San Francisco East Bay Real Estate BlogRecently posted or modified blog postshttps://www.exploreeastbayhomes.com/blog/Copyright ExploreEastBayHomes.com2022-09-16T11:34:03-07:00tag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:21975Bay Area Real Estate Market Facts - September 2022Bay Area Real Estate Market September 2022
Prices are going down? No wait, some people say prices are going up, so which is it? I’m going to unpack the East Bay Real Estate market for you right here, right now. This is September 2022 and we’re going to review the August data for the Bay Area Real estate Market.
I’m not gonna make you wait till the end! Everyone wants to know Home price appreciation, how much money did my house make for me in the last year?? But you gotta know, YOY Home price appreciation is really not the whole story, but here it is:
Year over Year Median house price appreciation in the Bay Area:
August 2022 > -2%
August 2021 > +18%
If you want to dig in a little deeper than just YOY appreciation comparisons and you want to understand the trends then stick with me:
Here’s what happened in August:
Overall, buyer demand picked up due to a few things:
1. Priced reductions
August 2022 > up a massive 117% since August 2021
July 2022 > down 12
2. Fewer buyers/less competition (this could be seasonality, kids in school and/or market uncertainty) makes buyers feel safer than they have in the past
3. Increased inventory – Simply more homes for buyers to choose from
Inventory of homes for sale:
August 2022 > up 38% since August 2021
July 2022 > down 6% since last month
4. There was a dip in Interest Rates coupled with a fear of future interest rates and FOMO so buyers wanted to take advantage of this
5. A tick up of the Stock market and fear of future recession
So, how the market is shifting and what data points tell us not just where we’ve been but where we’re going.
To know where we’re heading, we really need to understand the psychology of buyer’s and sellers. We can tell the psychology is shifting into buyers and sellers accepting our new reality. This is evidenced by the numbers that define psychology. The leading indicator that tells me how buyers are sellers are settling in is :
Average Sale Price to List Price Comparison
August 2022 > 99% of asking price
August 2021 > 111% of asking price
Pending/Homes or contracts in Escrow
August 2022 > down 34% since August 2021
July 2022 > up 3% from last month
Even though Sales are still lower since this time last year, we noticed a rebound in August from July while buyers and sellers were still getting their “sea legs” (a bit like a drunken sailor, if I may) trying to figure out the new market we’re in.
Number of homes Sold
August 2022 > down 32% fewer homes sold than in August 2021
July 2022 > up 9% more home sold since last month
August continued the overall trend we’re seeing of Overbidding plunging while market times are increasing
Sellers pulled back on listings their homes in August and the number of new listings still remains low as past listings are taking longer to sell and homes are coming back on the market after a failed escrow.
NEW listings coming to market:
August 2022 > down 22% since August 2021 when more sellers were listing their homes
The number of active listings actually dropped in August after 6 months of increases in Inventory. Historical seasonality probably played it’s part additionally, right before the Fall season which usually brings a secondary spike before the holiday slowdown in November.
As of early September, Interest rates have once again increased and stock markets have declined. Both continue to have a significant impact on the volatility in the market values in the Bay Area.
My advice for buyers in this market climate:
If you’re sitting on the bench, you need to get that home you’ve been looking poking around looking at. If it has higher market times, don’t worry, that doesn’t mean anything. Sellers are nervous and unsure right now, so you may find that you get a better deal than you ever imagined.
Sellers, I have 2 tips for you:
Price it RIGHT, price it for today, not for yesterday. Buyer’s don’t care about yesterday. While there are fewer NEW homes coming to market, you need to stand out right away when your listing is fresh and NEW. You only have one chance to make a first impression in this market. If you want that excitement and momentum, you have create it!
Make your house shine, listen to your agent and spend a couple bucks or use your equity to make needed improvements so your home will shine. Buyers have more to chose from and if you want to “win” you need to stand out as better value to the serious buyers.
I’ll continue to monitor buyer/seller psychology in the Fall selling season and report back to you!
2022-09-16T11:00:00-07:002022-09-16T11:34:03-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:216053 things you MUST know before buying in Danville California3 Things you must know before Buying A HOME in Danville California
Are you thinking about buying a home in Danville California but not sure where to get started? Whether your confused about pricing or about neighborhoods in Danville California, I’ve got you covered. Today I’m gonna to talk about what you need to know before buying a home in Danville California. I’m going to share with you the TOP three things you absolutely must know when buying a home in Danville California.
Danville is home to roughly 44,000 people and if you’re thinking about buying a home here, you’ll want to know just what to expect. Well I’m here to tell you exactly what you need to know before buying a home in Danville California. Thanks for joining me again here at my channel. If you’re new here my name is Lisa Peck and I’m the founder of Explore East Bay Homes and on this channel, we talk about everything you need to know about real estate in San Francisco’s Outer East Bay.
PRICING:<br />First thing you need to know about buying a home in Danville California is that it is expensive! So be prepared, while cash is still king here, if you’re getting a mortgage, you’ll want to be pre-approved before you get started just so you know what you’re getting yourself into. The Median home price for a Detached Single Family home in Danville last year in 2021 was $1.8M. With the influences of the Pandemic and with businesses agreeing to more “work from home” scenarios and all the tech that came out of that experience, we saw that Median Sale price go up to $2.5M. While prices are simmering a little bit right now, I think you will continue to see prices increase year over year as the demand continues to grow. So, if you think prices we have now are high, they are only going to go higher in the future years. With the reputation of some of the best public schools in the Bay Area, coupled with being the named the #1 Safest city in California for the last 5 years in a row AND layer in there that the housing stock affords both larger footprint homes as well as larger lot sizes, the prices here will continue to go up although not as dramatically as it did during the pandemic. There are different kinds of homes here in Danville Ca. There are condominium, Townhomes and Duets sometimes with very decent sized yards. If you don’t know what a duet is it’s 2 houses basically stuck together at one wall, each home is considered an end unit. Danville has been talking about creating a plan for Danville’s “housing element” to meet the State of California requirements for accommodation it’s growing population. This plan is to take place between 2023 and the plan is to be completed by 2031, as of now the plan includes adding a little over 2200 new homes to the Danville area in various proposed locations. There is still a lot of work and planning to be done for this project so I’ll keep you updated with any updates to this plan
COMMUTE
If you’re relocating to Danville from other parts of the Bay or from outside Sf Bay area, you’re going to want to know about the commute times to wherever it is that you work and play. You gotta know what you’re getting yourself into. If working in East Bay depending on where you are, your commute can be anywhere from 15 minutes to 90 minutes if you going to San Francisco or to San Jose. If you chose to take public transit, while Danville doesn’t have it’s own Bart station, there is a Bart station in Dublin and one in Walnut Creek. Danville also has it’s own local Park n ride or it’s about a 15-30 min drive if you chose to drive to walnut Creek or Dublin. While you don’t need to leave the Town of Danville for much, You can get just about anywhere you need to go in the Bay Area fairly easily by car or by public transit, you just need to plan ahead and give yourself the right amount of time.
3. Everyday Life
Schools: Danville is a part of San Ramon Valley unified School district which consistently ranks as one of the top school districts in the Bay Area.
Downtown area: Danville has a great little downtown area and you can get most everything you need right here in Danville, whether it’s food, clothing, gifts or services from local privately owned businesses. It’s all right here in Danville and close by.
Safe & Family oriented: Since Danville has such great schools and it’s been named the safest city in California 5 yrs in a row now, you can rest assured that the people who live here have a solid commitment to keep it that way.
Weather: in Danville ranges between 41-81F throughout the year. Danville gets an average of 0” of snow….. Its sunny roughly 260 days/year and we get moisture roughly 65 days/yr which is limited and only equates to about 19inches on average/year about half of the US average.
There’s a lot to consider before buying in Danville, California. And we don’t want you to go through it alone, so please feel free to reach out to us here at 925-854-4799 if we can help you in any way. If you enjoy this channel and you’re interested in Danville California, consider subscribing to our channel and giving us a thumbs up.
2022-08-24T15:38:00-07:002022-08-24T15:52:42-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:21529August 2022 San Ramon Housing Market updateAugust 2022 Housing Market Update - San Ramon California
Hey there San Ramon!
July numbers just came in and, whether you’re thinking about buying or selling Real Estate in San Ramon California, here’s what I think you need to know about the market!
Weve been on a bit of roller coaster, from Pandemic to Inflation and the July numbers are out to tell us the story. Stock market is seeing some rebound and mortgage interest rates are coming down slightly. Before we talk about things like pricing, and days on market, its important to keep in mind that any pricing or days on market is really just telling us the story of what happened about @30 days before that number becomes a data point. So, first let’s talk about the leading indicator data points- these are trends to watch,
Inventory In July 2022 San Ramon California had 112 homes on the market, up slightly since June 2022 when they were 100 homes on the market and up a stunning 155% since July 2021 when we had just 44 homes on the market for sale
Homes going under contract San Ramon saw 52 homes go into escrow in July 2022. Up from 44 homes in June 2022 and down 28% from this time last year when there were 72 homes in escrow.
Absorption is a great indicator of buyer demand and the balance between buyer and seller. Technically, it can be defined as the amount of time it would take for all of the inventory to sell if the buyer demand remained constant and no new buyers came to market and no new listings came to market. In San Ramon, July showed 2.7 months of inventory slightly up from 2.6 months in June and had a crazy jump of 439% since this same time last year. In July 2021 we had .5 months of inventory!!!
Now, let’s take a look at the Lagging indicators to see “Where we’ve been”
Total Sales July 2022, had 42 homes sell to new families, the same as June 2022 and down 53% since July 2021 when we had 89 home sell.
Median Days on Market We’ve never had high market times in the East Bay but it still tells a picture about how long it takes for buyer and seller to come together and create a deal. In July 2022 the Median Days on Market was 23 Days. Which was significantly higher than June 2021 at 13 days and more than triple what it was in July 2021 at 7 days.
Median Sale Price For Single Family homes in San Ramon, Median Sale Price in July 2022 was $1,898,000, down almost 4% from last month but still up 11% from this time last year at $1,71M.
And lastly, this is the amount of the list price that buyer’s are agreeing to pay for a home
Sell Price to List Price In July 2022, this number was down to 98% and we haven’t seen this dip below 100% since 2019!!
Buyers are sellers ARE coming together and making deals to buy and sell their homes. If you want to learn more about your area specifically or you’d like to discuss how this impacts your Real Estate decision, Just reach out to us below for a FREE discovery call.
2022-08-19T13:00:00-07:002022-08-19T13:08:51-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:21455August 2022 Danville Housing Market updateAugust 2022 Market Report for Danville California Real Estate
July numbers just came in and, whether you’re thinking about buying or selling Real Estate in Danville California, here’s what I think you should know about the market!
____
We've been going on a bit of a rollercoaster ride from Pandemic to Inflation, let's talk about how the Real Estate market is fairing in Danville and how it compares to where we were at last year as well as last month as so we can understand the trend. Below are 3 key leading indicator data points as well as 3 key lagging indicators . Also, I’ll tell you the data point that tells me where we’re going with all of this. And, keep in mind these numbers are for ALLLLL of Danville, so if you’re looking to buy or sell in Danville >> Let’s have a free discovery call!
I'll be following these stats for the next 6 months, so you can follow these stats month by month as we see how the inflation reduction activities that have been put in place impact the Real Estate market.
July numbers are out and they tell a story. We know that the stock market is starting to see a bit of a rebound and also mortgage interest rates are coming down slightly. Now, Before we talk about things like pricing, and days on market, its important to keep in mind that any pricing or days on market is really just telling us the story of what happened about @30 days before that number becomes a data point. So, first let’s talk about the leading indicators- these are trends to watch, and keep in mind this information is for Single Family homes only:
Inventory –The number of homes for sale in Danville California in July 2022 was 108 homes, which is up only slightly just 8% from June 2022 when they were 100 homes on the market and up a stunning 80% since July 2021 when we had 60 homes on the market for sale
Homes going under contract – Danville saw 38 homes go into escrow in July 2022. There were 51 SFH last month that went into escrow and then 82 homes (more than double) went into escrow in July 2021
Absorption – the months of inventory or the amount of time it would take for the currently inventory of 108 homes to sell to all the buyers currently in the market to buy a home if no new buyers or new listings came to market. In Danville, July numbers show 2.2 months of inventory which is up a stark, 274% increase from this same time last year when we had just over a half a month (.6 months) of inventory and even compared to last month, June 2022’s 1.5 months of inventory.
Now, let’s take a look at the Lagging indicators to see “Where we’ve been”
Total Sales - July 2022, had 50 homes transfer to new families, compared to 66 homes last month in June 2022 and 104 homes in July 2021
Median Days on Market - We’ve never had high market times in the East Bay however, this number of days on market is still a key data point to tell us how long it took for buyer and seller to come together and create a deal. In July 2022 the Median Days on Market was 13 Days. In June 2022, this was 10 days and last year, July 2021 this was almost half 7 days.
Median Sale Price – For SFH in Danville, median Sale Price in July 2022 was $2,000,000. Last month it was @$2.275M and its still up .5% since last year this time it was $1.991M
So, this last data point is what’s interesting to me this month……. Anytime we have a changing market like the market we’re in right now, there is usually a period of time where the market is still finding it’s horizon, and this has never been more evident than looking at the buyer and seller psychology. In this next stat, it shows us the thought process of buyer and seller and whether or not they’re able to come together and make a deal
Sell Price to List Price a. In July 2022, this number was down to 99% and we haven’t seen this dip below 100% since June of 2020 when it was 98%!! b. This tells me that the shift between buyer sentiment and seller sentiment is still shifting and we have sellers over pricing and buyers under bidding which may continue until the shift is more accepted by both parties and it will be interesting to watch how it plays out. So if this is good info for you and if you haven’t already, hit the like, subscribe, notify button to follow the data as it comes out and to tell Youtube so they share it with other folks like you!
So, you’ve seen the numbers for all of Danville, but how does this impact YOU? Don’t forget to subscribe so you can see what future months look like!! Want a little more details for your specific situation???? Let’s have a free discovery call, click below.2022-08-16T21:36:00-07:002022-08-17T12:18:02-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:20744July 2022 Real Estate Market Report for Danville and San Ramon CaliforniaDanville and San Ramon Market Report Update
I have no crystal ball and cannot predict the future but I can share with you a few key data points for the Real Estate Market for the East bay. I’m going to focus on National news as well as 4 key data points for both Danville and San Ramon California to help give you an edge to make better decisions for yourself and your family.
Hmmmm, What’s really interesting to me right now is what’s going on with inventory and with Absorption in San Ramon.
So, here is where were at today Nationally :
If you believe that recession is defined by 2 quarters of negative GDP, July 1 the Atlanta Fed announced the second negative quarter in a row for GDP. SO?? “how does this impact us the Real Estate market right here at home in the East Bay”. If you were with me last month in June, we discussed a declining stock market, fears of recession, soaring inflation and higher interest rates. The impact is starting to show signs of what happened.
We’re now only a few months into this change/correction:
First wave was a decrease in Buyer demand (fewer showings, offers and homes under contract)
This led to changes in supply (more homes, therefore more price reductions)
Next step and where we’re at today is altering buyer/seller psychology and balance of power between them. With one of the most dramatic upticks in history, this transition is typically uneven in the first few months and we’re seeing this now.
With that being said, let’s take a look at some numbers and focus on leading indicators.<br />What really caught my attention for June was the INVENTORY and the ABSORPTION for san Ramon.
Danville Market Statistics
For Danville:
Inventory: June 2022 had 94 homes for sale, up 4.4% from last month and up 129% from June 2021
Median DOM: for June 2022 was 10 days (not bad) up from 7 last month and 6 days last year
Absorption/Months of inventory: (which is a true indication of trailing demand) was 1.4MO in June 2022, slightly up from May 2022 and up a whopping 274% from June 2021
**PENDING home sales which is really the most current indicator of the psychology of buyers and sellers in current market right now today. June 2022 showed us 54 Pending homes, down almost 20% from May 2022 and 48% from this June 2021 this time last year.
San Ramon Market Statistics
For San Ramon:
June 2022 showed 104 homes for sale, up from 62 homes the month before in May 202 and up from 22 a year ago June 2021 (almost 5 times more homes)
Median DOM – 13, up from 9 in May and 7 a year ago >> not a big deal but if you’re selling it feels like FOREVER!
Months of inventory – what is the psychology of buyers/sellers in San Ramon???? June 2022 saw a WHOPPING 2.5 mo of inventory (compared to .8 mo in May 2022 and .2 mo in June 2021 that’s almost a 1000% increase)! This suggests that buyers and seller are not wanting to come together and make a deal due to over pricing and or underbidding with too big of a gap.
** PENDING home sales – there are only 44 homes that are pending in San Ramon, this is down 20% from last month and down 55% from last year.
Remember “a correction” is not a crash and our housing market still boils down to supply and demand. Our market is still strong and it is still very much so a seller’s market. Unlike 2008, Mortgage payments as a % of income are close to all-time lows (with some of the historically lowest mortgage rates ever seen).
Keep in mind that - Market corrections over the last 4 decades (outside of 2008 housing crash) have resulted in either a flattening of appreciation or a mere 5-10% appreciation rates (still not bad at all). It just seems relatively small compared to the 15-30% appreciation we’ve seen over the last few years.
So, what’s in it for the future? As of early July 7, interest rates have already fallen about a half point since 2 weeks earlier. You should know that, over the past 5 recessions, we’ve seen interest rates fall an average of 1.8 percentage points from the peak to the trough.
IF you want my advice >>
Buyers – buy now, don’t wait, economists are saying that when we look back at 2022 in the rearview mirror, the prices will not be dramatically different but they will be lower. We’re coming off of some tremendous appreciation in Q1, so that’s fizzling down. and while prices are coming down slowly, they aren’t coming down dramatically. And you won’t really know the bottom until it’s behind you. The bottom of 2022 will more than likely be lower than the bottom of 2023.
Sellers – this is not the time to “test your price” nor is it a time to take your real estate professionals’ advice as optional. If you want the best price, then price it right for the neighborhood you are in. There will be fewer homes that sell, so if only a few houses sell a month in your area, do you want to be one of them or do want to wait to see what the prices will be next month?
It’s too early to make any predictions but, if you want to know more info about your neighborhood or area, just reach out to me for the specific statistics at 925-854-4799. 2022-07-12T14:35:00-07:002022-07-12T14:42:18-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:20411Will Danville California Real Estate Market Crash?Market Update - Danville California June 2022
If you’re a homeowner or homebuyer in Danville California, you're probably wondering: Is our housing market experiencing a correction or a crash? here is what I think from the economists that I follow and also, I’ll give you my advice for sellers and for buyers.
I've go to mention the National News and Economics and then also how it is impacting us locally.
If you’re listening to or reading the news lately, it is plagued with lots of a dramatic headline about the Real Estate market, so the focus here today is to provide you with solid facts from all the sources that I follow and then also to track key metrics and report back to you monthly. I invite you to come with me on this journey as I track Key Market Indicators, so we can understand the facts instead of the hype. I’m committed to updating you monthly.
You know the market is shifting, but what does it mean to Real Estate values right here locally. I am NOT a financial analyst, but I am a local Real Estate Advisor with decades of experience helping buyers, sellers and investors. I’ve seen the Real Estate Market go up and go down. Today I’m going to share some simple facts collected from reputable resources and I’ll list them down below.
Before we get local, we MUST understand the National News and Economics >> 4 Main Points
1) Fluxuating Market:
With the S&P down @23% YTD**1
NASDAQ down @32% YTD
Crypto down @52% YTD, Those of you who are in these markets, don’t need me to rub it in, you can turn on the news for that
2) Inflation: whether you’re buying a gallon of milk, a gallon of gas or a new home, you’re more than likely feeling the affects of inflation that has hit very high levels and it’s impacting people’s cost of living in relation to income and so we’re starting to see fewer people buying homes.
3) Recession: with talks of a recession it’s important to know that recession does NOT equal a Housing Crisis. **2 This chart shows the last 6 recessions and you can see that the only major impact on the Housing Market was the 2008 Recession that was caused by the housing crisis and the mortgage melt down. All the other recessions had a limited impact like in 1991 or no impact and half of them, we actually saw home prices grow a rather healthy amount 3-6%.
And our last point in Economic news >>
4) Interest Rates: You may or may not have heard that the Feds just met and raised the prime lending rate by .75% rate, which by the way does not mean that mortgage rates are going up by that amount since this increase was already cooked into the mortgage rates that we’re seeing today. Right now, rates are running about 5%, give or take depending on whether you’re looking at a conforming loan or a jumbo loan. With that being said, I get asked often about the future of rates and whether or not they’ll continue to climb. I do not have a crystal ball but I can tell you that while I don’t expect rates will go as high as 7% I feel they are close to being at their plateau if not, they’re already there.
