The golden age of "silent movies" occurred when Niles was at the center of it all. It was in these rustic streets of Niles where the most famous silent films of all time were made, including Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp. In 1912, Essanay Studios chose to make Niles its hub for its film making endeavors. The studio was owned by Broncho Billy, who is also the world's first western movie star. Niles was the backdrop to many famous movies of the time starring Charlie Chaplin, Wallace Beery and Ben Turpin. Today, Fremont's Niles district has preserved the glory of its movie making years by way of the silent film museum on Niles Boulevard.  Historic Niles is also famous for its antique shops, craft galleries, and the Niles Canyon Railway train depot. There is much to explore on this side of F... 09/14/2010

3 bedroom/2 bath properties are the most sought after home configuration in the Bay Area. In Fremont, there are nearly 145 listings of this home size, as of 9/11/10. Here is how it is distributed by price category. Data was pulled from Bay East MLS.      The majority of 3/2 listings in Fremont are priced between $501K - $750K.           Analysis by zip code shows 94538 (e.g., Irvington, Grimmer, Sundale, etc.) has the lowest priced homes, with a median list price of $474K. 94536 (e.g., Brookvale, Cabrillo, etc.) and 94555 (e.g., Northgate, Ardenwood, etc.) have similar price profile when it comes to 3/2 properties. Nearly half of 3/2 listed homes are found in 94536 If you are in the market for properties in this side of town, call me!   09/12/2010

The API schores (Acamedic Performance Index) is a score on a scale of 200 to 1,000 that annually measures the academic performance and progress of schools in California. The State has set a score of 800 as the API score that schools should strive to achieve. The latest ratings are from the 2009 API Base report, released in June 2010.Fremont has one of the best schools in the state, and I'll bet, in the country.  Its highest rated school, Mission San Jose Elementary, garnered an almost perfect score of 993. Moreover, a great majority of schools in Fremont have scores way above the 800 mark, and the top 12 schools posted scores over 900.The map below plots all the schools in Fremont. Those circled in red are the top 12 schools. 993 - Mission San Jose Elementary (zip 94539)987 - William H... 09/11/2010

A brief glance at the MLS listings will give us an idea of how long a listing is on the market until it considers an offer. This is called DOM, or Days on the Market. Typically, a listing is "off-market" when the status changes to Pending. Pending is when a buyer starts his loan process and conducts appropriate property inspections. If the property is a short sale, the seller begins negotiations with the bank (unless this is a HAFA short sale) by submitting the short sale package, which includes the offer received, together with the seller's hardship letter and financial documents. How long does a listing stay on pending status? When does escrow actually close? How long does it really take to sell a home, from listing to closing? By using MLS data on listing, pending, and closing dates... 09/10/2010

It is always a disappointment when a home stays on the market for a long time with no buyers in sight. It is an even greater frustration when your listing expires after giving it several months. What went wrong? Why were requests for showings few? What could you have done to attract potential buyers? Is the market really slow, or is just your house?  One piece of advice to sellers: Don't wait for your listing to expire before asking the above questions. Don't be a passive seller. Review your marketing strategy with your Realtor® after 30 days (or less) and resolve to address any issues immediately. Some points for discussion in your review should include the following:. Is your home priced right? Sometimes, it all boils down to pricing it right. Realtors® who are looking for properties... 09/08/2010

The federal tax credit ended on April 30th. The California state tax credit incentive has stopped accepting applications since Aug. 15th. So what else is there to boost home ownership? In the beautiful city of Fremont, homebuyers continue to get incentives by way of the city's First Time Homebuyer Programs. There are three specific programs available: Welcome Home Program (Loan Program). This is a down payment assistance of up to $40,000 to purchase a home anywhere in Fremont. Welcome to the Neighborhood Program (Loan Program). This is another down payment assistance of up to $40,000 to purchase a home in a Redevelopment Project Area (Centerville, Irvington, Niles). Up to $10,000 can be forgiven for eligible repairs and improvement if done within the first 7 years of purchase. Moderate... 08/30/2010

