Looking for a home in the city without all the noise and commotion? This Julia Morgan designed Arts and Crafts style Edwardian home may be the one for you! Located on one of the most prestigious flat blocks in prime Pacific Heights, this semi-detached, gated and private home includes 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, three fireplaces, a family room with wet bar, two walk-out decks, landscaped gardens and an Eat-in kitchen boasting views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and Palace of Fine Arts. And, if you are in the mood for a stroll, the Presidio is a brisk walk away!

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Real estate agents, loan brokers seek other ways to make a living

Jobs in the housing industry have plunged in the last few years amid sluggish home sales and crippled credit markets, leaving thousands of real estate agents and mortgage brokers struggling to make a living.

"We expect to see continued carnage in these sectors for the next couple quarters," said economist Ryan Ratcliff of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, referring to real estate and mortgage industry employment. "But we're nearing the bottom, at least."

San Jose native George Colacicco is among those affected. He began brokering mortgages more than 20 years ago and started selling real estate in 2000, working for brokerages Realty World, Keller Williams and Fireside Realty over the past eight years. Last year, he started
Blog looking for other work. He handled only two listings in 2007, and neither sold, so he didn't earn commissions. But he was still paying monthly fees to the broker he worked for and keeping up with Realtor association dues. His cash reserves "dried up," he said.

click here for the complete story...

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > State -- San Francisco voters endorse huge redevelopment project

SAN FRANCISCO – The city's largest redevelopment project since World War II got a major boost after voters overwhelmingly endorsed plans to build new homes, office space and possibly a football stadium in a long-neglected corner of San Francisco.

Sixty-one percent of city voters approved Measure G, which endorses developer Lennar Corp.'s plans for a $1.2 billion development project on 770 acres at the Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point in the southeastern part of San Francisco.

Since I live directly across the street from the Shipyard (and, in fact, over a thousand new homes are in the preliminary building stages there right now) my sadly battered home's value (down more than 45% from its early 2007 peak) and my own financial picture would welcome this development. However, given the snail's pace at which the current development has proceeded, and the questionable expectation of Lennar being able to peddle 10,000 new homes any time in the next decade, I wonder if it can actually get done.

There is a lot of magical thinking going on in SF biz and real estate circles to the effect that the San Francisco housing market can never go down. Like much of conventional wisdom about real estate, I wouldn't be much surprised to see it eventually revealed as rank stupidity.

S.F. Real Estate Examiner - San Francisco Real Estate Market Update - Examiner.com

Lastly, the "know-it-alls" are those that might live in the area, aren't actively tracking the market, read a lot of publications and media, and just happen to "know the market is not good" based largely on what they're reading, but not experiencing. A common question from these types might be, "Is this a foreclosure sale?" What!? You must be kidding. Not only is this upsetting, but it is just plain bad. The media has created such a perception of our market that the sideline "know-it-all" thinks most homes on the market these days are foreclosures. We have news for you, most homes for sale in San Francisco are not foreclosure sales!

Although the majority of what is being reported is still, and always will be, bad news, the real news is that San Francisco is still doing just fine, and in our opinion remains a solid long term choice for real estate. The nominal declines in value we have seen should be music to many buyers ears, and will likely be short-lived. Information provided by sfnewsletter.

This is an example of the sort of thinking I'm referring to in my post below. This gent is practicing the sort of determined cheeriness that gives real estate (and used car) sales people a lousy name. Somebody who might "live in the the area...read a lot of publications and media..." is a "know it all." Welcome to the internet age, Alex, where agents no longer have a monopoly on market data and knowledge.

And let me tell you, pal, if you had seen foreclosures destroy property values in a San Francisco neighborhood as they have in mine, you wouldn't be whistling past these pocket graveyards so happily. And we have a word for those who constantly advise others to bet the farm (or their new 30 year fixed mortgage) on the proposition that SF will always be "doing just fine" - and that word is "Pollyanna." You might look it up. Even if it does make you a know it all to do so.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pending home sales unexpectedly rose in April to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday, but experts say the large proportion of distressed property sales will continue to weigh down prices.

