By Don Dunning | July 29, 2016
Real estate prices are always a subject of interest, especially during periods of skyrocketing home values. People want to know if the market is still hot, and, if so, how long it will continue.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | June 17, 2016
At a time when real estate prices are at an all-time high, understanding quality is essential. Despite this, homes which lack important benefits and features are sold for recording-breaking amounts every day.
Although home buyers have individual preferences, real estate professionals view certain attributes as adding value and, conversely, specific deficits as diminishing value. There is a long list of variables, some more relevant than others. These need to be recognized by sellers in pricing the property and by buyers in deciding how much to offer.
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 | 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 | 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.
Read MoreBy Don Dunning | November 25, 2013
If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.
– Michael Crichton
2013 has been an excellent year for sellers because low interest rates and insufficient inventory have led to high prices. Buyers, conversely, have found this to be a challenging real estate market.
I hear many opinions about local prices. With so much information online, it is easy to draw conclusions, but are they correct? Some say prices have surpassed highs of our previous seller’s market, others think not.
To answer this question, I chose three popular Oakland zip codes, 94602, 94611 and 94618, and charted Multiple Listing Service (MLS) statistics back to 2005, the peak year for closed sales.
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