http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress Blogging Bay Area Real Estate and More Wed, 07 May 2008 19:44:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Berkeley Townhouse Cooperative The only mid-rise development in Berkeley reserved for residents 55 years old and up. Unlike most retirement communities located in the isolated suburbs, the 9 story residential tower located at 2550 Dana St known as the Berkeley Townhouse Cooperative (BTC) features urban living at its best. What is ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/berkeley-townhouse-cooperative-for-55-and-up/ In a "normal" sale, the seller has money left over after paying closing costs, commissions and the outstanding balance of any loans/mortgages against the property. This money is known as "net equity". It is the money the seller puts into her pocket after the sale (but before paying possible capital ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/04/10/explaining-short-sales-part-i/ The Package The technical skill involved in getting a short sale approved by the Seller’s lender starts with knowing which sellers are good candidates for a short sale and which are not. For instance, someone who is simply "upside down" but can otherwise afford to pay the deficiency is not a ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/04/10/the-how-to-of-short-sales-part-ii/ Assuming you have $250,000 for a downpayment (not including closing costs), it is less expensive to buy this $1,050,000 fourplex to owner-occupy than it is to buy a comparable single family home. How? 2334 Curtis St The upstairs "owner’s unit" has 2+Br/2Ba, with approx. 1,248 sq ft of living space. Purchase Price: ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/02/09/1050000-is-less-than-625000/ A Rarely Seen High-Peaked Colonial Revival Fourplex in Berkeley! It is an architectural rarity in Berkeley to see such a well-preserved and tastefully updated half-timbered and high-peaked Colonial Revival property. This one built in 1911 by the carpenter Arne Lundgren. Berkeley’s Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) even produced a little write up ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/01/26/berkeley-architectural-rarity-high-peaked-colonial-revival/ Why Do Sellers Still List with Agents Charging 6% (or even 5%)? This is a continually perplexing question for us, and one which probably has several answers. First, we think many sellers don’t realize that commissions are not fixed. The big real estate companies spend a lot of effort training their ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2007/11/01/why-do-sellers-still-list-with-agents-charging-6-percent/ The slogan of Pacific Union GMAC Real Estate reads "Service you Deserve". I can’t help but wonder how this works with clients that have low self esteem, or even self loathing. These people have a day-to-day belief that they don't deserve anything good. Or how about the criminal or sociopath ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2007/10/25/service-you-deserve/ In the October 2007 edition of Realtor Magazine, published by the National Association of Realtors®, the trade organization to which most real estate people belong, there is a section called “Cool Tools.” This is what is promoted as a “cool tool”: Thriving Office “When customers call, have your home office project the ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2007/10/02/realtor-sleaze/ Any buyer who goes to an open house can see a big binder on a table somewhere, containing the property disclosures. When the buyer gets half-way serious about the house, their agent then requests a copy of the “packet” from the seller’s agent. Some packets are better than others. ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2007/09/25/disclosure-packets/ The typical home sale in Berkeley, Oakland and surrounding areas involves the seller providing a “disclosure packet” to prospective buyers before they make an offer.  There is no set requirement of what is contained in the packet, but it will usually include a pest control inspection, ... http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2007/09/12/good-faith-negotiations-and-%e2%80%9cas-is%e2%80%9d/