Whether your purpose for a Fremont garage sale or moving sale is to clear out stuff (junk) from your house or to recap some cash on items not used anymore--or both, you should do the garage sale. Moving sale, tag sale, estate sale, and garage sale all bear the same rules for success. My family and I, in Fremont, just did a block sale last weekend, and here is what I want to share with you on how we got things done. Some things we did well, and others okay. My goal was two fold. First, being a Fremont real estate agent, I wanted to get the immediate Fremont community involved in order to glean a little name branding for my Fremont real estate office http://www.tricityhome.com from the event. Second, was for me to get some things cleared out of the house and garage. I needed my space back... 08/25/2010

Whether your purpose for a Fremont garage sale or moving sale is to clear out stuff (junk) from your house or to recap some cash on items not used anymore--or both, you should do the garage sale. Moving sale, tag sale, estate sale, and garage sale all bear the same rules for success. My family and I, in Fremont, just did a block sale last weekend, and here is what I want to share with you on how we got things done. Some things we did well, and others okay. My goal was two fold. First, being a Fremont real estate agent, I wanted to get the immediate Fremont community involved in order to glean a little name branding for my Fremont real estate office http://www.tricityhome.com fr... 08/25/2010

People move from Fremont, Newark and Union City from time to time. I myself moved about 8 times in my life so far--moving from various areas in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are thinking about moving from Fremont, Newark or Union City CA to another area you will want to know a few things, and I hope this post can help. If you enjoy moving, then you are one of the very few who do. The rest of us, we need help in any way, shape or form. This short post will simply provide a list of helpful tools in the form of websites and some tips we learned along the way. In regards to selling your Fremont, Newark or Union City property and buying a replacement home, a Fremont real estate agent will play a a vital role in assuring that the sale of the old home and purchase of the new one work toge... 07/25/2010

The last two short sales in Fremont that I performed were by no means smooth. And, I have become a little short sale shy as a result. Yet, other short sales in Fremont we recently closed had performed exceptionally well--Fremont short sales are sort of a mixed bag. What made the difference? The last two sort sales in Fremont were bad, but others were not. We discovered that it has everything to do with the lender of the original borrower or what we might refer to now as the short sale lender. Worst on the list was Bank of America who took an average of 10 months to perform a short sale and still not short sales were completed. And, what’s more, B of A was full of surprises. In fact, just about everything they did was a surprise. Imagine staring at a cocoon that has not hatched, waiting ... 07/13/2010

Being quick to pull the trigger on a property is essential in our Bay Area Market/Fremont  markets where nice properties can be few and far between, especially in the entry level priced properties. With 5 out of every 6 properties hitting our market being Short Sales, a lot of the emotion is taken out of the process from the sellers perspective. They only want an offer to submit to the Bank for approval and it can be yours or not yours. Remember, it's just an offer; the first step in a multiple step process ultimately ending in me handing you over the keys.                                                                                                An offer never handcuffs you to a property but the,"Gold Standard," approach is that you be committed to that property, or until such an e... 06/12/2010

Fremont VA Condo Loans -VA Loans to buy or refinance Condo's and  Condominiums in Fremont VanDyk Mortgage is a VA Lender offering VA Loans to purchase or refinance Condominiums in Fremont.   The tightening credit market of the past couple years has made it more difficult to attain financing on on Condominiums as Conventional Agencies Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac have added many restrictions on Condos, both in the way of reduced eligibility and also increased rates for Condo's.   FHA also recently changed it's rules for Condominium eligibility as well, making it even harder for Sellers and Listing Agents to sell Condo's.   In comes the VA to the rescue for Fremont Condo Buyers and Condo homeowners.   To qualify for a VanDyk VA Condo Loan, the condo must be on the VA Approved Condo list, whic... 06/01/2010

We've heard them all - awful stories involving nasty lawsuits. Virtually in all cases, these lawsuits are brought about by buyers, after purchasing a home, upon discovery of damages not previously revealed by sellers. A buyer in Pleasanton, California found out after purchasing a property that the roof leaked during a rainstorm 2 years back. Another buyer in Oakland, California was surprised that what appeared to be a clean, well maintained basement was actually getting flooded after overnight rains. And so on... In these situations, the seller disclosures, signed by both seller and buyer, can prove to be the most critical piece of document that will spell the difference between winning a lawsuit for the buyer, or serving as protective net for the seller. Consequently, a lawsuit won by... 05/25/2010

