Open Sunday: charming 2bd/1ba garden bungalow

October 20, 2011

4415 Masterson Street – Laurel District Open Sunday, October 23rd: 2:00pm-4:30pm. Click here for brochure. – What a charming garden bungalow to call your own…! The cozy layout is light and bright with dual-pane windows throughout. Relax in the large living room with hardwood floors and a fireplace. Enjoy the updated kitchen and bath. The [...]

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Luxury Portfolio Magazine – Fall 2011

October 20, 2011

Here is the Fall 2011 edition of Luxury Portfolio Magazine. Alain Pinel Realtors is a charter member of Luxury Portfolio™, Fine Property Collection, a division of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. This gives us the ability to enroll high-end listings into this gateway to the world’s most distinctive estates. Share and Enjoy:

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Flopping short sales…a no-no

October 17, 2011

There is no shortage of scams in the world of short sales. Chicago Title’s latest newsletter gives an example of the unlawful practice of “flopping,” whereby a seller and buyer are related parties and collude to execute a short sale…only to have the buyer flip the property afterwards and split the proceeds with his partner [...]

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California Association of Realtors 2012 forecast

October 13, 2011

The California Association of REALTORS has released their housing forecast for 2012. Next year, they expect unit sales and median prices to increase slightly. Buyers should expect to continue enjoying affordable prices and relatively low interest rates. Discretionary sellers—those not compelled by financial distress to sell—will constitute a larger portion of the seller mix; many [...]

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Oakland zip 94602 trends

October 10, 2011

Here are the latest trends in the 94602 zip code for single family homes. Keep in mind the small sample sizes corresponding to many of the months. Share and Enjoy:

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Emeryville condo & townhouse trends

October 10, 2011

Here’s an 18-month snapshot of Emeryville’s condo & townhouse market. Keep in mind the small sample sizes corresponding to most of the months. Share and Enjoy:

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October market reports – East Bay cities

October 7, 2011

October market reports from Altos Research are now available…for East Bay cities. Oakland 94602 – Glenview, Dimond, Oakmore Oakland 94611 – Montclair, Piedmont Avenue Oakland 94618 – Rockridge Oakland 94610 – Crocker Highlands, Grand Lake Oakland 94619 – Joaquin Miller, Crestmont Piedmont Berkeley Alameda Emeryville Albany El Cerrito Lafayette Orinda Moraga Share and Enjoy:

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First-time homebuyers & short sale trends

October 3, 2011

My managing broker forwarded me this article on short sales and first-time homebuyers. It notes that first-time homebuyers have become a smaller proportion of all short sale buyers, citing frustration with the process. I’d also credit the many buyer agents who actively discourage their clients from engaging a short sale. However, buyers should be savvy; [...]

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Electrical safety and energy conservation

September 27, 2011

Zalman Sher, owner and president of American Electrical, gave a talk entitled, “Residential Electrical Wiring Safety and Energy Conservation”…at our regular Monday Marketing Meeting at the Oakland Association of REALTORS. Mr. Sher spoke on topics including: child-proofing electrical outlets arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) knob-and-tube wiring lighting, high-efficacy lighting, etc. American Electrical is based in [...]

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23rd floor at Pacific Park Plaza

September 21, 2011

Everyone driving through Emeryville on I-80 notices that tall, white residential tower, known as Pacific Park Plaza. Most can’t help pondering the spectacular Bay and hills views its upper floors must afford. And they are indeed spectacular! I shot this while showing a 23rd floor unit at 6363 Christie Avenue. I was giving my out-of-town [...]

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