The National Association of Realtors' seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for existing homes rose to 88.2 from a March reading of 83.0, the lowest since the index was started in 2001. However, it's still 13 percent below April 2007's reading of 101.5.

Wall Street economists polled by Thomson/IFR had predicted the index would remain steady at 83.

A reading of 100 is equal to the average level of sales activity in 2001.

However, Global Insight economist Patrick Newport tempered his enthusiasm for the surprising increase in April's pending sales.

"It's good news, but I'm not jumping for joy because I'm not convinced that it's telling us things are picking up," he said "It's telling me that banks are dumping properties at fire sale prices, spurring home sales."

Newport noted that inventory remains at record highs and is growing, especially in the West where foreclosures and so-called short sales make up the bulk of deals. A short sale is where the house is sold for less than the amount owed on the mortgage.

Pending sales there climbed 8.3 percent from March and are 4 percent higher than a year ago.

Karin Wilson, a Las Vegas real estate agent with Nevada Real Estate Services Inc., said about 2,000 properties hit the courthouse steps every month, but buyer interest is finally meeting the supply. Right now, she's working with 11 buyers, whereas six months ago, she had only one.

"We're having multiple offers on anything under $250,000. It's kind of crazy. We've seen in excess of 70 offers on a property and it's commonplace to see 10-plus," she said.

Likewise, bank-owned properties and short sales in San Diego are pulling first-time home buyers from the sidelines, said Gregg Neuman, a Prudential real estate agent. Once closed out of the market, buyers now stand to receive a 20 percent discount on these distressed homes, he said.

"Bargain hunters have entered the market en masse," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, remarking on the pending sales increase, especially in the most troubled markets.

In the Midwest, the index jumped 13 percent, while the South index posted a 4.6 percent gain. Only the Northeast index registered a decline of 1.9 percent.

The NAR expects existing home sales to total 5.40 million this year and then increase to 5.74 million in 2009.

The median price is expected to drop 8.4 percent in the first half of the year before stabilizing. Next year, prices will rise 4.4 percent to $213,900, NAR estimates.

While Moody's Economy.com Chief Economist Mark Zandi believes April marks the bottom for home sales, prices won't bottom out for another year, he said, in contrast to NAR's outlook.

"It's the beginning of the end of the housing downturn, but it will be a long painful ending," he said.

When economists say that consumers used their homes as A.T.M.’s during the recent credit boom, they are often talking about home equity lines of credit — a form of second mortgage popular among homeowners looking for a cushion against future cash shortfalls or a way to finance a new kitchen or a vacation.

It is no secret that lines of credit are harder to find these days. But what many homeowners may not realize is that their existing lines of credit can be eliminated at the lender’s whim.

Click here for the complete story...

If imitation is the is the sheerest form of flattery, here’s one worth stealing...

A San Diego real estate firm is offering to help pay for the wedding reception of the newly married who buy homes from their firm...

Even if you never sold a single home to a newly married couple, it’s just great press...

Please read on... Wellsford Realty spells out the whole plan for you...

-- With the passing of the same sex marriage law in California, the estimated 100,000 domestic partners in California will have the opportunity to join millions of other Americans in holy matrimony. While California braces for the onslaught of applications for marriage licenses from same sex couples due to the historic California Supreme Court decision to legalize same sex marriage, same sex marriage protesters and gay rights supporters are preparing for rallies across the state. In the midst of the controversy to legalize gay marriage, San Diego real estate company Wellsford Realty is offering to pay for the wedding reception for same sex couples married in California when purchasing a home, condo, or vacation home using their services. "It's more than showing appreciation for our customers," Michelle Koert of Wellsford Realty said of their Pride Promotion. "We understand that domestic partners want all of the securities and happiness that investment in a home has to offer a couple. We encourage same sex couples from out of the area to purchase their vacation home in San Diego."