So, the questions is, How does this National Economics News impact our local Market statistics right here in Danville, california???
Being that we’re at the center of the high-tech industry, the differences between local and national trends are generally more of difference in a degree than a direction.
Let’s talk Numbers – Today, I’m focused on 7 key data points for Single Family homes in Danville. I’m going to share with you the most recent data I have which is for May 2022 and compare it to May 2021 as well as any changes from April 2022 so YOY as well as MOM.
OK, so here are the 7 data points: **3
1) VOLUME OF SOLD HOMES: So in Danville, in May 2022, we had 69 Single family homes sell, which is down substantially from May 2021 where we had 106 homes sell, that’s 1/3 less homes and it’s up slightly from 68 homes sold in April 2022
2) MEDIAN SOLD PRICE: May 2022 - $2,453,000, which is down 1.9% since April 2022 $2.5M and still up 29% since May 2021 at $1.905M
3) INVENTORY OF HOMES: We have a lot more homes on the market now than we did in either last year or even the last month. May 2022 81 homes for sale, April 2022 was 61 homes and May 2021 was 45 homes. So we have almost double the amount of homes for sale now than we did last year at this time.
4) DAYS ON MARKET: MEDIAN DOM was 7 days in May 2022, April 2022 – 7 days and May 2021 – 7 days. Pretty Boring right?? It’s been flat and I’d be willing to bet you than we I see you again next month for June Numbers, this will change significantly as June market times are going to be higher.
5) MONTHS OF INVENTORY: defined by how long it would take for the current level of demand to absorb all the inventory that we have in the market if no new homes came to market. May 2021 was an astounding .4 months of inventory, April 2022 was .9 months of demand and May was 1.2 Months of demand. AND due to the decrease in demand, I’d expect to see this number go up along with the Days on Market.
6) PENDING CONTRACTS: these are homes that currently are in escrow but have not closed yet. As the climate continues to change, this # will better reflect the timelier impact from higher mortgage rates than closed homes sales. May 2022 was 69 homes, slightly down from 70 homes last month in April 2022 and drastically down 37% from 109 homes in May 2021
7) HOMES SOLD WITH PRICE REDUCTIONS: May 2022 saw 1 home price reduction, up from 0 homes in April 2022 and 2 homes in May 2021.
What the numbers tell me is that Sales are declining, and the number of active listings and price reductions are increasing as well. But the homes that are selling are still usually selling quickly for well over asking: Median Sales prices and YOY appreciation rates remain high. When an overheated market cools, the change is typically gradual (assuming there is no disaster), and does not mean the market is weak by any normal standard.
As an analogy, if traffic is going 120 miles/hour and then drops to 75 mph, it feels a lot slower, but cannot be reasonably described as “slow”. After 2 years of scorching demand, it may be difficult to remember what a “normal market” feels like, but people will continue to have excellent personal and financial reasons to buy and sell homes in Danville and the East Bay. My opinion is that I think we’re going back to pre-pandemic market levels.
As of late spring, across the Bay Area, less expensive home sales have generally been considerably impacted by rising interest rates. Sales of higher priced homes have held up much better, but cooling demand is beginning to show up in Pending Contracts data. Affluent buyers tend to be more affected by financial markets, (which became very volatile in May.) Market Changes are often uneven in the early months of a transition, with one home selling in days at 25% over list price, while next door, the seller has to reduce their price just to get an offer. In this new market, not every home will sell!
So, back to the question: is our market experiencing a correction??? Well, a market “correction” is defined by Investopedia is defined as “a decline of 10% or greater in the price of a security, asset or financial market.” . Nationally, Home prices are forecasted to increase on average 8.9% for 2022. In Danville, I’ve seen price appreciation so far of about 20% since January 1, 2022. So what do you think, are we in a correction?
Essentially speaking >> It’s my opinion and I think it’s safe to say that our market will be coming down to pre-pandemic levels in terms of pricing, volume of homes that sell and demand.
So, here’s my advice >>
Advice for buyers:
If you’re considering buying a home, the Opportunity I see for you right now, is that you no longer have to sell your first child to get a home. Buyers, you won’t be asked to give up as much as you did in the last couple years and yes, you can be a bit more discriminating and obviously this will change as the market changes so just make sure to get updated numbers when you decide to write an offer so you know what’s market appropriate to offer and to ask for.
Advice for sellers:
Being that there are fewer buyers in the market and since the mortgage rates have increased so significantly, this has made affordability go down, and has shrunk your buyer pool coming to look at your house. So, If you’re thinking about selling your home, The Challenge that I see for you right now, is that the 2 most important things you can do for yourself are 1) price your home correctly, this is more important than ever before and You’ve got to price your home based on what tomorrow’s pricing expectations will be and not what homes are selling for today. Think about it, if prices are going down (even if it’s only by a little bit) and you stick your heels in at what was yesterday pricing, guess what – you’re going to MISS the market! And, 2) make sure your home’s condition is absolutely impeccable, this will be more important than ever before in the changing market. Buyers are looking for that perfect home and they have a lot more to chose from. If only some of the homes that come on the market will sell, don’t you want yours to be the one that sells?
if you have a questions, just <a href="https://www.exploreeastbayhomes.com/contact/">reach out to us here</a> or schedule a <a href="https://calendly.com/lisa-1248/let-s-talk-real-estate">free consultation here. </a>
Sources:
Fannie Mae
Freddie Mac
CoreLogic
HPES
NAR
Zellman
MBA - Mortgage Banker’s Association
MarketWatch.com
KeepingcurrentMatters.com
Compass Insights
MLS - Multiple Listing Service
2022-06-27T18:02:00-07:002022-06-27T19:00:43-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:20261Moving to Danville California - what are the best schools in Danville?Moving to Danville, CA – Top Schools in Danville, CA here’s what you need to know about schools in Danville ca
<br />Are you looking to make a move to the East Bay and you’re not sure where you want to be in the East Bay? If you have a family with kids, you’re probably researching to make sure this home purchase will fit the needs of not only your family’s lifestyle but also your kiddos educational needs. With the financial and emotional investment required to buy a home in the East Bay, what could be more important than SCHOOLS?? I’ll break down for you THE absolute BEST SCHOOLS in Danville and give you a simple tip to make sure you get it right.
As a boy mom of 2 kiddos, I’ve been very pleased with the schools in Danville California and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. As a realtor, I can say that almost 90-95% of the buyers and sellers I speak to have chosen Danville or are looking to chose Danville for the solid education that Danville’s public school system provides – so we’re going to focus today on the PUBLIC schools. If you want info about private schools, I’ll leave that link in the description below along with links to some of the statistics I’m going to talk to you about. I want to help you break it down though into facts you can use to decide what is best for your family and children to get the most out of their education (and for the dollars you’re spending through property taxes to pay for their education). Trust me, I know that not every school is right for every family so it’s a personal decision and above all, I ALWAYS suggest that families consider a school tour directly with the school, as well as, talking to other parents whose kids attend the school being considered either online communication or in person, to see if it's a good fit for your kiddo.<br /><br />Since December 2020, Danville has seen over 62% Median Home price appreciation since right before the Pandemic started. So, why are families Moving to Danville, CA?
There is an increasing amount of Bay Area families moving to Danville, CA in the hope of providing a better learning environment for their children. The top Schools right here in Danville, CA have curriculums that include many of the philosophies, student support and strategies that empower students to become critical thinkers and lifelong learners. I’ll share some stats with you that may surprise you.
Before we get into why The Top Schools in Danville, CA support these philosophies, let’s review some basic information about the school district that Danville is located within (1):
The town of Danville, California is served by the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD):
The district covers an 18 square mile area.
In addition to Danville SRVUSD also Includes other communities: Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo & San Ramon. Additionally, the District also serves a small portion of Walnut Creek and Pleasanton.
Within SRVUSD and due to the flock out to the San Ramon Valley area a couple decades ago, Dougherty Valley HS (in San Ramon) opened in 2007 to serve the newest community in East San Ramon namely Windemere and Gale Ranch.
There are (36) K-12 schools in the district with more than 32,000 students.
Looking at the Public Schools located within Danville, there are 2 high schools with defined attendance boundaries. Each high school has assigned middle schools and elementary schools in their feeder patterns.
The School District Employs 4,500 people, hiring almost 300 people every year.
OF its Annual operating budget of $337M, the district receives $17M from private /parent donations.
Also receives $6.9M from local parcel taxes.
The state of California allocates funding to the schools with the most quantity of high-needs students in their schools.
Do those numbers ($17M from donations and almost $7M from parcel taxes) sound surprising to you???? Well, SRVUSD has one of the lowest populations of “high needs students” and therefore receives less $$ from the state. Therefore, The Top 5 Schools in Danville, CA San Ramon Valley Unified School district actually REQUIRES significant additional funding by private and parent donations to meet their annual operating budget. According to US News Best High Schools Rankings (3), only 4% of the students who attend Danville, CA high schools are considered “economically disadvantaged” or qualify for “free or reduced-price lunches”. This is in sharp contrast with many of the neighboring school districts.
So, back to why it is important that The Top 5 Schools in Danville, CA support & empower students to become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.
There is growing and overwhelming evidence that the ability to solve problems and collaborate not only provides our children with the skills they need to lead a happy, fulfilling and productive life; in an April 2021 a study called “The Growing Importance of Decision-Making on the Job” (2) by David J. Deming of Harvard University, he states “Highly paid workers are valuable not only because they know how to do, but also because they know what to do.”
Having raised 2 boys who attended public schools in both inner-city Chicago as well as public Schools in Danville, CA, I have met many educators and parents who increasingly, are evaluating a school’s performance beyond graduation rates, test scores and class sizes. The growing concern of parents is, “Does this school provide an environment that will promote and encourage my student to have a curios mind?” <br /><br />Knowing that it’s not all about test scores and that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to schools, let’s talk about how do we defining this ultimate learning environment or climate?
According to many studies and evidence-based research, the optimal learning environment includes the following 6 focuses for a school (5):
Safety & Wellbeing: When a student feels safe, they are more likely to accept challenges.
Healthy Risk Taking & Creativity: Overcoming challenges increases confidence & creativity.
Encouraging Leadership & Adaptability: By Providing an opportunity for all students to become leaders.
Collaboration: Social engagement by referencing prior learning and student interest builds collaborations skills.
Self-directed Learning: Open ended tasks & research projects enhance critical thinking & problem-solving skills.
Curiosity: Assignments should focus more on asking great questions than memorizing answers.
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District “Strategic Directions” defines BOTH academic excellence and success by similar standards which is consistent with the 6 cornerstones we just talked about. SRVUSD’s definition of academic excellence and success is (6):
Academic Achievement
Experience social & emotional well-being
Develop curiosity, confidence & independence as learners
Appreciate the importance of teams and collaboration
Demonstrate empathy & compassion
Determine their purpose & understand the importance of service
Learn how to set and achieve goals
And finally >> to
LOVE learning
So now let’s attempt to evaluate The Top Schools in Danville, CA,
Hands down, the BEST way to know if a specific school is right for your family and your children is to visit each school and to talk to other parents to get a feel for the schools philosophies and leadership,
The second way to evaluate a school decision to is to take into account the numbers and the raw data. To determine the top schools, I looked namely at Rankings and also Performance.
For Rankings,
SRVUSD was ranked #26 out of 438 SD reviewed in all of California
Of the 23 elementary schools in SRVUSD (including traditional, Charter and Alternative schools) 2 of these schools hit the “Best public elementary schools in America list” and that was
Bollinger Canyon Elementary in SAN RAMON also voted #1 best in CoCo County
Creekside Elementary in DANVILLE (academically scoring a bit higher with Reading proficiency at 82% and Math at 84%) in that order.
ALL of the public elementary school in SRVUSD received an A or higher from niche.com
Of the 75 Middle schools in Contra Costa County, SRVUSD middle schools dominate the top 10 on the list according to Niche by taking up 8 of the top 10 spots. Not bad for having only 8 Middle schools in SRVUSD and half of these are located right here in Danville California
With 4 public and 2 alternative high schools in San Ramon Valley Unified School District, the 2 located in Danville high schools San Ramon Valley High School and Monte Vista High School - which Both get A+ scores and rank as top in the state for a solid education.
These stats are compliments of NICHE.COM
To evaluate Performance, I looked at
Test scores
Academic progress (defined by how much a student learns in a year)
College readiness (based on key measures like graduation rates, college entrance tests and AP coursework). Here is what I came up with the help of Great Schools.org
In Danville, Both Monte Vista High Schools and San Ramon Valley High School score the highest possible score for “Test Scores” scoring a 10/10
For Academic Progress score for Middle School level, the winner was Los Cerros Middle School!
And for College readiness was a tie again between SRVHS and MVHS with a 10 out of 10.
Overall, Danville High Schools and SRVUSD overall get overall A+ ratings, and no school is perfect so lower scores for these schools being “Diversity” and “Clubs and Activities”
here’s my simple tip > Don’t stress, go with your gutt! Kids change and what may be the best school for your kid NOW may change in a few years. The good news and the simple tip is that as of the time this video was made in mid 2022, I’ve had families successfully apply for and receive inter-district transfers within the district. Now, I don’t work for the district; however, with rumors of declining enrollment numbers, I do know several clients and families such as my own that have been able to change schools for whatever reason mid-way through a child’s academic career without too much difficulty.
No matter which school attendance boundary you end up in - Danville, California has superior schools and some of the best schools in the in the East Bay.2022-06-20T10:46:00-07:002022-06-27T18:21:53-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:19778What does the Rest of the Year hold for the Housing MarketWhat Does the Rest of the Year Hold for the Housing Market?
<img width="750" height="410" src="https://files.mykcm.com/2022/05/27112315/20220531-KCM-Share.jpg" class="attachment-entry size-entry wp-post-image" alt="What Does the Rest of the Year Hold for the Housing Market? | MyKCM" loading="lazy" srcset="https://files.mykcm.com/2022/05/27112315/20220531-KCM-Share.jpg 750w, https://files.mykcm.com/2022/05/27112315/20220531-KCM-Share-600x328.jpg 600w, https://files.mykcm.com/2022/05/27112315/20220531-KCM-Share-100x55.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /><br /><br />
If you’re thinking of <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/05/three-tips-for-first-time-homebuyers/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="buying" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">buying</a> or <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/16/if-youre-a-homeowner-you-have-incredible-leverage-when-you-sell-today/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="selling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">selling</a> a house, you’re at an exciting decision point. And anytime you make a big decision like that, one thing you should always consider is timing. So, what does the rest of the year hold for the housing market? Here’s what experts have to say.
The Number of Homes Available for Sale Is Likely To Grow
There are early signs <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/11/are-there-more-homes-coming-to-the-market/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="housing inventory" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">housing inventory</a> is starting to grow and experts say that should continue in the months ahead. <a href="https://www.realtor.com/research/weekly-housing-trends-view-data-week-apr-23-2022/" title="According" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According</a> to Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com:
“The gap between this year’s homes for sale and last year’s is one-fifth the size that it was at the beginning of the year. The catch up is likely to continue, . . . This growth will mean more options for shoppers than they’ve had in a while, even though inventory continues to lag pre-pandemic normal.”
As a buyer, having more options is welcome news. Just remember, housing supply is still low, so be ready to act fast and put in your <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/03/things-that-could-help-you-win-a-bidding-war-on-a-home/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="best offer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">best offer</a> up front.
As a seller, your house may soon face more competition when other sellers list their homes. But the good news is, if you’re also buying your next home, having more options to choose from should make that move-up process easier.
Mortgage Rates Will Likely Continue To Respond to Inflationary Pressures
Experts also agree <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/04/26/how-homeownership-can-help-shield-you-from-inflation/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inflation</a> should continue to drive up mortgage rates, albeit more moderately. Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist at First American, <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-pandemic-boom-in-home-sales-is-over-mortgage-rates-soar-to-highest-level-since-2009-as-the-fed-pressures-the-housing-market-11651760108" title="says" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">says</a>:
“… ongoing inflationary pressure remains likely to push mortgage rates even higher in the months to come.”
As a buyer, work with trusted real estate professionals, including your lender, so you can learn how rising mortgage rate environments impact your <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/09/how-todays-mortgage-rates-impact-your-home-purchase/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="purchasing power" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">purchasing power</a>. It may make sense to buy now before it costs more to do so, if you’re ready.
As a seller, rising <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/17/why-rising-mortgage-rates-push-buyers-off-the-fence/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="mortgage rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mortgage rates</a> are motivating some homeowners to make a move up sooner rather than later. If you’re planning to buy your next home, talk to a trusted real estate advisor to decide how to time your move.
Home Prices Are Projected To Continue To Climb
<a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/02/todays-home-price-appreciation-is-great-news-for-existing-homeowners/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="Home prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Home prices</a> are forecast to keep appreciating because there are still fewer homes for sale than there are buyers in the market. That said, experts agree the pace of that appreciation should moderate – but <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/10/will-home-prices-fall-this-year-heres-what-experts-say/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="home prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">home prices</a> won’t fall. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/first-quarter-of-2022-brings-double-digit-price-appreciation-for-70-of-metros" title="explains" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explains</a>:
“Prices throughout the country have surged for the better part of two years, including in the first quarter of 2022. . . Given the extremely low inventory, we're unlikely to see price declines, but appreciation should slow in the coming months.”
As a buyer, continued home price appreciation means it’ll cost you more to buy the longer you wait. But it also gives you peace of mind that, once you do buy a home, it will likely grow in value. That makes it historically a good investment and a strong hedge against <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/20/dont-let-rising-inflation-delay-your-homeownership-plans-infographic/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inflation</a>.
As a seller, price appreciation is great news for the value of your home. Again, lean on a professional to strike the right balance of the best conditions possible for both selling your house and buying your next one.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re a homebuyer or seller, you need to know what’s happening in the housing market, so you can make the most <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2022/05/23/work-with-a-real-estate-professional-if-you-want-the-best-advice/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="informed decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">informed decision</a> possible. Let’s connect to discuss your goals and what lies ahead, so you can pick your best time to make a move.
2022-06-01T11:56:00-07:002022-06-01T13:37:08-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:19415Living in Danville California Map TourLiving in Danville California Map Tour
Let's review everything you need to know about Living in Danville California. Click on the video above to walk you through on a map so you can see proximity to things like Downtown Danville, Airports and some of the nearby sites, as well as things like grocery stores, shopping and some of the places you may frequent regularly if you chose to live in Danville, California. I'll also show you how close we are to some of the amazing sights and sounds within the San Francisco Bay Area, so you can get a broad look at everything that the Bay Area has to offer so you can see how close you are Living in Danville California. Toward the end, I'm going to show you things like market data and at the very end, I'm going to show you the most expensive house that sold in the last 12 months in Danville, California!
Danville California is located in the Sycamore Valley and is located right between Las Trampas to the West and Mount Diablo Ridge to the East. Danville, California offers one of the most beautiful views in all of Northern California of Mount Diablo. It’s right in the backyard of those who live in Danville, California. Danville is one of the incorporated municipalities of California that uses the word “Town” in its name instead of “City”. The population in Danville is right around 44 000 at last count and since 2018, Danville has been named every single year the “Safest Town in all of California”. To get in and out of Danville California i-680 is crucial to get just about anywhere in The Bay Area or Northern California. Danville is located just over 30 miles to the East of San Francisco. However, as the crow flies it's a little bit different because there's this little body of water in the way so one of the things about Danville is that if you're trying to get to the City or anywhere in the Peninsula, it's really important to know what's going on with the bridge. The Bay Bridge is the prime point of entry into the city as long as it's not backed up; however, the traffic reports are pretty good at telling you which bridge you should be taking to get into the city. San Francisco is located about 30 miles west of Danville and depending upon how you get there it could take anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour and a half depending upon whether or not there's traffic and what's happening on one of three bridges. To the North we have the San Francisco Bay Bridge in the middle we've got the San Mateo Bridge and then down on the south side we've got the Dumbarton Bridge.
If you're looking to travel, there's three major airports that are located near Danville California. San Francisco international airport, San Jose International airport and Oakland airport which does run some international legs but not as many as SFO or SJC, so if you're looking to go to San Francisco international airport, it’s going to take you anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half depending upon where you're located in Danville, as well as the time of day and you get to choose between the bridges that you'll use so just make sure to check your google maps before you leave. San Francisco airport is probably the biggest international airport, the second biggest International Airport you can travel into and out of, is San Jose International Airport in the south bay. San Jose is going to be about the same commute it's going to be about 40/45 minutes to an hour and a half again depending on whether you're going during rush hour, but you do not have to deal with bridges so sometimes, San Jose is easier since you can count on the traffic a little bit more because you don't have bridges to deal with. Now the final and probably easiest airport to get into and out of, is Oakland International Airport is in the East Bay. You don't have to deal with any bridges and you don't have to deal with going that far south, so it's a much closer commute and will take anywhere from 25 minutes to about an hour 15 minutes, depending on traffic and what time of day that you leave.
