By Don Dunning | July 17, 2015
Is the current, scorching Bay Area real estate market the new normal or one step away from a daunting descent? As a current or potential buyer or seller, this should be a question in your mind. Reviewing local history, including recent sales, can be a clue to the future.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | May 22, 2015
Navigating a home purchase and escrow can be draining. And then there is the hassle of moving. Once you are in the home, it seems like a perfect time to kick back and chill. Doing so, however, without working on some important items, can later create serious problems you might have been able to avoid. Health, safety and security should be addressed first.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | March 29, 2015
“Things never go the way you expect them to. That’s both the joy and frustration in life.”
– Michael Stuhlbarg
It began when I went to the freezer for a yogurt pop and found it as a liquid mess. Other foods were partially defrosted. Checking the refrigerator section confirmed we were in big trouble.
We quickly found a reliable appliance repairman who substantiated that it was time to replace our 10-year-old refrigerator. What sounded like a simple solution soon turned into a series of unforeseen, frustrating events.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | February 23, 2015
“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.”
– Thomas Berger
Buying and selling real estate continues to get more complicated. The questions sellers and buyers typically ask their agents are not necessarily those that will help them avoid trouble or get them the most useful information.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | January 15, 2015
“Overspending is a very attractive trap. If people like what they’re doing, despite the worry of debt, they won’t do anything about it.”
– Adriane Berg
This seller’s market leaves buyers “between a rock and a hard place.” Continuing to rent becomes less palatable as rents escalate. For many, it comes down to either buying or leaving the area.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | December 16, 2014
“Change is such hard work”
– Billy Crystal
Reams of small-font paperwork can cause your eyes to water and brain to swell, yet you need to understand what you are signing. There is a new, ten-page, California Association of Realtors residential purchase agreement containing numerous changes that could make a difference in your next real estate transaction.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | November 5, 2014
“There are many shortcuts to failure, but there are no shortcuts to true success.”
– Orrin Woodward
When a real estate agent takes shortcuts this often compromises the position of the person he is representing. Sadly, it is common for some agents to skip necessary steps to protect their buyers and sellers; this is not doing the best job for them.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | October 1, 2014
“When I am with a group of human beings committed to hanging in there through both the agony and the joy of community, I have a dim sense that I am participating in a phenomenon for which there is only one word…’glory.’ ”
– M. Scott Peck
California is the U.S. focal point for cohousing, a social experiment that originated in Denmark in the late 1960s and was imported to America in the 1990s. A group of like-minded folks participate in a planned community that will meet their needs.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | August 11, 2014
“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
According to a National Association of Realtors survey, 90 per cent of real estate home buyers search online during the purchasing process. Those who do not have a relationship with a real estate professional may browse sites that rate agents. Regardless of the specific verbiage, online portals that evaluate licensees are asking, “Did your agent do a good job for you?” This seemingly simple question is actually much more complex than many realize
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | June 21, 2014
“Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.”
– Jeff Cooper
Few buyers think about safety when purchasing a home. Some items, like “trip hazards” outside the house, or hitting one’s head walking down stairs to a lower level, are worth noting. Nothing, however, compares to the danger and possible disaster of you or family and friends being badly burned or dying of carbon monoxide poisoning. This is something that can happen in rooms used as bedrooms that are unsafe for sleeping.
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