We even provide a concierge service assisting with the marriage license, wedding reception and honeymoon plans.
Whether choosing to make California their primary or secondary residence by buying a home in San Diego, domestic partners seeking to take advantage of the new Same Sex Marriage Law in California can now get their wedding reception or a honeymoon getaway compliments of Wellsford Realty. With the purchase of a condo or home using their services, Wellsford Realty is rebating 33% of its commission which can be used to celebrate their wedding day or plan that long awaited perfect honeymoon.

"For example, if a same sex couple buys a $600,000 San Diego vacation home or condo, Wellsford Realty will rebate up to $6,000 cash back to plan a wonderful wedding reception to celebrate their vows or escape to their dream honeymoon. Our goal is to help newly married same sex couples celebrate their new life together," notes Michelle Koert, wedding concierge for Wellsford Realty. "We even provide a concierge service assisting with the marriage license, wedding reception and honeymoon plans."

With the Pride Promotion, newly married couples under the Same Sex Marriage Law in California can now have a place to call home in California with one call to Wellsford Realty. Wellsford Realty extends the offer to traditional couples as well.

I can really appreciate the lengths agents go to find new clients and generate new business.

So I would like to post two announcements I came across...

Wednesday
Home-Buyer Seminar:
Hosted by Help-U-Sell and Fidelity Capital Funding, 6 p.m., 1679 Church St., San Francisco, free, reservation required, (415) 648-7355.

Saturday
Taking Advantage in a Buyer's Market:
With Jennifer Kaufmann of Zephyr Real Estate, 10 a.m.-noon, 4040 24th St., San Francisco, free, (415) 652-8100.

Now it always seems to me the bulk of the information you might need about buying a home could be found online, or the chances of not knowing a real estate agent these days are almost none, but if agents are holding meetings, folks must be showing up...

I would love to hear from agents who use seminars to attract clients.

Saturdays meeting by Zephyr brings a smile to my face... It’s nice to finally see the term, “Buyers market” getting thrown around...

Real estate agents court Gen Y

Jacky Teplitzky used to turn to all the time-tested tools to drum up business for her New York-based real estate firm, Prudential Douglas Elliman.

Billboards. Mailings. Advertising.

Not anymore. The brutal real estate slump has made Teplitzky and other agents so hungry for business that many have decided to go after a group not known for its home-buying habits: Twentysomethings. And to try to connect with them, agents are unleashing a new breed of marketing tactics, from posting homes for sale on YouTube to building snazzy Facebook pages.

"This younger generation is so technology-savvy," Teplitzky says, "and because of that, they are changing the way real estate is being marketed and how brokers must use technology to successfully get to this group. This demographic is so important."

Real estate agents who've seen the number of potential buyers plunge as fast as housing values are hoping that this largely untapped demographic could form a new wave of buyers to help invigorate sales.

Click here for the complete story

Online start-up Redfin saves home buyers money

I spent a good part of my life working for TV networks and newspapers, so I know first hand there's a lot of time to kill on a newscast and pages to fill in a newspaper. and yes, reporters will at times stretch the truth to get a story past an editor. it's not to say they're making it up, but it might not be as important as they make it sound.

this is one of those stories...

the other problem i have with this story is i have never meet anyone who has bought a home from a Redfin. i have no doubt i'll catch some from Redfin today, but if you're a Redfin buyer, leave me a comment.

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Linda Flynn, a steely-eyed United Airlines pilot, has flown planes and passenger jets for years. But last week, Flynn had to calm her nerves before signing papers to buy her first house.

Longtime apartment dwellers Flynn and her husband, Christopher Code, started house-hunting after their landlord recently raised their rent to $2,450 from $1,900. Using online search tools offered by

Redfin, an Internet real estate firm, the couple searched dozens of homes and neighborhoods.

They quickly found a three-bedroom, one-bath home in Pacifica, a beach town south of San Francisco, for $490,000. The deal closes July 15.

"I got a little nervous, but we're really excited," Flynn says. "It's the biggest purchase of our lives."