Let’s talk about what people have come to love about Northern California and how far away activities are located. Overall, Danville California is located really close to some amazing natural beauty and outdoor adventure. In order to get away and see all of the nature and beauty that Northern California has to offer. Let’s start with Tahoe! Lake Tahoe is located North East of Danville and to get there, you're looking at a drive between 3-3.5 hours to get to Lake Tahoe. It’s a great weekend getaway to see snow! Even though it's beautiful in Danville and not snowing you get to see snow in Lake Tahoe, anytime from November to April. For more fun things to do in Northern California, check out Monterey and Carmel. They are located about two hours South of Danville California. Carmel is a very serene older European Style city that gives you everything that you're looking for when you need a little bit of detox and it's only two hours away there's plenty of fun for kids at the Monterey Aquarium. If you can't make the trek or maybe you don't want to go the two hours to get to Carmel, but you're really craving natural beauty and ocean, Half Moon Bay is only an hour away from Danville. Half Moon Bay is just due west and it's right on the Pacific Ocean. This place offers the most beautiful Vistas in the Bay Area by far. Half Moon Bay is a great opportunity to get away do a little detox and be back in time to put the kids to bed. Another sought after location in the Bay Area is in the North Bay. Sausalito is usually about an hour drive on any given day from Danville California. Sausalito in the North Bay offers you everything from the Marin Headlands, where you've got beautiful views, Point Reyes and little towns like Mill Valley and Sausalito. If you just want to get lost in the Bay and the beauty and see a little bit of history, The North Bay is just an hour away and it’s super easy to get to. Probably most famously, Napa and Sonoma just West and a little North and is about a one hour drive (without traffic) to get to Napa/Sonoma area. If you like wine, it's an absolute must! If you prefer beer, Russian River is located just west of Napa and it's about an hour drive too. There's so much to do within an hour of Danville!!! So if you can't make it to Russian River you can't make it to Napa, there are more vineyards the Livermore Valley. There are about 100 vineyards there and it's about a 30 minute drive from Danville. It’s crazy, the amount of things that you can do that are very close to Danville but not right in your backyard. Now if you're willing to go a little bit further away and maybe you want to spend the weekend or a few days, there are some great stop offs. San Luis Obispo is an ocean city that gives you just beautiful views not quite as sunny as some of the views up in Carmel, but really just beautiful! Pismo Beach is really fun if you've got kids and you like to like to take ATVs in the sand dunes. Another adorable city, somewhat like Carmel, is Solvang, which is about four hours from Danville. Solvang will offer you more of that Carmel feel, with interesting architecture as it was settled by the Danish in 1912. Santa Barbara, with it’s beautiful beaches and majestic sunsets, is also about 45 minutes away from Solvang and about 5 hours from Danville. This is a similar drive time to Los Angeles.
There is one more place I want to show you. There is another alternative to Napa that's really close by. Within about 3 hours, you can get to Paso Robles. Paso Robles has a ton of vineyards and is alot of fun. You can even go to a vineyard and play frisbee golf. This is all roughly 3 hours drive away from Danville.
As mentioned above, Danville is a small town made up of about 44 000 people and just to give you some perspective Real Estate as of recording Q1 2022. Danville median sale price for a home was 2.29M and that is ALL home types: condominiums, Town homes and Single-Family homes. When I break it down and just take a look at Single Family Homes, the median sale price is $2.4 million.
Danville has 6 main parks:
Osage Station Park - offers many sports fields. It's got soccer fields, baseball fields, a Memorial Rose Garden, a playground and a walking path. It's really a beautiful park and is located close to I-680.
Sycamore Valley Park - located right off of Camino Tassajara. The nice thing about Sycamore Valley Park, is that it's got some great hiking up into the mountains that enter in the park. These are awesome trails that take you into the mountains and far away from civilization. It's just you and the cows (and your dog if you bring him/her). It's a great hiking opportunity and it's super close to most of the homes in East Danville.
Oak Hill Park - right behind the Monte Vista High School. This park is one of two parks with a reflection pond.
Diablo Vista Park or Snake Park as it’s nicknamed - also has access to great hiking trails and has a baseball field, soccer fields, playgrounds as well as basketball hoops and picnic tables that usually empty.
Danville South Park which - super close to the highway.
Hap McGee Ranch Park – is the northern most park. It is a large park it's got a great backdrop perfect for photo taking. It's also got a really cool dog park!
While we're talking about parks and natural beauty, I want to mention Rock City. This area is probably a 20-minute drive from Danville and the nice thing about Rock City, is that it's got a ton of picnicking and hiking and beautiful views. There are lots of things to do and see in Rock City Mount Diablo. The other really cool hiking area is near Las Trampas Ridge. This is roughly a 20-to-30-minute drive from wherever you live in Danville. It's a great opportunity to unplug and get in touch with nature!!
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that Danville is being called a town. The town of Danville also has “unincorporated” Danville to the East. These residents use Danville in their address. This just means that these residents are not a part of the town in terms of services. When it comes to things like permitting, fire department or police beats, these residents are serviced by the County. Unincorporated Danville is serviced by Contra Costa County versus Town of Danville. Unincorporated Danville includes places like the Great Mustang Soccer fields. There are a few schools over here like Creekside Elementary school, Tassajara Hills Elementary School and Diablo Vista Middle School. What unincorporated Danville is probably best known for is its prestigious Blackhawk Country Club as well as the Blackhawk neighborhood and HOA. Blackhawk is a gated country club neighborhood. Homes in Blackhawk include Single-Family Homes, Townhomes, Duet homes as well as Condominiums. The average sale price for Q1 2022 in Blackhawk was $2.7 million. Most of the homes that were built in other neighborhoods of unincorporated Danville, outside of Blackhawk, were built in the 1990s. Inside the gates of Blackhawk, most of the homes were built in the 1980s. Unincorporated Danville and Blackhawk have their very own shopping center located at Camino Tassajara and Crow Canyon, and it's called Blackhawk Plaza. There is a Movie Theater, grocery store and tons of restaurants. You can get just about anything you need without having to go all the way to downtown Danville. From unincorporated Danville, Downtown Danville is going to be located about 15-20 minutes. Downton Danville is 5-10 minutes from just about anywhere else in Danville.
One of my favorite things about Danville is that Danville is located on the Iron Horse Trail. The Iron Horse Trail is a 30 mile trail that goes all the way from Concord down to Pleasanton, and it goes right through downtown Danville, so if you live anywhere near Iron horse trail you can walk to downtown Danville very quickly.
When I look at the census data for downtown Danville you can see the population from April 2020 census, was 43,582. Roughly half are males and half are females ROUGHLY. When I look at housing, it's interesting because almost 85% of the homes in Danville California are owner occupied (2020). The number of households in Danville at 2020 was roughly 16,500, which is about two and a half people per household.
As promised let's discuss market stats for Danville California. For Danville Single-Family Homes, as writing of this article in 2022, there are 34 homes on the market for sale. That is up 50 % from last month which is great! We didn't have a whole lot of inventory last month, but it's down unfortunately, almost 25 from the same time last year. Another important piece of data is the months of inventory. Months of inventory in Danville California in March was just under a half a month. Months of inventory is defined by the amount of time that it would take to sell every single house that's on the market right now, if no new homes came on the market. To give you an idea, a healthy market is going to be roughly four to six months of inventory. A seller's market is defined by anything less than 6 months of inventory so you can see that we've got about two weeks of inventory in Danville California!! This is just for Single Family Homes. When I add in Condos and Townhomes, there are 38 instead of 37 homes on the market. This is still up from last month, but significantly down from last year, it's down 33. Months of inventory goes down to even less and now it's 0.43 months of inventory. Price at of the end of March 2022, Median price is $2.28M for all homes in Danville, including condos and townhomes. For Single Family Homes only it is 2.385M. The price per square foot is going up every month.
The most expensive house that has sold in Danville in the last 12 months is located in Blackhawk which is in unincorporated Danville. This house sold for $7.6 million. Check out the video above to see inside. The home is 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and 2 half bathrooms. It's 13,000 square feet of land and 13,750 square feet of interior space this is truly beautiful! With double kitchen islands, coffered ceilings, tennis court, swimming pool with slides, outdoor kitchen, golf and beautiful views of Mount Diablo and sold for around $7.5M.
If you're considering Danville, California and if you're moving in 1 week or you're moving in 3 months it doesn't matter! Send me an email, text or call my goal is to help you get the most information so you can make the best, well-informed decision for you and your family when it comes to moving to the Outer East Bay. 2022-05-15T14:55:00-07:002022-05-16T20:09:11-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:191025 Things you need to know before moving to Danville California5 Things you need to know before moving to Danville California
Danville California is a great place to live and you already know that you know that you can get to Napa within an hour. You already know that the weather here is outstanding!! You know that the proximity to nature trails as well as great hiking is just a few minutes away. When I moved to Danville California, I knew the weather was great and I knew that the sun shines most of the time, but I didn't actually know that it was so sunny in the morning before I dropped off my kids to school, I'd have to pull off the road!! And that's what we're talking about today I'm going to give you my 5 things that I wish I knew before moving to Danville California.
My goal is to give you as much information as possible so that you can make the best decision for yourself and your family so whether you're looking to move in 10 days or 10 weeks it doesn't really matter just drop me a line feel free to call me text me email me
Here are the top five things you need to know before moving to Danville California.
Transportation - we have mountains we have ocean we have a bay as well and so it's hard to get anywhere and everything's very spread out so if you were to go into the city of San Francisco for instance it's 31 miles to get there but if you go as the crow flies it's only 23 miles. Often times it depends on what's happening on the bridge. Rush hour obviously backs up these bridges. If there's an accident, well that could cost you half an hour or 1 full hour. Danville does not have its own Bart station. Bart is the Bay Area Rapid Transit and it has trains going from the suburbs to the city all day long. There is no Bart station in Danville; however, there is a “park and ride” in Danville where you can go and park your car and then hop on a bus. The bus takes you right to Walnut Creek so that you can take the train into the city or wherever it is that you're trying to get to. If you're coming from an urban environment, you might be used to walking to get to your destination, or maybe even riding a bike to get to your destination. Here in Danville, we walk and ride because we enjoy to walk and ride, it's not necessarily a method of transportation because things are so far apart. Thankfully the schools are usually close enough that your kids can walk to the elementary schools.
Moving to a new city can be really difficult to make new friends, but don't worry in Danville, it's so family oriented that new friends are easy to meet. Danville has 6 public elementary schools, 3 public middle schools and 2 public high schools. Coupled with all of the sports that are in the area, school activities allow new families a great opportunity to always meet other families with similar interests. Also, Danville has 6 major parks and these parks have a lot of opportunity to meet family between the baseball fields, the water park (@Sycamore Valley Park) and the strolling paths or even the Memorial Rose garden (@Osage Station Park) it's a great opportunity to get out and meet your neighbors, as well as meet other people who have similar interests. There are two major events that I need to tell you about that happen in Danville every year where you'll get to see a lot of the community come out and just hang out that is the Fourth of July and the Lighting of the Old Oak Tree during Christmas. Now the Fourth of July parade is very well populated from folks in Danville as well as neighboring areas as well, so if you're planning on going to the 4th of July Parade just bring your chair early, so you can get a great seat, because it does fill up quickly! Now the Lighting of the Old Oak Tree happens right after thanksgiving every year and it's a big event here in Danville. It happens right on Diablo Road, at the very old oak tree that is just West of the highway.
One of the pleasant surprises - Downtown Danville area is incredibly charming! The rustic charm is everywhere, but you won't see a whole lot of big box stores here in downtown Danville. You will see local independently owned well-run businesses from folks who are probably your neighbors or who live nearby and truly care about the service that they provide to our community. There's a total of 787 total businesses that are registered to the town of Danville as of right now April of 2022. A large number of older homes have been preserved near the downtown Danville area where there are strong restrictions regarding large developments. The Danville area was part originally of the notable Mexican Land Grant named Rancho San Ramon. Daniel Inman and his brother Andrew purchased a large acreage in 1854 with money that they made during the Gold Rush. The town began as a farming community primarily growing wheat and changed over to producing fruits and nuts in 1891 after the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The raising of cattle and sheep were significant factors for the economy and Danville was developed as a residential community beginning in 1947.
Everybody says Danville is so expensive and while yes things are expensive, Danvillians find a way!! Utilities are expensive here, but in Danville we have enough sun that if you choose to use solar you certainly can combat that expense. Gas is expensive in Danville gas is really expensive in Danville, which is why you will see a whole lot of electric powered vehicles on the road right here in Danville. I'd say over half the vehicles I see on a day-to-day basis in Danville, are running on electric. Certainly, homes are pricey in Danville. I just looked this morning the median sale price for single-family home is about $2.4 million. With that being said, you have got to think about what you get for that, because it's all about value right? Danville has been named for the fifth year in a row the Number One Safest City in all of California! The other thing that you get when you have a home in Danville is the weather. Best Places rated Danville 8.5 out of 10 in terms of comfortability and that's for all year round. In fact, in the Summer Best Places rated Danville 9.4 out of 10.
Outdoor living in beautiful weather, is basically guaranteed! So many of the homes that you see will have sliding glass doors to the outside they'll have tons of space outside that they actually use on a regular basis! When I first moved to Danville, I noticed that that “Frontgate” Magazine that you get in your mail - it's for real out here. Summers are long, warm, arid and mostly clear. The winters are short, cold, wet and partly cloudy. Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies anywhere from 40 - 81 F. It's rarely below 32 degrees freezing and it's rarely above 91 F and humidity is rarely an issue. Summers run from June 8th - October 10th and the average summer temperature is 75 F. Winter runs from November 28th until February 14th and the temperature ranges in Winter anywhere from 41 - 55 F. Just to give you an idea if a wet day is considered anything more than .04 inches of rain. And that defines a wet day, in the wet season in Danville, we only see 15 of days are wet days. You can see why there's a drought here in California. The biggest surprise to me was that the mornings and the evenings get very cool everyone says dress in layers and that's truly the case here in Danville mornings and evenings can run anywhere from the mid 30s - mid 40s and sometimes early 50s in the summer. Make sure to bring your layers!
I hope this gives you a great idea of things that you can expect when you move to Danville California. Absolutely no city is perfect and, in my opinion, Danville California is one of the best cities to live in, because the pros far outweigh the cons. 2022-05-02T10:00:00-07:002022-05-16T20:07:58-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:18989AVOID Tax on Sale of Rental PropertyAVOID Tax on the Sale of Rental Property
Are you an accidental landlord? Or are you maybe new to being a landlord and to rental properties, but you're looking to find a way to improve your cash flow? I know, I know it's two very different scenarios, but either way, if you own property and you're not living in it (or even if you are…), more than likely you've seen the values, just go up significant, if not tremendously! And the big question is how much of that gain are you going to pay to the US government? Well, guess what? There are ways to defer your taxes and sometimes even eliminate them all together. The IRS ruling is called 1031, and that's what this post is all about.
So, just like always, when you make a great decision and it makes you money, the Federal Government is so happy and proud for you. They really want a slice of the pie too! So, whether you're an Accidental Landlord, or you're new to being a Residential Real Estate investor, if you've owned your property for more than three years, more than likely your values have gone up >> significantly.
And you're starting to think about how much the government is going to want of that gain. Thankfully, the IRS provides a magic pill called 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange, and it's named after the IRS code 1031. The IRS decided to reward real estate investors by allowing them to defer the taxes that they would pay on properties as long as they use the profits to invest in new real estate investments. So wait, what's the catch? Well, there are rules and you have to adhere to the rules. There are 5 rules to doing a 1031 exchange.
The property must be used for Real Estate Investment. This does not apply to your primary residence. It only applies to a property that is not your primary residence. It also doesn't apply if you're flipping homes. So if you're buying homes, fixing them up and then selling them 1031 Exchange is not for you.
There is a strict timeline to identify a potential replacement property. You have 45 days to identify options for this property. So once you sell your current property, the clock starts ticking and you've got 45 days to identify a potential replacement property to close on.
The clock is continuing to tick. You now have 180 days to close on one or more of those properties that you previously identified.
The replacement property must be of equal or greater value than the property that you're selling. And it also must be “like kind”.
A qualified intermediary must facilitate the transaction. You can't close on a property, have the money go into your bank account and then go and buy another property. You don't want to do that. A qualified intermediary has to get the funds into their account. And then the qualified intermediary will provide funds for the replacement property. So if you do this correctly, there's a snow ball effect.
This means that you can actually use the proceeds and the money that you would've paid towards taxes to buy your new investment property. And the best part is you can do it over and over and over again. So you will, in many cases, eventually have to settle up with Uncle Sam, but until then, you get the opportunity to use the money that you would be paying in taxes to buy more investment properties. And if you do this multiple times, you end up being THE WINNER because while your tax bill will be higher, you also have significantly more gain to pay those taxes with.
Now, the tricky part is if you're still holding the property and you pass away, once you pass away, all of that tax debt is forgiven. That's right!! Your beneficiary will pay $0 in taxes when they take over the property.
So, you will, in many cases, eventually have to pay back Uncle Sam. But in the meantime, you get the opportunity to use the money that you would otherwise be paying in taxes in order to put down money on new properties and continue to build more Real Estate wealth. I know, I know it sounds too good to be true. The trick here really is that you have to follow ALL of those is 5 rules above. Probably the trickiest of those rules is the 45 day identification period in this market. Properties are moving so quickly that it's hard to identify a property in 45 days. If that's the case, you still have another opportunity. There are trusts that are held for the purpose of investing in real estate. You could always identify a Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) as one of your potential real estate investments to move onto in your 1031. A Delaware statutory trust is a nice passive way to keep your money in real estate, and allow you to utilize 1031 exchange to defer taxes. You might not make as much money as you would if you solely own a property, it's still a great opportunity to utilize your 1031 tax deferment without having to deal with the hassles of being a landlord. Your returns may not be as high, but it's significantly better than paying a massive tax bill!!
If you'd like to talk about either your primary residents or your investment residents, please do give me a call, text, email, or just click on the link down below to ha set up a free 15 minute consultation. I'd love to help you out.
**disclaimer – I am not an accountant nor an attorney, please speak to your account and attorney for advice specific to your situation**2022-04-25T12:28:00-07:002022-05-16T20:10:33-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:18646Urban to Suburban living in Danville CaliforniaUrban to Suburban Living in Danville California
Have you been considering a move to a more suburban location? Are you concerned about schools, about safety, about noise? Maybe even a little bit about cleanliness is Danville, California on the list of possibilities. If so, I'm going to give you my top six reasons why Danville, California should be on the top of your list of possibilities.
If you're living in an urban environment, whether it's San Francisco or San Jose, maybe even New York or Chicago, if you're considering a move to the suburbs, hang tight. I'm going to share with you the top six reasons why Danville, California should be on the top of your list. Living in Danville, California gives you all of the upscale amenities you want, along with the small town charm.
Danville, California is clean and quiet. Everything that you read about the suburbs is right here in Danville, California. I'm happy to say that when I walk downtown, the garbage cans are plentiful and they are not overflowing, unless there's some sort of an event like a parade or a special event going on downtown. In order to see graffiti art in Danville, you’ll have to leave Danville to see it. I truly enjoy it, but it's just not here. You'll find that most of the restaurants in downtown Danville close by 8:00 PM during week and 10:00 PM on the weekends. We do have two late night bars that will give you that fill. If you're not ready for that much quiet in your life, Elliot’s and Meenar’s do stay open until midnight during the week and until 1:00 AM on the weekends.
Danville has that “small town” feel. You're going to find that if you have children and your children are in competitive sports, more than likely, you're going end up seeing the parents of other children, either on the same team or the opposing team regularly on weekends. The town of Danville has 6 parks and operates over 167 acres of Parkland. One of my favorite parks in Danville is called Osage Station Park. Osage Station Park has over 35 acres of lands. It has four tennis courts, 4 baseball fields, several soccer fields, and a beautiful paved path around the park. The Memorial rose garden is tucked away while for you to visit while you're walking around the path in between soccer games, baseball games, or even while you kids play at the playground, it offers a very peaceful serenity just around the corner from all those sports. Osage also has a picnic area, barbecue pits, as well as a playground and more than one parking lot, cuz it does get a little busy on the weekends. This park was named after the ranch that was located there that grew Sage oranges. I've heard that there's even a few Sage orange trees that are still located in the park. I'm gonna go and look for if you've seen the Osage orange trees at Osage park, do me a favor, drop me a line down below. My number two favorite park in Danville is called Sycamore Valley Park and it's right off Camino Tassajara. Sycamore Valley Park offers a playground area, reflection pond, basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, football and there's even a hiking path there. Just about anything you could want is at Sycamore Valley Park. And from April 1st - September 30th, Sycamore Valley offers a water park so that the kids can run around in the water park and just have an absolute ball. Other parks in Danville include Danville South, Diablo Valley/Snake Park, Hap McGee Park (which also has a dog park) and also Oak Hill Park.
