Looking for a home in Mountain View?  Now that employment is up in the area, many Mountain View neighborhoods have already turned the corner in terms of increased demand and higher prices.  For many, bank-owned REO homes provide the opportunity to purchase a home at a reasonable price. Here are foreclosed REO homes in Mountain View for sale as of November 20, 2011.  This list is significantly smaller than the 25 to 30 foreclosed homes that were typically on the market a year ago.  Drop me a line (john@jsrealproperty.com) for more information and to schedule a viewing of these or other properties in Silicon Valley.   Type Price Bed/Bath Sq. Feet Notes Single family $725,000 4/3 1,920 Reduced from $741,000 Single family $454,900 2/1 760 New on market Single family $400,000 3/2.5 1,720 Red... 11/20/2011

Looking for a home in Mountain View?  Now that employment is up in the area, many Mountain View neighborhoods have already turned the corner in terms of increased demand and higher prices.  For many, foreclosed (bank-owned) homes provide the opportunity to purchase a home at a reasonable price. Here are foreclosed, bank-owned (REO) Mountain View homes for sale as of November 11, 2011.  This list is significantly smaller than the 25 to 30 foreclosed homes that were typically on the market a year ago.  Drop me a line (john@jsrealproperty.com) for more information and to schedule a viewing of these or other properties in Silicon Valley.   Type Price Bed/Bath Sq. Feet Notes Single family $725,000 4/3 1,920 Reduced from $741,000 Single family $430,000 3/2.5 1,720   Condo $220,900 1/1 711    ... 11/11/2011

Almost every news article is full of news about how home sales are down and prices have fallen but I wanted to see if that holds true for the local real estate market in Mountain View, CA.  Has the market fallen dramatically and has the number of transactions fallen significantly?  I decided to do some research on MLSListings, Inc. and see what the actual sales numbers look like for single family homes (SFH) in Mountain View.  I have had a gut instinct that prices today were fairly close to what they were in 2007 but I wanted to take a look at the real numbers.  This is what I found:   Oct 2011 Snapshot # of SFH listed-31 Cancellations or withdrawls-2 Short Sales/REOs-1 Highest priced SFH-$1,849,318 Lowest priced SFH-$594,500 Average SFH characteristics- Listed for $1,037,082 3 bedroom... 11/07/2011

Looking for a home in Mountain View?  Now that employment is up in the area, many Mountain View neighborhoods have already turned the corner in terms of increased demand and higher prices.  For many, foreclosed (bank-owned) homes provide the opportunity to purchase a home at a reasonable price. Here are foreclosed, bank-owned (REO) Mountain View homes for sale as of November 4, 2011.  This list is significantly smaller than the 25 to 30 foreclosed homes that were typically on the market a year ago.  Drop me a line (john@jsrealproperty.com) for more information and to schedule a viewing of these or other properties in Silicon Valley.   Type Price Bed/Bath Sq. Feet Notes Single family $725,000 4/3 1,920 Reduced from $741,000 Single family $644,900 4/2 1,389   Single family $430,000 3/2.5 ... 11/04/2011

Looking for a home in Mountain View?  Now that employment is up in the area, many Mountain View neighborhoods have already turned the corner in terms of increased demand and higher prices.  For many, foreclosed (bank-owned) homes provide the opportunity to purchase a home at a reasonable price. Here are foreclosed, bank-owned (REO) homes for sale in Mountain View as of October 15, 2011.  This list is significantly smaller than the 25 to 30 foreclosed homes that were typically on the market a year ago.  Drop me a line (john@jsrealproperty.com) for more information and to schedule a viewing of these or other properties in Silicon Valley.   Type Price Bed/Bath Sq. Feet Notes Single family $741,000 4/3 1,920   Single family $580,000 3/2 1,340   Single family $440,000 3/1.5 1,720   Condo $41... 10/15/2011

It is estimated that about 25% of home in the US are underwater, that is the owner owes more on the mortgage than the home is worth. So if the owner has to sell, they would have to either make up the difference or do a short sale. However, just being underwater is not enough reason for most banks to do a short sale. They want to know you have a hardship. what is a hardship? there are a number of reasons that banks will accept as a hardship. they basically want to know what has changed since you purchased the home. some examples of hardships would be: 1. Job loss 2. Relocation 3. Death in family 4. Illness in family 5. Increased expenses from things like debts or an increase in mortgage payments 6. Divorce So basically if your income has decreased or your expenses have increased or you n... 10/02/2011

Homefacts.com is a great site because it has aggregated several sites that make sense for home buyers and home sellers to check out.   I know Homefacts.com is geared towards buyers but sellers will want to make sure they know what potential buyers will find when they type in their address. For Example, I just found out there are 10 registered sex offenders in my neighborhood within a mile of my home, and only 1 sex offender in the neighborhood of the last house I owned.   That is information I would have liked to have had when I sold my place in Palo Alto and bought my place in Mountain View. Interesting Facts I just learned about Mountain View, CA 15% of the houses built in Mountain View were built after 1990; I would have guessed that number was 5%!   34% of the housing available in M... 10/01/2011

