East Bay Open Homes for Sunday, 12/19/2010, Now Posted!

Its that time of the week you've been waiting for, when I post  Open Homes for Sunday 12/19/2010 covering the entire East Bay and including Berkeley, Albany, Oakland, El Cerrito, Walnut Creek and more.  As we near the holiday season the number of homes being actively marketed dips considerably.  Nevertheless we have over 150 properties to look at.  This is one of the greatest times ever to purchase a home.  We have seen signs lately of the inevitable rise in rates. Economic news has been favorable and the extension of tax cuts should provide extra stimulous to the economy.  The rising of rates will most likely bring many of the buyers who have been sitting on the fence back in to the market as they begin to think, and rightly so, that the worse is over and that as time goes on it will only become more difficult to purchase a property. Even if property values stagnate in the short term an increase in rates will decrease the individual's buying power.
Please CLICK HERE to see the most complete lists of open houses in the East Bay for Sunday, December 19, 2010. and please remember to check back her often for real estate related news on a very local level.  

Mortgage Rates Up or Down?

Mortgage rates took a large hike yesterday and have come down a bit today.  It is important to keep an eye on rates becasue they will tend to respond to economic news.  In general good news makes higher rates. Higher rates make houses more expensive to buy because even though the price of the house may not rise, because most of us need a mortgage, when rates rise our buying power declines.

 For those who are waiting for the market to bottom out my opinion is that you are already too late.  Rates are going up and home prices are unlikely to decline a whole lot more. I think there will be a rush of buyers this spring as the public begins to figure out that they miss the boat entirely as rates go up...which they will.  You can take that opinion to the bank!

East Bay Sewer lateral ordinance update

Many East Bay Communities already have a point of sale ordinance that requires inspection and in many cases replacement of the sewer lateral when the property is sold. Berkeley, Richmond, Albany, El Cerrito, Kensington already have these ordinances.  EBMUD is the latest to join in. Two of the communities affected will be Oakland, Emeryville.   The Original start date for the ordinance was for properties that went into escrow starting January 2011.
Per a discussion with EBMUD that is no longer the established start date.
A new date will be determined by the end of December.
You can monitor updates  by going directly to the EBMUD website. The site also explains the ordinance,
http://www.ebmud.com/our-water/wastewater-treatment/private-sewer-lateral-program.

And don't forget to check out my website, http://www.billfletcherhomes.com/, for market stats, property searches, open houses, neighborhood videos (my favorite), and more.  If you need a property valuation, comparative market analysis, help buying or selling a home please call or email me: bill@billfletcherhomes.com.

Open Houses for Berkeley, Oakland, Albany and other East Bay Cities for Sunday, 12/12/2010

Happy house hunting!  I just posted the new list of open homes for Sunday, December 12, 2010 on my website.  This link will take you there CLICK HERE.  If for some reason it fails to work please go directly to my website, http://www.billfletcherhomes.com/ and select the Open Homes tab on the left of the web page. I have posted the most complete lists of open houses that you will find anywhere on the web.  It covers all of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties including: Alameda, Albany, Alamo, Berkeley, Emeryville, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Richmond, Oakland, LaMorinda, Piedmont, Walnut Creek, San Leandro and more. Please check in regularly as I update the website often.  While you are there check out the new neighborhood videos and the updated neighborhood market stats.  Let me know what features are working for you and how best I can improve my service.  You never need to register to use the features (including a great property search function).  It looks like the weather on Sunday is going to be fantastic.  Enjoy the open houses and have a great weekend.

East Bay Sunday Open Houses Now Posted for 12/05/2010

There is a little more to look at this week as sellers try to get theri properties sold before the winter holidays take everyone's attention and money. East Bay Sunday Open Homes is a list that includes open houses in Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, El Cerrito, Kensington, Oakland, Piedmont and more. I have over 340 posted this week up from  the paltry 96 open over Thanksgiving weekend.  This might be a good time to put in an offer as activity is low and sellers get anxious. This spring will be a big season for buyers which should drive prices up. Well, at least we will see rates going up and that should signal to folks that they've missed the bottom of the market (by the way, the market hit bottom in most areas in 2009)  and if they want to save money they should get in now.  To see the list of Open Houses you have to go to my website, http://www.billfletcherhomes.com/.  and click on the Open Homes Tab on the left of the page, or simply  Click Here.  I wish you lots of luck and fun in finding the perfect home. And if you need anything real estate related such as a home valuation, resources, price opinion, a search for a particular property please feel free to ask. This is my job and I enjoy being helpful.  (bill@billfletcherhomes.com, 510-368-2854)


 

Free Holiday Shopping in Berkeley

On sSaturdays Deceember 11 and 18 the meters are free!

East Bay Real Estate Market Data Now Posted

I just posted market data for Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Kensington, LaMorinda, Oakland, and Piedmont on my website http://www.billfletcherhomes.com/.  This is comparative data that shows month by month for the past 2 years what the market activity was.  You can see trends, highs and lows.  Take particular note for Median Price, days on market and months supply of inventory.  Its pretty clear from this data that even though we're having a dip in prices and sales activity in many areas currently, the bottom of the market hit most areas in 2009, typically in the spring, and it will take quite a drop to match these lows.   This link (click here) will take you to the city of Berkeley to give an example of the charts.  there are 21 pages posted for each area so look at them carefully.   If you are buying a home or selling a homee you wiall want to look at this market data.  I have select zip codes posted as well if you want a more acurate picture of your area.  Look for prices, sales and interest rates to pick up this spring.  we are looking forward to a brisk market.   If you have been on the fence about buying I'd seriously consider getting off and taking action.  The economy is picking up and as it does rates will increase.  If you want to request a report for your area and it isn't posted just drop me an email and I'll get it to you as quickly as I can