Danville also has an amazing Downtown area. We don't have a lot of big box stores in downtown Danville. Almost all businesses are small and locally owned businesses, which innately has a level of care and kindness that can felt in the community and is second to none. Downtown Danville has an amazing library. This library has popup book sales and even has an annual Dr. Seuss birthday party every year in March. Downtown Danville has its own theater and music venue called the Village Theater, which actually has its own art gallery inside the Theater. There are two museums in Danville.
The San Ramon Valley Museum which tells the history of San Ramon Valley
The Blackhawk Museum, which has an incredible car collection along with 4 other amazing museum exhibits.
If you like to golf, Danville has three country clubs.
Crow Canyon Country Club
Blackhawk Country Club
Diablo Country Club
What would a small town like Danville be without tradition every year? Danville does the “Lighting of the old Oak Tree”. It's held every year, right after Thanksgiving to light up the old Oak Tree for Christmas. There's a lot of singing and hoopla! And sometimes Santa shows up right before they light the Tree. Also, every year Kiwanis supports Danville’s 4th of July Parade, but you better get there early and bring your own chair, because the seating fills up really quickly in Downtown.
In mid-April, Danville has the “Sip & Stroll” every year that's put on by the Danville Chamber of Commerce. And if you prefer in the end of April, they also sponsor the “Shops and Hops” in case you prefer beer. These are both a great opportunity to get to meet your neighbors and to try out local beers and then rounding it out in the summer, Downtown Danville shuts off the streets to the and allows collectors to show off their Car Collections. It's a fabulous time to walk around, meet your neighbors and pop into the stores as well as to check out some Collector's Cars. I almost forgot, every single Saturday, right behind the Sycamore Valley Museum, Town of Danville has a Farmer's Market. It's every Saturday rain or shine from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. It's also a great opportunity to try out local organic produce.
Danville has great proximity Nature. Danville is located right here at Mount Diablo. Did you know that in 1805, soldiers tried to capture Indians in the marsh, just north of Concord. And then when the Indians completely disappeared into an eerie thicket in the night, the soldiers named the area “Monte Diablo” (the thicket of the devil). Mount Diablo has an elevation of about 3,850 feet up. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The thing that I love about Mount Diablo is the wild flowers. They bloom in Spring and they are absolutely second to none. At Mount Diablo, you are promised to see an amazing amount of beautiful wild flowers. Now, if you go during a “Super Bloom” season, which only happens right after we get a lot of water, you will see a carpet of Orange Poppies as far as the eye can see. Mount Diablo is not only perfect for hiking, but it's perfect for mountain biking. It's great for camping, picnicking and even just admiring the views once you drive up there. Every once in a while, down in the valley, we get the opportunity to see Mount Diablo - snow covered. It doesn't happen very often, but it is a beautiful sight!
If you have a family, then more than likely, you're considering both schools and safety. Both ADT and Safe Wise has recognized Danville, California as “The Most Safe City in California”. Once again, Safe Wise analyzes reported FBI crime stats and US Census population data to rank these safest cities in each State. Communities are graded based on the
number of violent crimes, which include aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery, as well as
property crimes like burglary, arson, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft that occurred in each of these cities per thousand residents.
Danville, California came in in the top #1 spot with only 0.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, and only 6.6 crimes per 1,000 residents for property crime. This is the lowest in all of California. For schools, if you have kids and you're thinking about schools, you should know that there's are 6 Elementary schools in Danville and all of these have been rated either A or A+ by Niche.com. There's 3 Middle schools in Danville. Again, all A's by Niche.com. There are also 2 High Schools in Danville, California. Both of these High Schools get an A+ by Niche.com. Now, in terms of the Elementary schools, the majority of these are walkable or within about 1-2 miles of every home in the community, same for the Middle schools. This offers a great opportunity for the kids in the neighborhood to walk to school. The High Schools can be a bit further because there are fewer of them. Your kids might need a ride or they can always take the bus.
There is a huge variety of households. Everybody talks about the expense of the East Bay and how expensive it is to buy a home. There are a lot of opportunities to get INTO Danville that people don't to know about. For instance, you could get into a Townhome or a Condominium anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million. Single Family homes are more expensive, anywhere from $2.1 to $3 million and larger estates can get up to the $6 or $7 million range.
As you can see, Danville has a little bit of everything for everyone and whatever it doesn't have is super close by if you're still considering that move from Urban to Suburban, and you think Danville, California might be right for you, Check out my video about the top 3 neighborhoods in Danville, California. We go through everything from what they offer, how much they cost, what the sizes are.2022-04-04T21:58:00-07:002022-05-16T20:12:13-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:183755 Tips to WIN when there are Multiple offers on a house5 Tips to win when there are multiple offers on a house
Do you know someone who tried to write an offer on a home, they were super excited about it, but then they didn't get the home? They didn't win in a multiple offer situation…. I'm guessing the answer is, yes, and you don't want to be in that same situation. Below we’re talking about my five tips on how to write a strong offer and an extreme seller’s market.
I’m going to break this down for you into five tips. We’re going to address myths. I'm going to address strategies. I’m going to address how to stand out as well.
Tip #1) The most common myth that I hear is buyers who think that going to the agent who representing the seller is a way for them to get the best deal on the house. Have you ever paid as much money for anything in your life, as you have this home that you're about to buy? If the answer is no, then you probably want somebody who has a “fiduciary responsibility” to you, in order to make sure that they give you ALL the information and arm you with all the tools so that you can provide your best offer without paying more or waiting longer or sooner than you actually wanted to. It's really important, um, for you to understand that when you have an agent who's representing just you and not the seller, that agent has a fiduciary responsibility to educate you, so that you can make the best decision for yourself and your family, or possibly your investment. National association of realtors, states that if you are representing BOTH a buyer and a seller, it is mandatory that you share the exact same data with each party. So if you use the same agent representing the seller, then how can you really have a trusted advocate who's just got YOUR back, someone who's fiduciary responsibility is to protect YOU in the decision that you're about to make on probably one of the most expensive things you've ever purchased in your lifetime.
Tip #2) The biggest mistake that I see is when somebody decides to make an offer for a home based upon a percentage of what another home sold for with respect to asking price. In other words, this last home sold for 105% of asking price or 95% of asking price. Therefore, “I'm going to make my offer 105% of what the seller's asking or 95% of what the seller's asking. I can tell you that after having helped over 800 families buy, sell, and invest in real estate, this is a huge mistake! When you are doing that, you are essentially telling the seller that whatever it is, they think that home is worth, they're correct in their analysis. Don't you want somebody to pull that information specifically for you? What if a seller overprices their property? What if a seller underprices their property? You cannot make an offer on a home based upon a certain percentage over asking or under asking price.
Tip #3) In my 23 years of helping buyers, sellers, and investors realize their real estate goals, what I found is that a successful strategy to use for a buyer, who's looking at a home, that's going to sell a multiple offer is to find a way to stand out. And the only way to stand out is to contact the listing agent, have your agent speak real estate language to the seller's agent, to find out what it is that the seller's looking for. Maybe they've had a past experience, or maybe they've been burnt in the past, or maybe it is they trying to do something with the sale of their property that otherwise wouldn't be possible. This is something that's really important. It is not always about price! It's also about alleviating risk for the seller and giving them what it is that they're looking for, often times it could be exactly what it is that you are looking for.
Tip #4) Strategy to overcome stress; Being in a multiple offer situation can be incredibly stressful and sometimes even frustrating. Often times, it is to the point where I have buyers who want to “sit this one out”, they'll take a few months off. A tactic that I recommend in this situation is to sit down with your agent before you even start looking at homes, go through the contract, understand the language, understand where your strengths and where your weaknesses are going to be. When you go forward. Once you find that home that you love you and your partner or your family, or even maybe your parents, anybody who's giving you input, you should be able to be thinking about where to place the furniture, do not start thinking about contract language and all the contingencies at that time. At that point, you should already have that well under your belt so that you're very confident and very comfortable moving forward.
Tip #5) Dispel the fear that many buyers have that there are so many offers, they shouldn't even try, or maybe they fear that the market's going to crash. Well, folks, let me tell you, if you look at the numbers, if you look at the Case Shiller stats, home values have done nothing, but go up over time.
So real estate is not a very short-term hold, but even for relatively short term holds, I've seen people make outstanding gains on their investments. So, it’s really important to understand the numbers, understand the neighborhood and where things are going in the neighborhood and where they've come from.
My goal is to have you make the very best decision for yourself and your family. The value that you place on the property that you're about to buy is not always the same value that the appraiser's going to give it. It's not the same value that you're competing buyers is going to give it. It may also not be the same value that the seller or the listing agent is going to give it. So, make sure that you understand the value of the home to yourself and your family and your lifestyle. If there's anything that I can do to help you and to help you learn how to win in a multiple offer situation in a strong seller's market, just reach out to me. 2022-03-18T23:02:00-07:002022-03-21T22:15:09-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:181905 Easy Home Improvements that Add Value5 Easy Home Improvements that Add Value
Let’s talk about getting your house ready to sell in today’s crazy market. There are a lot of people who were thinking about selling for quite a long time, who didn't come on the market. And now they're saying, okay, I really want to take advantage of this market. I want to prepare my home to sell, what do I do? I'm going to outline this for you. Here are my five tips on how to prepare your home to sell.
Today’s blog post will focus on the top five tips to prepare your home for sale.
Tip #1)The most common question that I get asked is in today’s crazy market does it even matter what I do to my house? It's going to sell no matter what, right. Well, you're probably right. However, the next question should be, how do I get the most amount of money for my house and how do I eliminate risk so that I don't assume my house is going to sell and then find out at the last minute, that it doesn't. So the best way to counter both of those, is to get the most amount of buyers to offer on the home to have competition on your home. Doing that allows you to pick and choose who it is that you want to work with. Whether it's more money or elimination of risk, you might even be able to get both. So, the next few tips we'll talk about are going to focus on how to increase the number of buyers on your home.
Tip #2) The biggest stress point about getting your house ready is just trying to figure out where to begin. It's usually, uh, mountain of tasks, or at least it feels like a mountain of tasks to get your home ready for market. So where should you start? Probably the first place to start is to talk to your local real estate advisor. Your local real estate advisor can kind of direct you in terms of what's really important. And what is it that are looking for locally. Now, the other place that you can start is probably with your “honey do” list. All of those things that you look around in your home, we call them “deferred maintenance”, all those things that you've been saving up a list for maybe the handyman to come in and fix, or maybe your husband to fix the “honey do” list. All of those items are great items to start with because more than likely they're going to be things that buyers will come in and look at and they say, oh wow, let's just use the example of the hole in the wall. “There's a hole in the wall, I wonder what else this seller hasn't been keeping up with in their home?”. I should probably start looking a little more deeply before I write an offer because I'm concerned about the lack of maintenance and deferred maintenance in this house. So, in order to avoid that buyer thinking or going down that trail, you want to make sure that you've eliminated most of those things. So they don't start looking for the, I call it “the what if factor”. They add a line item in there for the “what if there's another problem”?
Tip #3) What is most important thing to do? I get asked this question a lot by sellers. “What's the most important out of all these things for me to do?” I would say that the most important thing is show off what you got! The product that you have here is a house you need to be able to see every inch of it, so declutter your home, so you can see the floors, you can see the walls and people can see the dimensions. What I've done in the past is with a seller (who maybe questioned this concept), we took professional photos of their dining room with the rug underneath the dining room table, then we took another photo with the rug removed from the dining room table. Sure enough the picture of the dining room table that didn't have the rug felt significantly larger and we therefore did get more traffic and more showings. Keep in mind, that buyers decide whether or not to see a home based upon what the photos look like. It's really your first showing with the professional photos. So we need to declutter in order for the photographs to come out well for your online showings.
Perfect so that we can get that buyer in there for that 2nd showing, be it an open house or a private showing.
Tip #4) My favorite advice to give to sellers is to capitalize on what you have. In other words, take a look around to your house. You probably have been thinking about maybe remodeling a room or redoing a bathroom. Maybe it's even a kitchen makeover that you've been considering. Those are things that a buyer will probably appreciate in your home. So after 23 years of helping sellers to sell their home and maximize their returns, it's never been easier than it is now to capitalize on what you have. At Compass, we can help you get equity out of your home in order to invest it into your home for the sale process. Usually people can make anywhere from 150% to 300% of their investment.
So if you invest the equity in your home, you will get it back out on the other side. In addition to making that extra money on the home, you're also creating a home whereby there will be more buyers helping you to eliminate risk and get more money.
Tip #5) The most difficult thing for sellers to do in this market is to de-personalize their space. Keep in mind, we're trying to get the most amount of buyers, which starts with the most amount of eyeballs. We're trying to get the most amount of offers on a home to eliminate as much risk as possible in order to do that, we really need to convert this home (that you've got so many memories in), into a product. This product is what buyers are going to walk in, they're going to envision THEIR child's artwork on the wall. They're going to envision their family photos on the wall. We really need to de-personalize the space, so that more and more buyers can feel themselves living in the home. When you're trying to de-personalize your space, make sure that you keep in mind, you're moving anyways. So you're either going to toss it, give it away or pack it. Just keep the bare minimum at home while you're selling your home.
I hope these tips have have helped you as you prepare to sell your home. If you'd like some more information or maybe some idea about property values, feel free to reach out.2022-03-08T15:18:00-07:002022-03-08T18:55:20-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:18154What is the REAL cost to live in Danville CaliforniaHow much does it really cost to live in Danville, California? And is it worth it?
Okay, so let me start off by telling you a little bit about the pros of Danville. The weather here on average is 60 degrees Fahrenheit all year around and Best Places rated Danville, California a 9.4 on the comfort scale in summer, and a 7.4 in the winter. Danville has been rated number one by SafeWise for safety. It's the safest city in all of California! The schools in Danville have been given an A+ rating by Niche. 36% of this village is made up of families with children and69% of those are married family homes, and the rest are single parent home. The average family size is 3.15 people. ??? 3.15?? . I don't know how you 0.15 people. The average age in Danville is 46 years old and it's about 51% females and 49% males. The median household income in Danville, California is $160,000. And the average household income is $214,000. So how can people afford to live in Danville, California? Let's break it down.
My name is Lisa Peck and I'm a local real estate agent with Compass. I'm gonna break it for you really simply into the cost of utilities, the cost of food and shopping, the cost of commute and travel, the cost of healthcare, the cost of enjoying your lifestyle here in California, as well as the 10,000 pound gorilla in the room. That's right, we're gonna talk about housing. Okay. So for comparison purposes and perspective, when I talk about these six costs and expenses of living in Danville, California, I'm gonna compare it to both the US average as well as living in the South Bay and Cupertino, just to give you some perspective.
1) Cost of Utilities
Electric generally runs a typical household of say 2,500 to 3,500 square feet about $350 a month. Now all these utility costs are assuming that the home does not have solar and that it's using gas powered utilities. So $350 a month for electric. What is gas gonna run? Gas is gonna depend if it's Summer or Winter. In the wintertime, gas up to $200 a month. And in the Summer, it's usually around $100 a month. So once you add those together, you've got a utility cost between $450 and $550 a month. Cable and internet is probably going to run you about $300 a month. Water charges are going to be around $200 a month, assuming that you do have a lawn that you need to water. A great hack for high utilitiey cost is to install solar panels and power your entire house. Solar panels on that same 2,500 to 3,500 square foot home are probably going to run you somewhere between $17,000 and $35,000, depending on how you do it and who you do it with.
2) Commuting and Transportation
So being that California is as spread out as it is. You're going to be commuting no matter where you're going. So let's talk a little bit about the cost of commuting. A gallon of gas in Danville, California is gonna cost you somewhere between $4.99 and $5.25 as of recording in Q1 2022. Taking public transit is something that a lot of people do. If they're commuting into the city. To take the bus from the Danville park and ride to the Walnut Creek, Bart is gonna cost you about $2.50. Now, once you get to the Bart, let's just take a simple round trip to San Francisco international airport. That round trip to San Francisco international airport from Walnut Creek is gonna cost you about $24. Okay? So the hack for commuting would be to drive an electric powered vehicle.
You will see our roads just loaded with electric power vehicles. If you have a Tesla you can fill up about 300 miles. You can get 300 miles at a Tesla charger in 2022 for between $11 - $18. Quite a difference between that and gas.
3) Food and shopping
Let's talk about burgers. Do you like burgers? Everybody likes burgers, except I don't like burgers, but most normal people like burgers! A burger in Danville, California is going to cost you $5.65. The US average cost for a hamburger is $4.52. When I break it down and look at groceries, comparing Danville to the rest of the United States on average, Danville groceries are about 15% higher. So a gallon a milk for instance is $2.93 versus the US average of $2.03. Now a Loaf of bread is $4.97 versus the US average of $3.37.
Sale Tax in Danville, California is slightly higher than the US average of 5.09%. Danville, California has a sales tax of 8.75%.
4) Healthcare
It's gonna cost you about $150 to go to the doctor. If you just wanna do a regular checkup, it's $150. You wanna go to the dentist? It's around $130. The only one who gets a good deal is your furry pet. A dog or a cat to go into the vet and visit and have a regular routine checkup is about $69.
5) Lifestyle
Once you move here, you go to the doctor and you eat. What else are you gonna do? Let's talk about exercise. For instance, if I take a look at what it costs to join Core Power yoga in Danville, California, that unlimited membership is $199 a month. Elsewhere in the country, it's anywhere between $129 - $139 a month. Sometimes I've seen a few where it's $165 a month. It is significantly more expensive to join core power yoga and do unlimited yoga here in Danville, California. Date night, you've had a long week, you really wanna take a break, just go out, grab a couple glasses of wine, have a few appetizers and maybe dinner. We went out to Harvest for date night and we had two appetizers and two dinners, no desserts, but it ran us $155 plus tip. If we take the kids out for pizza night, Pizza night is probably gonna cost about $112 bucks. Assuming you get a large pizza, a couple of appetizers and a few beers. If you are movie goer, movie tickets are gonna be $12.75 per ticket. Now, when I compare that to the rest of the United States, a ticket is only $9. 20. So, significantly more. And then when I compare it to Cupertino. In Cupertino a movie ticket is $14.79. These costs are all plus taxes. So most of the people who live in Danville, or if you're considering living in Danville, you may have help with running your household. So let's break that down a little bit. If you have a typical size yard, maybe 5,000 to 8,000 or 10,000 square feet, the monthly cost for a landscaper to come to your house is somewhere between $75 and $100 a month. If you need help to keep up with the cleaning, a visit from a housekeeper every two weeks is about $150 to $200 as well. And to go for that date night that we just talked about, if you want a babysitter, a babysitter is gonna cost $19 an hour. So the hack on this is to entertain in your own home. You can even set up a movie theater, so you don't have to go to the movies, pizza ovens in the outside, you can entertain and have your friends over.
6) Housing in Danville California
With larger homes, larger outdoor spaces, some of the best schools in the state, as well as being named the safest city in California, it's no surprise that Danville has been named second in the state for price growth. We have several types of homes here in California. So let me break it down for you. In 2021, median home price for a condominium in Danville is just under $700,000. The median sale price for duet homes, which is basically two homes glued together at one wall that median sale price is $1.18 million. The median sale price for town homes in Danville in 2021 was $977,000. The median sale price for Single Family Homes in Danville in 2021 was $2.14 million. Now when we compare that to the rest of the country, that sounds really, really high, right? The rest of the country in the United States, the median sale price of a home is $375,000. However, when I compare that to the median sale price in Cupertino, it sounds much better. The median sale price in Cupertino is $2.556 million. If you really want to live in Danville. And you're trying to stick around that million dollar mark, why not go with a duet or a town home? It's a very efficient way to live in a great village. Overall, the cost of living in Danville, California is 55% higher than the United States average. However, housing is 127% higher than the US average. So if you're considering moving to Danville, California, why not check out my video over here about the pros and cons of living in Danville of California. If you have any more questions about Danville, California, just reach out to us: Lisa@exploreeastbayhomes.com or (925) 854-4799
2022-03-06T15:10:00-07:002022-05-16T20:12:48-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:18018Top 3 Neighborhoods to live in Danville CaliforniaTop 3 Neighborhoods to Live in Danville California
Are you looking to buy a home in the East Bay? Are you considering Danville California for your next move? Well if you're looking for the safest city in all of California, if you're looking for great schools and you're looking for more square footage, larger yards and maybe even a smaller price tag than you would find in the South Bay or the peninsula, Danville California is a great place. So I'm going to break it down for you. I'm going to share with you my top three neighborhoods to live in Danville, California.