Mountain View, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, offers a wide range of home-buying opportunities.  Now that employment opportunities are improving, many Mountain View neighborhoods have already turned the corner in terms of increased demand, though prices generally remain moderate.  For many, foreclosed (bank-owned) homes provide the opportunity to purchase a home at a reasonable price. Please use my RealtyTrac® distressed property search tool to easily find pre-foreclosure, bank-owned, auction, and other properties for sale in Mountain View or throughout California. Just click on this link:  http://www.jsrealproperty.com/distressedproperties.html When you find a property that interests you, click on the icon to request detailed information by email about that property or to requ... 09/24/2011

Here’s an update of bank-owned foreclosure homes (REO) on the market in Mountain View as of September 2, 2011.  See any Mountain View homes you like?  I’ll send you more information and then let’s go take a look!   Type Bed/Bath Price Square Feet Notes Single family 4/3 $799,900 1,920   Condo 3/2.5 $559,000 1,690   Single family 3/2.5 $509,000 1,720   Condo 2/2.5 $449,900 1,113   Condo 3/2 $394,500 1,292   Condo 2/2 $268,900 960   Condo 2/1 $264,900 894   Condo 1/1 $220,000 645   Condo 1/1 $199,900 711     NOTE:  There are 81 total homes (single family, condos, townhomes) on the market in Mountain View as of today, but only 9 bank-owned properties. Would you like to receive email alerts when foreclosure, short sale, or traditional sale properties come on the market?  Visit my web site a... 09/02/2011

Here’s an update of bank-owned foreclosure homes (REO) on the market in Mountain View as of August 28, 2011.  See any you like?  I’ll send you more information and then let’s go take a look! Type Bed/Bath Price Square Feet Notes Single family 4/3 $799,900 1,920   Condo 3/2.5 $559,000 1,690   Single family 3/2.5 $509,000 1,720   Condo 2/2.5 $449,900 1,113   Condo 3/2 $394,500 1,292   Condo 2/2 $268,900 960   Condo 2/1 $264,900 894   Condo 1/1 $220,000 645   Condo 1/1 $199,900 711     NOTE:  There are 84 total homes (single family, condos, townhomes) on the market in Mountain View as of today, but only 9 bank-owned properties. Would you like to receive email alerts when foreclosure, short sale, or traditional sale properties come on the market?  Visit my web site at www.jsrealproperty.com... 08/28/2011

Read what's going on in the Mountain View housing market in my 1 Minute Housing Market Report. News, prices, financing, home buying and selling tips, and more! Includes local, regional, state and national updates. Click here: http://johnsouerbry.housingtrendsenewsletter.com/ Or visit my web site at www.jsrealproperty.com 08/27/2011

If you are an owner of a home with a second loan that is a Home Equity Line and you are having trouble paying your mortgage you should do something about it right away. I know you have probably heard that banks are taking up to 2 years to foreclose so you have plenty of time, but there is a dirty little secret in the mortgage world.  HELOCs are not entirely like traditional mortgages, they are more like credit cards. If you do not pay your first mortgage your lender needs to find a way to collect the money or take your home back. However, with a HELOC the lender can turn the account over to a collection agency, get some money for it right away, and you are left to deal with the debt collector.   This can become a potential problem if you decide that your best option is a short sale. If ... 08/23/2011

Here’s an update of bank-owned foreclosure homes (REO) on the market in Mountain View as of August 5, 2011.  See any you like?  I’ll send you more information and then let’s go take a look! Type Bed/Bath Price Square Feet Notes Single family 4/3 $852,600 1,920   Condo 3/2.5 $649,900 1,369 New on market! Condo 3/2.5 $569,000 1,690   Single family 3/2.5 $519,900 1,720   Condo 2/2.5 $459,000 1,113   Condo 3/2 $414,000 1,292   Condo 2/2 $283,900 960   Condo 2/1 $264,900 894 Reduced! Was $274,900 Condo 2/1 $270,000 1,032   Condo 1/1 $220,000 827   Condo 1/1 $183,000 564 New on market!   Would you like to receive email alerts when foreclosure, short sale, or traditional sale properties come on the market?  Visit my web site at www.jsrealproperty.com to use my RealtyTrac distressed property se... 08/05/2011

