Category

Sellers

Mar 27
0

Some Perspective

By | Buyers, Economy, Financial news, Sellers | No Comments

Realtytrac, a company that compiles data on home foreclosures, showed in recent data that foreclosures are not a national crisis, but more of a regional problem.

There are pockets, places such as Stockton, CA and Las Vegas, NV where the foreclosure rate is in excess of 4%, however, the national average is 1.033%. Considering the fact that 30% of all homes are actually free and clear of any mortgage, the true foreclosure rate is actually seven tenths of 1% of all homes.

In Santa Rosa, the price range up to $500,000 has been hit hard and about 50% of all the homes on the market in that price range are ‘troubled’ sales. So yes we are hit hard, however, looking at the nation wide numbers, it gives perspective and brings the point home that NOW is a great time to buy or move up.

Have a great day!

Mirjam (mirjam@c21alliance.com)

Mar 03
0

Your biggest nightmare when buying a home

By | Buyers, Financial news, ID Theft, Sellers, Sonoma County info | No Comments

Anybodies worst nightmare: you have worked on keeping your credit just perfect and by the time you find yourself ready to finally buy your first home (or for that matter refinancing your home) and you have to deal with Identity Theft. Please read enclosed article in PD: Woman’s stolen identity not easily restored.

Can you even imagine what this means? You’re getting ready to be pre-approved and you are denied because of purchase you did not do, creditcards you did not open, hospital bills while you were not hospitalized.

Cannot be said enough: CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR! Or any time you detect suspicious activity. You can go to www.AnnualCreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.

An other great website is www.FTC.gov/idtheft.

While writing this I come to realize that I am due my yearly check for my credit report. So guess what I am doing the coming days…

Enjoy your day

Mirjam (mirjam@c21alliance.com)

Feb 23
0

Spring Cleaning!

By | Around the house, Buyers, Sellers, Visit WineCountry, Wine Tasting | No Comments

The spring is in the air, trees are blossoming, it’s beautiful. Although it will be a rainy weekend, it’s beautiful outside, perfect for some wine tasting -> just an excuse to drive through the county side, enjoy the scenery and taste some great wines (make sure you have a designated driver). Next 2 weekends will be the annual barrel tasting weekend which will be extremely busy. So may I suggest a visit to Alexander Valley this weekend, should you go, drop by Alexander Valley Vineyards, my favorite is their Wine Club Reserve.

Of course, don’t forget to check out Sue Bonzell’s XtremeGuide, there is a Wine and Cheese reception at Graton Ridge Cellars today.

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Should you decide to do some spring cleaning, while your at it, you might as well take a home inventory. According to the Insurance Information Institute, in the event of a fire or other disaster, a current, detailed home inventory can help you obtain enough insurance to replace the things you own, get claims settled faster, and substantiate any losses on your tax return.

An other interesting fact to keep in mind while going through your house:

Nearly 30 percent of home electrical-wiring fires can be traced to the misuse of electric cords, such as overloading circuits, poor maintenance and running the cords under rugs or through high traffic areas. Source: InsWeb.com

Have a great day!

Mirjam de Rijk Mirjam (mirjam@c21alliance.com)

Feb 14
0

The Stimulus Package!

By | Buyers, Financial news, Sellers, Sonoma County info | No Comments

That’s the buzz word right now! It will be extremely beneficial for our local real estate market. As we discussed in our office meeting this morning, the most interesting part will be that the ‘conforming’ loan limits will go up but even more important, that the loan limits for FHA loan programs will go up.

Hmm for many agents …. FHA… let me think, that was a long time ago that we would even do these loans in Sonoma County, the current loan limit is around $ 380,000. Yep, but it’s going to be good, FHA (Federal Housing Administration) allows for 97% financing, it can be combined with gift funds (Nehemia program) and is very lenient with your credit score and the best part… the rates are great!

This increased limit for FHA loans might take an other month or before it can be used by lenders but it’s good news.

I am not going to repeat the stimulus program, please visit the info on the CAR website or  this link to Inman News

An by the way… there are some tremendous deals out there right now, this property at 421 Manka Circle for $349,900 is one of them.

Have a great day!

Mirjam de Rijk Mirjam (mirjam@c21alliance.com)

Feb 09
0

It feels like spring!

By | Bennett Valley, Buyers, Sellers, Sonoma County info | No Comments

It’s a beautiful week in Sonoma County, feels like spring. After all the rain we had in the last weeks everybody is cheering up. When I moved to California from Netherlands (where it usually rains) I could not believe how we are influenced by rain.

This weeks MLS meeting was a busy one. The Real Estate market has been picking up a bit over the last 10 days or so. There were quite a few agents that had ‘buyers needs’ -> were looking for a specific property in a specific/or not so specific neighborhood.

The real deals, priced well, good neighborhoods do get a lot of attention. I even do hear and see even short sales getting into escrow -> this means that the bank accepted an offer. Apparently the banks are able and willing to cut their losses. The fed rate cut did help the banks, their balance sheet looks much better now so this is a great benefit for the real estate market.

There was a nice selection of properties on tour. My personal favorites were:

4548 Fable Ct in Bennett Valley. Absolutely gorgeous, great setting consisting of 2 parcels. The original owner bough the lot next to the lot the house is on to have more privacy. It was worth it!

112 Junior – This property is in a tucked away neighborhood close of 4th lane across from the McDonald area.  It’s a craftsman style home, great floorplan with an extra guest quarter/office above the garage

Should you like to see any of these, just call me.

Mirjam