In 2021, there were 1237 homes that found new homeowners, 982 of those were single-family homes which is about 80 percent, so for this post, I'm just going to focus on single-family homes. If you want information about condos, town homes or duets, just let me know. Now these are MY favorite neighborhoods in Danville, California, but Danville - because of the weather, because of the safety and because of the fact that we have great schools, there are a lot of different neighborhoods that cater to very different lifestyles. So for instance, if you like to golf, we have several neighborhoods that actually are on a golf course, we have large swimming pools in some of the neighborhoods or very close proximity to soccer fields or hiking, so keep in mind this is just my personal opinion. I'd love to know what you're looking for and what's important to you in lifestyle and a home.
<br />I decided to go East to West, because I really don't want there to be any hard feelings...... <br />So, starting out East, we start with my number one neighborhood pick - <a href="https://www.exploreeastbayhomes.com/danville/shadow-creek-homes-for-sale/">Shadow Creek</a>. Shadow Creek was built in the early 90s by Dame Construction and it was actually built in two different phases. Shadow Creek is located off of the main road called Camino Tassajara. It's very close to Blackhawk Country Club and very close to Mustang Soccer fields. Shadow Creek amenities include two swimming pools and two cabanas with kitchens that are available for the homeowners to rent out for private gatherings. There are also playgrounds, two paved walking paths as well as about a half acre of open green space for dogs, kids or anyone to run around. That's quite a lot of amenities for only $95 a month. As of recording this video, Q1 of 2022, the HOA fees for Shadow Creek phase one are $95 a month, phase two comes in at about a $185 a month. Either way, you get a whole lot of amenities for not a whole lot of money. So what kind of homes can you find in Shadow Creek. Shadow Creek is made up of mostly one story and two-story homes with a few tri-levels. They range anywhere from 2500 to 3500 square feet and three to five bedrooms and two to three bathrooms. Shadow Creek homes all have three car garages, the yards are roughly seven thousand to twelve thousand square feet and even a couple hit a third of an acre. So, what's nearby to Shadow Creek? If you have school aged children, you'll be happy to know that there is an Elementary school that's anywhere from a quarter of a mile to one and a quarter miles away depending upon where you are in the community. If you have middle school aged children anywhere from 6th grade to 8th grade Diablo Vista Middle School is even closer it's just a little over a mile depending upon where you are in the community. Depending on the age of your kids, they just might be able to walk or ride their bikes to school. In just under three miles you'll reach Blackhawk Plaza and Blackhawk Shopping from Shadow Creek. There's anything from restaurants, small businesses, a hardware store, a grocery store even a pharmacy. Just about anything you need is there. The nice thing about Shadow Creek is that you have easy access to back roads. If you take a left on Camino Tassajara, you have easy access on the back roads to get you to Dublin (but don't tell anybody, I don't want the roads to clog). The only cons about Shadow Creek are the distance to the highway which is about eight miles, as well as the distance to the Monte Vista High School, which is just over eight miles and is a one lane highway. Shadow Creek walk score is a meager three out of a hundred the bike score though is 22 out of 100. This is probably because we have great access, very close proximity to Mount Diablo. Let's talk numbers. The numbers that i have are all of 2021, so the average sale price in Shadow Creek in 2021 was just between 1.7 and 1.8 million and the average price per square foot was 560 dollars per square foot, which is a steal when you compare it to the sister property at Bettencourt Ranch, where it's 624 dollars a square foot. What i love about Shadow Creek, is the extra large size homes with additional square footage, as well as the competitive pricing.
My number two neighborhood in Danville is <a href="https://www.exploreeastbayhomes.com/danville/magee-ranch-homes-for-sale/">Magee Ranch</a>. Magee Ranch is made up of custom and semi-custom homes that were built between 1992 and 1998 by Broadmoor Construction. Magee Ranch is located a few miles west of Shadow Creek where we just were. It's also located just outside the gates of Blackhawk Country Club. It's slightly closer to the highway at about six miles and slightly further from the grocery that i mentioned in blackhawk. In terms of amenities, in Magee Ranch, we've got views! You've got views of the valley and views of Mount Diablo. Other than that the amenities really only are the green belt which limits the monthly HOA to about $300 per quarter. What kind of homes are we going to find in Magee Ranch? Well, the semi-custom homes are anywhere from 2700 to 4000 square feet and they're traditional and craftman style homes. The custom homes however are anywhere from 3800 to 6000 square feet. All of these homes have three car garages and four to five bedrooms and three to four bathrooms. The yards in Magee Ranch are nothing to laugh at. They're anywhere from a quarter acre to a half acre of mostly flat land. Along with gracious lot sizes, Magee Ranch offers dramatic volume ceilings and many have swimming pools built into those amazing yards. Magee Ranch feeds into Green Valley and Tassajara Hills Elementary School as well as Diablo Vista and Los Cerros Middle School. The high school is Monte Vista High School. Magee Ranch gets zero out of a hundred unfortunately on walk score. This community was built in beautiful beautiful hills. Because of the hills, it gets a poor walk score and bike score, for the exact same reason. Magee Ranch in 2021 saw an average sale price of $2.7 million and an average price per square foot of $669 dollars per square foot. I love the homes at Magee Ranch for their very large footprints they're very large flat backyards and amazing views of both valley and Mount Diablo.
As we come West, my number three pick for top neighborhood in Danville California is <a href="https://www.exploreeastbayhomes.com/danville/greenbrook-area-homes-for-sale/">Greenbrook</a>. Greenbrook was built in several phases between 1960s and 1970s (this is considered fairly old for Danville housing stock). Greenbrook's location is outstanding. It's very close to the highway first of all, so if you need to get to Walnut Creek, Dublin or San Francisco, you've got the highway right there. And then, in its backyard is the Iron Horse Trail. Greenbrook also has its very own Elementary school so for the most part most kids walk to school in Greenbrook. Charlotte Wood Middle School is roughly a mile to a mile and a half depending upon where you're located in Greenbrook, so that's pretty close as well. And did I mention Downtown Danville? You're only like two miles from Downtown Danville. The amenities in Greenbrook is a swimming pool, so this keeps their HOA relatively low at about eleven hundred dollars a year. So what kind of homes are we going to find in Greenbrook? Well, they're going to be one-story, two-story sometimes even three-story homes. And they're going to offer about 1600 to 3000 square feet the yards are beautiful. They're anywhere from eight thousand to twelve thousand square feet and always flat. three to five bedrooms, two to three bathrooms and two or three car garages, many of which have been converted to home offices or even workout rooms. One of the best things about Greenbrook is that it's very close to the Iron Horse Trail, so you can walk to Downtown Danville, you can visit the Danville Library, go to the Village Theater or grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants. Greenbrook is also very close to The Livery which is even closer than Downtown Danville. It's less than a half a mile from Greenbrook. It's also close to I-680, so you can get just about anywhere. Greenbrook has a walk score of 19 out of 100 and a bike score of 53 out of a hundred. The 2021 stats for Greenbrook - the average sale price for a home in Greenbrook in 2021 was $1.75 million and the average price per square foot is $740 dollars per square foot, you can see that the closer you get to the highway, the more the prices go up per square foot. My favorite thing about Greenbrook neighborhood, in addition to the beautiful homes and flat land, is the proximity to the Iron Horse trail. Once you get onto the Iron Horse trail, it's about 30 miles you can go anywhere from Pleasanton on up to Concord.
What's important to you in a neighborhood? Drop it in the comments down below. Not sure if Danville California is where you want to be? Check out my video over here on Where to Live in the East Bay we'll catch you on the next Video.2022-02-25T21:27:00-07:002022-05-16T20:13:28-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:17110What's it like living in Danville California: Pros and ConsWhat’s it really like living in Danville, California?
Pros and Cons
I’m going break it down into the top 5 pros, and then we're gonna take a look at the flip side and the top 5 cons of living in Danville, California. I’ll also share with you three places that you probably want to visit if you come take a look at Danville, California.
Just for perspective, I just want to share a few things about Danville. Danville has a population of about 44,000 people as of census 2020, and it covers almost 19 square miles of land space. Danville, California has been named the safest place to live in 2021. 2021 was not the first year for this award, as it has received it for a few years now. Check out the article <a href="https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-california/">here</a>. In addition to the safety that it offers the residents, Danville has come to be known as one of the best places to raise a family here in the Bay Area.
Here are my top 5 Pros and Cons for living in Danville California:
There is so much to do so close by. You can get to Napa. If you want to taste some wine in under an hour, you can get to lake Tahoe and go skiing in three hours, you can get to Carmel-by-the-sea or visit the aquarium in Monterey in under 2 hours. If you need amazing outdoor views and nature, Yosemite is only 4 hours away. If you're feeling you need a city vibe, well then to get to San Francisco, it's only 35 minutes away. If there's no traffic, if there's traffic, it's going to take a little while longer, but you can go there. You can enjoy the arts, take a stroll in Chinatown and have some of the best Chinese food that the Bay Area has to offer. Even though Danville is a small town, you've got proximity to some of the best pro sports teams around as well. You could go see a football game -San Francisco 49ers, basketball - Golden State Warriors, baseball – Giants or Hockey - San Jose Sharks.
If you want to stay local in Danville, there's also tons of things that you can do. We have one of the most amazing downtown shopping areas in the East Bay. It exudes charm and character throughout. We don't really have big box stores in Danville, it's mostly smaller, locally owned "ma and pa" shops. Danville has 14 parks, including Mount Diablo, which is just under 4,000 feet of elevation. You can hike there or bike there. You can do just about anything there. One of my, my personal favorites is the Iron Horse Trail. The Iron Horse Trail is 32 miles long and it goes from Pleasanton in the south up north to Concord on the north end. The trail stops off right in the middle of downtown Danville. The Danville Library is located downtown and is one of the most trafficed libraries in all of Costa County.
So, the flip side of all of this is that because there's so much to see and do in and around Danville, the traffic can get really "hairy". I suggest that if you're going to a ball game or anywhere else downtown, you consider taking Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). I'll put a link down below so that you can see exactly which cities BART services. We don't actually have a BART station in Danville, but we do have one up north in Walnut Creek or down south in Dublin/Pleasanton. Both of them are usually hard to find a spot to park however. So, I usually go to the Danville park-n-ride. You just put your car there and take a bus over to Walnut Creek and you catch the BART into the city or wherever it is that you want to go.
Schools in Danville are outstanding. Let's start off with public schools, Danville has some of the best public schools in all of California. San Ramon Valley Unified School District actually has their offices in Danville. Danville is home to 2 high schools, as well as 3 middle schools and 6 elementary schools. We also have 3 private schools here in Danville, if you prefer a private education. San Ramon Valley Unified School District gets an A+ on <a href="https://www.niche.com/k12/d/san-ramon-valley-unified-school-district-ca/">Niche</a> for rankings.
The flip side to that or the con is that the schools are really tough! Those kids who do well academically, absolutely thrive in San Ramon Valley Unified School District. My suggestion or hack for that is don't just look at a website and take a look at a number and decide what school you want your child to go to, dig in a little deeper. I always suggest that clients and friends go and actually talk to the school administrators, talk to the teachers and even more importantly, see if you can't talk to some of the parents. You'll have an immediate feeling about whether or not your philosophies and educational needs align with what the school has to offer.
Hands down >> <a href="https://weatherspark.com/y/1069/Average-Weather-in-Danville-California-United-States-Year-Round">Weather.</a> No brainer, right? Actually, we have significantly better weather than San Francisco. San Francisco tends to be a cooler and a wetter. Danville is very dry and very sunny. We get our hot season from June to October. And the hottest month that we see is in July with an average temperature of 80F. Our cool season runs from the end of November until the middle of February, when the average high is 59F. Our coldest month is January, and sometimes it gets down around 41F during the day, but the mornings can even hit freezing around 30-34F. One of the toughest things to get used to about living in Danville is the difference between the morning temperature and the afternoon temperature. We get our heat from the sun. So when you wake up, it could be 30 degrees, and by the middle of the day, it could possibly be 60/70F. We see get those large temperature swings, which is why everybody says "wear layers" so that as it gets warmer throughout the day, when the sun comes out, you can just shed a layer and be completely comfortable. We get the most amount of rain during the month of February, up to an average of about 8 days where it rains in February, and that is our wettest month.
The flip side/con to that is no secret to anyone. California does have massive droughts during the summertime. These can cause wildfires. We usually recommend is 2 things to home buyers, one is to make sure that you talk to your insurance agent about possibly getting wildfire insurance. The other thing is to make sure that when you're looking at a home, you're very familiar with the natural hazard map for the area, which should be able to tell you if you're in a high fire hazard zone or a very high fire hazard zone or no fire hazard at all.
Activities are everywhere - you can do just about anything just about any day of the year in Danville, California. We have 3 local golf courses, 4 public tennis courts and a tremendous amount of hiking just about everywhere you look in Danville. Another activity that "Danvillians" love to do is to swim. Many homes in Danville, actually have their own private swimming pools. Some of the homes that don't have private pools, have shared pools within their developments. Another popular outdoor sport in Danville is soccer, which is the home of Mustang Soccer. Mustang soccer club has roughly 4,700 students a year coming to learn soccer from their amazingly talented crew at Mustang. Horse Riding is a popular activity too. When you get to the Eastern part of Danville, you'll find that there are quite a few stables where people board their horses, so that they can ride them on the weekends. There's a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DanvilleFarmersMarket">farmer's market in downtown</a> Danville, every Saturday from 9-1 where nearby farmers come and bring their goods, whether it's flowers or fruits and vegetables, sometimes even baked goods, as well as coffee. Every once in a while, you'll see a knife sharpener show up as well. There is a ton of biking in Danville. You'll see folks riding their bikes along the streets and even at Mount Diablo. Bicyclists are everywhere and they usually travel in large groups of people. Just about anything you can do outdoors, you can do in Danville, year around. We also have six community parks with dog parks in them, batting cages, Bocci ball , sand volleyball, soccer, baseball, walking trails, and ponds.
It's hard to find a flip side or a con to that, right? But if I have to find one, I would say that people's biggest complaint is that sometimes there's a lot of bikers on the main roads. And so when you're driving, it can be scary if you're not looking around every everywhere. Most bikers follow the rules of the road and bikers and motorists have come to have mutual respect for each other.
Lastly, home appreciation. Most people who bought their homes 10, 15 years ago have made over a million dollars on appreciation in their home. Danville residents have experienced tremendous appreciation. If I take a look at the house values in December, 2020 and compare it to the house values in Danville in December, 2021, they have risen 31.8%. That's right folks, 31.8% in 1 year.
Obviously, the flip side and con to this is quite obvious. It's really tough to get started buying a first home in Danville. And one hack for this is to be able to take a look at homes that aren't on the market yet, or maybe will never come on the market. These are called "off market" listings. You need to find a realtor that you trust and someone who's willing to stay connected to all the realtor and find off market opportunities for you. These homes will sell oftentimes before you get to see them on Zillow or Redfin or Compass.com.
If you’re planning to visit Danville, California, please consider stopping by these places to give you a feel for living in Danville California.
<a href="https://locations.peets.com/ll/US/CA/Danville/435-Railroad-Avenue">Peets</a> in downtown Danville. This is a great way to start your day, I've never been there when there hasn't been a ton of people. It is always buzzing. And it's a great way to start your day with high octane at Pete's coffee. After that hop on over to >
<a href="https://blackhawkmuseum.org/">Blackhawk museum</a>, famous known for its custom car collection, but it's not just custom cars. They have a great exhibit for China. They have a Western lower exhibit, an African art exhibit, as well as an animal exhibit. It's not where locals land, but you'll get to see the amazing Blackhawk Plaza center where locals frequent. Blackhawk Museum is really pretty cool. So to finish off your day, head over to >
<a href="https://rodneyworth.com/locations/peasant-pear">the Peasant & the Pear</a> in downtown Danville, you can get an amazing meal. They have a fabulous wine list. They also have some pretty great cocktails that they're really well known for like a Pear-tini, a pear flavored martini. So check it out The Peasant & the Pear.
So what's your favorite thing to do in Danville, California?
Hopefully, this gave you a great feel for what it's like to live in Danville, California. Please let me know if you have any questions at all.2022-01-14T16:17:00-07:002022-05-16T20:14:12-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:16749What is a Supplemental Tax Bill? 3 things you need to knowThrow it away!? What is a supplemental Tax bill – 3 things you need to know!
If you are thinking about buying a home and researching closing costs, or maybe you're already under contract to purchase a new home, and you're wondering how costs are gonna shake out at the closing table, or maybe you just closed on a home and you got a supplemental tax bill in the mail. If you're wondering, what is this? Do I need to pay it? ….I thought my taxes were paid by the mortgage company. YIKES, What's going on? Keep reading till the end, I'm gonna give you a tip on how to save money on your property taxes.
Are you wondering how the property taxes get handled at the closing table? Let’s break this down into 3 key points:
What is the property tax cycle/fiscal year in Contra Costa County and Alameda County? It may vary for different county counties, but we're going to focus on those two counties right now. property taxes in cons Costa and Alameda County come out in fall. The fiscal year goes from July 1st to June 30th. The tax bill has two different payments. The first installment of payments is due November 1st and it's late on December 10th. Now that tax bill covers you from July 1st to December 31st. The second bill is due on February 1st and is considered late on April 10th. Now that tax bill covers you from January 1st until June 30th, the end of the fiscal year. One way to remember this is NO DARN FOOLING AROUND >> November, December, February, April
How is a supplemental tax bill calculated? This calculation will determine the amount of taxes that are due to the increase in value from when the new buyer purchases the home, till the end of the fiscal year, the assessor's office then calculates the difference between the new value and the old value. The new value is set at the time of purchase. The old value is set as of January 1st of the previous fiscal year. Once you subtract those out, you get the supplemental assessed value to create your supplemental tax bill. Usually, this will create an increase in taxes which could create one or maybe even more supplemental tax bills that get mailed to you, at your new home
Do you have to pay this tax bill? I get asked this question all the time >> If I have a supplemental tax bill, do I still have to pay my property tax bill? Is this in lieu of, or in addition to my tax bill? Well, first off you should know, your supplemental tax bill will always get mailed to you at your home address. Even if you have an impound account for your property taxes, it will not be mailed to your mortgage company. This supplemental tax bill will only get mailed to you at your home, so you need to have your eyes open! Check your mail and pay that supplemental tax bill before it’s due date. This payment is in addition to your property taxes, the supplemental tax bill will follow the same delinquency schedule as property taxes (noted above). This is unless it's in a situation where it gets mailed out between November 1st and June 30th, in which case you just have to look on the tax bill to see exactly when it's due.
The supplemental tax bill is the tax bill that covers the difference in assessed value between when the new owner purchases the property and its new market value to the end of the fiscal year. Keep in mind this supplemental tax bill gets mailed to your home and NOT to the mortgage company. Even if you have an impound account and finally, there could be more than one supplemental tax bill. So be on the lookout.
BONUS: If you want to save money on your property taxes, consider filing a homeowner's exemption. After you move into your new home, a few months later, the county will send you an application for your homeowner's exemption. A homeowner's exemption will allow you to take $7,000 off the assessed value of your home. It could be a difference of about $70 a year. I know it's not a lot. But, it's something. You could buy a nice bottle of wine or pocket that $70 and put it away for a “rainy day”. We don't have many of those though……. So then I often get asked if I get a homeowner's exemption. Can I apply my homeowner's exemption to the supplemental tax bill? Well, yes and no. It really depends on whether or not the previous homeowner had a homeowner's exemption. If they did not have a homeowner's exemption, you can apply a homeowner's exemption to your supplemental tax bill. But, if they already had a homeowners exemption, then it's already cooked in there. So no, you can't get another exemption.
When it comes to property taxes, remember NO DARN FOOLING AROUND.
2021-12-15T18:57:00-07:002021-12-15T22:16:20-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:16605Best places to live in Bay Area in the Tri ValleyAre you looking for the best places to live in the Bay Area?
Either you’re working in San Francisco or you're working in San Jose and now you need to find a place to live. If you've checked both San Francisco and San Jose, and they’re too small and too expensive. Why not take a look at the East Bay, specifically the Tri-Valley area?
If you're considering relocating to the East Bay area and you're just starting to do your research about where you want to live in the East Bay, the Tri-Valley is a great area to consider. I’m going to dig into the top 5 places to live in the Tri-Valley area.
Walnut Creek - referred to as a bedroom community to San Francisco. It's located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, where 680 and 24 meet, so it's very easy to get into and out of. Walnut Creek has a Bart Station making the 33-mile trip into the city much easier if you choose to take public transportation. With a population of 70,000, Walnut Creek has the largest downtown area of all the cities we’re reviewing. Walnut Creek has large box stores, as well as small ma & pa stores and restaurants. Pretty much anything you want, you can find it in Walnut Creek. These homes were built between 1912 and the present. So there is a lot more variety in terms of architecture. The median sale price in Walnut Creek is $1.46 million.