Wow, this week has been full of issues surrounding asbestos and lead testing. It seems that some contractors are concerned that they dont' even want to provide a bid on a project until $1,600 worth of testing has been completed... even the $1,600 sounds high. I haven't had to spend that kind of money for testing even after it closes escrow. I say that is outrageous waste of my client's money. All work will be completed after the close of escrow, even testing. In the meantime "assume" it has asbestos and lead and move forward with your bid. If you have a contractor who insists on these tests in advance - FIND ANOTHER CONTRACTOR! It seems to me that contractor doesn't really want this job anyway. There is absolutely no need to pay that much money up front on a home you don't own so don't ... 08/04/2011

Here’s an update of bank-owned foreclosure homes (REO) on the market in Mountain View as of July 31, 2011.  See any you like?  Let me send you more information and then let’s go take a look! Type Bed/Bath Price Square Feet Notes Single family 4/3 $852,600 1,920 Price reduction Condo 3/2.5 $569,000 1,690   Single family 3/2.5 $519,900 1,720   Condo 2/2.5 $459,000 1,113   Condo 3/2 $414,000 1,292   Condo 2/2 $283,900 960   Condo 2/1 $274,900 894   Condo 2/1 $270,000 1,032   Condo 1/1 $220,000 827   Condo 1/1 $199,900 711     Would you like to receive email alerts when foreclosure, short sale, or traditional sale properties come on the market?  Visit my web site at www.jsrealproperty.com to use my RealtyTrac distressed property search or to use my full MLS property search system. Questions... 07/31/2011

Seems like a bizarre question doesn't it? Well guess what, it is not.  If you are selling your home as short sale the bank may have the right to send a property preservation company to the house and "secure it" if they feel the house is vacant and abandoned. But it is still my house, right? Yes, it is still your house, even if you have stopped making payments, but here is the catch. Many loans contain clauses that say if you abandon your home the bank has a right to secure the property to preserve their interest in the home while they are waiting to re-posses it. So here is the typical situation.  Owner has a home that they need to short sell.  They have already left the home, often to take a job somewhere else, but maybe for some other reason.  The short sale is initiated and the bank ... 07/24/2011

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the City of Mountain View is centrally located and has a vibrant downtown, excellent shopping, and a growing job market. Like everywhere in California, a few bank-owned foreclosure properties (REO) occasionally come on the market in Mountain View.  Although home prices in this area are generally high, deals can be found.  Here are bank-owned homes offered for sale as of July 24, 2011.  See any you like?  Let me send you more information and then let’s go take a look at them! Type Bed/Bath Price Square Feet Single family 4/3 $869,900 1,920 Condo 3/2.5 $569,000 1,690 Single family 3/2.5 $529,900 1,720 Condo 2/2.5 $459,000 1,113 Condo 3/2 $414,000 1,292 Condo 2/2 $283,900 960 Condo 2/1 $274,900 894 Condo 1/1 $220,000 827 Condo 1/1 $215,900 711 Would ... 07/24/2011

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the City of Mountain View is centrally located and has a vibrant downtown, excellent shopping, and a growing job market. Like everywhere in California, a few bank-owned foreclosure properties (REO) and potential short sale (SS) properties occasionally come on the market in Mountain View.  Although home prices in this area are generally high, deals can be found.  Here are my Top Ten bank-owned and short sale homes offered for sale under $500,000 as of July 15, 2011.  See any you like?  Let me send you more information and then let's go take a look at them! Type Bed/Bath Price Square Feet Single family, REO 3/2.5 $469,000 1,047 Condo, SS 3/2.5 $460,000 1,611 Condo, SS 2/2 $439,950 1,248 Condo, REO 3/2 $414,000 1,292 Condo, SS 2/2 $385,000 1,132 Cond... 07/15/2011

When a buyer makes an offer on a Mountain View, or any Silicon Valley Short Sale they ocassionally want to purchase some of the furniture in the house.  Sometimes there is a couch that fits perfectly in the family room, or a dining room table that is too big for the seller's new house and they want to sell it. It's ok to do that, right? NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!! Should I say it again?  Ok, NO DO NOT DO IT!!!!! Here is why.  The seller is not allowed to have any gain from the sale of the home.  The bank gets all the money from the buyer in exchange for allowing the loan to be written down so the seller can get out of his/her obligation. If the seller sells furniture to the buyer it can be considered by the bank to mean that the seller has received money from the buyer. So, if the buyer wants... 07/13/2011

In Mountain View, CA there were 31 single family homes sold in June 2011.  Homes were listed for 1.085M and sold for 1.11M on average. This represents a selling price of about 2% over asking price. How does this compare to June 2010 in Mountain View, CA? In June 2010, 40 single family homes sold with an average list price of 934K and a sale price of 951K. This also represents a sales price of 2% over asking price.    With this data it is so easy to create some crazy headline about how the market is up 17% in June 2011 compared to June 2010 in Mountain View, CA. Is that really a true statement? If you look deeper at the average house sold this year vs. last year in June the difference in price is based on the average size of the house sold. In June 2010 the average house sold was 1585 sq... 07/11/2011