Flynn is among a growing number of home buyers who swear by Redfin, an online start-up in Seattle that has rocked the real estate market — especially after a legal settlement last month between regulators and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) that will give all brokers equal access to home-sales listings.

click her for the complete story

Bay Area home sales edged up from a seven-month run of record lows last month, indicating that mortgage availability is improving and that an increasing number of fence sitters have decided they like today's lower prices, a real estate information service reported.

A total of 6,310 new and resale houses and condos sold in the nine- county Bay Area in April. That was up 28.8 percent from 4,898 in March, and down 15.3 percent from 7,447 for April 2007, DataQuick Information Systems reported.

The month-to-month jump was the strongest for any March/April in DataQuick's statistics, which go back to 1988. Starting last September and through March, each calendar month was the slowest on record. Last month was the slowest April since 1995 when 5,636 homes were sold.

"The big issue here is that mortgages are becoming obtainable, which will reduce the pile of stacked up pending escrows. It's unclear if the financing is because of policy changes or because mortgage investors are getting more interested in securities. Probably both," said Marshall Prentice, DataQuick president.

The median price paid for a Bay Area home was $518,000 last month, down 3.4 percent from $536,000 in March, and down 21.4 percent from $659,000 in April last year. Last month's median was 22.1 percent lower than the peak median of $665,000 reached in June and July last year.

Last month's median price would have been closer to $578,000 if the availability of jumbo home loans had remained stable. A year ago jumbo loans, mortgages above $417,000, accounted for 63.4 percent of all Bay Area home loans. Last month they were 28.8 percent, DataQuick reported.

Foreclosure property resales accounted for 25.7 percent of last month's Bay Area market. The percentage is higher in outlying areas that absorbed spillover activity during the frenzy. While foreclosure properties were 5.9 percent of San Francisco's resale market and 8.9 percent of Marin's resale market last month, they were 44.7 percent in Contra Costa and 54.2 percent in Solano.

DataQuick, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, monitors real estate activity nationwide and provides information to consumers, educational institutions, public agencies, lending institutions, title companies and industry analysts. Due to late data availability, the April statistics for Alameda County were extrapolated from the first three weeks of the month.

The typical monthly mortgage payment that Bay Area buyers committed themselves to paying was $2,309 last month, down from $2,405 the previous month, and down from $3,074 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 9.5 percent below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle. They are 31.9 percent below the current cycle's peak in June 2006.

Indicators of market distress continue to move in different directions. Foreclosure activity is at record levels, financing with adjustable-rate mortgages is at a six-year low. Down payment sizes and flipping rates are stable, non-owner occupied buying activity is increasing, DataQuick reported.

Trulia Ups Online Real Estate Ante, Launches Self-Serve Ad Platform

Trulia has rolled out Trulia Pro, a fixed-price ad platform that gives real estate agents and other home-focused advertisers the ability to create and launch online property listings and hybrid search/display ads on their own.

The move comes about a month after the online real estate marketing company launched the Trulia Ad Network (TAN), giving home-focused advertisers a one-stop shop for buys across properties like Village Voice Media, local publications like the St. Petersburg Times, and classifieds provider Oodle.

San Francisco-based Trulia spent almost nine months developing Trulia Pro, which got a trial run in late 2007 as a service called Agent Featured Listings. "It was our first stab at providing a self-service product," said Pete Flint, Trulia's CEO. "And it wasn't a huge success, but we learned what worked from that and made some changes to launch Trulia Pro."

Click here for the complete story...

Someone has to point out the bad news in this story for me... for as long as i can remember the real estate news has been dire... and now the slightest whiff of good news brings out more bad news... now it seems sales are starting to pickup, and that's even worse news because it might mean an end to bargain home buying...

Study: Bargain-hunters may soon end California's real estate 'free fall'

The "free fall" phase of the California housing market bust could end soon, as bargain-hunters begin buying homes in parts of the state hardest hit by foreclosures, according to a new economic report.

The quarterly UCLA Anderson Forecast said foreclosure rates will remain a significant problem in the state at least through the end of 2008 and into 2009, economist Ryan Ratcliff wrote in one section of the overall economic forecast. But "we may be transitioning from the free fall" of widespread foreclosures that drive down home values and prompt more foreclosures.