Alamo – is the smallest out of all the towns that we're looking at with a 9 square mile radius. Alamo is located in the San Ramon Valley inside Contra Costa County and it's just south of Walnut Creek off of 680. Alamo is known for its bucolic country feel as well as its affluent lifestyle. There's no real downtown area, but there are quite a few stores and restaurants. You'll find them mostly in strip malls. With a population just under 15,000, this small but mighty town has tried to incorporate several times. Unfortunately, it hasn't done so successfully just yet. Alamo is the most expensive of the towns we're reviewing. The median sale price for a single family detached home in Alamo with 3+ bedrooms and 2+ bathrooms is $2.5 million. Most of the homes date back to 1920’s all the way to today.
Danville's just south of Alamo and it's a small town as well with a population right around 40,000. Similar to Alamo, Danville is a town and not a city. The average temperature in Danville is 36 - 85 F all-year-around. A lot of people come to Danville because they're in search of great public schools. San Ramon Valley Unified School District has 36 schools in Danville. There are a couple private schools as well. Danville's downtown is made up mostly of small ma & pa locally-owned stores and restaurants. You will find that Danville has that small town feel that many folks look for. In fact, in 2020, Danville was named the safest place to live in California. The median sale price in Danville is 1.9 million and the majority of the homes were built from the 1940s up to present day, so it's a little bit newer than Alamo and Walnut Creek.
San Ramon is located in the San Ramon Valley of Contra Costa County. It's located just south of Danville off of I-680. San Ramon has a very dense, suburban feel with a population of roughly 76,000 people. San Ramon is known for its 58 parks, many cafes, restaurants, as well as famous shopping at The Lot and The Marketplace. It's located 35 miles east of San Francisco, and to get in and out of the city using public transportation, you're either going to go north to Walnut Creek BART or south to Dublin BART because it does not have its own Bart Station (much like Danville) however it does have a Park n Ride. The median sale price for a single family home in San Ramon is $1.625 million. Fun fact >> San Ramon was once the home to the largest Bartlett pear orchard owned by Thomas Bishop who now has shared his namesake with places like Bishop Ranch.
Dublin, unlike any of the other places that we've talked about today, is located in the Amador Valley in Alameda County (not Contra Costa County). Dublin is the fastest growing city in all of California. It's located 35 miles east of San Francisco. With a population of 73,000, Dublin has its very own Bart Station to get to the city. All of the homes in Dublin have been built more recently than the homes in Danville, Alamo and San Ramon. In fact, the oldest homes you’ll find in Dublin were built in the '60s and '70s. So the median sale price for a detached single family home in Dublin with three plus bedrooms and two plus bathrooms is 1.5 million. So a little more cost effective than the places that we've looked at so far other than Walnut Creek.
Are you ready to dig in a little bit deeper and see my picks for Best Schools, Most Convenience and Best Value?
Best Schools pick in the Tri-Valley was super hard to pick because they're all very good school districts. But the one that beat them all out is San Ramon. San Ramon Valley Unified School District is one of the top school districts in all of California.
Most convenient pick goes to Walnut Creek. Not only is it the easiest to get into and out of, but it does house some of the largest big box stores anywhere, and the highest quantity of small ma & pa shops. You can get just about anything you want in Walnut Creek.
Best value pick goes to Dublin. Dublin's median single family home price is only 1.5 million. It has access to just about anything that you could want, including a Bart Station to get to the city, as well as any big box stores that you could be looking for.
Overall, the Tri-Valley is an amazing place to live. With its great schools, tremendous shopping, easy transportation into and out of the city, as well as some of the best schools in the area. Well, what about the weather? You can also take advantage of the outdoors all year round with easy proximity to mountains, wine or city life.2021-12-13T10:00:00-07:002021-12-13T17:21:02-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:16555What is the REAL Cost of living in the East Bay??What is the Real Cost of living in the East Bay?
Did you know that 7.7 million people called the Bay Area their home? San Francisco's East Bay is made up of 2 counties - Alameda county and Contra Costa county. We have professional sports teams, museums, symphony orchestra, theater, as well as three international airports so you can travel just about anywhere in the world you want to go when you live in the East Bay.
You've probably already heard and read that the cost of living in the East Bay is higher than it is in most other areas in the country. We're going to talk about 5 different categories for your budget. We're going to nail down what are the cost of food, utilities, transportation, healthcare and housing
1. FOOD - groceries in East Bay are going to run you about 11% higher than they are for the average in the US
groceries for 1 person household average $312/month
groceries for a 4 person household average $925/month. Overall,.
Date night will average $150 plus tip* at a nice restaurant (ie Va de Vi – Walnut Creek)
Large Deep Dish Pizza to go will average $35* (ie Patxi's Pizza – Dublin)
2.UTILITIES – It’s important to consider energy efficiency in homes in order to accurately prepare a budget for living in the East Bay.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PGNE) operates both gas and electric. An Average 3 Bed/2 Bath single family home runs about $400/month. This is for a home that does not have energy efficient improvements (ie solar panels, whole house fan, older windows etc). In California, we're really fortunate because we also have alternate energy sources like the sun.
Water (East Bay Mudd) for the same average 3 Bed/2 Bath Single Family Home runs about $200/month or slightly less. Water is billed every other month. Mine runs a little higher but I have 2 teenage boys at home. This can be greatly reduced by drought resistant landscape.
3.TRANSPORTATION - The East Bay area is actually the 10th largest Metro in the US. The area is roughly 550 square miles. It's a really big piece of land. So, if you're going somewhere, more than likely, you're driving. So, if you work in the city or you work in the peninsula usually, there is going to be a bridge involved. If there's a backup on the bridge, this could cause a delay and a headache, because you can't get around it, you can't go anywhere or take a shortcut!
To get over the Golden Gate bridge or the Bay bridge = $9.05 Round trip.
Gas prices are really important because of the amount of land you need to cover to get around. In the East Bay, we're seeing some of the most expensive gas prices in the country. As of October 2021, gas prices are around $5/gallon.
BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit is a good option and it is fairly well used. A round trip ticket from Walnut Creek to San Francisco International Airport, is around $23.
4. HEALTHCARE - without insurance. Overall, in the East Bay, the cost of healthcare is running about 10% higher than the US average. These estimates are just to see the Doctor without any tests or additional items so it may variy depending on why you are seeing the doctor.
Annual doctor visit will average you about $150 - $200 per visit.
Get your eyes checked will average you about $150 - 200 per visit.
Dentist visit will average you about that same $150 to $200 per visit.
Veterinarian will charge you about $69 per visit.
5. HOUSING in the East Bay is expensive, but it's probably the least expensive in the Bay area overall. So, how do you find housing in the East Bay? and how much is it going to cost me?
Median asking price for a 3 bed/2 bath single family detached home in the East Bay is going to be 950,000. That is the median asking price and not sold price for the last 12 months.
When I look at the sale price for the same 3 bed/2 bath Single family, as of October 2021, that breaks down to Alameda county, the median sale price = $1.35M. Now, the same home in Contra Costa county has a median sale price = $960,000.
Maybe you’re considering renting in the East Bay. A 3 bed/2 bath, detached single family home in Contra Costa county will cost roughly $4,300/month. About 1/3 of the people who live here are renters. In Alameda county, it will run you about $4,000/mo. And 50% of the population rents their home in Alameda Co.
The East Bay is an amazing place to live. It's a great place to raise a family. And the weather here is unbeatable. We have proximity to just about anything you could want to do (hiking, drinking wine or playing in the snow at Lake Tahoe), it's all very close. And it doesn't come without a cost.
Helpful Links:
Cost of living Comparison for any city https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/
Compare daily item costs: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=United+States&city1=Dallas%2C+TX&city2=San+Ramon%2C+CA
Gas prices: https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA
Website resources: salary.com to play around with numbers2021-12-03T17:03:00-07:002021-12-06T14:42:23-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:16127Should You Move to the East Bay: Top 5 PROS and CONS Have you ever thought about moving to Northern California, but you weren't sure what to expect or what it will cost??
Let's talk about the Top 5 PROS and the top 5 CONS of living in the San Francisco - East Bay Area
PRO #1 to living the East Bay: and the reason probably why my family picked up and moved to the Bay Area is the proximity to just about everything. Anything you could want to do is very close to home. If you want to travel internationally, we have three large airports nearby: Oakland Airport, San Jose Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
You can get just about anywhere from those three airports. We also have three major cities nearby: San Jose - 45 minutes away, San Francisco - 45 minutes away as well, and also Oakland - 30 minutes away. With these three cities, you can get just about anything you want. If you want to see Museums or see professional Sport Teams play, they are all under 1 hour away. Let's just say you get sick of the sun (……rarely), but if you get sick of the sun and you need some snow, you've got Lake Tahoe right in your backyard. Lake Tahoe is 3-4 hours drive, depending on whether you're going to South Lake Tahoe or North Lake Tahoe. Plus if you need to see mountains, Yosemite is just under 3 hours East.
Now if you need ocean, Carmel and Monterey Bay are about 2 hours away. If you want to go to Santa Cruz, boardwalk or the beach, that's only 75 minutes away, and Half Moon Bay is about 1 hr away, where you will see the most spectacular coastline probably anywhere in the world. We have Sausalito, which is an adorable town right up in the North Bay. That's only going to take you about 55 minutes to get there from the East Bay, it's under an hour. Let's just say it's Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and you need something a little bit more indulgent, how about Wine Country? Well, we've got Napa and Sonoma under an hour away from the East Bay. Now, if you can't wait that long, you can get to Livermore Vineyards. Livermore is only 30 minutes away and they've got roughly 50 vineyards to chose from. So, no matter whether you want to the ski or drink wine, you can do that very close by in the East Bay.
Pro #2 Should I moe to the East Bay: is open air spaces. Do you know that East Bay Park District is comprised of a 125,000 acres? There are 73 parks, 1,250 miles of trails and 55 miles of shoreline. The link is www.ebparks.org. Here are a few of my favorite parks. One right here in my backyard is the Iron Horse Trail, which is 25 miles long. It was previously the site of a railroad track and it goes between Concord and San Ramon. It was transformed in the 1980s to become a trail that is heavily used by the locals for exercise, running, biking, as well as roller blading. Probably my number two favorite park is Lake Chabot. Lake Chabot is absolutely magnificent. You have the ability to paddleboard, run, kayak, sail and walk at Lake Chabot.
Pro #3 Should I move to the East Bay: is that each little town and city has its very own personality, and has a “small town home” feel. There are 77 small towns where you can go and see an Oakland A's game, errrhh, you can see Oakland A’s win at RingCentral Stadium in Oakland. You can also go to see the Lighting of the Old Oak Tree in Danville, right after Thanksgiving every year. We also have the Pleasanton Music Fest (“Concert in the Park) nearby. East Bay folks travel from all around just to see the bands play outside. Usually a few thousand people travel here for this, or you can even watch the Pig Races at Alameda County Fairgrounds, so you get that country feeling if you want it out here in the East Bay.
Pro #4 Should I move to the East Bay: believe it or not, is affordability. The East Bay is probably the most affordable housing in all of the Bay Area. You get more land, you get more space for swimming pools and yards out in the East Bay. If you don’t believe me, let's just compare a little bit. So, the average price for a single family home of any size in San Francisco County (which includes the city) = $2.39M for the last 12 months.
In Marin County, that same single family home = $2.128M, so a little bit less… When you get to Santa Clara County, which encompasses San Jose and the South Bay, that same single family is going to cost = $1.68M. When you get to Alameda County, that number drops down = $1.225M for a single family home. Sounds like a deal, right? Now, here's even better. Once you get to Contra Costa County, the average price of a single family home is $994,000, just under $1M. You can tell why I've labeled number four as affordability, somewhat of a surprise, huh?
Pro #5 Should I move to the East Bay: Weather. You're going to need your sunglasses all day, every day. Between March and November, you will get sun every single day. So, bring your sunglasses everywhere you go and keep a line item for sunglasses in your budget because if you lose them, you can't go a day without them. The winters here are a little bit rainy and cool, but we do still get sun. It's not foggy like San Francisco, we have a warmer and sunnier climate here in the East Bay. Summers are warm and dry but not uncomfortable. I'm a Midwest girl, and I'm used to humidity, there is almost no humidity out here in the East Bay. It's dry heat unless you go further east. There is a refreshing cooling off at night and in the early morning. I would say that there's probably a few weeks during the year where we might see high 90s, 100’s, but it doesn't happen very often.
Con #1 Should I move to the East Bay: Traffic. Traffic out here is a real stinker because this area was built to be a small town and somehow it has become very, very populated. Because of this, our roads can't handle it. Additionally, there is many times either a mountain or a bridge that you have to deal with to get anywhere outside of your own little city, town, or neighborhood, so many times there is only one way to get where you are going. If you're taking a bridge to get to this city of San Francisco and something happens on the bridge, it shuts down. Guess what? You just have to wait. Getting around is a little bit different awkward because of the mountains and bridges. This city wasn't built on a grid system like many other cities with East/West Coordinates or sensical numbering like 5000 North/600 West. You just have to know where you're going or thank goodness for phones and GPS. Here are some of the traffic hotspots I run into, just so you know, to avoid them. Where 580/680 intersect, there is an awkward merge where the folks on the right want to go left and other people are trying to merge right at the same time. It also happens where 680N and 24W splits off of I-680. You don't want to get caught in that mess either. Around rush hour, that is a very, very hairy situation. Try to avoid those two spots if you can. Well, you might say, "Okay, well I'll just avoid all that by using public transportation." We do have BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) https://www.bart.gov/, which is very, very helpful. However, it's not as comprehensive as we need in the East Bay to reduce traffic.
Con #2 Should I move to the East Bay: Smoke. Even though the weather is a PRO, it’s noteworthy that it's so dry here, we do have a lot of fires. It's throughout the northwest and not just in California, but we've been hearing a lot about California recently in the news. Because of this, we have some of the unhealthiest air days https://www.sparetheair.org/understanding-air-quality/air-quality-forecast. So, when the air quality gets really rough, even if your house isn't on fire, you could still feel the effects because the smoke lingers in the air and gets stuck between the mountains, and you are forced to breathe it in.
Con #3: Should I move to the East Bay Cost of living. Now, I already told you that it was more affordable to buy a home in the East Bay. However, the cost of living and services is significantly higher than many other places in the country. So, even if you want to get a painter or someone to clean your house, or maybe take care of your dog, it's going to be more expensive too. Even a gallon of gas is $5 right now. Restaurants, if you want a drink, is anywhere between $12 - $18, and if you go for a nice glass of wine it's going to be $20.
If you want to grab lunch at work, think again. It's anywhere between $10 - $20 just for a sandwich. So, it is very expensive. When I did check NerdWallet, <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/chicago-il-vs-san-francisco-ca">https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/chicago-il-vs-san-francisco-ca</a>, it's about 50 to 75% more expensive than the average cities across the country.
Con #4: Should I move to the East Bay Not enough houses. There are more people than there are houses. So because of that, all home buyers should be getting an education about what the houses are priced for and what they actually sell for. Usually those two are different numbers. A well-educated buyer will end up searching in a price point that is far below what they're actually looking to pay for a home, so that when they have to bid for the home, they can win. This has actually become a “self-fulfilling prophecy” over time. Now sellers need to underprice their home in order to get the right buyers in to get the competition needed for the best offer.
Con #5 Should I move to the East Bay: It's crowded. There are a lot of people here (remember it was built as small towns). Everybody wants a piece of the sunshine. There are 2.2 million people living in the East Bay. So, when you live here, you always need an appointment for things. Now, if you thought you could go out for dinner and just show up, no can do! 90% of the time you're going to need a reservation for that dinner.
So, now that you've heard everything that I LOVE about living in the East Bay and everything that maybe I DON’T LOVE about living in the East Bay. After all, nothing's perfect. Are you thinking about moving to the East Bay? If you are, just click here www.exploreeastbayhomes.com. There's no commitment. I not to hound you. Reach out and let me know if you’d like some help, but otherwise feel free to look around. If you need some help, don't hesitate to reach out. We're always here for you.
2021-11-03T13:28:00-07:002021-11-21T11:40:52-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14919How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 1010 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 10
Short Term Rental
Looking to buy and sell at the same time? Are you concerned that after you sell your home you might have to give up on some of your wishlist items that you're looking for in the new home? Or when you're trying to time things and to line things up exactly at the same time, but you fear that you might miss out on some of the housing choices if you're restricted to moving and buying a new home right after you sell, you may want to consider moving into a short-term rental after you sell your home, why not? This option actually allows you to have the equity of your home sale in the bank, or under your mattress, wherever you keep it, while you shop around for the perfect home and you just might get the best "digs" of your life.
This flexibility gives you the time you need to breathe and make sure that you make the right decision on the next home. Just make sure that you don't suffer from analysis paralysis and you possibly miss out on pricing or inventory. If you're looking to put together a solid plan so that you can sell your existing home and move into a new home, reach out to us at ExploreEastBayHomes.com, we're happy to help you through.2021-08-11T06:56:00-07:002021-08-24T15:52:14-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14918How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 910 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 9
Request an extended Closing
Okay, so you want to buy a new home, but you can't quite figure out how to make the move into a new home while you're trying to sell your existing home, and how to make the timing work. Well, why not request an extended closing? It'll give you time to pack up and move.
Sometimes buyers aren't very comfortable allowing sellers extra time to stay in the home after they purchase and close on the home because it forces them, essentially, to become short-term landlords. So moving the closing date out by a week or a few weeks may allow a way for both parties to be happy. This allows extra time for you, the seller, and it may actually be the straw that breaks the camel's back if you're a buyer, so you might be more competitive than maybe another buyer. Long story short, try to have flexibility when you're looking to buy a home and also when you're looking to sell, because it may reward you in the long run to be the successful bidder.
If you're looking to time a buy and a sell so that you don't have two mortgages at one time, just reach out to us at ExploreEastBayHomes.com. We can find a creative solution for you.2021-08-09T09:52:00-07:002021-07-25T23:55:55-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14917How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 810 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 8
Bridge Loan
What if you want to buy a new home, but you're still living in your current home that has equity that you need to put down as a down payment on your new home.
Well, what about a bridge loan? Buying a new home before you sell your current home can be super difficult and stressful, especially if your home's equity is the source for your down payment. If you have equity in the home that you're selling a bridge loan could make it easier to time, since your equity can be accessed prior to the actual closing or the sale of your home. A bridge loan is actually a short-term financing option that can help you get a loan for the equity in your current home. The application process for this type of short-term financing can be relatively fast, 30 to 60 days usually. And allows you to have the ability to gain access to your equity without impacting your ability to get a new mortgage. Compass has competitive bridge loans that are available in these specific situations. So please do reach out to us at exploreeastbayhomes.com. Let's see if a bridge loan is right for you.
To see more about our Compass Bridge Loan <a href="https://www.compass.com/bridge-loan-services/lisa-peck/">Click here</a> 2021-08-06T10:49:00-07:002021-07-30T21:59:10-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14916How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 710 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 7
Change Search Parameters
When the market is hyper competitive in the area that you're living in and you're looking to sell, once you decide to buy and sell simultaneously, sometimes considering to purchase in a less competitive neighborhood or maybe even a less competitive price point may allow you the ability to sell high and buy low with less stress. If you can find a home that is a little bit further out of town, away from a major city or from great schools, you may find the competition to be a little bit less or sometimes even non-existent.
This loosening in different geographies or price points may mean more inventory, lower prices, and/or less competition and basically a better deal all around. Be a pioneer! Think outside the box for more flexibility. If the area is attracting large families to the high performance schools, possibly buying a very small home (too small for a large family), might be the right option for you, or maybe going 10 to 15 miles outside of the area that you're currently living in.
Get creative, and you may find that you can win on both ends of your deals while selling and buying at the same time nonetheless. Reach out to us at exploreeastbayhome.com. We might have a good idea for you.
2021-08-04T07:47:00-07:002021-07-25T23:49:46-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14991Key questions to ask yourself before buying a homeKey Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying a Home
<img width="750" height="410" src="https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160835/20210802-KCM-Share.jpg" class="attachment-entry size-entry wp-post-image" alt="Key Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying a Home | MyKCM" loading="lazy" srcset="https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160835/20210802-KCM-Share.jpg 750w, https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160835/20210802-KCM-Share-600x328.jpg 600w, https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160835/20210802-KCM-Share-100x55.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /><br /><br />
Sometimes it can feel like everyone has advice when it comes to buying a home. While your friends and loved ones may have your best interests in mind, they may also be missing crucial information about today’s housing market that you need to make your best decision.
Before you decide whether you’re ready to buy a home, you should know how to answer these three questions.
