By Don Dunning | January 10, 2010
This is the tale of a young couple who was highly qualified to buy, yet was unreasonably turned down for their purchase by one of the banking giants. They have allowed me to tell their story in the hopes of informing other would-be buyers of the ridiculous hurdles some lenders are placing on today’s home purchasers.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | January 6, 2010
According to a California Association of Realtors report on a state press release today, Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing: “to set aside $200 million for a new round of $10,000 state tax credits for first-time home buyers. The proposal expands upon the initial $10,000 state tax credit by including both new and existing homes. Last year’s […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | December 20, 2009
During the Christmas to New Year’s holidays, those of us in the biz get a few weeks to “chill” (how much can depend on the weather) for a few weeks while our buyers and sellers take time off from real estate activities. Those who follow my posts know my advice is to get right to […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | December 17, 2009
Now, more than ever, each of us needs to have good credit scores to get car loans, credit cards and home mortgages. Determining your exact score is not easy because of the varying systems for making the calculation. There are a number of free Web sites that offer credit scores, but they may not match […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | December 10, 2009
A couple of days ago, I was taking exterior photos of an upcoming listing when two dog-walkers passed. I had a laugh – hope you do, too.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | December 7, 2009
The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) just came out with a chart that substantiates my advice to buyers and sellers in recent posts – the next four or five months are a window of opportunity for buyers to lock in low interest rates while benefitting from affordable prices. These favorable circumstances for buyers mean more […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | December 2, 2009
I just signed up for a new, online application which, in my opinion, is a must-have for many businesses, including real estate. An easy-to-use technology, DocuSign allows documents to be signed and returned online and the signatures are considered legal just as though you had signed them in person. I am now one of “only” […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | November 28, 2009
An article I wrote several weeks ago, “Will You Lose Your Home’s Equity in an Earthquake?,” made the local papers this weekend. It discusses the fact that few buyers seem concerned about losing their property’s equity in an earthquake as evidenced by the fact that so many homes are not retrofitted and lack earthquake insurance. […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | November 25, 2009
Real estate professionals, as well as most buyers and sellers, know that activity drops off during the holiday period that begins with Thanksgiving. Fewer buyers, combined with cool, rainy weather usually tip the scale toward holding off on marketing new listings until the new year. But wait, doesn’t that mean that you, as a seller, […]
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | November 22, 2009
If you read my posts and/or articles, you know I have said that the next six months or so in the East Bay are a real window of opportunity for both buyers and sellers. This is because of the confluence of historically low interest rates, the extended Federal Tax Credit and much lower prices than […]
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