Click here for the complete story

Looking for a place in the city? This wonderful vintage condo, located in Eureka Valley is convenient to all MUNI lines. Close to Castro/Upper Market, this place is great for shopping and dining. This light-filled Edwardian condo includes 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, modern eat-in kitchen with stainless appliances and granite counters with a sunny dining/sitting room featuring solarium windows, and beautiful views. Includes beautiful hardwood floors and your own private deck and garden. All for the price of $888,000!

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Gourmet kitchen, Lean Cuisine cook

Photo courtesy:Real Estate Convergence

Even in this economy, remodeling projects still call for professional-grade appliances and high-end finishes. How did the kitchen become a way to impress rather than a place to cook? And is change on the horizon?

Hidden behind a downturn in the stock market, pain at the gas pump and historic home foreclosures, the high-end designer kitchen gleams on. The remodeling business may be off in parts of Southern California, and some consumers may be rethinking the need for $8,000 professional ranges, granite-topped islands and extra dishwashers, but in the words of Los Angeles interior designer Karen Haas: Clients still want "the best, the brightest, the latest."

"They're wanting these gadgety things," says Cynthia Bennett of Cynthia Bennett & Associates in South Pasadena. "Wine refrigerators have become a staple, plus built-in coffee makers and speed ovens."

Whether people are actually cooking more remains unclear, but the primacy of the kitchen as a public shrine seems, for the moment, secure. "I call them Lean Cuisine kitchens," Haas says, referring to her suspicion that warming a frozen dinner might be the height of culinary expertise expended by some owners of $5,000 ranges -- not counting occasions when the equipment is turned over to caterers.

Click here for the complete story

At least you don't live in LA... Another month of double digit reductions

LOS ANGELES - Median home prices dropped 26.7 percent in May across Southern California's six most populous counties compared with last year, a real estate research firm said today.

DataQuick Information Systems said it marked the steepest annual drop since the firm began keeping records in 1988.

The drop was driven by fewer sales of high-end homes, steeper discounting by home sellers and by lenders trying to unload foreclosed properties, DataQuick said.

Median home prices fell to $370,000 in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties last month. It was the lowest median price reported since March 2004.

Sales volumes for the region climbed about 8 percent from April but were down nearly 15 percent from May 2007.

In all, 16,917 new and pre-owned homes were sold in May, down from 19,874 in the same month last year, the firm said.

Nearly 38 percent of all the homes sold in the region last month were in foreclosure at some point over the past 12 months.

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As a landlord I always find stories about the return of renters interesting. It's a pretty basic story. As folks lose their homes they go in search of rental property and as a result rents increase...

It's funny how my rental property never goes anywhere but down...

But hey, the NY Times says it's true, so it must be...

Rise in Renters Erasing Gains for Ownership

Driven largely by the surge in foreclosures and an unsettled housing market, Americans are renting apartments and houses at the highest level since President Bush started a campaign to expand homeownership in 2002.

The percentage of households headed by homeowners, which soared to a record 69.1 percent in 2005, fell to 67.8 percent this year, the sharpest decline in 20 years, according to census data through the end of March. By extension, the percentage of households headed by renters increased to 32.2 percent, from 30.9 percent.

The figures, while seemingly modest, reflect a significant shift in national housing trends, housing analysts say, with the notable gains in homeownership achieved under Mr. Bush all but vanishing over the last two years.

Click here for the complete story...

I have a friend that lives in Palm Springs, he drives to LA everyday for work. His story isn't a new one, he wanted to buy a house, and it was the only place he could afford.

He works NBC news, which means there are three shifts a day for just about every job. When he worked the days shift it was 8 hours round trip to work, now on the overnight it's a mere 6. Needless to say he's now like millions of other Americans looking for either a new job, cheaper housing or a really cheap gas source...

Gas drives real estate buys

In his hunt for a new home, Demetrius Stroud crunched the numbers to find out that, with gas prices climbing, moving near an Amtrak station is the best thing for his wallet.
Reducing gas bills and commute times have become a priority for home buyers, experts say.