1. What’s Going on with Home Prices?
Home prices are one factor that directly impacts how much it will cost to buy a home and how much you stand to gain as a homeowner when prices appreciate.
The graph below shows just how much <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/07/06/a-look-at-home-price-appreciation-through-2025/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="experts">experts</a> are forecasting prices to rise this year:<a href="https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/07/29160837/20210802-MEM-Eng-1.png?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-98865" src="https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160837/20210802-MEM-Eng-1.png" alt="Key Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying a Home | MyKCM" width="600" height="450" /></a>Continued price appreciation is great news for <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/06/18/owning-a-home-has-distinct-financial-benefits-over-renting-infographic/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="existing homeowners">existing homeowners</a> but can pose a significant challenge if you <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/07/07/the-truths-young-homebuyers-need-to-hear/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="wait to buy">wait to buy</a>. Using these forecasts, you can determine just how much waiting could cost you. If prices increase based on the average of all forecasts (12.46%), a median-priced home that cost $350,000 in January of 2021 will cost an additional $43,610 by the end of the year. What does this mean for you? Put simply, with home prices increasing, the longer you wait, the more it could cost you.
2. Are Today’s Low Mortgage Rates Going To Last?
Another significant factor that should inform your decision is mortgage interest rates. Today’s average rates remain close to record-lows. Much like prices, though, experts forecast rates will rise over the coming months, as the chart below shows:<a href="https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/07/29160840/20210802-MEM-Eng-2.png?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-98866" src="https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160840/20210802-MEM-Eng-2.png" alt="Key Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying a Home | MyKCM" width="600" height="450" /></a>Your monthly mortgage payment can be significantly impacted by even the <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/07/19/what-you-should-do-before-interest-rates-rise/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="slightest increase">slightest increase</a> in mortgage rates, which makes the overall cost of the home greater over time when you wait.
3. Why Is Homeownership Important to You?
The final question is a personal one. Before deciding, you’ll need to understand your motivation to buy a home and why homeownership is an important goal for you. The financial benefits of owning a home are often easier to account for than the many emotional ones.
The <a href="https://72nut3mk2z64bywh6c1thwjy-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/USMI-National-Homeownership-Market-Survey-June-2021.pdf" title="2021 National Homeownership Market Survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2021 National Homeownership Market Survey</a> shows that six of the nine reasons Americans value homeownership are because of how it impacts them on a personal, aspirational level. The survey says homeownership provides:
Stability
Safety
A Sense of Accomplishment
A Life Milestone
A Stake in the Community
Personal Pride
The <a href="https://www.neighborworks.org/getattachment/73023399-4bb0-4d98-b2f8-8a3aa940d065/attachment.aspx" title="National Housing &amp; Financial Capability Survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Housing & Financial Capability Survey</a> from NeighborWorks America also highlights the emotional benefits of homeownership:<a href="https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/07/29160843/20210802-MEM-Eng-3.png?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-98867" src="https://files.mykcm.com/2021/07/29160843/20210802-MEM-Eng-3.png" alt="Key Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying a Home | MyKCM" width="600" height="450" /></a>Clearly, there’s a value to <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2021/05/03/americans-find-the-nonfinancial-benefits-of-homeownership-most-valuable/?a=523582-c61af3c217d8fc10cce7c64ee2f65935" title="homeownership">homeownership</a> beyond the many great financial opportunities it provides. It gives homeowners a sense of pride, safety, security, and accomplishment – which impacts their lives and how they feel daily.
Bottom Line
Homeownership is life-changing, and buying a home can positively impact you in so many ways. With any decision this big, it helps to have a trusted advisor by your side each step of the way. If you’re ready to begin your journey toward homeownership, let’s connect to discuss your options and begin your journey.
2021-08-02T09:03:00-07:002021-08-02T09:13:06-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14915How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 610 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 6
Delayed Possession
Another way to ease the stress of buying and selling at the same time would be to negotiate delayed possession, when you sell your departing home. This option would allow you as a seller who is buying another home to stay in your home for a little bit longer before having to move out for the new buyers to take possession. This extra time can also help you to pack up and not feel rushed. This delay will help you by negotiating enough time to find, purchase, and close on a new home. This delay could potentially be for a few days up to a few months, depending upon what can be negotiated between the parties. In such a tough market, when the market's a seller’s market with very little inventory on the market, we'll find that buyers can be very, very flexible in negotiating terms that help you sell your home and make a smooth transition out of the home. They've got more flexibility to allow you extra time in order to hedge out other buyers they may be competing with.
This delayed possession is very popular to help sellers get the equity out of their home too, because once they have the money in their bank account, they can go out to make an offer on a new home with fewer contingencies. So it allows them to be a stronger buyer. So if you're interested in buying and selling at the same time, and you're looking for some creative ideas drop in at ExploreEastBayHomes.com and reach out to us. We'd love to talk to you about what a creative solution for you would look like.
2021-08-02T06:42:00-07:002021-07-25T23:47:06-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14914How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 510 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 5
Get a HELOC - Home Equity Line of Credit
Here's another idea for you. If you're looking to buy and sell your home simultaneously, depending upon the market and supply inventory, you may want to ask a motivated seller to help out and pitch in barring some of the risk by asking for a home sale contingency. A home sale contingency, (when homes aren't selling like hotcakes) , sometimes sellers are a little bit more motivated to make a deal with the buyer in order to sell their home.
This is especially helpful when it comes to move up homes, for these larger homes, most buyers would need to sell their home in order to purchase a new larger home. Most families need the equity in their current home to purchase this larger home, and this is what we call a home sale or home close contingency. A home sale contingency is when the seller agrees to allow buyer a contingency to find their own buyer for their home and to receive an acceptable offer to purchase that home.
Once buyer has sold their home now, a home close contingency is something completely different. This is when the seller is willing to bear the risk that your home sale will actually get to the closing table and close. Home close contingency is when you complete the sale of your home. There's two types of contingency sellers, and some markets may be willing to extend these to a buyer in order to get their home sold. These contingencies would allow a buyer to transfer risk onto the seller. This doesn't work in all markets, and it certainly isn't something that works all the time, but it is worthy of considering. If you're looking to find out if a home sale contingency could work for you, visit us at ExploreEastBayHomes.com and connect with us.2021-07-30T06:37:00-07:002021-07-25T23:41:50-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14913How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 410 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 4
Seller Financing
Here's another option for you. If you're worried about buying and selling at the same time. Especially, if you're concerned about the mortgage process and applying for a mortgage on a new home, all while you have a mortgage on your existing home. Whether you own your home outright, or maybe you don't meet the current loan qualification guidelines for one reason or another, asking a seller to finance the cost of the home is actually another option that would allow you to accomplish your goals.
Sometimes sellers are willing to sell their home to a buyer using a private loan agreement with the buyer. It could be for a long-term position, similar to a home mortgage for 10, 15, 30 years, with the agreed upon terms for the loan, or maybe it could be for a short-term loan while the buyer sells their existing home and they get money out of their home to pay off the seller. Either way, seller financing is a super creative way for a buyer to buy a new home while they already own their home and their equity is tied up in their departing house. If you're looking to get some creative ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time, visit us at exploreeastbayhomes.com.
2021-07-28T10:34:00-07:002021-07-25T23:41:09-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14912How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 310 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 3
Custom Build
So here's another option if you're looking to buy and sell simultaneously and you're worried about the timing. If you're worried about whether or not you'll be able to find exactly what you want, why not custom build a home? You could custom build a new home on a piece of land. If you go out and purchase a piece of land you would of course check the local permitting. You have your budget, you have your builder, you have your plans put together, and you get everything you want in this new home!
And by the way, you get the extra time to set up your current home so that it's ready for selling to get you the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.
If you already like an existing neighborhood, you could buy a home that is for sale, maybe one that hasn't been updated. You could knock it down and build a new home. Pro tip though, check to make sure that the local subdivision and the permitting will allow for it.
You could do a combination where you buy an existing home in a neighborhood that you love, knock it down to the foundation and build the rest of the home new, once again, allowing you to have everything that you are looking for in a new home all with enough time to get your current home ready to sell for the most amount of money.
The very last variation on this tip would be to buy an existing home and then to gut it. You could take everything out of the inside of the home, create a new floor plan with a new kitchen and new bathrooms. Everything in it could be new and exactly what you want, all while you're getting your existing home ready to sell.
If you're worried about not being able to find a home that you want to buy all while selling at the same time, check us out. Visit ExploreEastBayHomes.com, reach out, let us help you formulate a custom plan to meet your Real Estate goals.2021-07-26T07:30:00-07:002021-07-25T23:36:59-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14909How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 2
10 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 2
Get a HELOC - Home Equity Line of Credit
So, do you want another idea for how to buy and sell at the same time? Get a HELOC. HELOC stands for home equity line of credit. This line of credit will allow you as a homeowner to tap into and gain access to the equity that's already in your home in order to have a down payment to buy a new home. Many homeowners may already have a HELOC in place, and if not, here's just a couple of tips for you to keep in mind as you go after that home equity line of credit:
1) your home cannot be actively listed in the MLS during your HELOC application process.
2) you'll need to be able to qualify for the new mortgage as well as the mortgage that you already have in order to take advantage of this opportunity.
Sometimes this can prove challenging for some homeowners. Going this route will allow you timing options and flexibility that may help make the leap from one home to the next home. You can list your home while you're still living in it and while it's staged with beautiful furniture, or you could decide to sell your home after you've already moved into the new home. With the home empty, you can paint it, make improvements, and you can put new staging furniture in it. So, if you're looking to create a success formula for how to buy and sell your home at the same time, just reach out to us to us on the web at exploreeastbayhomes.com.2021-07-23T19:00:00-07:002021-07-25T19:17:12-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:14687How to buy and sell your home at the same time in the East Bay: Option 1
10 Ideas for how to buy and sell at the same time in the East Bay Area Option 1
Buy New Construction
The Biggest question I get asked all the time is, "Lis, how do I buy a new home while I'm still living in my existing home?” All of my equity and my things are still in the home as well? And, what if I don’t have enough time to find a new home to move to.
One option is to consider purchasing a NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME. Right here in the East Bay area, after a new construction home is contracted and put into escrow, it could be 6 to 18 months before you actually move in to the new home. These homes are usually built out with your specific finish selections, or it may even be a spec home built with the developer’s upgraded designer selections. Every once in a while, I'll see a home that is built as a builder's model that's highly upgraded, and the developer is trying to sell the model homes before they phase out the construction project.
There are a couple benefits to buying new construction in the Bay Area:
After you've been pre-approved by the developer’s lender, there is usually a good chance that you'll have the opportunity to purchase the home without any competition.
Additionally, you may even have contingencies that can be kept in place, like say, mortgage or an appraisal contingency. Generally, the amount of time to close and move into your new construction home will allow you enough lead time to prep your home for market and to get it sold for as much money as possible. So, if you're considering buying a new construction home or you're looking to sell your existing home and do them both at the same time, just reach out to us at exploreeastbayhomes.com, we can help you create the perfect solution to buy and sell the same time.
2021-07-06T12:02:00-07:002021-07-23T18:59:04-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:13748California Proposition 19 ExplainedProposition 19 in California Explained
Are you living where you want to live?
Well, Prop 19 passed and it's currently in play. How will it affect you and your family?
Have you thought about downsizing? Or have you thought about upsizing? Or maybe even moving out of that rental that you've been paying your landlord's mortgage for all these years? Whether you're an empty nester considering selling or a buyer, you really should know about Prop 19.
We need to take a quick history lesson. Prop 13, passed in 1978, was designed to keep property taxes low. Ad valorem taxes were capped at 1% of the purchase price. Even if your home value went up significantly, your property taxes could only grow up to 2% per year. A side effect of prop 13 is that seniors eventually didn't want to move out of their homes.
Enter Prop 60/90. In 1986, Prop 60/90 was voted into play to allow homeowners to take their property tax with them, but there were a few restrictions:
The new home must be located within the same county or within one of 10 select counties
one could only transfer their tax bill once in a lifetime
The value of the new home must be = or < the value of the original home that you sell
Prop 19 has two parts to it
Intergenerational/inherited tax transfers - addresses the loss taxation from properties willed to children/grandchildren that previously were exempt from reassessment. As of February 16, 2021, these homes will all be subject to reassessment as soon as they're transferred, unless the property is going to be used as a primary residence, or it's a family farm by the beneficiary.
tax portability for wildfire victims/severely disabled/over 55yo -
If you're a long-time homeowner, who's been looking to move out of their home, Prop 19 actually alleviates a lot of the downfalls associated with relocating your primary residence:
You can move anywhere in the state of California, not just within the previously allowed 10 specific counties
You can do this up to 3 times in your lifetime
You can take advantage regardless of the value of your replacement property
OP Tax Base = $400,000
OP Sold Price = $900,000
RP Purchase Price = $1,000,000
New tax base = (RP – OP) + OP Tax Base
($1,000,000 - $900,000) + $400,000
$100,000 + $400,000
New tax base = $500,000
What was the purpose of enacting Prop 19?
help empty nesters and those wanting to move out of their homes for health reasons without facing a huge tax bill
Motivate older homeowners to move out of larger two-story homes to open up space for younger families looking to buy large homes in great school district neighborhoods, willing to take on the new tax bill to support the schools and infrastructure
Support the California Fire Response Fund and to have the rest of the income go toward local government
Will we accomplish this?
Maybe. Yes, we'll definitely open up inventory of larger homes. Many of those properties are going to start coming onto the market. Empty nesters are more likely to sell their home; however, they're going to need to buy a new home. Possibly moving into smaller, single story homes. This could create competition for first-time home buyers. I’m referring to empty-nesters who can now pay cash. Others feel that it's going to increase the two story homes and decrease the single story homes, and basically it's going to be a wash since it's not going to create any new inventory.
What do you think?
visit: <a href="http://www.californiaprop19.com" target="_blank">Californiaprop19.com</a>
2021-05-19T20:50:00-07:002021-05-15T17:24:30-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:13711Should I renovate my home before I sell in the East Bay? Will I get that money back?Renovate or not, is it worth it?
To renovate or not to renovate before you sell your home? Are you trying to figure out if you should do something to your house before you put it onto the market? Is it worth it? Will you get the money back out when you go to sell it?
Right now, inventory is far below demand. A healthy and even market is about six months of supply and in fact, the market time and the East Bay is down to 21 days on average. Market data can help you make that decision. Focus on the return on investment of your money with any improvements and or fixes. Some homes need an entire kitchen or maybe even a bathroom, a new roof or other major work, but rarely does it make sense to do all of these projects. So, having a professional realtor guide you is the key.
Last, how will you pay for these renovations? Renovations can be expensive? They can run anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 depending upon what needs to be done and the level of finishes. So where will this money actually come from? Did you know that you're able to actually use the equity in your home to invest in these renovations before you sell your home? Where else can you put $10K and get 20, 30, sometimes even $40K out? And if you don't need to pay the 10K upfront, it's even better.
Bottom line is that it's a strong seller's market out there. If you're considering selling and wondering what renovations make sense, and maybe you need help paying for it upfront, Please reach out below.2021-05-12T11:19:00-07:002021-04-28T11:23:31-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:13700Should you wait to buy a home?Have you considered buying a home in the East Bay and thought to yourself, “I think I'll just wait until the market prices come down” or maybe you thought, “hmm, I'm going to wait until all those foreclosures hit the market, and then I'm going to scoop up a deal. Worked last time.”
Everyone still has PTSD from the last housing bubble crash. Let’s talk about six reasons why we won't see the housing bubble burst in today's market.
1. Mortgages are much tougher to get. It's just not the same as it was in 2008, when it was easier to not get a mortgage than it was to get a mortgage.
2. Price appreciation. Recently, it was anywhere between 8 - 13% appreciation per year every year in the four years leading up to the housing bubble. Normal appreciation is 3.8%, so this is a huge difference. Now in today's market, we're seeing anywhere from 0 - 8% appreciation per year for the four years leading up to today.
3. Demand continues to outpace supply, and it doesn't seem to be slowing at all. This can be measured in the months of supply of inventory that we're seeing. The four years leading up to the housing crisis, we saw the months of inventory increase every single year, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months and then 10 months of inventory leading up to the housing bubble burst. Now in today’s market, it's actually just the opposite. We’ve had 4 months, 3.7 months, 3 months, and most recently, we're down to 2.1 months of inventory.
4. New construction “starts” hit a high every year in the 4 years leading up to the housing bubble. That's just not the case now. We've actually had 13 straight years of ‘below the 50 year average’ in new home starts.
5. Low interest rates and increased wages have kept affordability relatively high. Did you know that a home buyer actually only needs to use 14.9% of his/her income to qualify for a home mortgage now? Back in 2006, this number was over 25% of his/her income to qualify. Big difference!
6. And probably the biggest reason we won’t see a bubble burst is that people are no longer using their homes as ATM machines to finance their lifestyles using long-term gain assumptions that just never came true.
The bottom line is that we are absolutely not in the same situation we were in before the housing crisis. If you're looking to buy a home and you want some facts and numbers, just reach out below.2021-05-04T18:00:00-07:002021-04-28T11:18:46-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:13699How to get your offer accepted in a strong seller's marketBuying a home in today's seller’s market may seem overwhelming, but it really doesn't have to be. Let’s talk about how to get YOUR offer accepted. Here's four ideas for you to consider:
1- Know what's important to the seller. It's a seller’s market. Maybe they need to rent back the home. Maybe they're adamant about how the home will be used or not used in the case of a builder who's going to knock it down. Price is important, but it's not always everything. Not only do sellers want to get the most money, but they're also looking to minimize their risk.
2- Offers should always be clean and concise. Today, the average seller across the country receives 3.7 offers. Here in the Bay, we're getting 10 to 30 offers on listings. There's just not enough time for the seller to respond and counter offer with each and every buyer. So, usually, they'll just opt for the top few offers and speak to only those buyers/agents. Your goal is to get a seat at that table!
3- Know your numbers. Not only the comparable sales in the area, but what can you afford. And how will that fit into your family's budget? A good rule of thumb to use is that $10,000 in purchase price equates to about $45 a month.
4- Move quickly and put your best foot forward when you know it's the right home. Unfortunately, in today's market, if you snooze, you lose. Make your initial offer strong. A good real estate agent is going to make sure that they champion you and let you know exactly what it is you need to do to get a seat at the table. Stay flexible, because after you submit your offer, the seller can either accept it, reject it, or negotiate it. Honestly, sometimes this is where the magic happens for a buyer.
Remember, listen to your real estate advisor. Let them advocate for you and educate you so you can make the best decision for your family. Bottom line is that you've got to trust in the process and trust in your team. Remember, let your home buying advocates guide you, not your emotions. Let's connect below to make sure your offer rises to the top.2021-04-27T17:48:00-07:002021-04-28T11:18:10-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:13328Scared to Sell? Don't be!With so much being made of low inventory, plus a pandemic, many sellers are choosing to delay their moves instead of taking their chances and potentially having nowhere to move after they sell. This is truly unwarrented.
You have many options!
Here are six options to help you transition to your new home…
Option No. 1: Rent Back/Lease Back
Many of today’s buyers are willing to make extraordinary sacrifices in order to get the home they desire.
One option is to negotiate the ability to rent or lease your home in order to provide sufficient time for you to find and purchase a new home after their sale closes.
Option No. 2: Extend the Closing Date
Another option available to homeowners is to simply extend the closing date to allow valuable “search time” for their new house.
Today’s buyers are flexible. This is a viable option to stay in your home while they find your next home.
Option No. 3: Make the Sale Contingent on Finding a Home
There’s no reason you can’t write into the contract that it only goes through “if and when” you find a new home and get under contract.
Option No. 4: Move into a Rental Property
Airbnb has many options for furnished homes that are ready to let you stay worry free.
That way, you can sell your home free and clear and then be in a power position and ready to pounce when you find the right property for your next home.
Option No. 5: Be Confident
We study the MLS daily, talk to buyers and sellers regularly, constantly speak to other agents and often get early access to off-market properties. Our marketing plan exceeds the rest of the market.
Option No. 6: You Can Always Say No!
One alternative sellers often overlook is this “worst-case scenario” option – they can always turn down an unaccepted offer and decide to stay put if things don’t work out.
As a seller in today's market, YOU are the one in control throughout the process.
If you're looking to find out what your personalized options are, connect below!2021-03-26T10:37:00-07:002021-03-26T11:49:55-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12485Adding a second story to your homeThings to Consider Before Adding a Second Story to Your Home
If you love your neighborhood but need more space, you might consider an addition to your home. If expanding on the first floor is not an option, then adding a second floor might be an option. Unlike ground-level expansions, adding a second floor is more complicated—before you embark on this kind of project, there are some elements you should consider first.
