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	<title>Realty Advocates Blog</title>
	<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress</link>
	<description>Blogging Bay Area Real Estate and More</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:11:56 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<item>
		<title>New and Improved Website</title>
		<description><![CDATA[


Announcing the launch of Realty Advocates’ new and improved website!





We are proud to unveil the new look and functionality of www.realtyadvocates.com. We wanted our users to have access to the most timely market information and &#8220;state of the art&#8221; search tools, as well as content that would be of most interest to today&#8217;s buyers and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2009/11/17/new-and-improved-website/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Oakland’s Only Straw Bale House</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Several people have asked me how I can claim that my listing at 99   Roble Road is the only straw bale house in Oakland. Here’s how: it started with my seller telling me so. He heard this from his Berkeley-based architect Dan Smith. He, along with another local professional and straw bale expert [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2009/05/01/oakland%e2%80%99s-only-straw-bale-house/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>In Response to &#8211; A Comeback in Elmwood</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently posted a &#8220;coming soon&#8221; ad on craigslist for a house that I have listed in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood &#8211; 2617 Woolsey Street.  Within 24 hours, there was a blog post about it which contains some mischaracterizations that I want to clear up.
The writer (Tracy at www.BayAreaHomeGirl.com) has the basic facts right: my clients [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2009/03/13/in-response-to-a-comeback-in-elmwood/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>5321 Miles Avenue Townhouse-Unit in Miles Gardens</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
Early Green: First in the Nation (circa 1979) Passive Solar Double Envelope Multifamily Development
A townhouse unit is now available for sale in Miles Gardens, a 6 unit condominium project that utilizes a unique &#8220;double&#8221; or &#8220;thermal&#8221; envelope type of construction. This is where an &#8220;envelope&#8221; of air circulates between an inner and outer wall, distributing [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/08/28/5321-miles-avenue-townhouse-unit-in-miles-gardens/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Berkeley Townhouse Cooperative for 55 and up</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 urban living? It is where [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/05/07/berkeley-townhouse-cooperative-for-55-and-up/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Understanding Short Sales &#8211; Part I</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In a &#8220;normal&#8221; 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 &#8220;net equity&#8221;. It is the money the seller puts into her pocket after the sale (but before paying possible capital gains taxes). Unfortunately, there are [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/04/10/explaining-short-sales-part-i/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>The How-to of Short Sales &#8211; Part II</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8220;upside down&#8221; but can otherwise afford to pay the deficiency is not a good candidate.  Just because [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/04/10/the-how-to-of-short-sales-part-ii/</link>
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	<item>
		<title>$1,050,000 is Less Than $625,000</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8220;owner’s unit&#8221; has 2+Br/2Ba, with approx. 1,248 sq ft of living space.

Purchase Price:       [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/02/09/1050000-is-less-than-625000/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Berkeley Architectural Rarity High Peaked Colonial Revival</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 on this one, readable at:
http://berkeleyheritage.com/essays/high-peaked_colonials4.html

At [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2008/01/26/berkeley-architectural-rarity-high-peaked-colonial-revival/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Why Do Sellers Still List with Agents Charging 6 Percent</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 agents to focus on the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://realtyadvocates.com/wordpress/2007/11/01/why-do-sellers-still-list-with-agents-charging-6-percent/</link>
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