real Estate Investing Series. You can view the first 7 Parts here: Are you planning for your Future? Real Estate Investing – Part 1 Starting at Home! Real Estate Investing – Part 2 Maintain Your Leverage! Real Estate Investing – Part 3 Picking Your Investment Property – Real Estate Investing – Part 4 Location * Location * Location – Real Estate Investing – Part 5 Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 A Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 B Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 C Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 D Passive Losses – Real Estate Investing – Part 7   One method investors use to evaluate an investment is the Gross Rent Multiplier. This is ... 08/24/2009

I have been getting pretty frustrated with my kids. They had not been helping keeping up with the house and had been fighting a lot. The other day I turned off the TV when I left and said no TV until such and such is complete. I came home and the TV was on. That did it I blew. I put the TV in the garage, collected all the Game Boys and assorted garbage and unplugged computers from the internet (except mine and my wife’s). They really were not getting a clue. For about a week I have been collecting DVD’s and PS II disc that they do not properly put away and stacking them in my office. I told them they had to work to get them back. They didn’t care, just pulled out another one. Then it slowly began to change. They started playing with each other, riding bikes and playing with real toys. I... 08/23/2009

Passive Losses – Real Estate Investing – Part 7 This is Part 7 of my Real Estate Investing Series. You can view the first 6 Parts here: Are you planning for your Future? Real Estate Investing – Part 1 Starting at Home! Real Estate Investing – Part 2 Maintain Your Leverage! Real Estate Investing – Part 3 Picking Your Investment Property – Real Estate Investing – Part 4 Location * Location * Location – Real Estate Investing – Part 5 Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 A Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 B Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 C Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 D I want to state I am not an accountant and any information here should be reviewed with your qualified accountant for accuracy and applicability. ... 08/21/2009

Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 D This is Part 6 D of my Real Estate Investing Series. You can view the first 5 Parts here: Are you planning for your Future? Real Estate Investing – Part 1 Starting at Home! Real Estate Investing – Part 2 Maintain Your Leverage! Real Estate Investing – Part 3 Picking Your Investment Property – Real Estate Investing – Part 4 Location * Location * Location – Real Estate Investing – Part 5 Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 A Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 B Cash Flow Analysis – Real Estate Investing – Part 6 C Part 6 is Cash Flow Analysis. I have broken this into several parts, Part D takes us to Net Spendable Income, what the investments means in your pocket every year.  Go to my web site and get a... 08/19/2009