• Cost – You already know that adding square footage will not be cheap, but adding a second story comes with additional costs. You will need to consult a structural engineer and plans should be drawn up by an architect. You’ll also need to add at least one staircase. You might need to relocate HVAC, ducting, and any other items housed in the current attic space.
• Construction – Living on premises through this kind of addition is different from adding space on the first floor. Utilities will need to be turned off and the roof removed. You will need to provide protection for any household items and most likely move out during the process.
• Space Restrictions – The amount of space you can add to a second story is limited by structural concerns. This means that depending on current construction, you might be limited in the amount of space you can add. Make sure the new space will be worth the cost and hassle for your needs.
• Moving Instead – While you might want to stay in your current location, moving might be a better option. It could be worth investigating other options before starting this kind of major construction project.
Adding a second story is not as easy as it sounds. If you love your neighborhood, street, school…it might be worth the cost and effort. Before starting, make sure you understand everything involved, so you can make the best decision for you and your family. 2021-03-07T19:21:00-07:002021-03-26T11:28:24-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12484Should I accept the previous inspection?Should You Accept the Previous Buyer’s Inspection Report?
Sometimes a home falls out of contract. Most buyers assume that it is because the buyer found out something bad about the home, but there are many reasons for a home to come back on the market that are unrelated to the condition of the home. During the contingency period if there is one, most buyers can cancel for almost any reason – or even no reason.
Of course, the listing agent and seller are motivated to get the home back under contract as quickly as possible and may offer the previous buyer’s home inspection report to the new buyer. Some may even ask that the new buyer remove their right to a home inspection, based on the one they offer.
If you have been offered the previous buyer’s inspection report, you’re probably wondering if you should accept it and remove that contingency. In a fast-moving seller’s market, it might be tempting, but before you accept the report, there are a few considerations:
• Before accepting the inspection, do your research. Who did the inspection? Is it a reputable, licensed home inspector? Check public review sites for comments and customer satisfaction. Check their license with the issuing board and see if they have had any violations or suspensions.
• Once you verify the company, give them a call. Make sure they have performed a comprehensive inspection. Many companies offer both a comprehensive and a simpler, cheaper, visual inspection.
• Finally, read the report carefully. If there are issues discovered, ask for clarification and consider paying for the inspector to meet you at the home to discuss the report in person with you.
Accepting the home inspection might seem like a good idea – both to make your offer more appealing to the seller and to save a few dollars – but before you remove the home inspection contingency, do your homework. Make sure you understand the real condition of the property before you buy it. 2021-02-28T19:14:00-07:002021-01-24T19:20:38-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12483A new kitchen without remodeline5 Perfect Kitchen Upgrades for a New Look Without Remodeling
Almost every homeowner dreams of a brand new, state-of-the-art kitchen, but kitchen remodels are expensive and can often take months to complete. Fortunately, there are a few easy changes you can make which will give you the updated look you crave without the expense or the same amount of mess or time.
5 Perfect Kitchen Upgrades
1.Cabinets – Cabinets do not need to be replaced to change the look of your kitchen. Consider refacing which leaves the bases in place and changes only the exterior of the cabinetry. Even a fresh coat of paint in a chic new color will dramatically change the look of your kitchen – often a weekend project.
2.Backsplash and Countertops – Trends come and go, if you are still looking at black granite countertops and backsplash, you can lighten up with one of the latest white toned options. From bright subway tiles to subtle gray, blue and sand tones, a new backsplash and countertop will quickly change the feel of your space.
3.Lighting – Now is the time to remove the old fluorescent lights and replace them with some of the latest trends in lights. Style magazines show a variety of options including chandeliers, once reserved only for formal dining rooms.
4.Hardware – Change those old pulls and knobs. This is a simple change that can add some contemporary style to your kitchen.
5.Appliances – Dated black or white appliances can pull down the look of the kitchen. Modern stainless steel appliances have become as affordable as the old styles.
Adding a contemporary update to your kitchen doesn’t have to set you back too much money. Take a quick inventory of the space and you’ll see that a few simple changes can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your kitchen. 2021-02-21T19:08:00-07:002021-01-24T19:13:44-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12482Do you want to buy your dream home this year??
3 Benefits to Buying Your Dream Home this Year
Finding the perfect time to buy a home is a challenge that requires research and a bit of luck. While timing the purchase perfectly might be desirable, the truth is the right time is a personal decision. As we enter 2021, you might be wondering if this is the right time to buy your dream home. Here are 3 great reasons why you should consider buying that dream home this year.
1. A Home is a Great Investment – Real estate remains one of the best investments one can have. Based on hard assets, real estate tends to weather the ups and downs long term better than other investment tools, such as stocks or bonds.
2. Mortgage Interest Rates are Low – Interest rates have fallen over the past year below 3% in many cases. This extra purchasing power is important when buying your dream home and this is a good time to lock in that rate for the next 30 years.
3. Hedge Against Inflation – Rental costs continue to rise and as the economy heats up, inflation becomes more of a possibility. A fixed 30-year mortgage freezes your housing costs and works as a buffer from inflation which is impacting the rental market.
4. New meaning to home - The pandemic has caused Americans and humans everywhere to really think about how they want to live in their homes with their families or pods. How do you use your home. Is it efficient for how you spend your time. Do you have space to work, to play, to workout? If not, now may be the perfect time to find a new home that suits more of your needs.
Owning property is almost always a good investment. If you’ve been thinking about exchanging your current home for your dream house, 2021 could offer the right time to move up. 2021-02-14T18:59:00-07:002021-01-24T19:08:03-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12481Simple Steps to make your home show wellTips to Quickly Make Your Home Show-Ready
You may like it so much you change your mind!!??!! Everyone dreams of living in a model home – a beautiful modern room with the perfect vase of flowers sitting decoratively on a glass side table. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work this way. Our homes tend to look more “lived in” with a pile of shoes by the front door, school books on the kitchen table, and cat hair on the sofa.
If you have your home listed for sale, then you also know the stress of looking around your home after a phone call requesting a showing with a few minutes’ notice. You want your home to show well so the buyers can see the beauty of the home you love, but with such short notice, how can you convert the lived-in look to a show-ready property?
Fortunately, there are a few tricks for helping you keep your home show-ready at any time.
• Plan in Advance – Before you even list your house, consider the adjustment you’ll need to make in your lifestyle. Move non-essential items to a storage unit, to not only create visual appeal but make it easier to clean quickly.
• Containers – A simple way to quickly eliminate toys, clothes, shoes, sports equipment, and other items is storage bins. Keep some handy to throw excess items into before a buyer shows up, and move them to the garage or basement, or even the back of a vehicle. I always kept a fancy beautiful box to throw toys in last minute in the family room and my kids bedrooms.
• Establish a Routine – Get everyone in the family involved in establishing a daily routine. The less clutter that accumulates, the easier it is to move out of sight quickly. All family members should have morning and evening duties to keep the home tidy. If things are kept up on a daily basis, it will make the clutter and mess less overwhelming. Kids were always ready to play hoops to get their toys into their boxes whenever we had a showing scheduled. Make it fun!!
Unfortunately, your life doesn’t stop just because you’ve listed your home for sale. Keep it show-ready by preparing in adva. Once, so those last-minute buyers can see your home’s charm and not the day’s clutter.
2021-02-07T18:48:00-07:002021-01-24T18:59:07-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12480Myths holding back buyers2 Myths Holding Back Home Buyers
Buying a home is a huge commitment that should be considered carefully before undertaking. Not only are you committing to years of the mortgage, but you are also putting down roots in a community for some period of time. As more and more Millennials consider the pros and cons of buying their first home, they are often confronted with a barrage of information containing half-truths and outright lies. Here are 2 common myths which cause my potential buyers to hold off buying a home.
Myth #1 – You have to have a 20% down payment.
While it’s true that most 0% down loans have disappeared after the mortgage meltdown last decade, it’s also true that there are some very attractive loan options which do not require a 20% down payment. Although loans with less than an 80% loan-to-value do require private mortgage insurance, which add cost to the monthly payment, there are many options available with a lower down payment; many lenders offer conventional loans with 5-10% down payments, FHA loans for first time home buyers require only 3.5% down payment. Qualified veterans can also use the VA loan program to purchase a home with 0%.
Myth #2 – You need great credit
While it is certainly helpful to have a high FICO score and great credit, there loan programs available for buyers will lower scores. In fact, a survey done last fall indicated that over 50% of new loans in the past year were for people with FICO scores in the 600-649 range.
The main point is that buying a home is a great investment in your future, both financially and personally. Before you assume you aren’t ready to buy a home, talk with a lender and learn your options. Don’t let these myths keep you from a new home. 2021-01-31T18:37:00-07:002021-01-24T18:48:12-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:12479Changes in the mortgage market since CovidChanges in the Mortgage Market Since COVID-19
It's been difficult to adjust to a new normal. The mortgage industry has taken a big hit that has directly affected homeowners, renters, and investors alike.
There are many who are in the final stages of closing on their homes, and the current pandemic has made it difficult to efficiently move forward with the process. To help, desktop and exterior-only appraisals are being accepted as long as there is sufficient property information available online. Potential borrowers can also now submit their verification of employment via email, paystub, or bank statement to help streamline the process.
Significant changes have been made during the recent outbreak of COVID-19 to help homeowners get through this trying time. Those who have lost their jobs may be eligible for reduced or suspended mortgage payments while they regain their footing and find new employment. Homeowners who are behind on their mortgage will also receive help to create a plan to maintain or reduce their monthly payments moving forward.
Renters who are currently unable to make their monthly rent payments are advised to reach out directly to their landlords. Owners of these properties will be given mortgage forbearance by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac if they suspend all evictions for renters that have been directly affected by COVID-19. This plan is directly designed to prevent tenants from being evicted because they are unable to pay their rent due to a recent loss of their job.
One huge benefit of the recent changes in the mortgage market is that interest rates have been near an all-time low, and it may be an excellent time to buy your first home or refinance your current mortgage. If you've had your eye on the market for a while now and want to take advantage of the current interest rates, it's the perfect time to do so before rates go back up. If you need the number for an excellent lender, let me know. I can introduce you to one of our amazing lender partners. 2021-01-24T18:23:00-07:002021-01-24T18:36:05-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:10223Organize and Declutter your home during the HolidaysOrganize and Declutter While You’re Home for the holidays
During a time when so many people are hunkering down at home, it can be challenging to keep a tidy house, especially when you have kids, pets, and other adults living in the same space. It can be stressful and overwhelming at times, trying to find a balance of keeping everything organized and clean while maintaining one’s sanity. There are a few tips to help keep your house in order while everyone is home, and while you have some downtime to knock out some much-needed organization projects. Schedule Clean-Up Time Before Bed Take ten minutes every evening for the entire family to help clean up the house. Run the dishwasher, wipe down the countertops, and put away any clothes lying on the floor. This is also a great time to have your kids help by cleaning up their toys, books, or any crafts they used during the day. Everyone will start each morning off with a clean living space and play area. It’ll make it much more manageable to maintain throughout the day, and when the time comes to tidy up in the evening, the mess won’t be so overwhelming. Clean Out the Junk Drawer There is always at least one drawer or cupboard in every household that becomes a collecting place for items without homes. Take some time to clean it out and make it into a manageable space again. Make it easier to identify where odds and ends go, to help prevent the drawer or cupboard from getting cluttered again. Combine Similar Items Use any containers you already have at home, or order a few online to get organized. Totes, boxes, or baskets can help contain items and make them easier to find. Start with your kitchen and craft area by combining similar items together—for example, cereal, pasta, rice, crayons, beads, etc. This makes it easy to take inventory of everything you have by keeping the same types of items together. Label Your Containers Once you’ve taken the time to consolidate and put all like items together, make sure to label each container with its contents. This will make it much easier to find what you’re looking for, especially when you can’t see inside the boxes or jars you’re using for storage. Spending a significant amount of unplanned time at home can seem daunting at first. However, if you take the time to organize while you’re at home with your family, it’ll leave your space feeling much cleaner, and you’ll better enjoy your surroundings. In addition, it will be much easier to find everything that you need once your life gets back to normal, and everyone gets back into their routines. 2021-01-08T10:05:00-07:002020-12-23T18:51:29-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:10222Keeping the homeownership dream aliveKeeping the Homeownership Dream Alive
Buying and owning your own home is no easy task, and there are moments on everyone's journey when they feel like it's impossible. However, there are plenty of resources available to help make your dream of becoming a homeowner a reality. The first step you should take when you're ready to consider buying a home is to check your credit score and/or start building your credit. Lenders want to see that you’ve been able to pay back borrowed money on time, and without missing payments or defaulting on the loan. If you have a poor credit score, you'll need to spend the next several months, or even years in some cases, improving it by paying off any debt you currently have and making sure to make all payments on time in the future. This is a great time to find a mortgage loan officer that you trust. They will periodically check in on your progress and make any suggestions to further improve your credit score. Another way to keep your dream of homeownership alive is to start saving NOW, at whatever stage you’re at. Putting aside even a few dollars here and there will be a step toward that dream. When you're ready to purchase your first home, you'll need to make a down payment and you’ll be responsible for all the services and expenses required to finalize a mortgage at the time of closing. These typically cost between 2% to 5% of the total loan amount. So, get in the habit of putting some money aside from every paycheck to help fuel your dream of owning a home. When the time comes for you to start looking at houses, tell your realtor your budget upfront. Contact your mortgage lender to get pre-approved for this amount. Remember to take into consideration your down payment and closing costs. This will make sure your realtor only shows you homes that you can afford, to avoid the stress of trying to figure out how to make payments on a home you love but can't afford. In the end, remember not to get discouraged. Even if you're not able to become a homeowner right now, that doesn't mean that you won't in the future. Utilize your trusted loan officer and realtor to help you decide when you're ready to buy a house and to help you stay within your desired price range. Your dream of homeownership is closer to coming true than you might think! 2021-01-06T12:02:00-07:002020-12-23T18:49:44-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:10217Repurposing Old Furniture7 Cool Ways to Repurpose Old Furniture
Are you looking for a fun project that will add some pizzazz to your home – that doesn’t require a degree in carpentry? Before you leave your old furniture on the curb with a sign that says, “free to good owner,” here are 7 creative ideas that will revitalize that furniture and leave anyone feeling handy.
1. Rustic Planter – Enhance any backyard space by painting an old bedroom side table with a fun color, pull out the drawer, and use it as a planter.
2. Kitchen Island – No built-in island? Transform an old dresser by adding a custom countertop. The drawers will come in handy also.
3. Crib Appeal – We all need more storage. Take off one of the side rails of that old crib and add a piece of glass or butcher block on top to make a cool bookcase or craft table.
4. Cabinet Door Headboard – Reuse those old cabinet doors by creating a custom headboard for a guest bedroom. Paint white or multi-colors for a country chic look.
5. Vanity Transformation – Remove the backing from an old dresser, add a sink, and you have a cool vanity for your bathroom.
6. Bedspring Bottle Holders – No wine rack? No problem. Remove old mattress bedsprings, attach to a wood panel, and store your wine bottles with this cool rack.
7. Pet Bed – Every pampered pet needs a bed. A drawer from an old dresser makes a cool pet bed. Attach some short furniture legs and add a cushion for indoor or outdoor use.
If you have some time on your hands and old furniture to get rid of, maybe you can repurpose them and spruce up your décor at the same time with these fun ideas. 2021-01-05T07:50:00-07:002020-12-23T18:47:39-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:10220At Home Family Night ActivitiesAt-Home Family Night Activities During the past couple of months, families have been asked to stay at home. It can be challenging to keep everyone entertained when we aren’t able to go out of the house except to work in essential jobs, enjoy fresh air, and get groceries. Luckily, there are plenty of fun activities that the entire family can do together at home. Here are a few to inspire your own family to make lasting memories while spending quality time together at home.
1. Movie Night—This is a simple activity that everyone will enjoy. Every time you have a movie night, let a different family member pick their favorite. That way, everyone will have a turn choosing something to watch in the coming weeks. Better yet, consider a movie marathon over the weekend and allow each family member to choose one leg of the marathon. Don’t forget to bring popcorn and treats. In fact, make it part of the activity and make a delicious treat as a family to share during the movie.
2. Homemade Pizza—Many families have a tradition of ordering pizza once a week (or when no one feels like cooking). Do things a little different while you’re all at home together and learn to make pizza at home. Choose one type that everyone enjoys, or let everyone make a personal-sized pizza and add whatever toppings they’d like. Learning to make pizza at home is also an excellent opportunity to teach your kids a new skill.
3. Backyard Camping—Just because you can’t go out on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t have a family outing in nature. Involve the whole family in setting up the tents and sleeping bags in your yard. Have a campfire, sing songs, tell stories, and roast marshmallows. Before bed, take some time to admire the stars. The best part is that everyone can get ready for bed in the house, and it’ll be easy to make a delicious breakfast when everyone wakes up in the morning.
4. Dance Party—Make a playlist of your family members’ favorite songs. Gather together in one room and dance to your new playlist. It’ll be a great way to laugh together and let go of any stress you may be feeling at the moment. It’s also a great way to get moving and get some exercise!
5. Art Night—Bring out the crayons, pencils, watercolors, and paper. Come up with a theme, such as summertime, animal friends, or family portraits. It’ll be fun to see what everyone comes up with while allowing them to get creative.
During an uncertain time, it can be challenging to know how to keep your entire family entertained. However, it’s the perfect opportunity to make memories and do things that you don’t always have time to do together. Cherish these fleeting moments with your loved ones.2020-12-23T12:58:00-07:002020-12-23T18:44:01-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:10219Preparing your home for a Virtual TourPreparing Your Home for a Virtual Tour
This Technology is helpful in so many areas of life, even real estate. Twenty years ago, if someone were moving across the country, they'd have to wait to buy a house until they arrived to start their new life, or they’d have to buy a home without seeing it in person beforehand. Both options would cause extra unwanted stress on top of moving to an unfamiliar place. Luckily, with the rise of technology, virtual tours are here to save the day! When it comes to creating a virtual tour, don't panic. Your real estate agent will be there to guide you through the entire process. An agent may help to schedule a videographer to come to your house, or utilize software like Tour Wizard or My360 to create a virtual tour of their own that can be added to the listing. Real Estate Agents can also use FaceTime or other apps to give their customers a tour of a house that doesn't include a virtual tour of the listing. There are a few ways to prepare your home before filming a virtual tour. Start by turning on all the lights in your home and opening the blinds or window coverings. You'll need optimal lighting to get the best footage, so your realtor will most likely schedule filming in the morning or late afternoon. Take time to clean your house before the virtual tour and remove all clutter and any furniture you don't want to be seen. Your realtor will help you with a simple staging of your home beforehand so it looks presentable in the video. The great thing about staging for a virtual tour is you'll only have to keep it that way for a couple of hours before you can put everything back where it belongs. Once the virtual tour of your house has been edited, it'll be ready to show potential buyers. Your real estate agent will show you the final footage and add it to your listing. Anyone interested in taking a virtual tour can easily watch it online to get a good idea of what to expect in person. When you’ve decided it's time to sell your home, a virtual tour can be a great way to get more people to see it and secure a buyer in less time than a traditional open house. Not only does it give potential buyers a first glimpse, but it also ensures that only people who are seriously considering purchasing your home request a tour or show up to the open house.2020-12-22T08:55:00-07:002020-12-23T18:43:04-07:00Lisa Pecktag:exploreeastbayhomes.com,2012-09-20:10214Setting up your first Home OfficeHow to Set Up Your First Home Office
Working from home is not a new concept, but recent events have created a mass shift in the American workforce and more people than ever before are working from home. While simply placing a laptop on the kitchen table is one way to work from home, having a designated home office offers a better environment for productivity and is easier to set up than you might think.
• The first step is to find the right location for your home office. Although it’s great if you have a spare room to use, not everyone has this luxury. A corner of a master bedroom or living room, a loft area, or even a section of a well-insulated garage can work just as well.
• Once you find the right space, create a list of the materials you’ll need to be productive. A formal desk is best, but if you don’t own one, then any table will work. Use bookshelves or storage cubes to keep paper, pens, and other useful items within easy reach.
• Pay attention to the lighting – both natural light and lighting fixtures. Cool light, such as sunlight, is best for productivity. Make sure you have a desk lamp or floor lamp if the room doesn’t have proper natural lighting.
• Once you have the essentials set up, it’s time to add some personal touches. Add a plant or decorate a wall with pictures you enjoy, to bring the space to life. Consider the storage elements as well, such as pen holders or file folders.
A home office doesn’t need to be fancy to be an effective and enjoyable space. The most important consideration is to ensure you can work in peace; it should also offer a pleasant place to be productive that is separate from your living space so you can unplug at the end of the workday. 2020-11-16T12:38:00-07:002020-12-23T18:40:56-07:00Lisa Peck