Reducing gas bills and commute times have become a priority for home buyers, experts say.

Stroud was looking in Elk Grove, California -- about 85 miles away from his job in the San Francisco Bay Area -- because homes there are more affordable. But with gas at $4.50 and a car that gets about 22 miles per gallon, Stroud would be pumping $560 a month into his tank.

So instead he made an offer on a home near the train station in Davis, which will shave $160 off his commuting costs.

"I wouldn't even be able to consider doing it without that Amtrak possibility," said Stroud, 45, who also telecommutes one day a week to his job in software quality assurance.

Stroud's choice represents a fundamental shift in the way more Americans are approaching home buying in this era of ballooning gas prices. Real estate agents, transportation officials and industry surveys indicate that home buyers are placing more importance on cutting their gas bills and commute times than they have since the oil shocks of the 1970s.

And there are some early indications that homes near urban centers, and subway, train and bus stops are often selling faster and at better prices than those in the distant suburbs.

Click here for the complete story....

Avalar Network, Inc., parent company of Avalar Real Estate, has acquired Better Homes Realty and all of its associated franchise operations. Avalar has become one of the fastest growing real estate franchises in North America, sharing millions of dollars with its franchisees, agents and staff through its trademarked “Path to Success®” revenue-sharing program.

“Combining the strengths of each brand will provide more opportunities to our members and prospective franchisees. In addition, being an agent-centric company, we pride ourselves on recognizing and compensating our members in return for building the organization through our patented revenue-sharing program. This program is designed to promote the recruitment and retention of productive agents,” says Chuck Scoble, President, CEO and Founder of Avalar. “We firmly believe that affording our franchisees and their associates the flexibility to operate without the unnecessary micromanagement that so many franchisors seem to endorse, has been an integral reason for our success.”

Better Homes Realty began serving the Northern California market in 1964, later expanding throughout the state. Strong brand recognition coupled with an upscale approach to real estate was the catalyst that enabled the Better Homes Realty franchise to enter markets nationally; Better Homes Realty presently has 64 offices and upwards of 800 real estate professionals, 30% of whom hold a broker designation. With this level of professionalism, it is no surprise that BHR is a leader in the industry with an excess of $1.5 billion in closed sales over the past 12 months.

Avalar is an agent-centric and affordable franchise designed to enhance the recruitment and retention of top real estate professionals through its world-class agent training, state-of-the-art technology and patented revenue-sharing program that becomes a retirement income for brokers, agents and staff alike. Despite a changing market, Avalar Network, Inc. membership has grown 68% over the past 24 months and its office count will increase by 52% as a result of this acquisition.

I enjoy stories like this because it gives you a real sense of how homeowners see the real world. I can't imagine anyone out there would consider Zillow one stop shopping for finding a home's value, but realistically i know they do...

A little insight courstey the Associated Press.

Don't panic: Online home-value estimates can be wrong

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Consider it among the unintended consequences of the national housing bust: Homeowners radiating every shade of anxiety after repeatedly visiting online real estate sites that conjure up instant home value estimates.

These Web sites, like Zillow.com, Cyberhomes.com and others, offer a trove of information, often through dramatic interactive maps.

And they can help prospective buyers dial into a neighborhood's real estate trends, such as which nearby homes have recently sold -- and for how much.

But for many homeowners, the home value estimates keep them coming back, even though the sites often offer plenty of disclaimers.

The sites are packed with so much information that, undoubtedly, some homeowners end up taking the estimates a bit too seriously.

Experts say that's a mistake.

Click here for the complete story...

I just don't have it in me to kick this horse another time... Yes, we all know home prices are down, we all know there's a problem, BUT there are signs of life in the market place... and do keep in mind these are the April figures.

What anyone seems to be failing to point out is 8 of the top 20 markets are in the black, actually showing price increases... I can tell you first hand bad news sells, and positive news takes more effort, so why bother if you sell just as many papers with bad news... but if you look closely at the chart below, you start to see signs of life in the top markets... the percentage of decrease from month to month is narrowing.

maybe a better headline would have been...