As with all blog posts from me, comments are welcome--especially welcome on this post. I am a full-time Fremont-Newark-Union City Real Estate Broker, http://www.tricityhome.com and I work hard in the office, on the phone, face to face and on the Internet. You probably work hard in your profession too. BUT--Can I have some of your salary if I ever need your services? No? Why not? I have been asked to give away some of my commission from time to time since I started real estate in 2000. Perhaps it is just part of the business. But why? Do you ask a lawyer to lower their retainer? Do you ask the accountant to credit the expense column in your favor? Surely not! Lately, buyers and sellers have been asking for significant portions of my commissions on a regular basis. I cannot discuss commis... 05/20/2010

FREMONT CA PARKMONT HOME VALUES http://www.tricityhome.com/Parkmont_homes_sold.htmlFREMONT HOME PRICES http://www.tricityhome.comHOME VALUE CHECKER http://www.tricityhome.com/Parkmont_homes_sold.htmlFREMONT REALTOR http://www.tricityhome.com 05/18/2010

I see a lot of homes for sale in Fremont http://www.tricityhome.com and their garages. Some owners are creative in they're use of the space while other homeowners are in survival mode. Some of my homes for sale in Fremont have used shelving and built-in fixtures to make the space very workable as a hobby shop and the like. I was taken a back lately by this townhome for sale in Fremont. Do you remember the Tennessee Tuxedo cartoon? He and is pal Chumly would escape from the zoo on a mission to solve a problem. Armed with the voice characterization of Don Adams, Tennessee Tuxedo would demand that they visit Mr. Whoopee, a brilliant professor who knew all the answers. Upon arrival of Mr. Whoopee's office, it only took a matter of a minute or two until the professor had to open his closet t... 05/16/2010

It was not too long ago, that I and many others suggested to Craig Newmark or staff that he should definitely have a section for Fremont garage sales & moving sales or estate sales on Craigslist. We were heard. There is now a Fremont garage sales & moving sales section on Craigslsit. Craigslist had created a Fremont garage sales & moving sales section in the Craigslist website some time ago, and now I will get to try it out. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/gms/ My wife and I have come to realize that we have too many things, especially now that we have two new children and no additional storage. In a very real sense, our garage has become storage. Naturally, some things we do not want to part with like Halloween decorations and such, but why keep abandoned toys, clothes, and kitchen it... 05/05/2010

There is an awful lot of new construction going on in Fremont near Washington Hospital on Mowry Ave. The hospital itself is under somewhat of a facelift just north of the main building. Furthermore, BART has undergone a massive project not near Washington Hospital on Mowry Ave but off of Stevenson, just across from the Fremont Police Station. Apparently BART is digging the tunnel for the new line. In addition, there is one building in particular that I pass by every day on my way to my office here http://tricityhome.com/fremont-office-visit.html. You may know it. It is on the corner of Stivers and Mowry, a brand new medical building. I'm sure there must be some harried individual or two, being that workers are getting pressure to meet deadlines. The image above was taken one morning rig... 05/01/2010

I purchased a home in Parkmont of Fremont (I wish I knew about http://www.tricityhome.com CA back in 99. It was built in 1978, so if you are like me and purchased a home built back then or even one built in the eighties, you may have those closet doors with the off white panels. These are the ones that look like fake wood grained contact paper over a wood panel framed in gold metal trim. My wife and I gave our bedroom a face lift recently that included re facing closet doors. We got a whole new look re facing closet doors that we are very pleased with. Basically, we wallpapered the panels. But, in re facing the closet doors, there was more to it than that. First, we had to remove the panels from the guides by lifting up and pulling the bottom out of the tracks. Second, using a electric... 04/30/2010

I got a kick out of the movoto website today when it listed the least expensive and the most expensive homes for sale in Fremont. I felt it was timely because I had a recent experience that identified with this somewhat. I while back I received a follow up call from a client who was in the market for a very expensive home in Fremont of several million in price. In preparation for the new home buyer in Fremont, weeks went by with much planning for the upcoming appointment--phone calls were made, calendars rewritten, plans changed, etc. in order to make room for the high priced Fremont home buyer coming into town. The time finally came when we were scheduled to go out looking for multi million dollar homes in Fremont, and they were a no show. Even worse--no call, no email, no text, zero. ... 04/22/2010