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

For someone who is suppossed to know Fremont, I fell short recently. I had heard about Kristy Yamaguchi's Always Dream Play Park in Fremont CA, but I had never seen it. One day while driving on Stevenson towards Mission on my way to the Soccer part of Central Park, there is was, Always Dream Play Park. Kristy Yamaguchi is from Fremont, and I was glad to see she still has vision for achieving not just for herself but others. In this case, the vision was to have a park where children with disabilities can enjoy a colorful play park here in Fremont. It has ramps, and the grounds are both colorful and fun--even parents like to walk on the ultra squishy foam rubber that surrounds each play area. Maybe after a hard day at the office http://www.tricityhome.com/ , I can sneek a bounce or two o... 03/25/2010

At the risk of sounding old, I must say that I enjoy living close to Palo Alto Medical Foundation Fremont Center. Many great doctors share their practice between there as well as practicing across the Dumbarton at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. You certainly do not have to be old to appreciate a good medical facility. Take Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford for example. The moment a child walks in, they feel a bit better already. The architecture and artwork seem to have a small medicinal effect on children just by themselves. Regular check ups for young and old are essential to stying healthy in Fremont. My reason for visiting PAMF arose from the fact that I somehow tore a portion in my knee. The short of it is that I will undergo surgery today. Over the last few weeks, I ... 03/10/2010

I was one out of many I'm sure that took place in a survey that measured real estate confidence. Keep in mind my opinion is based on my knowledge of what is happening in our own neighborhoods here in Fremont, Newark and Union City and sometimes neighboring counties at best. We tend to focus on the Fremont, Newark and Union City home values here. http://www.tricityhome.com and more specifically about Parkmont home sales here. http://tricityhome.com/Parkmont_homes_sold.html Since the term market conditions can be subjective, I am setting the stage here by simply outlining that I felt market conditions were to be defined as: The current frequency of new and existing home sales as they are relative to their selling prices to last year. I checked a 7 out of 10 for market conditions today as ... 03/03/2010

I'M GOING TO WALK AWAY FROM MY FREMONT HOME--HOW DOES FORECLOSURE AFFECT MY CREDIT?  In case you do not know the effects of foreclosure on your credit, here are a few: •1.   A foreclosure listed on your credit report is virtually impossible to get repaired.  It will most likely be a permanent mark on your personal credit history. •2.  The impact to your credit score will be significant.  Sometimes up to 300 points.  This will be devastating to all your future credit inquiries.  INCLUDING CAR LOANS, CREDIT CARDS AND MEDICAL. •3.  In the future, if you apply for a mortgage, you will be required to disclose a previous foreclosure.  This will cause any future mortgage rates to be significantly higher. •4.  Some companies run random credit checks on their current employees.  If they find a f... 02/22/2010

 If this economy has caused a financial hardship you have alternatives to bankruptcy and foreclosure. If your getting calls from debt collectors you do have options. We are fortunate to have laws that protect us from Harrasing Debt Collection. A collector can not talk to a third party about your situation. They can not call your work if you tell them not to. They definately can not call you before 8 am or after 9pm. Debt Collectors can not call you several times a day.  Causing the phone to ring continuosly my be a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Law. If you are feeling threatened, harrased, humiliated. You have options. Debt collectors will sometimes resort to Unfair and Deceptive Practices to try and collect debts. You have rights, to be treated with dignity.  You are allowed to... 02/21/2010

  Land Planning Provide Yield Studies in order to test various residential, retail, commercial, office, mixed-use, recreation, agriculture and conservation easement programs. Prepare site base maps for preliminary submittals. Urban and Landscape Design Develop the project’s vision through the use of imagery and written project descriptions in order to submit preliminary and formal city review applications. Prepare presentation quality graphics as necessary to support the various stages of the approval process including colored sketch plans, AutoCAD exhibits, Powerpoint presentations, land use diagrams, massing studies and site section cuts. Neighborhood & Site Context Analysis Clearly identify and document the opportunities, constraints and contextual influences affecting a properties ... 02/18/2010

Subscribe   I have been answering a lot of questions from uninformed first time buyers on websites Like Homeresearch.com and Trulia.com, these sites have realtors who will answer real estate questions.  The majority of questions are regarding if one house or another is available.  They do not have a Realtor nor are they pre-approved......So I am writing this for the benefit of the many first time home buyers who do not know that their first step should be to find a Realtor they feel comfortable with.   The buyers Realtor is paid by the seller and so the expert help of an experienced Realtor comes at no cost to them.  Their next step should be to obtain a pre-approval from their bank or other lender.  Without a pre-approval, any offer they submit will likely be ignored.  If they do not h... 02/16/2010

I sold a brand new home in Fremont today. (not shown here) I am not the broker there at the new home in Fremont building site. Rather, I am the broker for TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. here http://www.tricityhome.com. But, an earnest home buyer found my site and--long story short--bought a brand new home in Fremont at the new Cedarbrook subdivision. I also discovered that they read my prior blog post on New homes in Niles here. http://tricityhome.blogspot.com/2009/12/niles-area-of-fremont.html. On our tour of the homes, we were impressed with many things that led up to the new home in Fremont purchase. One thing we were educated about was the use of Hardie planks by James Hardie (facebook page). The name Hardie seems perfectly fitting. These are "hard" somewhat flexible, cement boar... 02/14/2010

At the time of writing this page (2-10-10) Parkmont Villas Townhomes on Bright Common and Lavendar Common have been hovering around 435k for a Via Bravo--the two bedroom 2.5 bath and 475k for the Villa Bella--the 3 bed 2.5 bath townhouses. Sometimes we get a scare when a neighbor lists their Parkmont home for sale at say $410k for the Via Bella--3 bed 2.5 bath at 1700 sq ft. I am often asked why this is, or I am asked if it will hurt the value of the surrounding Parkmont homes. Truth is that it is unfortunate that the listing agent goes so low on the very first day. After all, the agent's job is to get the most they can for the seller of the property, right? Even if the seller is the bank--we have a fiduciary duty to perform. So, why so low? Sometimes out-of-area agents fail to know the... 02/11/2010