"Signs of life in the top twenty real estate markets."

i have a feeling the next time we see this chart, things are going to be looking way up...

With that said there are the facts as reported by the Associated Press....

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. home prices tumbled in April at the fastest rate since a widely followed index was begun in 2000 with all 20 metropolitan areas surveyed posting annual declines for the first time.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 cities fell by 15.3 percent in April versus a year ago, according to Tuesday's report. Prices nationwide are at levels not seen since August 2004.

The narrower 10-city index declined 16.3 percent in April, its biggest decline in its more than two-decade history.

Click here for the complete story...

Simple steps to help speed a home sale

Anytime the market slows it seems the advice doctors coming rushing out of their offices with tips and suggestions to speed the sale of your home.

This slow down is no different. It's not to say their advice isn't valid, but why does no one ever suggest a lower price.

With that said, here's today's professional advice...

BACK WHEN the real estate market was hot, sellers barely had to make their beds and do the dishes for their houses to attract buyers. Any extra effort often elicited multiple offers for over the asking price.

In today's cool market, however, those same extras can mean the difference between getting one offer or none at all, says Lisa LaPorta, cohost of HGTV's "Designed to Sell."

Sellers frustrated with the stagnant market should consider turning their anxiety into action. As inventory grows, a few inexpensive moves can make your house stand apart.

Here are 12 cheap tricks real estate experts recommend sellers consider to speed sales:

1. Get the right mindset. Once you list your home, detach yourself. Treat the house as a commodity, which means making changes that will broaden its appeal but that may erase some of your personal style. "I tell sellers in our first meeting that I may say things that offend them, but if I do it's because I feel it's for the benefit of the sale," says Dan Verbin, general manager of Re/Max Marquee Partners, which oversees 14 offices in the South Bay and throughout Greater Los Angeles.

Click here for the complete story...

New home sales near historic lows

New home sales remained near historically low levels in May, as the housing market continues to struggle with a huge oversupply of housing inventory.

The Census Bureau reported Wednesday that May sales of new single-family homes came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 512,000, down 2.5% from April's revised reading of 525,000.

The reading was higher than the consensus forecast of 510,000, according to estimates compiled by Briefing.com. But home sales are down more than 40% from May of last year.

Click here for the complete story...

In my years as a photographer I’ve been inside a lot of homes... Usually it’s the staged homes that stand out for me... I always ask what the agents were charged for staging.

Most of the homes I photograph or videotape are on the higher end, so they tend to require a little more furniture... So while I’ve grown use to hearing prices as high as $12,000 a month, I always try to ask as if I’m not shocked...

So when I came across a stagger who works only with the client’s furnishings and gets the work done in one day, I thought that was worth sharing... Agents are always complaining about the cost, but never the work...

So here’s the pitch from Jessye Gray, one of the owners...
(I promise this is NOT a paid placement)

A Day Away Interiors - Certified home staging redesign specialists. 

We stage homes by employing the owner's personal furniture, filling in with our own stock whenever necessary.  Our mission is to create an aesthetically balanced space through personalized color choices, efficient furniture placement, and proper arrangement of artwork and accents, thereby increasing property desirability.  Redesign staging is a one-time expense and is usually completed within a day.  We offer an affordable and highly effective option to empty home staging, with costs usually ranging from $1000 to $3000, depending upon the size of the home and the number of rooms redesigned. Let us unlock the potential in your home. 

Donna Gray (415) 302-3813
Jessye Gray (415) 722-9100

The National Association of Realtors reports sales of existing single-family homes and condos rose by 2 percent to 4.99 million.

It’s the second time in the past 10 months homes sales have increased.

I know what everyone is thinking, it’s the bank owned, foreclosed and short sales that are responsible for the pick up in sales, and you’re probably right. But honestly, who cares how it happens.

Today’s announcement also included the fact that the average price of a home dropped to $208,6000 from same time last year, a decline of 6.3 percent.

So rather than dwell on the bad news, be happy someone is out there buying.